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6 


NESTS  AND  EGGS 


OF 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


6 


•i-.  ^     I. 


jiw        inm  iwD^wi^iy" 


linn  II  1 1  wmfit0irmmii9  im  iiii  my  i       im  »mi>t^ 


■...Jfeutia... —  --|  IftiiiiiftifmtiiilitrH 


AMERICAN  ROUGH-LEGGED  HAWK  (bLACK  PHASE. ) 
ARCHIBUTEO  I.AGOPUS  SANCTI-JOHANNIS. 


Ttrn 


NESTS  AND  EGGS 


OF 


III 
IB 


North  American  Birds 


BY- 


OLIVER  DAVIE 

Author  of  "METHOD8  IN  THE  ART  OF  TAXIDERMY,"  Etc. 


THE  FIFTH  EDITION 


REVISED,  AUGMENTED  AND  ILLUSTRATED 


PART  II.      ORNITHOI.OGICAI.  AND  OOLOGICAL  COLLECTING 

(The  preparation  of  skins,  nests  and  eg'gs  for  the  cabinet.) 


COLUMBUS : 

The  Landon  Press 

1898. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Cong  ress.  in  the  year  1898,  by 

OLIVER  DAVIE, 
In  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Cong'resR,  at  Washington, 


( 


'  I 


"Oh  !  why  has  worth  so  short  a  date, 
While  villains  ripen  gray  with  time  " 

—  Burns, 


DEDICATED  TO  THE  MEMORY 


OF 


LUCIUS  S.  WILLSON 


One  of  nature's  noblemen:   My  companion  in  many  a  woodland  stroll,  whoae  keen 

eye  observed  and  gloried  in  the  charms  of  varied  pastoral  scenes,  whose  listening 

ear  heard  and  delighted  in  the  caroling  of  feathered  songsters  and  the  cadence  of 

murmuring  streams.    His  ear  caught  the  music  of  breezes  as  they  wandered  through 

the  boughs  of  forest  trees,  and,  while  striking  the  tenderest  chords  on  their  i^olian 

harps  of  russet-brown  leaves,  in  the  Autumn  of  1882,  they  muttered  to  him  their  last 

farewell,  and  whispered  something  like — Eternity. 

THE  AUTHOR. 


I    r 


PRRFACR  TO  FIFTH  KDITION. 


The  text  of  the  present  edition  consistB  of  the  characteristic  habits  of  North 
American  birds,  with  particular  reference  to  their  nesting  habits  and  eggs.  Many 
of  these  will  be  found  to  be  almost  complete  life  histories  of  the  species. 

The  KooKraphicul  liriiitH  of  the  North  American  avifauna  at  the  present  time 
Includes  all  the  territory  north  of  the  Southern  United  States  boundary,  including 
(Greenland  and  the  peninsula  of  Lower  California,  with  the  islands  naturally  be- 
longing thereto.  The  second  edition  of  the  A.  O.  U.  Check-List,  1895,  is  the  classifi- 
cation which  I  have  followed,  inclu  ling  the  new  species  and  subspecies  enumerated 
In  the  Eighth  Supplement. 

All  stragglers  or  accidental  visitors  have  their  respective  numbers  to  the  left  in 
brackets.  For  an  explanation  of  the  authority  of  names.  Canon  Ij.  (page  56)  of  the 
A.  O.  U.  Code  may  be  quoted:  "The  authority  for  a  specific  or  subspeclflc  name  is 
the  first  describer  of  the  species  or  subspecies.  When  the  first  descrlber  of  the 
species  or  subspecies  Is  not  also  the  authority,  it  is  to  be  enclosed  In  parenthesis; 
e.  g.,  Turdus  mtffratoriua  L.,  or  Merula  mlgratoria  (Lj." 

The  species  and  subspecies  which  have  been  interpolated  In  this  edition  are  in- 
dicated by  the  double  asterisk  (*  ♦). 

No  attempt  has  been  made  to  describe  the  birds.  For  an  analytical  description 
of  these  the  reader  Is  referred  to  such  works  as  "Key  to  North  American  Birds,"*  by 
Dr.  Elliott  Couee,  or  "Manual  of  North  American  Blrds,"t  by  Robert  RIdgway. 

While  I  am  indebted  to  books  and  periodical  literature  for  a  considerable  amount 
of  information  gleaned  from  them,  my  acknowledgments  are  especially  due  a  large 
number  of  active  field  ornithologists  and  oologlsts  who  have  kindly  placed  at  my 
disposal  their  notes  containing  original  observations  In  the  field  on  the  nesting  and 
eggs  of  various  birds,  many  of  these  being  the  latest  discoveries.  Others  have 
furnished  descriptions  of  nests  and  eggs  from  specimens  In  their  private  collections 
which,  In  many  cases,  were  otherwise  scarcely  obtainable,  thus  bringing  the  work 
down  to  date  as  nearly  as  possible. 

The  illustrations  are  Introduced  simply  to  give  the  beginner  an  Idea  of  the 
characteristic  forms,  etc.,  of  the  birds,  together,  often,  with  their  environments. 

OLIVER  DAVIE. 

Columbus,   Ohio,  January  Jf,    1898. 


♦Published   by  Estes    &   Laurlat,    Hnston. 

t  Published  by  J.  B.   LIpplncott   Compiiny,    F'hilade'.phia. 


y^ 


NESTS  AND  EGGS 


OF 


North  American  Birds. 


NOTE.— The  nomenclature  followed  in  the  present  edition  of  this  work  Is  that  of  the 
American  Ornlthologisi:''  Union  Check-ljist.*  Thft  measurements  of  tho  eggs  are  given  in 
Inches  and  hundredths,  except  In  cases  wher^  correspondents  have  furnished  the 
measurements  in  millimeters.  These  will  be  found  reduced  to  inches  and  hundredths  ii. 
foot  notes,  as  appears  in  the  text  of  the  Western  Grebe. 


1.  WE8TEBN  GSEZE.  ^chmopho'-us  ocvidentalis  (Lawr.)  Geographic  Dis- 
tribution.— Western  North  >Nmerica,  chiefly  the  interior,  from  Mexico  and  Lowe;' 
Cali'ornla  to  Manitoba. 

Ihis  is  the  largest  of  the  Grebes  in  North  America.  Its  distribution  extendi 
from  Mexico  and  Lowsi  California  oa  the  south,  to  the  State  of  Washington  and 
the  Red  River  Region  on  the  north,  breeding  nearly  throughout  this  entire  range. 
A  common  summer  resident  at  Utah  Lake  and  also  at  Lake  Malheur,  in  Eastern 
Oregon,  thence  eastward  to  the  extensive  marshes  of  Shoal  Lake,  in  Manitoba, 
tvhere  it  breeds  abundantly.  Mr.  Edward  Stebbins  found  it  breeding  in  an  arm  of 
Devils  Lake,  North  Dakota,  in  the  first  part  of  June,  at  which  time  all  the  eggs  were 
more  or  less  incubated.  He  estimates  the  number  of  nests  observed  to  be  about  two 
hundr'^d  in  un  area  of  an  acre  and  a  half.  They  were  built  in  water  three  or  four  feet 
deep,  And  were  made  of  reeds  and  sedges  matted  together  and  fastened  to  the  tall, 
rank  grass,  so  as  to  float  on  the  surface.  It  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  the  Grebes 
cover  their  nests  with  weeds  and  other  vegetable  matter  before  leaving  them,  so 
that  incubation  may  continue  during  their  absence.  The  Rev.  P.  B.  Peabody  ob- 
served the  Western  Grebe  nesting  among  the  flags  of  Heron  Lake,  Minnesota,  on  June 
2d.  Only  a  few  of  the  nests  observed  by  Mr.  Scebbins  were  covered;  the  tall  grass 
obstructed  the  view  of  the  birds,  so  that  when  approached  they  would  hurriedly  slip 
off  the  nests,  and  leave  the  eggs  exposed.    The  only  birds  seen  were  those  in  the 


*  Check-Hst  it  V' 
Ornithologists'  Ualon; 
86  Pine  street. 


'h  American  Birds,  prepared  by  a  Committee  of  th«  American 
~  revised  edition,  1895.    Hqw.  York,  L.  S.  Foster,  Publisher, 


2« 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


vicinity  of  the  nesUi,  and  they 
Bwam  away  with  their  heads  and 
necks  above  water,  making  a 
kind  of  cackling  noise.  In  their 
habits  they  resimble  the  Loon, 
diving  or  swimming  under  water 
with  the  greatest  ease;  and,  when 
on  the  wing,  they  fly  with  won- 
derful rapidity  for  birds  of  their 
nature.  The  eggs  of  this  speciec 
are  from  2  to  5  in  number,  ellip- 
tical oval  in  shape,  very  pale 
bluish  green  in  color;  and,  like  all 
Grebes'  eggs,  the  surface  is 
stained  a  light  brown,  or  very 
much  soiled  by  contact  with  the 
decomposed  vegetable  matter  of 
the  nests.  Mr,  Walter  E.  Bryant, 
of  Oakland,  Gala.,  has  a  set  of  5 
eggs  in  his  collection,  which  were 
taken  at  Washoe  Lake,  Nevada, 
In  the  latter  part  of  May.  These 
measure  as  follows:  59x39, 63x33, 
58.0x38,  60::38,  59x29.5  'nun.* 
Three  sets  ia  my  collection,  two 
of  five  eggs  find  one  of  four,  taken 
Ijy  Mr.  Stecbins,  measure:  2.32x 
1.58,  2.40xl.'i7,  2.50xl.b3,  2.46x1.58, 
2.48xi.60;  r..l4xl.48,  2.27x1.54,  2.30 
2.28x1.58,  2.28r.l.53;  2.44xl.P2,  2.37x1.47,  2.52x1.44,  2.'.5xl.47.  The  bird  known  as 
probably  the  female  of  JE.  occidentalis.Z    its  habitat  is  given  as 

The  bird  and  its  eggs  are 


1.   Wbstbrn  Grbbb. 


Zl.68 

Clark's  Grebet  i 

WeKtem  North  America,  chiefly  along  the  Pacific  coant 

recorded  as  averaging  smaller  than  types  of  occidentalic. 


2.  B.OLB(ELL'S  GBEBE.  Colymbus  liolbosUii  (Relnh.)  Oeog.  Dlst.— North. 
America  at  large,  including  Greenland.  Also  Eistern  Siberia,  and  southward  to 
Japan.    Breeds  in  high  latitudes,  migrating  south  in  winter. 

In  the  large  bodies  of  wator,  the  little  baycus  and  sloughs,  rivers  and  gras£:y 
pools  from  Northern  Maine  to  Greenland ;  from  t;.<e  swamps  of  the  Red  River  Valley 
of  the  North,  and  again,  westerly  and  aorthward  to  the  margins  of  the  placid  lakes 
that  bordor  the  great  Yukon  River  in  Alaska,  and  be;:  ond,  this  Grebe  makes  its  sum- 
mer home.§  In  the  Fur  Countries  it  breeds  in  lonely  and  retired  places,  such  as  in  the 
tussocks  of  wiry  grass  that  border  the  Waterhen  River  and  Long  Lake  in  Manitoba* 
It  is  said  to  breed  abundantly  at  these  places,  and  often  where  It  is  quite  common 
during  the  breeding  season,  its  presence  may  not  be  detected  after  many  weeks'  stay 
about  its  haunts.    The  nest  \z  built  similar  to  that  of  the  common  Dabchick,  and  like 

♦2.32x1.54,  2.48x1.50,  2.36x1.50,  2.32::1.56  Inches. 

t  Placed  In  the  "Hypothetical  I.fst"  cZ  tie  A.  O.  U.  Check-List. 
JCf.  Henshaw,  Bull.  Nutt.  Orn.  Club,   .  .,  1881,  pp.  214-218;  B.  B.  and  R.,  Water  BlrSs 
N.  Am.,  U,  p.  423;  Bryant,  Auk.,  II,  pp.  313-314.     .• 

8  liie  sumirer  home  of  a  bird  is  grenerally  understood  to  be  its  breeding  place. 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


Other  Grebes  this  species  covers  its  eggs  before  leaving  them  with  grass  and  vege- 
table matter  gathered  from  around  the  bottom  of  the  nest.  A  set  of  three  eggs,  col- 
lected by  H.  A.  Wallace,  in  the  marshes  bordering  Long  Lake,  in  Manitoba,  exhibit 
the  following  dimensions:  2.15x1.20,  2.1oxl.C2,  2.17x1.14.  Their  color  is  a  dull  white, 
with  the  usual  soiled  surface.  Eggs  in  a  large  scries  vary  from  a  whitish  to  a  green- 
ish white,  and  there  is  also  a  great  variation  in  size,  as  they  n  oasure  fron:  2.05  to  2.55 
long  by  1.20  to  1.50  broad.  Mr.  Wallacf^  informs  me  that  the  aumber  of  eggs  laid  by 
this  species  ranges  from  two  to  five,  and  sometimes  seven. 

3.  HORNED  GREBE.  Colymhrn  auritiis  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist.— Northern 
Hemisphere.    Breeds  from  the  Northern  United  States  northward. 

The  Horned  Grebe  is  a  generally  diffused  and  an  abundant  species  throughout 
North  America.  It  is  not  uncommon  in  all  suitable  places,  during  the  summer 
months,  along  the  margins 
of  the  crystal  lakes  and 
rivers  of  Michigan,  Wiscon- 
sin and  Minnesota,  and  it 
Is  -recorded  as  breeding 
sparingly  in  Northwestern 
Illinois.  Mr.  Frank  W. 
L.an£don  makes  note  of  its 
supposed  nesting  in  Otta- 
wa county,  Ohio.*  It  breeds 
commonly  in  the  grass- 
bordered  lakes  of  the  Fur 
Countries.  Dr.  Coues  says: 
"I  found  it  breeding  at  vari- 
ous points  in  Northern  Da- 
kota, as  along  the  Red  River,  in  the  prairie  sloughs,  with  Coots,  Phalaropes,  and 
various  Ducks,  and  in  pools  about  the  ba'e  of  Turtle  Mountain  in  company  with  P. 
calif oniicus  and  the  Dabchick.t  Mr,  Thomas  Mcllwraith  records  it  breeding  in  all 
suitable  places  »'hioughout  Ontario,  notably  at  St.  Clair  Flats."t  Mr.  Mcllwraith 
says:  "The  nest  is  so  completwy  isolated  that  the  young  when  hatched  may  be  said 
to  tumble  out  of  the  shell  into  the  water."  A  curious  habit  of  this  and  other  Grebes 
is  that  of  quietly  sinking  beneath  the  surface  of  the  water,  or,  as  it  were,  like  a  snow- 
flake,  melt  away  with  scarcely  a  ripple.  The  nest  of  the  Horned  Grebe,  like  all 
others  of  the  family,  is  simply  a  floating  mass  of  decayed  vegetation  fastened  to  the 
rushes  and  reeds  in  shallow  water.    The  eggs  are  from  two  to  seven  in  number,  four 

being  the  usual  nest  complement;  their  shape  is  more  of  an  oval  form  than  is  gen- 
erally noticeable  in  the  eggs  of  the  Grebes;  they  are  bluish-white  in  color,  with  the 
usual  discolorations  on  the  surface.  They  vary  from  1.60  to  1.85  in  length,  and  from 
1.10  to  1.20  in  breadtn. 

4.  AMERICAN  EARED  GREBE.  Colymhus  nigricolUs  califnruirus  (Heerm.) 
Geog.  Dist. — Northern  and  Western  North  America,  from  the  Mississippi  Valley 
westward. 


>.    HoRi-ED  Grebe. 


♦Summer  Birds  of  a  No  ihern  Ohio  Marsh:  Journal  of  the  Cincinnati  Society  of 
Natural  History.  Vol.  ITI.  pp.  220-232. 

t  Birds  of  the  Northwest,  p.  732. 

i  The  Birds  of  Ontario,  beiriK  a  list  of  Birds  observed  in  the  Province  of  Ontario,  with 
an  Account  of  their  Habits,  Distribution,  Nests,  Eggs,  etc.  By  Thomas  Mcllwraith,  Super- 
intendent of  the  Ontario  District  for  the  Migration  Committee  of  the  American  Orni- 
thologists' Union.  Published  by  the  Hamilton  Assocation.  Hamilton:  A.  Lawson  &  Co., 
Printers,  18R6.    See  also  new  revised  edition,  1S94.    William  Briggs.  Toronto   publisher. 


u 


4  NBSTa  AND  EGGS  OP 

In  most  of  the  States  and  Territories  west  of  the  Mississippi  River,  this  species 
breeds  more  or  less  abundantly  in  suitable  localities,  and  its  breeding  range  is  al- 
most as  extensive  as  its  habitat.  It  has  been  found  nesting  in  the  grassy  lagoons  of 
I'exas,  In  the  fresh  water  ponds  of  California,  the  pools  and  sloughs  of  Eastern 
Oregon,  the  alkali  lakes  of  Colorado,  Kansas,  and  the  Territory  of  Wyoming,  in  the 
little  inlets  of  the  larger  bodies  of  water  in  the  Dakotas  and  in  Minnesota,  thence 
northward  to  the  inland  waters  of  British  America.  This  Grebe,  in  common  with  the 
others,  is  justly  noted  for  its  expertness  in  diving  and  swimming,  and,  liKe  all  true 
divers,  is  awkward  on  land.  From  the  posterior  position  of  the  legs  these  birds  sta^d 
almost  upright,  so  that  they  have  more  the  air  of  a  small  kangaroo  than  of  a  bird. 
Its  general  breeding  habits  are  like  others  of  the  family,  nesting,  however,  in 
more  open  situations,  in  flags  and  rushes,  or  upon  a  floating  foundation  in  shallow 
water.  In  the  absence  of  the  bird  the  eggs  are  covered  with  debris.  The  habit  of 
covering  the  eggs  among  the  Grebes  is  either  for  the  purpose  of  concealing  them 
from  enemies,  such  as  Hawks  and  Gulls,  or  that  upon  the  artificial  heat,  produced 
by  the  decayed  vegetation,  they  are  more  or  less  dependent  for  the  hatching  of  their 
eggs.  When  thus  covered,  the  birds  are  known  to  remaiil  away  from  their  nests 
during  the  entire  daytime.  The  eggs  of  this  species  are  four  to  eight  in  number, 
and  in  Minnesota,  the  Dakotas  and  Wyoming,  they  are  deposited  in  the  first  part  of 
June.  They  are  elongated  in  shape,  bluish  white  in  color,  but  soon  become  soiled 
by  the  wet  material  of  the  nest.  The  measurement  of  eight  eggs,  collected  in  the 
marshes  of  Red  Lake,  Minnesota,  on  the  7th  of  June,  are  as  follows:  1.79x1.21,  1.75x 
1.20,  1.73x1.25,  1.70x1.15,  1.80x1. '^3,  1.79x1.25,  1.73x1.20,  and  1.73x1.18.  A  set  of  four 
eggs  from  North  Dakota  has  a  decidedly  buff  ground  color  instead  of  the  usual  bluish 
white.  /, 


5.  ST.  DOMINGO  OBEBE.  Colymbus  dominicus  Linn.  Geog.  Dist. — Texas 
and  Southern  California,  southward  through  Tropical  America  to  Paraguay,  Includ- 
ing the  West  Indies. 

Here  is  the  smallest  of  our  Grebes.  It  has  a  breeding  range  extending  from 
the  Valley  of  the  Rio  Grande  soirthward  into  the  tropical  regions,  nesting  in  the  wild 
berbage  of  the  lakes  and  ponds  of  Mexico  and  Central  America,  in  many  of  the 
islands  of  the  West  Indies,  and  the  sloughs  of  the  immense  level,  tropical  plains  and 
pampas  of  South  America.  Its  entire  life  is  spent  in  the  water,  and  it  possesses  the 
same  aquatic  habits  peculiar  to  all  the  Grebes.  Dr.  James  C.  Merrill  was  the  first 
to  establish  the  claim  of  this  species  as  belonging  to  our  North  American  fauna.  He 
found  it  a  rather  common  resident  in  Southwestern  Texas.  On  May  16,  1877,  he 
found  several  nests,  undoubtedly  belonging  to  this  species,  in  a  salt  marsh  a  few 
miles  from  Fort  Brown.  "They  were  made  of  water  plants  and  pieces  of  reeds 
slightly  fastened  to  one  or  two  tule  stalks,  and  forming  a  wet,  floating  mass.  No 
eggs  were  obtained."*  The  eggs  are  described  as  a  "pale,  ihalky,  greenish  white," 
with  the  usual  discolorations.  They  vary  in  size  from  1.26  to  1.60  long  by  .86  to  1.00 
broad. 


6.  PIED-BILLED  OBEBE.  Podttymhus  podiceps  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist.— 
British  Provinces  southward  to  Brazil,  Buenoa  Ay  res,  and  Chili,  including  the  West 
Indies  and  the  Bermudas,  breeding  nearly  throughout  its  range. 


•  Notes  oh  thj  Ornithology  of  Southern  Texas,  being  a  list  of  Birds  observed  in  the 
vicinity  of  Fort  Brown,  Texas,  from  February,  1876,  to  June,  1878.  By  James  C.  Merrill. 
Assistant  Surgeon  U.  S.  Army.  Proceedings  of  the  United  States  National  Museum. 
Vol.  I,  pp.  118-173. 


NOJtTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


6.    PiB-BiLLBD  Grebes  and  Nest. 


6  ySSTB  AND  E0G8  OF 

Thlck'biUed  and  Carolina  Grebe,  Pied-biU  Dabchlck,  Dipper,  Water-witch, 
'Deyil-diver."  and  "Hell-diver"  are  some  of  the  names  applied  to  this  Grebe.  Most 
of  these  refer  to  its  wonderful  powers  of  disappearance  under  water,  and  by  one  or 
more  of  these  names  it  is  known  to  every  boy  who  has  wandered  with  a  gun  along 
any  of  our  creeks  and  rivers.  It  is  a  common  bird  throughout  itb^  range.  The  nest 
of  the  Dabchlck  is  a  little  floating  island  of  decaying  rushes,  reeds  or  grass,  mixed 
with  mud  aud  debris  brought  up  from  the  bottom  of  the  slough  or  reedy  pool  in 
which  it  is  built  The  structure  is  fastened  to  the  flags  and  aquatic  plants;  these  are 
pulled  down  and  piled  upon  each  other  till  the  nest  rises  two  or  three  inches  above 
the  water.  Mr.  A.  M.  Shields  informs  me  that  in  the  neighborhood  of  Los  Angeles, 
Gala.,  this  species  is  very  abundant — any  lake  or  pond  without  the  presence  of  two 
or  three  little  Grebes  seems  very  barren  indeed.  It  nests  about  the  middle  of  May. 
The  number  of  eggs  laid  by  this  species  ranges  from  six  to  nine;  the  complement, 
however,  is  usually  seven,  and  their  average  size  is  1.72x1.17.  Five  specimens  se- 
lected from  five  sets  exhibit  the  following  dimensions:  1.68x1.19, 1.70x1.18,  1.73x1.18, 
1.74x1.17,  1.70x1.17.  In  Kansas,  in  the  latter  part  of  May,  a  number  of  nests  were 
found  containing  from  flve  to  ten  eggs  each.*  This  species,  like  other  Grebes,  during 
the  process  of  incubation,  conceals  its  eggs  with  a  covering  of  weeds  and  other 
vegetable  material  during  the  day,  "and  they  are  uncovered  at  dusk  by  the  bird, 
who  incubates  them  until  the  morning  sun  relieves  her  of  her  task." 


f  I 


7.  LOON.  Utinator  imber  (Gunn.)  Geog.  Dlst. — Northern  part  of  Northerm 
Hemisphere.  In  North  America  breeds  from  the  Northern  States  northward;  ranges 
In  winter  south  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

The  Loons  are  large,  heavy  birds,  with  flattened  bodies  and  rather  long  necks; 
the  legs  are  placed  far  back  in  the  body,  giving  them  great  propelling  power  in  the 
water.  They  are  the  most  expert  of  all  divers,  disappearing  beneath  the  water  at 
the  flash  of  a  gun.  The  present  species  is  known  as  the  Great  Northern  Diver.  In 
North  America  it  is  found  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Paciflc,  breeding  from  about 
latitude  42"  northward  to  within  the  Arctic  circle.  Mr.  Nelson  states  that  this  Loon 
is  less  common  oh  the  shores  of  Bering  Sea  than  either  the  Red  or  the  Black-throated 

,  species,  but  is  far  from  rare  at  most  places.t  Mr.  W.  A.  Davidson  found  the  Loon 
nesting  in  the  marshes  of  the  Detroit  River.  Mr.  Edson  A.  McMillan  informs  me  that 
they  aro  quite  common  in  the  lakes  of  the  Adirondack  mountain  region  during  the 
brcedinc  season,  which  is  about  the  flrst  part  of  June.  Here  they  breed  on  the 
islands  occupied  as  breeding  grounds  by  the  American  Herring  Gull,  Larus  argen- 
tatus  amithaonianus.    He  says  that  of  nine  different  Loons'  ncst3  which  he  examined, 

•  none  of  them  contained  material  of  any  kind;  they  were  simply  hollows  in  the  sand 
where  the  eggs  were  deposited.  In  Maine,  Michigan  and  Wisconsin  and  other  lo- 
calities the  birds  are  known  to  build  a  roughly-formed  hollow  of  sticks,  weeds,  sod 
and  water  grass.  Mr.  Andreas  T.  Hagerup  in  his  "Birds  of  Greenland."  cays  that 
he  obtained  from  the  Greenlanders  eggs  of  this  species  in  July  ai:d  August.  The 
Loon's  eggc  aro  very  dark-colored,  of  an  olivaceous  brown,  sometimes  olivaceous 


•  •Omlthologrist  anla  Qologist,"  a  monthly  magazine  devoted  to  the  study  of  Birds, 
i  tbelr  Nesta  and  Eggs.  Volume  X,  p.  165.    Published  by  Frank  B.  Webster,  Hyde  Park, 
Mass. 

t  Report  upon  Natural  History  Cqllections  made  In  Alaska  between  the  years  1877 
and  18S1  by  Edward  W.  Nelson.  Edited  by  Henry  W.  Henshaw.  Prepared  under  the  di- 
rection of  the  chief  signal  officer.  No.  Ill,  Arctic  Series  of  Publications  issued  in  con- 
nection with  the  Signal  Service,  U.  S.  Army,  with  21  Plates.  Washington:  Government 
Printing  Office,  18S7. 


.  NORTH  ASitSRlVAN  BIRDS. 


7.    Loon. 

drab,  spotted  and  blotched  with  a  very  dark  brown.  In  shape  they  are  narrowly  oval, 
occasionally  very  much  lengthened.  The  number  Ibid  is  two,  sometimes  three;  in 
size  they  vary  from  3.40  to  3.90  long  by  2.10  to  2.38  broad.  Two  eggs  in  my  possessioa 
collected  by  Mr.  McMillan  measure  3.63x2.26,  3.44x2.26. 

8.  TELLOW-BILLir  LOON.  Vrinator  adamsii  (Gray.)  Qeog.  Dist.— West- 
ern Arctic  America  and  Northeastern  Asia. 

This  species  is  also  known  as  the  White-billed  Loon.  The  bill  is  of  a  light  yel- 
lowish color,  and  the  general  dimensions  of  the  bird  are  greater  than  those  of  the 
last  species.  Less  is  known  concerning  the  life  history  of  this  species  than  any  of 
the  Loons.  The  type  specimen  was  secured  on  the  Alaskan  side  of  Bering  Strait  by 
Dr.  Adams,  of  the  British  Navy,  during  the  search  for  Sir  John  Franklin,  and  since 
that  time,  beyond  ^he  fact  that  the  bird  ranges  over  most  of  the  circumpolar  main- 
lands, little  has  been  added  to  its  history.  It  was  first  described  in  the  Proceedings 
of  the  Zoological  Society  of  London  for  1859.  Mr.  John  Murdoch  (1885)  records  this 
Loon  as  a  regular  summer  visitor  at  Point  Barrow,  and  it  probably  breeds,  though  the 
«ggs  were  never  found.  L,  M.  Turner  (1886)  says  that  it  occurs  sparingly  at  Saint 
Michael's.  Mr.  Nelson  (1887)  states  that  it  is  not  a  rare  summer  resident  in  certain 
localities  about  the  head  of  Kotzebue  Sound.  The  nesting  habits  and  the  eggs  of  this 
species  are,  in  all  probability,  similar  to  those  of  the  common  Loon. 


Vrinator  articus  (Linn.)    Geog.  Dist. — North- 
In  North  America  migrating  south  in  winter 


9.    BLACK-THBOATED  LOON. 

em  part  of  the  Northern  Hemisphere, 
to  the  Northern  States. 

The  Black-throated  Diver  is  a  bird  which  is  more  or  less  common  in  the  northern 
regions  of  the  globe.  It  breeds  commonly  throughout  the  interior  of  Norway  and 
Sweden,  and  far  up  into  Lapland.    In  most  parts  of  the  British  Islands  this  Loon  If 


8 


NB8T8  AND  EQOS  OF 


considered  of  rare  occurreiice.  On  the  little  iplands  of  the  fresh  water  lochs,  fron\ 
the  middle  portion  of  Scotland  northward  to  the  islands  beyond  John  O'Groat's 
House — the  Orkney  and  Shetland — this  species  is  known  to  breed  as  well  as  on  the 
Hebrides  on  the  west  coast.  In  North  America  it  occurs  as  far  soutli  as  the  United 
States.  On  the  Pacific  coast  it  is  replaced  by  the  next  species,  U.  paciflcus.  Accord- 
ing to  Nelson  this  Loon  is  very  common  all  along  the  American  shore  of  the  sea 
about  Kotzebue  Sound,  and  they  are  also  numerous  on  the  large  streams  and  marshes 
of  the  interic.  and  the  eggs  have  been  taken  at  Fort  Yukon.  Like  all  the  Loons,  its 
home  is  on  the  water;  it  is  awkward  and  almost  helpless  on  land.  Its  progress 
under  water  has  been  estimated  to  be  not  less  than  eight  miles  an  hour.  Mr.  Nelson 
says  that  the  eggs  are  usually  placed  on  some  small  islet  in  a  secluded  pond.  There 
is  no  attempt  to  make  a  nest,  and  frequently  the  eggs  lie  in  a  spot  washed  by  water 
when  the  wind  blows  from  the  right  quarter.  In  spite  of  this  the  young  are  duly 
hatched.  Two  eggs  are  deposited,  of  a  dark  olive,  blotched  with  black  spots  which 
are  generally  confluent  about  the  larger  end,  very  frequently  they  are  crowded  into 
a  black  patch  at  the  very  apex  of  the  larger  end,  elongated  in  shape,  but  occasion- 
ally somewhat  oval.  Extremes  in  size  are  3.08x1.95  and  2.75x1.76.  Twelve  sets, 
selected  from  forty-six  sets  of  this  species'  eggs  are  in  Mr.  Crandall's  collection.  They 
were  collected  in  various  parts  of  Sweden,  Lapland  and  Finland.  These  show  an 
average  measurement  of  3.32x2.06. 

10.  PACIFIC  LOON.  Vrinator  pacificus  (Lawr.)  Geog.  Dist.— Pacific  Coast 
of  North  America,  south  in  winter  to  Cape  St.  Lucas  and  Guadalupe  Island. 

As  its  name  implies,  the  Pacific  Diver  is  confined  to  the  West,  and  the  above 
habitat  clearly  indicates  its  range.  Mr.  Murdoch  mentions  it  as  very  common  at 
Point  Barrow.  It  breeds  in  the  Arctic  regions — on  the  islands  in  the  lakes  and  bays 
of  Alaska — in  the  marshes  of  the  Yukon  River,  and  it  has  been  found  breeding  in 
considerable  numbers  at  Fort  Anderson.  It  breeds  commonly  in  the  innumerable 
lakes  and  ponds  of  the  Near  Islands.  Alaska,*  accoruing  to  Turner.  The  nest  of  this 
Loon  is  made  in  a  decayed  mass  of  vegetation  similar  to  a  Grebe's  nest,  and  often  it 
is  a  mere  hole  in  the  turf  in  which  the  eggs  are  deposited.  Sometimes  the  depression 
is  found  to  be  scantily  lined  with  feathers.  One  hundred  and  five  nests  observed  by 
Mr.  MacFarlane,  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Anderson,  contained  no  more  than  two  eggs 
each.t  The  eggs  are  described  as  having  a  ground  color,  varying  from  a  deep 
amber  to  a  pale  greenish-gray  and  in  size  measuring  from  2.95  to  3.25  long  by  1.85  to 
2.00  in  breadth. 


11.  BED-THBOATED  LOON.  Urinator  lumme  (Gunn.)  Geof.  Dist— North- 
ern part  of  Northern  Hemisphere,  migrating  southward  in  winter  nearly  across  the 
United  States. 

This  beautiful  little  Loon  breeds  in  high  latitudes.  It  is  also  a  bird  of  the  Old 
World,  where  its  breeding  range  is  about  the  same  as  that  of  the  Black-throated 
Diver.  It  is  not  an  uncommon  summer  resident  of  New  Brunswick,  and  it  breeds 
in  company  with  the  common  Loon  in  the  Province  of  Quebec,  Canada,  on  the 
islands  of  the  St.  Lawrence  River  and  Gulf.  In  the  large  lakes  and  ponds  of  Mani- 
toba it  is  a  tolerably  common  summer  resident,  and  particularly  in  the  Red  River 
Talley.    From  these  places  northward  to  Alaska,  and  in  the  Arctic  regions  it  breeds 


*  This  group  forms  the  westernmost  portion   of  the  Aleutian  chain;   they  are  so 
designated  because  they  lie  nearest  the  Asiatic  Coast. 

T  Baird,  Brewer  and  Ridgway's  Water  Birds,  Vol.  II,  p.  457. 


NORTH  AMERti^AN  ItlltltS.  9 

more  or  less  abundantly  in  all  suitable  places.  It  ia  common  during  the  summer 
months  in  Greenland.  In  Labrador  it  breeds  in  the  first  part  of  June;  In  Hudson 
Strait,  eggs  maybe  collected  from  the  middle  of  June  to  the  middle  of  July.  Through- 
out Alaska,  Mr.  Nelson  says,  the  present  bird  is  by  far  the  most  abundant  species  of 
Loon.  From  the  first  of  June  until  the  first  of  July  fresh  eggs  may  be  found.  The 
nesting  sites  chosen  are  identical  with  those  of  the  Black-throated  species.  Mr. 
M.  Abbott  Frazar  says  that  on  the  islands  and  along  the  coast  of  Labrador  this 
species  nests  on  the  edge  of  the  smaller  ponds,  these  often  being  mero  pools  of  sur- 
face water.  The  birds  make  no  nest,  but  deposit  their  eggs  in  a  bare  hollow  space 
on  the  ground,  usually  not  over  a  foot  from  the  water's  edge.*  Two  eggs  are  laid, 
and  the  color  varies  from  deep  reddish-brown  to  grayish-green,  sparsely  spotted  with 
brownish-black.  In  size  they  vary  from  2.6G  to  3.00  long  by  1.70  to  1.^5  broad.  A  set 
of  two  eggs  collected  by  J.  N.  McFadden,  on  Resolution  Island,  Hudson  Strait,  June 
18,  measure  2.74x1.78,  2.72x1.81.  Two  sets  of  eggs  collected  by  Mr.  Pope  near  Anti- 
costa  Island,  at  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  measure  as  follows:  2.90x1.81,  2.88x 
1.75;  2.98x1.76,  2.90x1.70,  respectively.    These  are  in  the  writer's  collection. 


12.  TUFTED  PUFFIN.  Liiiula  rlnliata  (Pall.)  Geog.  Dist.— Coasts  and 
Islands  of  the  North  Pacific,  from  California  to  Alaska,  and  from  Japan  to  Bering 
Strait.    Accidental  on  the  coast  of  Maine. 

A  curious  bird  with  a  parrot-like  bill,  hence  the  name  of  Sea  Parrot  which  is 
applied  to  all  the  Puflfin.  This  species  breeds  on  the  islands  along  the  Pacific  coast, 
from  the  Farallons  northward  to  the  islands  of  Bering  Sea.  Its  general  color  is 
black,  with  a  conspicuous  white  face  mask,  long,  floating  yellow  ear-tufts,  bent  like 
the  horns  of  a  ram;  the  legs  are  red,  the  beak  is  red  and  green,  making  altogether 
a  grotesque  looking  creature.  The  birds  deposit  their  single  egg  in  crevices  of  rocks; 
a  burrow  is  often  dug  in  the  guano,  which  has  for  ages  accumulated  on  these  islands; 
sometimes  a  few  pieces  of  weeds  are  found  in  the  bottom  of  the  cavity,  but  often  no 
material  is  used  as  a  nest  lining.  Mr.  C.  Barlow,  who  has  made  a  careful  study  of 
the  birds  on  the  Farallons,  says  that  the  nest  of  this  species  is  usually  at  the  end 
of  natural  burrows  in  the  granite  cliffs;  the  cavities  vary  in  length  from  two  (o  five 
feet.  At  one  place  they  are  found  depositing  their  eggs  in  little  depressions  behind 
the  rocks;  the  eggs  being  generally  out  of  sight  of  the  passer  byf  Mr.  W.  O.  Emer- 
son, who  has  collected  extensively  on  the  Farallon  Islands,  says  that  one  of  the  birds 
may  always  be  seen  at  the  entrance  of  their  nesting  places  on  guard  duty;  they  are 
among  the  most  noisy  of  the  sea  birds,  always  screaming  while  out  on  the  rocks, 
and  constantly  "growling"  while  in  their  burrows.  Fresh  eggs  may  oe  collected  in 
the  middle  of  June.  Mr.  Emerson  informs  me  that  he  has  taken  fresh  eggs  and  young 
birds  in  the  latter  part  of  July.  One  pair  will  rear  two  or  three  birds  in  a  season. 
The  eggs  have  a  ground  color  varyiut^'  from  a  pure  white  to  a  yellowish  buff.  Some 
have  a  circle  of  lilac  markings  about  one  or  both  ends.  Eggs  will  be  found  in  a  large 
series  having  tan  colored  spots  over  the  entire  surface;  others  have  lines  and  zigzag 
markings,  while  some  seem  to  be  immaculate,  but  upon  close  examination  deep-lying 
shell  markings  are  noticeable.  Four  eggs  measure  2.87x1.88,  2.83x1.86,  2.84x1.86, 
2.82x1.89.  In  a  paper  entitled  "Birds  and  Eggs  from  the  Farallon  Islands,":):  based 
principally  upon  Mr.  Emerson's  "matchless  collection  of  birds  and  eggs,  and  his 


♦  Ornithologist  and  Oologist,  Vol.  XII,  p.  2. 

t  A  few  Notes  on  the  Tufted  Puffin  Jn  The  Oologist,  Vol.  XI,  p.  35S. 

t  Read  before  the  California  Academy  of  Sciences,  December  19,  1887. 


10 


NEBTB  AND  MOOS  OF 


U.     TOFTED  POFFIKS  AND  NeSTINO  BcKROW. 


n,  : 


yoRTn  AMERICAS'  liiRDa.  a 

notes  regarding  them,"  the  author,  Mr.  Walter  E.  Bryant,  says:  "I  have  carefully 
measurod  r.fty  Puflln's  eggs,  which  nvorago  70.2x48.4  mm.*  The  iDdivlUual  propor- 
tionH  of  riglit  ogga,  showing  the  greatest  and  smallest  extremes  of  both  diameters, 
are  Slx.'iO.  77x48,  74x50,  71.5x51,  71x4G,  05.5x45,  64x50.  63.5x50  mm."t 

s 

13.  PUFFIN.  Fratcn-ula  arctlra  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dlst.— Coasts  and  islands  of 
the  North  Atlantic.  Breeding  on  the  North  American  coast  from  the  Ba^^of  Fundy 
northward,  south  in  winter  to  Long  Island,  and  casually  farther. 

The  Common  PuGlo  is  found  exclusively  in  the  waters  of  the  Atlantic,  breeding 
on  the  oasiern  coast  of  North  America  from  Maine  to  Greenland.  In  Europe  it 
breeds  from  Great  Britain  to  thn  northern  coast  of  Norway.  The  nest  is  made  in  a 
burrow  in  the  earth,  dug  by  the  birds.  Far  north  thousands  breed  in  the  fissures  of 
rocky  cliffs  and  in  the  sides  of  bluffs;  tv.o  birdj  are  often  found  sitting,  each  on  its 
egg,  in  the  same  burrow.  The  eg~s  are  deposited  late  in  June  and  in  July.  Mr. 
Frazar  found  these  birds  abundant  on  the  coaet  of  Labrador.  An  island  of  two  or 
three  hundred  acres  in  extent  was  covered  with  Puffln  burrows;  about  a  thousand 
nests  examined  contained  one  egg  each,  while  In  a  dozen  others  there  were  but  two 
eggs  to  a  nest.  The  greater  part  of  these  were  plain,  dull  white;  others  were  mora 
or  I  ss  thickly  spotted  with  obscure  chocolate  and  reddish  brown  markings;  a  num- 
ber had  distinct  brown  spots,  blotches  and  tracings,  such  as  are  seen  in  the  Murre 
eggs.  ^  The  sizes  range  from  2.25  to  2.85  in  length  by  1.45  to  1.85  in  breadth. 

13a.  LABOE-BILLED  PUFFIN.  Fratcrcula  arctica  fllacialla  (Temm.)  Oeog. 
Dlst— Coasts  and  islands  of  the  Arctic  Ocean,  from  Spitzbergen  to  BaflEln's  Bay. 

This  bird,  a  subspecies,  is  like  the  last,  but  greater  in  size,  the  bill  ^arger  and 
differently  shaped.  It  breeds  in  the  far  north,  on  the  islands  of  Baffin's  Bay  and 
along  the  coast  of  Greenland — nesting  in  the  same  manner  as  arctica.  The  eggs  are 
not  distinguishable.    According  to  Mr.  Ridgway  they  average  larger  than  P.  arctica.^ 


14.  HOBNEO  PUFFIN.  Frakrcula  cornlculata  (Naum.)  Geog.  Dlst. — Coasts 
and  islands  of  the  North  Pacific,  from  Kurile  Islands  to  Sitka. 

The  Horned  Puffln  breeds  on  the  bleak  rocky  islands  of  the  polar  seas.  It  is 
found  along  the  coast  of  Alaska,  is  common  in  the  Northern  Pacific  Ocean  and  on 
nearly  all  the  islands  of  Bering  Sea.  Mr.  Nelson  states  that  this  bird  breeds 
abundantly  on  the  Near  Islands,  but  is  not  resident  there.  They  are  resident  from 
the  Aleutian  chain  south,  but  are  summer  residents  thence  north.  They  are  equally 
abundant  along  both  shores  of  Bering  Sea,  and  south  they  are  found  on  the  coast 
of  California  and  that  of  Japan.  They  also  occur  on  the  Commander  Islands. 
Thousands  of  them  breed  on  every  rocky  Island,  and  whenever  a  vessel  nears  land 
in  that  region  the  clumsy  form  of  the  Puffln  soon  becomes  a  familiar  sight.  It  takes 
its  name  from  the  slender,  upright  horns  on  the  upper  eye-lids.  The  term  "horns," 
however,  is  regarded  by  some  as  misleading.  In  the  living  bird  the  horns  are  said  to 
be  only  soft,  flexible  caruncles  or  wattles.  The  nest-holes  of  this  species  are  in  the 
deep,  narrow  interstices  of  rock's,  seldom  within  the  reach  of  a  man's  arm,  and,  except 
in  the  absence  of  the  bird,  it  is  hazardous  to  attempt  to  rob  the  nest.  Like  the  Tufted 
Puffln,  Lunda  cirrhata,  it  often  inflicts  a  severe  wound  with  its  powerful  bill.    The 


•  2.76x1.90  Inches. 

t3.19xl.?7,  3.03x1.89,  2.81xL97,  2.81x2.01,  2.79x1.81,  2.6&a.77,  2.66xLW,  SbMxlJW  inches. 

i  Ornithologist  and  Oologist    Vol.  XII,  pp.  2-3. 

{Manual  North  American  Birds,  p.  11. 


12 


NESTS  AND  EOOS  OF 


14.    HoKNKu  Puffin,  Male,  Summer. 


K    HoRNKD  Puffin,  Adult,  Winter  Plumaoi 


14     HoRi«BD  Puffin,  Young  Male,  Winter. 


NOUTll  AMEKIVAN  BIKUti. 


13 


nest  cavltleB  are  llneu  with  graBii,  mosi,  etc.    A  ilnirle  egg  ii  laid,  which  Is  oblong- 
oval  In  shape,  pure  white  in  color  and  the  shell  Is  rough,  measuring  2.74x1.84, 

10.  BHINOCEBOB  AUKLET.  Cerrohlnca  monornata  (Pall.)  Oeog.  Dlst— 
Coasts  and  Islands  of  the  North  Pacific,  from  Ix>wer  California  (resident)  to  Japan. 

On  the  Islands  of  the  Pacific  coast,  from  Washington  northward,  the  Horned- 
billed  Auk  Is  said  to  breed,  and  was  thought  to  breed  on  Islands  farther  south.  It 
Is  nocturnal  in  Its  habits,  remaining  throughout  the  daytime  in  crevices  among  the 
rocks  and  burrows  in  the  ground,  where  it  deposits  its  single  egg.  This  is  similar 
to  the  egg  of  the  Horned  Puffin— dull,  chalky  white,  with  discoiorationB  and  faint 
shell  markings  of  obscure  purplish-gray.  Sizes  range  from  2.66  to  2.90  long  and  by 
1.80  to  1.90  broad.    Mr.  Rldgway  gives  the  size  as  2.70x1.82. 


16.  OABSIN'S  AUKLET.  I'tychoramphus  aleuticua  (Pall.)  Oeog.  Dlst.— Pn< 
clflc  coast  of  North  America,  from  the  Aleutian  Islands  to  San  Diego,  breeding  south- 
ward to  the  FarallouB. 

Mr.  Emerson  found  this  species  abundant  on  the  Farallons.  It  is  nocturnal  in 
its  habits,  flying  and  roving  about  during  foggy,  stormy  or  moonlight  nights,  but 
never  at  dusk.  After  dusk,  however,  they  come  out  of  their  holes  in  the  rocks  all 
over  the  island,  and  can  be  beard  calling  to  one  another  their  peculiar  notes,  rhcc- 
rlc-kcc,  (Iu:c-rk-k<r.  Mr.  Taylor  says:  "Some  observer  has  stated  that  Cassln's 
Auklet  on  the  islands  does  not  burrow.  This  Is  a  mistake.  Many  of  the  Auklets  lay 
their  eggs  in  holes  in  soft  earth  in  places  where  it  can  be  found."*  Mr.  C.  Barlow 
remarks  that  the  Tufted  Puflln  and  Cassln's  Auklet  are  somewhat  similar  in  their 
manner  of  nesting,  and  both  species  are  usually  found  in  the  same  locality,  although 
the  Auklet  nests  in  all  situations  about  the  Island.f  Any  convenient  crevice  or 
hole  in  a  pile  of  rocks  which  affords  a  hiding  place  suits  this  species  for  the  purpose 
of  depositing  its  single  egg.  Mr.  Bryant,  in  his  paper,  "Birds  and  Eggs  from  the 
Farallon  Islands,"  says  that  this  Auk  arrives  early  in  the  year,  coming  in  great 
numbers  in  the  night  of  January  14,  1887.  Two  and  three  young  are  supposed  to  be 
reared  in  a  season.  Young  birds  in  the  down  have  been  taken  in  September.  Con- 
sidering the  size  of  this  species,  it  lays  a  very  large  egg.  The  bird  measures  eight 
to  nine  and  a  half  inches  in  length,  or  about  the  size  of  a  full-grown  Woodcock,  while 
its  egg  averages  2.25x1.47.  At  first  appearance  the  egg  seems  to  be  white,  but  upon 
holding  it  to  the  light  it  is  a  delicate  shade  of  emerald  green.  The  shell  is  finely 
granulated,  and  the  general  shape  of  the  egg  is  ovate,  some  more  pointed  than 
others.  Two  extreme  examples  measure  as  follows:  1.97x1.42, 1.65x1.22.  There  is  a 
series  of  ninety-four  eggs  in  the  oological  collection  of  Mr.  C.  W.  Crandall.  all  taken 
on  South  Farallon  Island.  The  smallest  of  these  measures  1.63x1.27,  the  largest 
1.98x1.32,  average  size  1.81x1.33. 

17.  PABOQUET  AUKLET.  Cyclorrhynchua  paittaculua  (Pall.)  Geog.  Dist.— 
Coasts  and  islands  of  the  North  Pacific,  from  the  Aleutian  and  Kurlle  Islands  north- 
ward, i  '  . 


•  "A  Trip  to  the  Farallons,"  by  H.  R.  Taylor,  Vol.  I,  pp.  17-19,  of  The  Nldologflst,  an 
Illustrated  Monthly  Magrazine  devoted  to  the  study  of  Ornithology  with  special  reference 
to  the  Nldlficatlon  of  North  An>erican  Birds.  H.  R.  Taylor  editor  and  publisher.  As- 
sociated with  Dr.  R.  W.  Shufeldt.    Office:    Alameda.  Cal. 

t  An  Ornithological  Paradise.  Some  observations  gleaned  from  a  sojourn  in  the 
famous  Farallon  Islands.  By  C.  Barlow,  Santa  Clara.  Cal.;  In  The  Museum,  a  Journal  de- 
voted exclusively  to  research  in  Natural  Science.  Published  by  Walter  P.  Webb,  Alb*on. 
N.  Y.,  Vol.  I,  pp.  38-44. 


14 


NEBTS  AVD  £009  OF 


17.    Pakoqubt  Auklbt,  Fbmalb  Adult,  Summer. 

Like  a  number  of  other  species,  the  Paroquet  Auklet  has  a  strong  preference  for 
deep  water  and  the  islands  situated  in  it.  "It  feeds  at  sea,  flying  out  every  morning, 
returning  In  the  afternoon  to  its  nest  and  mate."  The  bird  is  known  also  by  the 
name  of  Pug-nosed  Auk.  It  is  distributed  irregularly  throughout  the  Northern 
Pacific  Ocean  and  Bering  Sea,  being  quite  common  on  the  Prybilof  and  Aleutian 
Islands  in  the  breeding  season,  which  begins  about  the  middle  of  May.  During  the 
cruise  of  the  Corwin  in  1881  Mr.  Nelson  found  the  Paroquet  Auldet  breeding  in  ex- 
treme abundance  on  the  Islands  in  Bering  Strait,  and  great  bunches  of  them  were 
brought  on  board  by  the  Eskimo.  Large  numbers  of  eggs  were  easily  secured.  For 
its  nesting  place  this  Auk  selects  a  deep  crevice  in  the  face  of  some  cliff;  the  cavity 
is  often  winding,  and  it  is  sometimes  exceedingly  difficult  to  obtain  the  eggs.  Even 
on  islands  where  hundreds  of  these  birds  are  found  breeding  some  of  the  cavities 
cannot  be  opened,  except  by  the  means  of  dynamite  or  blasting  powder,  which,  if 
used,  would  destroy  the  eggs.  A  single  egg  is  deposited  on  the  bare  surface  of  the 
cavities;  it  is  generally  an  oblong-oval  shape  with  rounded  ends,  chalk-white  or 
bluish  in  color,  and  the  shell  rough.  The  average  size  is  2.12x1.46.  Eggs  taken  on 
the  Seal  Islanda  by  Elliott  measured  from  2.25x1.50  to  2.35x1.45. 


18.    CRESTED   AUKLET.      Symorhynchus   crtstatcllus   (Pall.)     Geog.   Dist— 
Coasts  and  islands  of  the  North  Pacific,  from  Kadiak  and  Japan  northward. 

The  crested  or  Snub-nosed  Auk,  like  the  last,  inhabits  the  coasts  and  islands 
of  the  north  Pacific.    On  the  islands  of  Bering  Sea  its  breeding  season  extends  from 

May  to  August.  This  little  bird  has 
a  beautiful  crest  on  the  forehead  of 
twelve  to  twenty  feathers;  it  is  about 
two  inches  long,  and  curls  gracefully 
forward  upon  the  bill.  Its  nesting 
habits  are  like  those  of  the  C. 
psittaculus.  Mr.  Nelson  says:  "This 
strangely  ornamented  bird  has  a 
range  almost  identical  with  that  of 
the  preceding  species,  and  I  do  not 
recall  a  single  instance  in  which 
the  Paroquet  Auklet  was  seen 
in  any  numbers  where  the  present  species  was  not  found.  A  few  were  observed  in 
the  passes  near  Unalaska  in  May,  and  the  13th  of  June  a  single  pair  were  seen 
off  the  Seal  Islands.  This  bird  breeds  plentifully  on  the  Near  Islands,  but  does  not 
winter  there.  They  also  breed  on  the  Commander  Islands."  He  further  records  that 
in  Bering  Strait  and  about  Saint  Lawrence  and  Saint  Matthew's  Islands  this 
species  and  C.  psittaculus  are  found  in  equal  abundance.    They  choose  the  same 


18.    Orested  Auklet,  Summer. 


i      I 


NORTH  AMK/ilVAN  lilJWS. 


IS 


nesting  sites,  and  each  lays  a  single  wliite  egg  upon  tlie  bare  rocli  or  ground  in 
crevices.  On  the  Fur  Seal  Islands  they  also  breed  in  great  numbers,  occupying  the 
cliffs  with  the  other  aults.  They  arrive  in  May  and  deposit  their  eggs  deiep  down 
in  the  crevices.  The  eggs  taken  on  these  islands  are  chalky  white,  and  measure 
2.31s:l.  61  largest,  and  2.06x1.50  smallest. 

19.  WHISKERED  AUKLET.  SymorJiynchus  Pyynwua  (Gmel.)  Geog.  Dist.— • 
Coasts  and  islands  of  the  North  Pacific,  from  Unalaska  thi  lugh  the  Aleutian  chain 
to  Kamtschatka. 

From  what  is  known  of  this  species  it  appears  that  its  general  habits  are  simi- 
lar to  those  of  the  Least  Auklet,  but  ii  is  far  from  being  as  common.  Another  name 
by  which  it  is  known  is  Red-nosed  Auk,  the  bill  in  adult  birds  being  of  a  deep  ver- 
milion, tipped  with  bluish.  A  tuft  of  filamentous  feathers  on  the  head  curves  for- 
ward so'  that  it  hangs  directly  over  the  bill.  According  to  Nelson  the  species  is  un- 
known from  the  Fur  Seal  Islands  and  we  have  no  knowledge  of  its  numbers  and  dis- 
tribution in  the  Aleutian  chain.  It  breeds  abundantly  on  Near  Islands,  but  it  does 
not  winter  there.    It  also  breeds  on  the  Commander  Islands. 


-white  or 
taken  on 


i&.     WHISKSRBO  AUEbBT. 


Itb    Whiskered  Auklet,  Adult, 
Vale,  Winter. 


is.    Whiskered  Auklit, 
Adult,  Fbmalk,  Summbx. 


ill  .f 


\   I 


16 


NB8T8  AND  B0Q8  OF 


most  abundant." 


so.    Least  Auklet,   Ad- 
ult, Malb,  Summbr. 


20:  LEAST  AUEIiET.  Symorhynchus  puaillus  (Pall.)  Oeog.  Dist.— Coasts  and 
Islands  of  the  North  Pacific,  from  Sitka  and  Japan  northward  to  Bering  Strait. 

Nelson  says:    "Of  all  the  water  fowl  of  Bering  Sea  this  trim  little  bird  is  the 
Like  the  Paroquet  and  Crested  Auklets,  this  species  has  a  great 
preference  for  the  deep  western  half  of  Bering  Sea,  ex- 
cept along  the  Aleutian  chain.    Mr.  Nelson  does  not 

think  they  breed  north  of  the  strait,  except  on  some  of 
the  cliffs  on  the  Siberian  shore.  By  the  1st  to  the  6th 
of  June  they  arrive  in  great  numbers  on  these  islands, 
and  begin  to  lay.  It  is  said  to  be  comically  in- 
different to  the  proximity  of  man,  and  can  be  ap- 
proached almost  within  an  arm's  length  before 
•taking  flight,  sitting  upright  and  eyeing  one  with  great  wisdom  and  profound  as- 
tonishment. Dr.  Coues  says:  "This  curious  little  bird,  the  smallest  of  all  the  Auks, 
and  one  of  the  least  of  all  water  birds,  inhabits  the  coasts  and  islands  of  the  North 
Pacific,  resorting  to  favorite  ureeding  places  by  millions,  with  8.  psittnculus  and  8. 
cristatellus.  The  nesting  is  similar,  the  single  egg  being  laid  in  the  rece&ses  of 
rocky  shingle  over  the  water;  size  1.55x1.12."*  The  bird  is  not  known  to  come  soutll 
so  far  as  the  Uclted  States. 

21.  ANCIENT  MUBBELET.  Synthliboramphus  antiqiius  (Gmel.)  Geog. 
Dist. — Coasts  and  islands  of  the  North  Pacific,  from  Sitka  and  Japan  northward. 
Accidental  in  Wisconsin. 

The  Black-throated  Guillemot,  or  Murrelet,  is  found  in  fhe  North  Pacific  Ocean, 
breeding  on  the  islands  and  along  the  coasts  from  Sitka  northward.  It  breeds  in 
abundance  on  Near  Islands,  where  a  few  are  resident.  On  the  Commander 
Islands  they  also  breed.  N^sts  that  have  been  found  of  this  species  were 
in  holes  in  banks,  or  in  bnn'ows  in  the  ground,  similar  to  those  used 
by  thd  Fork-tailed  Petrel.  On  some  of  the  islands  of  Bering  Sea,  however,  the  birds 
are  known  to  deposit  their  eggs  in  the  crevices  of  cliffs.  A  single  egg  is  laid,  pale 
buff  in  color,  with  small  longitudinal  markings,  somewhat  subdued,  of  lavender* 
jgni  and  light  brown.    Sizes  range  from  2.15  to  2.50  long  by  1.40  to  1.55  broad. 

22.  TEMMIC1..2  MITBBELET.  Synthliboramphus  wumizuaume  (Temm.) 
GeOf .  Dist. — Coasts  and  islands  of  the  North  Pacific,  from  Japan  and  (Washington  I) 
northward. 

The  Japanese  Murrelet,  according  to  the  best  evidence  at  hand,  is  not  entitled 
to  a  plrce  in  the  avifauna  of  North  America.  Mr.  Ridgway  remarks  that  it  Is  "very 
doubtfully  American."  Mr.  Nelson  in  his  "Birds  of  Alaska"  says:  "The  present 
species  has  been  credited  to  the  northwestern  coast  of  Am'^rica.  and  I  mention  it 
hero  merely  to  r;all  attention  to  the  fact  that  no  explorer  has  ton:id  it  in  the  region 
covered  by  this  paper."    It  has  since  been  eliminated  from  the  A.  O.  U.  Check  List.f 

23.  HABBLED  ICUBBELET.  Brachyramphws  marmoratua  (Gmel.)  Geog. 
Dist.— -Coast  and  islands  of  the  North  Pacific;  on  the  American  coast  from  San  Diego 
northward,  and  breeding  as  far  south  as  Vancouver  Island. 

This  is  another  of  the  diminutive  Murres  confined  to  the  Pacific  Ocean.  There 
seems  to  be  little  known  concerning  its  nidification,  but  its  nesting  habits  and  eggs 


•  Key  to  North  American  Birds,  p,  809. 

t  Cf.  Stejneger,  Proc.  U.  S.  Nat.  Mus.  IX,  1886,  p.  524. 


I 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


17 


are  said  to  resemble  those  of  the  Ancient  Murrelet,  8.  antiquus.    They  are  ovate  In 
shape,  ground  color  buffy,  marked  with  various  shades  of  brown.    Size,  2.14  x  1.42. 

24.  KITTLITZ'S  MURRELET.  Brachyramphm  kiUlitzii  (Brandt.)  Geog. 
Dist. — Kamtschatka  and  Aleutian  Islands,  east  to  Unalaska. 

Mr.  Nelson  took  the  first  specimen  of  this  bird  in  Unalaska  Harbor  the  last  of 
May,  1877.  The  birds  were  in  company  with  S.  antiqinis  and  B.  marmoratus.  Their 
habits  appeared  to  be  the  same.  In  "Contributions  to  the  Natural  History  of  Alas- 
ka" page  121,  Turner  says:  "A  single  specimen  of  Kittlitz's  Guillemot  was  obtained 
April  24,  1879,  at  Iliuliuk  village  on  Unalaska  Island.  It  was  the  only  one  seen  in 
that  locality.  The  native  who  brought  it  to  me  asserted  that  this  species  is  abund- 
ant throughout  the  year  at  Sannakh  Island.  They  breed  there,  laying  a  single,  pure 
white  egg.  The  nest  is  placed  among  the  roots  of  the  large  tussocks  of  grass  on  the 
edges  of  bluffs  and  cliff  ledges.  I  observed  several  of  these  birds  to  the  westward 
of  Unalaska  Island.  They  are  not  rare  on  iVmchitka  Island  and  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  the  Old  Harbor,  on  Atkha  Island."  .     ,      , 

25.  XANTUS'S  MTJRRELET.  Brachyramphm  hypoleticits  Xantus  Geog. 
Dist. — Coasts  of  Southern  California  to  Cape  Saint  Lucas. 

There  appears  to  be  no  literature  describing  the  nesting  habits  and  eggs  of  this 
Murrelet.  The  bird  is  stated  to  breed  on  the  coast  of  Southern  California,  from  San 
Diego  southward.  . 

26.  CRAVERI'S  MURRELET.  Brachyrarprthua  cravcri  (Salvad.)  Geog.  Dist — 
Island  of  Natividad,  Gulf  of  California. 

Craveri's  Murrelet,  of  plain  dark,  slaty  plumage  above,  and  entirely  pure  white 
beneath,  breeds  on  the  islands  at  the  southern  portion  of  Lower  California,  in  the 
vicinity  of  Cape  St.  Lucas.  It  nests  in  burrows  in  the  ground,  and  its  general  hab- 
its in  all  respects  are  said  to  be  the  same  as  those  of  S.  autiqiuis.  It  deposits  a  single 
egg,  which  is  ovate  in  shape,  of  a  yellowish  or  buff  ground  color,  thickly  dotted, 
sprinkled  and  marked  with  blackish-brown.    Average  size  2.03  x  1.40. 

27.  BLACK  GUILLEMOT.  Cepphvs  grylle  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist.— Coasts  of 
Northern  Europe,  south  to  Denmark  and  British  Islands;  coast  of  Maine,  south  in 
winter  to  Philadelphia;  Newfoundland.  (?) 

In  Europe  this  species  breeds  from  the  northern  coasts  of  the  British  Islands 
to  the  Arctic  Ocean.  In  Greenland,  according  to  Hagerup,it  breeds  incolonies  of  from 
two  to  thirty  pairs,  among  the  precipitous  cliffs  along  the  sea  shore.*  It  is  resident 
on  the  north  coast  of  Ireland.  Breeds  commonly  on  the  Hebrides,  Orkneys  and 
other  islands  on  the  coast  of  Scotland.  A  very  common  species  along  the  entire 
coast  of  Norway.  In  North  America  it  breeds  on  the  islands  off  the  coast  of  Maine; 
on  Grand  Manan  and  other  smaller  Islands  it  is  foimd  in  countless  numbers  kbout  the 
middle  of  June,  depositing  its  eggs  in  the  nooks  and  crevices  of  rocks,  and  in  all 
sorts  of  places  which  offer  shelter  above  high  water  mark.  The  eggs  are  laid  on  the 
bare  surface  of  the  rock,  with  no  attempt  at  nest  building.  So  skillful  is  th'< 
bird  in  hiding  away  its  eggs  ihat  they  are  sometimes  found  hidden  away  in  subter- 
ranean caves. f  Two,  and  rarely  three  eggs  are  laid,  and,  they  are  indistinguishable 
from  those  of  the  following  spoctes,  but  average  larger. 

*  The  Birds  of  Greenland.  By  Andreas  T.  Hapreriip.  Translated  from  the  Danish  by 
Frlmann  B.  Arngrimson.  Edked  by  Montague  Chamberlain.  Boston:  Little,  Brown  & 
Co.,  1891. 

t  Bee  "Notes  on  Some  of  the  Birds  of  Grand  Manan,"  by  C.  H.  Andros,  Ornithologist 
•ad  Oologlst,  Vol.  XII,  pp.  179-180. 


18 


NSaTS  AND  BOGS  OF 


28.  MANDT'S  GXTILLEMOT.  Cepphua  tnandtii  (Licht.)  Geog.  Dist.— Arctic 
regions  of  both  continents;  south  on  the  Atlantic  coast  of  North  America  in  winter 
to  New  Jersey,  breeding  to  Hudson's  Bay  and  Labrador;  Alaskan  coast,  south  in  win- 
ter to  Norton  Sound. 

The  Sea  Pigeon,  as  it  is  called,  breeds  abundantly  on  the  coast  and  Islands  of 
the  North  Atlantic.  It  is  very  abundant  from  Labrador  and  Hudson's  Bay  north- 
ward, nesting  in  the  holes  and  crevices  of  rocks,  often  in  the  most  inaccessible 
places.  The  eggs  are  laid  in  June  and  July.  The  usual  complement  is  two,  often 
three.  These  vary  from  white  to  a  pale  greenish-white,  light  drab,  yellow  or  buff, 
marked  irregularly  with  spots  and  blotches  of  different  shades  of  brown  and  black, 
thickest  at  the  great  end,  where  they  are  usually  almost  a  confluent  ring;  they  are 
oval  or  olliptical  in  form;  size  about  2.30x1.55,  bxit,  like  nearly  all  eggs  in  a  large 
series,  there  is  a  great  variation  in  the  size,  shape,  and  also  in  the  style  of  mark- 
ings, etc. 

20.  FIGEON  GUILLEMOT.  Cepphua  columba  (Pall.)  Geog.  Dist.— Coasts 
and  islands  of  the  North  Pacific,  southward  from  Bering  Strait  to  Northern  Japan 
and  Southern  California. 

On  the  Pacific  coast  of  North  America  this  species  is  found  breeding  from  San 
Nicholas  Island  northward  to  the  islands  of  Bering  Sea.  Dr.  Leonhard  Stejneger 
says  that  it  is  a  very  common  bird  on  Bering  and  Copper  Islands;  its  eggs  v/ere  col- 
lected at  the  latter  place  June  16th.*  Mr.  Taylor  says:  "The  Pigeon  Guillemot  (so 
like  a  Guillemot  and  so  like  a  Pigeon)  is  found  in  rathev  limited  numbers  [on  the 
Farallons.]  Most  interesting  are  these  pretty,  graceful  birds  looking  so  petite  and 
modest  among  an  army  of  clamoring  Gulls.  I  believe  the  questioned  statement  that 
they  gather  small  stones  for  a  nest  is  true,  in  most  instances.  I  noted  the  flat  stones 
and  pebbles  about  their  eggs  often  and  they  did  not  appear  to  be  accidental."!  Mr. 
Emerson  says  egg-laying  on  the  Farallons  begins  about  the  first  of  May,  or  shortly 
after,  and  continues  into  July.  Two  eggs  is  the  number  laid,  and  they  are  deposited 
in  the  crevices  of  rocks  or  in  dark  nooks  under  boulders,  often  near  the  water's 
edge.  If  the  eggs  are  taken  the  foolish  bird  will  lay  again  in  the  same  place.  The 
favorite  resting  place  of  these  birds  is  on  the  rock  just  above  the  foaming  surf,  where 
they  sit  in  pairs  and  "converse"  with  one  another  in  low  whistling  notes.  In  a  large 
series  of  eggs  the  ground  color  varies  from  light  pearl  gray  to  greenish-blue;  their 
general  shape  is  like  that  of  the  Gulls'  eggs,  rounded  oval  at  the  large  end  and  point- 
ed at  the  smaller.  The  markings  are  of  two  shades  Oi.  lilac;  in  some  they  are  thickly 
spread  over  the  entire  surface;  in  ethers  they  form  a  circle  about  the  larger  end. 
Mr.  Bryant  gives  the  average  measurment  of  twenty-five  sets  of  two  eggs  each  in. 
Mr.  Emerson's  collection  as,  61.6  by  41.4  mm.|  Extremes  in  size,  66.5  by  41.5,  58.5  by 
41  millimeters.  § 

30.  MUBBE.  Uria  troile  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist. — Coast  and  islands  of  the  North 
Atlantic,  southward  on  the  coast  of  North  America  in  winter  to  Southern  New  Eng- 
land; breeding  from  Nova  Scotia  northward.  ... 


•  Bulletin  of  the  United  States  National  Museum.    No.  29.    Results  of  Ornithological 
Explorations    in    the    Commander    Islands  and    Kamtschatka.    By    Leonhard  Stejneger, 

t  In  Nidologlst,  Vol.  I,  p.  19. 

t  2.43x1.62. 

5  2.62x1.63,  2.30x1.61, 


JJORTH  AMERICA}}  BIRDS. 


19 


Like  all  of  the  Auks,  Mui'i-es  and  Puffins,  this  species  is  eminently  gregarious, 
particularly  in  the  breeding  season.  It  is  found  in  great  numbers  throughout  the 
Arctic  Ocean  and  on  nearly  all  the  islands  north  of  Asia,  Europe  and  America.  On 
this  side  of  the  Atlantic  it  breeds  from  Nova  Scotia  northward.  Tens  of  thousands 
of  these  birds  congregate  to  breed  on  the  rocky  islands,  depositing  and  incubating 
their  single  egg  close  to  one  another  on  the  shelves  of  the  cliffs.  The  birds  sit  side 
by  side,  and  although  crowded  together,  never  make  the  least  attempt  to  quarrel. 
Clouds  of  birds  may  be  seen  circling  in  the  air  over  some  huge,  rugged  bastion,  form- 
ing a  picture  which  would  seem  to  belong  to  the  imagination  rather  than  the  realis- 
tic. They  utter  a  syllable  which  sounds  exactly  like  miirrc.  The  eggs  are  so  numer- 
ous as  to  have  commercial  value,  and  they  are  noted  for  their  variation  in  ground 
color  and  markings.  They  vary  from  white  to  bluish  or  dark  emerald-green  In 
ground  color;  occasionally  unmarked  specimens  are  found,  but  they  are  usually 
handsomely  spotted,  blotched,  lined  in  various  patterns  of  lilac,  brown  and  black 
over  the  surface.  In  some  the  markings  are  confused  zigzag  lines  that  look  like 
hieroglyphics.  The  eggs  are  Inrge  for  the  size  of  the  bird,  measuring  from  3.  to  3.50 
long  by  1.95  to  2.10  broad;  pyrl-form  in  shape. 

30rt.  CALIFORNIA  MUBBE.  Uria  troile  calif ornica  (Bryant.)  Geog.  Dist. — 
Coasts  and  islands  of  the  North  Pacific,  breeding  from  California  north  to  the  Pry- 
bilof  Islands. 

Mr.  Emerson  says  that  the  California  Murre  is  the  most  common  sea  fowl  on  tho 
Farallon  Islands,  and  they  do  not  seem  to  diminish  In  number,  not^  '>  -tandin^ 


30a.    California  Murrbs  on  the  Faralloms,    (From  TJie  Nidologitt.) 


the  wholesale  destruction  of  their  eggs  for  commercial  purposes.  The  birds  begin 
to  lay  by  the  middle  or  latter  part  of  May.  Fresh  eggs  can  be  found  as  late  as  Au- 
gust. This  is  due.  more  or  less  to  the  many  robberies  to  which  the  birds  are  sub- 
jected, and  they  are  compelled  to  lay  several  times  before  they  are  left  undisturbed 
by  the  eggers.    So  telling  is  the  effect  due  to  constant  laying  that  the  eggs  deposited 


20 


NB8TS  AND  EQOS  OF 


V 


I  fc 


in  the  latter  part  of  the  season  are  perceptibly  smaller.  Mr.  C.  Barlow  also  states 
that  this  species  greatly  exceeds  in  numbers  any  of  the  birds  inhabiting  the  Faral- 
lon;  they  nest  on  the  cliffs  in  rookeries,  usually  near  the  summits  of  the  peaks. 
For  years  their  eggs  have  been  collected  for  the  San  Francisco  markets  where  they 
are  used  by  bakeries  in  the  manufacture  of  all  kinds  of  pastry.*  According  to  Mr. 
Bryant  the  number  of  eggs  marketed  for  the  last  few  years  has  averaged  from  one 
hundred  and  eighty  thousand  to  two  hundred  and  twenty-eight  thousand.  In  1886 
two  men  who  were  left  on  Sugar  Loaf,  collected  one  hundred  and  eight  thousand 
eggs.  The  Western  Gull,  Larus  occidcntalis,  is  another  enemy  of  this  Murre;  It 
carries  off  and  devours  both  eggs  and  young.  So  it  would  seem  that  the  chances 
for  the  Murre  to  rear  its  young  and  launch  them  into  the  deep,  blue  sea,  where  they 
can  take  care  of  themselves,  are  not  very  favorable,  yet  these  birds  are  found  in 
countless  numbers  on  the  islands  of  the  Pacific  coast.  Mr.  Bryant,  in  his  excellent 
paper.t  says:  "The  gulls  pick  a  Murre's  egg  up  bodily  and  carry  it  away  In  their  ca- 
pacious mouth,  but  do  not  stick  their  bill  into  it  to  get  hold,  as  is  stated  by  some 
writers,  whose  observations  must  have  referred  to  the  eggs  already  broken  by  the 
gulls  or  eggers."  This  species  lays  a  single  pear-shaped  egg  on  the  bare  rock,  often 
on  the  narrow  shelves  of  cliffs,  where  the  bird  has  just  room  enough  to  sit,  and  if  un- 
molested will  rear  two  or  three  young  in  a  season.  Like  the  eggs  of  the  last 
species,  they  show  a  wonderful  diversity  of  color  and  markings;  the  ground  color  is 
white,  buff,  greenish  of  several  shades,  yellowish,  and  cinnamon.  They  are  either 
unspotted  cr  blotched  or  streaked  with  zigzag  markings  of  brown  and  black.  They 
measure  fvom  3.50  to  354  long  by  1.90  to  2.05  broad;  occasionally  as  small  as  2.05  in 
length  I'y  1.45  in  breadth.  Mr.  H.  A.  Taylor  says:  "The  California  Murre,  the  repre- 
sentative birds  of  the  islands,  lay  their  colored,  pear-shaped  eggs  on  bare  rock  on  the 
steepest  crags,  in  caves  and  almost  everywhere,  save  on  the  few  low  flats  near  the 
shore,  where  many  Western  Gulls  ctoose  to  build  their  nests  of  coarse  Farallon 
weeds,  and  in  the  hollow  spaces  under  certain  boulders  the  Pigeon  Guillemot  lays  her 
two  eggs."t 

31.  BBUNNICH'S  HUBBE.  Uria  lomvia  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist.— Coasts  and 
telands  of  the  North  Atlantic  and  Eastern  Arctic  Ocean,  south  on  the  Atlantic  coast 
of  North  America  to  New  Jersey.  Breeding  from  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence  north- 
ward. 

This  species  has  the  same  general  habits  and  characteristics  as  the  common 
Murre,  Vria  troile.  Its  distribution  in  the  breeding  season  is  about  the  same,  and 
the  eggs  are  indistinguishable.  It  is  an  abundant  bird  on  the  islands  of  the  North 
Atlantic.  We  can  now.  for  the  first  time,  add  this  bird  to  the  avifauna  of  Ohio.  A 
mounted  specimen  before  me,  was  captured  alive  by  Mr.  R.  T.  Stewart  in  a  field  near 
Fair  Haven,  Preble  county,  Ohio,  December  19th,  1896.  The  bird  was  kindly  identi- 
tlfied  for  me  by  Mr.  Charles  W.  Richmond,  Assistant  Curator  of  Birds  in  the  National 

Museum.  He  states  that  a  wave  of  these  uirds  was  scattered,  by  a  storm  which  oc- 
curred about  the  above  date  and  Prof.  E.  L.  Moseley  reports  two  specimens  being 
shot  at  Put-in-Bay  and  two  at  Sdndusky  on  December  19th. 

31a.  PALLAS'S  MUBBE.  Vria  lomvia  ana  (Pall.)  Geog.  Dist. — Coast  and 
islands  of  the  North  Pacific  and  Western  Arctic  Ocean. 

The  great  "egg  bird"  of  the  North  Pacific,  swarming  at  its  breeding  places  on  the 
rocky  islands  and  shores  in  myriads.  Its  habits  and  nesting  are  the  same  as  thosd 
of  the  foregoing,  the  eggs  averaging  larger,  3.21x2.01.  ... 


•The  Museum,  I,  p.  38.  -  : 

t  Birds  and  Eggs  from  the  Farallon  Islands. 

t  "A  Trip  to  the  Farallons"  in  The  Kldologlst,  Vol.  I,  pp.  17-19. 


NORTH  AMERxkIAN  BIRDS. 


21 


-Coast  and 


32.  BAZOB-BILLED  AUK.  Alca  torda  Linn.  Geog.  Dist.— Coasta  and 
islands  of  the  North  Atlantic,  south  in  winter  on  the  North  American  coast  to 
Southe-n  New  England.  "     .' 

Ti.  Razor-billed  Auk  is  abundant  on  the  coasts  and  Islands  of  the  North  At- 
lantic and  iome  parts  of  the  Polar  seas.  The  R^zor-biUed  Auk  Is  about  eighteen 
inches  long,  with  a  pointed  tail  and  flatly  compressed  bill;  the  plumage  is  brownish- 
blackaboveand  white  beneath,  the  black  bill  having  awhite  curved  lineand  the  back 
part  of  the  wing  is  edged  with  white.  It  breeds  from  the  northeastern  coast  of 
Maine  northward.  Mr.  Frazar  found  it  common  everywhere  in  Labrador,  more  so 
even  than  the  Murre,  Uria  troile,  owing  to  its  habit  of  breeding  in  less  frequented 
places — concealing  its  eggs  in  the  cracks  and  crevices  among  the  rocks,  where  it  was 
not  apt  to  be  disturbed.  It  frequents  the  rock  shores,  and  deposits  its  eggs  in  June 
and  July,  often  in  deep  Assures  of  the  rocks  and  in  caverns.  It  very  frequently  lays 
Its  eggs  at  the  entrance  of  Inhabited  puffin's  burrows.  Generally  one  egg  is  laid, 
but  in  about  twenty  instances  Mr.  Frazar  found  two.  Thb.e  are  white  with  a  creamy 
or  bluish  tint,  spotted  and  blotched  with  dark  brown  or  black,  the  spots  often  be- 
coming confluent  and  generally  forming  a  circle  toward  the  large  end;  pyriform  to 
oval  in  shape;  size  about  3.00x2.00.  The  eggs  exhibit  a  great  variety  in  the  distribu- 
tion and  style  of  markings.  In  shape  they  are  not  distinguishable  from  some  types 
of  the  common  Guillemot,  but  are  generally  more  or  less  ovate  or  elongated  pear- 
shape.  The  Razor-billed  Auk  breeds  sparingly  on  the  outlying  rocky  islands  of 
Nova  Scotia,  as  on  Devil's  Limb  and  Gannet  rock.  The  bird  Is  about  eighteen 
inches  long.  In  life  it  is  said  to  have  a  particularly  trim  and  elegant  form,  and  its 
feathers  are  always  kept  perfectly  clean,  smooth  and  glossy.  This  Auk  is  said  to  be 
of  quarrelsome  disposition,  seldom  allowing  a  puffin  or  murre  to  alight  near  it  with- 
out opening  its  bill  at  the  intruder  and  disclosing  a  bright  orange  mouth.  The 
Razor-bill  rides  lightly  on  the  water  and  dives  well. 

33.  GREAT  AUK.  Plavtus  impennia  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist— Formerly  the  coasts 
and  islands  of  the  North  Atlantic,  from  Massachusetts  and  Ireland  northward  nearly 
to  the  Arctic  Circle.    Now  extinct. 

Ornithologists  generally  agree  that  the  Great  Auk  has  disappeared  from  the 
face  of  the  earth.  Within  the  present  generation  it  Is  one  of  the  birds  that  has  be- 
come extinct  doubtless  through  the  agency  of  man.  Like  the  penguin,  which  it  much 
resembles  in  general  form,  it  did  not  possess  wings  suitable  for  flight,  those  mem- 
bers being  of  very  small  size  and  only  useful  as  flns  in  the  water.  The  specific  name, 
impetinis,  or  wingless,  is  not  really  a  correct  term.  An  excellent  and  thorough  paper* 
on  this  bird  has  been  written  by  Frederick  A.  Lucas,  of  the  United  States  National 
Museum.  I  quote  the  article  entire:  "The  Great  Auk,  or  Garefowl  (Alca  impcnnis), 
was  the  largest  member  of  the  Auk  family,  distinguished  not  only  by  its  size,  but 
by  its  flightlessness,  enjoying  the  proud  distinction  of  being  the  sole  bird  in  the 
northern  hemisphere  incapable  of  flight.  The  name  by  which  the  Great  Auk  was 
originally  and  commonly  known  in  America  was  Penguin,  and  like  southern  birds, 
now  known  by  that  title,  did  not  receive  this  appellation  until  many  years  after. 
Garefowl  is  of  Scandinavian  origin,  and  comes  to  us  by  way  of  western  Scotland. 
In  color  >.ae  Great  Auk  much  resembled  its  lesser  relative,  the  Razorbill,  the  head, 
neck,  and  bacK  being  black,  and  the  under  parts  white.  A  peculiar  mark  of  the  bird 
was  a  large  white  spot  in  front  ot  the  eye,  one  old  writer  with  a  greater  love  of  the 

*  Animals  recently  extinct  or  threatened  with  extermination,  as  represented  In  th« 
collections  of  the  U.  S.  National  Museum.    Smithsonian  Report.  1889,  pp.  638-641. 


!  I 


■w 


I  ;t 


ii  '^1   11 


t  ii 


23 


NBBTB  AND  BOOS  OF 


marvelous  than  of  truthfulness  stating  that  this  spot  was  found  on  the  right  s'^'e 
only.  The  wings,  although  far  too  small  to  Eustain  the  bird  in  the  air,  formed  an 
admirable  pair  of  oars,  the  Great  Auk  being  a  most  expert  swimmer  and  diver,  and 
performing  even  longer  migrations  than  many  of  its  relatives  that  were  endowed 
with  the  power  of  flight.  (Plate  CIII.)  Many,  possibly  all,  of  the  Auk  family  use 
their  wings  quite  as  much  as  their  feet  for  propulsion  under  water,  and  they  may 
liierally  be  said  to  i.y  beneath  the  sea  as  well  as  over  it.  It  has  been  noted  that  the 
Inability  of  the  Great  Auk  to  fly  was  due  to  lack  of  .development  of  the  bones  of  the 
foream  and  hand,  the  humerus  being  proportionately  as  long  as  in  other  Auks.  This 
modification  of  structure  was  directly  correlated  with  the  aquatic  habits  of  the 
Garefowl,  for  the  resistance  of  water  being  vastly  greater  than  that  of  air,  a  wing 
efipecially  adapted  for  subaquatic  flight  would  demand  less  surface  and  more  power 
than  a  wing  formed  for  aerial  locomotion.  In  the  case  of  the  Great  Auk  this  demand 
was  met  by  shortening  the  outer  portion  of  the  wing,  while  other  birds  that  use 
their  wings  in  diving  obtain  as  far  as  possible  the  same  result  by  only  partially 
opening  their  wings.  The  Great  Auk  was  conflned  to  the  North  Atlantic,  ranging 
on  the  European  side  from  Iceland  to  the  Bay  of  Biscay,  and  on  the  American  from 
Greenland  to  Virginia,  these  localities  marking  the  extreme  limits  of  the  bird's 
migrations.  Greenland  was  the  habitat  of  the  Garefowl  to  a  very  limited  extent, 
and  the  same  may  be  said  of  the  coast  of  Norway,  while  the  southern  limits  given 
above  were  reached  only  during  the  winter  migrations  of  the  bird.  The  positively 
known  breeding-places  were  few  in  number,  those  where  the  bird  bred  abundantly, 
being  the  Garefowl  Series  off  the  coast  of  Iceland  and  Funk  Island  on  the  New- 
foundland coast.  These  islands,  or  more  properly  islets,  were  very  similar  in  their 
general  character,  being  isolated  rocks,  lying  at  some  distance  from  shore  and  diffi- 
cult of  access.  Of  course  the  reason  for  this  similarity/  is  apparent.  The  Great 
Auk  and  its  ccgs  formed  desirable  articles  of  food,  and  since  the  bird  was  helpless 
on  land,  it  was  easily  captured,  whence  it  came  to  pass  at  an  early  date  that  the 
bird  was  exterminated  at  all  localities  easy  of  access.  Another  and  more  important 
factor  in  the  extermination  of  the  Auk,  especially  in  America,  is  to  be  found  in  the 
gregarious  habits  of  the  bird  and  its  predilection  for  certain  breeding-places.  This 
habit  of  the  Garefowl  is  shown  by  other  birds  which  are  restricted  in  their  breeding 
habitat  without  any  apparent  reason,  although  there  may  be  some  unknown  cause 
in  the  nature  of  food  supply  that  might  account  for  it.  A  good  example  of  this  is 
found  in  the  Gannet,  which,  although  a  bird  of  powerful  flight,  breeds  at  only  three 
localities  on  the  eastern  coast  of  America,  and  In  Europe  crosses  the  North  Sea  to 
nest  In  Scotland,  when  localities  seemingly  quite  as  favorable  exist  along  the  shores 
of  Norway.  There  were  apparently  plenty  of  suitable  breeding-grounds  for  the 
Great  Auk  in  Maine  and  Labrador,  but  had  the  bird  bred  In  small  colonies  at  lo- 
calities scattered  along  this  wide  expanse  of  territory,  it  would  have  been  in  ex- 
istence to-day.  The  most  Important  European  breeding  place  of  the  Garefowl  was 
an  Islet  25  miles  off  Reykjanes,  Iceland,  where,  for  many  years,  it  led  a  somewhat 
precarious  existence,  several  times  seeming  to  have  been  so  reduced  in  numbers 
that  expeditions  In  search  of  birds  and  eggs  were  not  worth  the  risk.  Still  the  bird 
would  have  existed  in  this  locality  many  years  longer  than  It  did,  but  for  volcanic 
disturbances  In  March,  1830,  during  which  the  Gelrfuglasker  sank  beneath  the  sea 
compelling  the  existing  Garefowl  to  seek  new  breeding  places.  Most  of  them  appear 
to  have  moved  to  an  islet  by  the  name  of  Eldey,  and  this  being  near  the  coast  and 
xnoro  accessible,  the  few  remaining  Great  Auks  were  In  the  course  of  fourteen  years 


[i  I 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


23 


all  killed,  the  la»t  pair  being  taken  about  the  3d  of  June,  1844,  this  being  the  last 
autheiiiic  recorJ  of  the  Great  Auk  in  I^urope.  It  was  from  this  locality  that  most 
of  the  skins  now  extant  were  obtained,  only  one  mounted  specimen  being  recorded 
from  American  localUies,  although  nearly  all  ckeletons  have  come  from  Newfound- 
land. The  history  of  the  Great  Aul:  in  America  may  be  said  to  date  from  1534,  when, 
on  May  21,  two  boat's  crews  from  Cartier's  vessels  landed  on  Funk  Island,  ard,  as  we 
are  told,  "In  lesse  than  halfe  an  hour  we  filled  two  boats  full  of  them,  as  if  they  had 
bene  stones.  So  that  besides  them  which  we  did  eat  fresh,  every  ship  did  powder 
and  salt  five  or  slxe  barrels  of  them."  The  Great  Auk  having  thus  been  apprised 
of  the  advent  of  civilization  in  the  regular  manner.  continnP'i  to  be  utilized  by  ail 
subsequent  visitors.  The  French  fishermen  depended  very  largely  on  the  Great 
Auks  to  supply  them  with  provisions;  passing  ships  touched  at  Funk  Island  for 
supplies;  the  early  colonists  barreled  them  up  for  winter  use,  and  the  great  abundance 
of  the  birds  was  set  forth  among  the  other  inducements  to  encourage  emigration  to 
Newfoundland.  The  immense  numbers  of  the  Auks  maybe  inferred  from  the  fact  that 
they  withstood  these  r^rains  for  more  than  two  centuries,  although  laying  but  a  single 
egg,  and  consequently  increasing  but  slowly  under  the  most  favorable  circumstances. 
Finally  some  one  conceived  the  idea  of  killing  the  Garefowl  for  its  feathers,  and 
this  sealed  its  fate.  When  and  where  the  scheme  originated,  and  how  long  the 
slaughter  lasted,  we  know  not,  for  the  matter  is  rather  one  of  general  report  than  of 
recorded  fact,  although  in  this  instance  circumstantial  evidence  bears  witness  to  the 
truth  of  Cartwright's  statement  that  it  was  customary  for  several  crews  of  men 
to  pass  the  summer  on  Funk  Island  solely  to  slay  the  Great  Auks  for  their  feathers. 
That  the  birds  were  slain  by  millions;  that  their  bodies  were  left  to  molder  where 
they  were  killed;  that  stone  pens  were  erected;  and  that  for  some  purpose  frequent 
and  long  continued  fires  were  built  on  Funk  Island,  is  indisputable.  This  locality 
has  been  but  thrice  visited  by  naturalists,  the  last  time  in  the  summer  of  1887,  by  a 
party  from  the  U.  S.  National  Museum,  who,  by  the  aid  of  the  U.  S.  Fish  Com- 
mission, were  enabled  to  obtain  much  information  in  regard  to  this  interesting  spot, 
and  to  make  very  extensive  collections  of  remains  of  the  Great  Auk.  Just  when 
the  Great  Auk  ceased  to  exist  in  America  is  unknown,  for  there  were  few  naturalists 
on  this  side  of  the  water  when  the  Garefowl  was  being  done  to  the  death;  but  the 
extinction  took  place  not  far  from  1840,  almost  coincidently  with  the  extermination 
of  the  bird  in  Europe.  Few  birds  have  received  more  attention  than  has  the  Great 
Auk  since  it  became  extinct,  and  it  has  been  the  subject  of  numerous  papers,  both 
popular  and  scientific,  while  its  remains  bring  extravagant  prices  whenever  chance 
brings  them  into  the  market.  The  last'  skeleton  sold  brought  $C00,  the  last  skin 
$650,  while  an  egg  brought  $1,250,  and  then  was  resold  for  the  round  sum  of  $1,500." 
The  following  is  from  the  Naturalists'  Journal,  of  London,  for  June,  1S95,  p.  129:  "A 
specimen  of  this  extinct  bird  was  recently  offered  f  ir  sale  at  Steven's  Great  Sale 
Rooms,  Convent  Garden.  The  specimen  belonged  to  Sir  F.  Milner,  M.  P.,  to  whose 
father — Sir  W.  Milner — it  was  sold  by  Graham,  of  York,  who  stated  it  had  been  ob- 
tained in  the  Orkneys.  For  some  years  it  has  been  in  the  Leeds  Museum,  but  since 
its  removal  has  been  re-stuffed.  The  bidding  went  up  to  350  guineas,  and  the  bird 
was  then  bought  in,  but  has  since  been  sold  to  the  Edinburgh  Museum  for  £350. 
Of  the  24  skins  of  the  Great  Auk  now  in  Britain,  11  are  safely  lodged  in  public 
museums.  An  egg  of  this  bird  was  offered  for  sale  at  the  same  time,  and  knocked 
down  for  180  guineas  to  an  hotel  keeper."  The  egg  is  like  that  of  the  Razor-billed 
Auk,  but  of  course  much  larger,  measuring  4.69x2.92  inches. 


■F 


14 


yCSTS  AND  Eooa  OF 


33.    Great  Auk  (From  Brehm  . 

34.  DOVEKIE.  Alle  alle  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist. — Coasts  and  Islands  of  the  North 
Atlantic  and  Eastern  Arctic  Ocean;  in  North  America,  south  In  winter  to  New 
Jersey;  breeds  in  high  northern  latitudes. 

The  little  Ice-bird  of  the  fishermen  and  the  Sea  Dove  of  ornithologists.  Its  entire 
life  is  spent  on  the  open  sea,  rarely  visiting  land  except  during  the  breeding  season 
Di'  when  driven  thence  by  severe  storms.  It  breeds  in  the  Arctic  regions  of  America 
r.ut1  Europe,  the  islands  of  the  Arctic  Ocean,  and  in  the  northwestern  portion  of  Asia. 
ni-o  head  and  bill  of  this  bird  are  formed  almost  exactly  like  that  of  a  quail.  It  is 
very  abundant  at  its  breeding  grounds  In  the  far  north,  and  is  one  of  the  most  boreal 
o'  birds;  nesting  chiefly  on  islands,  or  always  In  places  near  the  sea,  depositing  its 
single  pale,  greenish-blue  egg  in  the  crevices  of  rocky  cliffs.  The  eggs  measure  from 
1.80  to  1.90  in  length  by  1.25  to  1.30  in  breadth. 


35.    SKUA. 

North  Atlantic. 
America. 


Me&alestris  skua  (Brunn.)    Geog.  Dist. — Coasts  and  Inlands  of  the 
South  to  Spain  and  Massachusetts.    Rare  on  the  coast  of  North 


NORTH  AMERICAN  DIRD8. 


25 


The  Skua  Qull  may  well  be  called  the  feathered  pirate  of  the  seas.  It  does  not 
congregate  In  flocks;  two  or  more  pairs  are  seldom  seen  together.  It  is  noted  for  its 
courage  and  daring,  attacking  and  harassing  gulls,  forcing  them  to  disgorge  the  fish 
which  they  have  swallowed.  In  the  Island  of  Unst,  and  also  Foula,  the  most  north- 
em  ones  of  the  Shetland  group,  it  is  found  breeding.  The  bird  was  given  a  place  in 
the  fauna  of  North  America  on  the  ground  of  Its  occasional  occurrence  along  the 
Boutbern  coast  of  Greenland,  where  its  eggs  are  said  to  have  been  taken.  In  Iceland 
this  species  builds  its  nest  on  the  hillsides  in  the  latter  part  of  June.  The  nest  Is 
simply  a  shallow  cavity  in  the  long  grass,  lined  with  grass  stems  and  moss.  The 
eggs  are  two  in  number,  with  an  olive-green  or  drab  ground-color,  marked  by  irregu- 
lar dark  olive-brown  and  chocolate-colored  blotches;  they  measure  from  2.75  to  3.00 
in  length,  by  1.60  to  2.00  in  breadth. 


ling  season 


36.  FOMABINE  JAEGEB.  Stercorariua  pomariiius  (Temm.)  Geog.  Dlst.— 
Seas  and  inland  waters  of  northern  portions  of  Northern  Hemisphere,  south  to 
Africa  and  Australia,  and  probably  South  America.  Not  known  to  occur  in  winter 
on  the  Atlantic  coast  of  North  America  north  of  Long  Island. 

Another  of  the  falcon-like  sea  fowls,  commonly  called  Gull  Hunter  by  the  fisher- 
men. Resident  throughout  the  summer  in  high  northeru  regions,  chiefly  within  the 
Arctic  Circle.  Mr.  Nelson  states  that  they  are  abundant  oft  the  Yukon  mouth  In 
spring,  but  at  all  seasons  they 
are  rare  near  Saint  Michael's. 
During  the  cruise  of  the  Cor- 
win  he  found  them  abundant 
about  Saint  Lawrence  Island 
and  everywhere  in  Bering 
Strait.  In  winter  It  Is  a  great 
wanderer,  and  is  known  to  oc- 
cur on  the  Great  Lakes,  and  as 
far  as  the  above  habitat  indi- 
cates. The  bird  is  said  tb  live 
chiefly  by  plundering  the  Kit- 
tlwake  Gull;  but  will  attack 
other  species,  even  the  largest. 
Nelson  says  the  birds  are  clumsy  and  cowardly  as  compared  with  their  smaller  relar 
tives.  When  one  of  this  species  chances  to  cross  the  path  of  the  smaller  species,  the 
latter  almost  Invariably  gives  chase  and  beats  Its  clumsy  antagonist  off  the  field  by 
repeatedly  darting  down  from  above.  Comparatively  little  is  known  of  Its  nesting 
habits.  It  breeds  in  remote  places,  and  is  said  to  form  a  rude  nest  of  grass  and 
moss,  situated  on  dry  elevated  spots  in  marshes.  The  eggs  of  all  the  Skuas  are  very 
similar  in  appearance — pale  olive-green  or  yellowish-gray  in  ground  color — irregu- 
larly blotched  and  spotted  with  two  shades  of  brown;  those  of  the  present  species  are 
said  to  be  thinner  in  form  and  more  pointed  than  those  of  the  others.  Dr.  Brewer 
describes  an  egg  procured  in  Greenland  as  rounded-ovoid;  its  ground-color,  deep 
olive-drab,  sparingly  spotted  with  slate-color  and  two  shades  of  umber,  chiefly  at  the 
larger  end,  where  they  become  confluent.  There  are  also  a  very  few  scattered  dota 
of  black.    Size,  2.25  by  1.70.  . 

37.  PARASITIC  JAEOEB.  Btercorarlus  para8iticu8  (Linn.)  Oeog.  Diat.— 
Northern  part  of  Northern  Hemisphere,  southward  in  winter  to  South  Africa  and 


36.    PoMAKiNB  Jaeger 


I 

I 


m 


11  ^ 

!i  '^ 

i: 

1 

;ii 

' 

i 

,1         'fi 


M  ysar«  iiy/)  iroos  op 

South  America.    Breeds  In  high  northern  district!,  and  wlntera  from  the  Middle 
States  and  California  southward  to  Brazil  and  Chili. 

The  Parasitic  Jaeger,  like  the  others  of  this  family,  Is  emlnentlj  rapacious, 
and  It  Is  known  as  the  "Man-of-War,"  from  Its  habits  of  pursuing  and  robbing  the 
terns  and  smaller  gulls.  It  breeds  in  the  Interior  of  Arctic  America,  and  is  espe- 
cially abundant  in  the  Anderson  River  region.  Mr.  Nelson  records  the  following: 
"This  tyrannical  bird  occurs  about  the  entire  coast  line  of  Bering  Sea,  but  is  most 
numerous  along  the  low,  marshy  coast  of  Norton  Sound,  and  thence  south  to  the 
Kuskoquin  River.  Its  breeding  range  covers  the  entire  region  from  the  Aleutian 
Islands  north  to  the  extreme  northern  part  of  the  mainland.  Upon  the  Aleutian 
Islands  Dall  found  them  in  summer  and  winter.  They  were  taken  during  the  breed- 
ing season  on  Kyska  and  Amchltka,  near  the  western  end  of  the  chain.  They  have 
been  taken  at  Kadiak  and  are  plentiful  from  the  Yukon  mouth  up  to  Nulato  and 
probably  above.  Elliott  found  them  occurring  as  stray  visitors  on  the  Fur  Seal 
group,  and  the  writer  noted  them  in  Bering  Strait  vicinity  during  the  summer  of 
1881."  A  common  bird  in  the  more  northern  portion  of  Asia  and  Europe.  So  far 
as  known,  its  general  habits  do  not  differ  from  those  of  the  Pomarlne.  It  is  given 
as  the  most  common  of  the  Skuas  off  the  coast  of  Norway,  but  does  not  go  far  inland 
to  breed.  The  nest  of  this  species  is  made  on  Islands  or  on  the  margins  of  lakes;  it 
Is  a  mere  depression  in  the  ground,  lined  with  a  few  grasses  and  withered  leaves. 
In  Greenland  it  Is  said  to  be  a  resident  species,  and  It  breeds  In  Iceland  on  the  moors 
far  Inland.  In  the  Shetland  Islands  this  bird  breeds  In  communities,  flfty  or  more 
pairs  congregating  at  the  same  place.  The  eggs  are  usually  two  in  number,  some- 
times three,  and  are  as  variable  in  ground  color  ind  markings  as  those  of  the 
Eskimo  Curlew.  They  vary  from  olive  drab  to  green,  gray  and  brown,  marked  with 
several  shades  of  chocolate,  brown  and  an  obscure  stone  gray,  distributed  over  the 
entire  egg.  Size  from  2.00  to  2.40  long,  and  from  1.50  to  1.70  broad.  Nelson  says  that 
the  eggs  are  laid  upon  the  mossy  knolls  or  uplands  in  their  haunts  about  the  6th 
of  June.  The  nest  Is  merely  a  depression  in  the  moss  containing  two  eggs,  in- 
distinguishable from  those  of  the  next  species,  and  measuring  from  2.40x1.70  to 
2.00x1.50. 

38.  LONO^TAILED  JAEGEB.  Stercorariua  longicaudua  VielU.  Geog. 
Dist. — Northern  part  of  Northern  Hemisphere,  south  In  winter  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

The  samo  plundering  habits  mark  the  character  of  this  bird  as  are  peculiar  to 
any  of  the  Jaegers  or  Skuas.  It  is  distributed  u  the  breeding  season  throughout  all 
parts  of  the  region  near  the  Arctic  Circle,  m  Siberia,  Northern  Asia,  Europe  and 
America,  and  on  the  islands  of  the  Arctic  Ocean.  It  breeds  In  Greenland  and  Ice- 
land, is  abundant  throughout  the  barren  grounds  of  the  Arctic  coast,  and  is  said 
to  be  very  numerous  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Anderson,  also  on  the  shores  of  Frank- 
lin Bay.  It  is  also  found  breeding  on  several  of  the  Orkney  and  Shetland  Islands. 
According  to  Nelson  this  graceful  and  handsome  bird  is  the  most  common  of  the 
Jaegers  on  the  Alaskan  coast  and  vicinity,  and  especially  about  Saint  Michael's. 
They  arrive  there  about  May  12  or  15,  but  are  not  numerous  until  ten  days  or  more 
later.  He  states  that  all  the  Jaegers  are  very  destructive  to  the  eggs  of  other  birds, 
and  in  spring  nests  of  various  water  fowl  are  often  destroyed  by  them.  Nests  found 
in  the  Arctic  regions  are  mere  depressions  in  the  soil,  scantily  lined  with  dry  grass 
and  leaves.  Some  are  placed  far  Inland  near  small  lakes,  and  often  there  is  really 
no  nest,  the  eggs  being  laid  on  the  bare  ground.  The  eggs  are  said  to  be  not  always 
distinguishable  from  those  of  the  Parasitic  Jaeger,  but  average  smaller;  exception- 
ally large  specimens  of  S.  longicaudus  are  sometimes  as  large  as  exceptionally  small 


voRTii  .iMi:uiv\N  mnns. 


the  Mlddlt 


38.    Lono-Tailk.i)  jAroKii. 

ones  of  .S'.  imranitiruH.  They  range  from  1.95  to  2.18  long,  and  from  1.45  to  1.55  broad. 
Mr.  Nelson  describes  a  nest  of  this  species  which  was  In  a  cup-shaped  depression  in 
a  mossy  knoll  where  lay  two  dark  greenish  eggs  with  an  abundance  of  spots. 

39.  IVOBY  GULL.  Oavla  alba  (Qunn.)  Geog.  Dlst.— Arctic  Seas,  south  in 
winter  on  the  Atlantic  coast  of  North  America  to  Labrador  and  New  Foundland, 
casually  to  New  Brunswick,  and  on  the  Pacific  side  to  Bering  Sea. 

A  bird  that  is  resident  in  the  Arctic  regions  of  both  hemispheres,  only  occasion- 
ally visiting  the  more  temperate  zones.  It  is  said  to  breed  the  farthest  north  of  all 
the  gulls.  Specimens  of  this  species  were  seen  on  several  occasions  by  the  natural- 
ist of  the  Jeannette,  Mr.  R.  L.  Newcomb,  during  his  long  imprisonment  in  the  icy 
sea  to  the  west  of  our  northern  coast.  It  was  noted  as  a  rare  visitor  at  Point  Barrow 
by  Murdoch,  and  also  by  various  expeditions  among  the  network  of  channels  north 
of  Erltlsh  America.  Noted  for  its  ravenous  appetite,  gorging  itself  with  the  flesh  of 
the  seal  and  the  blubber  of  the  whale.  They  have  the  habit  of  watching  about  seal- 
holes  in  the  Ice,  waiting  for  the  seal,  whose  excrement  the  gall  devours.  On  the 
islands  and  along  the  coasts  of  Spitzbergen  it  breeds  sparingly;  in  like  places  on  the 
coast  of  Northern  Siberia  it  is  abundant.  The  bird  Is  a  resident  of  Greenland,  and 
the  breeding  season  there  begins  about  the  middle  of  June.  The  nest  is  built  on 
somo  inaccessible  rock  or  cliff;  it  is  made  of  dry  grass  and  lined  with  moss  and  a 
few  feathers,  forming  quite  a  hollow.  An  egg  is  described  as  oblong-oval  in  shape, 
with  a  ground  color  of  light  yellowish-olive  with  small  blotches  of  dark  brown 
scattered  over  the  surface.  These  are  intermingled  with  more  obscure  brown  and 
cloudings  of  lilac.    Size  2.45  long  by  1.70  broad. 


40.  KITTIWAKE.  Rlsm  trldnctyla  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dlst.— Arctic  region,  south 
In  Eastern  North  America  in  winter  to  the  Great  Lakes  and  Middle  States. 

The  Kittiwake  Gull  is  a  northern  species,  found  in  the  Atlantic  waters  of 
Europe  and  America.  On  the  Pacific  coast  it  is  represented  by  the  next  form, 
pollicorls.  It  is  one  of  the  commonest  resiaent  species  of  Greenland,  and  according 
to  observers  it  inhabits  nearly  all  parts  of  the  Arctic  regions.  Breeds  on  the  islands 
of  the  Atlantic  coast  of  North  America,  from  New  England  northward ;  an  abundant 
species,  nesting  not  always  on  the  ground  like  most  gulls,  but  on  rocky  cliffs  over- 
hanging water.  On  Gannet  Rocks  of  the  St.  Lawrence  this  nclsy  Gull  is  especially 
numerous,  where  its  nests  are  found  on  narrow  ledges;  they  are  composed  of  grass 


28 


NE8T8  AND  BGOa  OF 


and  seaweed.  Some  of  the  nests  are  quite  flat,  while  others  are  several  inches  in 
thichnecs  and  deeply  hollowed,  new  naaterial  belnc  added  each  year,  and  they  are 
sometimes  co  numerous  that  the  breeding  places  become  very  filthy  and  emit  an  in- 
tolerable cdor.  The  cgcs  are  two  and  Gometimes  three  in  number,  and  have  a 
grci:nd-color  of  yellowish  buff,  brownish-gray  or  pale  greenish-gray,  marked  with 
irregular  snots  of  varying  shades  of  brown  and  lilac.    The  average  size  is  2.26x1.61. 

'.'  •       ■■'■       *•'■■;/     <  .    ' 
'    ....■•;        -  V  ^       **  >■  . 

40rj.  PACIFIC  KITTIWAKE.  Jiissa  tridactyla  poUimria  Ridgw.  Geog. 
Dist. — Coasts  of  North  Pacific  and  Bering  Sea. 

This  form  of  the  Kittiwake  is  abundant  on  the  islands  of  the  North  Pacific.  It 
is  "bundant  along  the  entire  coast  line  of  Alaska  and  on  all  the  numerous  islands. 
The  bird  is  resident  upon  the  Aleutian  Islands  and  breeds  in  great  abundance  upon 
all  the  islands  cf  Bering  Sea,  the  Straits,  and  along  the  Arctic  coast  to  Cape  Lis- 
burne.  Dr.  Leonhard  Stejneger  records  it  as  a  common  breeding  bird,  both  on  the 
islands  and  along  the  Kamtschatkan  coast,  and  in  all  places  suitable  for  rookeries 
they  are  found  in  astonishing  numbers.  For  the  purpose  of  nesting  they  select  the 
shelves  and  projections  of  cliffs,  the  tops  of  walls  that  rise  perpendicularly  out  of  the 
deep  sea,  and  especially  on  the  high  pinnacles  standing  lonely  amidst  the  foaming 
breakers.  The  nest  is  composed  of  matted  fragments  of  moss  and  grass,  and  fre- 
quently the  eggs  are  deposited  in  mere  hollows  in  the  loose  dirt.  The  nesting  Is 
precisely  the  same  as  that  of  li.  tridactyla,  and  the  eggs  are  indistinguishable,  ex- 
cept that  in  a  large  series  they  are  said  to  be  more  uniform  in  their  markings. 

41.  BED-LEGGED  KITTIWAKE.  Rissa  brevirostris  (BruclL)  Geog.  Dist.— 
Coasts  and  islands  of  Bering  Sea. 

The  living  bird  of  this  species  has  coral-red  legs  and  feet,  which  contrast  richly 
with  the  snowy  white  plumage  of  the  head,  neck  and  under  parts.  An  abundant 
species  on  the  islands  of  Bering  Sea.  On  the  Prybilof  group  it  swarms  by  tens  of 
thousands  to  breed  in  the  first  part  of  May.  It  is  especially  abundant  on  St. 
George's  and  St.  Paul's  Islands.  The  nests,  like  those  of  the  Pacific  Kittiwake,  are 
placed  on  almost  inaccessible  shelves  and  projections,  so  that  seldom  is  a  nest 
reached  unless  a  person  is  lowered  down  to  it  on  a  rope  passed  over  the  cliff.  Dry 
grass  and  moss  cemented  with  mud  are  the  materials  which  constitute  the  nests. 
The  Red-legged  Kittiwake  is  common  on  the  islands  along  the  Kamtschatkan  coast, 
notably  on  Copper  Island,  where  it  breeds  in  company  with  pollicaris.  The  eggs 
have  a  ground-color  of  brownish  white,  varying  to  light  drab  and  buff,  marked  with 
blotches,  sepia-brown  and  umber;  these  are  underlain  by  subdued  shades  and  cloud- 
ings of  lilac-gray.    The  average  size  of  the  egg  is  2.28x1.66. 


42.  GXAUCUS  GULL.  Lariis  (jlaucvs  Brunn.  Geog.  Dist. — Arctic  regions, 
south  in  North  America  to  the  Great  Lakes  and  Long  Island.    North  Pacific. 

One  of  the  largest  of  the  Gulls,  equal,  in  fact,  to  the  Great  Black-backed  Gull, 
L.  iiHirinns.  It  is  a  bird  of  high  northern  range  during  the  breeding  season — in- 
habiting the  Arctic  regions  of  Europe  and  Asia  and  the  more  northern  portions  of 
North  America.  In  Spitzbergen  it  is  said  to  breed  in  immense  numbers,  placing  the 
nests  on  the  shores  or  low  rocks  and  even  on  masses  of  ice.  They  are  large  struc- 
tures, made  of  sea  weed  and  moss.  The  Burgomaster  Gull,  as  it  is  called,  feeds  on 
crabs  and  fishes;  it  attacks  smaller  birds  and  also  robs  them  of  their  eggs  and  young. 
It  attends  fishing  boats  for  the  purpose  of  devouring  the  offal  which  may  be  thrown 
OTerboard.  The  bird  is  riscorded  as  a  constant  resident  of  Greenland.  In  Hudson  Bay 
region  it  builds  its  nests  on  the  islands  in  lakes  and  rivers,  and  the  young  are  hatched. 


5eog.  DIst.— 


NORTE  AMERICAN  BIRDS.  » 

in  June.  The  nests  are  built  of  sea  ferns  and  dry  grass,  placed  among  tbe  grassy 
tussccks  In  the  center  of  the  island.  The  eggs  are  two,  sometimes  three  in  number; 
their  general  shape  is  spherically  oval,  and  the  ground  color  dark  grayish-brown, 
pale  ash,  pale  clay  or  a  pearly  white.  The  markings  are  small  patches  of  light 
brown  and  brownish  black.  The  sizes  range  from  2.95  to  3.15  long  by  2.18  to  2.£S 
broad. 

42.  1.  FOIITT  BABBOW  Q^J'LL.  Larua  barrovianua  Ridgw.  Geog.  Dist— 
Bering  Sea  and  adjacent  waters,  nortneastward  to  Point  Barrow,  southwest  in  winter 
to  Japan. 

This  new  species  of  Gull,  whose  plumage  is  described  as  resembling  that  of  th« 
Glaucous  and  Iceland  Gulls,  and  whose  size  is  intermediate  between  these  two 
species,  is  found  on  the  islands  of  Bering  Sea,  and  its  range  extends  as  indicated  im 
the  geographical  distribution.  It  has  proved  to  be  distinct  from  the  Atlantic  coast 
species.  Specimens  that  served  for  description  were  from  the  Island  of  St.  Michaels 
and  Point  Barrow.*  Nelson  says:  "The  solitary  islands  of  Bering  Sea  and  all  its 
dreary  coast  line  are  familiar  to  this  great  gull."  On  June  4  their  first  nest  was 
found.  It  was  placed  on  a  small  islet,  a  texr  feet  across,  in  the  center  of  a  broad, 
shallow  pond.  The  structure  was  formed  of  a  mass  of  moss  and  grass  piled  up  a  foot 
or  more  high,  with  a  base  three  feet  across,  and  with  a  deep  central  depression  lined 
with  dry  grass.  There  was  a  single  egg.'  The  female  as  she  sat  on  the  nest  was 
visible  a  mile  away  and  not  the  slightest  opportunity  was  afforded  for  concealment 
on  the  broad  surrounding  flat.  An  equally  conspicuous  structure  was  found  near  St 
Michaels  on  June  15.  The  majority  of  the  nests  found  were  situated  on  a  small  islet 
In  a  pond.  The  nest  found  on  June  15  was  a  bulky  structure  made  up  of  tufts  of 
moss  and  grass  rooted  up  by  the  birds'  beaks.  The  ground  near  the  nest  looked  as 
though  it  had  been  rooted  up  by  pigs.  Mr.  Ridgway  gives  the  measurement  of  the 
eggs  as  3.05x2.03.  One  of  the  eggs  taken  by  Mr.  Nelson  was  white,  without  a  trace 
of  the  usual  color  marks. 

43.  ICELAND  GULL.  Larus  leucopterus  (Faber.)  Geog.  Dist.— Arctic 
Regions,  south  in  winter  in  North  America  to  Massachusetts,  and  farther. 

This  Gull  is  precisely  like  the  last,  but  smaller,  and  it  is  difficult  to  distinguish 
the  two  at  a  distance.  Another  common  name  for  it  is  White-winged  Gull.  It  is 
an  Arctic  species,  and  its  distribution  during  the  breeding  season  is  nearly  identical 
with  that  of  the  Burgomaster,  being  found  in  the  northern  parts  of  Europe,  Asia  and 
North  America.  Mr.  Hagerup  states  that  on  Arsuk  fjord  in  South  Greenland  about 
a  thousand  pairs  nest  on  what  is  known  as  "bird  cliff,"  above  the  Kittiwake  Gulls. 
The  lowest  nests  are  built  at  a  height  of  about  two  hundred  feet;  the  highest  about 
five  hundred  feet  above  the  sea  level.  The  two  species  are  often  found  nesting  in  the 
same  places,  and  the  nests  are  of  the  same  construction.  The  eggs,  however,  are 
smaller,  measuring  2.79x1.85.  The  Iceland  Gull  is,  according  to  Mr.  Nelson,  the  most 
abundant  species  along  the  coasts  and  about  the  islands  of  Bering  Sea,  thence  along 
the  adjoining  Arctic  coasts.  It  was  found  abundant  on  the  Yukon,  from  Anvik  to 
the  sea  by  Mr.  Dall.  who  secured  its  eg^^s  there  from  the  5th  to  10th  of  June.  The 
eggs  were  laid  in  small  depressions  in  the  sandy  beaches  of  the  islands  In  the  river. 

44.  OLAUCGUS- WINGED  GULL.    Larus  glaucescens   Naum.      Geog.  Dist.— 
Pacific  coast  of  North  America,  from  Alaska  south  to  California  on  the  Asiatic  side 
south  to  Japan. 


*  For  details  see  Auk,  III,  p.  339,  or  RldKway's  Manual  N.  Ar.i.  Birds,  p.  2d. 


'    1  4 


1^  : 


'  i 


30 


VBBTB  AJUD  BQG8  OF 


Almost  as  large  a  species  as  the  Glaucous  Oull  or  Burgomaster.  It  breeds  on  the 
islands  of  the  Pacific  coast  from  Washington  Teriitory  northward.  The  nests  are 
not  always  built  on  the  shelving  rocks  of  high  cliffs.  On  the  Aleutian  Islands  they 
are  found  among  the  tall  grass  on  the  highest  parts  of  the  islands,  while  others  are 
built  on  projections  of  rocks.  Sometimes  there  is  little  or  no  attempt  at  nest- 
making,  the  eggs  being  laid  in  a  slight  depression  of  the  ground.  On  Bering  Sea  and 
Copper  Islands,  on  the  Kamtschatkan  coast,  this  species  breeds  all  around  the 
shores.  Eggs  have  been  found  as  early  as  the  middle  of  May.  These  are  said  to  be 
of  a  more  greenish  tinge  and  the  spots  more  numerous  and  better  defined  than  in 
those  of  (jlaurtis.  Size  2.88x2.03.  According  to  Mr.  Ball  this  is  a  very  abundant 
species  throughout  the  Aleutian  chain,  but  more  numerous  in  the  eastern  half  of 
the  group.  Young  birds  nearly  fledged  were  secured  at  Kyska  in  July.  He  states 
that  the  habit  of  this  and  other  species  breeding  on  isolated  rocks  and  small  Islands, 
is  accounted  for  by  the  immunity  thus  gained  from  the  ravages  of  foxes  on  the  eggs 
and  young.  Rarely  more  than  three  eggs  were  found  together,  and  were  laia  on  al- 
most any  little  depression  of  the  ground,  with  little  or  no  attempt  at  a  lining. 

45  KTTMLIEN'S  GTTLL.  Lams  kiimlkni  Brewst.  Geog.  Dist.— North  At- 
lantic coast  of  North  America;  south  in  winter  to  the  coast  of  the  Middle  States. 

This  new  sp  )cies  of  Gull,  first  deseribed  by  Mr.  William  Brewster,*  is  like 
ifktucvsvens,  but  somewhat  smaller.  It  is  recorded  as  being  quite  common  in  the 
upper  Cumberland  water,  where  it  breeds,  placing  the  nests  on  shelving  rocks  of 
high  cliffs.    The  eggs  are  said  to  be  the  same  as  those  of  yhiiiccscciis. 

46.  NELSON'S  QJTLL.  Larus  nelsoni  Hensh.  Geog.  Dist.— Coast  of  Norton 
Sound,  Alaska. 

In  a  series  of  gulls  collected  by  Mr.  E.  W.  Nelson  in  Alaska  Mr.  H.  W.  Hen- 
shaw  found  a  specimen  which  differed  decidedly,  not  only  from  any  other  taken  by 
Mr.  Nelson,  but  from  any  in  the  National  Museum.  In  recognition  of  Nelson's  valu- 
able cervices  to  Alaskan  ornithology  the  bird  has  been  dedicated  to  his  honor  by  the 
authority  above  stated.  Ar.  Henshaw  states  that  its  resemblance  to  several  of  the 
larger  gulls  is  likely  to  keep  us  in  ignorance  until  it  is  made  an  object  of  special 
attention  by  naturalists  visiting  Alaska.  There  is  no  reason  to  believe  that  its  gen- 
eral habits  and  eggs  differ  from  those  of  the  Glaucous-winged  Gull. 

47.  GREAT  BLACK-BACKED  GXJLL.  Lams  marintis  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist.— 
Coasts  of  the  North  Atlantic ;  south  in  winter  to  Long  Island  and  Italy. 

The  large  and  powerful  Black-backed  Gull,  or  Saddle-back,  inhabits  the  Atlantic 
wa'ers  of  Europe  and  North  America.  Breeds  in  great  numbers  on  the  coast  of 
Norway  as  far  as  North  Cape.  In  various  parts  of  the  British  Islands  it  is  found 
throughout  the  year,  especially  on  the  islands  around  the  coasts  of  Scotland,  where 
it  breeds  in  abundance.  On  the  American  coast  it  breeds  from  the  Bay  of  Fundy 
northward  to  Greenland.  Years  ago  it  was  known  to  breed  quite  commonly  on  the 
islands  off  the  coast  of  Nova  Scotia.  In  Labrador  it  is  common  everywhere.  Mr. 
M.  Abbott  Frazar  found  it  breeding  on  the  small  islands,  placing  its  nests  generally 
on  some  elevated  spot.  He  seldom  found  more  than  a  half  dozen  pairs  breeding  on 
a  single  island.  The  nests  were  built  of  dry  grasses,  were  very  bulky  and  deeply 
hollowed.  He  found  no  nest  containing  more  than  three  eggs.  During  the  breeding 
season  the  birds  feed  largely  upon  the  eggs  of  other  birds,  especially  upon  those  of 


•  Bull.  Null.  Club,  Vol.  VIII.  p.  216. 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


31 


the  Murre  and  upon  young  Elder  ducks.*  The  eggs  of  this  Gull  vary  from  a  bluish- 
white  or  olive-gray  to  a  deep  yellowish  brown,  and  are  irregularly  spotted  and 
blotched  with  reddish-brown  and  lilac  of  different  shades.  The  sizes  vary  from 
2.70  *o  3.02  long  by  2.05  to  2.25  broad. 

48.  SLATY-BACKED  GULL.  Larus  scMsUmujus  (Stejii.)  Geog.  Dist.— North 
Pacific,  chiefly  on  the  Asiatic  side;  Herald  Island,  Arctic  Ocean,  and  Alaskan  coast 
of  Bering  Sea. 

Dr.  Stejneger  says:  "Among  the  specimens  of  gull  collected  by  me  on  the 
Commander  Islands  is  a  very  dark-mantled  large  species,  somewhat  Intermediate 
between  L.  mari.ius  and  L.  cacliinnans,  although  in  general  aspect  much  nearer  to  the 
former,  and  when  on  the  wing  indistinguishable  from  It.  The  occurence  of  this 
new  speciep-  in  the  Kamtschatkar  waters  easily  explai^is  the  abnormality  in  the 
alleged  distribution  of  Lartis  marinvs,  as  it  is  almost  certain  that  all  North  Pacific 
references  to  the  latter  species  really  belong  to  the  present  form."t 


•ast  of  Norton 


Geog.  Dist.— 


49.  WESTERN  GULL.  Larus  occidentals  Aud.  Geog.  Dist. — Pacific  coast 
of  North  America,  breeds  from  Southern  California  northward. 

The  most  abundant  species  of  gull  on  the  California  coast,  breeding  on  all  suit- 
able islands.  It  is  the  only  gull  which  breeds  on  the  Farallons.  Mr.  Emerson 
states  that  on  these  islands  the  nest  is  built  either  on  high  ridges  or  low  places  near 
the  shore.  The  material  used  is  a  dry,  rank  weed;  with  this  they  construct  their 
Bather  bulky  nest  and  repair  or  rebuild  it  each  year.  Mr.  Barlow  remarks  that  this 
gull  nests  chiefly  in  colonies  on  the  Farallons,  on  level  portions,  although  a  few 
pairs  may  be  found  almost  anywhere.  The  nests  are  loose  affairs  of  FaraHon  weed 
and  measure  a  foot  across.  Usually  they  are  very  shallow  and  are  given  shape  by 
the  hollows  in  which  they  are  constructed. t  Of  their  general  habits  Mr.  Bryant 
says:  "The  gulls  are  indiscriminate  feeders;  in  addition  to  their  usual  articles  of 
diet,  they  subsist  largely  upon  eggs  during  the  ummer.  They  do  not  eat  the  eggs 
of  their  own  species,  nor  do  thiy  trouble  the  cormorants  after  the  murres  have  com- 
menced laying.  Sea  urchins,  crabs,  young  murres  and  rabbits,  and  fish  stolen  from 
the  cormorants'  nests  are  eaten.  Not  being  quick  enough  to  swoop  upon  the  rabbits, 
they  catch  them  by  patient  watching  at  their  burrows,  and  will  persevere  for  fifteen 
minutes  to  swallow  a  squeaifng  young  rabbit,  and  finally  fly  away  with  the  hind  feet 
protruding.  The  dead  bodies  of  murres  are  also  eaten;  they  detach  pieces  of  flesh 
by  backing  away  and  dragging  the  body,  meanwhile  shaking  their  head,  till  a  piece 
breaks  off."  The  eggs  are  deposited  as  early  as  the  first  part  of  May  on  the  Faral- 
lons, and  laying  is  sometimes  continued  into  .July.  The  usual  complement  Is  three; 
but  from  constant  robberies  by  the  eggers,  who  collect  eggs  for  the  Scin  Francisco 
market,  often  only  two  are  laid.  The  same  variation  of  ground-color  and  markings 
are  to  be  found  In  these  eggs  as  is  common  to  all  those  of  the  gulls;  lifrht  grayish 
olive,  clay  color,  bluish-white  and  deep  yellowish-brown,  spotted  and  blotched  with 
umber-brown,  blackish  and  lilac  of  varying  shades.  The  average  size  of  fif*y  speci- 
mens Is,  2.76x1.94;  the  largest  2.99x2.01;  the  smallest  2.56x1.89. 


50.    SIBERIAN  GULL.     Lams  a  flints    Reinh. 
Europe,  southward  in  winter  to  North  Africa. 


Geog.  Dist.— Greenland;  Asia; 


*  Ornithologist  nrjd  Oologlst.  Vol.  XTI.,  p.  17. 
tThe  Auk..  I..  231. 
JThe  Muspum,  T..  p.  39. 


li    ' 


Id  3J     I 

IP 


l>i 


32 


NESTB  AJUD  EGOS  OF 


The  Siberian  Gull  is  a  rare  or  occasional  visitor  in  Greenland,  whereupon  it 
clainn  a  place  in  the  fauna  uf  Nortn  America.  It  breeds  in  the  extreme  north  of 
Europe,  notably  on  the  shores  and  in  the  lagoons  of  the  Petchora  River  in  the  north- 
ern part  of  European  Russia.  The  eggs  are  said  not  to  differ  from  those  of  the 
Herring  Gull.  / 

51.  HEimiNO  GULL.  Larus  argentatus  (Brunn.)  Geog.  Dist. — Old  World, 
south  to  the  Azores;  Cumberland  Sound;  occasional  on  the  eastern  coast  of  the 
United  States. 

The  European  Herring  Gull  is  known  as  an  occasional  visitor  to  the  coast  of 
Eastern  North  America.  On  the  Azores,  a  cluster  of  nine  islands  in  the  Atlantic, 
eight  hundred  miles  due  west  of  Portugal,  this  Gull  is  very  common,  breeding  on 


:3*>-  <p^'       ^ 


51.    Hbrrinq  Gulls  (From  Brebm). 


some  of  the  islands  in  immense  numbers.  In  Great  Britain  it  is  a  familiar  bird 
everywhere.  Mr.  H.  K.  Swann,  in  The  Birds  of  London,*  states  that  it  is  of  not  un- 
common occurrence  in  winter  on  the  eastern  side,  and  frequently  straying  up  the 
Thames.  It  breeds  in  the  islands  on  the  coast  of  Scotland,  especially  the  Hebrides, 
Shetland,  Orkney  and  the  Faroe  Islands;  thence  northward  to  Iceland.  One  of  the 
most  common  gulls  along  the  dbast  of  Norway,  as  far  as  North  Cape,  where  they 
breed  by  thousands.  Its  nesting  habits  and  its  eggs  are  the  same  as  those  of  the 
American  bird,  smithsonianus.    Eggs  2.91x1.98. 

51a.    AMEBICAN  HEBBING  GULL.   Laru8  argentatus  amithaonianus    Couea>. 
Geog.  Dist. — North  America  generally.    Breeds  on  the  Atlantic  coast  from  Maine 
northward. 


*  The  Birds  of  London,  by  H.  K.  Swann.    London:  Swan,  Sonnenochein  ft  Co.,  Patflf^ 
noster  Square,  1893,  pp.  118-119. 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


u 


In  North  America  this  gull  is  a  common  bird  throughout  its  range,  particularly 
coast-wise.  It  is  also  more  or  less  abundant  on  the  inland  lakes  and  rivers  during 
its  periods  of  migration,  and  in  many  of  these  places  it  is  found  breeding.  At 
Moosehead  Lake,  Me.,  where  a  few  pairs  breed,  the  eggs  are  laid  in  the  latter  part  of 
May,  or  in  the  first  week  of  June.  In  the  interior  it  is  found  breeding  on  the  lakes 
and  larger  bodies  of  water,  as  far  north  as  the  Mackenzie  and  Anderson  River 
regions.  On  many  of  the  large  prairie  lakes  of  Manitoba  it  breeds  in  great  numbers. 
Mr.  Frazar  mentions  this  species  as  the  most  common  of  all  the  gulls  inhabiting 
Labrador,  breeding  in  colonies  and  placing  their  nests  on  the  ground.*  Mr  Walter 
Raine  found  this  gull  breeding  abundantly  at  Shoal  Lake,  Manitoba,  June  18,  1895. 
In  many  places  where  the  Herring  Gull  has  suffered  persecution,  it  has  been  known 
to  depart  from  its  usual  habit  of  nesting  on  the  open  seashore,  and  place  its  nest  on 
trees  sixty  and  seventy-five  feet  from  the  ground.  At  Grand  Manan  and  in  Labrador, 
in  some  of  the  old  breeding  grounds,  its  human  foes  have  brought  about  this  change 
in  its  habits.  Some  of  the  nests  built  on  the  ground  are  merely  a  shallow  depres- 
sion with  a  slight  lining.  Others  are  large  and  elaborately  made  of  grass  and  moss. 
Those  built  in  'rees  are  said  to  be  strongly  interwoven  and  very  compact.  Mr.  Dall 
records  this  gUi.  as  abundant  on  the  Upper  Yukon,  Alaska.  It  was  found  breeding 
on  the  islands  in  the  river,  laying  its  eggs  in  small  depressions  on  the  bare  ground. 
The  complement  of  eggs  is  normally  three;  they  vary  from  bluish-white  to  deep 
yellowish-brown,  irregularly  spotted  and  blotched  with  brown  of  different  shades; 
in  a  large  series  a  great  diversity  of  ground-color  and  markings  exists.  Mr.  Elwin 
A.  Capen  in  his  superb  workf  figures  three  prevailing  types  of  coloration.  The 
sizes  range  from  2.73  to  2.91  long  by  1.64  to  1.94  broad. 


52.  VEGA  GULL.  Larus  vegae  (Palmen.)  Geog.  Dist. — Bering  Sea  and  ad- 
jacent waters,  south  in  winter  to  California  and  Japan. 

This  form  of  the  Herring  Gull  is  "characterized  by  a  particularly  dark  gull-gray 
mantle  and  fiesh-colored  legs"  and  is  found  in  the  countries  bordering  Bering  Sea 
and  adjacent  waters.  It  is  said  to  breed  on  the  islands  of  the  Upper  Yukon  River,  in 
the  first  part  of  May,  depositing  its  eggs  in  slight  depressions  of  the  bare  ground. 
The  eggs  are  not  likely  to  be  distinguishable  from  those  of  the  Herring  Gull,  L. 
argentatus. 


53.  CALIFOBNIA  GULL.  Larus  californicus  Lawr.  Geog.  Dist.— Western 
North  America. 

The  California  Gull  is  found  along  the  Pacific  coast  in  winter,  but  retires  to  its 
breeding  places  in  the  summer  months.  Its  breeding  grounds  seem  to  be  inland,  on 
the  lakes  and  large  bodies  of  water.  It  breeds  abundantly  on  Great  Salt  Lake  and 
Pyramid  Lake,  Utah,  and  on  Lake  Malheur,  in  Eastern  Oregon.  It  has  been  found 
nesting  as  far  north  as  Great  Slave  Lake,  Fort  Resolution,  Fort  Simpson  and  the 
Lower  Anderson  River.  The  nests  of  this  species  are  made  on  the  ground,  or  built 
on  rocks  and,  sometimes  where  the  birds  are  breeding  in  vast  colonies,  the  nests  are 
placed  on  stunted  sage  or  greasewood  bushes.  They  are  built  of  sticks,  grass  and  a 
few  feathers.  The  eggs  are  usually  three  or  four  in  number,  occasionally  five.  Prof. 
Marcus  E.  Jones  informs  me  that  at  Great  Salt  Lake  this  gull  generally  lays  five 
eggs.   These  are  deposited  in  a  little  bare  spot  surrounded  by  a  few  twigs,  the  hollow 


••Ornithologist  and  Ooloelst,  Vol.  XII,  p.  18. 

t  Oology  of  New  England:  a  description  of  the  eggs,  nests  and  breeding  habits  of  the 
birds  known  to  breed  in  New  England,  with  colored  illustrations  of  their  eggrs.  By 
Elwln  A.  Capen.    Boston,  1886. 


34 


NB8T8  AND  BQ08  OP 


just  deep  enough  to  keep  the  eggs  from  rolling  out.  The  nests  are  made  on  the 
■and  or  any  other  bare  spot  on  islands  far  out  in  the  lake.  The  eggs  are  laid  about 
the  middle  of  May.  They  vary  from  a  bluish-white  to  a  deep  brownish-clay  color, 
spotted  and  blotched  witix  dark  brown,  slate  and  blackish  zigzag  markings.  Sizes 
range  from  2  5ft  to  2.70  long  by  1.65  to  1.95  broad. 

54.  BING-BILLED  OULL.  Larus  dclawarcnsis  Ord.  Geog.  Dist— North 
America  at  large;  south  in  winter  to  Cuba  and  Mexico. 

This  Gull  inhabits  the  entire  Continent  of  North  America,  and  is  on  the  whole, 
the  commonest  species  ooth  coastwise  and  in  the  interior.  It  breeds  in  the  United 
States  and  far  north,  placing  its  nests  on  the  ground  or  o::  cliffs.  Mr.  Walter  Raine 
found  this  gull  breeding  abundantly  on  the  islands  of  Shoal  Lake,  Manitoba,  in  the 
latter  part  of  Juno,  Mr.  Stebbins  found  this  species  and  the  Common  Tern  occupying 
an  island  of  about  an  acre  in  extent  in  Dev<i's  Lake,  North  Dakota,  in  the  first  week 
of  June.  The  entire  island  was  covered  with  eggs  of  the  gulls  and  terns.  Mr. 
Stebbins  says:  "I  don't  suppose  you  could  lay  down  a  two-foot  rule  anywhere  with- 
out each  end  of  it  striking  a  nest.  It  was  common  to  find  the  terns  and  gulls  breed- 
ing side  by  side.  Most  of  the  gulls'  nests  were  in  the  grass,  while  those  of  the  terns 
were  in  the  sand.  I  did  not  find  a  gull's  nest  with  more  than  three  eggs,  and  a  very 
few  with  two;  whereas,  several  hollows  were  found  with  as  many  as  eighteen  terns' 
eggs  in  them,  which  had  rolled  together."  Mr.  Frazar  observed  a  few  colonies  of 
this  species  breeding  in  Labrador,  nesting  like  other  gulls,  and  the  nests  never  con- 
tained more  than  three  eggs.  These  have  the  usual  variations  in  color  to  be  found 
in  eggs  of  the  terns— bluish-white  to  dark  brown,  spotted  and  blotched  with  brown 
and  lilac  of  various  shades.    Sizes  from  2.75  to  2.80  long  by  1.60  to  1.75  broad. 

56.  SHOBT-BILLED  OtTLL.  Larus  hrachyrhynchus  Rich.  Geog.  Diat'- 
Arctic  America  and  Pacific  coast  to  Southern  California. 

In  the  breeding  season  the  Short-billed  Gull  occurs  in  the  northern  regions  of 
North  America.  It  has  been  found  nesting  on  the  ground  in  the  small  lakes  in  the 
vicinity  of  Fort  Anderson,  and  in  the  Ma'ikenzie  River  Valley.  Breeds  in  great 
abundance  at  the  mouth  of  the  Yukon,  where  Mr.  Dall  obtained  large  numbers  of 
its  eggs.  It  has  also  been  observed  nesting  along  the  streams  in  the  Barren  Grounds 
of  the  Arctic  regions.  Its  nest  is  made  of  hay  or  wiry  grass,  and  is  sometimes  placed 
on  stumps  and  in  trees.  The  eggs  are  usually  three  in  number;  greenish  or  olive 
brown,  with  various  markings,  but  chiefly  small  spots  of  reddish-umber.  Sizes  vary 
frctoi  2.00  to  2.35  long  by  1.45  to  1.70  broad. 


i"  ; 


56.  MEW  OTTLL.  Larua  canus  Linn.  Geog.  Dist. — Europe  and  Asia;  acci- 
dental in  Iiabrador. 

This  is  the  Sea-mew  or  Sea-mall  of  Europe.  In  Great  Britain  it  breeds  more  or 
less  abundantly  along  the  entire  coast,  and  is  especially  common  on  some  of  the 
smaller  islands  in  the  Hebrides;  on  the  north  coast  of  Scotland  it  is  found  on  the 
Orkney  and  Shetland  Islands.  It  breeds  on  inland  lakes  as  well  as  on  the  sea-coas  , 
building  its  nest  on  the  grassy  summits  of  precipitous  rocks  neai  the  sea  or  on 
moorland  locks  far  inland,  and  even  on  high  mountain  ranges.  It  is  abundant  on 
the  coast  and  on  the  fresh-water  lakes  of  Norway.  A  common  species  and  breeds 
in  nearly  all  parts  of  Central  and  Northern  Russia.  Abundant  on  the  Prussian  coast 
and  on  the  northern  coast  of  France.  The  nests  are  made  of  grass  and  vegetable 
substances.  The  usual  number  of  eggs  is  three;  yellowish-brown,  olive-brown,  and 
wuitish  to  greenish-gray,  irregularly  marked  with  dark  brown  and  purplish  gray. 
The  size  varies  from  2.08  to  2.25  long  by  1.40  to  1.58  broad. 


tfi:^ 


NORTH  AMERICAN  ItlRDS. 


35 


57.  HEEBMAN'B  GULL.  Larus  heermamti  Cass.  Geog.  Dist.— Pacific  coast 
of  North  America,  from  British  Columbia  to  Panama. 

This  is  said  to  be  one  of  the  handsomest  birds  of  the  family  to  which  it  belongs, 
and  is  commonly  called  the  White-headed  Gull.  It  is  a  common  species  along  the 
California  coast  and  is  most  abundant  in  winter.  At  the  Farallon  Islands  it  is  oc- 
casionally seen,  but  does  not  breed  there.  It  probably  breeds  on  the  Santa  Cruz  and 
Santa  Rosa  Islands,  as  it  does  on  others  farther  south.  The  general  habits  of  this 
species  are  the  same  as  those  of  other  gulls.  One  particular  trait,  however,  marlcs 
this  species — that  of  following  flocks  of  pelicans  and  robbing  them  of  a  portion  of 
the  fish  which  these  birds  carry  in  their  pouches,  seizing  upon  the  fishes  which 
fall  out  or  hang  outside.  The  food  of  this  gull  is  almost  exclusively  fish,  which  it 
also  procures  by  diving.  It  also  feeds  on  small  Crustacea  and  mollusca.  The  egga 
of  this  species  are  described  as  having  a  yellowish-drab  ground-color,  over  which  is 
scattered  spots  and  markings  of  lilac  and  different  shades  of  brown.  The  average 
size  is  2.45  by  1.50. 


58.  LAUGHING  GULL.  Larus  atricalla  Linn.  Geog.  Dist.— Eastern  trop- 
ical and  warm  temperate  America,  chiefly  along  the  sea  coast,  from  Maine  to  Drazil; 
Pacific  coast  and  Middle  America. 

The  Laughing  or  Black-headed  Gull  is  more  of  a  southern  species,  particularly 
one  of  the  Gulf  and  South  Atlantic  States,  but  is  found  breeding  as  far  north  as  the 
coasts  of  New  England.  It  is  an  abundant  and  a  resident  species  on  the  coast  of 
Florida,  along  the  whole  extent  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico;  and  also  on  the  Pacific  an 
Atlantic  coasts  of  Central  America.  Mr.  Maynard  says:  "The  notes  of  gulls  a. 
loud  and  startling,  but  those  of  the  Laughing  are  the  most  singular  of  them  all,  for 
their  cries,  especially  when  the  bird  is  excited,  sound  like  loud  peals  of  prolonged 
and  derisive  laughter."*  Mr.  Theodore  W.  Richards  states  that  this  gull  is  abundant 
on  all  the  marshes  along  the  Virginia  coast.  For  a  nest  they  collect  an  immense 
amount  of  rubbish  and  build  in  the  wettest  portion  of  a  marsh;  many  nests  were 
found  actually  afioat.f  Mr.  R.  C.  Stuart,  of  Tampa,  Fla.,  writes  me  that  this  species 
nests  in  large  communities,  on  grassy  islands  along  the  Gulf  coast  in  May  and  June, 
placing  the  nests  in  tussocks  of  grass;  the  cavity  is  nicely  lined  with  fine,  dry 
grasses.  The  eggs  are  from  three  to  five  in  number.  In  color  they  vary  from 
bluish-white  to  greenish-ash,  spotted  and  blotched  with  brown,  um^er  and  lilac  of 
varying  shades;  the  usual  variations  in  size,  ground  color  and  markings  are  to  be 
found  in  a  large  series  of  these  eggs;  sizes  from  2.00  to  2.28  long  by  1.50  to  1.65  broad. 

59.  FRANKLIN'S  GULL.  Larus  franklinii  Sw.  &  Rich.  Geog.  Dist.— In- 
terior of  North  America,  breeding  from  the  northern  border  of  the  United  States 
northward;  south  in  winter  to  Central  and  South  America. 

In  North  America  this  gull  is  confined  to  the  Interior,  chiefly  west  of  the  Missis- 
sippi, breeding  from  the  northern  border  of  the  United  Sta  es  northward.  Mr.  J.  W. 
Preston  found  it  nesting  in  the  marshes  of  western  Minnesota,  about  the  middle  of 
Mayt  1  am  informed  by  Mr.  H.  J.  Wallace  that  it  breeds  abundantly  in  the  marshes 
of  the  Red  River  Valley  of  Western  Manitoba.  He  found  this  beautiful  gull  breeding 
in  large  communities,  in  marshes  and  wooded  swamps,  making  its  nest  of  wet  grasse3 
and  sedges  on  the  tops  of  broken  down  stalks.  The  eggs  are  described  as  closely 
resembling  those  of  the  Eckimo  Curlew  In  size,  shape  and  color,  though  the  dark 

•  Birds  of  Eastern  North  America. 

tThe  Ooloclst,  IX.  79.  *  • 

'Ornithologist  and  OolOKlst,  Vol.  XI,  pp.  K4-K. 


36 


NE8TS  AND  EOOS  OF 


3,. 


splashes  are  more  evenly  distributed  over  the  surface.  The  ground-color  varies 
from  dirty  white  to  olive-drab  and  light  brown,  with  all  the  shades  of  the  lighter 
tints  of  green  and  ashy.  They  are  usually  marked  with  numerous  and  bold  splashes 
and  zigzag  lines  of  umber-brown  and  different  depths  of  chocolate,  particularly  at 
the  larger  end.  The  eggs  average  about  2.12x1.40;  they  are  three  in  number.  Three 
eggs  in  my  possession,  coUected  at  Heron  Lake,  Minnesota,  on  the  9th  of  May, 
measure  as  follows:  2.06x1.41,  1.98x1.45,  2.03x1.47.  These  are  olive-drab  with  boW 
spots  and  blotches  of  light  and  dark  brown ;  there  are  no  zigzag  lines. 

60.  BONAPARTE'S  GULL.  Larus  Philadelphia  (Ord.)  Geog.  Dist.— Entire 
North  America,  breeding  chiefly  north  of  the  United  States;  south  in  winter  to 
Mexico  and  Central  America. 

This  handsome  little  gull  is  a  common  species  throughout  North  America,  from 
the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific  coasts.  It  is  especially  abundant  along  the  Atlantic  coast 
during  its  period  of  migration.  Breeds  northward  nearly  to  the  Arctic  Ocean.  Its 
flight  is  described  as  being  light,  airy  and  very  graceful,  resembling  that  of  the 
Terns.  Its  principal  food  Is  small  fish.  On  many  of  the  large  lakes  and  marshes  in 
the  prairie  regions  of  Manitoba  it  breeds  In  great  numbers,  from  thence  northw  d 
and  throughout  all  parts  of  the  Fur  Countries  It  is  found  breeding  in  suitable  p^  ce«. 
In  the  marshes  of  the  wooded  regions  bordering  the  Mackenzie  River  it  breeds  In  the 
latter  part  of  June.  The  usual  number  of  egge  laid  Is  three,  rarely  four.  The  nests 
are  aiwajs  placed  In  elevated  situations,  in  bushes,  trees,  or  on  high  stumps;  the 
materials  used  are  sticks  and  grasses,  with  a  lining  of  vegetable  substances.  The 
eggs  vary  from  greenish  to  brown,  spotted  and  blotched  with  brown,  umber  and  lilac 
of  various  shades;  these  markings  are  chiefly  clustered  around  the  larger  end. 
Size.  1.96x1.34. 

60.  1.  LITTLE  GULL.  Larus  minutus  Pall.  Geog.  Dist. — Europe  and  parts  of 
Asia  and  Africa:  accidental  In  the  Bermudas  and  on  Long  Island. 

We  can  now  positively  include  this  bird  in  the  North  American  avifauna.  It 
has  long  been  more  or  less  doubtfully  recognized  by  ornithologists  as  accidently 
Ajmf^rlcan  upon  the  strength  of  a  specimen  said  to  have  been  taken  on  the  first 
Franklin  expedition.  Its  place  in  our  fauna  has  always  been  questionable:  Mr. 
William  Dutcher  records  the  capture  of  an  Immature  specimen  of  this  gull  which  was 
shot  at  Fire  Island,  Suffolk  county.  New  York  (Long  Island),  about  September  15, 
1887.  It  was  mounted  by  the  late  John  Wallace,  taxidermist,  New  York  City,  who 
presented  it  to  the  American  Museum  of  Natural  History,  Central  Park.  Mr.  H.  K. 
Swann  In  his  "Birds  of  London"  mentions  this  gull  as  of  rare  occurrence  in  the  vi- 
cinity of  London,  although  it  occurs  from  time  to  time,  during  the  winter,  on  the 
east  coast  of  England.  It  is  stated  by  Prof.  Nlllson  that  this  gull  is  known  to  breed 
in  the  marshes  In  the  vicinity  of  the  Baltic,  placing  the  nests  on  the  grassy  knolls 
near  the  sea.  Three  eggs  constitute  the  complement,  and  their  color  varies  from 
yellowish-brown,  olive-brown  to  greenish-gray  marked  with  spots  of  dark  broWn 
and  purplish-gray.    Size  1. 80x1.32. 

61.  BOSS'S  GULL.  Rhodostethia  rosea  Maggil.  Geog.  Dist.— Arctic  regions; 
Point  Barrow,  Alaska;  Melville  Peninsula;  Englano,  Faroes,  Heligoland,  etc. 

This  species  was  first  discovered  north  of  British  America.  A  specimen  was 
taken  by  Mr.  Nelson  near  St.  Michaels,  Norton  Sound,  on  October  10,  1879.  Three 
specimens  were  brought  home  by  the  naturalist  of  the  ill-fated  Jeannette.  During 
Perry's  adventurous  journey  over  the  Ice  north  of  Spitzbergen,  it  was  seen  several 


m 


NORTH  AMERIVAJ^  lilRDt^. 


37 


and  parts  ot 


ei.    Ross's  Gull  (From  Brehm). 

times.  A  large  series  of  tiiis  rare  and  beautiful  gull  was  obtained  by  Mr.  John  Mur- 
doch at  Point  Barrow  in  the  latter  part  of  September  and  in  October,  1881,  and  a 
larger  series  might  have  been  secured  had  the  weather  and  other  conditions  been 
favorable.  In  a  letter  published  in  the  London  Dally  Chronicle  last  November,  Dr. 
Nansen,  the  most  recent  Arctic  explorer,  states  that  he  found  flocks  of  the  Rosy  or 
Ross's  Wedged-tailed  Gull  on  August  6th  In  lattitude  81"  38'  and  longitude  63°  east. 
The  birds  were  seen  near  four  small  islands  called  "Hirtenland"  by  Nansen,  a  little 
northeast  of  Franz  Josef  Land.  He  did  not  actually  find  the  nests,  but  the  birds  were 
so  abundant  that  he  concluded  that  their  nests  were  near  by.  There  seems  to  be  no 
reason  to  question  the  correctness  of  Nansen's  determination  or  his  surmise  that  the 
birds  were  Ijreeding  not  far  away,  as  the  presence  of  the  gulls  in  such  numbers  in 
that  high  latitude  renders  it  very  probable  that  they  were  breeding',* 

62.  SABINE'S  GULL.  Xema  sabiiill  Sab.  Geog.  Dist.— Arctic  regions;  in 
North  America  south  to  New  York,  the  Great  Lakes  and  Great  Salt  Lake. 

The  Forked-tailed  Gull  breeds  in  the  extreme  northern  portion  of  North  America 
and  Asia,  especially  on  the  islands  of  the  Arctic  Ocean,  depositing  its  eggs  in  a  de- 
pression of  the  sand,  which  is  generally  lined  witli  bits  of  fine,  dry  grass;  the  nest 
is  also  often  made  in  beds  of  moss,  with  similar  lining.  This  gull  is  recorded  as 
abundant  in  the  marshes  in  the  neighborhood  of  St.  Michael's,  Alaska,  where  it 
breeds.  Its  food  consists  of  worms  and  insects,  which  it  obtains  in  mud  lakes.  On 
the  northwestern  coast  of  Greenland,  above  Alison  Bay,  this  species  has  been  found 

*  From  T.  S.  Palmer's  article:    "Nansen's  Discovery  ot  the  Breeding  Grounds  of  th«< 
Rosy  Gull."    Science,  January  29,  1897. 


:i 


38 


NBSTa  AWD  BOOS  OF 


breeding,  but  not  In  lurgo  colonies.  Tho  eggs  uie  two  in  three  In  number.  They  are 
of  a  deep  greenish-brown,  obscurely  spotted  und  blotclu d  with  darker  shades  of  the 
same;  they  very  closely  resemble  those  of  the  Wlllet  or  Curlew.  The  average  size 
IB  1.75x1.25. 

63.  QULL-BILLED  TEBN.  (jelochdidon  nilotiva  Hasselq.  Geog.  Dist.— 
Nearly  coaniopolltan.  In  North  America  chiefly  along  the  Atlantic  and  Gulf  coasts  o£ 
the  United  States. 

In  North  America  the  Marsh  Tern,  as  it  is  commonly  called,  breeds  from  New 
Jorscy  southward.  On  Cobb's  Island,  Va.,  it  nests  sparingly  iu  the  latter  part  of 
June.  Dr.  James  C.  Merrill  and  George  B.  Sennett  found  a  colony  of  this  species  in 
company  with  titcnta  forsUri,  breeding  on  a  grassy  island,  among  lagoons  and 
marches,  near  Fort  Brown,  Texas,  May  16,  1877.  The  nests  were  slight  depressions 
among  the  short  grass,  and  the  eggs  were  frequently  wet.*  This  Tern  breeds  abun- 
dantly on  Pelican  Island,  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  in  the  latter  part  of  May,  laying  its 
eggs  on  the  bare  sand.  Farther  south,  on  the  islands  along  the  coast  of  Mexico  and 
in  the  Bahamas,  it  is  known  to  nest  in  great  numbers.  The  eggs  are  usually  three 
in  number,  sometimes  four.  They  vary  from  yellowish-buff  to  greenish,  spotted  and 
blotched  with  yellowish-brown  and  lilac,  especially  about  the  larger  end,  but,  like 
the  eggs  of  all  terns,  are  extremely  variable.  The  average  size  is  1.75x1.30.  This  is 
the  only  species  of  tern  having  the  bill  shaped  in  noticeable  degree  like  that  of  a 
gull — hence  its  common  name.  Marsh  Tern  is  another  name  by  which  it  is  known, 
but  this  is  not  regarded  as  exactly  correct.  According  to  the  best  authorities  the 
Gull-billed  Tern  is  a  species  of  wide  distribution  and  is  characteristic  of  no  par- 
ticular region,  breeding  alike  in  the  islands  of  the  Indian  Ocean  and  in  those  of  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico,  the  islands  and  the  coasts  of  Jutland  in  Denmark  and  along  the  coast 
and  the  interior  in  the  marshes  and  lagoons  of  southern  South  America.  A  few 
specimens  have  been  taken  on  the  coasts  of  France  and  Germany,  and  it  is  recorded 
as  being  common  in  Hungary,  Greece  and  Asia  Minor,  where  it  breeds.  It  Is  known 
to  breed  in  various  other  portions  of  Southern  Europe,  and  also  in  the  northern 
parts  of  Africa.  Its  flight  is  spoken  of  as  easy  and  graceful,  partaking  of  the  ele- 
gance which  is  characteristic  of  these  birds  when  on  the  wing. 

64.  CASPIAN  TEBN.  Sterna  tschegrava  Lepech.  Geog.  Dist — Nearly  cos- 
mopolitan; in  North  America  breeding  southward  to  Virginia,  Lake  Michigan,  Texas, 
Nevada  and  California. 

This  is  the  largest  of  these  elegant  and  graceful  birds,  the  Terns;  it  measures 
from  twenty  to  twenty-three  inches  in  length.  The  bill  of  this  bird  In  life  is  of  dark 
•  vermilion-red,  growing  lighter  towards  the  tip;  the  pileum  and  occipital  crest  is 
glossy,  greenish-black,  extending  to  the  lower  line  of  the  eyes.  The  back  and  upper 
parts  of  wings  are  pearl-blue,  the  whole  underparts  are  white.  The  legs  and  feet  are 
black.  The  extent  of  wings  in  the  adult  bird  is  from  fifty  to  flfty-flve  inches.  It  is 
nearly  cosmopolitan  in  its  distribution,  being  found  in  greater  or  less  abundance  in 
various  portions  of  the  globe.  At  a  distance  it  is  often  mistaken  for  the  Royal  Tern, 
but  may  be  distinguished  from  the  latter  by  its  more  robust  form  and  less  deeply 
forked  tail.  The  bird  is  also  known  as  the  Imperial  Tern;  irregularly  distributed 
throughout  North  America,  but  chiefly  in  the  Arctic  regions,  where  it  breeds,  and 
along  the  entire  Atlantic  coast.  Eggs  and  young  have  been  taken  on  Cobb's  Island, 
Va.,  in  July.    Dr.  Merrill  observed  it  breeding  on  Padre  Island,  near  Fort  Brown. 


•  Notes  on  the  Ornithology  of  Southern  Texas. 


NOKTn  AMERICAN  nrRDS. 


39 


61.    Caspian  Tbrn  (From  Brebm). 


Texas,  in  May.  The  late  Mr.  B.  F.  Goss  found  it  nesting  on  the  islands  of  Lake 
Michigan.  Large  numbers  of  this  species  art.  said  to  breed  on  Pelican  Island  in  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico.  The  nests  are  mere  hollows  scooped  in  the  dry  sand,  in  which  the 
birds  deposit  two  or  three  eggs.  These  vary  from  white  to  greenish-buff,  spotted 
dnd  blotched  with  brown  and  lilac  of  different  shades;  broader  and  more  elliptical 
than  those  of  the  next  species;  size  2.66x1.77. 

65.  BOYAL  TEBIT.  Stct'tia  maxima  Bodd.  Geog.  Dist. — Tropical  America 
and  warmer  parts  of  North  America,  northward  to  Massachusetts,  the  Great  Lakes 
and  California.    West  coast  ;.f  Africa  north  to  Tangiers. 

This  handsome  tern,  next  in  size  to  the  Caspian,  breeds  in  large  colonies  along 
the  Atlantic  coast,  from  New  Jersey  southward,  depositing  froi.i  one  to  three  or  four 
eggs  on  the  bare  sand.  It  breeds  abundantly  along  the  coasts  *nd  on  the  marshes  of 
Florida.  On  some  of  the  islands  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  it  nests  in  immense  numbers. 
Very  abundant  on  many  of  the  lagoons  and  marshes  of  Southern  Texas.  Prof.  Robert 
Ridgway  records  the  Royal  Tern  breeding  on  Cobb's  Island,  Va.,  In  the  first  part  of 
July.  In  an  area  of  about  an  eighth  of  an  acre  the  eggs  were  so  numerous  that  it 
was  almost  impossible  to  walk  through  the  nesting  site  without  crushing  a  greater 


■ 


;;l  1i 


40 


NK8Ta  AND  BOOB  OF 


or  lesH  number;  many  of  the  eggs  were  covered  by  the  drifting  sand.*  The  eggi 
are  drscribed  as  being  narrower,  and  especially  more  i)ointed  and  rougher,  than  those 
of  the  Cuspian  Tern.  They  arc  yellowish-drab,  Irregularly  blotched  with  dark  umber 
and  lilac  of  various  HhadcH;  sizes  range  from  2.G7  to  2.75  long  by  1.70  to  1.75  broad. 

66.  ELEGANT  TEBN.  Interna  eletjann  Uamb.  Cieog.  Dlst.— Pacific  coast  of 
America  from  California  to  Chill. 

Dr.  C'oues  describes  this  tern  as  a  "truly  elegant  species,  resembling  the  Royal 
Tern,  but  easily  distinguished."  It  is  a  Mexican  and  Central  American  species, 
rarely  occurring  on  the  California  coast.  An  egg  is  described  as  having  a  ground- 
color of  pinkish-white,  with  bold  and  distinct  markings  of  deep  black  and  burnt 

sienna  and  subdued  shell-markings  of  lavender-gray;  felze  2.20  by  1.45. 

67.  CABOT'S   TEBN.     tiUruu   sundvUtiisin   acii/litiidd  (Cabot.)    Geog.  Dlst.— 

Tropical  America  northward  along  the  Atlantic  coast,  irregularly,  to  Southern  New 
England. 

The  beautiful  Sandwich  Tern  has  an  extensive  distribution.  In  North  America 
It  has  been  observed  as  far  north  as  Southern  New  England,  and  is  known  by  the 
name  of  Ducal  Tern.  Breeds  in  large  colonies,  like  most  of  the  terns,  depositing  the 
eggs  in  the  dry  sand.  It  nests  on  the  small  sandy  islands  off  the  coast  of  Cape  Sable 
in  the  latter  part  of  June.  Breeds  commonly  on  the  coasts  of  Central  America,  and 
on  some  of  the  larger  West  India  islands.  The  eggs  vary  from  white  to  buff,  Ir- 
regularly spotted  and  blotched  with  brown,  umber,  bluish  and  reddish;  rather 
pointed;  two  or  three  in  number;  size  about  2.10  by  1.40. 

■;;.;;-':'   :-.  '\  ^>\-   ■    -.^ r 

•a,';  68.  TRUDEAU'S  TEBN.  Sterna  trudeaui  Aud.  Geog.  Dlst.— Southern 
South  America;  casual  or  accidental  on  the  Atlantic  coast  of  the  United  States  (New 
Jersey,  Long  Island). 

This  bird  has  been  accidentally  found  In  New  Jersey  and  Long  Island.  It 
breeds  in  southern  South  America,  but  I  believe  Its  eggs  have  not  yet  been  described. 


69.  FpBSTEB'S  TEBN.  Sterna  forsterl  Nutt.  Geog.  Dist.— North  America 
generally,  breeding  from  Manitoba  southward  to  Virginia,  Illinois,  Texas  and  Cali- 
fornia; in  winter  southward  to  Brazil. 

Like  all  the  terns,  this  one  is  noted  for  its  graceful  flight  and,  with  them,  it 
shares  the  name  of  Sea  Swallow — a  name  which  uelongs  more  particularly  to  the 
next  species.  Forster's  Tern  was  once  thought  to  breed  only  in  the  Interior  of  North 
America.  The  above  habitat,  however,  indicates  clearly  the  range  throughout  which 
this  species  is  found  breeding  in  all  suitable  places.  It  nests  on  the  grassy  islands 
among  the  lagoons  and  marshes  of  Southern  Texas,  thence  northward  Irregularly  to 
British  America.  In  Manitoba,  on  the  islands  and  marshes  of  the  lakes  and  rivers, 
it  nests  abundantly.  Here  on  the  islands  of  Shoal  Ivuke  Mr.  Arnold  and  Mr.  Raine 
found  them  breeding  by  thousands.  Breeds  in  colonies,  often  in  company  with  the 
Common  and  Gull-bllled  Terns,  the  Laughing  and  Bonaparte's  Gulls.  When  its 
nesting  places  are  disturbed  it  Is  said  to  be  very  noisy,  uttering  a  grating,  monot- 
onous note,  and  at  the  same  time  attacking  the  intruder  on  all  sides,  often  darting 
close  to  his  head.  In 'some  localities  this  species  constructs  its  nest  in  a  turf  of  dry 
grass,  upon  the  sand,  or  among  stones.  It  breeds  chiefly  in  grassy  marshes,  building 
its  nest  of  flags,  water-plants,  lining  them  with  finer  reeds.  The  eggs  are  two  or 
three  in  number,  with  an  average  size  of  1.85x1.35.    In  color  they  vary  from  nearly 

•  Bull.  Nutt.  Club,  Vol.  V,  pp.  221-223.    In  article  on  the  eggs  of  "Sterna  caspla." 


NORTH  AMERICAN  RIRHS. 


41 


pur*  white  and  pale  green  to  warm  brownlsh-drab,  irregularly  spotted  aud  blotched 
with  brown,  umber  and  lUao. 


iflc  coast  of 


70.  COMMON  TEBN.  Htema  hlrundn  Linn.  Qeog.  Dist.— Greater  part  of 
the  Northern  Hemisphere  and  Africa.  In  North  America  chiefly  confined  to  the 
Eastern  Province,  breeding  variously  throughout  Its  range. 

Sea  Swallow,  Wilson's  Tern,  Red-shp.nk.  "Mackerel  Gull"  and  "Summer  Gull" 
are  the  names  by  which  this  beautiful  species  is  known  in  vailous  localities.  It  is 
an  abundant  bird  throughout  its  North  American  range,  breeding  on  many  of  the 
inland  lakes  and  marshes  as  well  as  along  the  coasts.  In  various  places  on  the 
Atlantic  coast  it  breeds  In  company  with  other  species,  such  as  Forster's.  Arctic, 
and  Roseate  Terns,  the  Laughing  Gull  and  others.  Mr.  W.  W.  Worthington,  of 
Shelter  Island,  New  York,  writes  me  the  following:  "Although  a  few  Wilson's 
Terns  breed  on  nearly  every  sandy  point  near  here.  Gull  Island,  situated  a  mile  or 
so  east  of  Plum  Island,  Is  their  chief  breeding  ground  in  this  section.  Here  they 
breed  by  thousands,  fairly  filling  the  air  when  you  land  and  disturb  them.  Their 
nests  are  always  placed  on  the  ground  or  rocks,  and  are  usually  composed  of  a  few 
pieces  of  grass  and  seaweed.  They  place  their  nests  all  over  the  island  above  high 
water  line,  on  the  beach,  on  the  sides  of  the  bluffs,  all  around,  and  In  the  garden 
cultivated  by  the  light-uouse  keeper.  Fresh  eggs  can  be  obtained  there  from  the 
10th  of  June  to  the  middle  of  July,  as  egging  parties  keep  them  cleaned  off  about  as 
fast  as  they  are  laid.  I  collected  a  set  of  four  eggs  of  this  species  on  Gull  Island 
last  spring  (1881),  which  Is  the  only  set  I  ever  saw  containing  more  than  three  eggs, 
which  Is  the  usual  number  laid."  Mr.  Worthington  and  Mr.  M.  C.  Howe  found  two 
sets  each  containing  five  eggs  on  Gull  Island  In  the  season  of  1894.  This  Is  an 
unusual  number  to  a  set.  The  eggs  vary  from  greenish  to  deep  brown,  spotted  and 
blotched  with  bro^  a,  blackish  and  lilac;  they  vary  in  length  from  1.49  to  1.75  by  1.18 
to  1.30  broad. 


71.  ABCTIO  TEBN.  Sterna  paradtaaea  Bninn.  Geog.  Dlst. — Northern  Hem- 
isphere;  in  North  America  breeding  from  Massachusetts  to  the  Arctic  regions  and 
wintering  southward  to  Virginia  and  California. 

Throughout  all  Northern  Alaska,  both  on  the  coast  and  in  the  Interior,  the 
Arctic  Tern  is  an  abundant  summer  resident,  breeding  wherever  found.  In  its 
general  appearance  and  habits,  its  mode  of  nesting,  flight,  and  other  characteristics, 
this  species  closely  resembles  the  Common  Tern.  Its  distribution  is,  however,  more 
northern,  breedi^r  in  the  most  northern  latitude,  where  Fi.  hirundo  is  found  only 
in  limited  numbers.    The  eggs  of  both  are  indistinguishable. 


72.  BOSEATE  TEBN.  Sterna  dougalli  Montag.  Geog.  Dist. — Temperate  and 
tropical  regions ;  north  on  the  Atlantic  coast  of  North  America  to  Massachusetts,  and 
casually  to  Maine.     • 

On  the  Atlantic  coast  of  North  America  this  beautiful  species  is  found  breeding 
from  Maine  southward  to  Florida.  It  is  known  afso  by  the  name  of  Paradise  Tern. 
On  some  of  the  islands  of  the  New  England  coast  this  species  breeds  in  abundance, 
notably  on  Muskegat,  Nantucket,  Martha's  Vineyard  and  Elizabeth  Islands.  In 
many  places  it  breeds  in  colonies  with  the  Common  and  Arctic  Terns  and  the 
Laughing  Gull.  On  a  small  island,  called  Goose  Island,  about  three-quarters  of  an 
acre  in  extent,  situated  in  Long  Island  Sound,  and  a  short  distance  from  Faulkner's 
Island,  Mr.  M.  B.  Grifflng  found  this  species  nesting  in  abundance.  The  high  land 
Is  from  two  to  six  feet  above  the  beach,  and  is  covered  with  a  thick  growth  of  weeds 


42 


NBBTS  AND  E008  OF 


■    §1 


and  grass;  in  this  some  of  the  nests  were  concealed;  others  were  in  plain  sight;  they 
were  so  numerous  as  to  fairly  cover  the  ground.  They  were  nothing  more  than 
slight  hollows  lined  with  dry  grass,  and  contained  usually  two  eggs.  Mr.  Grifflng 
says  he  is  satisfied  that  this  is  the  usual  number  laid  by  this  species,  as  there  were 
but  two  sets  containing  three  eggs  in  the  hundreds  of  nests  observed;  Incubation 
had  begun  in- nearly  every  set,  and  many  were  almost  hatched.  Some  of  the  eggs 
were  laid  on  the  shore  just  above  high  water  mark.  Mr.  Grifflng  says  that  the  eggs 
differ  from  those  of  the  Common  Tern,  being  less  pointed  at  the  small  end;  the 
markings  are  usually  much  finer  and  more  numerous.  By  placing  a  tray  of  the  eggs 
of  each  species  side  by  side  the  difference  is  very  marked.  They  vary  in  size  from 
1.55  10  1.75  in  length  by  1.10  to  1.25  in  breadth.  Mr.  Grifflng  states  the  birds  are  very 
noisy  when  their  nests  are  being  disturbed;  hovering  overhead  they  utter  a  harsh 
gutteral  cry,  peculiar  to  the  species.  They  also  have  a  note  which  sounds  like  the 
syllable  tip,  tip,  tip.  _         . 

73.  ALEUTIAN  TEBN.  Sterna  aleutica  Baird.  Geog.  Dist.— Coast  of  Africa, 
from  the  Island  of  Kadiak  to  Norton  Sound. 

This  tern  has  been  found  nesting  in  various  parts  of  Alaska;  on  the  Island  of 
Kadiak,  and  on  some  of  the  Eastern  Aleutian  Islands.  On  several  islands  in  the 
vicinity  of  St.  Michael's,  Alaska,  this  tern,  according  to  Nelson,  breeds,  laying  its 
eggs  directly  upon  tho  moss,  with  na  attempt  at  nest  lining,  which  would  be  entirely 
unnecessary  there.  Its  habits  do  not  differ  essentially  from  those  of  other  ternfi. 
The  eggs  measure  from  1.65  to  1.8&  long  by  1.10  to  1.15  broad.  They  ha^e  a  ground 
color,  varying  from  brownish-white  to  greenish-olive,  with  bold  markings  of  light 
re-^dish  and  chestnut  brown. 

■I  • 

74.  LEAST  TEBN.  Sterna  antillarum  (Less.)  Geug.  Dist.— Northern  Soutk 
America,  north  to  California  and  New  England,  and  casually  to  Labrador,  breeding 
nearly  throughout  its  range. 

This  pretty  little  Sea  Swallow  breeds  on  the  Island  of  Cuba,  and  other  islands 
of  the  West  Indies,  along  the  coasts  of  Central  America  and  Mexico.  Mr.  Stuart 
says  it  breeds  abundantly  on  the  white  sand  beaches  of  the  Gulf  coast,  and  on  the 
:«lands  of  the  Atlantic  coast  of  Florida.  Mr.  Theodore  W.  Richards  in  the  seasons  of 
1888-'90  found  this  tern  comparatively  rare  on  the  Virginia  coast.  A  few  pairs  were 
observed  breeding  on  the  shelly  beaches  where  once  they  swarmed  by  hundreds.* 
The  eggs  are  laid  on  the  bare  sand  in  May  and  June.  The  "Little  Striker,"  as  it  is 
called,  is  found  nesting  on  the  Atlantic  coast  as  far  north  as  Massachusetts;  a  few, 
however,  breed  a  little  farther  north.  The  eggs  are  difficult  to  observe  on  the  breed- 
ing grounds,  their  color  being  very  similar  t-)  the  sand  and  broken  shells  in  which 
they  are  laid.  They  are  two  or  three,  and  seldom  four  in  number.  They  vary  from 
pale  greenish  to  drab  or  buff,  spotted  and  blotched  pretty  evenly  with  brown,  umber 
and  lilac  of  various  shades,  with  an  occasional  tinge  of  yellowish;  in  some  the  mark- 
ings tend  to  form  a  wreath  about  the  larger  half.    The  average  size  is  1.25x.95. 

75.  SOOTY  TEBN.  Sterna  fuliginosa  Gmel.  Geog.  Dist.— Tropical  and  sub- 
tropical coasts  of  the  Globe.  In  America  from  Chili  to  Western  Mexico  and  the 
Carolinas;  casually  to  New  England. 

The  Sooty  Tern  is  found  both  in  temperate  and  tropical  regions  almost  every- 
where throughout  the  world.    It  breeds  abundantly  on  the  rocky  islets  off  the  coast 


•  The  Oologlst.  IX.  p.  79. 


Il 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


43 


of  the  Island  of  St  Helena,  and  on  Ascension  Island,  which  is  farther  north  and  west; 
In  favorite  s^Jts  at  the  latter  place  it  la  said  to  breed  in  countless  numbers.  The 
eggs  are  regarded  by  some  as  a  great  delicacy,  and  are  so  numerous  that  they  are 
an  important  article  of  commerce.  This  species  is  said  to  be  semi-nocturnal  in  Its 
habits,  being  able  to  fly  by  night  as  well  as  by  day,  going  out  to  sea  to  feed  long  be- 
fore daylight.  It  is  "the  egg  bird"  of  Jamaica.  Breeds  on  the  islands  in  the  Gulf 
of  Mexico,  about  the  middle  of  May,  and  on  the  small  islands  south  of  Key  West, 
Fla.,  early  in  May.  In  some  places  the  eggs  are  deposited  on  the  bare  ground  or  on 
rocks;  in  others  a  nest  is  made  in  the  long  grass  under  bushes.  This  species  lays  but 
a  single  egg.  Audubon  states  that  the  Sooty  Tern  alv/ays  lays  three  eggs,  but  more 
recent  observers  say  that  in  thousands  of  nests  examined  there  were  only  two 
instances  of  two  eggs  being  found  together.  It  is  a  handsome  egg,  pinkish  or  creamy 
white,  spotted  and  blotched  with  a  rich  reddish-brown,  tinged  with  lilac.  Sizes  vary 
from  1.95  to  2  12  long  by  1.45  to  1.50  broad. 


76.  BBIDLED  TEBN.  Sterna  ancethetus  Scop.  Geog.  D«  St.— Tropical 
regions;  casual  in  Florida. 

The  Bridled  Tern  is  especially  abundant  in  the  West  India  Islands,  where  it  is 
the  "egg-bird"  par  excellence,  and  is  often  confounded  with  the  Sooty  Tern.  The 
bird  occurs  casually  ^.n  Florida,  but  does  not  breed  there.  It  is  noted  for  its  social 
peculiarities,  always  nesting  in  company  with  the  Roseate,  Sooty  and  Noddy  Terns. 
The  single  egg  of  this  species  is  deposited  on  ledges  of  rocks  or  in  the  cavities  among 
loose  boulders  along  the  sea  shore.  The  egg  has  a  ground-color  of  a  rich  cream, 
with  large  blotches  and  smaller  spots  of  reddish-brown,  with  confluent  shell-mark- 
ings of  dull  lilac.  The  blotches  are  usually  confluent  at  the  large  end,  while  others 
are  scattered  over  the  entire  surface.  Five  selected  specimens  in  Mr.  Crandall's  col- 
lection offer  the  following  measurements:  1.83x1.30,  1.84x1.26,  1.85x1.27,  1.86x1.29, 
1.87x1.31,  the  average  being  about  1.84x1.31. 


77.  BLACK  TEBN.  Hydrochelldon  nigra  surinamensis  (Gmel.)  Geog.  D!st. — 
Temperate  and  tropical  America,  from  Alaska  and  fur  countries  into  South  America; 
oreeding  from  the  Middle  United  States  northward. 

The  Black  or  Short-tailed  Tern  is  distributed  throughout  North  America  at 
large,  both  along  the  coast  and  In  the  interior;  breeding  anywhere  In  colonies,  in 
marshes  and  reedy  sloughs,  where  it  deposHs  the  eggs  on  dead  reeds,  whiot  are 
often  floating.  It  Is  known  to 
breed  abundantly  In  various 
marshes  of  Michigan,  Wiscon- 
sin, Minnesota,  Dakota,  Ore- 
gon and  California.  It  has  ex- 
ceedingly long  wings,  and  in 
Its  pursuit  of  insects  in  the  air 
Its  flight  and  evolutions  re- 
semble those  of  a  swallow. 
Mr.  Frank  W.  Langdon  ob- 
served this  species  to  be  a 
very  common  summer  resi- 
dent of  a  marsh  in  Northern 


11.    Black  Tern. 


44 


NESTS  AND  EGOS  OF 


Ohio.*  He  found  It  "nesting,  or  rather  laying  its  eggs,  on  the  little  islands  of  de- 
caying vegetation  and  mud  formed  by  sunken  muskrat  houses.  Three  eggs  consti- 
tute a  full  set,  and  they  are  apparently  rolled  about  in  the  mud  purposely  until  well 
coated,  so  as  to  hide  the  markings,  and  thereby  make  them  less  conspicuous."  Mr. 
Langdon  says  that  in  two  or  three  instances  an  attempt  at  nest  building  was  notice- 
able, consisting  merely  of  a  few  fragments  of  grasses,  so  disposed  as  to  prevent 
the  eggs  from  rolling.  Two  broods  are  reared  in  a  season,  as  eggs  were  taken  in 
May,  and  Mr.  Langdon  collected  fresh  eggs  in  July.  They  vary  from  brown  to 
greenish;  thickly  spotted  and  blotched  with  brown  and  lilac  of  various  sizes,  but 
mostly  bold,  large  and  of  light  and  blackish  brown,  thickest  around  the  larger  end. 
They  resemble  some  of  the  sandpipers'  eggs  in  size,  shape  and  color.  Average  size 
1.35X.98. 


78.  WHITE-WINOED  BLACK  TERS.  Hydrochelidon  leucoptera  (Meisn  8s 
Schinz.)    Geog.  Dist. — Eastern  Hemisphere;  accidental  in  North  America. 

A  single  example  of  this  European  species  was  taken  on  Lake  Koshkonong,  Wis- 
consin, in  the  first  week  of  July,  1873.  The  ovaries  of  this  specimen  contained  small 
eggs.  It  occurs  occasionally  in  Great  Britain,  and  is  accidental  in  Sweden.  On  the 
lakes,  rivers  and  marshes  of  the  countries  of  the  Alps  it  is  said  to  be  very  common, 
and  also  in  the  bays  and  inlets  of  the  Mediterranean  Sea.  Its  nesting  and  general 
habits  are  said  to  be  like  those  of  H.  nigra  surinamensis.  The  eggs,  however,  as  a 
general  rule,  have  a  lighter  ground  color,  and  average  slightly  larger  than  those  of 
the  American  bird. 


I  ^ 


79.  NODDY.  Anoa  stolidua  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist.— Tropical  and  sub-tropical 
regions;  in  America^  from  Brazil  and  Chill  north  to  the  Gulf  and  South  Atlantic 
States. 

Dr.  Brewer  says:  "The  common  Noddy  Tern  appears  to  be  an  inter-tropical 
species,  and  to  be  found  round  the  entire  surface  of  the  globe,  both  north  and  south 
of  the  equator,  at  a  distance  from  it  of  rarely  exceeding  thirty  degrees  north  or 
south."  On  the  Island  of  St.  Helena  it  is  a  common  species,  and  it  also  breeds  on 
Ascension  Island.  It  breeds  in  profusion  on  several  of  the  West  Indies.  On  the 
Bahamas  the  nests  are  built  of  sticks,  leaves  and  grass,  and  they  are  placed  in  the 
branches  of  trees.  In  some  of  the  islands  of  the  tropics  this  species  places  its  nest 
on  the  top  branches  of  cocoanut  trees  and  the  outer  branches  of  mangroves.  It 
lays  but  a  single  egg;  this  will  vary  from  ashy-yellow  to  buff  or  cream  color.  The 
spots  are  small  and  scattered,  dark  chestnut,  with  subdued  shell-markings  of  laven- 
der  gray;  average  size  2.00x1.36. 


80.  BLACK  SKIMMEB.  Rynchops  nigra  Linn.  Geog.  Dist.— Warmer  parts 
of  America,  north  on  the  Atlantic  coast  to  New  Jersey,  and  casually  to  the  Bay  of 
Fundy. 

In  summer  the  Black  Skimmer  is  abundantly  distributed  from  New  Jersey 
southward,  and  is  strictly  maritime.   It  may  be  known  by  its  singularly  shaped  bill. 


*  Summer  Birds  of  a  Northern  Ohio  Marsh. 


NORTH  AMERICAN  Bi  RD8. 


45 


8u.    Black  Skimmer. 


the  nnder  mandible  of  which  is  much  longer  thai,  the 
upper,  ard  compressed  like  a  knife  blade,  the  end  being 
obtuse.  The  bird  seems  to  feed  as  it  skims  low  over  the 
water,  the  under  mandible  grazing  the  surface.  Like 
the  terns,  the  Skimmers  breed  in  communities.  On  the 
coast  of  Virginia  Mr.  T.  W,  Richards  found  them  breed- 
ing in  immense  colonies  in  the  month  of  June.    The  eggs 

were  deposited  in  hollows  of  the  sand  bars  and,  when  the 
birds  are  not  molested,  four  eggs  are  laid,  at  least  as  often  as  three.  This  species  is 
known  by  several  names,  such  as  "Razor-bill,"  "Cut-water,"  "Shear-water,"  "Sea 
Crow"  and  "Sea  Dog;"  the  latter  name  it  receives  from  its  cries,  which  resemble 
somewhat  the  barking  of  a  dog.  It  breeds  on  Cobb's  Island,  Va.,  in  the  last  of  June; 
Mr.  P..  C.  Stuart  informs  me  that  this  species  nests  s  ong  the  Gulf  coast  of  Florida 
ir,  r/iny  and  June,  depositinc  in  hollows  of  the  sand  from  three  to  five  eggs.  He  says 
Iio  liaz  iTrequcntly  taken  sets  containing  five  eggs.  Mr.  C.  S.  Shick,  of  Sea  Isle  City, 
aC.  j.,  writer,  jac  that  he  has  taken  eggs  as  early  as  May  26,  on  the  New  Jersey  coast. 
Hie  experience  ic  that  four  eggs  are  oftener  laid  than  three,  which  is  generally  stated 
to  be  the  usual  number.  The  eggs  are  among  the  most  beautiful  of  all  eggs;  they  are 
white  and  pale  buff,  rather  coarsely  spotted  and  blotched  with  brown,  blackish- 
umber  and  lilac  of  varying  shades,  with  neutral  tint  shell  blotches;  sizes  range  from 
1.65  to  1.98  in  length  by  1.31  to  1.40  in  breadth.  '  ...  , 

.    .  ■    '  ■   /  • ';    \  ■  '5- 

*  *  WANDERING  ALBATROSS.  Diomedea  eonilans  Linn.  Geog.  Dist. — 
Southern  seas,  north  very  irregularly  to  Florida  (Tampa  Bay?)  and  coast  of  Wash- 
ington. (.) 

The  Wandering  Albatross  is  now  assigned  to  the  Hypothetical  List  of  the  A.  O. 
U.  Check  List.  It  is  said  to  have  occurred  in  Tampa  Bay,  Florida,  and  also  oft  the 
coast  of  the  State  of  Washington.  Both  of  these  records  are  unsatisfactory.  This 
albatross  wanders  over  the  vast  waters  of  southern  seas  ranging  as  far  north  on  the 
Atlantic  coast  of  Africa  as  the  Canary  Islands,  on  that  of  South  America  to  Trinidad 
Island  and  beyond.  The  bird  has  been  taken  In  Europe  and  was  admitted  to  the 
North  American  fauna  on  the  grounds  of  its  occurrence  as  above  stated.  It  has  been 
found  breeding  on  various  Islands  of  the  South  Atlantic  and  Indian  Oceans,  on  Prince 
Edward's,  Crozete,  and  Kerguelcn  Islands  lying  southeast  of  Africa,  and  on  the 
Island  of  Tristan  d'Acunda  to  the  southwest.  At  the  latter  place  it  breeds  in 
January,  nesting  on  the  highest  ledges  of  the  cliffs.  Dr.  J.  H.  Kidder  met  with  a 
number  of  these  birds  nesting  on  Kerguelen  Island  on  the  2d  of  January.  The  nests 
were  upon  tall  mounds,  built  up  of  grass  to  the  height  of  two  or  more  feet  from  the 
ground,  and,  being  of  different  heights,  seemed  to  have  been  used  again  and  added 
to  year  after  year.  Dr.  Kidder  counted  twenty-three  birds  in  sight  at  one  time, 
each  perched  upon  its  nest.  Driven  from  the  nests  and  compelled  to  walk,  the  birds 
looked  not  unlike  overgrown  geese.*  Three  eggs  of  this  species  are  in  the  collection 
of  Mr.  C.  W.  Crandall,  of  Woodslde,  N.  Y.  They  were  taken  January  22,  1886,  on 
South  Georgia  Island,  east  of  Cape  Horn.  The  birds  were  captured.  The  nests  were 
built  up  from  the  ground  of  mud  and  coarse  tussock  grass.  In  shape  the  eggs  are  al- 
most equal-ended  and  measure  respecti/ely  as  follows:  5.43x3.08,  5.36x3.21,  4.94x3.21. 
On  the  first  the  coloration  is  dull  white  for  the  surface,  beautifully  ringed  about  the 


*  Bulletin  No.  2,  United  States  National  Museum,  p.  20. 


46 


NE8T8  AND  EGGS  OF 


tr^t?^—  ^j-\-*  %5 


i 


«*    Wandering  Abatross  (From  Brehm). 

larger  end  with  reddish  specks  and  spots,  the  spots  running  together.  The  second 
has  the  large  end  sprinkled  with  minute  specks  of  dull  reddish  and  the  small  end  is 
also  similarly  marked.  In  the  last  specimen  above  measured  the  large  end  is 
sprinkled  with  small  specks  of  chestnut  brown.  An  average  size  of  ten  specimens 
is  as  follows:  Largest,  5.43x3.08;  smallest,  4.87x3.00;  the  broadest  specimen  being 
3.14. 

81.  BLACK-FOOTED  ALBATBOSS.  Diomedea  utffripes  Aud.  Geog.  Dist. — 
North  Pacific,  including  west  coast  of  North  America. 

The  Black-footed  Albatross  is  an  abundant  bird  of  the  North  Pacific  Ocean. 
Like  others  of  this  family,  it  is  noted  for  its  protracted  powers  of  flight,  following 
vessels  for  hundreds  of  miles  and  subsisting  on  the  refuse  thrown  overboard,  which, 
with  crabs,  etc.,  is  its  main  food.  Very  little  is  known  concerning  the  nesting  habits 
of  this  species.  It  is  said  to  breed  on  the  small  guano  islands  southwest  of  the 
Sandwich  group  in  the  North  Pacific,  depositing  a  single  white  egg  in  a  depression  of 
the  soil,  surrounded  with  a  little  sea-weed.    Mr.  Dall  learned  from  Capt.  George 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


47 


men  beizs 


Holder,  who  was  in  search  of  new  guano  islands,  that  these  birds  nest  during  the 
winter  months  on  the  coral  island  of  Caspar  Rico  near  the  equator. 

82.  SHOBT-TAILED  ALBATBOSS.  Diomedca  albatrus  Pall.  Geog.  Dist.— 
Pacific  Ocean,  including  western  coast  of  Africa,  northward  to  Bering  Sea. 

This  Albatross  inhabits  the  Pacific  Ocean  at  large.  It  breeds  on  the  lonely 
islands  west  of  the  Sandwich  group.  It  is  also  supposed  to  breed  on  some  of  the 
islands  off  the  coast  of  China  and  Japan  and  on  some  of  the  Aleutian  Islands.  This 
species  requires  many  years  before  it  attains  perfect  plumage,  but  the  young  are 
said  to  be  easily  distinguished  from  uif/ripes.  It  is  a  constant  attendant  of  whaling 
vessels,  feeding  on  the  scraps  of  blubber  or  refuse  thrown  from  the  ships.  It  is  easily 
caught  with  hook  and  line,  and  when  taken  on  board  is  said  to  be  unable  to  rise 
from  the  deck,  as  it  requires  a  long  range  of  surface  on  which  to  flap  its  wings.  The 
single  egg  which  this  species  deposits  is  white,  equal-ended,  and  measures  4.20x2.60. 
It  is  laid  on  the  bire  ground. 

83.  YELLOW-NOSED  ALBATBOSS.  Thala88ogeronculminatm(Gou\A.)  Geog. 
Dist. — Indian  and  South  Pacific  Oceans;  casual  off  the  coast  of  Oregon. 

Supposed  to  be  a  rare  visitant  on  the  Pacific  coast  north  of  the  equator.  A  dead 
specimen  answering  the  description  of  this  species  was  washed  up  on  the  beach  near 
the  Golden  Gate,  and  an  example  is  said  to  have  been  taken  as  far  north  as  the  mouth 
of  the  Columbia  River,  Oregon.  It  breeds  on  the  islands  of  the  Southern  Indian  and 
South  Pacific  Oceans.  A  single  egg  is  laid.  A  specimen  of  the  egg  of  this  species, 
which  was  collected  by  Captain  Thomas  B.  Lynch,  at  Diego  Ramirey  Islands,  near 
Cape  Horn,  February  8,  1886,  measures  4.30x2.72,  and  is  dull  white,  faintly  speckled 
with  lavender  and  purplish.  The  specks  form  an  indistinct  wreath  at  the  larger 
end,  in  tne  same  manner  that  the  eggs  of  Leach's  Petrel  are  often  marked.  In  fact, 
Mr.  Norris  says  that  this  specimen  looks  like  an  egg  of  the  latter  seen  through  a 
powerful  magnifying  glass.  Incubation  in  this  case  was  slightly  advanced.  The 
nest  consisted  of  mud  scraped  together  in  a  heap  on  the  ground.  Mr.  Emerson  has 
an  egg  of  this  albatross  which  measures  4.68x2.68;  it  was  taken  by  Captain  Lynch  at 
Diegos  Kavnen's  rocks,  S.  by  E.  fifty-two  miles  from  Cape  Horn,  January  12,  1880. 
The  egg  was  fresh.  The  nest  was  composed  of  grass  and  mud  on  the  outside,  and 
lined  with  fine  grass  and  feathers.  The  diameter  outside  at  the  top  12  inches.and  at 
the  base  18.  Inside  it  was  10  inches  broad  by  5  deep.  It  was  built  on  the  top  of 
rocks  on  a  loamy  plain.  The  data  accompanying  Mr.  Eraerson's  specimen  states  that 
the  nests  are  placed  close  together,  and  they  are  very  nicely  and  solidly  built,  lasting 
two  or  three  seasons  even  In  that  hot  climate.*  Rligway  gives  the  size  of  the  egg  as 
4.18x2.63.  Mr.  Crandall  has  an  egg  collected  by  Capt.  Lynch  which  measures  4.11x 
2.73.    This  was  on  the  same  island  as  recorded  above — 52  miles  from  Cape  Horn. 

84.  SOOTY  ALBATBOSS.  Phfrbetrin  fntiqinosa  (Gm.)  Geog.  Dist.— Oceans  of 
the  Southern  Hemisphere,  northward  to  the  coast  of  Oregon. 

A  great  ocean  wanderer,  more  common  in  the  South  than  in  the  North  Pacific 
regions.  A  rare  visitor  to  the  coasts  of  North  America.  This  dusky  species  breeds  on 
the  islands  off  the  coast  of  China  and  southward.  It  nests  commonly  on  the  Islands 
that  lie  southeast  of  Africa,  namely:  Prince  Edwards,  Crozete,  Kerguelen  Islands  and 
others.  Here  they  breed  in  October  and  November,  placing  the  nest  in  the  cavity  of 
some  high,  perpendicular  rock.  The  nest  is  a  conical  mound,  7  or  8  iuches  high, 
hollowed  at  the  top  and  rudely  lined  with  grass.    The  single  egg  which  this  species 


*  Omlthologist  and  Oologist,  Vol.  XI,  pp.  21-22. 


II    '! 


■h 


f-    i 

li 

( 

, 

1 

i  ■ 


I 


48 


NESTS  AND  BOGS  OF 


fH.    Sooty  Albatross  (After  Audubon). 

lays  is  described  as  white,  very  long  in  proportion  to  its  thickness;  sometimes  it  la 
marked  with  spots  about  the  larger  end;  size  3.95x2.63.  The  cries  of  this  Albatross 
are  said  to  be  very  loud,  and  not  unlike  the  calls  of  a  cat.  In  November,  1885,  Capt. 
Thomas  B.  Lynch  collected  eggs  of  this  species  at  Diego,  Ramirey  Islands,  flfty-two 
miles  off  Cape  Horn.  One  of  these  eggs  is  in  the  collection  of  Mr.  Crandall.  The 
nest  was  built  up  from  the  ground  about  two  feet  and  was  constructed  of  mud.  Tbe 
egg  is  dull  white  in  color,  very  long  and  narrow,  the  large  end  sprinkled  with  pur- 
plish red.    Size,  4.53x2.45. 

85.  GIANT  FULMAB.  Ossifraga  gigantm  (Gm.)  Geog.  Dist.— Southern 
oceans;  casual  off  the  coast  of  Oregon. 

The  largest  of  the  Petrels,  known  as  "Mother  Gary's  Goose,"  "Giant  Petrel"  and 
"Bone-breaker."  In  size  it  equals  many  of  the  Albatrosses,  measuring  about  three 
feet  in  length,  with  a  spread  of  wings  seven  feet.  The  Albatrosses  and  Petrels  are 
noted  birds,  of  gull-like  form,  variegated  with  black  and  white  or  uniformly  sooty 
color.  They  are  birds  of  the  ocean,  rarely  landing  except  to  breed.  Among  the 
S'^amen  and  whalers  this  large  species  is  known  as  "Molly-hawk,"  "Gong,"  "Glutton 
Bird,"  "Nelly."  It  breeds  on  the  islands  of  the  South  Seas — Bouvets,  Prince  Ed- 
wards, Crozete  and  Kcrguelen  Islands  are  some  of  its  breeding  places.  Said  to  breed 
late  in  December,  making  the  nest  on  elevated  ground  some  distance  from  the  sea. 
The  Giant  Fulmar  Petrel  also  nests  on  the  Falkland  Islands,  which  lie  east  of  the 
entrance  of  the  Strait  of  Magellan  in  Southern  South  America.  Dr.  J.  H.  Kidder 
found  this  species  In  considerable  numbers  in  the  vicinity  of  Kerguelen  Island,  feed- 
ing on  the  carcass  of  the  sea  elephant.  Its  voracity  and  filthy  habits  reminded  him 
strongly  of  the  vultures.  Like  vultures,  the  birds  so  crammed  themselves  that  they 
were  unable  to  rise  from  the  ground.*  The  egg  is  described  as  dirty  white  in  color, 
rough  to  the  touch,  and  its  shape  like  that  of  a  common  goose;  size  4.25x2.66. 

86.  FULMAB.  Fulmarus  glacialis  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist. — North  Atlantic,  south 
on  the  American  coast  to  Massachusetts. 


*  Bulletin  of  the  Nation  ^  Museum  No.  2,  p.  24. 


SOUTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


49 


t. — Southern 


86.    Fulmar  (From  Brehm). 


?,"  "Glutton 


mtlc,  south 


This  species  is  commonly  called  Fulmar  Petrel.  It  is  found  in  light  and  dark 
phases  of  dress.  Abundant  in  the  North  Atlantic  and  in  the  Arctic  Oceans  of 
America,  Europe  and  Asia.  The  Fulmars  constantly  attend  whaling  ships  out  at  sea 
and  feed  on  the  blubber  of  the  whale,  which  they  devour  with  voracity.  This  species 
is  exceedingly  numerous  in  the  North  Atlantic,  congregating  in  thousands  at  St. 
Kllda,  the  most  western  of  the  Hebrides,  on  the  west  coast  of  Scotland.  Others  of 
Its  favorite  breeding  places  are  the  Faroes,  which  are  farther  north;  Iceland,  Spitz- 
bergen  and  Greenland.  On  some  of  the  rocky  islands  off  the  coast  of  Spitzbergen 
thousands  of  Fulmars  breed  in  company  with  Brunnich's  Guillemot,  Black  Guillemot, 
and  the  Kittiwake  Gull.  The  abundance  of  the  Fulmar  at  some  of  its  breeding  places 
in  Greenland  is  something  astonishing,  nesting  as  they  do  in  myriads  on  the  inac- 
jessible  cliffs  in  mountainous  places,  depositing  the  single  white  egg  in  the  crevices 
or  on  the  ledges  of  rocks  facing  the  sea.  The  young  are  at  first  fed  by  regurgitation, 
upon  oil  which  is  of  a  clear,  amber  color.  This  the  birds,  old  and  young,  vomit  upon 
the  slighteat  provocation,  imparting  to  them,  their  nests,  and  even  their  breeding 
grounds  a  disagreeable  odor.  The  oil  is  one  of  the  important  commercial  productions 
of  St.  Kilda.  The  single  egg  is  pure  white;  in  shape  resembling  a  hen's;  shell  brittle. 
Four  eggs  from  Iceland  measure  2.96  by  2.04,  2.74  by  1.91,  2.99  by  2.02,  2.97  by  2.01. 


86a.     LESSEB  FXJLUAS. 

Dlst.— North  Atlrntlc. 

5 


Fulmants  glaclaUB  minor    .Kjeerboelling.      Geog. 


Lli"*" 


i'l! 


50 


VB8TB  AND  EQQB  OF 


86a.    Lesser  Fulmar. 

This  subspecies  occurs  as  far  north  on  the  American  side  as  the  coast  of  New 
England.    It  is  a  smaller  race  than  the  typical  F.  ylacialis. 


86b.  PACIFIC  FTJLMAB.  Fnlmarus  glacialis  yluimvha  (Stejn.)  Geog.  Dist.— 
North  Pacific,  south  on  the  American  coast  to  Mexico. 

This  race  is  also  known  in  light  and  dark  phases  of  plumage.  Dr.  Leonhard 
Stejneger  found  it  breeding  in  enormous  numbers  in  suitable  places  on  the  islands 
in  Bering  Sea  off  the  coast  of  Kamtschatka.  Their  rookeries  were  in  high  and  steep 
rocky  bluffs  and  promontories,  rising  out  of  the  sea  300  to  800  feet.  Dr.  Stejneger 
says:  "I  have  spent  hours  under  their  rookeries  listening  to  their  whining  voice  and 
watching  their  high  and  elegant  flight  in  sailing  out  and  in  and  around  the  cracked 
rocks,  like  bees  at  an  immense  bee-hive."  The  egg  is  single  and  pure  white.  Five 
eggs  collected  on  Copper  Island,  July  12th  and  13th,  exhibit  the  following  dimen- 
sions: 75  by  49,  71.5  by  48.5,  71.5  by  51,  68  by  50,  71.5  by  48.5  mm.*  These  eggs  all 
belonged  to  the  dark  phase  of  birds. 

86c.  BODGEB'S  FULMAB.  Fulmarus  glacialis  rodgersii  (Cass.)  Geog.  Dist. — 
Bering  Sea. 

Rodger's  Fulmar  is  similar  to  the  preceding,  but  there  is  no  dark  phase  known. 
Mr.  Nelson  says:  "All  of  the  Bering  Sea  i(ilands  situated  off  shore  and  north  of  the 
Aleutian  chain  are  frequented  by  these  Fulmars  during  the  breeding  season."  Mr. 
Elliott  found  them  breeding  upon  the  Fur  Seal  Islands  and  says  that  they  are  the 
only  species  of  the  petrel  kind  found  about  this  group.  They  reach  these  islands 
very  early  in  the  season  and  repair  to  the  cliffs,  especially  on  the  south  and  east 
shores  of  St.  George's  Island,  where,  selecting  some  rocky  shelf  on  the  face  of  the 
cliff,  safe  from  all  enemies  except  man,  they  deposit  a  single  egg  upon  the  bare  rock 
and  proceed  at  once  with  the  incubation.  They  are  very  d.ivoted  to  their  eggs,  and 
Mr.  Elliott  states  that  they  may  even  be  pelted  to  death  with  stones  before  they  will 
desert  their  charge.  The  eggs  are  laid  by  the  1st  to  the  5th  of  June,  and  measure 
about  2.90x1.90.  The  color  is  soiled  white;  the  shell  is  rather  rough  and  tlie  egg  is 
scarcely  more  pointed  at  one  end  than  the  other. 


^  *2M  by  1.99,  2.85  by  1.90,  2.85  by  2.00.  2.67  by  1.96,  2.8B  by  1.90. 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


51 


87.  SLENDER-BILLED  FULMAB.  Fulmarua  glacialoides  (Smith.)  Geog. 
Dist. — Seas  of  the  Southern  Hemisphere,  and  northward  along  Pacific  coast  of  North 
America. 

The  nesting  habits  and  the  eggs  of  bird  are,  so  far  as  I  can  ascertain,  unknown. 

88.  CORY'S  SHEARWATER.  Puffin  us  borcalis  Cory.  Geog.  Dist.— Off  the 
coast  of  Massachusetts. 

This  species  was  described  by  the  late  Charles  B.  Cory  in  the  Bulletin  of  the 
Nuttal  Ornithological  Club,  Vol.  VI,  April,  1881,  p.  84.  A  number  of  specimens  of  this 
bird  were  taken  near  Chatham  Island,  Cape  Cod,  Mass.,  on  the  11th  of  October.  We 
have  no  knowledge  of  its  nesting  habits  or  eggs. 


ist  of  New 


89.  GREATER  SHEARWATER.  Pufflnus  major  Paber.  Geog.  Dist.— At- 
lantic Ocean. 

A  wanderer  over  the  entire  Atlantic  Ocean,  and  sometimes  seen  in  immense 
flocks  skimming  the  billows  in  its  light  and  graceful  manner,  similar  to  the  smaller 
Petrels.  Its  flight  is  described  as  most  beautiful,  gliding  as  it  does  through  the  air 
without  visible  motion  of  its  wings.  It  abo  swims  and  dives  with  ease.  Common 
Atlantic  and  Wandering  Shearwater  are  other  names  by  which  it  is  known.  There 
appears  to  be  very  little  knowledge  in  the  regard  to  nesting  habits  of  the  Greater 
Shearwater.  It  is  known,  however,  to  breed  in  the  Islands  of  the  North  Atlantic 
and  is  often  confounded  with  other  species  of  Shearwaters.  Dr.  Brewt-  describes 
an  egg  of  this  bird,  collected  on  an  island  of  South  Greenland,  as  being  nearly  oval 
In  shape,  with  a  ground  color,  original iy  white,  but  soiled  by  the  peaty  black  earth 
from  which  it  was  excavated;  size  ?.. 88x2.00.  Another  from  the  same  locality  is  of 
smaller  size,  and  yellowish-white,  which  measures  2.75x1.85. 


90.  MANX  SHEARWATER.  Pvfflnus  pufflnus  (Brunn.)  Geog.  Dist.— North 
Atlantic,  chiefly  the  eastern  side;  rare  or  casual  off  the  North  American  coast  (?). 

In  many  places  in  the  regions  of  the  Mediterranean  and  Adriatic  Seas  and  the 
Grecian  Archipelago  this  is  a  common  species.  It  Is  said  to  wander  to  Greenland. 
Breeds  on  the  islands  of  Pantellaria,  Gozo,  Malta,  and  other  smaller  Islands  of  the 
Mediterranean,  depositing  a  single  pure  white  egg  on  the  bare  ground,  in  crevices, 
or  under  fragments  cf  rocks.  This  species  also  breeds  on  the  islands  off  the  southern 
coast  of  France,  where  It  nests  in  cavities  under  rocks,  laying  upon  the  ground. 
The  eggs  are  described  as  pure  white,  sometimes  tinted  with  Eray,  measuring  2.36x 
1.62.  The  principal  food  of  this  bird  is  fish,  mollusks  and  crustaceans,  which  it  col- 
lects from  the  surface  of  the  water. 

91.  FINK-FOOTED  SHEARWATER.  Pvfflnus  creatopus  Coues.  Geog. 
Dist. — Pacific  Ocean;  on  the  American  coast  from  Lower  California  to  Juan  Fernandea 
Islands. 

Little  is  known  concerning  this  Shearwater  and  nothing  whatever  concerning 
Its  eggs.  • 


98.  AXTDUBON'S  SHEARWATER.  Pufflnus  auduhoni  Finch.  Geog.  Dist. — 
Atlantic  Ocean,  from  New  Jersey  southward. 

Audubon's  Dusky  Shearwater  Is  found  on  the  Atlantic  coast  of  the  United  States 
from  New  Jersey  to  Florida.  It  wanders  to  the  coast  of  Africa,  where  it  is  said  to 
breed  on  the  islands  lying  on  the  west  coast.  It  breeds  in  the  Bermudas  and  the 
Bahamas,  and  nests  especially  in  abundance  on  most  of  the  uninhabited  Keys  of  the 


52 


NB8T8  AND  E(f08  OF 


latler  group;  liure  lliey  breed  in  Marcb,  depcsiting  the  single  white  egg  in  holes  in 
rocks.  A  r.est  is  made  conslsUng  of  a  fow  dry  twigs.  Both  sexes  Incubate  and  when 
caught  on  the  nest  the  birds  do  not  offer  any  resistance.  The  egg  of  this  species  is  of 
a  clear  chall<y  white  color,  oval  \n  shape  and  measures  from  1.90  to  2.32  lont;  by  1.30 
to  1.45  broad. 

93.  BLACK- VENTED  SHEABWATEB.  Pufflnua  gavia  {FoTBi.)  Geog.  Dist— 
Pacilic  Ocean,  chiefly  »outhwai(i. 

This  species  Is  supposed  ^o  occur  along  the  whole  Pacific  coast  as  far  north  at 
least  as  Oregon.  Little  seems  to  ue  known  regarding  its  general  habits;  the  eggs  are 
said  to  resemble  tliose  o£  oth.  r  members  of  this  family. 

04.  SOOTY  SHEARWATER.  Puffinus  Htricklandi  Ridgw.  Geog.  Dist.— 
North  Atlantic,  on  the  American  coast  south  to  the  Carcllnas. 

Here  'j  a  Petrel  that  escaped  the  obaervations  of  the  earlier  ornithologists,  Wil- 
son, Audubon  and  Nuttall.  Recent  explorers,  however,  have  discovered  that  it  is 
a  common  bird  off  our  Atlantic  coast,  and  that  far  north  it  breeds  in  immense 
colonies  on  the  islards  of  the  sea.  It  burrows  in  the  ground  to  the  extent  of  several 
feet  and  deposits  a  single  white  egg.    The  average  size  of  the  egg  is  2.58x1.78. 

95.  DABK-BODIED  SHEARWATER.  Pufflmia  griseus  (Gmel.)  Geog.  Dist.— 
South  Pacific,  north  to  Lower  California. 

The  Dark-bodied  Shearwater  Is  known  to  breed  on  Cornwallis  and  Chatham 
Islands,  east  of  New  Zealand,  in  the  South  Pacific  Ocean,  and  also  on  other  islands 
lying  farther  south.  The  bird  burrows  in  the  peaty  ground  a  horizontal  hole  three 
or  four  feet  deep  and  turning  slightly  to  the  right  or  left.  At  the  end  of  this  burrow 
a  rude  nest  is  formed  of  twigs  and  dry  leaves,  where  one  white  egg  is  laid;  size  2.25 
xi.45.  It  is  stated  that  the  old  birds  of  this  species  roost  along  the  shores  of  the 
islands  during  the  nlgtht  and  the  noise  they  make  is  said  to  be  "something  absolutely 
frightful." 

96.  SLENDER-BILLED  SHEABWATEB.  Pufilnus  tenuirostris  (Temm.) 
Geog.  Dist. — North  Pacific;  from  Sitka  to  Kotzebue  Sound  on  the  American  coast. 

According  to  Dr.  Stejnegtr  the  Slender-billed  Shearwater  Is  rather  scarce  on  the 
Commander  Islands,  but  he  says:  "I  feel  convinced  that  a  few  breed  there."  I  saw 
a  flock  on  the  22d  of  August,  1882,  at  the  entrance  of  Lissonkovaja  Buchta,  southern 
part  of  Bering  Island,  leaving  the  whale  carcass,  upon  which  they  were  sitting  at 
our  approach."  A  specimen  was  obtained  on  Copper  Island  in  June,  1883.  A  skin 
of  this  Shearwater  was  secured  by  Mr.  Dall  from  an  Eskimo.  The  bird  was  killed 
in  Kotzebue  Sound,  thus  extending  the  range  of  the  species  through  Bering  Strait 
10  the  Arctic  Circle.    The  eggs  are  at  the  iifC3ent  time  unknown. 

97.  BLACK-TAILED  SHEABWATEB.  Pufflnus  cinereus  (Gmel.)  Geog. 
Dist. — South  Pacific;  accidental  off  the  coast  of  California. 

This  peculiar  species,  approaching  the  fulmars  in  many  characters,  is  acci- 
(^cntal  ofi*  the  coast  of  California.  Its  home  is  on  the  Islands  of  the  South  Pacific. 
Nothing  is  known  of  its  eggs. 


*  •  CINEREOUS  SHEABWATEB.  PvffHiuH  kuhlii  (Boie.)     Geog.  Dist.— Baat- 
t,rn  Atlantic. 


SOUTH  AMEHKJAh  BUW8. 


S3 


L 


This  is  an  Eastern  Atlantic  species  of  which  no  American  fipecliueas  are  known 
to  exist  in  collections  at  the  present  lime.  A  series  of  (oi*r  sets  of  one  egg  each  are  in 
Mr.  Crandall's  collection.  The  first  wau  taken  June  2l8i,  1890,  on  Porto  Santo 
Island,  one  of  the  Maderia  group.  The  egg  measures  3.02x1.95.  The  second  was 
taken  In  one  of  the  islands  of  the  same  group  July  5th,  1391;  the  spoclmen  measures 
2.87x2.01;  another,  collected  Juno  21st,  1893,  on  Porto  Santo  island,  measures  2.90x 
1.90.  The  fourth  was  taken  July  18th,  1893,  on  DeseiLas  Island,  of  the  Maderia 
group,  and  its  size  Is  2.90x1.80.  Three  of  tho  specimens  are  quite  pointed,  but  the 
fourth  is  of  a  well-rounded  type  like  those  of  the  albatrosses.  The  Cinereous  Shear- 
water's eggs  are  of  excr.edingly  brilliant  whiteness,  and  although  lltMe  pits  appear 
regularly  over  the  shell,  the  texture  Is  very  fine.  They  are  by  far  the  handsomeet 
white  sea  birds'  eggs,  and  for  this  reason  can  easily  be  differentiated  from  those  of 
the  Fulmars.    This  species  nests  in  the  holes  and  craunies  o{  cliffs. 


08.  BLACK-GAPPED  PETBEL.  ^strelata  hasitata  (Kuhl.)  Oeog.  Dist.— 
Warmer  parts  of  the  Atlantic  Ocean;  accidental  in  Florida,  Long  Island,  England 
and  France. 

We  know  nothing  concerning  the  nesting  and  eggs  of  this  species,  which  is  of 
casual  occurrence  on  the  Atlantic  coast  of  the  United  States. 


99.  SCALED  PETBEL.  ^atrelata  acalaris  (Brewst.)  Oeog.  Dist.— Unknown; 
Qccl'ieQtal  in  Western  New  York. 

A  specimen  of  this  specieo  was  caught  in  New  York  State,  Livingston  county, 
April,  1880.    Its  geographical  range,  habits,  eggs  and  nesting  are  unknown. 


100.  FISHEB'S  PETBEL.  ^atrelata  fiaheri  (Ridgw.)  Geog.  Dist.— Coast  of 
Alaska. 

This  species  was  described  by  Mr.  Ridgway  from  a  specimen  taken  on  Kadiak 
Island  by  Mr.  Fisher.  (See  Proc.  U.  S.  National  Museum,  1882,  pp.  656-658.)  Nothing 
distinctive  is  known  of  its  habits. 

'>1.    BULWEB'S  PETBEL.    Bulweria  buliceri  (Jard  Sz  Selby.)    Geog.  Dist.— 
Eastern  Atlantic,  including  coasts  of  Europe  and  Africa. 

This  petrel  is  known  to  breed  on  the  Canary  and  Madeira  Islands  and  others  on  the 
northwestern  coast  of  Africa  It  is  said  to  be  a^  occasional  visitor  to  the  Bermudas 
and  accidental  in  Greenland.  It  nests  in  burrows  in  the  soft  earth  under  overlying 
boulder-rocks  and  in  deep  crevices  in  cliffs.  The  bird  is  stated  to  be  nocturnal  In  Its 
habits,  never  flying  about  In  the  daytime.  The  single  egg  which  this  species  lays  is 
oval  In  shape,  equal-ended,  and  pure  white  in  color;  sizes  range  from  1.59  to  1.76  long, 
by  1.17  to  1,23  broad. 


102.  PINTADO  PETBEL.  Daption  capensis  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist. — Oceans  of 
the  Southern  Hemisphere,  north  to  about  latitude  25**.  Accidental  on  the  coasts  of 
California  and  England. 

This  petrel  Inhabits  the  Southern  seas  generally.  It  is  known  as  the  Cape 
Pigeon  and  Damler.  Its  eggs  are  at  present  unknown.  The  shape  of  the  bird  very 
much  resembles  that  of  a  pigeon,  as  will  be  seen  by  the  illustration. 


54 


NBBTB  AND  EOOB  OF 


|l 


103.    Caps  PiQBON  (From  Brehm.) 


It 

I'! 


I 


ij 


103.  LEAST  PETBEL.  Balocyptcna  microaoma  Coues.  Geog.  Diet.— Coast  of 
Lower  California. 

A  set  of  one  egg  of  this  queer  little  petrel  is  in  Mr.  Crandall's  collection;  it  is 
pure  white  in  ground  color,  with  a  ring  of  minute  black  specks  around  one  end  and 
a  few  scattered  over  the  other;  it  is  short  elliptical  oval  in  form,  and  measures 
l.OOx.72.  It  was  collected  by  Mr.  A.  W.  Anthony  on  San  Benito  Island,  Lower  Cali- 
fornia, July  26th,  1896.    The  egg  was  laid  on  bare  rock  under  a  loose  slab  of  stone. 

104.  STORMY  PETREL.  ProeeUaria  pclmjivn  Linn.  Geog.  Dist.— Atlantic 
Ocean;  on  the  American  side  from  the  Newfoundland  Banks  northward.  West  coast 
of  Africa  and  coast  of  Europe. 

The  "Mother  Carey's  Chicken"  of  the  sailors.  Common  in  various  portions  of  the 
Northern  Atlantic;  rarely  found  near  land  except  when  breeding  or  during  severe 
storms.  It  is  not  known  to  breed  on  the  Araerican  coast,  but  it  does  in  various  por- 
tions of  the  Atlantic  coast  of  Europe.  In  the  Mediterranean  it  breeds  in  abundance. 
r.'csts  commonly  on  nearly  all  the  islands  en  the  coast  of  Scotland — the  Hebrides, 
Chetland,  Orkneys  and  Faroes;  laying  is  begun  in  the  latter  part  of  June.  Dr. 
Coucz  says:  "This  is  tne  rarest  of  the  three  little  black  white-rumped  'Mother 
Carey  s  chickens*  of  our  Atlantic  Coast,  easily  distinguished  by  its  short  legs  and 
square  tail;  Leach's,  the  most  numerous,  is  also  short-legged,  but  larger  and  fo  'i- 
tailed;  Wilson's  is  intermediate,  with  square  tail,  but  very  long,  stilt-like  legs,  flat 
clav.'s,  and  a  yellow  spot  on  the  webs."  The  single  egg  is  deposited  in  holes  in  high 
•cliffs  nv  in  burrows  made  by  the  birds  under  boulders  lying  on  the  ground.    The 


NORTB  AMEKIVAN  BIRDS. 


U 


U 


lOi.   Stouuv  Petrel  (From  Dfehmj. 

cavity  is  lined  vntn.  iwigs  and  leaves,    'i  lio  egg  is  wliite,  obscurely  dotted  with  red- 
dish brown  oa  the  larger  end;  ^izcs  range  from  1.09  to  1.12  long  by  .78  to  .83  broad. 


105.  FOBK-TAILED  PETBEL.  Oceanodroma  furcata  (Gmel.)  Geog.  Dlst.— 
Pacific  Ocean,  on  the  American  coast  south  to  Oregon. 

On  all  of  the  less  populated  islands  of  the  Aleutian  group  as  far  east  as  Unalaska 
this  species  is  found  breeding  in  the  month  of  June.  The  nests  are  made  in  burrows 
or  holes  about  a  foot  deep  in  steep  banks;  the  termination  of  the  cavity  being  thinly 
lined  with  fine  roots-  and  dry  grass.  This  species,  like  Leach's  Petrel,  when  caught 
has  the  habit  of  ejecting  a  reddish  oily  fluid  which  has  a  strong,  disagreeable  smell; 
the  nest,  eggs,  and  even  the  old  dry  skins  of  the  birds  arc  forever  infected  with  it. 


. 


56 


NE8T8  AND  EGOS  OF 


A  small  colony  of  these  graceful  petrels  were  found  breeding  on  Copper  Island,  in 
Bering  Sea,  by  Dr.  Stejneger.  The  eggs  were  taken  July  12th,  a  single  one  In  each 
nest,  were  deposited  in  deep  holes  in  the  steep  basaltic  rocks,  three  feet  or  more 
deep,  and  it  was  only  with  great  difficulty  that  a  few  could  be  secured.  Some  males 
and  some  females  were  taken  in  the  nests.  The  eggs  were  in  different  stages  of  in- 
cubation, white  without  gloss,  with  minute  dark  specks  evenly  dusted  over  the  blunt 
end;  in  one  the  specks  were  a  little  larger,  purplish-black,  forming  a  circle  around 
the  blunt  end.    Three  eggs  measure  34x26,  32.5x25,  34x26.5  mm.* 

106.  LEACH'S  PETBEL.  Oceanodroma  leucorhoa  (Vieill.)  Oeog.  Dlst.— North 
Atlantic  and  North  Pacific  Oceans. 

Leach's  Fork-tailed  Petrel  at  various  seasons  of  the  year  wanders  over  a  large 
portion  of  the  watery  expanse  of  the  globe.    It  breeds  in  the  months  of  March,  April, 

May,  June,  July  and  August,  according  to  locality,  in  the  northern  latitudes  of  Eu- 
rope, Eastern  anu  Western  No^'th  America.  On  the  Atlantic  coast  of  North  America 
from  Maine  northward  it  nests  ;';enerally  in  June  and  July.  Thousands  breed  on 
eome  of  the  islands  on  the  northern  New  England  coast,  especially  those  in  the 
vicinity  of  Grand  Manan  and  the  small  islands  of  Casco  Bay.  Th;e  offensive  reddish, 
oily  fluid  with  this  species  almost  invariably  ejects  when  handled  or  irritated  prob- 
ably serves  as  food  for  the  young.  The  male  and  female  assist  in  the  duties  of  in- 
cubation and  often  both  sexes  may  be  found  sitting  side  by  side  in  their  burrow. 
Eggs  collected  on  the  Atlantic  coast  are  chalky-white,  finely  dotted  on  the  larger 
end,  often  in  a  circle,  with  purplish-red  and  lilac.  Twenty  specimens  average  in 
size  1.34x1.00.  On  approaching  the  breeding  ground  of  the  petrels,  not  one  of  them 
is  to  be  seen.  Many  of  the  birds  are  far  out  at  sea,  and  as  night  comes  on  those  in 
their  burrows  come  forth  and  those  out  at  sea  return,  and  the  air  seems  alive  with 
them  fitting  about  like  bats  and  uttering*  their  peculiar  clattering  notes. 


V  ' 


106.  1.  GUADALUPE  PETBEL.  Oceanodroma  macrodactyJa  (Bryant.)  Geog. 
Dlst. — Guadalupe  Island,  Lower  California. 

Mr,  Bryant  describes  this  species  as  being  similar  to  0.  leucorhoa,  but  larger  and 
darker.  White  of  upper  tail  coverts  more  restricted,  and  the  ends  of  coverts  broadly 
tipped  with  black.  Pileum  darker  than  back,  lighter  anteriorly.  Bill  broader  and 
deeper  at  base  than  that  of  levrorhoa.  He  records  this  petrel  as  nesting  in  March 
on  Guadalupe  Island,  which  is  situated  two  hundred  and  twenty  miles  southward 
and  westward  of  San  Diego  California.  Here  he  found  the  birds  breeding  in  bur- 
rows under  boulders. and  fallen  branches;  these  places  were  from  one  to  three  feet 
in  length,  at  the  extremity  of  which  were  enlarged  ohambers  where  the  single  egg 
w~>  laid  upon  a  few  pine  needles.  The  egg,  Mr.  Bryant  describes  as  shaped  much 
like  that  of  a  pigeon's,  white  in  color,  one  end  being  wreathed  with  a  fine  spattering 
of  minute  dots  of  reddish-brown  and  pale  lavender.f  The  av  ^rage  size  of  fifty  eggs 
taken  March  4th  and  5th,  is  35.7  by  27  mm.  or  1.40x1.06  Inches. 


u 


107.  BLACK  PETBEL.  Oceanodroma  mslania  (Bonap.)  Geog.  Dist.— South 
Pacific,  northward  to  Lower  California. 

Specimens  of  this  species  have  been  taken  at  Cape  St.  Lucas  and  other  Islands  of 
Lower  California,  and  its  eggs  as  noted  below.    Mr.  Chauncey  W.  Crandall  has  in  his 


*  1.34x1.02,  1.28X.98,  1.34x1.04  Inches. 

t  Additions  to  the  Ornithology  of  Guadalupe  la'and.    By  Walter  'B.  Bryant 
I,  California  Academy  of  Science. 


Bulletin 


Geog. 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


S7 


collection  a  set  of  one  egg  of  this  rare  and  little  known  species.  The  egg  is  pure 
white  in  color  with  no  marks  of  any  kind,  elliptical  oval  in  shape  and  measures 
1.44x1.08.  It  was  taken  by  Mr.  Anthony  on  San  Benito  Island,  Lower  California, 
July  25th,  1896.  The  egg  was  deposited  on  bare  ground  at  the  end  of  a  burrow  about 
three  feet  long. 


108.    ASHYPETBEL. 
Oalifornia. 


Ofeanndroma  homochroa  (Coues.)    Oeog.  Dist. — Coast  of 


1 1 


108.      NXST  AMD  Eca  OP  THE  ASHV  PBTRBL  ON  TBB  FaRALLONB  ISLANDS.     (FrODl  Th*  NidthgUt^ 

Mr.  A.M.  Ingcrsoll  first  found  the  egg  of  this  species  on  South  Farallon  in  June, 
1885.  He  described  the  egg  as  dull  creamy-white,  with  a  circle  of  reddish  spots 
around  the  large  end,  so  flne  as  to  be  almost  indistinct.  The  large  end  is  soir-jMr^at 
flattened,  like  the  large  cud  of  an  acorn.  It  measures  1.18x.94.*  This,  Mr.  Emerson 
informs  me,  is  the  rarest  of  the  birds  that  breed  on  the  Farallons;  nesting  anywhere 
in  cavities  under  boulders,  laying  a  single  egg.  Two  eggs  collected  June  15,  1885, 
and  June  8th,  1886,  measure  respectively  30x23,  31x23.5  mm.f  The  following  on  the 
Ashy  Petrel  is  by  Mr.  C.  Barlow  in  Thu  Museum  for  December,  1894: J  "They  nest 
throughout  the  island  preferably  beneath  stone  piles  on  the  ground.  They  fly  about 
only  at  night.   One  egg  is  laid  which  is  of  a  creamy  white  color  both  before  and  after 


*  Ornithologist  and  Oologlst,  Vol.  XI,  p.  21. 
1 1.18X.91,  1.22X.93  inched. 

t  Mr.  Barlow  has  also  contributed  a  lengthy  article  on  the  nesting  of  the  Ashy  Petrvi 
in  The  Nidologist  for  August.  1894. 


ti 


WMBTB  AND  MOQB  OF 


being  blown.  It  !■  uiually  but  very  faintly  spotted  about  tbe  large  end  and  often 
wholly  unmarked.  I  have  but  one  egg  which  is  well  marked  and  it  has  a  wreath 
about  the  large  end  composed  of  irregular ^ots  of  light  reddish-bro^n.  The  eggs  of 
this  Petrel  average  considerably  emaller  than  those  of  Leache's.  The  measurements 
of  seven  eggs  are  as  follows,  the  extreme  sizes  being  given  first:  1.26z.89.  1.22x.89. 
1.20X.89,  1.20X.87.  1.19x.86,  1.13x.89  and  l.llx.87  inches." 

108. 1.  SOCOB.BO  PETBEL.  Oeeanodrotna  socorroensis  Townsend.  Oeog. 
Dist. — Coasts  and  Islands  cf  Lower  California. 

This  is  a  new  species  of  petrel  just  added  to  the  avifauna  of  North  A  ■  jerica.  A 
specimen  of  the  egg  of  this  bird  is  in  the  extensive  collection  of  Mr.  Crandall.  It 
was  collected  by  Mr.  Anthony,  the  well-known  ornithologist.  Mr.  Crandall  says: 
"My  set  of  this  species  is  pure  white  with  a  ring  of  pale  lavender  or  pinkish  specks 
around  the  large  end,  elliptical  ovate  in  shape,  and  measures  1.22x.85.  It  was 
collected  by  Mr.  A.  W.  Anthony  on  Coronado  Island,  Lower  California,  July  10th, 
1896,  and  was  laid  on  the  bare  ground  at  the  end  of  a  burrow  abo  it  three  feet  long." 

109.  WILSON'S  PETBEL.  Oceanites  oceanijua  (Kuhl.)  Geog.  Dist.— Atlantic 
and  Southern  Oceans. 

Wilson's  Stormy  Petrel  is  one  of  the  best  known  and  commonest  of  the  smaller 
petrels.    It  is  to  be  met  with  nearly  everywhere  over  the  entire  watery  surface  of 

the  world— far  north  in  the 
ley  regions  of  the  Arctic  seas 
and  south  to  the  sunny  isles 
of  Southern  oceans.  Its  gen- 
eral habits  are  the  same  as 
those  of  Leach's  Petrel.  Dr. 
J.  H.  Kidder  found  it  on  Ker- 
guelen  Island,  southeast  of 
Africa.  He  had  previously 
seen  them  at  the  sea  coast  oft 
the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and, 
on  December  14,  saw  them  out 
by  day  feeding  on  the  oily 
matter  floating  away  from  the 
carcass  of  a  sea-elephant.  The 
birds,  he  says,  frequent  the 
rocky  parts  of  hillsides,  and, 
flitting  about  like  swallows, 
they  catch  very  minute  insects.  Dr.  Kidder  remarks  that  he  never  succeeded  in 
finding  the  egg,  but  learned  from  Rev.  Mr.  Eaton,  who  found  one  on  Thumb  Moun- 
tain December  8,  that  this  species  nested  under  large  rocks  not  far  from  the  beach. 
The  egg  found  was  white.  The  species  was  supposed  to  nest  among  and  under  the 
rocks,  habitually,  at  considerable  elevation  above  the  sea. 


109. 


Wilson's  Stormv  Petrel. 


dd 
an 
Sc 
ai 
bi 

81 


Di^ 


110.  WHITE-BELLIED  PETBEL.  Cymodnma  fjrallaria  (Vlell.)  Geog, 
pigt,— Tropical  oceans;  accidental  on  the  coast  of  Florida. 

A  single  insiance  of  this  petrel  having  been  taken  on  the  coast  of  Florida  en- 
titles It  to  a  place  in  the  North  American  avifauna.  We  know  nothing  regarding 
(ts  nidification. 


Geog. 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


59 


111.  WHITE-VACED  PETBEL.  PeltCffodroma  marina  (Lath.)  Geog.  Dist. — 
South  Atlantic  and  Southern  Seas;  casual  off  the  coast  of  Massachusetts. 

This  petrel  with  a  remarkably  long,  slender  bill  and  very  long  legs,  has  been 
once  taken  off  the  coast  of  Massachusetts.  As  far  as  I  can  learn  this  species  has  the 
same  habits  which  are  common  to  other  petrels.  Its  nesting  habits  are  the  same — 
depositing  as  it  does  a  single  egg  in  burrows  in  the  ground.  Mr.  Crandall  has  an 
authentic  egg  of  this  species  which  was  taken  at  Otago,  on  the  southeast  side  of 
South  Island,  New  Zeala:id.  The  egg,  in  shape,  is  the  same  as  that  of  Leach's  Petrel 
and  measures  1.37x1.02.  It  is  well  and  rather  heavily  marked  for«a  petrel's  egg,  with 
brownish  and  purplish  red  in  a  ring  about  the  larger  end,  and  a  few  npecks  and 
spots  over  the  rest  of  the  egg,  except  at  the  small  end. 


.Ill 
:1 


i  I 


Geog. 

a  ea- 
,rding 


112.  YELLOW-BILLED  TROPIC  BIBD.  Phaethon  flavlrostria  Brandt.  Geo;;. 
Dist. — Tropical  and  sub-tropical  coast  of  America  north  to  Florida. 

In  appearance  this  bird  resembles  a  large  tern;  the  principal  external  peculiarity 
is  its  long  middle  tail-feathers;  the  general  color  of  the  plumage  is  white,  llnged 
with  salmon.  Its  habits  are  similar  to  those  of  the  terns.  It  is  inter-tropical  in  Its 
distribution,  of  a  wandering  disposition,  breeding  on  the  islands  of  mid-ocean 
thousands  of  miles  apart.  The  bird  is  noted  for  its  elegant,  airy  and  long-pr.  tizcted 
flight.  On  St.  Bourdon,  Mauritius  and  other  islands  east  and  south  of  .' Inda;^3car, 
this  species  breeds  in  the  crevices  of  the  rocks  of  inaccessible  cliffs,  and  i".  liollow 
trees.  In  the  Bermuda  Islands  it  nests  about  the  first  of  May  in  holes  iu  liich  "ocV-i' 
places  along  the  shores.  Here  its  favorite  resorts  are  the  small  islf.nd2  of  C'.reat 
Sound,  Castle  Harbor  and  Harrington  Sound.  According  to  Mr.  Buck  jnham*  Trunk 
Island,  Harrington  Sound,  seems  to  be  a  favorite  resort  of  this  species.  IIo  r.ys: 
"On  the  shore  of  this  island  are  a  great  many  crevices  aiAong  t'le  rocks,  whicli 
form  the  uesting  places  of  this  bird.  I  found  two  nests  not  more  tiian  a  foot  apart, 
and  each  nest  had  its  bird  sitting  on  an  egg.  The  eggs  are  laid  on  the  bare  ground 
unless  anything  is  handy  with  which  to  line  the  nest.  The  bird  never  lays  more 
than  one  egg  at  a  setting  and  has  several  settings  each  ccason.  The  eggs  are  chalky 
white,  thickly  spotted  with  chocolate-bro'vn  becoming  more  dense  at  the  larger  end 
and  often  presenting  a  smeared  appearance.  In  some  specimens  the  color  varies 
from  a  reddish  l*  .own  to  purplish  chocolate,  but  the  predominating  color  is  chocolate- 
brown.  The  average  measurement  is  about  2.23x1.53  in.  The  measurements  of 
three  specimens  are  as  follows:  2.24x1.50,  2.19x1.54,  2.26x1.53  in.  respectively.  The 
first  was  found  at  the  entrance  of  Shark's  Hole,  along  the  shores  of  Harrington 
Sound,  in  a  hole  in  the  rocks  about  five  feet  from  the  water.  The  second,  on  Trunk 
Island,  Harrington  Sound,  in  a  crevice  in  the  roclis.  There  wos  nothinc  in  the  nest 
for  lining  except  a  few  feathers  of  the  old  birds.  The  third  wac  also  found  on 
Trunk  Island  under  a  pile  of  large  rocks  which  had  fallen  down  and  formed  a 
place  for  a  nest.  This  was  lined  with  some  weeds  and  a  few  feathers."  The 
Phaeton,  as  this  bird  is  called,  breeds  in  the  Bahamas  in  holes  in  the  perpendicular 
faces  of  cliffs  and  also  on  the  flat  surfaces  of  rocks.  A  single  egc  i3  laid,  which  has 
a  ground-color  of  purplish  brownish  white,  covered  in  some  specimens  almost  over 
the  entire  surface  with  flne  reddish  chocolate-colored  spots;  in  come  specimens  this 
coloring  approaches  blackness.    The  average  size  of  the  eggs  is  2.21x1.54. 


113.     KED-BILLED  TBOPIC  BIBD.     Phaethon  athirciiH  Linn.     Geog. 
Coast  cf  tropical  America,north  on  the  Pacific  coast  to  Lower  California. 


Dist. 


< 


'I     M 


'  -t 


>ri 


•  In  The  Museum,  November,  1894,  pp.  16-16. 


•so 


NESTS  AND  EOOS  OF 


'^0^^. 


i 


113.    Rbd-billbd  Tropic  Bird  (Prom  Brebni)-  , 

The  Red-billed  Tropic  Bird  occurs  along  the  Pacific  coast  of  South  America,  In 
the  West  Indies,  and  as  far  north  as  Cape  St.  Lucas.  In  one  instance  it  is  said  to 
have  straggled  tj  Newfoundland.  Breeds  on  the  various  islands  off  the  coast  of 
Mexico.  Its  breeding  habits  are  said  to  be  like  those  of  the  Yellow-billed  species. 
The  eggs  are  creamy-white  with  a  purplish  tinge,  marked  with  fine  dots  of  chestnut- 
brown.    The  sizes  vary  from  2.20  to  2.37  in  length  by  1.55  to  1.70  in  breadth. 


114.  BLUE-FACED  BOOBY.  Suhi  cyunops  Sund.  Geog.  Dist.— South  Pacific, 
West  Indies  and  Southern  Florida. 

The  Gannets  are  birds  that  resemble  very  closely  the  cormorants,  and,  again, 
they  may  be  said  to  look  like  geese — a  name  often  applied  to  them.  They  are  large, 
heavy  sea-birds,  noted  for  their  vigorous  protracted  flight.  They  procure  their 
food  by  plunging  into  the  water  from  a  height,  completely  submerging  themselves, 
often  for  several  minutes.  The  Blue-faced  Gannet  inhabits  the  Souf^ern  Pacific 
Ocean  as  far  southwest  as  Australia.  In  some  of  the  islands  of  the  Paumotu 
Group  this  species  deposits  its  eggs  on  the  dry  sandy  beaches  of  lagoons.  Both 
sexes  incubate.  When  a  colony  of  these  birds  is  disturbed  none  of  them  leave  their 
nests,  but  remain  gravely  nt  their  stations,  and  hiss  at  the  intruder  like  a  domestic 
goose.    On  the  Bahamas  this  species  nests  in  the  latter  part  of  March,  laying  filwaji 


NORTH  AMEUWAH  BIRDS. 


61 


two  eggs.    These  are  white,  covered  with  a  calcareoup  deposit:  sizes  range  from 
2.46  to  2.60  long  by  1.67  to  1.75  broad. 

114.  1.  BLUE-FOOTED  BOOBY.  Fiula  yossl  Ridgw.  Geog.  Dlst.—  Islands  in 
the  Gulf  of  California,  south  to  the  Galapagos. 

Between  the  15th  and  28th  of  March,  1888,  the  late  Col.  N.  S.  Goss  found  this  new 
species  breeding  on  the  San  Pedro  Martir  Isle,  situated  in  the  Gulf  cf  California 
about  midway  between  the  shores.  It  is  a  rock  about  one  and  a  half  miles  long, 
nearly  as  broad,  and  about  1045  feet  in  height,  a  little  north  of  latitude  28°.  Colonel 
Goss  states  that  the  birds  make  no  nests  and  lay  but  one  egg;  this  they  drop  upon 
the  smooth  rock,  often  in  exposed  situations,  preferring  the  places  where  the 
guano  has  been  removed  and,  in  many  casts,  close  beside  the  winding  paths  that 
were  hourly  trodden.  No  young  birds  were  found,  and  from  the  condition  of  the 
many  eggs  examined,  he  was  of  the  opinion  thi.t  the  birds  do  not  commence  laying 
before  the  first  of  March.  The  average  measurement  of  twenty-one  eggs  is  given 
as  2.42x1.60.  The  ground  color  is  greenish-blue,  coated  with  a  dull  white  chalky 
substance,  but  generally  more  or  less  stained  with  guano  that  generally  gives  them 
a  dirty  buff  wuite  look;  in  form  elliptical  ovate.*  A  specimen  of  the  egg  of  this 
species  in  the  collection  of  the  late  Capt.  B.  F.  Goss  measures  2.34x1.60. 

115.  BOOBY.  Sula  sula  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist.— Tropical  and  sub-tropical  coasts 
and  islands  of  America,  north  to  Georgia. 

The  Booby  Gannet  is  said  to  breed  on  some  of  the  islands  about  the  extreme 
southern  coast  of  Florida.  In  the  Bermuda  Islands,  anu  in  some  Oi  the  Bahamas,  and 
many  of  those  along  the  coast  of  Central  and  South  America,  this  Gannet  congre- 
gates by  thousands  at  its  breeding  places,  where  it  deposits  its  eggs  on  the  sand 
of  the  beaches,  or  on  the  bare  rock;  no  nest  whatever  is  made.  The  food  of  this 
species  consists  chiefly  of  flying-flsb  and  small  mullets,  which  they  disgorge  in  a  half 
macerated  state  into  the  open  mouths  of  their  young.  Audubon  found  mullets  weigh- 
ing more  than  a  half  a  pound  in  the  bodies  of  the  gannets  he  exami  ed.  In  various 
islands  of  the  southern  oceans  the  Boohy  constructs  its  nest  of  sticks  and  weeds  on 
bushes  and  low  trees.  Here  it  is  said  to  lay  but  one  egg.  Observations  of  those  who 
have  collected  in  the  West  Indies  disclose  the  fact  that  the  complete  nest  complement 
is  two  eggs.  These  are  of  a  uniform  dull,  chalky  white  in  color,  with  great  variations 
in  sizes,  measuring  from  2.16  to  2.64  long  by  1.50  to  1.57  broad. 

115.  1.  BREWSTER'S  BOOBY.  Sula  hrncsteri  Goss.  Geog.  Dist— Islands  of 
the  Eastern  South  Pacific  Ocean,  northward  to  Lower  California. 

This  is  another  new  species  of  Booby  which  was  found  breeding  by  Colonel  Goss 
on  San  Pedro  Martir  Isle  in  the  Gulf  of  California.  The  birds  were  not  wild,  but 
their  nesting  places,  as  a  whole,  were  not  in  as  exposed  situations  as  those  of  the 
Blue-footed ,  they  seemed  to  prefer  the  shelves  and  niches  on  the  sides  of  the  rocks. 
They  lay  two  eggs,  and  in  all  cases  collect  a  few  sticks,  sea-weed,  and  often  old  wing 
and  tail  feathers;  these  are  generally  placed  in  a  circle  to  fit  the  body,  with  a  view,  it 
was  thought,  to  keep  the  eggs  that  lie  upon  the  rock  from  rolling  out.  There  is  but 
little  material  on  or  aoout  the  isle  out  of  which  a  nest  can  be  made.  Colonel  Goss 
says  the  birds  must  commence  laying  as  early  as  the  10th  of  February,  as  young  were 
found  in  many  cases  from  half  to  two-thirds  grown.  The  average  measurement 
of  seventeen  eggs  is  given  as  2.44x1.60.   In  color  and  form,  as  well  as  size,  they  are 


ill 


! 


I 


•  The  Auk.  V.  p.  242. 


62 


NSarS  AVD  BOOB  OF 


I 


Wl 


M; 


similar  tc  the  eggs  of  the  Blue- footed,  in  fact  so  nearly  alike  that  when  placed  to* 
gether  they  cannot  be  separated  with  certainty.  A  set  of  two  is  in  Captain  G088' 
cabinet.    These  measure  2.40x1.70,  2.30x1.62  ;t:specMvely. 

116.  BED-FOOTED  COOBY.  Suhi  piHcutor  (Linn.)  Oeog.  Dist.— Coast  and 
Islands  of  tropical  and  sub-tropical  sea^.,  north  to  Western  Mexico  and  Florida. 

The  Red-footed  Booby  is  characi:cri.7.ed  by  the  same  general  habits  as  others  of 
its  family.  Its  nesting  is  essentially  the  same  as  that  of  the  Blue-faced  Gannet. 
Two  eggs  are  laid,  white  in  colui,  c'ongat'B-ovate  in  shape,  with  a  calcareous  deposit 
on  the  kiurface;  size,  2.57x1.80. 

117.  OANNET.  Siiln  hassana  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist.— North  Atlantic;  south  in 
winter  to  the  Gulf  ot  Mexico  and  Africa.  Breeds  from  Nova  Scotia  and  British 
islands  northward. 


^^^%^@4^i 


117.    GANMBTa  (hrom  Brahm). 


em 

mos< 

land 

bree 

roch 

plac 

Thif 

Sma 

ing 

ren< 

of  S( 

in  d 
A  8 
witl 
cart 
3.60 


tro] 

bod 
hen 
Sou 
tral 
eas 
fao 


NORTn  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


63 


ed  to» 

0088' 


It  and 
I. 

era  of 
annet. 
eposit 


[1th  in 
)riUsh 


117.    Gannets  and  Nests. 

The  White  Gannet,  or  Solan  Goose,  is  widely  distributed  throughout  the  North- 
ern Atlantic  Ocean,  and  is  more  or  less  a  resident  wherever  found.  Some  of  the 
most  noted  breeding  places  of  this  bird  are  on  the  islands  about  the  coasts  of  Scot- 
land, notably  the  great  Bass  Rock  at  the  mouth  of  the  Firth  of  Forth.  Here  it 
breeds  in  tens  of  thousands,  with  the  Gulls,  Cormorants  and  Puf&na  that  inhabit  the 
rock.  Another  of  its  breeding  stations  is  St.  Kilda.  The  precipitous  cliffs  at  this 
place  rise  to  the  height  of  1400  feet.  Here  the  Gannet  breeds  in  countless  numbers. 
This  bird  also  nests  on  the  Faroe  Islands  and  upon  islands  on  the  coast  of  Iceland. 
Small  colonies  are  to  be  found  breeding  in  Labrador.  One  of  its  well-known  breed- 
ing places  on  the  coast  of  North  America  is  "Bird  Rocks,"  in  the  Gulf  of  St.  Law- 
rence. The  nests  are  built  on  the  summits  and  ledges  of  the  rocks.  They  are  made 
of  sea-weed,  mud  and  small  stones,  raised  to  about  ten  inches  in  height  and  eighteen 
in  diameter.  In  some  cases  the  nest  is  made  of  straw  and  other  available  material. 
A  single  egg  is  laid.  It  resembles  very  much  the  average  Brown  Pelican  egg, 
with,  however,  these  differences:  Its  general  shape  is  more  elongated,  and  the  cal- 
careous deposit  on  it  Is  thicker;  the  color  is  chalky-white;  sizes  range  from  3.25  to 
3.50  long  by  1.65  to  2.05  broad. 


118.  ANHINGA.  Anhiiuin  aiihinya  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist. — Tropical  and  sub- 
tropical America,  north  to  the  Carolinas  and  Southern  Illinois. 

Known  as  the  Water  Turkey,  Darter  and  Snake  Bird.  It  often  swims  with  the 
body  submerged,  its  head  and  long  neck  in  sight  like  some  kind  of  water  serpent — 
hence  the  latter  name.  This  singular-looking  bird  is  very  common  in  summer  in  the 
South  Atlantic  and  Gulf  States  to  North  Carolina,  frequenting  the  almost  impene- 
trable swamps.  It  is  a  constant  resident  of  Florida.  The  bird  dives  with  amazing 
ease,  and  when  alarmed  will  drop  from  Its  perch  with  scarcely  a  ripple  on  the  sur- 
face of  the  water,  and  will  swim  beneath  the  surface  to  a  safe  distance  before  reap- 


:; 


'U   H 


:    I 


64 


NESTS  AND  E008  OF 


*  118.     Anhihca. 

pearing.  It  has  also  the  curious  habit  of  quietly  sinking  like  a  gr  .he.  The  nests 
uf  the  Anhinga  are  variously  placed — sometimes  in  low  bushes  at  an  elevation  of 
only  a  few  feet,  or  in  the  upper  branches  of  a  high  tree,  but  always  over  water. 
Sometimes  this  bird  breeds  in  large  colonies  with  various  species  of  Herons.  The 
eggs  are  from  three  to  five  in  number,  bluish  or  dark  greenish-white,  with  a  white 
chalky  incrustation;  they  are  narrow  and  elongated  in  shape;  the  sizes  range  from 
2.00  to  ,2.30  long  by  1.30  to  1.40  broad.  In  Florida  the  Water  Turkey  deposits  its  eggs 
m  April;  many  eggs  are  collectel  in  March,  and  a  writer  in  The  OolOffist  (May,  1893, 
p.  149),  states  he  has  seen  nests  occupied  in  February.  Mr.  R.  W.  Williams,  jr.,  in- 
forms me  than  the  Anhinga  will  occupy  the  same  nest  year  after  year  with  little 
repairs.  In  a  small  swamp  near  Tallahassee  the  nests  arc  frequently  found  in  close 
proximity  to  those  of  Ward's  Herons.  He  states  the  Anlilnjja  may  be  robbed  of  its 
eggs  constantly  and  yet  they  will  continue  to  nest  in  the  same  swamp. 

119.  COHrffORANT.  Plialavrocorax  carbo  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist. — Atlantic  coasts 
of  Europe  and  America,  south  in  winter  on  the  coast  of  the  United  States,  casually 
to  the  Carolinas. 

The  Common  Cormorant  Is  very  generally  distributed  throughout  nearly  the 
entire  northern  hemisphere.  It  breeds  in  the  northern  parts  of  Europe  and  Asia, 
and  in  North  America  from  the  Bay  of  Fund^  to  Greenland.  The  Cormorants  are 
curious  birds  of  strange  figure;  the  outer  surface  of  the  plumage  in  most  species 
normally  is  of  a  dark  lustrous  greenish-black,  but  subject  to  great  changes,  making 
their  study  very  difiicult.  The  eyes  as  a  rule  are  green,  a  color  rarely  seen  in  birds. 
They  feed  principally  upon  fish  and  their  voracity  is  proverbial.  This  species  breeds 
in  va*5t  numbers  on  the  rocky  shores  of  Labrador  and  Newfoundland;  making  the 
nest  upon  the  tops  of  ledges  or  on  projections  and  in  the  crevices  of  precipitous  rocks, 
which  are  covered  with  the  excrement  of  the  birds.  It  is  composed  of  sticks,  kelp 
and  sea  weed.  Like  all  the  Cormorants  this  species  is  gregarious  and  breeds  in 
communities.    They  are  all  known  under  the  common  name  of  Shag.    Mr.  Frazer 


4' 


yoRTH  AMERICAN  BIRDH. 


U0.    Cormorant.    Phalacrocarax  carbo.    (From  Brehm.) 

met  with  a  colony  of  this  Cormorant  in  company  with  the  Double-crested  species 
on  the  coast  of  Labrador.  Many  of  the  nests  contained  large  young  June  19.  Nests 
of  the  Double-crested  Cormorant  were  placed  wherever  the  ledges  would  hold  them, 
while  those  of  the  common  species  were  built  close  to  the  top.  The  nests  of  the 
Common  Cormorant  usually  contained  four  or  five  eggs,  and  several  sets  were 
taken  of  six.  The  eggs  average  larger  than  those  of  the  Double-crested;  the  sizes 
vary  from  2.38  to  2.65  long  by  1.29  to  1.60  broad.  Color,  pale  greenish;  form,  ellip- 
tical. 

120.  DOUBLE-CBESTED  COBMOBANT.  Phalacrocorax  dilophua  (Sw.  ft 
Rich.)  Geog.  Dist.— Atlantic  coast  of  North  America;  southward  in  the  interior  to 
the  Great  Lakes  and  Wisconsin. 

6 


66 


NEBTB  AND  EOOB  OF 


In  Eastern  North  America  the  ouble-creHted  Coruiorant  or  "Crow  Duck"  Is  a 
common  speclPH,  breeding  on  the  coast  from  the  Bay  of  Kundy  northward  and  In 
many  of  the  inland  lakes,  reservoirs  and  marshes.  It  is  said  to  liuvo  nested  years  ago 
in  Ohio,  at  the  Licking  County  Reservoir,  and  otiier  similar  places  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  State.  Mr.  Walter  Ralne  tound  nests  of  the  Double-crested  Cormorant, 
built  on  the  ground,  on  a  small  island  of  Shoal  Lake,  Manitoba,  in  the  second  week 
of  .June.  The  ground  was  do. ted  all  over  with  me  eggs  of  White  Pelican,  Herring 
Gull  and  of  this  Cormorant.  He  states  that  the  Cormorants'  nests  were  irade  of 
twigs  and  weeds.*  On  some  of  the  rocky  islands  of  the  lakes  and  large,  isolated 
bodies  of  water  In  Iowa  and  Wisconsin,  this  Cormorant  breeds  In  great  numbers. 
Mr.  Frazcr  met  w.th  colonies  of  it  breeding  on  the  islands  and  cliffs  along  the 
coast  of  Labralor.  The  nests  were  placed  on  ledges  of  the  rocks;  they  were  com- 
posed of  sea  weed  and  kelp,  freshly  pulled  from  the  bottom  of  the  ocean.  None  of 
the  nests  contained  more  than  four  eggs.  On  the  islands  of  inland  waters  tuia 
Cormorant  often  constructs  its  nest  on  low  spreading  trees.  The  eggs  in  number 
range  from  two  to  four;  bluish-green  in  color,  with  the  usual  chalky  substance  over 
their  surface;  sizes  vary  from  2.09  to  2.27  long  by  1.35  to  1.50  broad.  The  eggs  are 
of  a  more  regular  oval  than  those  of  P.  carbo. 


Rldi 

coas 

the 

they 

who 

quit 

they 

Mr. 


I 


120«.  FLORIDA  COBMOBANT.  Phalarrorora.r  dUophns  fforldanus  (Aud.) 
Geog.  Dist.— Coasts  of  the  South  Atlantic  and  Gulf  States,  northward  In  the  interior 
to  Southern  Illinois. 

A  smaller  and  more  southern  variety  of  the  Double-(*rested  species;  resident  In 
Florida  and  along  the  Gulf  coast,  where  it  nests  in  communities  on  the  mangrove 
islands.  The  nests  are  always  placed  in  mangrove  bushes  and  are  composed  of  the 
twiQ;s  and  very  often  lined  with  the  leaves  of  this  plant.  Mr.  Stuart  has  often  ob- 
served nests  made  entirely  of  the  branches  of  the  mangrove,  with  the  green  leaves 
still  on  them.  In  the  vicinity  of  Tampa  and  Charlotte  Harbor  the  birds  nest  in  May 
a.:d  June,  and  below  Cape  Sable  in  the  months  of  October  and  November.  The 
eggs  are  three  or  four  In  number.  Six  selected  specimens  measure  2.30x1.43,  2.28x 
1.38.  2.36x1.45.  2.25x1.40,  2.51x1.50,  2.42x1.40. 


I 


120?).     WHITE-CRESTED  CORMORANT.     Plialarnrcnrn.r  dilopJiiis  rhtrinatus 
(Brandt.)    Geog.  Dist. — West  coast  of  North  America,  south  to  California. 

The  late  Maj.  Charles  E.  Bendire  met  with  this  variety  of  the  Double-crested 
Cormorant  breeding  in  large  numbers  on  several  low,  narrow  islands  of  Lake 
Malheur,  in  the  southwestern  portion  of  Oregon.  The  birds  began  to  lay  al.out  the 
20th  of  April  The  islands  were  also  occupied  by  White  Pelicans  and  Great  Blue 
Herons  as  breeding  places.  About  two-'thirds  of  the  Cormorants'  nests  were  made  on 
the  ground,  and  they  were  composed  of  pieces  of  drift,  small  sticks,  etc.  The  balance 
were  placed  on  low  greasevood  bushes.  They  were  lined  with  pieces  of  bark  and 
tiilc  and  coarse  grasses,  and  placed  very  close  to  the  water's  edge,  so  that  when  the 
lake  was  rough  the  water  must  have  splashed  into  many  of  them.  The  eggs,  four  or 
fi\e  III  number,  are  described  as  being  of  an  elongated  oval,  pale  green,  covered  more 
or  less  with  chalky  coatings.  They  average  2.42x1.48.  Major  Bendire  states  that 
the  largest  set  In  a  number  exhibits  the  following  m.oasurements:  2.86x1.60,  2.70x 
1.65.  2.66x1.64,  2.70x1.60.    A  single  egg  was  found  measuring  1.80xl.20.t 


•  The  Oologlst,  XII.  pp.  .1-6. 

t  Ornithologist  and  Ooloffiat.  VTl,  p.  188. 


the 
mo! 
wit 
A  8 
COx 
is  I 
cha 


SdHTU  A.\ltJHl(Ai\  BlKUti. 


67 


120r.  FABALLONE  COBMOBANT.  I'halavriHMrax  dilnphus  albociUatua 
Rldgw.  Geog.  Dist.— Coast  of  California,  south  to  Cape  St.  Lucas  and  islands  of  the 
coast  of  Mexico. 

This  bird  is  as  common  on  the  Farallones  as  Baird's  Cormorant,  and  it  nests  on 
the  rough  ridges  or  points  of  rocks  overiool^ing  the  Islands.  About  the  tirst  of  May 
they  may  be  seen  carrying  weeds  and  dry  sea  kelp  to  their  nesting  sites 
where  they  construct  a  flat,  Iooho  and  bulky  platform,  which  is,  on  the  whole, 
quite  a  shallow  structure.  Their  nesling  is  similar  to  that  of  other  Cormorants,  and 
they  may  be  observed  sitting  on  their  empty  nests  for  hours  at  a  time,  probably,  as 
Mr.  Emerson  suggests,  for  the  purpose  of  working  out  the  hollow  of  their  nests  with 


laOc     A  Cormorant  Rookkrv  on  the  Farallonk  Islands      (From  AA-  A7//»«'av>'  i 

their  large  feet,  for  which  purpose  they  are  so  well  suited.  By  the  middle  of  the 
month  they  have  begun  to  deposit  their  lime  covered  eggs.  These  compare  well 
with  those  of  Brandt's  Cormorant,  and  are  a  little  larger  than  the  eggs  of  Baird's. 
A  set  of  five  in  Mr.  Emerson's  possession  measure  as  follows:  60x50,  61x39,  62x39, 
00x40,  62x39  mm.*  respectively;  these  were  taken  May  20,  1886;  their  general  form 
is  rather  ovate  oval,  and  quite  round  at  the  greater  end.  Their  color  and  general 
characteristics  are  the  same  as  those  peculiar  to  other  Cormorants'  eggs— light 

♦  8.36x1.57,  2.40x1.54.  2.44x1.54.  2.36x1.57,  2.44x1.54  Inches. 


68 


Ntara  and  aaaa  op 


green lih  In  color  and  coated  with  a  chalky  subatance.  Four  egga  aeera  to  be  th* 
number  commonly  laid;  both  male  and  female  aaaiat  in  the  proceai  of  Incubation,  one 
roraaining  on  the  neit  or  beside  It  while  the  other  is  off  on  a  short  Ashing  excursion.* 

121.  MEXICAN  OOBMOBANT.  Phnlarrororax  mexiratnin  (Brandt.)  Oeog. 
Diat.— Southern  United  States,  north  to  the  interior  of  Kansas  and  Southern  Illinois. 

The  Mexican  Cormorant  is  a  tropical  species  found  on  the  coasts  and  inland 
marshes  of  Mexico,  Yucatan,  and  Central  and  South  America,  where  it  breeds.  It 
is  mentioned  by  Dr.  Merrill  as  being  a  common  summer  resident  In  Southwestern 
Texas,  In  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Brown,  where  it  doubtless  nests  in  the  dense  growth 
of  trees  and  bushes  that  border  most  of  the  lagoons.  The  breeding  habits  of  this 
species  are  similar  to  those  of  P.  d,  flnridantm  -congregating  in  large  communltie.i 
and  nesting  in  trees  or  bushes.  In  some  places  along  the  South  American  seacoast 
the  bird  nests  on  rocks  as  well  an  on  shrubbery.  The  eggs  are  three  or  four  in  num- 
ber, greenish-white  in  color,  with  the  usual  chalky  substance  on  their  surface;  sizea 
range  from  2.10  to  2.35  long  by  1.30  to  1.40  broad. 


arc 

Com 
sped 
abou 
make 
each 
nesta 
lone 
by 
lecto 
-  are 
chall 
as  66 


122.  BRANDT'S  OOBMOBANT.  Phalannrorax  penicillatus  (Brandt.)  Oeog. 
DIst. — Pacific  coast  of  North  America,  from  extremity  of  Lower  California  to  Waah- 
ington  Territory. 

The  most  common  of  the  Cormorants  breeding  ou  the  Farallones.  Its  habits 
are  the  same  as  those  of  the  other  species,  but  it  is  of  a  more  sociable  disposition, 
congregating  in  large  communitieH  to  breed  on  the  shelving  rocks  and  ridges.  It 
does  not  always  choose  the  most  inaccessible  places  for  nesting.  Like  the  others.  It 
has  great  difficulty  in  constructing  its  nest,  for  as  fast  as  It  gathers  the  weeds  to- 
gether, the  thieving  Western  Gulls  make  away  with  them.  So  often  are  the  Cor- 
morants molested  in  this  manner  that  they  frequently  change  their  place  of  nesting. 
An  interesting  article  entitled  "A  Cormorant  Rookery,"  in  The  Vidoloffist  for  June- 
July,  1894,  is  by  H.  R.  Taylor.  I  quote  it  almost  entire:  "A  Cormorant  rookery 
furnishes  the  observer  with  some  queer  sights.  The  great,  ungainly  birds  crane  their 
necks  this  way  and  that,  uneasily  and  helplessly,  fearing  to  scramble  away  Into 
flight  lest  they  be  robbed  of  their  eggs  or  young.  The  latter,  however,  are  not  fascin- 
ating objects,  being  entirely  naked  and  black  as  a  kid  glove.  The  parent  bird  will 
allow  the  intruder  to  approach  sometimes  within  five  feet  before  flying,  at  least  such 
was  my  experience  with  the  Brants'  and  the  Farallone  Cormorant  on  the  Farollone 
Islands.  It  would  seem  that  the  Innate  ugliness  of  the  young  Cormorant  were 
aufllcient  guarantee  against  Invasion,  but  to  make  their  peculiar  sort  of  defence 
more  effective,  I  have  seen  Farallon  Cormorants,  when  I  came  qnite  near,  go  Into 
contortions  and  disgorge  the  contents  of  their  gullets.  Whether  this  di8,;a8ting 
performance  were  a  method  of  defence,  as  I  have  suggested,  or  the  result  of  pure 
fright,  I  am  not  prepared  to  say.  Our  illustrations,  showing  both  old  and  young 
birds,  is  taken  from  a  photograph  of  a  rookery  on  an  islet  near  Monterey,  and  is 
a  characteristic  picture  of  the  summer  home  of  Brants'  and  the  Farallone  Cor- 
morant. Bairds'  Cormorant  does  not  seem  to  breed  so  much  in  colonies,  but  fashions 
Its  compact  nest  on  some  slight  ledge  under  a  crag,  where  it  is  often  inaccessible. 
The  nests  become  cemented  with  guano,  and  do  service  for  more  than  one  year. 
This  Cormorant,  on  the  Farall<  nes,  seems  to  fear  that  its  claim  will  be  "jumped"  by 
some  other  bird,  as  it  is  often  found  in  the  nest  when  no  eggs  are  laid;  and  if  ita  eggs 

♦  From  my  article  on  the  egss  of  this  Cormorant  in  Forest  and  Stream,  Vol.  XXVIII, 
».  168. 


NOKTU  AMERICAN  BlRUa. 


m 


>     0«og. 

Illinois. 

1  inland 


arc  taktn  It  returns  to  sit  on  th«  nest  as  if  notiilng  had  bappsnsd.  While  one 
Cormorant  Is  sitting,  its  mate  brings  it  small  fish  to  eat.  This  applies  to  the  three 
species.  I  have  seen  in  a  rookery  of  Brandt's  Cormorant  many  little  fish  scattered 
about  the  nest,  which  the  Western  Gulls  were  endeavoring,  with  some  success,  to 
make  away  with.  While  watching  the  Gulls  the  Cormorants  must  keep  an  eye  on 
each  other,  for  sometimes  one  bird  will  vteal  the  nesting  material  of  another.  The 
nests  are  coarsely  constructed.  In  the  rookery  here  referred  to  they  were  of  Farai- 
lone  weed,  ali/»i'  and  sea  moss.  Some  varieties  of  the  most<  were  pulled  up,  I  believe, 
by  the  birds  from  under  the  water,  and  it  occurred  to  me  at  the  time  that  a  col- 
lector of  sea  moss  could  not  do  better  than  visit  a  Cormorant  rookery."  The  eggs 
are  three,  usually  four,  sometimes  five  in  number,  light  greenish-blue,  with  a 
chalky  deposit  on  the  surface.  They  measure  as  small  as  56zS>e  mm.,  and  as  large 
as  66.6x38  mm.* 


) 


123.  PEL.40I0  COBMOBANT.  Phalacntatrax  pelagicutt  Pall.  Geog.  Dlst— 
Aleutian  and  Kurile  lalands,  and  Kamtschatka,  south  to  Japan. 

This  beautiful  Cormorant  is  abundant  in  the  Aleutian  and  Kurile  Islands  and 
those  along  the  coast  of  Kamtschatka,  where  it  breeds.  Dr.  L«9nba*'d  Stejneger 
says  it  is  a  very  abundant  resident  of  Copper  and  Bering  Islands,  breeding  on  ail 
the  most  rugged  and  8tet„  promontories  which  rise  immediately  from  the  sea,  as 
well  as  on  the  outlying  islets  and  stones.  Eggs,  three  or  four  in  number.  Three 
eggs  collected  at  Bering  Island,  June  8,  exhibit  the  following  <  imenslons:  56  by 
37.5,  53  by  37,  53  by  35  mm.t  Two  from  Copper  Island,  taken  Jut/  14,  measure  51 
by  34.75,  58  by  35,  mm.)  The  color  and  general  characteristics  of  the  eggs  do  not 
differ  from  those  of  other  cormorants. 

liiSa.  VIOLET-GBEEN  COBMOBANT.  Phalacrocorax  pclaoirun  robuHtu$ 
Rldgw.    Geog.  Diet.— Coast  cf  Alaska. 

On  the  rocky  coasts  and  islands  of  Alaska  the  Violet-green  Cormorant  is  very 
abundant.  Here  it  nests  on  the  ledges  and  projections  of  high  cliffs,  making  the 
nests  of  sea-weed,  grasses  and  aquatic  plants,  which  are  cemented  together  with  the 
excrement  of  the  bird.  In  all  respects  Its  general  habits,  nesting  and  eggs,  are 
similar  to  those  of  the  Pelagic  Cormorant.  The  average  size  of  the  eggs  is  2.26 
by  1.45. 


123b.  BAIBD'S  COBMOBANT.  Phalcurocorax  pelayUiiH  reaplciulena  (Aud.) 
Geog.  Dist.— Pacific  coast  of  North  America,  from  Cape  St.  Lucas  north  to  Washing- 
ton Territory. 

On  the  Farallones  this  species  Is  less  common  than  Phalarrnmra.T  dilnphiiH 
alboriliatus  or  /'.  iH'niviUatm.  The  nests  are  built  more  frequently  on  Inaccessible 
places.  The  same  rookeries  are  used  each  season,  the  birds  repairing  the  nests  by 
adding  a  few  pieces  of  weed  or  sea  kelp.  Colonies  of  eight  or  ten  pairs  nest  on  the 
sheh  s  of  perpendicular  or  overhanging  rocks.  The  birds  will  occupy  the  same 
nest  after  being  robbed,  and  setting  commences  pfter  the  first  egg  is  laid,  in  order 
to  protect  it  from  the  gulls.  Mr.  Emerson  says  that  by  June  the  birds  have  begun  to 
deposit  tiielr  eggs,  which  are  three  or  four  in  number,  pale  greenish-blue  In  color, 
with  the  usual  chalky  coating.     Mr.  Bryant  states  that  the  tggs  of  Baird's  Cor- 


•  2.20x1.50.  2.62x1.50  Inches. 

t  2.20x1.48.  2.09x1.45.  2.32x1.46  Inches. 

I  2.33x1.37,  2.28x1.38  inches. 


70 


NB8T8  AND  BGOB  OF 


.1 


morant  may  usually  be  known  by  their  small  size,  the  average  dimensions  of  thirty- 
six  specimens  (nine  sets  of  four)  are  65.5x36.6  mm.,*  the  largest  5dx36,  and  the 
smallest  62x35  mm.t 

184.  RED-FACED  COBMOBANT.  Phalwrocurax  urile  (Omel.)  Oeog.  Dlst— 
Islands  of  Bering  Sea  and  coast  of  Kamtscbatka. 

The  Red-faced  Cormorant  is  a  common  species  on  the  islands  of  Bering  Sea, 
especially  on  St.  George  and  Si.  Paul  Islands  of  the  Prybilof  Group.  Breeds  com- 
monly on  some  of  the  Aleutian  Islands.  Dr.  Stejneger  mentions  it  as  being  less  com- 
mon on  Bering  and  Copper  Islands  than  /'.  itcUti/ivuH.  He  states  that  the  eggs  of  tho 
two  species  cannot  be  confounded;  those  of  the  Red-faced  being  considerably  larger 
than  those  of  the  itvUujivuH,  and  the  nreen  color  of  the  eggs  when  looked  at  through 
the  shell  is  totally  different, — much  more  bluish  in  the  former,  against  yellow  in  the 
latter.  The  nests  are  built  on  the  projections  of  the  narrow  shelves  or  ledges  along 
the  face  of  a  cliff,  the  material  used  being  seaweed,  ferns,  grasses,  etc.,  which  are 
matted  together  largely  with  the  excrements  of  the  bird  Itself.  The  young  are  fed  on 
small  fish,  crabs  and  shrimpd,  and  in  i  short  time  the  nesting  places  become  very 
filthy,  as  a  large  portion  of  the  food  brought  by  the  old  birds  is  strewn  over  and 
around  the  nests.  The  eggs  vary  in  size  from  2.30  to  2.55  long  by  1.60  to  1.55  broad. 
Three  eggn  collected  by  Dr.  Stejneger  on  Copper  Island,  July  14,  measure  61x40, 
68  5x39,  66x37  mm.| 

125.  AMERICAN  WHITE  PELICAN.  Pvlrvaum  (rythrorhinirlius  Omel. 
Opor.  Dlst.  Temperate  North  America,  north  in  the  interior  to  about  latitude  61°, 
south  to  Central  America;  rare  or  accidental  in  the  Northeastern  States;  abundant 
in  the  Middle  Province  and  along  the  Gulf  coast;  common  on  the  coast  of  California 
and  Western  Mexico. 

The  White  Pelican  is  generally  common  west  of  the  Mississippi,  breeding  from 
Utah  northward.  It  was  formerly  known  to  breed  In  various  parts  of  Florida.  The 
late  Major  Charles  E.  Bendire  found  it  nesting  in  large  numbers  on  several  small 
islands  of  Lake  Malheur,  in  southeastern  Oregon.  It  is  common  on  various  lakes  in 
the  Red  River  Valley,  In  British  America.  In  Ohio  this  bird  must  be  considered  a 
comparatively  rare  spring  and  fall  migrant,  occurring  most  frequently  in  the  fall. 
In  IS.'^S  Dr.  KIrtland  records  It  as  an  occasional  visitor.  A  specimen  in  spring 
plumage  was  taken  in  the  State  about  fifteen  years  ago.  In  the  fall  of  1861  quite  a 
large  flock  made  their  appearance  in  the  vicinity  of  Columbus,  one  specimen  of 
which  Ik  Htill  preserved  in  the  museum  of  the  Starling  Medical  College.  At  this 
time  Dr.  Whenton  observed  three  of  these  I)ird8  on  the  Scioto  river.  In  1875  a 
specimen  was  taken  at  Linking  Respi'voir  and  preserved  by  Dr.  Jasper.  Dr.  Langdon 
In  "Summer  Birds"  says:  Ona  or  two  Instances  of  the  occurrence  of  this  species  in 
summer  in  northern  Ohio  are  noted  by  Mr.  Porter.  Mr.  H.  E.  Chubb,  a  Cleveland 
taxideimiut.  had  one  alive  which  was  wounded  and  captured  in  Sandusky  Bay 
February  7,  1881.  The  latest  records  I  have  concerning  this  bird  In  Ohio  are  as 
follows:  One  taken  by  Elliot  Gilflllon  on  Big  Walnut  Creek  September  15,  1892,  ten 
miles  south  of  Columbus,  now  in  Dr.  Jasper's  collection;  another  Is  reported  to  me  by 
C.  Sutter,  taxidermist,  Hamilton.  Ohio,  taken  In  September,  1892,  at  St.  Mary's  Reser- 
voir.  Our  illustration  represents  the  portion  of  an  island  in  Shoal  Lake,  Manitoba, 
photographed  by  Mr.  V'niter  Raine,  who  found  It  to  be  a  very  popular  breeding 


g| 

ai 

aj 

tl 

i\ 

bl 

fll 

q1 

ii 

d| 


*2.1Hxl.44  Inchea. 

t2..12xl.42.  2.05X1..W  Inrhen. 

}  2.40xl.r)7,  2.()Oxl.l>4.  i.Wx\M  Inches. 


yoKTH  AMFHttCAN  BIRDfi. 


71 


ground  of  the  White  Pelican,  Double-crested  Cormorant,  American  Herring  OuU 
and  other  species  of  water  birds.  As  will  be  seen  in  the  picture,  the  ground  is  dotted 
all  over  with  the  nests  and  eggs  of  these  birds.  It  was  about  the  middle  of  June,  and 
the  eggs  proved  to  be  fresh.  I  am  informed  by  Prof.  T.iarcus  E.  Jones  that  several 
thousand  of  White  Pelicans  are  permanent  residents  of  Great  Salt  Lalcc,  Utah/ 
breeding  on  the  islands  twenty  miles  out  in  the  lake.  They  begin  to  lay  about  the 
first  of  May  or  two  weeks  earlier,  according  to  the  season,  and  fresh  eggs  are  fre- 
quently found  as  late  as  July.  The  usual  number  of  eggs,  he  says,  is  two,  rarely 
three  or  four.  The  birds  make  their  nests  on  the  ground  between  the  clumps  of 
white  sage  (A  triplex  coiifrrtlfaUa)  that  grow  on  the  islands.  They  scrape 
the  sandy  soil  into  a  heap  about  six  inches  on  the  outs'de  of  the  nests  and  arrange 
dry  twl^s  without  system;  l!:o  nests  are  about  a  foot  in  diameter  with  a  slight  de- 
pression at  the  top.    Prof.  Jones  says  the  birds  travel  sixty  miles  to  catch  fish  for 


116.    Whitc  Pklican  iProm  Brabm) 


n 


NBarS  AND  MQQB  Of 


a 
(3 

I 

i 

A. 

i 

M 


i 

o 

■ 

M 

a 
O 

u 

■ 

M 

« 

s 

X 

■ 

K 
4 

I 

» 

o 

« 


a 

M 


V 

M 

n 

B 


M 

a 

H 

k. 
O 

M 

s 

z 


3 

iS 


a 

m 


3 


■ 

M 

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s 


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b. 
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i2 

z 


NORTH  AMEUIVAN  BIKitS. 


73 


themBelves  and  young,  and  they  often  vomit  up  the  contents  of  their  stomach  on  the 
ground,  which,  with  the  great  heat  on  the  islands  at  the  nesting  time,  soon  decaj. 
The  stench  of  the  roolieries  and  the  noise  of  the  birds  are  almost  intolerable. 
Major  Bendire  found  two  to  be  the  usual  number  of  eggs  laid,  although  three  and  four 
to  a  nest  was  by  no  means  rare,  and  occasionally  as  many  as  five  were  found.  The 
eggs  are  dull,  chalky  white  in  color,  with  a  calcareous  deposit  oa  them,  and  always 
more  or  less  blood  stained.  Major  Bendire  gives  the  average  size  to  be  about  3.4S 
x2.30,  and  lueasurements  of  a  few  selected  specimens  out  of  several  thousand  are 
as  follows:  4.08x2.15,  4.04x2.20,  4.01x2.19.  3.99x2.20,  3.72x2.40,  3.86x2.55,  3.87x2.32. 
3.62x2.40,  3.60x2.40,  3.57x2.35,  3.20x2.51.  3.17x2.23.  3.20x2.21;  two  runt  eggs,  2.69x1.88, 
2.46xl.73.» 

126.    BBOWN  7SLICAN.    Peltcanus  fuscua  Linn.    Qeog.  Dist.— Atlantic  coast, 
of  tropical  and  subtropical  America,  north  to  North  Carolina;  accidental  in  Illinois. 

This  Pelican  is  an  abundant  bird  and  constant  resident  of  Florida  and  south- 
ward into  the  tropical  regions.  It  is  said,  when  feeding,  to  plunge  for  its  prey  lilte  a 
fannet,  and  does  not  scoop  them  while  swimming,  like  the  White  Pelican.  Like 
the  white  species,  however,  it  selects  particular  localities  for  breeding,  and  will  re- 
turn to  them  from  year  to  year.  Pelican  Island,  in  the  Indian  River,  Florida,  is  a 
noted  breeding  ground,  where  thousands  congregate  for  this  purpose.  Here  they 
breed  in  March  and  April.  I  take  the  following  from  an  excellent  article  on  the 
"Nesting  Habits  of  the  Brown  Pelican  in  Florida,"  which  appeared  in  the  March 
number  (1894)  of  The  Oolo0Ht.  It  is  from  pen  of  Dr.  Morris  Oibbs,  the  naturalist 
and  ornithological  writer:  A  visit  was  made  to  Pelican  Island.  He  says  that  the 
Pelicans,  which  had  been  studied  for  some  time  as  they  flew  l)ack  and  forth,  were 
the  constant  target  at  which  all  visitors  shot,  and  it  is  a  surprise  that  the  birds  do 
not  leave  the  section.  The  Brown  Pelicans,  Dr.  Gibbs  states,  have  a  love  for  a 
nesting  spot  and  they  adhere  to  a  chosen  site  even  when  persecuted  year  after  year. 
This  rookery  has  been  known  to  exist  for  over  twenty  years  and  the  birds  have  been 
shot  and  robbed  of  their  eggs  and  young  annually  for  over  a  decade,  and 
yet  they  persist  in  nesting  in  the  same  situation  each  spring.  Nearly  all  the 
nests  \wre  built  on  the  ground,  although  a  few  dozen  were  in  the  branches  of  the 
black  mangrove  trees  which  grew  scantily  on  the  north  shore  of  the  Island.  The 
nests  in  the  trees  were  more  sul)stantial  stracturen  than  those  on  the  sand,  but 
were  of  much  the  same  materials,  sticks,  coarse  grass  and  rank  weed  stalks,  \ir. 
Stuart  says  they  breed  in  lari^c  communities  on  the  islands  along  the  Ciilf  const, 
most  always  placing  the  bulky  nests  in  mangrove  trees:  often  as  many  iis  a  dozen 
nests  are  built  in  a  single  tree.  They  are  made  of  sticks  and  weeds,  lined  with 
grasses.  Many  nests  are  also  placed  on  tlie  ground.  Along  the  gulf  coast  fresh 
eggs  may  be  found  in  May  and  .June.  From  two  to  five  eggs  are  laid,  three  l)elng 
the  most  common  number.  Six  selected  specimens  measure:  2.8.'jx1.9.',  !{.02x2.04, 
,1.03x1.87,  3.08x1.89,  3.00x2.01,  .1.12x1.87.  They  are  chalky  white,  and  in  every  respect, 
except  size,  resemble  those  of  the  White  Pelican. 

127.  CALIFORNIA  BROWN  PELICAN.  I'rhrnniiM  rallf't'iilniH  Ridgw. 
Geog.  Dist.-    Pacific  coast,  from  Hurrad  Islet,  Hrltisli  Columbia,  to  the  (Salcpagos. 

The  general  habits,  nesting  and  eggs  of  the  Hrown  Pelican  found  on  the  Pacific 
coast  are  exactly  the  same  as  those  of  /'.  fiisnix.    It  is  a  larger  bird  and  has  a  red 

•  C.  .■itholuKlHt  and  OolovlMt      Vul.  VII,  p.  130. 


* 


I 


74 


NESTS  AND  BOOS  OF 


pouch  during  the  pairing  season, 
of  Mexico,  and  inland  marshes, 
and  in  the  interior. 


It  is  said  to  breed  on  islands  on  the  western  co>>.dt 
Breeds  abundantly  in  Honduras,  along  the  cousts 


128.  MAN-O'-WAB  BIRD.  IrifiuUi  aquiUi  (Linn.)  Oeog.  Dist— Tropical  and 
subtropical  coasts  generally;  in  America,  north  to  Florida,  Texas,  Ohio,  Wisconsin, 
Kansas,  casually  to  Nova  Scotia  and  California. 

This  great  oird  is  known  by  several  names,  such  as  Frigate  bird,  Frigate  relican, 
Man-o'-War  8  bird,  and  "Hurricane  bird."  The  latter  name  comes  from  the  West 
Indies,  whero  Ua  appearance  is  said  to  be  prognostic  of  bad  weather,  always  flying 
low  Just  before  a  gale.  It  is  a  maritime  b^.rd  inhabiting  tropical  and  subtropical 
coasts  of  the  globe,  but  often  wanders  far  from  its  home  in  the  tropics.  A  specimen, 
which  is  now  in  the  possession  of  Dr.  Renshaw,  of  Sugar  Grove,  Ohio,  was  taken 
by  Mr.  Rmmet  .\dcock  in  Fairfield  county.  Ohio,  In  the  spring  of  1880.  The  Frigate 
bird  Is  occHRionally  mot  with  on  the  southern  coasts  of  Europe  and  on  those  of 
Africa  on  Ascension  Island  and  the  Island  of  St.  Helena.  In  the  Atlantic  U  visits 
the  Uermiidas.  On  the  raclflc  coast  it  wanders  as  far  north  as  San  Francisco,  and 
breeds  on  islands  off  the  coast  of  Western  Mexico.  It  Is  said  to  breed  anywhere  on 
the  Gulf  coast  except  at  two  points  at  Key  West.  This  bird  is  noted  for  its  majestic 
flight  and  graceful  rerlal  motions,  often  soaring  to  sublime  elevations.    It  ;.:uay  bo 


118.    Mai»  >  War  Biku  (Prom  Brebm). 


Sintrn  AMEiticAS  Hiitns. 


78 


coy.6l 
:ou8ts 


1  and 
msin, 

lican, 
Weat 
lying 
picaj 
mm, 
fiken 
igate 
je  of 
'isits 
nnd 
n  on 

BStic 

y  be 


It 


I'JH.    Man-o'-War  Bird,  in  ilovnward  flifi'.i 


known  by  its  immenbe  wings  und  deeply  forked  tall,  and  coIofb  of  oiowi.lsh  black, 
glossed  with  green.  It  is  a  constant  resident  of  the  Bahamas,  brocd,-  >;  oa  so'.ie  ot 
llie  Keys  in  March.  One  of  tho  best  descriptions  ever  written  con'eiu  ng  tlsi  nesting 
and  general  habits  of  this  species  is  that  by  Walter  E.  Uryant,  ei.  Ifled:  "Rookery 
of  Man-o'-\Vnr  lUrciS,"  in  Tin  Mtluloni'^l,  Septemliei.  189^.  From  tlii:  article  I  take 
the  following  interesting  facts:  I'poii  il»c  nianp  es  bordering  a  irnall  Ingoon  on 
the  eastern  side  of  Santa  Margarita  island,  on  ihe  islands  nrniing  '!  '   spacious 

harbor  of  Magdalena  Bay,  Baja,  t^ilifornia,  h.  .»nd  an  extensive  nes.iiig  colony 
of  this  species  in  18S8-9.  If  the  imagination  ( m  picture  twice  and  three  times  the 
number  of  birds  which  appear  in  the  illustratio  !  will  form  but  a  partial  conception 
of  the  number  of  individuals  congn  gated  about  the  lagoon  a  tidal  body  of  water 
a  few  hundred  yards  in  length  and  not  more  ,:<n  eighty  wide.  The  illustration  ,vas 
taken  from  the  most  populous  portion  of  the  exikery.  The  eggs  i're  laid  in  Januj'.ry. 
only  a  single  one  to  each  nest.  Both  parents  take  part  in  the  inru!)atior.  The  eggs 
are  dull  mmaculate  white,  shaped  somewhat  like  a  Gnll's  egg  ;ind  a:  (  raging  G8.7x 
46.9  millimetres.  Upon  the  slight  platlorm  of  dry  twigs  composing  the  nest  and  not 
larger  In  size  than  a  dinner  plate,  it  is  surprising  that  the  egg  will  r'i>niain.  but 
most  of  the  nests  have  more  or  less  projecting  bits  of  twigs  which  keep  the  egg  In 
place.  The  nest  shown  In  the  illustration  had  "rdbably  been  used  once  or  twice,  as 
ii  is  heavily  Incrusted  with  guano  of  young  l)iri     and  Is  of  more  than  average  t!hick- 


\m 


watTM  AMD  awm  of 


! 


Its.     Nrrt  and  Bou  or  Man-o'-War   Bird  (Prom  TAt  Nidologi$t). 

BMb,  from  nesting  nialerial  added  each  time  it  was  used.  Smooth  as  it  appears  Mr. 
Bryant  obtained  an  egg  from  it  on  February  13, 1888.  The  principal  feeding  ground 
was  out  at  sea,  but  an  opportunity  was  never  lost  to  rob  the  Cormorants,  both  of 
fish  and  materials  brought  for  their  aests.  The  Cormorants'  rookery  was  in  the 
iwme  locality.  An  unmistakable  odor  of  guano  pervaded  the  rookeries  and  was 
noticeabl?  h  hundree'  yards  awny  to  leeward. 

120.  AMEBICAM  MEXIGANSEB.  Mvtffaiiarr  (tmcricanuH  (Cass.)  Qeog. 
Dist.— North  America  generally. 

The  Sheldrake,  Uoosunder  or  Merganser,  as  it  is  variously  called,  is  a  common 
bird  throughout  North  America,  bree(S!ng  from  »he  Northern  States  northward.  It 
has  lately  been  found  breeding  in  New  Mexico;  Mr  N.  S.  Goss  having  seen  a  female 
with  four  little  ones  July  2.  ii  the  Pecos  River.*  Is  very  abundant  on  fresh  as  well 
as  salt  waters  in  spring  and  fall.  The  three  species  of  Mergansers  or  Sheldrakes 
with  the  "saw-bUl"  aro  commonly  called  "Fish  Ducks."  Their  flesh  is  rank  and 
unpalatable.  The  malo  may  be  recognized  by  Iiis  laic^^  Ei::e,  white  breast  and  green 
gloHH  on  the  head  and  nerk,  the  latter  scarcely  crested;  the  female,  which  is  much 
smaller  than  the  male,  has  a  deep  red  hcud  and  neck,  with  the  crest  bettor  de- 
veloped: tinder  par'<»  salmon-tinted.  The  nest  is  made  in  hollow  troon,  after  the 
mauMPr  of  the  Wood  Duck,  and  is  composed  ol  moss,  leaves  and  KiHsses,  warmly 
lined  with  down  from  the  bird.  i:»  Northern  Maine  eggs  are  de|H>«lted  l».  the  latter 
part  of  May  or  the  first  of  .Itine.  The  eggs  are  6  or  8  and  sometimes  10  In  number,  of 
yellowish  or  buff  color,  anu  measure  from  2.50  to  2.80  by  1.70  to  1.80.  Mr.  A,  H.  (^all 
found  u  nest  of  this  species  on  West  River,  a  few  miles  below  Newfane.  Vt.  It  was 
in  a  hollow  tree  about  Sfi  feet  above  the  river  and  6  or  8  feet  below  the  top  of  the  en- 
trance.   This  was  on  May  14,  and  the  nest  contained  sixteen  well  incubated  eggs.f 


•  Aul<.  Vol.   IV,  11.  344. 

t  Tlio  N'l.loloRit  t,  March,  1894. 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BlRDti. 


199.     Mbroansbr  (Prom  Brehtn). 


130.  BED-BREASTED  MEBQANSEB.  Mtrt/anHtr  Htrrator  (Linn.)  Qeog. 
DlBt. — Northern  portion  of  Northern  Hemisphere;  south,  in  winter,  throughout  th4 
United  States. 

An  Inhabitant  of  the  more  northern  portions  of  the  Northern  Hemisphere,  being 
common  to  Europe,  Asia  and  North  America.  In  the  latter  coutinent  it  is  more 
abundant  than  the  M.  amerlcanua.  Very  common  in  the  United  States  in  winter, 
where  it  is  found  breeding  in  suitable  localities  In  the  months  of  May  and  June. 
The  Red-breasted  Merganser  breeds  abundantly  in  Newfoundland,  Labrador,  the  fur 
countries  of  British  America  and  Alaska.  It  is  a  resident  of  Greenland  and  Iceland. 
It  nests  usually  on  the  ground  among  brushwood,  surrounded  with  tall  iErrasses  and 
at  a  short  distance  from  water;  most  generally  it  is  concealed  by  a  projecting  rock 
or  other  object.  The  nest  is  made  of  leaves  and  mos«es,  lined  with  feathors  and 
down,  which  are  plucked  from  the  breast  of  the  bird.  The  number  of  eggs  in  a  set 
varies  from  sii  to  twelve,  usually  about  nine  or  ten;  oval  or  elliptical  in  shape,  and 
▼try  in  slie  from  2.48  to  2.65  long  by  1.65  to  1.82  broad.  The  color  is  a  yellowish  or 
reddlsh-drab,  sometimes  a  dull  buffy-green. 


131.  HOODED  MEROAN8EB.  l,npho4vtfn  onruUaius  (IJnn.)  Oeog.  Di«t.— 
North  America  generally,  aoiith  to  Mextco  and  Cuba. 

This  handsome  Merganser  is  an  exclusively  North  American  species.  In  suitable 
places  throughout  Its  range,  In  wooded  districts  near  water  almost  wherever  It  Oc- 
cam, It  mav  be  found  breeding.    It  nests  in  hollows  of  trees  or  stumps,  lining  the 


78 


NBSTa  AND  BOOa  OF 


cavities  with  fine  grassfca,  leaves, 
feathers  and  down.  In  some  locali- 
ties the  bird  is  called  "Water  Pheas- 
ant" and  "Hairy-head,"  Anyone 
can  recognize  the  male  of  this  spe- 
cies by  its  striking  black  and  white 
colors  and  its  magnificent,  erect, 
compressed,  semi-circular  black  and 
white  crest.  The  general  color  of 
the  head,  neck,  sides  and  upper  por- 
tions of  the  female  are  grayish- 
brown;  white  beneath,  and  the  crest 
is  not  so  prominent.  As  many  as  18 
eggs  have  been  found  in  a  single 
nest ;  ten  or  twelve,  however,  appear 
to  be  the  most  common  numbers, 

and  ofte.!  as  few  as  six  are  laid.    They  are  of  a  Belicate  pearly-white,  rounded  oval 

and  Hi.    sure  from  2.05  to  2.25  long  by  1.70  to  1.75  broad. 


ISl.    UooDBD  Mbkoanser,  Male. 


[131.1.]  SMEW.  Mergua  albcUim  Linn.  Geog.  Dist. — In  summer,  Northern 
Europe  and  Asia;  in  winter,  south  to  the  Mediteranian,  Northern  India,  China  and 
Japan.    Accidental  in  Northern  North  America. 

This  is  the  Nun  or  the  White-heade'  Merganser  of  British  authors.  It  Is  found 
during  the  summer  months  in  Northern  Europe  and  Northeastern  Asia.  In  Great 
Britain  it  is  occasionally  met  with  during  the  winter.  It  is  admitted  to  our  American 
fauna  upon  its  accidental  occurrence  in  Greenland.* 


132.  MALLARD.  Anas  hosrhas  Linn.  Geog.  Dist. — Northern  parts  of  North- 
ern Hemisphere;  in  America  south  to  Panama  and  Cuba,  breeding  southward  to  the 
Northern  United  States. 

The  Green-head,  or  Mallard,  is  one  of  the  most  highly  esteemed  ducks,  its 
habitat  being  nearly  cosmopolitan,  and  almost  everywhere  domesticated.  It  is  the 
original  of  our  btii-yard  duck.  A  common  bird  in  North  America  at  large,  breed- 
ing sparingly  throughout  the  United  States.  In  the  sloughs  and  meadow  marshes  of 
the  northern  tier  of  the  states  this  duck  breeds  more  or  less  abundantly  in  the 
month  of  June.  Rare  in  New  England,  scarcely  found  beyond  Massachusetts, 
and  is  replaced  farther  northeast  by  the  Black  Mallard,  or  Dusky  Duck. 
Mr.  C.  Barlow  states  that  it  is  one  of  the  most  abundant  species  in  California.  He 
found  it  very  numerous  about  the  marphes  in  the  neighborhood  of  San  Jose,  eggs 
being  taken  May  l.  In  Greenland,  Mr.  Hagerup  states  that  the  Mallard  is  common 
the  whole  year  round.  Nests  with  eggs  were  found  in  May  and  June.  The  eggs  of 
the  Greenland  Mallard,  he  adds,  are  considerably  larger  than  those  of  the  Danish 
bird;  the  former  measure  2.36x1.73.  the  latter  2.20x1.61  inches.  Mr.  A.  M.  Shields 
writes  mc  that  this  is.  perhaps,  t>t«  most  common  of  the  ducks  in  the  vicinity  of  Los 
Angeles,  Cala.,  breeding  from  the  first  of  April  to  the  last  of  June,  selecting  for  Its 
nesting  place  the  tall  grass  in  flel^te  not  far  from  a  lake  or  river.  The  eggs  are  six 
to  ten  in  number,  pale,  yellowish  drab,  or  olivaccous-green,  but  most  generally  the 
latter  color  when  fresh:  elliptical:  average  size.  2.25x1.25. 


%<7'.     All**.   Auk   XIII.   1K%.    164,  243. 


NORTH  AMUHHAN  lilKDS. 


79 


133.  BLACK  DUCK.  Ana»  vbanira  Qmel.  Qeog.  Dlst.— Eastern  North  Ameri- 
ca, west  to  Utah,  Texas,  north  to  Labrador,  breeding  from  the  Northern  United 
States  northward. 

The  Dusky  Duck,  or  Black  Mallard,  Is  much  less  common  in  the  interior  than 
along  the  Atlantic  coast.  The  characteristic  and  one  of  the  commonest  ducks  of 
New  England,  where  It  breeds  at  large,  and  from  thence  northeastward,  but  is  most 
numerous  during  the  migrations.  The  eggs  are  from  six  to  twelve  in  number,  usu- 
ally seven  or  elglH;  are  elliptical,  or  nearly  so  in  shape;  measure  about  2.30x1.70, 
and  vary  from  pale  buff  to  pale  greenish-buft.  Incubation  period  is  from  the  last 
of  April  to  the  early  part  of  June.  The  nest  is  placed  on  the  ground,  in  grass  or 
rushes  in  the  neighborhood  of  ponds,  pools,  and  streams,  in  meadows  and  sometimes 
in  swamps.  It  is  a  large  and  neatly  arranged  structure  of  weeds  and  grass,  nicely 
hollowed  and  lined  with  down  and  feathers  from  tte  breast  of  the  bird.*  In  rare 
instances  it  has  been  known  to  nest  in  the  hollow  of  a  tree,  or  a  "stub"  projecting 
from  the  water  of  a  swamp.  Mr.  Prazar  found  the  nest  of  this  Duck  in  Labrador 
usually  placed  upon  the  "outreaching  branches  of  stunted  spruces,"  which  are 
seldom  higher  than  four  feet.  The  bird  may  be  known  by  its  resembling  the  female 
of  the  Mallard,  .1.  boscUun,  but  darker  in  color. 

134.  FLORIDA  DUCK.    Anaa  fulriffula  Ridgw.    Geog.  Dist.— Florida,  Kansas. 
This  is  a  local,  lighter  colored  speci<8,  which  is  resident  In  Florida.    They  are 

smaller  than  the  northern  birds.  The  eggs  are  deposited  during  the  first  and  second 
weeks  in  April.  They  are  similar  to  those  of  the  Black  Mallard,  but  smaller, 
averaging  2.15x1.61. 

134a.  MOTTLED  DUCK.  Anaa  fulvigula  maculoaa  (Senn.)  Oeog.  Dist.— East- 
ern Texas  and  north  to  Kansas. 

The  types  of  this  subspecies  were  taken  by  Mr.  J.  A.  Singley  in  the  latter  part  of 
March  and  the  first  part  of  April,  1889,  in  the  marshes  between  the  Nueces  river 
and  Nueces  bay.  A  male  and  female  were  shot  and  in  the  oviduct  of  the  female  a 
fully  developed  egg  was  found.  Mr.  Singley  informs  me  that  the  egg  could  not  be 
differentiated  from  those  In  a  set  of  Florida  Duck's  eggs,  A.  fiilviniila.  Mr.  C.  W. 
Crandall  has  a  set  of  seven  eggs  of  the  Mottled  duck,  taken  in  a  large  marsh  near 
Iberia,  La.  The  nest  consisted  of  a  foundation  of  rushes  lined  with  down,  and  was 
placed  on  top  of  an  old  muskrat  nest.  The  eggs  are  nearly  elliptical  in  shape,  of  a 
pale  greenish  buff  color  and  measure  as  follows:  2.14x1.57,  2.15x1.58,  2.23x1.53, 
2.18x1.55.  2.25x1.60,  2.17x1.60,  2.19x1.58  inciies. 


135.  GADWALL.  Anas  atrepera  Linn.  Geog.  Dist. — Nearly  cosmopolitan.  In 
North  America  breeding  chiefly  within  the  United  States. 

The  Gadwall,  or  Gray  Duck,  is  a  widely  diffused  species  in  most  parts  of  the 
world.  In  North  America,  during  the  breeding  season,  it  may  be  found  nesting 
anywhere,  especially  south  of  the  British  Provinces.  Common  in  meadows,  and  in 
grain  fields  near  marshes  and  lakes  in  Minnesota,  nesting  in  the  middle  of  June 
and  depositing  from  eight  to  twelve  eggs  in  a  cavity  of  the  ground.  Mr.  A.  M. 
Shields  states  that  this  Duck  is  a  resident  in  the  vicinity  of  Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  but  is 
not  met  with  In  great  numbers.  He  found  a  nest  containing  eleven  eggs  on  April 
16,  these  were  apparently  about  two  weeks  incubated.  The  nest  was  a  slight 
hollow,  amongst  a  thick  bunch  of  weeds,  six  feet  from  lae  water's  edge;  it  was  com- 


*  OoloKy  of  New  England,  p.  98. 


M  NWBTa  AND  BOOB  OP 

posed  of  nne  irrnsfl,  and  feathers  from  the  breast  of  the  bird.  The  eggs  are  clay  color 
or  creamy  bufT,  ellSptiral  In  shape,  and  measure  2.09  by  1.57. 

136.  WIDGEON.  lnfM  prnrloiw  Linn.  OeoK.  DlBt.— Northein  part  of  the  Old 
World.  In  North  America  breeda  In  thn  Aleutian  Islands.  Occurs  occasionally  in 
the  Eastern  United  States. 

The  European  Widgeon,  in  Its  size  and  general  character,  resembles  the  Ameri- 
can Widgeon  or  Ualdpatc.  In  the  south  of  Scotland  and  throughout  England  it  is  an 
abundant  winter  visitant;  a  few  remain  to  i)reed  on  the  islands  of  the  lochs  in  the 
northern  portions  of  Scotland.  It  breeds  in  Norway  and  Sweden,  and  is  the  most 
abundant  of  the  diicka  that  i)reod  in  Lapland,  nesting  in  the  grassy  swamps  and  lakes 
midst  tall  rushes,  the  material  for  the  nest  being  rends  and  grasses,  with  a  warm  lining 
of  down  iind  fnathcrs  from  the  bird's  body.  The  eggs  are  five  to  eight  In  number, 
and  their  color  is  pale  buff;  their  average  size  Is  2.23x1.53. 


137.  3ALDPATE.  .\iiaH  onurUnun  Gmel.  Geog.  iJist.— North  America,  from 
the  Arctic  Ocean  south  to  Guatemala  and  Cubp,. 

Th«'  .\nierlran  Widgeon  or  Haldpate  Inhabits  North  America  at  largo,  breeding 
anywhere  in  siiltablo  localities.  This  is  one  of  the  neatest  of  our  ducks,  and  may  be 
known  by  the  spotted  neck  and  head.  The  latter  is  white  on  top;  the  speculum 
green  and  black;  the  lower  neck,  scapulars,  sides  and  upper  breast  chestnut-red, 
tinged  with  ashy,  finely  banded,  all  but  the  breast,  with  dark  brown.  The  greater 
upper  wing  covertH  are  white,  tipped  with  black,  and  the  under  parts  are  pure  white; 
the  bill  and  feet  are  grayish-blue.  The  female  Is  similar,  but  lacks  the  white  crown 
ana  Iridescence  on  the  head.  There  Is  a  great  variation  in  the  normal  coloration  of 
the  plumage,  aside  from  age  or  sex,  but  as  Dr.  Coues  says:  "The  bird  cannot  be 
mistaken  under  any  condition;  the  extensive  white  of  the  under  parts  and  wings  is 
recognizable  at  gun-range."  The  nest  of  this  species  Is  made  on  the  ground  and 
In  marshes,  composed  of  grass  and  weeds,  neatly  arranged  and  nicely  hollowed; 
it  is  usually  lined  with  the  down  and  feathers  from  the  breast  of  the  bird.  The  eggs 
are  pale  buff,  eight  to  twelve  in  number,  measuring  2.00  by  1.50,  with  slight  varia- 
tions. 


138.  EUBOPEAN  TEAL.  Ana»  rrevva  Linn.  Geog.  DIst.— Northern  part  of 
the  Old  World.    Casual  in  Eastern  North  America  and  the  Aleutian  Islands. 

This  duck,  which  resembles  very  closely  our  American  Green-winged  Teal,  is  of 
Irregular  occurrence  in  Eastern  North  America.  In  the  northern  portions  of  Europe 
It  is  very  common,  especially  throughout  Norway  and  Sweden.  Breeds  in  abundance 
all  over  Lapland  and  in  Northern  Russia.  Mr.  Mathew  Clugston  informs  me  that 
this  duck  is  quite  common  in  Scotland,  where  it  nests  in  the  grassy  herbage  about 
the  edges  of  lochs.  A  few  breed  in  various  places  In  Great  Britain— as  far  south  as 
Suffolk,  England,  and  also  in  Wales.  It  is  known  to  breed  on  some  of  the  islands 
on  the  west  coast  of  Spain  and  thore  on  the  northwestern  coast  of  Africa.  The  nest 
is  formed  of  grasses  and  reeds,  warmly  lined  with  feathers.  In  some  places  this 
duck's  favorite  breeding  resorts  are  the  bogs  and  marshes  in  grassy  fields.  The  eggs 
are  commonly  eight  to  ten  in  number;  and  sometimes  as  many  as  fifteen  are  laid. 
They  are  yellowish-white,  oval  in  shape,  and  measure  1.76  in  length  by  1.30  In 
breadth. 


NORTH  AM  ERICAS  HlRltH.  m 

130.  OBEEN-WINQED  TEAL.  Annii  vaiftUnrmlit  Qmel.  Geog.  Out.— North 
America,  migrating  aouth  to  HoDduraH  and  Cuba. 

This  hundaome  little  Duck  is  exceedingly  abundant  throughout  North  America. 
It  breeds  from  the  northern  borders  of  the  rnlte'  States  northward  to  Greenland  and 
Alaska.  During  the  spring  and  fall  migrations  it  la  one  of  the  most  abundant  of 
water  fowl,  frequenting  the  small  brooks  and  ponds  as  well  as  the  larger  waters. 
It  may  be  recognized  by  its  Hmull  size;  the  primaries  of  the  wing-covets  are  of 
leaden-gray;  speculum  velvety  purplish-black  on  the  outer  half,  the  Inner  half  rich 
green;  bordered  in  front  with  chestnut,  fawn  or  whitish  tips  of  the  greater  coverts, 
behind  by  white  tips  of  the  secondaries,  interiorly  with  purplish-black  stripcH  on 
the  outer  webs  of  the  lengthened  secondarieH.  The  bend  and  upper  neck  of  the 
male  are  rich  chestnut,  blackening  on  the  chin,  with  a  glossy  green  patch  behind  each 
eye.  There  Is  a  white  crescent  In  front  of  the  wing.  The  female  differs  in  the  head 
markings,  but  those  of  the  wing  are  the  same.  It  is  a  well-known  and  highly  es- 
teemed game  bird.  The  nest  Is  placed  on  the  ground,  in  a  thick  growth  of  grass, 
and  is  essentially  the  same  as  that  of  the  Blue- winged  Tenl.  The  eggn  are  from 
five  to  eight  in  number,  greenish-buff  In  color,  usually  ovoidal  in  Hhape,  sometimes 
nearly  oval,  and  vary  In  size  from  1.73  to  1.90  long  by  1.22  to  1.32  broad. 

140.  BLUE*  WINGED  TEA  I  >.  Xnnn  ilUrttrn  \Anr\.  Geog.  Dist.— North  Ameri- 
ca, but  chiefly  the  Eastern  Province;  north  to  Alaska  and  south  to  the  West  Indies 
and  Northern  South  America. 

A  beautiful  little  duck,  inhabiting  North  America  in  general,  but  chiefly  the 
eastern  portions.  During  the  breeding  seasons  it  is  found  in  the  same  localities 
as  the  Green-wing,  but  is  more  abundant  in  the  northern  tier  of  States  at  that  siMison 
than  the  latter.  This  duck  feeds  chiefly  upon  vegetable  matter,  and  its  flesh  is  tender 
and  luscious.  It  may  be  known  by  its  small  size,  blue  wln&s  and  narrow  bill.  The 
feet  are  yellowish.  The  male  has  a  white,  crescent-shaped  spot  in  front  of  the  eye. 
The  female  Is  brown  throughout,  with  the  feathers  edged  with  whitish  which  be- 
comes  prominent  below.  The  nest  Is  made  on  the  ground.  In  a  thick  patch  or  tus- 
sock of  grass,  usually  in  meadows,  the  border  of  ponds  or  streams  and  swampy 
places.  It  Is  composed  of  soft  pieces  of  grass  and  weeds,  lined  with  down  and  feath- 
ers from  the  breast  of  the  bird.  The  eggs  are  greenish  or  buff,  lighter  in  color  than 
those  of  the  Green-winged  Teal;  they  vary  from  ovate  to  ovoidal,  and  are  sometimes 
nearly  oval  in  shape;  six  to  ten  and  twelve  In  number,  and  vary  in  size  from  1.30  to 
1.35  broad  by  1.90  to  1.96  long. 


141.  CINNAMON  TEAL.  Ahhh  ri/auuptna  VIeill.  Geog.  Dist.— Western 
America,  from  the  Columbia  River  south  to  Chill,  Patagonia  and  Falkland  iHJandH; 
east  In  North  America  to  the  Rocky  Mountains;  casual  in  the  MisHiHHippi  Valley; 
accidental  in  Ohio— Davie. 

This  pretty  South  American  Teal  is  abundant  In  the  United  States  \.est  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  and  breeds  anywhere  In  thia  range;  Colorado,  Utah.  Nevada,  Cali- 
fornia, Idaho,  Oregon,  etc.  In  the  adult  male  the  head,  neck  and  under  parts  are 
rich  chestnut,  the  wing  coverts  are  Hky-blue,  as  In  the  Ulue-winged  Teal.  The 
speculum  is  green  and  Is  set  between  the  white  tips  of  the  greater  coverts  and  the 
secondaries.  Its  habits  on  the  whole  do  not  differ  from  those  of  its  well-known  ally, 
the  Blue-wing.  Mr.  A.  M.  Shields  regards  it  as  common  In  the  vicinity  of  Los  An- 
geles, where  It  breeds  in  great  numbers;  nesting  in  the  flrst  week  of  May.  Its 
favorite  breeding  places  are  in  fields  of  tall  grass  or  clover,  in  close  proximity  to 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
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WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14S80 

(716)  872-4503 


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water.  He  says  the  complement  of  eggs  ranges  from  nine  to  thirteen,  and  that  the 
nest  is  so  compactly  woven  of  grass,  feathers  and  down  that  the  entire  structure  may 
be  picked  up  without  its  coming  apart.  It  gives  me  pleasure  to  be  able  to  add  this 
beautiful  duck  to  the  avifau:aa  of  Ohio  as  an  accidental  visitor.  On  the  4th  of  April, 
1895,  a  fine  mule  of  this  specie^  was  killed,  together  with  a  number  of  ducks,  at  the 
Licking  County  Reservoir,  by  William  Harlow.  On  the  6th  I  skinned  and  mounted 
this  specimen  and  it  is  now  one  of  the  rare  Ohio  birds  in  my  collection.  It  proved 
to  be  good  eating.  This,  I  believe,  is  the  first  record  of  the  Cinnamon  Teal  ever 
having  been  taken  in  the  state.  The  eggs  of  this  species  are  creamy-white  or  pale 
buff;  six  to  twelve;  one  end  smaller  than  the  other.  In  my  cabinet  there  is  a  set  of 
ten  eggs  collected  by  Dr.  James  C.  Merrill,  near  Fort  Klamath,  Oregon,  June  14, 1887; 
they  exhibit  the  following  dimensions:  1.90x1.38,  1.82x1.37,  1.88x1.39,  1.90x1.38,  1.92x 
1.39,  1.88x1.38,  1.85x1.40,  1.94x1.38,  1.89x1.36,  1.83x1.54;  the  average  size  is  1.88x1.38. 
The  nest  ¥  as  built  at  the  edge  of  a  marsh;  it  was  made  of  grass  blades  and  stems, 
warmly  lined  with  down. 

141.1.  BUDDY  SHELDRAKE.  Casarca  casarca  Linn.  Geog.  Dist.— South- 
ern Europe  and  Southern  Asia,  south  to  northern  Africa.    Accidental  in  Greenland, 

Ic<5land  and  the  Scandinavian  Penisula, 

Called  also  Casarka  Sheldrake.  It  is  found  in  Southern  Europe,  Asia  and  Russia; 
accidental  in  Greenland.  Mr.  C.  W.  Crandall  has  a  set  of  eight  eggs  of  this  species 
in  his  oological  collection  which  was  taken  June  2,  1893,  in  Southern  Russia.  Their 
measurements  are  2.60x1.89,  2.55x1.90,  2.48x1.87,  2.42x1.82,  2.48x1.83,  2.55x1.87,  2.51x 
1.86,  2.53x1.86,  respectively  They  are  of  an  exact  ovate  in  shape  of  a  pale  cream 
shade,  almost  of  the  same  tint  as  that  found  in  the  Wood  Duck's  eggs 

142.  SHOVELLEBr.  fipainla  clypcata  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist.—  Northern  Hemis- 
phere. In  North  America.  Breeding  from  Alaska  to  Texas.  Not  abundant  on  the 
Atlantic  coast. 


142.    Shovbllbk  (From  Brthm). 


m 


ll 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


83 


The  Shoveller,  or  Spoonbill  Duck,  is  common  in  the  noriuern  portions  of  the 
globe.  Said  to  have  the  most  extended  distribution  of  any  species  of  the  duck  tribe, 
being  more  or  less  common  in  every  portion  of  Europe  and  Asia,  except  in  the 
extreme  north;  is  found  in  Northern  and  Central  Africa,  and  other  portions  of  the 
tropical  world.  It  is  not  common  in  England,  where  it  breeds  sparingly,  but  is  more 
abundant  in  Scotland.  In  North  America  this  peculiar-looking  duck  breeds  tnrough- 
out  its  range  in  all  suitable  places;  it  winters  chiefly  in  the  south.  It  may  easily  be 
recognized  by  its  broad  bill,  blue  wing  coverts  and  green  speculum.  The  iris  is  yellow 
and  the  feet  bright  orange.  The  Spoonbill  makes  his  nest  on  the  ground  in  boggy 
places  which  are  difficult  of  access.  It  is  composed  of  grass  and  weeds.  The  eggs 
are  greenish-gray,  or  faintly  bluish;  elliptical;  six  to  ten  in  number;  averaging  in 
size  about  2.10  by  1.50. 


143.  PINTAIL.  Dafila  acuta  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist.— Northern  Hemisphere.  In 
America  migrates  south  to  Panama  and  Cuba. 

In  North  America  the  Pintail,  or  Sprig-tail,  is  a  common  species  everywhere, 
being  found  as  far  north  as  Greenland  and  the  Arctic  coast,  and  south  to  the  Isthmus 
of  Panama  and  to  Cuba,  breeding  from  the  Northern  States  northward  tnrougnout 


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m^mfm^m 

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Nest  and  Eggs  op  the  Pintail  Duck.  (Photo,  by  W.  Raine.) 


the  Fur  Countries  to  Alaska,  and  in  Greenland.  It  Is  abundant  in  the  United  States 
during  the  spring  and  fall  migrations.  In  the  vicinity  of  Los  Angeles,  California, 
Mr,  Shields  says  it  is  very  abundant  during  the  entire  winter,  and  a  few  remain  to 
breed.  The  place  usually  selected  for  the  nest  is  in  tall  buncues  of  prairie  grass, 
seldom  far  from  water.  The  number  of  eggs  laid  is  commonly  eight  or  nine;  these 
are  deposited  about  the  middle  of  May.  If  the  eggs  are  taken  the  bird  will  im- 
mediately deposit  a  second  set,  which  Is  seldom  more  than  five-  or  six  In  number. 


84 


NE8T8  AND  EQ08  OF 


The  male  bird,  inclusive  of  the  long  central  tail-feathers,  is  about  twenty-nine  inches 
long;  the  general  color  of  the  upper  parts  is  grayish,  delicately  penciled  with  white; 
either  sex  may  be  known  by  the  very  long  and  slender  neck,  but  the  female  is 
shorter,  being  about  twenty-two  inches  long,  the  central  tail  feathers  making  a 
difference  of  seven  inches.  In  the  far  north  this  species  deposits  as  many  as  twelve 
eggs  in  a  single  nest.  These  are  of  a  dull  grayish  olive;  elongate  ellipsoidal  in  shape 
and  measure  from  2.10  to  2.30  long  by  about  1.52  broad. 

144.  WOOD  DUCK.  Aix  sponsa  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist.— Temperate  North 
America,  breeding  throughout  its  range. 

An  exquisite  bird,  the  most  beautiful  of  all  our  ducks;  in  fact,  no  description 
can  give  a  sufficient  conception  of  the  variety  and  lustre  of  its  plumage.  It  is  crested, 
the  head  iridescent  green  and  purple,  with  parallel  curved  white  superciliary  and 
post-ocular  stripes  and  a  broad  white  throat  patch.  The  iris  and  edges  of  eyelids 
are  red.  In  the  female  the  head  is  mostly  gray.  A  freshly-killed  specimen  has  all 
the  variegated  tints  to  be  seen  in  the  rainbow.  It  is  well-named  Bridal  Duck.  It 
Inhabits  North  America  at  large  and  is  especially  abundant  in  the  United  States, 
breeding  almost  wherever  found.    Frequents  the  wooded  portions  of  the  country 


£iA 


144.    Wood  Duck  (From  Brehm). 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


85 


/ 


//' 


' 


;[i 


144,    Wood  Ducks  and  Nbstino  Place. 


86 


NB8T8  AND  BOOS  OF 


near  water.  The  neat  is  made  In  the  hollow  of  decayed  trees,  often  at  the  depth 
of  four  to  six  feet.  It  Is  composed  of  twigs,  weeds  or  grass,  warmly  lined  with  the 
down  from  breast  of  the  bird.  What  Is  remarkable  about  the  entrance  to  the 
nest  is,  that  It  Is  often  so  small  that  it  would  seem  almost  Impossible  for  the  bird 
to  pass  in  and  out.  The  tree  in  which  the  nest  is  made  Is  frequently  situated  a 
considerable  distance  from  water  in  some  retired  place.  The  young  are  carried  to 
water  in  the  bill  of  the  parent  bird.  The  eggs  number  from  eight  to  twelve,  and  I 
have  seen  several  sets  of  fourteen;  they  are  of  a  pale  buff  color,  averaging  in  size 
about  2.00  by  1.50,  but  there  Is  a  great  variation  in  this  respect  when  a  large  series 
of  specimens  from  different  parts  of  the  country  are  examined.  When  robbed  of  its 
eggs  the  bird  will  often  lay  a  second  set. 


145.  RUFOUS-CRESTED  DUCK.  Xetta  Ruflna  (Pall.)  Geog.  DIst.— Eastern 
Hemisphere;  accidental  in  the  United  States. 

The  claim  of  this  species  to  a  place  in  the  North  American  fauna  rests  on  a 
single  specimen  obtained  in  Fulton  Market,  New  York  City,  February  2d,  1872. 
It  is  supposed  to  have  been  shot  on  Long  Island  Sound.  The  bird  is  found  In  South- 
ern and  Eastern  Eur'-pe,  and  In  portions  of  Africa  and  Asia.  The  eggs  are  described 
as  being  of  a  pale  olive-buff  and  measure  2.32x1.68;  not  distinguishable  from  those 
of  the  next  species. 


146.    REDHEAD.      Aythya   americana    (Eyt.)     Geog.    DIst.— North   America, 

breeding  from  California  and  Maine  northward. 

The  Redhead  or  Poachard,  so  frequently  confounded  with 
the  Canvas-back,  is  a  common  duck  throughout  North  America. 
It  breeds  In  all  parts  of  the  Fur  Countries  and  is 
very  abundant  in  the  marshes  of  Manitoba  throughout 
the  summer  months.  It  nests  in  suitable  localities  of  various 
northern  states,  Maine,  Michigan,  Wisconsin,  Minnesota  and 
Dakota.  The  Redhead  also  breeds  in  the  marshes  of  California. 
Mr,  Shields  mentions  It  nesting  In  a  swamp  near  Los  Angeles 
about  the  middle  of  June.*  The  nest  is  built  on  the  ground  in 
thick  grass  or  weeds  and  is  composed  of  aquatic  plant  stems 
and  grasses,  lined  with  the  down  and  feathers  from  the  breast 
of  the  bird.  The  nest  Is  often  constructed  In  a  mass  of  reeds 
over  water  after  the  manner  of  a  Coot's.  Mr.  Shields  found  the 
nests  to  contain  from  seven  to  fourteen  eggs.  Eight  or  ten  are 
more  commonly  laid  further  north.    They  are  creamy-white, 

elliptical,  and  average  2.40  by  1.70,  with  slight  variation. 


146.    Redhead. 


147.  CANVAS-BACK.  Aythya  vallisneria  (Wils.)  Geog.  DIst.— Nearly  all  of 
North  America. 

The  celebrated  Canvas-back  Duck  is  an  exclusively  North  American  species, 
found  in  the  interior  and  on  both  coasts  as  far  north  as  the  Arctic  Ocean  and  south- 
ward to  Central  America.    Breeds  on  the  interior  marshes,  rivers  and  lakes  frcm 


•  Young  Oologlst,  a  magazine  devoted  to  the  study  of  birds,  their  nests  tnd  eggs,  pub- 
lished by  Prank  H.  Lattln,  Albion,  N.  T..  Vol.  T,  p.  90, 


NORTH  AMEItWAN  BIRDS. 


37 


the  NorthweBtem  States  to  Alaska.  Nests  commonly  in  many 
of  the  lakes  and  ponds  of  Manitoba.  On  the  marshes  and  lakes 
lu  the  mountain  valleys  of  Oregon  the  Canvas-back  constrrcts 
its  nest  at  the  edge  of  the  water  or  near  it  in  tall  rushes  or 
grass.  The  Canvas-back  is  Uw  highly  esteemed  table  dnok. 
When  feeding  on  wild  celery  the  flesh  is  said  to  acquire  a 
peculiarly  fine  flavor,  but  under  other  circumstances  not  one 
person  in  ten  thousand  can  tell  it  from  any  other  duck,  on  the 
table.  It  is  often  confounded  with  the  Redhead,  but  there  is  no 
occasion  for  this,  even  when  the  different  sexes  come  to  hand  in 
any  state  of  plumage.  Although  both  species  are  similar  in 
plumage,  their  heads  alone  will  differentiate  them.  The  Red- 
head has  a  high  forehead,  while  the  Canvas-back's  head  slopes 
gradually  down  to  the  bill  and  the  bill  rises  hJ2;h  on  the  fore- 
head. In  the  male  Redhead  the  entire  head  i,.  clear  chestnut 
red,  with  a  coppery  tint,  and  the  bill  pale  grayish-blue,  with  a  dark  tip.  In  the 
Canvas-back  nearly  the  whole  head  is  blackish-brown,  and  the  bill  blackish.  The 
general  color  of  the  females  of  both  is  brownish  throughout.  The  nest  of  the 
Canvas-back  is  generally  made  on  the  ground  in  marshy  places;  tall,  rank  grass  is 
usually  selected.  It  is  composed  of  grass  and  weeds,  less  thickly  lined  with  feathers 
than  the  nests  of  other  ducks  are.  The  eggs  are  from  six  to  ten  in  number,  pale 
grayish-drab  or  greenish-buff,  elliptical,  and  measure  from  2.25  to  2.50  long  by  1.70 
to  1.75  broad. 


147.     Canvas-back. 


148.  AMEBICAN  SCAUP  DUCK.  Aythya  marila  nearetlm  Stejn.  Geog. 
DIst. — North  America,  breeding  far  north. 

This  and  the  next  species  are  closely  allied,  and  are  variously  known  as  Blue- 
bills,  Raft  Duck,  Floating  Fowl  and  Shufflers.  This  one  is  called  Big  Blackhead  or 
Greater  Scaup  Duck,  on  account  of  its  size.  It  inhabits  the  whole  of  North  America, 
and  breeds  far  north.  It  Is  not  so  abundant  in  the  United  States  as  the  next  species. 
In  many  of  the  river  valleys  and  in  the  lakes  of  Manitoba  it  is  a  common  summer 
resident,  where  it  nests  on  the  ground  In  swampy  places.  The  nest  material  is  grass 
and  weeds,  and  the  lining  Is  down  from  the  breast  of  the  bird.  In  the  male  the 
head,  neck  and  the  front  part  of  the  body  are  black,  the  former  with  a  green  gloss; 
the  back  and  sides  whitish,  finely  waved  in  zig-zag  with  black;  underneath  and 
speculum  of  wing  is  white.  The  bill  is  blue,  with  black  nail;  iris  yellow.  In  the 
female  the  head  and  anterior  parts  brown;  face  pure  white.  The  eggs  of  the 
American  Scaup  Duck  are  of  a  pale,  huffy  olive-gray,  or  ashy-green,  elliptical,  six  to 
ten  in  number,  size  2.54x1.71. 


■  .la 


149.  LESSEB  SCAUP  DUCK.  Aythya  afflnis  (Eyt.)  Geog.  Dist.— North 
America  in  general,  migrating  south  to  Guatemala  and  the  West  Indies. 

As  Its  name  indicates,  this  species  Is  smaller  than  the  last,  to  which  it  is  very 
similar.  Breeds  chiefly  north  of  the  United  States.  It  is  a  common  summer  resident 
in  the  lakes,  marshes,  ponds,  and  rivers  of  Western  Manitoba  and  throughout 
other  portions  of  the  fur  countries  northward.  Its  nesting  habits  and  Its  eggs  are 
the  same  as  A.  marila  nearctica.  The  average  size  of  the  eggs  Is  about  2.25x1.58. 


150.    BING-NECKED  DUCK.     Aythya  collarls  (Donov.) 
America,  migrates  south  to  Guatemala  and  the  West  Indies. 


Geog.  Dist.— North 


88 


VBBTS  AND  BOnS  OF 


'. 


Ring-billed  Blackhead,  Marsh  Blue-bill  and  King-necked  Scaup  Duck  are  names 
by  which  this  species  is  commonly  known.  In  the  United  States  it  is  a  common 
spring  and  fall  migrant,  and  breeds  from  Maine,  Minnesota,  Wisconsin,  and  other 
northern  States  northward.  In  some  parts  of  Manitoba  it  is  very  abundant,  espe- 
cially In  the  Red  River  Valley,  where  It  breeds  in  the  marshes  of  fhe  lakes  and 
ponds,  among  the  reeds  and  thick  grasses.  The  nest  is  made  of  fine  grasses,  and 
slightly  lined  with  feathers.  In  its  general  appearance,  the  bird  is  similar  to  the 
foregoing,  but  the  adult  male  has  an  orange-brown  ring  around  the  neck;  the  female 
has  no  collar,  and  the  head  and  neck  are  brown.  This  bird  may  be  known  in  all 
stages  of  plumage  by  the  broad  bill  and  gray  speculum.  The  Ring-neck  lays  from 
six  to  twelve  eggs,  varying  from  grayish  to  buff  color;  they  are  elliptical  in  shape, 
and  measure  from  2.25  to  2.30  by  1.60  to  1.65. 

151.  AMERICAN  GOLDEN-EYE.  Ulawimvtta  vlmUfula  amerininu  (Bonap.) 
Geog.  DIst. — North  America,  breeding  from  Maine  and  the  British  Provinces  north- 
ward; migrates  south  to  Cuba. 

The  American  Golden-eye,  Whistler,  Garrot,  or  "Great-Head,"  is  very  similar  to 
the  next  species.  It  has  a  large  round  white  spot  before  the  eye,  not  ton  hing  the 
base  of  the  bill  throughout.  It  is  given  the  name  of  Whistler  from  the  peculiar 
noise  of  the  wings  while  flying,  and  Great  Head  from  Its  large  and  beautifully 
created  head.  It  is  an  abundant  species  throughout  the  fur  countries,  where  it 
frequents  the  rivers  and  fresh-water  lakes  in  great  numbers.  Breeds  as  far  north 
as  Alaska,  where,  on  the  Yukon,  it  nests  about  the  middle  of  June.  Like  the  Wood 
Duck,  it  constructs  its  nests  in  hollow  trees  and  decayed  trunks.  It  is  made  of  grass, 
leaves,  and  moss,  lined  with  down  from  the  bird's  breast.  The  eggs  are  from  six  to 
ten  in  number,  ashy  green  in  color,  rounded-oval  in  shape,  and  measure  from  2.30  to 
2.55  long  by  1.70  to  1.78  broad. 

152.  BARROW'S  QOLDEN-EYE.  aUiuciouvtlu  islandira  (Gmel.)  Geog. 
Dlst  Northern  North  America,  south  in  winter  to  New  York,  Illinois  and  Utah. 
C:vou  and;  Iceland. 

:he  Rocky  Mountain  Garrot,  or  Golden-eye,  is  almost  exclusively  a  North 
American  species,  breeding  from  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrenc"^  in  the  east  and  the 

mountains  of  Colorado  in  the  west  to  high  northern 
regions.  It  is  a  resident  of  Greenland  and  Iceland.  It 
may  be  known  by  the  large  triangular  white  spot  before 
the  eye  running  up  to  a  point,  applied  against  the  entire 
base  of  the  bill  and  the  division  of  the  white  area  on  the 
wing.  The  head  is  moderately  puffy,  with  an  occipital 
crest,  and  the  color  of  the  gloss  is  chiefly  purple  and 
violet.  The  bill  is  black  or  greenish-dusky  and  the  iris 
golden-yellow.  In  the  female  the  head  is  snuff -brown  and 
no  white  patch  in  front  of  the  eye.  This  bird,  like  the 
last,  makes  its  nest  in  hollow  trees,  of  grass,  sticks  and  weeds,  lined  with  feathers. 
Mr.  Edwin  Carter  was  the  first  to  find  the  nest  and  eggs  of  this  species  in  the  moun- 
tains of  Colorado  In  187G.  From  six  to  ten  eggs  are  laid,  these  are  usually  elliptical 
in  shape,  and  measure  from  2.25  to  2.30  long  by  1.60  to  1.65  broad. 

153.  BUFFLE-HEAD.  Charitonetta  albrola  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist.— North 
America;  south  to  Cuba  and  Mexico.  Breeds  from  Maine  nortliward,  through 
the  Fur  Countries  and  Alaska, 


152.     Barrow's  Golden-eve. 


NORTH  AMERH'AS  lilHItR. 


89 


This  duck  Is  variously  mimed,  as  Dutter-ball,  "Dipper,"  "Butter-box."  "Spirit 
Duck"  and  "Hell-dlver."  It  dives  with  the  greatest  of  ease,  clipping  under  the 
water  almost  as  quickly  as  a  grebe.  Its  expertncss  In  diving  enables  It  to  obtain 
food  In  very  deep  water.  The  Buffle-head  Is  peculiarly  an  American  species,  but  ol 
accidental  occurrence  in  Europe.  In  Manitoba  and  throughout  all  the  fur  countries 
It  Is  a  common  summer  resident,  breeding  as  far  north  as  Alaska.  The  nests  are 
concealed  In  hollows  of  trees  or  stumps,  near  the  banks  of  streams.  They  are  lined 
with  down  and  feathers.  The  Butter-ball  breeds  occasionally  in  Northern  Maine. 
In  the  United  States  It  Is  an  abundant  spring  and  fall  migrant,  and  In  many  places 
ill  winter  resident.  The  male  is  one  of  the  handsomest  of  our  small  ducks.  The 
head  Is  particularly  puffy,  of  varied  rich  Iridescence,  with  a  large  showy  white 
patch  on  each  side  behind  the  eye.  The  broad  black  and  white  pattern  of  his  upper 
coat  stands  out  in  strong  contrast  against  a  glossy  white  breast.  The  female  is 
smaller  and  a  very  insignificant  looking  duck;  the  head  is  scarcely  puffy,  dark  gray, 
with  traces  of  the  white  auricular  patch.  The  eggs  of  this  duck  vary  from  buff  to  a 
creamy- white  or  graylsh-ollve;  ellipsoidal  in  form  and  range  from  six  to  fourteen  in 
number;  sizes  from  1.95  to  2.05  long  by  1.35  to  1.50  broad, 

154.  OLD-SQUAW.  ('Utu'ifuht  hi/rmnlis  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist.— Northern  hemis- 
phere; in  North  America  south  to  the  Potomac  and  the  Ohio.    Breeds  far  northward. 

The  Long-tailed  Duck,  Old  Wife  or  South-southerly,  as  it  Is  variously  called,  is 
distributed  throughotit  the  northern  portions  of  the  globe,  making  its  summer 
home  in  Arctic  regions.     A  resident  in  Greenland  and  breeds  in  various  places  in 


154.    Old  Squaw  or  J.ong-tailed  Duck,  Male. 

Iceland.  The  nests  are  made  on  the  margins  of  lakes  or  ponds,  among  low  bushes 
or  tall  grass;  they  are  constructed  of  grasses  and  generally,  but  not  always,  warmly 
lined  with  down  and  feathers.  The  eggs  are  from  six  to  twelve  in  number.  The 
Long-tailed  Duck  inhabits  the  more  northern  countries  of  Europe — a  winter  visitant 
to  Great  Britain,  and  it  is  found  occasionally  in  Germany  and  France.  Abundant 
on  the  sea  coast  of  Alaska,  is  resident  on  the  Prybilof  and  Aleutian  Islands.  In  the 
United  States  it  is  found  only  in  winter.  The  male  of  the  Old-squaw  is  a  handsome 
duck,  and  may  be  recognized  by  its  long  tail  and  peculiar  reddish-brown  and 
brownish-black  and  white  markings.    The  female  lacks  the  lengthened  tail-feathers. 


90 


NBars  AND  EOOa  OF 


and  Is,  on  the  whole,  a  very  Inferior  looking  bird.    The  eggs  of  thla  spccleB  average 
2.05  by  1.49;  they  are  pale,  dull  grayish  pea-green,  varying  to  dull  light  olive-buff. 

156.  HABLEQUIN  DLCK.  Ilislrlnnicua  hMrinnlnm  (Linn.)  Oeog.  Diet.— • 
Northern  North  America. 

The  beautiful  and  singularly  marked  Harlequin  "is  an  Inhabitant  of  the  south- 
ern part  of  the  circumpolar  zone."  It  Is  not  common  wherever  found.  In  many 
parts  of  the  Old  World  it  is  only  a  rare  or  an  occasional  visitor;  this  is  the  case  In 
Great  Britain,  France  and  Germany.  It  breeds  In  several  places  in  Southern 
Greenland,  according  to  Mr.  Hagerup.  At  the  commencement  of  the  breeding  season 
It  leaves  the  sea  coast  and  retires  to  the  lakes  and  rivers  of  the  Interior  regions.  A 
summary  of  this  bird's  breeding  range  is  given  by  C.  Hart  Merrlam,  as  follows: 
"In  Siberia  it  is  known  to  breed  about  Lake  Baikal  and  in  the  Bureja  MountaiDB 


N 


150.     Labmadok  Duck. 

(Radde);  in  Mantchuria  and  at  various  points  in  the  great  Stanowi  Range  (Von 
Middendorff) ;  about  the  Upper  Amoor  (Von  Schrenck),  and  in  Kamtschatka.  On 
the  American  continent  it  has  been  found  breeding  along  the  tributaries  of  the 
Yukon  in  Alaska  (Dall);  in  the  interior  of  the  fur  countries  and  about  Hudson  Bay 
(Richardson);  on  the  fresh  water  ponds  of  Labrador  (Audubon),  and  in  tiie  Rocky 
Mountains  within  the  limits  of  the  United  States  (in  Montana,  Coues).  It  also  nests 
In  Newfoundland,  Greenland,  and  Iceland  (Kruper)."*  Dr.  Merriam  says  that  all 
accounts  agree  that  this  duck  nests  on  the  ground  in  close  proximity  to  swiftly 
running  water,  and  states  that  he  is  also  informed  that  In  Newfoundland  the  nests 
are  built  in  hollow  trees.  In  some  of  its  breeding  grounds  it  is  said  to  lead  a  solitary 
life,  being  found  alone  or  in  pairs  in  the  most  retired  places  on  small  streams.  The 
nest  is  composed  of  weeds,  grass,  etc.,  warmly  lined  with  down  and  feathers  from 
the  breast  of  the  bird.   When  the  female  leaves  the  eggs  she  carefully  covers  them  up 


•  Bull.  Nutt.  Club,  VII,  220. 


NORTH  AMERICAS  RIRDS. 


91 


with  down.  In  some  places  the  Harlequins  are  called  "Lord  and  Lady  Ducks."  The 
male  Is  second  only  to  the  Wood  Duck  In  beauty,  and  the  female  will  bear  no  com- 
parison to  the  same  sex  of  that  species.  The  eggs  are  six  to  eight  in  number,  rounded 
oval,  yellowish-buff  or  r  'eenlsh-yellow,  and  measure  2.30x1.62. 

166.  LABRADOR  DUCK.  Camptolnlmus  luttrtidnrliis  Omel.  Oeog.  Dht.— 
Formerly  Northern  Atlantic  coast,  from  New  Jersey  (In  winter)  northward,  breeding 
from  Labrador  northward.    Now  extinct. 

The  nest  and  eggs  of  this  bird  are  unknown  and  the  bird  Is  extinct.  The  last 
example  taken  was  shot  near  Elmlra,  New  York,  In  1878.  There  are  only  thlrty-slx 
specimens  known  to  be  preserved  In  the  museums  of  the  world.  The  specimen  rep- 
resented In  our  Illustration  Is  one  which  was  collected  by  no  less  a  person  than  Daniel 
Webster,  and  is  figured  by  Audubon.*  This  duck  was  shy  and  difficult  of  approach, 
a  strong  swimmer  and  of  rapid  flight.  Its  extinction  seems  strange  and  unac- 
countable. 

157.  STELLER'S  DUCK.  EttirotirWt  fitrHrri  (Pall.)  Geog.  Dlst.— Arctic  and 
Bub-Arctlc  coasts  of  Northern  Hemisphere. 

The  summer  home  of  Steller's  Duck  Is  In  very  high  Arctic  latitudes.  It  breeds 
in  Northern  Russia,  In  Europe  and  In  Siberia,  nesting  In  the  latter  part  of  June,  de- 
positing from  seven  to  nine  eggs.  It  Is  said  to  breed  on  the  inaccessible  rocks  of 
Kamtschatka,  on  the  islands  cf  Bering  Sea,  and  sparingly  on  some  of  the  Aleutian 
Islands.  In  Its  habits  It  resembles  the  Common  Elder.  The  nest  Is  placed  on  the 
ground  and  Is  made  of  grass,  thickly  lined  with  down  and  feathers  from  the  breast 
of  the  bird.  Dr.  Coues  says  the  bird  Is  not  yet  common  In  collections,  though  abound- 
ing and  sometimes  gathering  In  enormous  flocks  on  the  Islands  and  both  shores  of 
Bering  Sea  and  the  Arctic  coast  of  Northeastern  Siberia.  It  winters  mainly  on  the 
Aleutian  Islands,  and  is  usually  found  In  company  with  the  Pacific,  Spectacled  and 
King  Elders.  The  eggs  vary  from  pale  olive-buff  to  pale  olive  or  pale  green  and 
measure  2.30  by  1.62. 


158.     SPECTACLED    EIDER.      Arctonctta 
Coast  of  Alaska,  north  to  Point  Barrow. 

This  Eider  with  a  peculiarly  dense  and  puffy 
patch  of  velvet  feathers  about  the  eye,  suggesting 
spectacles,  has  nesting  habits  similar  to  the  Ameri- 
can Eider,  8.  drcsseri.  The  eggs  are  also  similar. 
It  Inhabits  the  Islands  and  coasts  from  Norton 
Sound  northward  to  Po'nt  Barrow.  On  St.  Michael's 
Island,  Alaska,  it  breeds  in  company  with  the  Pa- 
cific Eider  S.  r-iiff/ra.  The  eggs  measure  from 
2.35  to  2.57  long  by  1.55  to  1.85  broad. 


ftschcrl    (Brandt.)     Geog.    Dlst.— 


158.    Spectacled  Eider. 


159.  NORTHERN  EIDER.  Somateria  moUissima  borcalis  (A.  E.  Brehm.) 
Geog.  Dlst. — Northern  Europe  and  Northeastern  North  America,  including  Green- 
land and  Northern  Labrador,  south  in  winter  on  the  Atlantic  Coast  to  Maine. 

The  Eider,  so  famous  for  its  down,  which  has  become  an  article  of  commerce 
and  luxury,  is  common  along  the  Northern  Atlantic  coasts  of  Europe  and  America. 
The  great  demand  for  its  down  has  caused  the  inhabitants  of  Iceland,  Norway  and 


•  From  U.  S.  National  Museum  Report,  1889. 


92 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


other  parta  of  Europe  to  protect  It  during  the  breeding  seaHon.  In  theue  placeH  the 
Eider  beoomeB  very  tame.  It  Ih  a  renident  of  Greenland,  where  it  nestB  in  the  lafler 
part  of  .lunr  or  the  firHt  weel<  of  July.  On  Home  of  the  small  iHlandH  on  the  coaat  of 
Ineliind  it  liats  t>i<('oriie  aliiioHl  domeHticatt'd,  l)ree(ling  In  vast  iiunil)erH,  negtlng  on 
the  KfUHsy  bankH,  between  large  HtoneH,  on  rocltH,  and  In  every  available  hollow 
whieh  will  hold  the  nest.  The  nent  Ih  made  of  aea  weed,  lined  with  the  down  plucked 
from  the  breast  of  the  bird.  ThlH  is  augmented  an  incubation  proceeda  and  thb 
qiuintity  of  down  often  becomeH  ho  great  that  the  eggs  are  concealed  from  view. 
The  eggH  range  from  six  to  ten  in  number,  greenish  drab,  and  measure  2.97  by  2.01. 


c1 
b| 


1 "'. 


li 


1 

« 


160.    EiDBR  Ducks  (From  Brenm). 


160.  AMEBICAN  EIDEB.  Somateria  dresseri  Sharpe.  Geog.  Dist.— Atlantic 
coast  of  North  America,  from  Maine  to  Labrador;  south  in  winter  to  the  Delaware 
and  west  to  the  Great  Lakes. 


SfiltTII  A.MFUfir.W  nilfltS. 


<n 


The  American  Elder  breedH  along  the  Atlantic  coast  of  North  America  from 
Maine  to  Northern  Labrador.  On  Orand  Manan  and  Home  of  th"  Hmoller  Islands 
In  that  vicinity  this  duck  formerly  nested  In  great  numbers,  but  from  constant  perse- 
cution Its  numbers  havebeen  greatlydlmlnlshed.  A  female  speclmenof  thisspeclesln 
my  collection  "  taken  November  11,  1895,  at  tht  Licking  County  Reservoir  (Ohio) 
by  William  Hu  It  Is  one  of  the  most  characteristic  summer  ducks  of  Labrador 

and  Newfoundland.  Mr.  Frazar  found  this  Elder  breeding  eommonly  on  small 
Islands  on  the  coast  of  Labrador,  making  the  nest  In  the  short,  soft  grass.  The 
favorite  nesting  place  was  at  the  foot  of  some  large  rock,  or  In  the  nooks  between 
rocks,  where  the  birds  found  shelter  from  the  wind.  They  were  always  made  of 
the  slate-colored  down  from  the  breasts  of  the  birds.  Most  Oi  the  nests  contained 
four  or  five  eggs;  a  large  number  of  six,  two  seven  and  one  eight.*  The  eggs  are  from 
four  to  ten  In  number,  but  often  fewer;  they  are  plain  duil-greenlsh-dralf;  measur- 
ing about  3x2. 


161.  PACIFIC  EIDEB.  Sumatrrin  r-niflra  Gray.  Geog.  Dist.— Coasts  of  the 
Korth  Pacific;  in  the  interior  to  the  Great  Slave  I^ake.  and  Eastern  Siberia. 

The  Pacific  Elder  is  common  In  suitable  places  on  both  coasts  and  islands  of 
Bering  Sea  and  the  polar  coasts  of  Siberia; 

replacing  the  Common  Elder,  X.  moUmlma, 
Spectacled  and  Steller's  Eiders.  Dr.  Stejneger 
Says  it  is  now  rather  scarce  on  the  Com- 
mander Island.  On  Copper  Island  it  breeds 
only  in  a  few  places,  and  in  limited  numbers. 
It  breeds  on  the  Aleutian  Islands,  the  Island 
of  St.  Michael's,  and  in  great  numbers  on  the 
Arctic  coast,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Anderson 
River.  Its  nesting  habits  are  the  same  as 
thoee  of  S,  drcsscri,  and  the  eggs  measure 
from  2.95  to  3.20  long  by  1.95  to  2.10  broad. 


161.    Pacific  Eidbr. 


162.  KIXQ  EIDEB.  f^omaterln  spcctabiUs  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist.— Northern  part 
of  Northern  Hemisphere,  breeding  in  the  Arctic  regions;  In  North  America  south 
casually  in  winter  to  New  Jersey  and  the  Great  Lakes. 

A  beautiful  Arctic  species,  very  closely  resembling  the  three  last.  It  is  a  resident 
of  Greenland,  and  is  found  on  the  Atlantic  coasts  of  Europe  and  America,  and  oii 
the  Pacific  coasts  of  America  and  Asia.  Abundant  in  various  places  along  the  shores 
of  the  Arctic  Ocean,  thence  southward  in  winter  on  the  Pacific  side  in  great  numbers 
to  the  Aleutian  Islands  and  beyond.  Rare  on  the  Alaskan  coast  of  Bering  Sea.  The 
nests  of  this  Elder,  found  in  the  islands  of  the  Arctic  seas,  are  placed  in  depressions 
of  the  ground,  and  composed  wholly  of  down.  In  Greenland  the  King  Eider  breeds 
in  the  latter  part  of  June  or  in  the  first  part  of  July,  nesting  in  the  vicinity  of  ponds 
and  marshes.  Six  eggs  are  the  usual  number  laid,  but  as  many  as  ten  are  said  to  be 
deposited.  They  vary  from  light-olive  gray  to  grayish-green,  and  measure  from 
3.10  to  3.15  long  by  1.75  to  2.10  broad. 


M 


163.  AMERICAN  SCOTEB.  Oidemia  americana  Sw.  &  Rich.  Geog.  Dist.— 
Coasts  and  larger  lakes  of  Northern  North  America;  breeds  in  Labrador  and  the 
northern  interior;  south  in  winter  to  New  Jersey,  the  Great  Lakes  and  California. 


•See  Mr.  Frazar's  article:    Ornithologist  and  Oologist,  Vol.  XII,  pp.  19-20. 


94 


NBBT8  AND  BQG8  OF 


,  1 


^»^^ 


163.    American  Scoter. 


A  few  of  this  species  are  said  to  breed  in  Labrador  as  they  do  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  marshes  and  pond^  in  the  interior,  northward.  In  the  Hudson  Bay  region 
the  American  Scoter  nests  in  June  and  July.    It  has  been  found  on  islands  along  the 

coast  of  Alaska  and  at  the  mouth  of  the  Yukon  in 
June.  The  Scoter  nests  similar  to  the  Sider,  on  the 
ground,  near  water;  the  material  used  being  coarse 
grass,  feathers  and  down.  The  nests  are  often  well 
Isecreted  in  the  cliffs  and  hollows  about  steep  banks. 
This  duck  is  called  Sea  Coot,  Butter-billed  and  Hol- 
low-billed Ccot.  The  plumage  of  the  adult  male  Is 
entirely  black,  and  the  top  of  the  bill  orange;  the 
color  of  the  female  is  sooty-brown,  becoming  paler 
below.  It  is  much  smaller  than  the  male.  This 
duck,  like  many  others  in  winter,  is  sometimes  found  in  great  numbers  along  the 
entire  Atlantic  coast.  Its  food  is  principally  small  bivalves,  which  it  secures  by 
diving.  A  female  of  this  duck  was  killed  December  3,  1895,  on  Alum  Creek,  a  small 
stream,  which  is  at  present  the  eastern  boundary  line  of  Columbus,  Ohio.  The 
specimen  is  now  in  my  collection.  The  eggs  are  said  to  range  from  six  to  ten  in 
number.    They  are  of  a  paie  dull  buff,  or  pale  brownish-buff,  and  measure  2.55x1.80. 

[164.]  VELVET  SCOTEB,  Oldemia  fusm  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist.— Northern  Old 
World;  accidental  in  Alaska  and  Greenland. 

This  fine  sea  duck  belongs  to  the  Old  World.  It  is  a  winter  visitant  on  the  coasts 
of  England;  a  few  specimens  have  been  obtained  at  differexxt  times  in  the  London 
markets.  It  is  recorded  as  having  been  taken  as  far  south  as  Italy.  On  the  Oikney 
and  Shetlafld  Islands  it  is  said  to  be  common.  Pound  in  Norway,  Sweden  and 
Scandinavia.  Said  to  be  abundant  everywhere  in  Lapland,  where  it  nests  on  hum- 
mocks, among  the  willow  swamps,  in  long  grass  neur  water,  or  by  the  edges  of  large 
lakes  in  mountain  districts.  The  eggs  are  cf  a  nale  cream  color,  and  measure  2.87x 
1.92. 


165.  WHITE- WINGED  SCOTEB.  Otdetnia  deglandi  Bonap.  Geog.  Dist.— 
Northern  America,  breeding  in  Labrador  and  the  Fur  Countries;  south  to  the  Middle 
States,  Southern  Illinois  and  Southern  California. 

Like  the  Velvet  Scoter,  0.  fusca  of  the  Old  World,  the  American  bird  is  eminently 
a  sea  duck,  resorting,  however,  mainly  to  inland  waters  during  the  breeding  season. 
Its  summer  home  is  in  the  Arctic  regions.  Found  along  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific 
coasts,  and  as  far  south  as  the  Middle  States  in  the  spring,  fall  and  winter.  It 
breeds  on  many  of  the  lakes,  rivers  and  larger  bodies  of  water  in  Manitoba.  The 
"White-winged  Coot,"  "Sea  Coot,"  "Black  Surf  Duck,"  or  Velvet  Duck,  as  it  is 
variously  called,  has  been  found  breeding  quite  abundantly  on  the  Lower  Anderson 
river,  constructing  the  nest  on  the  ground  near  fresh  water.  The  nests  contain  a 
fining  of  down  and  feathers.  Audubon  found  it  breeding  in  Labrador  from  the  1st 
to  the  10th  of  June.  The  nests  were  built  by  the  side  of  small  lakes,  two  or  three 
miles  distant  from  the  sea,  and  usually  placed  under  low  bushes;  they  were  formed 
of  twigs,  mosses  and  various  plants  matted  together.  The  nests  were  large  and 
almost  flat,  several  inches  thick,  lined  with  some  feathers  of  the  female,  but  without 
down.  The  eggs  are  usually  six  in  number,  measuring  2.68x1.83.  They  are  of  a  pale 
\)uff,  varying  to  green. 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


95 


166.  SUKF  SCOTEB.  Oidemia  perspicillata  (Line.)  Geog.  Dist.— Coasts  and 
larger  inland  waters  of  Northern  North  America;  south  to  the  Carolinas,  the  Ohio 
river  and  Lower  California. 

The  Surf  Duck  and  the  three  preceding  species  are  called  Coots  by  the  gunners; 
their  habits,  appearance  and  general  characteristics  being  similar.  It  is  peculiarly 
an  American  species,  and  is  only  an  occasional 
or  accidental  visitor  in  Europe.  The  plumage  of 
the  male  of  this  species  is  glossy  black,  no  wh'te 
on  the  wings,  but  a  triangular  white  patcE'  on 
the  forehead  pointing  forward.  The  female  is  n 
sooty-brown,  below  silvery-gray;  side  of  the 
head  much  whitish.  It  breeds  in  the  far  north 
along  the  coast  and  in  the  interior  of  the  fur 
countries.  Audubon  found  this  species  to  be  the 
lesist  numerous  of  the  ducks  inhabiting  Labra- 
dor. He  discovered  a  nest,  in  a  fresh-water 
marsh  placed  among  the  tall  grass  and  weeds, 
rotten  weeds,  lined  with  the  down  of  the  bird, 
were  pale  yellowish  or  cream  color,  and  measured  2.31  by  1.63.  The  general  average 
is  2.47x1.70;  pale  buff  to  creamy-buff. 


Surf  Scoter. 


It  was  entirely  made  of  withered. 
The  nest  contained  five  eggs;  they 


167.    BUDDY  DUCK.    FMsmatura  ruhida  (Wils.)    Geog.  Dist.— North  America. 
In  general,  south  to  Cuba,  Guatemala,  and  Northern  South  America. 

The  Ruddy  Duck  is  an  American  species,  and  is  found  breeding  throughout 
most  of  its  range,  but  more  especially  from  the  northern  borders  of  the  United 
States  northward.  In  spring  and  fall  it  is  an  abundant  duck  on  the  large  bodies 
of  water,  as  well  as  rivers,  small  streams  and  ponds.  It  is  exceedingly  difficult  to 
kill,  being  very  tenacious  of  life,  and,  when  wounded,  dives  with  the  greatest  of  ease, 
remaining  under  the  water  for  a  long  time — in  fact,  no  duck  excels  this  one  in 
diving.  Mr.  Shields  writes  that  the  Ruddy  Duck  breeds  quite  commonly  in  the 
vicinity  of  Los  Angeles,  Cala.,  depositing.-;  from  five  to  eleven  eggs  about  the  last  of 
May,  and  fresh  eggs  may  be  taken  as  late  as  June  25.  He  says  there  is  positive  proof 
that  this  duck  prefers  the  abandoned  nests  of  Coots  for  nesting  purposes  to  those 
constructed  by  itself,  and  cites  several  instances  in  which  he  took  eggs  of  this 
species  from  what  appeared  to  be  Coots'  nests  reconstructed.  Seven  Ruddy  Ducks' 
egga  were  found  in  a  Coot's  nest,  from  which,  a  few  weeks  previous,  a  set  of  the 
Coot's  eggs  were  obtained.  The  locality  usually  selected  for  a  breeding  place  is 
some  deep,  sluggish  stream,  lake  or  pond,  and  the  nests  are  always  built  close  to  the 
water's  edge;  they  are  composed  of  reeds,  dry  rushes  and  grass.  The  structure  is 
often  made  sc  that  it  v/i'l  fleet,  similar  to  a  grebe's  nest.  The  male  is  a  hand- 
some bird;  its  general  color  is  glossy  chestnut,  and  the  lower  parts  silvery  white; 
the  chin  and  sides  of  the  iiead  are  white,  the  crown  and  nape  glossy  black.  The 
female  is  brown  above,  finely  dotted,  and  waved  with  dusky;  below  paler  and  duller. 
From  its  peculiar  stiff  tail  feathers,  I  have  often  heard  hunters  call  it  the  "Sprig- 
tail,"  a  name,  however,  applied  to  the  Pin-tail  Duck.  It  is  also  called  Dipper  Duck. 
The  eggs  are  grayish-white,  ovoid  or  oval  in  shape,  with  a  finely  granulated  surface; 
sizes  range  from  2.35  to  2.50  long  by  1.70  to  1.80  broad.  They  appear  large  for  the 
Size  of  the  bird. 

[168.]    MASKED  DUCK.    Nomonyx  dominicus  (Linn.)    Geog.  Dist.— Tropical 
America  in  general,  including  West  Indies,  north  on  the  Gulf  coast  to  the  Lower 


96 


NE8T8  AND  EQ08  OF 


Rio  Granoe,  accidental  in  Eastern  North  America  (Wisconsin;  Lalie  Champlain; 
Massachusetts). 

This  tropical  American  species  is  pur*»ly  accidental  in  Eastern  North  America 
as  ahove  stated  m  its  geographical  range.  Nothing  is  known  regarding  its  nesting 
or  eggs. 

160.  LESSER  SNOW  QOOSE.  Chen  hyperborea  (Pall.)  Geog.  Dist.— Pacific 
coast  to  the  Mississippi  Valley,  breeding  in  Alaslia;  south  in  winter  to  Southern 
Illinois  and  Southern  California. 

There  are  several  forms  of  the  Snow  Goose  which  exist  in  North  America;  two 
are  designated  by  their  respective  sizes,  namely.  Lesser  and  Greater.  The  Lesser 
species  breeds  in  Alaska,  and  occurs  throughout  the  northwestern  portions  of  the 
continent,  and  in  wintei  migrates  over  the  whole  of  the  country,  from  the  Pacific 
coast  to  the  Mississippi  Valley.  The  Greater  Snow  Goose,  Chen  hyperborea  nivalis 
(Forst.),  according  to  Prof.  Ridgway,  occurs  in  Eastern  North  America;  its  breeding 
grounds  are  unknown  but  they  are  probably  in  the  Arctic  regions  east  of  the 
Mackenzie  river.  In  winter  it  i*^  found  in  the  United  States  from  the  Mississippi 
Valley  to  the  Atlantic  coast.*  These  birds  seek  a  nesting  ground  along  the  course 
of  the  Lower  Anderson  river,  and  the  neighboring  region  along  the  Arctic  coast 
(Nelson). 

169ff.  GREATER  SNOW  GOOSE.  Chen  hyperborea  nivalin  (Forst.)  Geog. 
Dist. — North  America,  breeding  far  north  (east  of  the  Mackenzie  basin)  and  mi- 
grating south  in  winter,  chiefly  along  the  Atlantic  coast,  reaching  Cuba. 

Mr.  Frank  M.  Chapman  in  his  "Handbook  of  Birds  of  Eastern  North  America"* 
says:  "The  Snow  Goose  does  not  appear  to  be  a  common  bird  on  any  part  o).'  the 
Atlantic  coast.  It  migrates  both  by  night  and  day,  and  when  on  the  wing  its  white 
plumage  and  black-tipped  primaries  render  it  identifiable.  It  is  a  noisier  bird  than 
the  Canada  Goose,  and  its  voice  is  higher  and  more  cackling."t  Mr.  Cha^-iman  states 
that  its  nest  and  eggs  are  unknown. 

169. 1.  BLUE  GOOSE.  Chen  ccerulescens  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist.— Interior  of  North 
America,  breeding  on  eastern  shores  of  Hudson  Bay  and  migrating  south,  in  winter, 
through  the  Mississippi  valley  to  Gulf  coast ;  occasional  on  the  Atlar^  tic  coast. 

Apparently  it  is  nowhere  common  in  North  America,  and  it  is  aven  less  common 
on  the  Atlantic  coast  than  in  the  interior.  At  one  time  it  was;  supposed  by  many 
ornithologists  to  be  the  young  of  the  Snow  Gocbe.  The  Blue  Go'ine  was  first  recorded 
as  an  Ohio  bird  by  the  late  Dr.  J.  M.  Wheaton  in  1875.  Two  specimens  were 
identified;  one  of  these,  which  was  captured  alive  four  miles  sou»;h  of  Columbus,  was 
kept  in  the  City  Park  for  a  year,  where  it  associated  with  the  swans.  Another  was 
wounded  and  captured  on  the  Scioto  river;  it  was  r^aced  in  the  paik  with  the  other 
specimen,  but  died  in  a  few  days.  I  believe  there  is  nothing  authentic  known  con- 
cerning its  nest  and  eggs. 


*  Manual  of  N.  A.  Birds,  p.  115. 

t  Handbook  of  Birds  of  Eastern  N.  America,  with  keys  to  the  species  and  descriptions 
of  their  plumagres,  nests  and  eggs,  their  distribution  and  migration  and  a  brief  account  of 
their  haunts  and  habits,  with  Introductory  chapter  on  the  study  of  ornithology,  how  to 
Identify  birds  and  how  to  collect  and  preserve  birds,  their  nests  and  eggs.  By  Frank  M. 
Chapman,  Assistant  Curator  of  the  Department  of  Mammalogy  and  Ornithology  in  the 
American  Museum  of  Natural  History,  New  York  City;  member  of  the  American  Ornithol- 
ogists'   Union,  etc.    Second  edition.    New  York:    D.  Appleton  &  Co.,  1895. 


• 


',      i 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


97 


170.  BOSS'S  SNOW  GOOSE.  Chen  rossii  (Cassin.)  Geog.  Dist.— In  summer 
Arctic  America,  migrating  south  in  winter  to  southern  California  and  eastward  to 
Montana. 

There  is  nothing  known  of  the  habits,  nests  and  eggs  of  this  boreal  species. 


Oft 


;  I 


[171.]  WHITE-FRONTED  GOOSE.  Aiiser  ulMfroHK  (Gm.)  Geog.  Dist.-- 
Northern  parts  of  Eastern  Hemisphere  and  Greenland. 

The  White-fronted  Goose  of  the  Old  World,  which  very  closely  respmbles  the 
American  species,  is  distributed  in  its  migrations  throughout  various  j  ctions  of 
Europe,  but  is  more  abundant  in  the  eastern  than  in  the  western  portions.  Said  to 
extend  its  migrations  into  Central  Africa,  almost  to  the  equator.  It  breeds  near  the 
coast  line  of  the  Arctic  Ocean  in  Europe  and  Asia,  and  also  on  the  lakes,  larger 
rivers,  bays  and  inlets.  There  is  no  difference  between  the  general  habits  of  this 
species  and  those  of  the  American  bird.  It  nests  on  the  ground,  in  the  immediate 
vicinity  of  water,  making  a  large  structure  of  sticks  and  hay  which  is  lined  with 
down.  The  eggs  are  from  four  to  six  in  number,  yellowish-white  in  color,  and 
measure  about  3.10x2.05.  • 


[171.  1.]  BEAN  GOOSE.  AtiHcr  fahalis  (Dath.)  Geog.  Dist.— Northern  Asia, 
eastward  into  Northern  Europe  and  Northern  Africa.    Accidental  in  Greenland. 

The  Bean  Goose  is  an  inhabitant  of  Northern  Asia  and  Northern  Europe.  It  is 
the  Aiixn-  fo'ijvtiiiii  of  Pennant.  A  winter  visitant  to  Great  Britain,  and  is  said  to 
breed  on  some  of  the  Hebrides.  It  breeds  in  Northern  Europe,  and  was  found  nesting 
by  Hewitson  on  islands  of  the  Norwegian  sea,  near  the  Arctic  circle.  The  nests  were 
simply  hollows  in  the  ground,  usually  in  elevated  portions  of  the  islands;  they  were 
lined  with  rank  g'-asses  and  sedges.  The  eggs  are  from  five  to  eight  in  number,  of  a 
dull  greenish  color  and  their  average  size  is  3.27x2.27  inches.  This  Goose  is  suc- 
cessfully bred  in  confinement  and  the  description  and  size  of  the  eggs  here  given 
are  from  specimens  from  that  source. 


1710.  AMERICAN  WHITE-FRONTED  GOOSE.  Anser  albifrons  gambeli 
(Hartl.)  Geog.  Dist. — North  America,  breeding  far  northward;  in  winter,  south  to 
Mexico  and  Cuba. 

Often  called  "Laughing  Goose."  It  is  of  large  size  and  robust  form,  may  bo 
known  by  its  -hite  forehead  and  spotted  breast.  A  very  handsome  bird  and  a 
favorite  with  sportsmen.  Large  numbers  are  often  kille i  on  the  lakes  and  reservoirs 
in  spring  and  fall.  The  White- 
fronted  Goose  is  common  throughout 
the  whole  of  North  America,  but  is 
more  abundant  on  the  Pacific  coast 
than  in  the  interior  or  along  the  At- 
lantic. It  flies  in  V-shaped  flocks, 
frequently  uttering  a  loud,  harsh 
cry,  which  may  be  heard  at  a  con- 
siderable distance.  This  species 
breeds  in  high  latitudes  and  is  par- 
ticularly abundant  in  Alaska,  nest- 
ing in  large  numbers  along  the 
Yukon  river,  laying  its  eggs  in  c'e- 
pressions  in  the  sand.  Said  to  breed 
also  on  Stuart's  Island  and  other 
islands  along  the  coast.  Its  favoritfe 
resorts  are  in  the  vicinity  of  fre^- 
water  lakes.  Along  the  Lower  An- 
derson river,  on  the  Arctic  coast  and 
on  the  islands  of  the  Arctic  Sea  this 
species  breeds  in  abundance  in  June 
and  July.  The  nests  are  made  in  a 
depression  of  the  ground,  and  made 
of    hay,    feathers    and    down.      Dr. 


8 


171a.    American  White-fronted  Goosb. 


til- 


98 


VESTa  AND  EOGS  OF 


Brewer  states  that  nests  found  by  Mr.  MacFarlane  were  generally  tound  la  wooaed 
districts.  Murdoch  says  that  the  eggs  are  always  laid  in  the  black,  muddy  tundra, 
often  on  top  of  a  slight  knoll.  The  nest  is  lined  with  tundra  moss  and  down.  The 
number  of  eggs  in  a  clutch  appears  subject  to  considerable  variation,  as  sets  of  four, 
six  and  seven  were  well  advanced  in  incubation.  The  last  laid  egg  is  generally  in 
the  middle  of  the  nest,  and  may  be  recognized  by  its  white  shell,  unless  incubation 
is  far  advanced,  the  other  eggs  being  stained  and  soiled  by  the  birds  coming  on  and 
off  the  nest.  The  eggs  are  six  or  seven  in  number,  and  measure  from  2.90  to  3.30 
long  by  2.05  to  2.10  broad.  They  are  elliptical  in  shape,  dull  greenish-yellow  with 
obscure  darker  tints.  Nelson  records  the  measurements  of  a  very  large  series  of 
eggs  taken  at  St.  Michael's,  Alaska.  They  are  as  follows:  Maximum  3.45x2.28; 
minimum,  2.98x2.10.    Within  these  limits  he  says  there  are  innumerable  gradations. 

172.  CANADA  GOOSE.  Braiita  ranidensin  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist. — Temperate 
North  America,  breeding  in  the  Northern  United  States  and  British  Provinces; 
south  in  winter  to  Mexico. 

The  Common  Wild  Goose  of  North  America,  in  its  various  forms  and  great  ex- 
tremes of  size,  is  generally  distributed  throughout  the  continent  at  large,  B. 
canUlriisis  proper,  breeding,  as  indicated  in  the  above  habitat.  It  is  the  most  abundant 
of  our  geese.  Large  numbers  may  be  seen  during  the  spring  and  fall  migrations 
flying  overhead  in  wedge-shaped  flocks,  with  an  old  gander  always  in  the  lead  at  the 
apex  of  the  triangle,  frequently  uttering  the  sonorous  honk,  honk,  which  is  often 
heard  at  a  great  height.  In  many  places  they  breed  in  captivity  with  the  common 
domestic  goose,  producing  a  hybrid  bird  much  esteemed  for  the  table.  It  has  been 
learned  from  birds  in  conflnement  that  none  of  them  lay  until  three  years  old;  the 
first  season  four  eggs  are  laid,  five  the  second  season,  and  when  older  six  and  seven.* 
Dr.  Coues  alludes  to  the  breeding  of  the  Canada  Goose  in  trees  in  various  parts  of  the 
Upper  Missouri  and  Yellowstone  regicns.t  Breeding  grounds,  inundated  along  the 
banks  of  streams,  have  at  times  caused  the  birds  to  resort  to  trees  for  the  purpose  of 
nesting,  some  making  use  of  Herons'  and  Ravens'  nests.f  Nests  of  the  Canada 
Goose  in  Dakota  are  usually  situated  far  away  from  water  on  the  prairies.  The 
most  interesting  information  I  can  offer  on  the  breeding  habits,  migration,  etc.,  of 
this  goose  in  a  semi-domestic  state,  is  as  follows:  In  March,  1886,  Mr.  George  Sackett, 
of  Delaware,  Ohio,  shot  three  specimens  while  they  were  passing  over  his  farm. 
Upon  examination  they  were  found  to  have  only  been  "winged."  The  wounds  were 
dressed  and  the  birds  allowed  their  freedom  on  the  farm  for  two  successive  sum- 
mers, but  from  the  lack  of  suflScient  water  and  the  annoyance  of  cattle  they  did  not 
prosper  in  their  domestic  affairs.  On  two  occasions  the  cattle  destroyed  their  nests 
and  young.  The  wild,  timid  creatures  were  finally  transferred  to  Mr.  F.  P.  Vergon, 
proprietor  of  an  artificial  lake  which  has  a  surface  of  about'  thirty  acres.  It  is  used 
as  a  pleasure  resort  and  is  interspersed  with  many  little  Islands.  Here  the  two  that 
were  mated  made  their  nest  in  the  rank  grass  and  rubbish  at  the  most  secluded  end 
of  the  lake;  the  young  were  hatched  and  from  some  unknown  cause  were  ag:;ln 
destroyed.  The  next  season  they  took  up  their  quarters  on  one  of  the  Islands,  made 
a  nest  of  sticks  and  straw,  and  commenced  laying  in  the  latter  part  of  March,  Incu- 
bating until  May,  bringing  forth  eight  young.  During  th(i  ten  years  on  the  lake 
only  two  eggs  failed  to  hatch.     The  young  were  not  taken  into  the  water  until 


♦  Wm.  Dutcher,  in  The  Auk.    Vol.  II,  p.  111. 

t  Birds  of  the  Northwest,  pp.  554-555. 

tMaJ.  Chas.  E.  Bendlre:    Bull.  Nutt.  Club.    Vol.  I,  p.  60. 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRD^. 


99 


> 


172.    Nest  AND  Eggs  OF  THK  Canada  Goose.    (Photo,  by  W.  Raine.) 

they  were  six  days  old,  and  this  was  in  early  morning  and  evening,  at  which  times 
the  old  birds  would  float  off  from  their  island  with  their  well-known  honk,  the 
young  following  single  file  behind  them,  feeding  at  the  extreme  end  of  the  lake. 
This  was  kept  up  until  August,  when  the  young  could  fly  and  take  care  of  themselves. 
The  eggs  were  always  seven  and  never  more  than  eight  in  number.  What  is  most 
remarkable  about  these  birds  is  that  they  would  go  south  every  fall  and  return 
every  spring;  their  number  always  being  diminished  by  the  time  they  returned; 
some  probably  being  killed  by  sportsmen.  Mr.  Vergon  says  the  geese  often  strayed 
away  from  "home"  as  far  as  ten  and  fifteen  miles  on  the  Olentangy  River  and  other 
waters  in  the  neighborhood.  He  fed  them  on  a  high  ridge  near  the  lake  and  on  this 
ridge  they  were  always  first  seen  in  spring  when  they  returned.  Mr.  Vernon  says  he 
thinks  they  always  came  at  night  and  is  very  sure  they  always  departed  in  autumn 
at  night.  While  the  flocks  that  departed  in  the  fall  and  returned  in  the  spring  had 
often  been  diminished  in  numbers,  yet  as  many  as  twenty-two  new  ones  came  with 
them  and  stayed  at  the  lake.  Out  of  thirty  that  departed  the  fall  of  1886  only  three 
returned  in  the  spring.  The  birds  were  very  much  afraid  of  strangers,  but  with 
Mr.  Vergon  they  were  very  familiar,  allowing  him  to  handle  and  caress  them  at 
pleasure.  Dr.  Merrill  found  this  species  breeding  on  the  Upper  Missouri,  Yellow- 
stone, and  Big  Horn  Rivers,  where  their  favorite  nesting  sites  were  on  the  numerous 
low  sandy  islands  in  these  rivers,  covered  in  the  higher  parts  with  a  growth  of  young 
willows.  Their  nests  were  simply  a  hollow  in  the  sand,  around  which  was  placed  a 
few  sticks  and  twigs,  and  the  eggs  lay  on  a  layer  of  gray  down.  Nests  were  found 
on  the  tops  of  broken  trunks  of  trees;  one  on  a  rocky  ledge  three  hundred  yards  from 
the  river;  another  was  made  on  a  pile  of  brush  that  had  collected  in  the  top  of  a 
fallen  tree  that  had  floated  down  and  lodged  near  the  middle  of  the  river;  some  nests 


100 


NEBT8  AND  E008  OF 


were  placed  on  the  high  banks  among  high  grass,  or  on  piles  of  drift  wood.  By  the 
first  of  May  the  nests  contained  the  full  complement  of  eggs,  generally  five  in 
number.  Dr.  Merrill  says:  "When  these  geese  nest  among  the  branches  of  a  tree 
I  do  not  think  they  ever  construct  the  nest  entirely  themselves,  but  take  possession 
of  a  deserted  nest  of  the  Fish  Hawk,  and  repa'r  it  witu  twigs  and  a  lining  of  down. 
They  have  been  seen  to  carry  small  sticks  tc  the  nest  for  this  purpose."  The  color 
of  the  eggs  is  a  pale  dull  greenish,  and  their  size  is  about  3.50x2.50. 

172a.  HUTCHINS'S  GOOSE.  Branta  canadensis  hutchinsil  (Sw.  &  Rich.)  Geog. 
Dist. — North  America,  breeding  in  the  Arctic  regions,  migrating  south  in  winter, 
chiefly  through  the  Western  United  States  and  Mississippi  Valley;  Eastern  Asia, 

This  bird,  which  is  like  caiuidciisi,s  in  color,  but  of  a  smaller  sizC:  breeds  in  boreal 
regions.  Its  length  is  about  24  to  34  inches.  Its  general  habits  are  the  same  as  those 
of  the  common  Canada  Goose.  Breeds  abundantly  along  the  Yukon  River  and  on  the 
islands  on  the  coast  of  Alaska.  Nests  have  been  found  on  the  Islands  of  the 
Anderson  River  and  on  the  Arctic  coast.  In  these  regions  eggs  of  this  species  have 
been  taken  from  Hawks'  and  Crows'  nests  built  in  trees.  It  nests  usually  on  sand- 
beaches,  depositing  from  four  to  six  eggs  in  hollows  in  which  there  are  more  or  less 
leaves,  grasses,  feathers  and  down.  In  his  paper  on  "The  Birds  of  the  Western 
Aleutian  Islands,"  Mr.  Dall  states  that  it  does  not  breed  east  of  Amchita  Island, 
but  some  nest  on  Amchitka,  Kyska  and  other  islands  there.  Its  nesting  habits, 
notes,  and  general  mode  of  life  are  identical  with  those  of  the  Cackling  Goose.  The 
eggs  are  white,  and  measure  3.18x2.10.  In  the  Arctic  regions  the  eggs  are  laid  in 
June  and  July.  Eggs  of  this  uird  taken  at  the  mouth  of  the  Yukon  in  June  measure 
3.02x2.10,  3.08x2.11,  3.04x2.00,  3.00x2.11,  2.90x2.07.  There  is  a  great  variation  in  the 
size  of  the  eggs  of  this  bird  and  those  of  minima. 


hi! 


172&.  WHITE-CHEEKED  GOOSE.  Branta  canadensis  occidentalis  (Baird.) 
Geog.  Dist. — Pacific  coast  region,  from  Sitka  south,  in  winter  to  California. 

A  larger  sub-species  than  Hutchins's  Goose,  length  about  35  inches.  Mr.  Nelson 
states  that  during  his  residence  on  the  coast  of  Bering  Sea  this  bird  was  not  seen,  as 
hundreds  of  the  two  other  related  forms  were  examined  both  at  St.  Michael's  and 
at  the  Yukon  mouth  it  appeared  evident  that  either  the  White-cheeked  Goose 
proper  never  reached  those  localities;  if  at  all,  merely  as  a  straggler.  Mr.  Dall  recorus 
specimens  having  been  taken  at  Sitka  during  the  Western  Union  Telegraph  expedi- 
tion. The  nesting  habits  and  the  eggs  are  more  than  likely  like  those  of  the  Canada 
Goose. 


172c.     CACKLING  GOOSE.     Branta  canadensis  minima  Ridgw.     Geog.  Dist. — 
Coast  of  Alaska,  migrating  southward  into  V/estern  United  States  east  to  Wisconsin. 

The  length  of  the  Cackling  Goose  is  about  24  inches.  Nelson  states  that  this  is 
the  most  common  and  generally  distributed-  goose  found  breeding  along  the  Alaskan 
coast  of  Bering  Sea.  From  the  sea  shore  its  breeding  ground  extends  along  the 
courses  of  the  great  rivers  far  into  the  interior.  While  descending  the  Yukon,  Dall 
found  their  eggs  laid  upon  the  bare  sand  banks,  as  were  those  of  the  White-fronted 
species.  The  last  week  of  May  finds  many  of  these  birds  already  depositing  their 
eggs.  Upon  the  grassy  borders  of  ponds,  in  the  midst  of  a  bunch  of  grass,  or  on  ai 
small  knoll  these  birds  find  a  spot  where  they  make  a  slight  depression  and  line  it' 
with  a  scanty  layer  of  grasses,  after  which  the  eggs  are  laid,  numbering  from  five 
to  eight.    These  eggs,  like  the  birds,  average  smaller  than  those  of  the  other  geeee. 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDfi. 


101 


The  following  measurements,  taken  from  a  large  series  pf  eggs,  show  about  the 
average  sizes:  3.00x1.90,  2.90x1.90,  2.80x2.00,  2.75x2.00,  2.70x1.92.  As  the  eggs  are 
deposited  the  female  gradually  lines  the  nest  with  feathers  plucked  from  her  breast 
until  they  rest  in  a  bed  of  down.  When  first  laid  the  eggs  are  white,  but  by  the  time 
incubation  begins  all  are  soiled  and  dingy. 

173.  BRANT.  Branta  heniirla  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist.— Northern  portions  of  the 
Northern  Hemisphere;  in  North  America  chiefly  on  the  Atlantic  ccast,  rare  in  the 
interior  or  away  from  salt  water. 

The  Brant  Goose  is  almost  cosmopolitan  in  its  distribution.  It  is  found  on  the 
sea  coasts  of  Europe  and  eastern  North  America,  breeding  only  within  the  Arctic 
circle.  Hagerup  records  this  bird  to  be  common  as  a  migratory  species  along  the 
southern  shores  of  Greenland,  and  says  it  breeds  possibly  in  the  northern  part  of 
Danish  Greenland.  While  being  more  maritime  than  United  States  geese  generally 
are,  it  is  also  foui  d  inland  occasionally  on  lakes  and  rivers.  During  the  migrations 
it  is  abundant,  and  seemfi  to  prefer  the  coast  to  the  Interior,  seldom  passing  over 
large  tracts  of  land,  following  the  windings  of  the  shore,  and  nearly  always  keeping 
over  water.  The  Brant  is  a  particular  favorite  with  sportsmen,  and  many  are  shot 
from  points  of  land  which  project  out  into  the  sea.  1  he  common  Brant  Goose  is  said 
to  breed  in  immense  numbers  in  Spitzbergen  and  on  the  islands  about  the  coast. 
The  nest  is  constructed  on  the  sandy  beaches,  of  grasses,  moss,  feathers  and  down, 
the  birds  depositing  from  four  to  six  eggs.  In  some  parts  of  Greenland  where  this 
species  is  known  to  breed,  some  of  the  birds  make  their  nests  on  cliifs.  The  eggs  are 
grayish  or  dirty-white,  and  average  in  size  2.70  by  1.80,  according  to  Saunders. 


174.  BLACK  BBANT.  Branta  nigrirana  (Lawr.)  Geog.  Dist.— Arctic  and 
Western  North  America:  rare  in  the  Atlantic  States. 

The  Black  Brant  is  very  closely  allied  to  the  common  Brant  Goose;  it  is  found 
on  the  Pacific  coast,  where  the  latter  does  not  occur.  Its  summer  home  is  in  high 
latitudes,  and  in  Alaska,  the  mouth  c!  ihe  Yukon,  is  said  probably  to  form  the  ex- 
treme southern  limit  of  this  bird's  occurrence  in  the  breeding  season.  At  Point 
Barrow,  according  to  Murdoch,  a  few  remain  to  breed  in  June.  The  nest  is  placed  in 
rather  marshy  ground  and  is  a  simple  depression  lined  with  down,  with  which  the 
eggs  are  completely  covered  when  the  birds  leave  the  nest.  Breeds  in  abundance 
on  islands  northeast  of  the  mouth  of  Anderson  River,  in  Liverpool  Bay  on  the 
Arctic  coast,  on  the  shores  of  Franklin  Bay,  and  on  various  other  parts  of  the  coast, 
especially  in  regions  west  of  Anderson  River.  In  these  regions,  according  to  Dr. 
Brewer,  nests  we'-e  founa  by  Mr.  MacFarlane  on  small  Islets  in  fresh  water  ponds; 
others  on  islands  in  the  Anderson  near  its  mouth;  many  were  made  on  the  shore  or 
on  islands  in  Franklin  Bay,  and  in  various  parts  of  the  Arctic  Sea.  Some  of  the 
nests  were  nothing  but  mere  depressions  lined  with  down,  while  in  others  the 
quantity  of  down  was  quite  large.  The  number  of  eggs  in  a  nest  was  generally  five; 
but  in  one  case  as  many  as  seven  were  seen,  and,  in  six  or  seven  instances  six.  The 
eggs  are  grayish- white,  and  range  from  2.75  to  2.90  long  by  1.80  to  1.85  broad. 


Il 


k. 


[175.]  BARNACLE  GOOSE.  Branta  leucopais  (Bechst.)  Geog.  Dist.— North- 
ern parts  of  the  Old  World;  casual  in  Eastern  North  America. 

The  Barnacle  Goose  inhabits  the  northern  portions  of  Europe  and  is  occasion- 
ally found  on  the  Atlantic  coast  of  North  America.  But  many  of  the  specimens  taken 
on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic  are  birds  that  are  supposed  to  have  escaped  from  con- 


102 


NB8TS  AND  EQOS  OF 


flnement.  In  Great  Britain  it  is  a  winter  visitant.  During  tlie  migrations  it  is 
said  to  be  found  In  great  numbers  along  the  coast  of  Norway,  and  at  these  seasons 
it  is  stated  to  be  abundant  in  Holland,  France  and  Germany.  It  is  said  to  occur 
during  the  breeding  season  in  Northern  Siberia.  The  shores  of  the  White  Sea  to  the 
eastward  are  supposed  to  be  the  great  breeding  places  of  this  bird.*  The  eggs  are 
grayish-white  and  measure  3.71x2.38. 

176.  EMPEROR  GOOSE.  Phllactv  camt^ica  (Sevast.)  Geog.  Dist.— Coast  and 
islands  of  Alaska  north  of  the  i  >ninsula;  chiefly  about  Norton  Sound  and  Valley  of 
the  Lower  Yukon;  Commander  Islands,  Kamtchatka;  casually  southward  to  Hum  bolt 
Bay,  California. 

Among  the  various  species  of  birds  more  or  less  peculiar  to  Alaska,  says  Mr. 
Nelson,  this  goose  is  perhaps  the  most  noteworthy.  This  author  and  naturalist  lay 
camped  on  a  lonely  islet  in  the  middle  of  the  Yukon  delta  for  the  purpose  of  gaining 
some  knowledge  of  the  habits  of  these  geese  and  other  water  fowl  during  the  last  of 
May  and  first  of  June.    Tne  birds  arrive  about  those  periods.    Early  in  June  the 


, 


176,     Emperor  Goose. 

Emperor  Goose  begins  to  deposit  eggs  on  the  flat,  marshy  islands  bordering  the  sea. 
On  June  5  a  female  was  found  setting  upon  her  eggs  on  a  little  knoll,  near  by  a 
smali  fragment  of  bleached  driftwood.  The  nest  contained  three  eggs.  They  rested 
in  a  depression  with  no  sign  of  a  lining.  Other  nests  were  found  and  the  birds  each 
time  betrayed  them  by  flying  off  with  a  startled  cry.  The  majority  of  the  nests  con- 
tained from  three  to  flve  eggs,  the  full  complement  usually  ranging  from  five  to  eight. 
The  eggs  are  absolutely  indistinguishable  from  those  of  the  White-fronted  Goose, 
and  in  form  and  measurements  present  a  wide  range  of  variation;  some  are  much 
elongated,  while  others  are  slightly  pyriform.  As  usually  taken  from  the  nests  they 
are  of  a  dirty  brownish-white,  but  when  fresh  are  nearly  pure  white.  As  the  com- 
plement of  eggs  approaches  completion  the  parent  makes  a  bed  of  leaves,  fine  grass 
and  feathers  plucked  from  her  own  breast.  The  eggs  vary  in  size  from  3.28x2.22  to 
3.03x2.00. 


♦  Yarrell,  III,  p.  74. 


SOUTH  AMtJlilCAN  UllthS. 


toi 


177.  BLACK-BEIiLIED  TBEE-DUCK.  Ihndroitfifna  autumnaliH  (Linn.) 
Geog.  DlBt.— Southweetern  border  of  the  United  States  and  aouthwanl  (Mexico,  Went 
Indies,  etc.) 

The  Autumnal  Tree-duck  Is  a  species  of  variegated  plumage  and  long  legs.  It 
inhabits  the  southwestern  border  of  the  United  States  and  southward  to  Mexico, 
West  Indies,  Central  and  South  America.  It  is  commonly  called  "Long-legged  Tree- 
duclt."  Alons  the  Rio  Grande  In  Mexico  and  Texas  it  is  abundant  from  April  to 
October  and  later.  Dr.  Merrill  found  it  common  in  Southern  Texas.  He  says:  "This 
large  and  handsome  bird  arrives  from  the  South  in  April,  and  Is  soon  found  in 
abundance  on  the  river  banks  and  lagoons.  Migrating  at  night  it  contintuilly  utters 
a  peculiar  chattering  whistle,  which  at  once  indicates  its  presence.  Called  by  the 
Mexicans  ikiIoh  iimizal,  or  Corn-field  Duck,  from  its  habit  of  frequenting  those  lo- 
calities. It  is  by  no  means  shy,  and  large  numiters  are  offered  for  sale  in  the 
Brownsville  market.  Easily  domesticated,  it  becomes  very  tame,  roosting  at  night 
in  trees  with  chickens  and  turkeys.  When  the  females  begin  to  lay,  the  males  leave 
them  and  gather  in  large  flocks  on  sand-bars  in  the  river.  My  knowledge  of  the 
breeding  habits  is  derived  from  Dr.  S.  M.  Finley,  U.  S.  A.,  who  had  ample  oppor- 
tunity of  observing  these  birds  et  Hidalgo.  The  eggs  are  deposited  in  hollow  trees 
and  branches,  often  at  a  con8lu>:!iable  distance  from  water  (two  miles),  and  from 
eight  to  thirty  feet  or  more  from  the  ground.  The  eggs  are  placed  on  the  bare  wood, 
and  are  from  twelve  to  sixteen  in  number.  Two  broods  are  raised,  and  the  parent 
carries  the  young  to  the  water  in  her  bill.  Twelve  eggs  received  from  Dr.  Finley 
average  2.11x1.53,  with  but  little  variation  in  size;  they  are  of  the  usual  duck  shape, 
and  in  color  are  a  rather  clear  yellowish-white.  The  birds  leave  in  September,  but  a 
tew  late  broods  are  seen  as  late  as  November.  The  soft  parts  in  a  full  plumaged  liv- 
ing male  were  as  follows:  iris,  brown;  bill,  coral-red,  orange  above;  nail  of  bill, 
bluish;  legs  and  feet,  pinkish  white."* 

178.  FULVOUS    TREE-DUCK.      ])eudni('i/(/ii(t    fiilra    (Gmel.)      Geog.    Dist.— 
Southern   border  of  the   United 
States;  Louisiana,  Texas,  Nevada, 
California,- southward.  • 

Resembles  the  last  in  its  gen- 
eral appearance,  habits,  etc.  Its 
geographical  range  is  chiefly 
within  the  tropics,  extending  as 
far  South  as  the  Argentine  Re- 
public. Dr.  Merrell  states  that 
this  species  is  about  as  common 
as  the  Corn-fleld  Duck  in  South- 
ern Texas,  both  species  frequent- 
ing the  same  places.  He  learned 
nothing  definite  in  regard  to  lis 
breeding  habits,  but  they  prob- 
ably do  not  differ  much  from 
those  of  the  other  bird.  The  Ful- 
vous Tree-duck  is  said  to  lay 
from  ten  to  fifteen  pure  white 
eggs. 

-: '         '  178.  Fulvous  Tree-duck.    (Jasper.) 

•  Notes  on  the  Ornithology  of  Southern  Texas:    Proceedings  U.  S.  National  Museum, 
Vol.  I.,  page  169. 


104 


NESTH  AM)  EGUS  OF 


[170.]  WHOOPING  SWAN.  Olor  ('ifunu«  (Linn.)  Qeog.  Dist.— Europe  and 
Asia:  Greenland. 

In  Europe  this  bird  Ib  called  "Hopper."  "Elk,"  and  "Whistling  Swan."  It  Is  a 
winter  visitant  to  the  more  southern  portions  of  Great  Britain,  and  is  found  through- 
out the  year  In  the  Orknej's  and  other  iHlands  north  of  Scotland.  Known  to  visit 
Holland,  France,  Spain  and  Italy,  and  a  few  are  said  to  penetrate  as  far  south  as 
Barbary  and  even  Egypt.    Hagerup  says  that  It  formerly  nested  in  South  Green- 


179.    Whoopino  Swan  (From  Brehm). 

land,  but  it  is  now  only  a  rare  visitor.  Breeds  In  the  secluded  swamps  and  lakes  up 
iti  Lapland,  nesting  on  the  ground  in  marshy  places.  It  also  breeds  in  Iceland.  The 
nest  is  large  and  composed  of  rushes,  coarse  grass,  and  almost  any  material  near  at 
hand.  As  many  as  seven  eggs  are  laid  by  this  species;  they  are  of  a  dull  brownish 
white,  or  dark  Ivory  color,  and  measure  4.28x2.88. 

180.  WHISTLING  SWAN.  Olor  columhianvs  (Ord.)  Geog.  Dist.— Entire  of 
North  America,  breeding  far  north. 

The  common  American  Whistling  Swan  is  the  smaller  of  the  North  American 
species,  measuring  under  five  feet  in  length.  There  is  a  small  yellow  spot  on  the 
bill  in  front  of  the  eyes,  and  it  is  sometimes  wanting.  The  tail  feathers  are  norm- 
ally twenty.  This  bird  Is  found  in  the  United  States  in  winter,  and  during  the 
migrations.  It  Is  not  a  common  spring  and  fall  migrant  in  Ohio.  The  Whistling 
Swan  breeds  in  the  Arctic  regions  on  the  small  lakes  of  the  coast  and  islands  of  the 
Arctic  Sea,  nesting  in  June  and  July.  A  few  are  said  to  breed  in  the  interior  of  the 
*ur  countries.    All  along  the  Yukon  River,  and  especially  near  its  mouth  this  species 


?: 


SORTtt  AMEUIL'AS  UlRliH. 


105 


cind 

is  a 
Kh- 

MHit 

I  as 
jeu- 


up 
he 
at 
sh 


of 

an 
he 
n- 
he 

ng 
he 
he 
es 


ts  said  to  breed  in  the  large  marshes.    Here  the  eggv  are  usually  laid  on  a  tuasock 

entirely  surrounded  by  water,  and  so  near  it  that  the  female  sometimes  sits  with 

her  feet  In  the  water.    On  the  islands  of  Franklin  Bay  and  on  those  of  the  Arctic 

Ocean,  the  Whistling  Swan  constructs  a  large  nest  of  moss,  grass  and  herbage  of 

various  kinds.    According  to  Nelson  this  flne  bird  arrives  on  the  shore  of  Bering 

Sea  in  the  vicinity  of  St.  Michael's  early  in  May,  and  in  some  seasons  by  the  27th 

of  April.    At  Nulato,  Dall  found  them  laying  eggs  by  May  21,  but  on  the  sea  roHst 

the  earliest  date  Nelson  records  lb  May  30.    The  ordinary  number  to  a  nest  1p  three 

to  six.    The  nest  is  usually  upon  a  small  island  In  some  secluded  lakelet,  nr  on  a 
rounded  bank  close  to  the  border  of  a  pond.    The  eggs  are  deposited  in  a  depression 

made  in  a  heap  of  rubbish  gathered  by  the  birds  from  the  immedlattf  vicinity  of  the 

nest,  grass,  leaves  and  moss,  forming  a  bulky  affair  In  many  cases.    Thero  l:i  some 

variation  in  the  eggs  of  this  swan;  the  following  measurements  show  the  average, 

the  specimens  being  taken  near  St.  Michael's  in  June:    4.15x2.85,  4.05x2.74,  3.96x2.66. 

They  are  of  a  dull  white  with  more  or  less  of  a  brownish  or  reddish  discoloration. 

The  surface  of  the  shell  Is  usually  rough. 

181.  TRUMPETER  SWAN.  Olor  hiirrtnator  (Rich.)  Oeog.  Dist.— Chiefly  the 
interior  of  North  America,  from  the  Gulf  Coast  to  the  Fur  Countries,  breeding  from 
Iowa  and  Dakota  northward;  west  to  the  iJaclflc  coast,  but  rare  or  casual  on  the 
Atlantic. 

During  the  breeding  season  the  Trumpeter  Swan  Is  found  almost  exclusively  In 
the  Interior  of  the  northern  regions.  A  few  breed  In  Central  and  Northern  Iowa  and 
In  Dakota;  from  thence  northward.  Dr.  Brewer  states  that  the  nests  found  by  Mr. 
MacFarlane  on  the  barrens  of  the  Arctic  coast  were  usually  placed  on  elevated 
ground,  and  they  were  composed  of  hay,  down  and  feathers  Intermingled.  One  nest 
containing  six  eggs  was  found  near  the  beach  on  rising  ground;  others  were  observed 
near  the  banks  of  the  Lower  Anderson  River.  On  the  Islands  In  the  fresh-water 
lakes  and  ponds  bordering  the  north  branch  of  the  Saskatchewan  River,  In  British 
America,  a  few  pairs  of  the  Trumpeter  Swan  are  to  be  seen  throughout  the  summer. 
This  species  is  also  known  to  breed  in  Alaska,  as  a  specimen  is  noted  by  Mr.  Dall  as 
having  been  secured,  with  Its  eggs,  at  Fort  Yukon  by  Mr.  Lockhart.  In  Ohio  It  is  a 
rare  migrant  and  winter  visitor.  The  full  grown  bird  is  five  feet  or  more  In  length, 
and  may  be  distinguished  from  the  Whistling  Swan  by  its  entirely  black  bill  and  hav- 
ing normally  twenty-four  tall-feathers.  The  eggs  range  from  two  to  six  in  number; 
chalky-white  with  a  rough  surface;  sizes  from  4.03  to  4.50  long  by  2.50  to  2.76  broad. 

182.  AMERICAN  FLAMINGO.  PhwnicnptcruH  ruber  Linn.  Geog.  Dist.— At- 
lantic coasts  of  sub-tropical  and  tropical  America;  Florida  Keys. 

This  magnificent  bird  of  scarlet  plumage  Is  a  constant  resident  of  Cuba,  the 
Bahamas  and  southward ;  rare  at  Cape  Sable  and  on  the  Florida  Keys.  It  is  a  remark- 
able bird  and  of  striking  appearance,  having  long  legs  and  neck,  the  former  of  a 
lake-red  color.  The  bill  is  unique  In  shape,  being  abruptly  bent  in  the  middle,  so  that 
when  feeding  the  upper  surface  faces  the  ground.  The  plumage  Is  scarlet  through- 
out, except  the  primaries  and  secondaries,  which  are  black.  The  stature  of  the  bird 
is  nearly  five  feet,  and  it  weighs  in  flesh  six  or  eight  pounds.  The  nest  of  the 
Flamingo  is  described  as  a  mass  of  earth,  sticks  and  other  material  scooped  up  from 
the  immediate  vicinity  to  the  height  of  several  feet  and  hollow  at  the  top.  On  this 
the  birds  sit  with  their  legs  doubled  under  them.  Mr.  D.  P.  Ingraham,  who  has 
collected  a  large  number  of  these  handsome  birds  in  the  West  Indies  and  spent 
more  or  less  of  his  time  for  four  seasons  among  them,  has  given  me  the  following 


•  1 


i  I 


106 


NI^STS  AND  EUG8  OF 


182.    Flamingos  and  Nests. 


NnHTII  AMHIfir.w  nilflts. 


lOT 


InterpfltlriK  notPH  concornlng  tholr  nesting:  He  ntntoH  that  the  blrda  inhabit  the 
ahallow  IngoonH  and  biiyH  having  soft  clayey  bottoms.  On  thn  bordor  of  tlieso  the 
nent  iH  ninde  by  worlilng  the  clay  up  into  u  mound  which,  In  the  flrHt  Honson  is  per- 
haps not  more  than  a  foot  high  and  nl)Out  eight  inclioa  in  diameter  at  tho  top  and 
fifteen  inches  at  the  baap.  If  the  birds  are  unmolcHted  thoy  will  return  to  the  same 
nesting  place  from  year  to  year,  each  season  augmenting  the  nest  by  the  addition  of 
mud  on  the  top,  leaving  a  slight  depression  for  tho  eggs.  Mr.  Ingrahnm  speaks  of 
visiting  the  breeding  grounds  where  the  blrdB  had  nested  the  previous  year  and  their 
mound-like  nests  were  still  standing.  The  birds  nest  in  June.  The  number  of  eggs 
to  a  clutch  is  usually  two,  sometimes  only  one  and  very  rarely  three.  Whon  three 
are  found  in  a  nest  it  is  generally  belirved  that  the  third  has  been  laid  hy  aiu)th»'r 
female.  According  to  Mr.  Ingraham's  observations  the  nests  in  our  illustration  must 
be  considered  correct  except  In  height.  They  are  simply  small  mounds.  The  old 
story  of  the  Flamingo  bestriding  its  nest  in  an  ungainly  attitude  while  inculiuting 
is  absurd  fiction.  The  eggs  are  one  or  two  in  numlicr,  eiongate-ovate  in  shaijc,  with 
a  thick  shell,  roughened,  with  a  white  llakey  substance,  but  bluish  when  this  is 
scraped  off.  It  requires  thirty-two  days  for  the  eggs  to  hatch.  Size  3.57x2.20,  with 
considerable  variation. 


183.  ROSEATE  SPOONBILL,  .l/fl/f/  tiloia  (Linn.)  Qeog.  Dist.— Southern 
Unfted  States  and  southward  into  Southern  America.  Formerly  north  to  Soutiirrn 
Illinois. 

The  Rosy  Spoonbill,  of  so  handsome  plumage  and  singular  form,  is  distributed 
throughout  South  and  Central  America,  Mexico,  and  In  all  favorable  localities  of  the 
Gulf  region  of  the  United  States.  In  Florida  It  was  formerly  abtindant,  but  Its  num- 
bers have  greatly  diminished  by  the  constant  persecution  of  the  "plume  hunters." 
Rare  as  far  north  as  the  Carollnas.  luarshy  or  muddy  borders  of  estuaries,  the 
mouths  of  rivers,  shrubby  islands  of  tropical  seas,  or  some  dense  marsh,  are  the 
favorite  breeding  resorts.  Mr.  R.  E.  Rachford  visited  a  smaii  colony  of  these  birds 
in  Southwestern  Louisiana,  June  2,  188G.  The  birds  were  found  nesting  In  a  clump 
of  cypress  trees  In  a  low  marshy  place  fully  twenty  miles  from  habitation.  Here 
also  nested  the  Snow,  Tjoulslana  and  Little  Blue  Herons,  and  the  SnaivC  Bird.  The 
nests  of  the  Spoonbills  were  placed  from  eight  to  eighteen  feet  from  the  ground,  slnd 
the  usual  number  of  eggs  found  In  the  nests  was  three  or  four;  although  from  one 
nest  seven  eggs  were  taken,  and  five  or  six  from  several  others.  The  nests  were 
platforms  of  sticks,  and  for  the  most  part  were  built  close  to  the  truuKs  of  the  trees; 
they  were  usually  more  massive  than  the  Herons'  nests.  The  general  shape  of  the 
eggs  is  ovate;  and  their  color  Is  white,  or  buffy-whlte,  blotched,  spotted  and  stained 
with  various  shades  of  brown;  sometimes  a  pure  white  egg  Is  found  In  a  nest  with 
spotted  or  marked  examples.    They  measure  from  2.50x1.70  to  2.60x1.77. 


184.  WHITE  IBIS,  (liinra  nlha  (I,inn.)  Geog.  Dist.— South  Atlantic  and  Gulf 
States  southward  to  the  West  Indies  and  Northern  South  America;  casually  on  the 
Atlantic  coast  to  Long  Island;  In  the  Interior  to  the  Lower  Ohio  Valley  and  Great 
Salt  Lake. 

The  White  Ibis  or  Spanish  Curlew  is  distributed  in  summer  throughout  the 
South  Atlantic  and  Gulf  States  from  the  Carollnas  southward,  throughout  Mexico, 
Central  America,  and  portions  of  Northern  South  America.  It  breeds  In  communi- 
ties by  thousands  in  the  tangled  marshes  of  the  southern  coast;  fastening  the  nest 
to  broken  down  or  upright  living  reeds;  it  is  composed  of  reeds,  compactly  woven 


ill 

I 

V  • 

I    ' 


jh 


108 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


■^^^^sk 


European  Spoonbill  ( From  Brehm). 

together,  is  deep  and  much  hollowed,  which  is  unlike  the  frail  platform  nests  of  the 
herons.  Mr.  Scuart  says  the  White  Ibis  breeds  abundantly  on  the  low  mangrove 
bushes  on  the  islanus  of  the  Gulf  coast.  There  is  a  large  rookery  in  Charlotte  Har- 
bor. The  nests  are  usually  made  of  the  green  twigs  of  the  mangrove.  The  eggs 
are  laid  in  June.  At  Cape  Sable  eggs  are  deposited  after  the  10th  of  April;  these  are 
from  three  to  five  in  number,  ashy-blue,  spotted  and  blotched  irregularly  with  yel- 
lowish, reddish  and  umber-brown  of  varying  shades;  two  or  three  in  number,  and 
measure  about  2.25  by  1.50. 

[185.]  SCABLET  IBIS.  Guara  rubra  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist.— Eastern  coasts  of 
tropical  America,  north  casually  to  Florida,  Louisiana  and  Texas;  southward  to  the 
West  Indies. 

An  exquisite  bird  of  the  richest  scarlet  plumage.  There  is  probably  no  well 
authenticated  instance  of  its  having  been  taken  wituin  the  United  States.  Wilson 
was  not  correctly  informed  concerning  its  abundance  in  the  Southern  States,  and  Au- 


1 


yel- 
and 


of 
the 


Au- 


»«i 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


m 


dubon  only  saw  a  flock  of  three  in  Louisiana.  The  bird  Is  said  not  to  be  an  uncom- 
mon visitant  to  Jamaica  and  Cuba,  and  very  common  on  the  Island  of  Trinidad, 
where  it  formerly  nested.  Mr.  Warren  observed  the  Scarlet  Ibis  breeding  in  im- 
mense colonies  en  the  banks  of  the  Amazon,  in  dense,  impenetrable  thickets  of 
bamboo  canes,  several  kinds  of  thorny  cactus  and  Spanish  bayonets,  besides  numbers 
of  small  mangroves  and  palmettos,  all  interlaced  and  tangled  with  huge  vines.  In 
one  place  every  bush  and  tree  had  on  it  from  five  to  twenty  nests;  tney  were  about 
a  foot  and  a  half  in  diameter  and  perfectly  flat;  the  materials  used  in  their  con- 
struction were  twigs,  fibrous  roots  and  leaves.  Mr.  Warren  states  that  the  Ibises, 
being  disturbed,  rose  in  immense  numbers,  and  a  more  striking  spectacle  than  a 


185.    Scarlet  Ibis. 

large  flock  of  these  splendid  birds  floating  through  the  air,  like  a  crimson  icloud, 
cannot  possibly  be  conceived.  The  rookeries  are  only  tenanted  during  the  dry  season. 
The  eggs  are  two  or  three  In  number,  grayish-white  in  color,  marked  with  spots  and 
blotches  of  brown  of  varying  shades,  and 
distributed  variously  over  the  surface,  but 
generally  more  profusely  at  the  larger 
end.    The  average  size  is  2.15x1.46. 

186.  GLOSSY  IBIS.  Plcga'  's  autum- 
nalis  (Hasselq.)  Geog.  Dist.— Old  World, 
West  Indies,  and  Eastern  United  States. 

This  species  occurs  irregularly  in  the 
eastern  portions  of  the  United  States,  and 
has  been  known  to  breed  in  Florida.  It 
has  also  been  found  breeding  in  Nevada. 
In  Europe  the  course  of  its  migrations,  for 
the  summer  is  said  to  be  chiefly  in  a  line 
from  Egypt,  to  Turkey,  Hungary  and  Po- 
lanrl,  and  to  the  southern  parts  of  Russia. 
In  its  passage  from  Africa  ix.  is  occasion- 
ally seen  in  the  Grecian  Archipelago,  in 
Sicily,  Sardinia,  Genoa,  Switzerland, 
France,  Holland  and  Great  Britain.  The 
nesting  of  the  Glossy  Ibis  is  like  that  of 
the  next  species.  Ihe  eggs  are  of  a  deep 
greenish-blue  and  average  2.01x1.47.  ise.   glossy  Ibis. 


I 


no 


NEarS  AND  EQG8  OF 


■  * 


187.  WHITE-FACED  GLOSSY  IBIS.  Plei/adix  yuarauna  (Linn.)  Geog. 
Dist. — Western  United  States  (Texas,  Utah,  Nevada,  Oregon,  California,  etc ),  south- 
ward to  Mexico,  West  Indies,  Central  and  South  America. 

This  beautiful,  lustrous  Ibis  inhabits  southwestern  United  States  and  south  Into 
tropical  America.  It  is  found  as  far  north  as  Kansas,  west  through  New  Mexico  and 
Arizona  to  California.  It  is  especially  abundant  in  southern  Texas,  and  in  some 
localities  along  the  banks  of  the  Rio  C-  -nde  swarms  by  thousands.  At  this  place 
Dr.  James  C.  Merrill,  in  company  with  ■  G.  B.  Sennett,  on  the  16th  of  May,  1877, 
visited  a  large  patch  of  tule  reeds,  growing  in  a  shallow  lagoon  about  ten  miles 
from  Fort  Brown,  in  which  large  numbers  of  this  Ibis  and  several  kinds  of  Herons 
were  breeding.  The  reeds  covered  an  area  of  perhaps  seventy-five  acres  or  less.  Be- 
sides the  Ibises,  the  Great  and  Little  White  Egrets,  Louisiana  and  Night  Herons, 
and  several  other  birds  were  breeding  here.  The  reeds  grew  about  six  feet  above 
the  surface  of  the  water,  and  were  either  beaten  down  to  form  a  support  for  the 
nests,  or  dead  and  partly  floating  stalks  of  the  previous  year  were  used  for  that  pur- 
pose. Dr.  Merrill  states  that  it  was  impossible  to  estimate  the  number  of  the  Ibises 
and  different  Herons  nesting  here.  "Both  nests  and  eggs  of  the  Ibises  were  quite  un- 
like those  of  any  of  the  Herons,  and  could  be  distinguished  at  a  glance.  The  nests 
were  made  of  broken  bits  of  dead  tules,  supported  by  and  attached  to  broken  and  up- 
right stalks  of  living  ones.  They  were  rather  well  and  compactly  built,  and  were 
usually  well  cupped,  quite  unlike  the  clumsy  platforms  of  the  Herons.  The  eggs 
were  nearly  always  three  in  number,  and  at  this  date  were  far  advanced  in  incuba- 
tion; many  of  the  nests  contained  young  of  all  sizes.  Fifty  eggs  now  before  m^ 
average  1.95x1.35,  the  extremes  being  2.20x1.49  and  1.73x1.29;  they  are  decidedly 
pointed  at  the  smaller  end,  and  are  of  a  deep  bluish-green  color." 

188.  WOOD  IBIS.  Tantalus  loculator  Linn.  Geog.  Dist.— Southern  United 
States  from  Ohio  Valley,  Colorado,  Utah,  California,  etc.,  souta  to  Buenos  Ayres; 
casually  northward  to  Pennsylvania  and  New  "Vork. 

The  American  Wood  Stork,  as  it  is  called,  is  dititributed  over  a  large  portion  of 
South  and  Central  America,  Mexico  and  Southern  No:'th  America.  It  is  found  in  all 
the  Gulf  States,  and  is  most  abundant  in  Florida,  whore,  Mr.  Stuart  informs  me,  it 
nests  in  the  interioi  in  dense  cypress  swamps,  on  the  tallest  trees,  which  are  often 
more  than  one  hundred  .  Jet  in  height.  In  these  rookeries  are  also  found  nesting  the 
American  Egret,  Ardea  cyretta;  Grea"^  Blue  Heron,  A.  herodias;  the  Anhinga  and 
others.  The  nests,  like  those  of  the  Hei  ^.?s,  are  platforms  of  sticks  loosely  arranged, 
with  a  lining  of  long  moss.  The  same  rookery  is  occupied  each  year,  and  the  nests 
are  repaired  and  augmented  until  they  often  become  oJ  immense  size.  The  eggs  are 
chalky-whilG,  sometimes  spotted  with  pale  reddish-brown;  somewhat  elliptical. 
The  shell  is  rough,  with  p  flaky  substance.  Two  or  three  is  the  number  laid,  but 
almost  invariably  three.    Size  from  2.70  to  2.75  long  by  1.70  to  1.75  broad. 

[189.]  JABIBU.  Myctcria  amcrirana  Linn.  Geog.  Dist. — Tropical  Ameri"^^. 
north  casually  to  Southern  Texas. 

This  singular  bird  <s  known  as  the  American  Stork.  It  is  found  in  portions  of 
Central  America  and  throughout  most  of  South  America,  but  occurs  rarely  farther 
north.  One  specimen  is  said  to  have  been  taken  within  the  limits  of  the  United 
States,  and  that  near  Galveston,  Texas.  The  bird  is  said  to  have  the  same  genieral 
habits  peculiar  to  the  White  Stork  of  Europe.  The  nest  is  a  large  platform  of  sticks 
built  in  the  highest  trees,  An  egg  is  described  by  Dr.  Brewer  as  rounded-oval  in 
shape,  and  ot  an  olive-green  color;  size  3.33x2.20. 


I 


( 


NORTH  AMKIilCAN  BIRDS. 


Ill 


I 


ij 


IHi).      JABIRU. 

190.  AMERICAN  BITTERN.  Botaurus  Icntiginosua  (Montag.)  Geog.  Dist.— 
Temperate  North  America,  south  to  Guatemala  and  the  West  Indies. 

This  noted  bird  is  known  by  various  names,  such  as  Indian  Hen,  Stalie  Driver; 
Bog-bull,  and  Thunder  Pump.    It  inhabits  the  entire  temperate  North  America,  north 


of 
all 
it 
Iten 


ted 

ral 

cks 

in 


190.    American  Bittern.    (From  a  mounted  specimen.) 


II 


112 


NESTS  AND  EQ08  OF 


'; 


to  58°  or  60°,  and  breeds  chiefly  from  the  middle  districts  northward,  wintering 
thence  southward.  The  name  last  mentioned  is  occasioned  by  its  hoarse,  gurgling 
cry  of  alarm.  The  bird  is  often  spoken  of  by  the  poets  as  the  "booming  bittern."  In 
the  breeding  season  it  has  a  "love  note"  that  resembles  the  stroke  of  a  mallcL  on  a 
stake,  chunk-a-hin,. -chunk,  quank-chunk-a-lunk-vhunk.  Few  ornithologists  iiave  actu- 
ally seen  a  Bittern  "pump."  One  of  the  best  accounts  ever  v/ritten  of  the  Bittern's 
"pumping"  is  that  by  Frank  H.  Nutter,  a  civil  engineer  who  observed  the  pc:rformance 
in  a  marsh  in  Minnesota.  It  appears  in  the  "Oblogist's  Exchange"  for  April,  1888 
(Vol,  I,  No.  4),  which  was  among  the  prize  essays  on  bird  life,  and  the  writer  was  ap- 
pointed Judge.' /"/ It  has  been  quoted  frequently  since  its  first  appearance.  So  many 
new  and  original  observations  were  advanced  by  Mr.  Nutter  that  I  was  compelled  to 
award  him  the  prize  without  previously  knowing  from  whom  the  MS.  came.  This  is 
one  of  the  observations:  "By  the  way,  did  you  ever  see  a  Bittern  while  engaged  in 
its  serenade?  It  is  a  ludicrous  performance.  One  favored  me  with  it  within  easy 
range  of  my  telescope.  After  standing  in  a  meditative  position  for  some  time  it 
would  slowly  raise  its  head  and  f  tretch  up  its  neck  till  its  bill  pointed  nearly  straight 
upwards,  when  it  commenced  by  several  times  opening  and  shutting  its  big  beak 
with  a  snap  that  was  plainly  heard,  though  five  or  six  hundred  feet  distant;  it  then 
uttered  the  characteristic  notes  from  which  it  takes  its  common  name  of  'Stake 
Driver'  or  'Thunder  Pumper';  and  truly  it  seems  much  like  pumping,  for  each  syl- 
lable seems  to  originate  deep  in  the  interior  of  the  bird  and  to  be  ejected  only  with 
the  greatest  muscular  exertion,  puffing  out  itb  feathers  and  working  its  long  neck  up 
and  down,  as  if  choking  to  death.  After  a  short  season  of  meditation  to  recuperate 
itp  strength,  the  performance  is  again  repeated,  and  doubtless  to  its  mate,  engaged 
in  her  maternal  duties,  is  the  sweetest  of  music."  The  American  Bittern  never  as- 
sociates with  other  spv?cies  of  Heron  and  is  not  even  fond  of  the  society  of  its  own 
kind.  It  does  not  breed  in  colories  and  the  nest  is  difficult  to  discover.  It  inhabits 
almost  impenetrable  swampy  places:  the  bog,  the  reedy  marsh,  and  the  tangled 
brake,  where  its  nest  is  placed  on  the  ground.  The  eggs  are  brownish-drab  or 
Isabella  color,  unspotted,  elliptical  in  shape,  three  to  five  in  number,  but  generally 
only  three;  size  from  1.90  to  2.00  long  by  about  1.50  broad. 

191.    LEAST    BITTEKN.     Ardetta    exilis    (Gmel.)      Geog.    Dist.— Temperate 
North  America,  from  the  British  Provinces  to  the  West  Indies  and  South  America. 

An  extremely  interesting  little  bird,  of  quiet,  retiring  habits.    Breeds  through- 
out its  range.    In  some  places  as  many  as  a  dozen  or  twenty  pairs  breed  along  the 

grassy  shores  of  a  small  lake  or 
pond.  Like  the  last  it  inhabits 
reedy  swamps  and  marshes  where 
the  quagmire  abounds  with  a  lux- 
uriant growth  of  rushes,  which  is 
also  the  home  of  the  Rails.  The  nest 
is  placed  on  the  ground  or  in  the 
midst  of  the  rankest  grass,  or  i^i  a 
bush.  It  is  often  placed  on  f  .)a:ing 
bog,  and  is  simply  a  platform  of 
dead  rushes.  The  bird  has  many 
odd  habits.  When  standing  on  the 
edge  of  a  stream,  with  its  neck 
drawn  in,  it  is  often  tak^n  for  a 
woodcock,  the  long  bill  giving  It  this 
appearance.  It  appears  so  stupid  at 
times  that  it  may  be  caught  with 
the  hand.  The  bird  is  mostly  seen 
just  before  or  after  sunset.  In 
many  of  the  Southern  States  this 
species  rears  two  broods  in  a  season, 
fresh  eggs  having  been  obtained  in 
May  and  in  August.  In  Texas,  Mr. 
Rachford  says,  it  nests  along  the 
UL   Least  Bittbkh. 


•t 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


113 


edges  of  the  water  couwes  in  May  bending  down  the  tops  of  the  water  grass  and 
platting  it  into  a  snug  little  nest,  about  two  or  three  feet  above  the  water.  Mr. 
Perry  informs  me  that  the  Least  Bittern  in  Beaufort  county,  South  Carolina,  makes 
its  home  in  the  fresh  water  ponds  and  commences  to  build  about  the  10th  of  May, 
fixing  the  nest  in  the  thick  rushes.  The  eggs  of  the  Least  Bittern  are  from  three 
to  five,  usually  four,  in  number,  pale  bluish  or  greenish  white,  elliptical  in  shape. 
Six  eggs  measure  as  follows:  1.15x90,  1.16x93,  1.22x.95,  1.23x.92,  1.24x.93,  1.23x.93. 
The  average  size  is  1.20x.93. 


191. 1.  COBEY'S  LEAST  BITTERN.  Ardctta  neoxena  (C^ry.)  Geog.  Dist.— 
Southern  Florida  (Caloosauatchie  rivor,  near  Lake  Okeechobee);  Ontario;  Michigan. 

This  is  recorded  as  being  without  doubt  perfectly  distinct  from  any  known 
species.  It  was  described  from  a  specimen  taken  in  the  Everglades  of  Florida.  In 
the  same  region  to  which  the  species  was  supposed  to  be  confined  a  half  dozen  other 
specimens  have  been  taken.  Examples  have  been  shot  in  the  marshes  near  Toronto, 
Canada,  where  A.  cxilis  is  common.  One  is  recorded  from  Michigan.  It  is  more 
than  likely,  according  to  authorities  who  have  examined  specimens,  that  it  will  prove 
a  color  phase  of  A.  exilis. 


192.  GREAT  WHITE  HERON.  Ardca  occidentalis  Aud.  Gecg.  Dist.— Flori- 
da, Cuba,  Jamaica;  accidental  in  Mississippi  Valley. 

This  beautiful,  majestic  bird,  known  as  the  Florida  Heron,  is  an  abundant  resi- 
dent of  Florida,  the  Keys  and  southward  to  Cuba  and  Jamaica.  In  F'lorida,  however, 
it  is  said  not  to  be  so  abundant  as  in  former  years.  Whole  rookeries  have  been  de  • 
stroyed  by  the  "plume  hunters,"  who  collect  feathers  for  hats  and  other  decorative 
purposes.  The  birds  are  killed  and  the  plumes  are  taken  from  their  back,  head  and 
breast,  and  the  carcasses  thrown  to  the  buzzards.*  This  Heron  nests  usually  in 
large  colonies,  and  in  company  with  the  Great  Blue  Heron.  Most  of  the  nests  are 
built  low  down,  not  more  than  five  or  ten  feet  from  the  ground,  but  where  tae  birds 
are  disturbed  the  nests  are  placed  in  the  highest  mangroves.  They  are  simply 
platforms  of  sticks.  The  eggs  are  plain  bluish-green,  of  varying  shades;  sizes  from 
2.00  to  2.45  long  by  1.80  to  1.85  broad.  The  bird  known  as  .1.  icmrdcmanni  (Baird)t 
is  believed  to  be  either  a  colored  phase  of  A.  occidentnUH,  or  an  abnormal  specimen  of 
A.  tcardi  Ridgw. 


193.    WARD'S  HERON.    Ardea  wardi  Ridgw.    Geog.  Dist.— Florida. 

This  large  Heron  in  its  white  phase  is  described  as  indistinguishable  from  the 
Great  White  Heron;  in  the  colored  phase  like  occUkntaUs,  but  with  the  head  colored 
as  in  the  Great  Blue  Heron.  It  is  restricted  to  Florida;  common  in  the  southwestern 
portion,  and  may  frequently  be  found  nesting  along  the  coast.  It  breeds  in  com- 
munities with  other  herons,  egrets  and  snake  birds,  constructing  the  same  kind  of 
nest  as  does  the  Great  Blue  Heron.  The  eggs  are  four,  often  only  three,  in  number. 
Prof.  Ridgway  gives  the  average  measurement  as  about  2.65x1.85.  Their  color  is 
bluish-green 


•  See  W.  E.  D.  Scott's  article  on  the  Present  Condition  of  the  Bird  Rookeries  of  the 
Gulf  Soast  of  Florida  In  The  Auk,  Vol.  IV,  pp.  135-144,  213-222,  273-284. 
t  Placed  In  the  Hypothetical  List  of  the  A.  O.  U.  Check  List. 


I'r     : 

r  i 


114 


NBST8  AND  BOOS  OF 


194.     GREAT    BLUE    HERON.      Ardai    lurodias    Linn,      Geog.    Dlst.— North 
America,  from  the  Arctic  regions  southward  to  the  West  Indies  and  South  America. 


104.    Great  Blub  Herron. 


The  Great  Blue  Heron  is  often  erroneously  called  "Sand-hill  Crane"  or  "Blue 
Crane" — in  fact  it  is  better  known  by  either  of  these  names  than  it  is  by  its  proper 
vernacular  name.  One  of  the  most  characteristic  birds  of  North  America,  breeding 
singly  and  in  colonies  in  suitable  places  throughout  its  range.  In  the  warmer  parts 
of  the  country  it  breeds  in  vast  heronies  in  company  with  other  species  of  herons,  to 
which  places  they  resort  year  after  year.  In  Florida  it  is  very  abundant,  but  its 
numbeis  are  rapidly  decreasing  by  the  constant  persecution  of  the  "plume  hunters." 
Its  roo  series  are  so  frequently  broken  up,  and  the  remaining  birds  compelled  to  re- 
tire to  other  resorts,  that  the  breeding  season  may  be  said  to  extend  over  a  period  of 
five  or  six  months,  and  no  doubt  two  broods  are  reared  in  a  season.  The  nest  is 
placed  in  high  trees  along  rivers,  or  in  the  depths  of  retired  swamps;  in  localities 
destitute  of  trees  it  is  built  on  rocks.  Sycamore  trees  seem  to  be  favorite  resorts  of 
these  birds,  the  light  color  of  the  limbs  and  the  peculiar  tint  of  the  foliage  harmon- 
izing so  well  with  their  plumage  as  to  render  their  presence  difficult  of  detection. 
The  eggs  are  plain  greenish-blue;  varying  from  elliptical  to  oval  in  shape;  three  to 
six  in  number,  commonly  three  or  four;  average  size  2.50x1.50. 


!i 


[195.]      EUROPEAN    BLUE    HERON. 

Europe;  accidental  in  S'^uthern  Greenland. 


Ardca   cinerea   Linn.     Geog.    Dist.— 


NORTH  AMHrfray  Rirns. 


us 


-North 
merica. 


This  is  a  familiar  Heron  in  Europe,  and  is  very  abundant  In  places  where  it  is 
protected  by  law.  In  England  most  of 
its  breeding  places  are  guarded  by  land 
owners.  In  the  middle  ages  when  fal- 
conry was  a  favov'cC  sport  the  bird  was 
held  as  royal  gau.o,  and  penal  enact- 
ments preserved  it  foi  the  pleasure  of 
royalty.  Hagerup  mentions  this  Heron 
as  an  occasional  visitor  in  South  Green- 
land. A  skin  which  was  from  Gadthaab 
is  in  Benson's  collection.  It  was  taken 
in  1877.  This  Heron  builds  its  nest  ac- 
cording to  circumstances,  either  on  the 
ground,  in  trees,  or  on  high  rocks.  It 
breeds  in  colonies,  and  its  favorite  nest- 
ing places  are  on  the  tops  of  trees,  on 
the  outer  branches.  The  nest  is  large 
and  flat,  composed  of  sticks  and  lined 
with  grass.  Each  year  the  nests  are 
repaired  and  augmenteJ  until  they  be- 
come very  massive.  The  eggs  are  four 
or  five  in  number,  of  a  pale  green  color, 
and  measure  2.42x1.72.  Four  eggs  from 
England  in  my  collection  measure  2.48x1.67,  2.49x1.61,  2.52x1.64,  2.40x1.65. 


aAka 


10.">.     European  Blub  Heron. 


\r  "Blue 

proper 
ireeding 
;r  parts 
irons,  to 

but  its 

mters." 

id  to  re- 

leriod  of 

nest  is 
)callties 
Isorts  of 
larmon- 
itection. 

;hree  to 


Dist.— 


196.  AMERICAN  EGRET.  Ardca  ajri-tta  Gmel.  Geog.  Dist.— Temperate  and 
tropical  America,  from  New  Jersey,  Minnesota  and  Oregon,  south  to  Patagonia; 
casually  on  the  Atlantic  coast  to  Nova  Scotia. 

This  beautiful  species,  the  Great  White  Egret  of  America,  has  an  extended  dis- 
tribution, breeding  as  far  north  on  the  Atlantic  coast  as  New  Jersey,  on  the  Pacific 
coast  to  Oregon,  and  in  the  interior  as  far  north  as  Southern  Illinois.  It  breeds 
throughout  South  America  to  Patagonia,  and  is  a  resident  on  the  Island  of  Trinidad. 
In  the  enormous  rookeries  of  Florida  this  bird  was  formerly  abundant,  but  of  late 
years  the  "plume  hunters"  have  wrought  great  destruction  in  their  numbers.  It  is 
a  bird  of  purest  white,  and  during  the  breeding  season  has  a  magnificent  train  of 
silky  plumes  fiowing  from  the  back  over  the  wings  and  drooping  far  beyond  the  tail. 
Our  illustration  of  the  European  Great  White  Egret,  //.  ulhu,  will  give  a  fair  idea 
of  the  appearance  of  the  American  Egret.  Our  bird  measures  from  36  to  42  inches  in 
length, not  including  the  dorsal  train,  which  is  sometimes  more  than  12  inches  longer. 
The  nests  of  the  Great  White  Egret  are  built  In  deep  cypress  swamps,  often  on  the 
tops  of  the  tallest  trees;  others  are  found  on  low  bushes  or  on  mangroves,  a  short 
distance  above  water.  The  eggs  are  plain  bluish-green,  varying  from  elliptical  to 
oval,  two  to  four  in  nnmber  and  measure  from  2.20  to  2.35  long  by  1.40  to  1.G5  broad. 

197.  SNOWY  HERON.  Ardva  raiKlitlissiiiin  Gmel.  Temperate  and  tropical 
America,  from  Long  Island  and  Oregon,  south  to  Buenos  Ayres;  casual  on  the  At- 
lantic coast  of  Nova  Scotia. 

The  breeding  range  of  this  species  is  almost  the  same  as  that  of  the  last.  A  few 
are  supposed  to  be  summer  residents  as  far  north  as  Long  Island,  from  thence  south- 
ward it  is  found  along  the  entire  Gulf  coast  and  the  shores  of  both  oceans.  It  occurs 
in  the  interior  as  far  north  as  Oregon.    Very  abundant  throughout  a  large  portion 


!     i| 


tit 


NBBTB  AND  BOOB  OF 


*  *  European  Great  White  Egret,  Herodias  alba.    (From  Brehm.) 


of  South  America,  the  West  Indies,  Mexico  and  Central  America.  It  is  called  Little 
"White  Egret,  raid  is  doubtless  the  handsomest  bird  of  this  tribe.  Pure  white,  with 
crest  competed  of  numerous  elongated,  halr-lilie  feathers;  similar  plume  on  the 
lower  neck;  the  same  on  the  back  which  extends  beyond  the  tail  and  are  trcnrrcd 
when  perfect.  See  fig.  of  the  European  Little  White  Egret,  G.  iiirm. 
In  Texas,  Mr.  Rachford  says,  this  species  nests  in  colonies,  usually 
prefering  willow  bufjhes  in  the  marshes  for  this  purpose.  The  breeding  season  is 
from  the  latter  part  of  April  to  the  middle  of  June.  Mr.  Stuart  mentions  it  as 
abundant  along  the  Gulf  coast  of  Florida,  where  it  breeds  on  the  mangrove  islands, 
and  in  the  interior  in  the  willow  ponds  and  swamps  generally  in  company  with  the 
Louisiana  and  Little  Blue  Herons.    The  nest  Is  simply  a  platform  of  sticks.  The  eggs 


NORTH  AM  hit  IVAN  HI  Kits. 


117 


are  from  two  to  five  in  number,  usually  four,  varying  from  elliptical  to  oval  in  form; 
sizes  from  1.80  to  1.85  long  ty  1.20  to  1.25  broad. 


♦  ♦    European  Little  White  Egret,  Garzetta  nivea.    (From  Brehtn.) 


198.  REDDISH  EGRET.  Ardva  nifcscnis  Gmel.  Geog.  Dist.— Gulf  States 
and  Mexico,  south  to  Guatemala,  Jamaica  and  Cuba. 

The  Reddish  Egret  is  an  abundant  resident  of  the  Gulf  States.  It  is  common  in 
Florida  and  in  Mexico,  southward  to  the  West  Indies  and  Central  America.  The 
bird  called  Peale's  Egret*  is  supposed  to  be  the  white  phase  of  .1.  nifa.  The  nesting 
habits  of  the  Reddish  Egret  are  essentially  the  same  as  those  of  the  Louisiana  and 
Snowy  Herons.  Mr.  Stuart  informs  me  that  he  has  never  found  them  very  plentiful 
along  the  Gulf  coast  of  Florida,  where  they  breed  on  the  islands,  placing  the  nest 
on  the  mangrove  bushes.  The  eggs  are  light  bluish-green,  elliptical  in  form;  two  to 
four  in  number,  and  measure  from  1.85  to  2.00  long  by  1.40  to  1.50  broad. 


♦  Hypothetical  List  of  the  A.  O.  U.  Check  List. 


f 


118 


NESTS  AND  FjOOS  OF 


199.  LOUISIANA  HEBON.  Ardra  trimlor  ruflrollis  (Oossp.)  C.eog.  Dist.-- 
Gulf  Stutes,  Mexico,  Central  America  and  West  Indit-H;  cuHually  northward  to  New 
Jersey. 

In  Hammer  the  Louisiana  Ueron  1b  distributed  from  the  Carolinas  Houtiiward. 
It  is  very  abundant  all  along  the  Gulf  States,  into  Mexico  and  Central  Aiut-ricu,  and 
is  found  In  the  West  Indies.  Known  as  "Lady  of  the  Waters."  It  has  an  occipital 
crest  of  several  long  feathers  and  a  splendid  train  of  decomposed,  fringe-like  feathers 
extending  beyond  the  tail.  Mr.  Stuart  states  that  it  is  very  abundant  on  the  man- 
grove islands  along  the  gull  coast  of  Florida,  where  it  breeds  in  communities,  plac- 
ing the  nests  on  the  mangrove  bushes;  in  the  Interior  It  Is  found  nesting  in  the  wil- 
low swamps,  and  usually  in  company  with  the  Little  Blue  and  Snowy  Herons.  Four 
or  five  eggs  are  deposited.  Fresh  eggs  may  be  found  In  May  and  June.  In  Texas, 
Mr.  Rachford  says,  this  species  nests  similarly  to  the  Snowy  Heron,  but  Its  breeding 
eason  commences  u  little  earlier  than  that  of  the  latter — about  the  first  of  April. 
The  egg!<  are  from  two  to  four,  sometimes  five,  in  number,  bluish-green,  and  measure 
from  1.75  to  1.80  long  by  1.30  to  1.40  broad. 

200.  LITTLE  BLUE  HEBON.  Ardra  cariih'a  Linn.  Geog.  Dist.— New  Jersey, 
Illlnoia  and  Kansas,  southward  through  Central  America,  West  Indies,  Guiana  and 
New  Grenada;  casually  north  on  the  Atlantic  coast  to  Massachusetts  and  Maine. 

This  beautiful  little  Heron  is  abundant  In  the  South  A".antic  and  Gulf  States. 
It  has  been  found  breeding  in  all  favorable  localities  intermediate  between  Florida 
and  New  Jersey,  on  the  coast,  and  specimens  have  wandered  into  the  interior.  It  Is 
found  throughout  Mexico,  Central  America  and  the  northern  portion  of  Soutu 
America.  The  breeding  habits  are  like  those  of  the  Snowy  and  Louisiana  Herons, 
nesting  with  them  in  trees  and  bushes,  often  in  large  communities  in  deep  swamps. 
The  eggs  are  bluish-green,  two  to  four  in  number,  generally  more  oval  than  other 
Herons'  eggs  are.  The  sizes  vary  from  1.60  to  1.82  in  length  by  1.25  to  1.3G  in 
breadth.  The  young  of  this  Heron  are  pure  irliitc,  and  should  not  be  confounded  with 
Immature  specimens  of  A.  candidissimii,  Snowy  Heron,  which  is  of  the  same  size  and 
similar  form. 


201.     GBEEN    HEKON. 


GuEEN  Heron. 


Ardea  vircscctis  Linn.  Geog.  Dist.— Canada  and 
Oregon,  southward  to  northern  South  America 
and  the  West  Indies. 

Throughout  the  United  States  in  all 
favorable  localities  this  is  a  well-known 
and  an  abundant  bird,  breeding  in  suitable 
places  anywhere  in  its  range.  It  has  a  number 
of  common  names,  among  which  "Fly-up-the- 
Creek"  is  probably  the  most  refined.  It  is  resi- 
dent in  the  West  Indies  and  in  Central  America, 
and  is  found  in  the  northern  regions  of  South 
America.  The  bird  frequents  the  borders  of 
ponds  and  swamps,  or  it  may  V-a  found  along 
running  streams  whose  banks  f  'e  fringed  with 
trees  or  thick  shrubbery.  While  on  the  wing  it 
frequently  utters  its  familiar  guttural  cry  or 
squawk.  Its  food  consists  of  insects  and  aquatic 
larvae,  Crustacea  and  small  fishes,  for  which  it 
usually  searches  in  the  twilight.  During  the 
day  it  is  sluggish,  and  may  be  found  quietly  rest- 
ing. The  nest  of  this  Heron  is  made  of  twigs, 
very  loosely  put  together;  It  is  placed  in  the 
branches  of  trees  or  bushes  on  the  border  of  a 
stream  or  swamp;  sometimes  in  an  orchard  tree 
at  considerable  distance  from  water.  The  eggs 
are  light  greenish-blue,  elliptical  in  shape  and 
are  from  three  to  six  in  number,  four  being 
the  usual  nest  complement.  Average  measure- 
ment is  1.50x1.14. 


NORTH  AMEIUi'AS  liUiltS. 


119 


DlBt.-- 
to  New 

1 1  ward, 
cu,  and 
CO  I  pita  I 
oat her a 
10  inun- 
is,  plao- 
Lhe  wll- 
I.    Four 

Texas, 
reeding 
f  April, 
neasure 


'  Jersey, 
iDa  and 
[aine. 
:  states. 
Florida 
»r.  It  Is 
f  Soutu 
Herons, 
3wampa. 
in  other 
0  1.35  In 
led  with 
size  and 


Ida    and 
America 

in     all 
1-lcnown 
suitable 
number 
up-the- 
ig  resi- 
A-merica, 
3f  South 
)rders  of 
id  along 
led  with 
wing  it 
cry  or 
1  aquatic 
which  it 
ring  the 
5tly  rest- 
o£  twigs, 
I   in  the 
der  of  a 
lard  tree 
The  eggs 
lape  and 
ur  being 
measure- 


201</.  FRAZAR'S  OREEN  HERON.  .\nhn  tinsmis  inr.nii  nr«'WHt.  Cleog. 
Diet. — Lower  California  (vicinity  of  I^  Paz). 

This  subspecies  is  dedicated  to  .M.  Abbott  Frazar,  the  naturalist  and  taxIdernilHt 
■who  took  the  first  specimens  near  La  I'az,  liOwor  California,  In  1SS7.  Mr.  Hrewster 
says;  "Although  the  points  of  dlffcrencK  between  this  bird  and  true  I.  ihrsmis 
are  not  easily  exproHsed,  they  are,  nevertheless,  apparent  on  the  most  casual  com- 
I)arlsons,  or,  Indeed  without  any  comparison  whatever.  The  deeper,  more  purplish 
maroon  of  tho  neck,  with  Its  decided  glaucous  tinge,  Is  perhaps  the  best  character  of 
the  new  form.  None  of  tho  specimens  In  the  National  Museum  from  tlie  west  coast 
of  Mexico  show  any  approach  to  fnnari,  all  being  apparently  true  linsmis."*  Its 
nesting  habits  and  eggs  are  unknown,  but  more  than  likely  are  Identical  with  .1. 
viriftccns, 

201r.  ANTHONY'S  OREEN  HERON.  Anhn  rhrsmis  antUniiyi  Mearns. 
Geog.  Dlst. — Arid  region  of  Southwestern  United  States,  and  southward  Into  Mexico. 

This  subspecies,  named  In  honor  of  A.  W.  Anthony,  belongs  to  the  arid  portions 
of  Southwestern  United  States  and  southward.  I  have  nothing  positive  regarding 
Its  nesting  and  eggs,  but  they  will  probably  not  differ  from  those  of  .1.  rhrsrcns. 

202.  BLACK-CROWNED  NIGHT  HERON.  \!/rtirorn.r  ni/rtironu  lurviiiH 
(Bodd.)  Geog.  Dlst.— America,  from  the  British  Possessions  southward  to  the  Falk- 
land Islands. 

A  handsome  bird,  whoso  neck  and  legs  are  not  so  long  as  those  of  other  Herons. 
It  has  a  stout  body,  and  Its  total  length  is  about  two  feet.  It  has  two  jr  three  very 
long  white,  filamentous  plumes  springing 
from  the  occiput.  The  Black-crowned 
Night  Heron,  Qua-bird  or  Squawk,  as  it 
Is  variously  called.  Is  found  throughout 
the  entire  continent  of  America,  except 
the  Arctic  regions.  It  breeds  in  several  of 
the  West  Indies,  and  Is  resident  through- 
out Central  America,  breeding  In  all  suit- 
able localities.  It  is  found  through- 
out the  greater  portion  of  South  America, 
and  has  been  observed  breeding  on  the 
Falkland  Islands.  Throughout  the  United 
States,  in  various  sections,  large  colonies 
may  be  found  during  the  breeding  season. 
Hundreds,  and  even  thousands,  colonize 
and  form  extensive  heronies.  Mr.  M.  B. 
Grifflng,  of  Shelter  Island,  N.  Y.,  says  that 
in  the  herony  on  Gardiner's  Island  as 
many  as  four  nests  were  found  in  a  single 
tree,  all  containing  eggs.  Tall  trees  are 
usually  selected  for  the  nesting  sites,  and 
they  are  not  always  easy  of  access.  The 
nests  are  bulky  platforms  of  sticks,  con- 
siderably hollowed.  Mr.  Rachford  says 
that  in  the  vicinity  of  Beaumont,  Texas, 
this  Heron  nests  in  cypress  trees  along  the 
banks  of  streams,  and  that  the  breeding 
season  begins  about  the  first  of  April.  The 
greatest  number  of  eggs  found  in  any  nest 
is  four,  which  is  the  usual  number.  In  all 
the  sets  that  Mr.  Grifilng  and  Mr.  Worth- 
ington  had  collected  for  three  years  there 
were  but  four  sets  containing  more  than 


4 

11 


5-.. 


202.    Black-crowned  NigiIT  Heron. 


♦Auk,  V.  Jan.,  1888,  83. 


190 


NBBTB  AND  BOOB  OF 


four  orkr;  these  were  three  of  Ave  and  one  of  six.  The  eggs  are  pale,  bluish-green, 
varying  from  elliptiral  to  oval;  size  from  1.90  to  2. 15  lang,  by  1.35  to  1.55  broad.  In 
some  localttleH  the  neat  of  thiB  Heron  Is  built  on  the  ground  in  marshes. 

203.  YELLOW-CROWNED  NIOHT  HERON.  \i/vtlrnra.r  riolareufi  (Linn.) 
Oeog.  Diet. — Warm-temperate  Eastern  North  America,  from  the  Carolinas  and  the 
Lower  Ohio  Valley  south  to  Drazil;  casually  north  to  MasaachuHetts  and  west  to 
Colorado, 

The  Yellow-crowned  Night  Heron  Is  a  southern  Hpecies,  known  to  breed  on  the 
Atlantic  coast  us  far  north  as  the  Carolinas,  and  in  the  interior  as  far  north  as 
Southern  Indiana,  Illinois  and  Missouri.  It  is  found  along  the  entire  Gulf  coast  of 
Mexico,  throuRhout  the  West  Indies,  Central  America  and  in  Northern  South  Ameri- 
ca. The  bird  is  very  similar  to  the  Black-crowned  Night  Heron,  but  is  a  llltle 
smaller.  Tlie  back  and  head  are  furnished  with  long,  elegant,  lanceolate  plumes. 
The  general  color  is  pale,  ashy-blue.  Its  nest  is  a  slight  platform  of  sticks.  In 
some  parts  of  the  Southern  States  this  Heron  is  said  to  be  quite  abundant,  while  in 
others  it  is  rarely  met  with.  In  portions  of  Florida  it  breeds  in  great  numbers,  gen- 
erally in  company  with  other  species,  forming  large  heronies,  especially  in  the 
Interior  in  large  cypress  swamps.  In  the  southern  portion  of  South  Carolina  It  nests 
In  swamps  or  in  tall  trees  which  are  surrounded  by  water.  In  various  regions  of 
Texas  the  nest  of  this  Heron  is  built  on  the  lower  branches  of  a  cypress  tree,  near 
some  stream.  Mr.  Rachford  says  he  never  found  more  than  two  or  three  nests  In 
close  proximity  to  one  another,  but  frequently  found  the  birds  breeding  in  company 
With  the  Snowy  and  Louisiana  Herons.  The  nesting  season  is  during  April  and  May. 
He  has  taken  as  many  as  six  eggs  from  a  nest;  the  usual  number  however.  Is  four. 
They  vary  In  shape  from  elliptical  to  oval;  sizes  1.90  to  2.00  long  by  1.40  to  1.50 
broad. 


:204.  WHOOPING  CRANE.  (Irus  amcricana  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dlsi.— Interior  of 
North  America,  from  the  Fur  Countries  to  Florida,  Texas  and  Mexico,  and  from 
Ohio  to  Colorado. 

The  Great  White  or  Whooping  Crane  Is  confined  to  the  interior  of  North 
America,  and  breeds  from  Illinois,  Iowa,  Minnesota  and  the  Dakotas  northward, 
passing  the  winter  In  the  swamps  of  Florida  and  Texas,  Its  chief  line  of  migration 
seems  to  be  the  Mississippi  Valley  at  large.  It  Is  said  'o  be  common  In  the  fur 
countries.  In  Ohio  it  is  considered  a  rare  spring  and  fall  mlg  ^'^t.  Breeds  In  various 
places  throughout  Manitoba,  building  Its  nest  on  the  grou?(d  In  the  midst  of  rank 
grass  near  marshes,  or  In  wet  meadows.  Mr.  J.  W.  Preston  mentions  the  finding  of 
a  number  of  nests  In  Northern  Iowa.  One  found  In  the  marshes  near  Eagle  Lake, 
was  about  eighteen  Inches  In  height,  well  built  of  tough,  fine  marsh  grass  and  placed 
on  firm  sod;  It  was  neatly  cupped  and  contained  two  heavily  marked,  drab-colored 
eggs.*  Mr.  R.  M.  Anderson  found  a  nest  containing  two  eggs  in  a  marsh  of  Hancock 
county,  Iowa,  May  26.  The  nest  was  composed  of  a  mass  of  grasr,  and  reeds  and  was 
about  twenty-four  Inches  in  diameter  and  was  placed  eight  or  ten  inches  above  the 
water.  The  two  eggs  measured  4.06x2.38,  4.03x2.50,  respectively.  The  eggs  of  the 
Whooping  Crane  are  large  and  coarse  looking;  In  color,  light  brownlsh-drab, 
sparsely  marked,  with  large  Irregular  spots  of  a  pale  dull  chocolate-brov/n  and  ob- 
scure shell-markings;  elliptical;  the  shell  Is  very  rough,  covered  with  numerous 
elevations  like  little  warts;  Dr.  Coues  says  two  (or  three?)  in  number;  size  about 


•  The  OoloBlst,  Vol.  IV,  p.  43. 


NOHTH  AMHIilt'AK  Hllflhs. 


in 


8.7K  by  2.65.  Home  fggs  lire  blotched  Irregularly  over  thu  Hurfuce,  while  others  are 
marked  at  the  amaller  or  greater  end.  Two  eggs  in  my  collection  from  Northern 
Iowa  measure  3.89x2.52,  4.03x2.55,  respectively. 


204.    Whoopino  Crane. 


205.  LITTLE  BROWN  CRANE.  OruM  raiUKlnisis  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist.— Arctic 
and  subarctic  America,  breeding  from  the  Fur  Countries  and  Alaska  to  the  Arctic 
coast,  migrating  south  in  winter  into  the  Western  United  States. 

The  Little  Brown  Crane,  which  Is  almost  exactly  like  the  next  species,  but 
smaller,  is  abundant  in  Arctic  America.  I  mounted  a  specimen  of  this  bird  which 
■was  taken  in  the  spring  of  1884  from  a  flock  of  seven  birds  near  Springfield,  Ohla 
It  is  a  rare  migrant  in  the  state.  Specimens  of  the  bird  and  its  eggs  have  been  taken 
In  various  parts  of  Alaska.  Common  on  the  Island  of  St.  Michael's  and  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Yukon.  Eggs  were  obtained  by  Mr.  Dall,  on  the  Yukon  river,  June  17th.  They 
were  laid  In  a  depression  of  the  sandy  beach.  This  species  is  common  in  the 
marshes  of  Norton  Sound,  where  their  nests  are  built  on  the  dry  knolls,  and  the  eggs 
are  laid  before  the  end  of  May.  Throughout  most  parts  of  Manitoba,  the  Little 
Brown  Crane  Is  a  common  summer  resident.  Eggs  have  been  obtained  on  the  Lower 
Anderson  river,  In  Franklin  Bay,  and  In  Liverpool  Bay  on  the  Arctic  coast.  Nelson 
states  that  the  Little  Brown  Crane  Is  a  summer  resident  upon  St.  Mathew's  and  St. 
Lawrence  Islands,  and  were  found  nesting  by  Nordenskjold  in  considerable  numbers 
at  Seniavlne  Strait,  south  of  Bering  Strait  ou  the  Siberian  coast,  July  28.  Eggs 
containing  small  embryos  were  secured  May  27,  but  they  are  generally  deposited 


122 


NE8T8  AND  EGGS  OF 


the  last  few  days  of  May  or  first  of  June.  The  site  for  the  nest  which  is  to  contain 
the  two  eggs  which  iftis  bird  always  lays  is  usually  on  the  grassy  flats,  where  the 
dryer  portions  or  the  slight  knolls  afford  them  suitable  places.  The  nest  is  fre- 
quently a  mere  hollow  in  the  ground,  and  is  commonly  lined  with  more  or  less 
coarse  grass  stems  and  straws.  In  one  Instance  a  nest  was  found  on  a  bare  flat,  and 
was  lined  with  a  layer  of  straws  an  inch  deep,  all  of  which  must  have  been  brought 
for  some  yards;  this  is  unusual,  however.  The  eggs  vary  in  ground  color  from  pale 
greenish  clay  to  buffy  brown  or  warm  brownish,  and  the  entire  surface  is  irregularly 
marked  with  spots  and  blotches  of  chocolate-brown,  rather  sparsely  distributed 
chiefly  at  the  apex.  The  size  varies  from  3.70x2.40,  3.72x2.40,  3.71x2.41,  representing 
the  maximum;  3.26x2.28,  3.40x2.35,  3.33x2.21  representing  the  minimum  in  a  series  of 
twerity-fiv«  specimens. 


206.  SANDHILL  CRANE,  dritx  mcxicanu  (Mull.)  Geog.  Dist.— Southern  half 
of  North  America;  now  '-are  near  the  Atlantic  coast,  except  in  Georgia  and  Florida. 

The  Southern  Sandhill  Crane,  Common  Brown  or  Sandhill  Crane,  as  it  is  var- 
iously called,  is  found  in  the  United  States  chiefly  in  the  Mississippi  Valley  west  to 
the  Pacific  coast  and  south  into  Mexico  and  eastward  along  the  Gulf  coast  to  Florida 
and  Georgia.  It  is  irregularly  distributed  and  apparently  breeds  in  sufficiently  mild 
regions  throughout  its  range.  It  has  been  found  nesting  in  Michigan,  is  reported 
breeding  in  Northern  Ohio,  and  is  known  to  breed  on  the  table-lands  of  Colorado. 
Mr.  Stuart  says  that  in  various  regions  of  Florida,  this  species  nests  during  the 
months  of  February,  March  ancl  April.  The  nests  are  usually  built  in  shallow, 
grassy  ponds,  which  are  common  in  the  pine  woods  and  prairies  of  that  State. 
They  are  fiat  and  composed  of  a  mass  of  grass,  weeds,  roots,  etc.,  slightly  elevated 
above  the  water,  oftentimes  not  more  than  two  or  three  inches.  On  this  structure 
t  vo  eggs  are  deposited.  Mr.  Stuart  remarks  that  the  young  birds  are  able  to  follow 
the  parents  soon  after  being  hatched.  The  eggs  are  ashy-yellow,  with  a  buffy  tinge, 
suotted  and  blotched  with  brown,  reddish-brown  and  various  shades 
of  gray.  The  average  size  is  3.98x2.44.  Two  eggs  in  my  cabinet  from  Florida 
measure  3.85x2.35,  3.82x2.36. 

207.  LIMPKIN.  A  ramus  iitiyantciii^  (Bonap.)  Geog.  Dist. — Florida;  coast  of 
G  ilf  of  Mexico;  Greater  Antilles,  south  to  Costa  Rica. 

The  Courlans  are  large,  Rail-like  birds  and  are  in  fact  very  closely  allied  to  the 
true  Rails,  with  but  a  slight  difference  in  their  external  structure.  There  is  one 
genus  with  two  species,  inhabiting  the  warmer  parts  of  America.  The  Brazilian 
Courlan,  A.  xcohiiiairiis  (Gmel.),  occurs  in  Eastern  South  America,  while  the  Limp- 
kin,  which  holds  a  place  in  the  North  American  fauna,  is  found  in  the  Greater 
Antilles,  portions  of  Central  America,  with  only  a  restricted  distribution  in  Florida. 
It  is  called  Crying  Bird  from  its  loud  and  startling  note  which  is  said  to  be  not  unlike 
the  cry  of  a  child  in  distress.  Mr.  Thomas  H.  Jackson  met  with  this  species  breeding 
in  the  subtropical  wilds  of  the  Ocklawaha  river  in  Florida.  He  states  that  this  bird 
chooses  for  a  nesting  place  a  secluded  spot  on  the  banks  of  a  river  or  slough.  Sev- 
eral pairs  often  nest  close  together  in  the  manner  of  Herons,  though  isolated  nests 
are  freguently  observed.  The  nest  is  made  of  pieces  of  dead  vines,  dry  leaves  and 
old  vegetation  of  various  kinds  loosely  constructed  and  generally  bedded  on  a  mass 
of  vines,  from  five  to  eight  feet  from  the  ground.  The  usual  complement  of  eggs 
laid  is  five  or  six;  four  and  seven  are  not  uncommon  numbers.  Fourteen  sets  in  Mr. 
Jackson's  cabinet  consist  of  eight  sets  of  six,  one  of  five,  two  of  seven,  two  of  four 
and  one  of  three  eggs.    In  size,  shape  and  texture  of  shell  they  resemble  those  of  the 


NOltTH  AMHRICAX  UllUfS. 


123 


domestic  fowl,  while  in  color  and  niai  kings  they  are  similar  to  those  of  the  Sandhill 
Crane — varying  from  almost  pure  white  to  creamy,  buff,  and  grayish-white.  The 
eggs  are  variously  spotted,  daubed  and  stained  with  brown  and  gray.  A  set  of  six 
eggs  containing  the  largest  specimens  in  the  series,  exhibit  the  following  dimensions: 
2.57x1.80,  2.44x1.75,  2.40x1.77,  2.28x1.75,  2.39x1.80,  2.41x1.83;  the  set  showing  the  small- 
est sizes  are  given  as  follows:  2.21x1.72,  2.21x1.70,  2.22x1.02  2.23x1.63,  2.45x1.63, 
l'.23xl.65.* 


208.  KING  BAIL.  Udlliix  rlCi/uiiK  Aud.  Geog.  Dist.— Fresh-water  marshes  of 
Eastern  United  States  from  the  Middle  States,  Northern  Illinois,  Wisconsin  and 
Kansas  southward.    Casually  north  to  Massachusetts  and  Maine,  and  Ontario. 

The  King  Rail,  Fresh-v/ater  Marsh  Hen,  or  Red-breasted  Rail,  is  distributed  in 
simimer  from  New  York  southward,  breeding  throughout  the  inland  marshes.  It  is 
a  summer  resident  in  Ohio.  I  collected  eggs  of  this  species  in  a  marsh  a  few  miles 
from  Columbus  in  May,  1887.  It  is  frequently  confounded  with  the  Clapper  Rail;  the 
latter,  however,  is  confined  to  the  vicinity  of  salt  water,  and   is  a  bird  of  duller 


i-<>. ' 


2ns      King  Rail     (After  Audubon.) 

plumage.  The  nest  of  this  Rail  is  placed  on  the  ground  in  a  marsh,  often  fastened  in 
a  tussock  of  grass.  It  is  composed  of  grass  and  weeds.  The  eggs  vary  from  a  dull 
white  to  cream  or  pale  buff,  sparsely  dotted  and  spotted  with  reudish-brownand  lilac; 
six  to  twelve  in  number;  size  from  1.55  to  1.72  long  by  1.15  to  1.25  broad,  averaging 
1.07  by  1.12. 

209.  BELDING'S  BAIL.  Ralliis  hvUlii,,n  Ridgw.  Geog.  Dist.— Lower  Cali- 
fornia (Espiritus  Santo  Island  and  vicinity  of  La  Paz). 

Under  the  ruling  of  the  A.  O.  U.  Code  to  admit  the  islands  pertaining  to  T^ower 
Ciilifornia,  this  species  comes  within  the  North  American  avifauna.  It  is  very  much 
like  It.  clcgaiix,  but  is  darker  and  richer  colored  throughout,  the  white  bars  of  the 


♦  OrnltholoKlst  and  Oolog:i.«t.  XIT,  pv.  15!)-160. 


%       HI 


If :  i 


124 


NESTB  AND  EGGS  OF 


flanks  much  narrower  and  the  blackish  bars  very  distinct.  Length,  according  to 
Mr.  Ridgway,  about  15.00-16.00;  wing  5.70-6.40;  depth  of  bill  .29-.35  (.31);  tarsus 
1.88-2.10  (1.93).  I  can  And  no  information  regarding  this  bird's  nidification,  but  in  all 
probability  it  is  oimilar  to  that  of  R.  eleyana. 

210.  CALIFOBNIA  CLAFPEB  BAIL.  Rallus  obsoletus  Ridgw.  Geog.  Dist.— 
Salt  marshes  of  the  Pacific  coast  from  Lower  California  to  Oregon. 

Mr.  Bryant  regards  this  Rail  as  abundant,  at  all  seasons  of  the  year,  on  the  salt 
marshes  of  Oakland,  San  Mateo,  and  other  marshes  that  are  partially  covered  by 
the  high  tides,  at  which  times  the  birds  are  remarkably  tame.  They  swim  well,  and 
when  wounded  and  closely  pursued  they  dive  and  hold  on  to  the  marsh  grass  be- 
neath the  water  to  keep  from  rising.  They  commence  breeding  in  April,  selecting  a 
high  piece  of  marsh  ground,  usually  on  the  bank  of  a  slough.  The  nest  is  composed 
wholly  of  dry  marsh  grass,  loosely  laid  together.  The  bird  deposits  eight  or  nine 
eggs,  of  a  light,  creamy  buff,  spotted,  often  blotched,  with  reddish-brown  and 
lavender  markings,  the  latter  color  appearing  as  if  beneath  the  shell.  Of  eome  thirty- 
six  specimens  examined,  all  have  markings  more  numerous  at  the  larger  ends;  on 
some  the  lavender  predominates.  A  set  of  eight,  taken  at  San  Mateo,  April  24th, 
contained  small  embryos.  They  measure  respectively  1.70x1.25,  1.73x1.23,  1.75x1.23, 
1.77x1.23,  1.08x1.23,  1.70x1.22,  l.GSxl.."?,  1.69x1.24.  The  average  size  of  thirteen  eggs 
is  1.71x1.24.*  In  the  marshes  of  San  Francisco  Bay  Mr.  Emerson  took  eggs  of  this 
Rail  in  April,  May  and  June,  one  set  containing  seven  eggs. 

211.  CLAPPER  RAIL.  Rallm  crepitaim  (Gmel.)  Geog.  Dist.— Salt  marshes 
of  the  Atlantic  coast  of  the  United  States,  from  New  Jersey  soutliward;  resident 
from  the  Potomac  southward.    Coast  of  Louisiana. 

The  Clapper  Rail,  or  Salt-water  Marsh  Hen,  is  an  abundant  bird  in  the  salt 
marshes  of  the  Atlantic  coast  from  New  Jersey  southward.  Breeds  in  profusion  and 
is  the  most  abundant  aquatic  bird  in  the  marshes  from  the  Carolinas  to  Florida.  It 
has  lately  been  found  breeding  on  the  coast  of  Louisiana,  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  Dr. 
A.  K.  Fisher  having  taken  an  old  bird  and  two  young  at  Grand  Isle,  in  18SG.  Mr.  S. 
C.  Shick,  of  Sea  Isle  City,  states  Inat  the  Clapper  Rail  arrives  on  the  southeastern 
coast  of  New  Jersey  about  the  last  of  April;  their  presence  is  made  knov/n  by  harsh 
cries  at  early  dawn  and  at  sunset.  Nest  building  is  commenced  in  the  latter  part  of 
May,  and  by  the  first  of  June  the  full  complement  of  eggs  is  laid,  ranging  from  six 
to  nine  or  ten  in  number,  thirteen  being  the  largest  set  he  ever  obtained  from  any 
nest.  Farther  south  this  bird  is  known  to  lay  as  many  as  fifteen,  this  number, 
however,  being  uncommon.  On  Cobb's  Island,  Va.,  the  Clapper  Rail  breeds  in  great 
numbers,  carefully  concealing  the  nest  in  high  grass;  the  full  complement  of  eggs  is 
laid  by  the  first  of  May.  Their  color  is  pale  buffy-yellow,  dotted  and  spotted  with 
reddish-brown  and  pale  lilac,  with  an  average  size  of  1.72x1.20,  but  there  Is  a  great 
variation  in  this  respect  in  a  large  series. 

211((.  LOUISIANA  CLAPPER  RAIL.  Rallus  nrpitaiis  mtiirntuK  Ridgw. 
Geog.  Dist. — Coast  of  Louisiana. 

This  subspecies  was  discovered  by  Henshaw,  who  described  it  in  1880.  It  is 
smaller  than  the  type— length  about  thirteen  inches— is  of  brighter-colored  plumage, 
the  brown  of  the  upper  parts  is  of  a  richer  tint  and  more  deeply  tinged  with  olive, 
while  the  breast  is  of  a  richer  shade  of  brown.    It  has  been  found  only  on  the  coasts 


♦  Bull.  Nutt.  Club,  V,  p.  124. 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


129 


of  Louisiana.    I  know  nothing  reliable  concerning  its  nesting  or  eggs,  but  they  are 
said  to  be  similar  to  R.  crepitaus,  which  In  all  probability  are  identical. 

211.  1.  FLORIDA  CLAPPER  RAIL.  Rnllus  scottii  (Senn.)  Geog.  Dist.^ 
Salt  marshes  of  Western  Florida. 

The  Florida  Clapper  Rail  differs  from  crepitans  proper  in  being  black,  /lucous,  or 
olive-brown  above,  with  olive-gray  margins  to  the  feathers;  in  having  tae  neck  and 
breast  cinnamon-rufus  washed  with  brownish,  and  in  having  the  belly  and  flanks 
black  instead  of  gray.  In  fact,  the  general  color  of  scottii  suggests  a  King  Rail,  but  the 
latter  may  always  be  known  by  its  rufous  wing — coverets  and  clear  cinnamon — rufus 
neck  and  breast. — Chapman. 

211.2.  CARIBEAK  CLAPPER  RAIL.  Rallus  loiiffirostris  carihwns  Ridgw. 
Geog.  Dist. — West  Indies  and  Gulf  of  Mexico;  north  to  Texas  (Corpus  Christi  and 
Galveston). 

A  subspecies  inhabiting  the  West  Indies,  its  colors  being  similar  to  R,  crepitans. 
Its  nidification  is  more  than  likely  similar  or  Identical  to  that  species. 

212.  VIRGINIA  RAIL.  Rallus  vir'ffiuiauus  Linn.  Geog.  Dist. — North  Ameri- 
ca, from  the  British  Provinces  south  to  Guatemala  and  Cuba. 

The  Virginia  Rail  is  an  exact  miniature  of  R.  clcyaus,  the  coloration  being  ex- 
actly the  same;  the  legs,  iris  and  bill  brown — the  latter  reddish — orange  at  the  base 
of  the  lower  mandible.  In  summer  it  is  distributed  from  Canada  to  Florida;  fre- 
quenting marshes  and  boggy  swamps.  The  nest  is  built  in  a  tuft  of  reeds  or  grasses 
close  to  the  water;  it  is  compact  and  slightly  hollowed.  The  eggs  are  cream  or  buff, 
sparsely  spotted  with  reddish-brown  and  obscure  lilac;  they  are  like  those  of  the 
King  or  Clapper  Rail,  but  of  course,  like  the  bird,  much  smaller;  sizes  range  from 
1.20  to  1.28  long  by  .90  to  .93  broad.  The  number  in  a  set  varies  from  six  to  twelve. 
The  Virginia  Rail  and  the  Sora  have  habits  that  are  vory  similar;  when  on  the  wing 
they  will  fly  in  a  straight  line  for  a  short  distance  with  dangling  legs,  and  suddenly 
drop  into  the  grass.    The  Virginia  Rail  is  almost  exclusively  a  fresh  water  bird. 


Lidgw. 

It  is 

image, 

olive, 

coasts 


[213,]  SPOTTED  CRAKE.  Pnrzana  porzaiia  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist. — Europe;  oc- 
casional occurrence  in  Greenland. 

The  European  Spotted  Crake  is  found  in  most  parts  of  Europe,  Asia  and  Africa. 
Common  in  Italy,  Sicily  and  in  the  Southern  portions  of  Russia.  Hagerup  mentions 
this  species  as  a  "rare  visitor  in  South  Greenland."  Breeds  abundantly  in  Southern 
France  and  in  various  parts  of  England.  It  frequents  the  banks  of  streams,  ponds 
and  lakes,  and  the  thick  grasses  and  vegetation  of  marshy  grounds.  The  nest  is 
usually  built  in  these  places,  being  loosely  woven  of  aquatic  plants,  and  lined  with 
finer  material  of  the  same;  it  is  often  placed  near  tne  water's  edge,  and  so  arranged 
as  to  be  capable  of  floating  on  the  water.  Spotted  Rail,  Spotted  Water-hen,  Spotted 
Gallinule,  Water-crake,  and  Water  Rail  are  names  common  to  it  in  England.  The 
eggs  of  this  bird  are  from  seven  to  twelve  in  number;  pale  buff  or  cream  color,  or  of 
a  yellowish-gray,  spotted  and  speckled  with  a  dark  reddish-brown  and  tints  of 
lavender.  Six  eggs,  collected  in  Southern  France,  in  my  cabinet  measure  1.34x.96, 
1.36X.94,  1.32X.93,  1.34X.94, 1.33x.96  and  1.32x.95. 

214.  SORA.  Pnrzana  Carolina  (Linn.)  Geog,  Dist. — Temperate  North  America. 
South  to  the  West  Indies  and  Northern  South  America. 


126 


XESTN  AM)  KGHS  OF 


214.     SoRA  Rails.    (From  Bailey.) 

The  little  slate-colored  Carolina  Rail  breeds  from  the  Middle  States  northward. 
In  the  reedy  swamps  of  the  Atlantic  States  great  numbers  of  this  Rail  are  killed 
every  year.  It  is  a  highly  esteemed  game  bird,  and  is  usually  abundant  during  the 
migrations.  More  common  in  the  Eastern  Province  of  the  United  States,  breeding 
chiefly  northward.  Mr.  Shields  states  that  the  Sora  Rail  is  quite  common  in  the 
swamps  about  Los  Angeles,  Cala.,  where  he  obtained  six  sets  of  its  eggs  in  the  season 
of  1886;  the  largest  set  contained  fourteen  and  smallest  seven  eggs.  In  Ohio  the 
Carolina  Crake,  Common  Rail,  Sora  or  Ortolan,  as  it  is  variously  called,  is  a  com- 
mon summer  resident,  breeding  in  the  extensive  swamps  and  wet  meadows  through- 
out the  State.  The  Carolina  Rails  are  equally  abundant  on  both  salt  and  fresh 
water  marshes,. but  the  latter  places  are  preferable  to  them  as  breeding  grounds. 
The  nest  is  a  rude  affair  made  of  grass  and  weeds,  placed  on  the  ground  in  a  tussock 
of  grass  in  a  boggy  tract  of  land,  where  there  is  a  growth  of  briers,  etc.  The  eggs 
of  Sora  are  ovoidal  in  shape,  tapering  gradually  to  the  smaller  end  but  not  sharply 
pointed.  They  have  a  ground  color  of  dark  cream  or  drab,  darker  than  those  of  the 
Virginia  Rail;  the  spots  are  redaish-brown  with  purple  shell  spots  scattered  over 
the  surface,  but  more  numerous  at  the  large  end.  Twenty  eggs  in  my  collection  have 
an  average  size  of  1.26x.90. 


{ 
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ei 


th 


A 


215.  YELLOW  BAIL.  PorcYTHfl  uorehoracriiftifi  (Gmel.)  Geog.  Dist. — Eastern 
North  America  from  Nova  Scotia  and  Hudson  Bay  west  to  Utah  and  Nevada. 

The  small  Yellow  Crake  appears  to  be  quite  rare  everywhere  in  Eastern  North 
America  or  wherever  found.  It  is  known  to  breed  in  Northern  Illinois,  where  its  eggs 
have  been  taken.  Dr.  Howard  Jones  has  frequently  taken  it  in  the  vicinity  of  Circle- 
ville,  Ohio,  and  considers  it  nearly  as  common  as  other  species,  and  believes  it  breeds 
there,  which  is  probably  the  case  throughout  the  State.  The  Little  Yellow  Rail  has 
the  same  general  traits  common  to  others  of  this  family,  frequenting  marshy  places, 
skulking  and  hiding  in  the  wet  grass  to  elude  observation.  The  eggs  are  said  to  be 
about  six  In  number,  rich  buffy-brown,  marked  at  the  larger  end  with  a  cluster  of 
reddish-brown  dots;  sizes  range  from  1.05  to  1.12  long  by  .80  to  .85  broad. 


con 
in 


iWHTH  AMtlUlVAS  BlliUH. 


127 


216.  BLACK  BAIL.  Purzana  jamaiccnxis  (Gmel.)  Geog.  Dist.— Temperalt 
North  America,  north  to  Massachusetts,  Northern  Illinois  and  Oregon;  south  to  West 
Indies  Thd  South  America. 

Smallest  of  our  North  American  Rails;  not  often  found  in  the  United  States  and 
one  of  the  rarest  of  our  birds.  Its  small  size  and  secretive  habits  are  doubtless  one 
of  the  causes  of  its  apparent  scarcity.  A  nest  containing  ten  eggs  was  found  near 
Saybrook,  Conn.  Ten  fresh  eggs  were  taken  from  a  nest  in  Illinois,  June  19,  1875, 
near  Calumet  River.  The  nest  was  placed  in  a  deep,  cup-shaped  depression;  in  shape 
and  situation  resembled  that  of  the  Meadow  Lark,  but  the  Rail's  nest  was  much 
deeper  in  proportion  to  the  diameter.  It  was  elaborately  made  of  grass-stems  and 
blades.  The  eggs  were  clear  white,  thinly  sprinkled  with  reddish-brown  dots,  more 
numerous  about  the  large  end.*  Mr.  Harry  Menke  found  a  nest  containing  nine  eggs 
in  a  marsh  near  Garden  City,  Kan.,  June  6,  1889.  The  nest  was  placed  on  a  low 
ridge  near  the  center  of  a  pond,  a  neat,  compact  structure,  composed  entirely  of 
blades  of  a  kind  of  water  grass.  Dr.  Coues  says:  "Eggs  from  New  Jersey  are  alto- 
gether different  from  those  of  the  Sora,  or  Yellow  Crake,  being  creamy-white, 
sprinkled  all  over  with  fine  dots  of  rich,  bright  reddish-brown,  and  with  a  few  spots 
of  some  little  size  at  the  gre:^l  end;  most  like  the  more  finely  speckled  examples  of  the 
egg  of  the  large  liaUi;  dime^  sions,  1.05x  .80." 

216.  1.  FARALLONE  BAIL.  Porzana  vniurnk-uUtH  (Bidgw.)  Geog.  Dist.— 
Farallone  Islands. 

This  species  is  like  the  last,  but  rather  smaller,  more  uniform  in  color,  without 
the  white  specks  on  the  back.  It  is  known  only  from  the  type  specimen  taken  on  the 
Farallones. 


[217.]    CORN  CRAKE.     Vrex  crex  (Linn.)    Geog.  Dist.— Europe  and  Northern 
Asia;  casual  visitor  in  Greenland,  Bermuda  and  Eastern  North  America. 


Eastern 


217.    Corn  Crake. 


The  Land  Rail,  Corn  Crake,  or  Corn  Creak,  is  an  abundant  species  over  the  entire 
continent  of  Europe.  In  England  and  Scotland  it  is  a  familiar  bird,  where  it  breeds 
in  abundance.    Very  common  in  the  Orkney  and  Shetland  Islands.    It  frequents  the 


-.  i; 


E.  \V.  Nel.son:     Bull.  Nutt.  Orn,  Club.    Vol.  I,  p.  43. 


l\W 


128 


VMBTS  AND  aOGB  OF 


long  grass  of  wet  meadows,  uecr  rivers  and  marshes,  and  in  fields  of  grain.  Its 
presence  is  indicated  by  tlie  creaking  note  from  which  it  takes  its  name.  The  nest 
Is  placed  on  the  ground,  generally  in  a  field  of  grain,  grass  or  clover;  it  is  made  of 
dry  plants  and  grasses.  In  England  this  bird  nests  about  the  first  or  middle  part  of 
June.  The  eggs  are  from  seven  to  ten  in  number;  these,  when  fresh,  are  of  a  pale 
reddish-white;  when  blown,  tho  ground  color  is  light  buff,  with  a  reddish  cast;  they 
are  spotted  and  sprinliled  with  pale  reddish-brown,  chiefly  at  the  larger  end.  The 
meadrementK  of  a  set  of  five  eggs  in  Mr.  Crandall's  collection  taken  near  Mers- 
burg,  Germany,  July  7,  are  as  follows:  1.40x1.02,  1.43x1.05,  1.40x1.00,  1.42x1.03,  1.45x 
1.05,  respectively. 

218.  PURPLE  OALLINULE.  lonornis  martinivu  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist.  -South 
Atlantic  and  Gulf  States;  casually  northward  to  Maine,  New  York,  Wisconsin,  Ohio, 
etc.;  south  through  the  West  Indies,  Mexico,  Central  America  and  Northern  South 
America  to  Brazil. 

This  beautiful  Gallinule  inhabits  the  South  Atlantic  and  Gulf  States  and  strays 
occasionally  northward  as  far  as  Maine,  New  York,  Ohio,  Wisconsin  and  other 
Northern  States.  It  has  been  taken  several  times  in  Central  Uxiio  in  June  and  July. 
The  bird  is  resident  in  the  South.  From  its  bright  purplish-blue  colors  it  may  qu'.te 
readily  be  distinguished  from  the  Florida  Gallinule,  even  at  a  long  distance.  In 
Florida  it  breeds  in  the  latter  part  of  May.  Mr.  Rachford  writes  me  that  in  Texas 
the  Purple  Gallinule  nests  in  the  tall  grass  along  the  edges  of  water  courses,  bending 
the  grass  down  and  weaving  it  together.  Besides  its  true  nest,  the  bird  makes 
several  "shams."  often  as  many  as  five  or  six.  The  nesting  season  is  in  May  or 
June.  Mr.  Arthur  T.  Wayne  informs  me  that  in  South  Carolina  the  nest  is  invariably 
built  in  rushes  over  water.  The  usual  number  of  eggs  laid  is  eight  or  nine,  but  fre- 
quently more  are  deposited.  The  eggs  are  cream  color,  finely  ar.d  rather  sparsely 
dotted  with  chestnut-brown  and  umber;  rather  ellinticri,  a::d  ir.easure  from  1.70  to 
1.75  long  by  l.lo  to  1.20  broad. 


219.  FLORIDA  GALLINULE.  aaUiuula  ijahata  (Licht.)  Geog.  Dist.— Tem- 
perate and  tropical  America;  north  to  British  Provinces. 

Known  as  the  Common  Gallinule  and  Red-billed  Mud  Hen.  Its  center  of 
abundance  is  in  the  South  Atlantic  and  Gulf  States,  and  it  brccc's  as  far  north  as 
Massachusetts.  Not  an  uncommon  summer  resident  in  Ohio,  breeding  in  the  ex- 
tensive swamps  and  marshes  throughout  the  State.  The  nest  is  usually  fastened 
in  the  sedges  and  marsh  grass  above  sLaiiow  water,  or  among  the  fiags.  The  foun- 
dation is  often  made  by  breaking  down  the  flags,  so  as  to  form  a  little  platform, 
which  will,  to  a  certain  degree,  rise  and  fall  v/ith  the  water.  On  this;  the  nest  proper 
is  built  of  the  last  year's  flags.  In  Florida,  where  the  bird  is  remarKably  abundant, 
the  nest  is  placed  in  the  dyer  portions  of  the  marshes,  among  thick  reeds  and 
rushes.  A  set  of  eight  eggs,  collected  by  Dr.  Jones  near  Circleville,  Ohio,  measure 
1.70x1.20,  1.81x1.18,  1.81x1.17,  1.78x1.23,  1.84x1.25,  1.84x1.22,  1.77x1.24.  and  1.83x1.16. 
The  number  of  eggs  laid  ranges  from  seven  to  thirteen.  They  are  creamy  or  brown- 
ish-buff rather  thickly  spotted  and  blotched  v/ith  brown  and  umber;  some  of  the 
spots  are  as  small  as  pin  heads;  sizes  vary  from  1.75  to  2.'^'^  lorg  by  1.20  to  1.30 
broad ;  shaped  like  an  average  hen's  egg. 


[220.1     F.UROPEAN  COOT.      /=^»/jVo  rt^/-«  Linn.    Geog.  Dist.- 
the  Eaotern  Hemisphere  in  general;  accidental  in  Greenland. 


-Northern  parts  of 


VORTE  AMERICAS  RTRDS. 


v» 


'ain.  Ita 
The  nest 
made  of 
le  part  of 
of  a  pale 
last;  they 
nd.  The 
lar  Mers- 
.03,  1.45X 


t.  -South 
sin,  Ohio. 
!rn  South 

nd  strays 

ind  other 

and  July. 

nay  qu'te 

ance.     In 

in  Texas 

;,  bending 

rd  makes 

n  May  or 

nvariably 

but  fre- 

sparsely 

m  1.70  to 


St. — Tem- 

center   of 
north  as 
the  ex- 
fastened 
he  foun- 
platform, 
st  proper 
ibundant, 
eeds  and 
measure 
1.83x1.16. 
brown- 
e  of  the 
to  1.30 


ir 


0 


This  bird  closely  resembles  our  American  Coot,  but  its  average  size  is  slightly 
larger.  It  is  a  common  resident  south  of  middle  England,  and  in  the  summer  is 
found  breeding  in  the  numerous  lochs  throughout  Scotland.  Its  habits  in  all  re- 
spects are  like  those  of  the  American  bird.  The  nest  is  built  in  close  proximity  to 
water,  on  islands,  borders  of  lakes,  ponds  and  rivers.  It  is  generally  placed  among 
and  attached  to  flags,  reeds  or  rushes.  It  is  large  and  roughly  made  of  plants  and 
vegetable  matter.  The  eggs  are  from  six  or  seven  to  ten  or  even  fourteen  in  number, 
pale,  dull  buff,  or  stone-color,  spotted  with  rust-colored  brownish-black  and  purp- 
lish-gray.   The  average  size  of  a  large  series  is  2.15x1.50. 


parts  of 


220.    European  Coot, 

221.  AMERICAN  COOT.  FulUa  umcrUana  Gmel.  Geog.  Dist.— Whole  of 
North  America;  south  to  Mexico,  Central  and  South  America  and  West  Indies;  north 
to  Alaska,  occasionally  to  Greenland. 

Well  known  as  the  Mud  Hen,  and  in  some  sections  the  Crow  Duck.  This  is  the 
water  fowl  that  young  sportsmen  persist  in  shooting  as  a  game  bird,  but  at  a  riper 
age  he  does  not  "hanker"  after  its  flesh.  It  is  easily  known  by  Its  slate-colcved 
plumage,  white  or  flesh-colored  bill,  marked  with  reddish-black  near  the  end  and  at 
the  base  of  frontal  plate,  greenish  legs  and  carmine  iris.  The  Coot  is  a  good  swim- 
mer and  diver,  having  lobate  feet  like  the  phalaropes  and  grebes.  It  can  also  move 
swiftly  through  tangled  grass  and  aquatic  plants.  On  almost  any  large  or  small  body 
of  water  sufficiently  secluded  and  whose  margins  are  overgrown  with  reeds  and 
rushes,  or  on  sluggish  streams,  swamps,  pools  or  reedy  sloughs,  there  you  will  find 
the  Coot  during  the  breeding  season.  The  nest  Is  made  of  dead  reeds  and  grasses, 
placed  on  the  ground,  just  out  of  the  water  or  on  floating  vegetation  the  flags  on 
which  It  rests  being  brok  a  down,  rises  and  falls  with  the  water.  Some  times  im- 
mense numbers  of  these  birds  breed  together.  Mr.  Shields  records  taking  five  hun- 
dred Coot  eggs,  together  with  large  numbers  of  those  of  ducks  and  grebes  in  South- 
ern California.*  The  eggs  are  clay  or  creamy-white,  uniformly  and  finely  dotted 
all  over  with  specks  of  dark  brown  and  blackish;  six  to  twelve  and  fifteen  eggs  are 
often  found  in  a  single  nest;  in  shape  and  general  style  of  color  and  markings  re- 
semble those  of  the  Florida  Gallinule;  sizes  range  from  1.77  to  2.00  long  by  1.40  to 
1.45  broad. 


■i 


♦  Egging  in  a  California  Swamp.    Young  Oologlst,  Vol.  I,  p.  90. 

10 


130 


NBBTB  A2/D  BOOS  OF 


Ambrican  Coot  and  Nest.    (Cheney,  del. ) 


222.  BED  FHALABOPE.  Crynwphilus  fulicarius  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist.— North- 
ern portion  Hemisphere,  breeding  in  Arctic  regions,  migrating  south  in  winter;  in 
North  America  south  to  Middle  United  States,  Ohio  Valley  and  Lower  California. 

The  Coot-footed  Tringa,  Red  or  Gray  Phalarope,  as  It  is  differently  railed,  is 
distributed  in  summer  throughout  the  Arctic  regions,  wandering  far  south  in  winter. 
Breeds  in  various  portions  of  Norway,  Sweden,  Finland  and  up  into  Lapland;  In 
Siberia,  Spitzbergen,  Iceland,  Greenland  and  the  Arctic  coast  of  North  America. 
Hagerup,  in  his  "Birds  of  Greenland,"  states  that  It  is  common,  but  not  often  seen 
in  the  breeding  season  south  of  the  68th  parallel.  Eggs  were  found  from  June  3  to 
June  28.  The  Phalaropes  are  curious  birds,  partaking  of  the  nature  of  a  wader  and  a 
swimmer.  The  three  species  of  this  family  resemble  Sandpipers,  but  are  at  once  dis- 
tinguished by  the  lrV,ate  feet  like  those  of  the  Coot  and  Grebes.  The  body  is  de- 
pressed and  the  under-plumage  thick  like  that  of  a  duck.  They  ride  the  waves 
lightly  along  the  coast,  and  when  on  the  margin  of  a  stream  or  pool  often  surprise 
their  associates,  the  Sandpipers,  by  swimming  out  into  deep  water.  The  Red  Phala- 
rope appears  to  be  more  exclusive  maritime  than  other  species  of  the  family.  The 
nest  is  a  slight  hollow  in  the  ground,  sparsely  lined  with  moss  and  dry  grass.  Mr. 
Capen  quotes  a  letter  from  Mr.  Boardman  in  which  he  says:  "Twice  I  have  found 
the  Red  Phalarope  breeding  in  Maine."  The  eggs,  Mr.  Capen  says,  are  laid  the  first 
part  of  June.*  They  are  greenish  or  yellowish-ash,  blotched  and  spotted  with  brown 
of  various  shades.  The  eggs  of  this  species  cannot,  with  certainty,  be  distinguished 
from  those  of  the  following  specie?;  in  fact,  the  range  of  coloration  is  so  varied  that 
they  are  difficult  to  describe  satisfactorily  in  a  brief  manner.    They  are  three  or 


•  Oolopy  of  New  England. 


NORTH  AMHh'H'W  HI  If  US. 


131 


North- 
inter;  in 
fornia. 
:'allecl,  is 
n  winter. 
)land;  in 
A.merica. 
'ten  seen 
une  3  ta 
er  and  a 
)nce  dis- 
y  is  de- 
waves 
surprise 
Phala- 
ly.    The 
iss.    Mr. 
re  found 
the  first 
h  brown 
guished 
ied  that 
;hree  or 


four  in  number.  Five  sets  of  four  eggb  each  of  this  species  are  in  Mr.  Crandall's 
collection.  They  were  taken  In  Iceland  and  each  set  gives  the  following  average 
measurement:  First,  1.12x.81;  second,  1.17x.81;  third,  1.18x.84;  fourth,  1.20x.82;  fifth, 
1.21X.83. 

223.  NORTHERN  FHALAROFE.  rhaUimims  luhutun  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist.- 
North  parts  of  North  Hemisphere,  breeding  in  Arctic  regions;  south  in  w.  ...r  to 
tropical  regions. 

The  general  habits,  movements  and  distribution  of  the  Northern  Phalarope  are 
nearly  identical  with  these  of  the  Red  Phalarope;  common  to  both  continents,  and 
breeding  in  the  Arctic  regions  of  Asia,  Europe  and  America.  The  nesting  habits  are 
substantially  the  same  and  the  eggs  are  laid  In  June.  Hagerup  records  It  as  breeding 
quite  generally  along  the  coast  of  South  Greenland.  The  bird  is  also  known  as  the 
Red-necked  Phalarope.  The  eggs  are  greenish  or  yellowi-^h-ash,  thickly  blotched 
with  varying  shades  of  brown;  three  or  four;  sizes  range  from  1.10  to  1.30  long  by  .75 
to  .82  broad,  averaging  1.20  by  .80;  like  the  last,  there  is  a  great  variation  in  size, 
shape  and  color.  A  set  of  four  e&ga  from  Greenland  exhibit  the  following  average 
measurements:  1.19x.83;  another  set  of  four  from  the  same  region  shows  an  average 
size  of  1.19X.82.     These  are  in  Mr.  Crandall's  collection. 


tricolor  (Vleill.)     Geog.  Dlst.— 
nth  In  winter  to  Brazil  and  Pata- 


224.     WILSON'S  PHALAROPE.     inm}<v 
Chiefiy  Interior  of  temperate  North  America 
gonla. 

Exclusively  an  American  bird,  more  common  In  the  Interior  than  along  the  sea 
coast.  Little  information  regarding  Its  habits  was  obtained  by  the  older  ornitholo- 
gists. Known  now  to  breed  in  Northern  Illinois,  Iowa,  Wisconsin,  Minnesota.  Da- 
kota, Utah  and  Oregon.  May  be  found  nesting  in  suitable  places  from  these  regions 
northward  to  the  Red  River  of  the  North  and  the  Saskatchewan  country.  It  is  re- 
corded as  a  summer  resident  In  Northern  Indiana  and  very  likely  breeds  in  North- 
western Ohio.  Mr.  N.  S.  Goss  states  that  he  Is  quite  confident  the  bini  occasionally 
breeds  in  Western  Kansas.*  The  nesting  habits  of  Wilson's  Phalarope  have  been 
•  carefully  observed  by  Mr.  E.  W.  Nelson  in  Northern  Illinois,  and  his  observations 
form  a  veryc  omplete  and  Interesting  biography  of  the  specles.t  Mr.  Nelson  states 
that  it  Is  the  most  common  species  in  Northern  Illinois,  frequenting  grassy  marshes 
and  low  prairies,  and  Is  not  exceeded  In  numbers  even  by  the  ever-present  Spotted 
Sandpiper.  "The  nesting  site  is  usually  In  some  thin  tuft  of  grass  on  a  level  spot, 
but  often  in  an  open  place  concealed  by  only  a  few  straggling  blades  of  small  rarircft. 
The  male  scratches  a  shallow  depression  in  the  soft  earth,  which  is  usually  lined 
with  a  thin  layer  of  fragments  of  ol;l  grass  blades,  upon  which  the  eggs,  numbering 
from  three  to  four,  are  deposited  about  the  last  of  May  or  first  of  June.  Owing  to 
the  low  situations  in  which  the  nests  are  placed,  the  first  set  of  eggs  Is  often  de- 
stroyed by  a  heavy  fall  of  rain,  causing  the  water  to  rise  so  as  to  submerge  the  .itdt. 
In  tfiis  case,  the  second  set,  numbering  two  or  three,  is  often  deposited  in  a  de- 
pression scratched  In  the  ground,  as  at  first,  but  with  no  sign  of  any  lining.  Acci- 
dents of  this  kind  cause  the  second  set  of  eggs  to  be  sometimes  deposited  as  late  as 
the  last  of  June."  The  male  alone  undertakes  the  duties  of  incubation.  The  eggs 
are  ashy-yellow,  usually  coarsely  spotted  and  blotched  with  brown  of  varying  shades, 
with  numerous  specks  and  scratches;  three  or  four  in  number;  sizes  vary  from  1.20 
to  1.35  in  length  by  1.60  In  breadth,  making  them  elongate  pyrlform  In  shape. 


J  A  Revised  Catalofnie  of  the  Birds  of  Kansas,  with  descriptive  notes  of  the  nests  and 
egBs'  of  the  birds  known  to  breed  In  the  State.    By  N.  S.  Goss.     Published  under  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Executive  Council,  May,  1886.    Topeka:    T.  D.  Thacher,  State  Printer.    P.  14. 
tBull.  Nutt.  Club.    Vol.  IT,  pp.  .S8-43. 


132 


NE8T8  AND  E008  OF 


225  AMERICAN  AVOCET.  Rvninirnstra  timnliiiiHi  Gn\.  (ion>?.  DIst.— Tem- 
perate portions  of  North  America,  from  the  Saskatchewan  country  ani  Great  Slave 
Lake  southward;  In  winter  to  Guatemala  and  the  West  Indites. 

A  bird  of  striking  appearance,  of  odd  coloration,  having  extraordinarily  long 
legs;  feet  wobl)od  like  those  of  a  swim.ning  bird;  i)ody  ilatloned  underneath,  and 
duck-Iiko  iilumage  to  resist  the  water.  The  most  striking  characteristic  of  the  bird, 
however,  is  its  long,  decidedly  up  urned  l)ill,  anu  from  its  blue  legs  it  receives  the 


225.    EuKOi'KAN  A\i)i:iiT.     Not  distinguishable  in  cut  from  our  American  spec'es  fFroni  Brehni). 

name  of  Blue-stocking.  It  is  very  abundant  in  the  West,  on  the  plains  of  the  Da- 
kotas,  Montana,  Wyoming,  Colorado  and  Utah.  In  these  regions  it  breeds  in  June, 
nesting  in  the  tall  grass  in  marshy  or  wet  places.  The  eggs  vary  from  a  dark  olive 
to  buff,  pretty  uniformly  and  profusely  spotted  with  chocolate-brown  of  various 
shades;  they  vary  in  size,  shape  and  markings  like  the  birds  themselves;  three  or 
four  in  numlier:  sizes  from  1.80  to  2.10  in  length  by  1.25  to  1.45  in  breadth. 

226.  BLACK-NECKED  STILT,  nimiintopiis  m erica ii lift  (Mull.)  Geog.  Dist.— 
Temperate  North  America  from  Northern  United  States  southward  to  West  Indies, 
Brazil,  and  Peru. 


yOKTU  AUHh'li'.W   «//i'/>N. 


133 


t.— Tem- 
!at  Slave 

rlly  long 
ath,  and 
the  bird, 
3lve8  the 


Brehni). 

the  Da- 
n  June, 
rk  olive 
various 
;hree  or 

Dist  — 
Indies, 


This  exceedingl}'  long-legged  bird  Ih  distributed  throughout  the  United  StntoH. 
and  lilte  the  Avocet.  la  rare  in  the  eaatern 
poitionK.  It  Is  abundant  In  the  West,  but 
lis  range  Is  rather  more  southerly  than 
that  of  the  Avocet.  In  Ohio  it  is  a  rare 
summer  visitor.  Perhaps  broods.  The 
nest  of  the  Stilt  is  often  only  a  blight  de- 
pression In  the  ground,  lined  v.ith  dry 
grasses,  situated  along  some  stream  or 
ditch,  or  near  water;  some  collectors  have 
found  the  nest  at  the  water's  edge,  or  on 
a  heaped  mass  of  vegetation  just  above  the 
surface  of  shallow  water.  A.  M.  Shields 
says  that  the  Stilt  arrives  in  the  vicinity 
of  Los  Angeles,  Gala.,  about  flay  1st,  and 
the  eggs  may  be  found  fresh  until  the 
middle  of  June.  He  states  that  the  birds 
usually  congregate  In  large  flocks  in  some 
suitable  locality,  and  build  their  nests 
close  together,  a  score  or  more  are  often 
found  within  a  few  yards  of  each  other; 
the  nests  being  composed  of  snail  sticks 
and  roots,  closely  laid  together  and  placed 
among  the  grass  on  the  margin  of  a  lake 
or  river.*  This  record  refers  to  the 
abundance  of  the  Stiit  in  the  season  of  226.   Black-nicked  Sxn.r 

1883,  and  those  previous;  but  I  am  informed  by  Mr.  Shields  that  the  bird  is  not  so 
abundant  as  formerly,  only  a  few  pair  breeding  in  the  neighborhood  of  Los  Angeles 
each  year.  The  eggs  are  of  a  greenish-yellow,  thickly  spotted,  blotched  and  lined 
irregularly  with  brownish-blaok  of  varying  shades;  pyrlform  In  shape;  three  or  four 
in  number;  sizes  from  1.60  to  1.85  long  by  1.15  to  1.25  broad. 

[227.]     EUROPEAN  WOODCOCK.     Scoloita.r  nisticola  Llnn.    Geog.  Dlst.— Old 
World ;  occasional  In  Eastern  North  America. 

The  European  Woodcock  is  widisly  distributed  over  the  northern  parts  of  the 

Old  World.  It  is  of  larger  size  than  the 
American  bird.  Many  instances  are  on 
record  of  its  breeding  in  various  parts 
of  Great  Britain,  but  the  greater  por- 
tion of  the  birds  are  considered  mi- 
gratory. Breeds  abundantly  in  Nor- 
way, Sweden,  Lapland  and  in  Northern 
Russia.  Nocturnal  in  its  habits,  repos- 
ing in  the  daytime  in  grassy  bottoms  in 
woods,  anu  at  twilight  It  regains 
activity,  resorting  to  open  glades  and 
marshy  bottoms,  where  It  feeds.  These 
tracts  are  known  as  "cock-shoots,"  or 
"cock-roads."  '''he  food  of  the  birds  Is 
the  common  earth-worm,  which  they 
procure  by  boring,  or  thrusting  their 
bills  into  the  soft  mud.  The  nest  con- 
sinln  of  a  few  leaves  loosely  laid  to- 
gether, and  without  lining.  The  eggs 
are  usually  four  In  number;  of  a  pale 
yellowish-white,  blotched  and  spotted 
with  various  shades,  ashy-gray  and 
reddish  or  yellowish-brown;  most  nu- 
merous about  the  larger  end.  Four  eggs, 
measure  1.75x1.27,  1.74x1.27,  1.73x1.23, 
1.77x1.28. 


EuKoiMiAN  Woodcock. 


*Youne  Oologist,  Vol.  I,  p.  41. 


134 


NEaTB  AND  BOOS  OF 


228.  AMERICAN  WOODCOCK.  I'hiluhvUi  inhmr  (Omel.)  Geog.  DIst.— Kast- 
ern  Province  of  North  America,  north  to  UrltiBh  Province,  wcbt  to  Dakota,  Nebraska, 
Kansas,  etc.    Breeds  throughout  its  range. 

This  noted  game  bird  frequents  the  bogs,  swampy  flelds  and  wet  woodlands  of 
Eastern  United  States  and  Canada,  and  breeds  throughout  Its  range.  The  nests  are 
mere  depressions  in  some  dry  spot  in  swampy  land,  generally  under  the  cover  of  a 
clump  of  briers  or  other  wild  shrubbery,  often  in  more  open  places.  The  eggs  of  the 
Woodcock  are  laid  early  in  April,  and  in  some  localities  not  until  some  time  in  May. 
In  Ohio,  I  have  found  eggs  as  early  as  April  3,  and  young  have  been  seen  as  early  as 
April  9,  near  Cleveland,  Ohio.  There  are  records  of  eggs  of  this  species  averaging 
In  size  1.80x1.25,  but  I  have  never  seen  any  so  large,  although  they  exhibit  consider- 
able variations.  These  sizes  doubtless  refer  to  the  eggs  of  the  European  species. 
Although  known  to  the  m.ajority  of  people  by  its  name  of  Woodcock,  it  nevertheless 
has  many  aliases  in  different  parts  of  the  country  which  It  visits,  and  Is  called  Big 


228.    Ambrican  Woodcock 

Mud,  Big-headei.,  Blind  and  Wood  and  Whistling  Snipe;  *  *  *  Timber  Doodle, 
Bog  Bird,  Night  Partridge,  Night  Peck,  Hookum  Pake,  Pewee,  Labrador  Twister, 
Whistler,  and  probably  many  others.  Being  a  migrating  species,  the  length  of  its 
stay  in  any  particular  locality  depends  greatly  upon  the  weather,  for  though  per- 
haps very  abundant  on  one  day,  yet  if  during  the  night  from  sudden  cold  their  feed- 
ing ground  becomes  frozen,  by  the  next  morning  not  a  bird  would  be  found,  all 
having  departed  to  a  milder  clime.  It  migrates  always  at  night,  when  indeed,  it  is 
most  active,  for  it  is  a  nocturnal  bird,  its  sight  being  much  better  after  the  sun  has 
departed  than  when  the  eye  is  exposed  to  the  full  light  of  day.*  As  a  taxidermi^  I 
have  prepared  more  specimens  of  this  species  killed  within  the  last  twenty  years 
by  telegraph  wires,  moving  railroad  trains,  etc.,  than  I  have  those  brought  in  by 


•  North  American  Shore  Birds;  a  history  of  the  Snipes,  Sandpipers,  Plovers  and  their 
allies  inhabiting'  the  beaches  and  marshes  of  the  Atlantic  and  Paciflc  coasts  of  the  North 
American  continent;  their  popular  and  scientific  names,  together  with  a  full  description 
of  their  mode  of  life,  nestlne,  migration  and  descriptions  of  the  summer  and  wlnte- 
plumages  of  adult  and  young,  so  that  each  species  may  be  readily  Identified.  A  reference 
book  for  the  naturalist,  sportsman  and  lover  of  birds.  By  Daniel  Olraud  Elliot,  F.  R.  S.  E., 
etc.;  ex-Presldent  American  Ornithologists'  Union,  Curator  of  Zoology  In  the  Field  Co- 
lumbian Museum.  Thlcago;  author  of  "Birds  of  North  America";  Illustrated  monographs 
of  Auk.  Thrushes  Grouse,  Pheasants.  Birds  of  Paradise,  Hornbills,  Cats,  etc.,  with  seventy, 
four  p.ates.    New  York:  Francis  P.  Harper,  Publisher,  1895.  pp.  39-40. 


i    ! 


NltliTII  AMHRIi'.W  litRUS. 


l.W 


t.— KUBt- 

lebraaka, 

Hands  of 
nests  are 
over  of  u 
gs  of  the 
B  In  May. 
I  early  aH 
Lveraging 
conslder- 
\  species, 
rertheless 
ailed  Big 


HpurtHmcn  who  dupond  upon  the  gun.  This  is,  1  believe,  principally  frnni  the  fact 
that  the  bird  is  of  nocturnal  habits,  but  is  often  forced  to  fly  from  the  ground  In 
daytime.  The  Woodcock  is  often  called  Bog-sucker,  from  its  habits  of  iHtring  In  the 
mud  for  worms  and  anlmalculte,  of  which  Its  food  consists.  Th**  eggs  are  creamy 
or  buff,  irregularly  and  thickly  spotted  with  pale,  reddish-brown  of  varying  shades; 
pyriforni,  but  more  rotund  than  those  of  most  of  the  small  waders,  and  some  are 
quite  broad,  varying  from  1.40  to  1.55  long  by  1.16  to  1.20  broad.  The  uHuai  number 
of  eggs  is  four.  Four  selected  specimens  measure  1.58x1.21,  1.53x1.14,  1.57x1.17,  and 
1.53x1.20. 

[9S9.]  EUROPEAN  SNIPE.  fUillhiaf/o'i/(illln(Uio  (Uun.)  Geog.  DIst.— North- 
ern portions  of  the  Old  World;  frequent  occurrence  in  Greenland.  Accidental  In  the 
Bermudas. 

A  species  of  general  distribution  over  Europe,  in  the  breeding  season  It  is  found 
in  the  more  northern  portionn  and  in  the  winter  months  it  inhabits  the  southern 
regions.  A  common  game  bird  on  the  British  Islands,  breeding  in  greater  or  less 
abundance  In  all  parts  of  England  and  Scotland,  especially  to  the  north  on  the 
Orkney  and  Shetland  Islanus.  In  summer  it  Is  found  on  the  Faroes,  Iceland  and  In 
Greenland.  Breeds  in  the  northern  portions  of  Russia  and  Siberia  and  as  far  south 
as  France,  Germany,  Holland  and  Hungary.  The  nests  of  this  Snipe  are  placed  on 
the  ground  in  tall  grass  by  the  side  of  some  pond  or  shallow  water,  or  amidst  the 
long  heather  which  grows  upon  the  hill  side.  Nests  have  been  found  at  an  eleva- 
tion of  a  thousand  feet  above  the  plain.  The  full  complement  of  eggs  is  four;  they 
have  a  ground-color  varying  from  yellowish-white  to  greenish-yellow.  The  mark- 
ings are  of  several  shades  of  reddish  or  chestnut-brown,  scattered  chiefly  about  the 
larger  end.  The  eggs  are  pyriform  in  shape  and  quite  pointed  at  the  smaller  end. 
Four  eggs  collected  near  Lancaster,  England,  measure  1.54x1.14,  1.53x1,08,  1,59x1.15, 
1.51x1.10. 


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230.  WILSON'S  SNIPE.  GalUnaffo  delicata  (Ord.)  Geog.  Dist.— Whole  of 
North  and  Middle  America,  breeding  from  Northern  United  States  northward ;  south 
in  winter  to  West  Indies  and  Northern  South  America. 

The  American  Snipe  is  a  favorite  game  bird,  well  known  by  the  name  of  Jack 
Snipe.  It  is  also  known  as  the  English  Snipe.  Throughout  the  greater  part  of  the 
United  States  it  occurs  only  during  the  migrations.  Breeds  from  about  latitude  45° 
northward  to  Hudson  Bay  region  on  the  east  and  as  far  west  and  north  as  Sitka, 
Alaska,  and  Fort  Anderson.  The  birds  frequent  low  open  places,  such  as  wet 
meadows  and  marshes,  and  muddy  banKS  of  streams.  They  are  found  in  small  com- 
panies of  from  three  to  twelve,  technically  called  "wisps."  Solitary  birds  are  not 
unfrequently  met  with.  No  other  game  birds  are  more  erratic  and  eccentric  than 
these.  They  are  extremely  fickle  in  the  choice  of  their  feeding  ground ;  one  day  they 
may  swarm  in  a  certain  locality,  and  the  next  none  are  to  le  discovered.  Their 
flight  is  strong,  but,  especially  at  the  beginning,  erratic.  They  almost  Invariably 
fly  against  the  wind,  and  He  closest  on  still,  clear  days.  Occasionally  they  alight 
on  trees  or  fences.  Their  note,  uttered  as  they  rise,  resembles  the  word  "rsrniM'." 
The  nest  is  only  a  slight  depression  in  the  grass  or  moss  of  a  bog.  The  eggs  vary 
from  a  grayish-olive  to  greenish-brown  and  yellowish-ash,  spotted  and  blotched 
with  reddish-brown,  urr.ber,  and  sometimes  with  lines  of  black;  the  markings  are 
bold  and  numerous,  particularly  on  the  larger  end,  usually  also  sharp  scratchy  lines 
of  blackish  and  shell-spots,  hardly  noticeable.  The  shape  of  the  eggs  Is  pyriform; 
three  or  four  in  number;  sizes  range  from  1.50  to  1.60  long  by  1.05  to  1.10  broad. 


%.  ■ 


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136 


NESTS  AND  E0G8  OP 


231.  DOWITCHEB.  Macrorhamphua  griaew  (Gmel.)  Geog.  Dist.— Eastern 
North  America.    Breeding  far  northward. 

Knov/n  by  ceveral  names,  such  as  Red-breasted  Snipe,  Gray  Snipe,  Brown-back, 
and  Gray-back;  these  are  also  applied  to  the  Long-billed  Dowitcher.  This  bird, 
which  greatly  resembles  the  Common  Snipe  in  structure  and  general  appearance, 
differs  from  it  in  habits.  It  is  described  as  migrating  in  flocks,  often  of  large  size, 
and  as  being  so  unsuspicious  as  to  allow  a  near  approach.  Breeds  in  high  Arctic 
regions,  in  various  places  in  Alaska,  and  is  spoken  of  by  Dr.  Richardson  as  having 
an  extensive  breeding  range  throughout  the  fur  country,  from  the  borders  of  Lake 
Superior  to  the  Arctic  Ocean.  In  the  Arctic  Regions  nests  have  been  taken  between 
the  middle  of  June  and  the  first  part  of  July.  They  were  placed  on  the  marshy 
borders  of  small  lakes  and  ponds,  and  were  made  of  a  few  dry  leaves  and  grasses. 
The  eggs  were  usually  four  in  number.  These  cannot,  wltii  certainty,  be  distin- 
guished from  those  of  Wilson's  Snipe.  They  are  generally  long,  narrow,  and  pointed 
in  shape;  sizes  from  1.62  to  1.75  long  by  1.10  to  1.15  broad. 

232.  LONG-BILLED  DOWITCHEB.  Macrorhamphvs  scoluimrua  (Say.)  Geog. 
Dist. — Mississippi  Valley  and  Western  North  America  from  Mexico  to  Alaska. 

This  bird,  whose  size  is  larger  and  bill  longer  than  that  of  the  last,  inhabits 
North  Amerfca  at  large,  but  is  supposed  to  be  rare  on  the  Atlantic  coast.  It  is  called 
Greater  Long-beak,  Greater  Gr*\y-beak  and  rie..-bellied  Snipe.  Breeds  in  the  far 
north;  is  said  to  be  common  about  the  mouth  of  the  Yukon  and  islands  along  the 
coast  of  Alaska.  In  the  West  the  birds  gather  in  dense  flocks,  and  they  being  of  a 
gentle  and  confiding  disposition,  and  so  closely  huddled  together,  that  greb 
slaughter  may  be  effected  by  the  gunner  if  so  uisposed.  Eggs  larger  and  nesting 
same  as  the  last. 

233.  STILT  SANDPIPEB.  Microi)alania  himantopus  (Bonap.)  Geog.  Dist.— 
Eastern  Province  of  Horth  America,  breeding  north  of  the  United  States;  migrating 
south  in  winter  to  tropical  regions. 

The  I^ng-legged  Sandpiper,  of  slender  form  and  very  long  legs,  breeds  north  of 
the  United  States,  and  visits  Southern  localities  in  winter;  Bermudas,  West  Indies, 
Central  and  South  America.  MacFarlane  found  this  species  breeding  at  Rendezvous 
Lake,  in  the  Arctic  regions,  June  27.  The  nests  were  similar  to  all  others  of  this 
family,  a  mere  depression  in  the  ground,  with  a  lining  of  a  few  leaves  and  grasses. 
The  eggs  are  three  or  four  in  number,  pyriform  In  shape,  with  a  ground  color  of 
light  drab  or  grayish-white,  with  bold  spots  and  marltings  of  chestnut-brown  and 
purplish-gray,  more  nurrcrous  about  the  larger  end;  in  some  quite  confluent.  Sizes 
vary  from  1.43  to  1.46  long  by  1.40  to  1.1.0  broad. 


234.  KNOT.  Triiit/a  ((iinttiis  Linn.  Geog.  Dist. — Nearly  cosmopolitan;  breed- 
ing in  high  northern  latitudes.    Migrates  iar  southwaid. 

This  handsome  species,  so  remarkable  for  its  seasonable  differences  of  plumage, 
is  the  largest  of  ihe  North  American  Sandpipers.  It  inhabits  most  parts  of  the  globe; 
in  America  chiefly  coastwise,  and  breeds  in  high  latitudes.  It  is  migratory,  and  is 
also  found  in  the  interior  about  large  bodies  of  water  and  rivers.  Red-breasted  and 
Ash-colored  Sandpiper  and  Gray-back  are  oturr  names  for  it.  Elliot  in  his  "North 
American  Shire  Birds"  gives  other  names  by  which  this  bird  is  known:  Red  Sand- 
piper, Gray  I3ack,  May  Bird,  Robin  Snipe,  White  Robin  Snipe,  White-bellied  Snipe, 
Silver  Back,  Rrd-breast  l-lover,  Buff-breast  Plover,  Buff-breast,  Blue  Plover,  Beach 
Robin,  Robin-breast  and  Horse-foot  Snipe.    At  Point  Barrow,  Alaska,  It  was  rather 


XfHfTir  AMRRKW]^  BllflhS. 


Wi 


-Eastern 

wn-back, 
his  bird, 
pearance, 
arge  size, 
gh  Arctic 
IS  having 
3  of  Lake 
1  between 
e  marshy 
d  grasses, 
be  distin- 
id  pointed 


II 


rare,  but  Murdoch  was  of  the  opinion  that  it  bred  there,  for  a  female  was  killed  with 
full-sized  eggs  in  her  ovaries;  but  he  never  lound  the  nest.  At  the  Yukon  mouth  Dall 
found  the  Knot  rare  and  obtained  a  young  bird  at  St.  Michael's.  This  species  seems 
to  be  more  numerous  about  Hudson  Bay  and  on  Melville  Peninsula.  Hagerup  states 
that  the  Knot  is  a  common  summer  resident  of  Greenland,  in  the  northern  portion 
of  which  it  breeds.  An  authentic  egg  of  the  Knot  has  for  many  years  been  the  object 
of  special  and  diligent  search  by  eminent  naturalists  and  explorers  traveling  in 
Arctic  regions  where  this  bird  is  known  to  live  during  the  season  of  production. 
Lieut,  A.  W.  Greely,  U.  S.  A.,  commander  of  the  late  expedition  to  Lady  Franklin 
Sound,  succeeded  in  obtaining  the  long-sought-for  egg  of  the  Knot.  C.  H.  Merriam 
publishes  the  first  account  of  it,  written  by  Lieut.  Greely,  as  follows:  "The  specimen — 
of  bird  and  egg  were  obtained  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Conger,  latitude  of  81°  44'  N. 
The  egg  was  1.10  inch  [28  mm.]  in  the  longer  axis,  and  1  inch  [25.40  mm.]  in  the 
shorter.  Color,  light  pea  green,  cloeely  spotted  with  brown  in  small  specks  about 
the  size  of  a  pin-head."* 


ly.)    Geog. 
ika. 

:,  inhabits 
t  is  called 
in  the  far 
along  the 
being  of  a 
hat  greb 
id  nesting 


ig.  Dist.— 
migrating 


236.  PURPLE  SANDPIPER.  Trhifja  muritinui  Brunn.  Geog.  Dist.—  North- 
ern portions  of  Northern  Hemisphere;  in  North  America,  chiefly  the  northeastern 
portions,  migrating  south  in  winter  to  Eastern  and  Middle  States.  Mississippi 
Valley. 

The  Purple  Sandpiper  is  found  in  the  high  Arctic  regions  of  America  and 
Europe.  Said  to  be  a  resident  of  the  Aleutian  Islands.  Breeds  in  the  Faroe  Islands,, 
Iceland,  and  in  Greenland,  where  some  remain  in  the  fiords  of  the  southern  portion 
all  winter.  Dr.  Richardson  states  that  it  breeds  abundantly  on  Melville  Peninsula 
and  on  the  shores  of  Hudson  Bay.  The  nest  is  a  mere  depression  in  the  soil  with  a 
scant  lining  of  dry  grass.  The  eggs  are  clay  color,  shaded  with  olivaceous,  with 
large  and  distinct  markings  of  rich  umber-brown  of  different  depths  of  intensity  all 
over  the  shell,  but  most  numerous  as  well  as  largest  on  the  greater  half;  pyriform; 
the  eggs  are  usually  four  in  number,  and  measure  about  1.40  by  1.00. 


Is  north  of 
!St  Indies, 

lendezvous 
irs  of  this 

Id  grasses. 

Id  color  of 

frown  and 

nt.    Sizes 


236.  ALEUTIAN  SANDPIPER.  Ttiiuiu  mitesi  (Ridgw.)  Geog.  Dist.  —Coasts 
and  islands  of  Bering  Sea,  north  to  St.  Michael's. 

Closely  allied  to  the  last  species,  and  the  birds  are  hardly  distinguishable  in 
their  respective  winter  plumages.  It  is  common  in  the  Aleutian  and  other  islands, 
and  also  along  the  coast  of  Bering  Sea  as  far  west  as  the  Commander  Islands.  Dr. 
Stejneger  records  it  as  a  resident  of  the  latter  group,  found  there  during  both  sum- 
tner  and  winter.  The  first  eggs  arc  laid  about  the  middle  of  May.  These  are  de- 
scribed a  pale  olive-buff,  varying  to  light  brownish-buff,  sjiotted  and  blotched  witk 
vandyke-brown  or  deep  umber:  size  1.46x1.00. 


in;  breed- 
plumage, 
the  globe; 
ly,  and  is 
lasted  and 
lis  "North 
led  Sand- 
led  Snipe, 
[er,  Beach 
[ras  rather 


237.  PRYBILOF  SANDPIPER.  Triifi/ti  ptUnnivntis  Coups.  Geog.  Dist.— 
Prybilof  Islands,  Bering  Sea. 

The  Black-breasted  Sandpiper,  as  it  is  called,  is  confined  to  the  Prybilof  group 
and  several  other  islands  of  Bering  Sea:  but  does  not  visit  the  Commander  Islands. 
It  is  said  to  be  the  only  wader  that  breeds  on  the  Prybilof  Islands.  In  May  it  nests 
on  the  dry  uplands  and  mossy  hummocks,  placing  its  nest  in  bunches  of  moss,  in 
which  four  pyriform  eggs  are  laid.  The  eggs  are  described  as  light  brownish-buff, 
heavily  spotted  with  rich  chestnut-brown,  clouded  with  purplish-gray.  Average  size 
1.50x1.07. 


♦  Auk,  Vol.   n.  V.  313. 


I11 


138 


NE8T8  AND  EQiSH  OF 


238.  SHABF-TAILED  SANDPIPER.  Trinya  acuminata  (Horsf.)  Oeog. 
DiBt.— Eastern  Asia  and  coast  of  Alaska,  migrating  south  to  Java  and  Australia. 

The  Sharp-tailed  Sandpiper  was  first  introduced  to  the  North  American  ava- 
fauna  by  E.  W.  Nelson,  who  secured  a  female  at  St.  Michael's  in  September,  1877. 
Later  in  the  season  others  were  sean  and  during  each  of  the  succeeding  autumna 
they  were  found  to  be  one  of  the  most  common  species  of  snipe  in  that  region,  fre- 
quenting the  brackish  pools  and  tide-creeks  in  company  with  the  Pectorial  Sand- 
piper, Red-breasted  Snipe  and  several  other  species.  The  Sharp-tailed  Sandpiper 
resembles  the  Pectorial  Sandpiper  in  appearance. 

239.  PECTORAL  SANDPIPER.  Trintja  tnaculata  Viei:i.  Geog.  Dist.— North, 
Central  and  South  America;  breeding  in  the  Arctic  regions.  Of  frequent  occurrence 
in  Europe. 

During  the  migrations  the  Pectoral  Sandpiper  is  very  abundant,  both  on  the  sea 
coast  and  in  the  interior.  It  frequents  the  borders  of  ponds,  the  shores  of  lakes  and 
rivers,  and  is  found  commonly  in  the  vicinity  of  wet  cornfields  and  meadows.  It  is 
only  of  recent  date  that  we  have  obtained  any  positive  information  regarding  this 
bird's  breeding  places.  Hagerup  states  that  it  is  a  rare  guest  in  South  Greenland. 
Nelson  found  it  to  be  extremely  common  at  the  mouth  of  the  Yukon  River,  where  the 
low  grassy  flats  afford  it  a  much  frequented  breeding  ground.     Arriving  on  the 


289.    Pbctorai.  Sandpipbk,  Adult  male,  in  summer,  with  crop  inflated.    (From  Nelson.) 

shores  of  Bering  Sea,  near  St.  Michael's,  from  the  15th  to  the  25th  of  May,  the  birds 
linger  about  a  short  time;  they  then  pair  and  seek  nesting  places,  which  are  usually 
in  tufts  of  grass.  Murdoch  records  that  the  Pectorial  Sandpiper  breeds  abundantly 
at  Point  Barrow,  Alaska,  in  June  and  July,  moving  south  in  September.  Nelson 
Btatfc?  that  during  the  breeding  season  they  have  an  unique  habit,  not  to  be  found 
amon.?  waders,  but  is  common  among  members  of  the  Grouse  family;  this  is  of  In- 
flating the  throat  until  it  becomes  as  large  as  the  body  before  the  bird  utters  the 
deep,  hollow,  resonant  sounds  which  may  be  represented  by  the  syllables, 
too-u,  too-u,  too-u,  too-u,  it  fills  its  aesophagus  with  air  as  above  described.  The 
skin  of  the  throat  becomes  very  flabby  and  loose  at  this  season,  and  by  dissection 
it  was  found  that  the  inner  surface  of  the  sack  is  covered  with  small  globular  masses 
of  fat.  The  accompanying  engraving,  taken  from  Nelson's  Report,  will  give  an  idea 
of  the  character  and  extent- of  this  inflation.  Nelson  says  that  the  male  at  times 
rises  20  or  30  yards  in  the  air  and  inflating  its  throat  slides  down  to  the  ground  with 
its  sac  hanging  below.    Nests  found  by  Mr.  Murdoch  contained  four  eggs  each,  of  the 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


139 


^1 


a  I 


usual  pyriform  shape.  They  vary  in  size  as  follows:  1.58x1  06,  1.44x1.11,  1.42x1.08.- 
1.54x1.02  inches.  They  have  a  drab  ground  color,  with  a  greenish  shade  in  some 
cases,  and  are  spotted  and  blotched  with  umber-brown,  varying  in  distribution  on 
different  specimens,  as  is  usual  ?»nong  waders'  eggs.    The  average  is  1.45x1.04. 

240.  WHITE-RUMPED  SANDPIPER.  Tringa  fusci<;olli8  Vleill.  G€Og. 
Dist.— Eastern  North  America;  breeds  far  north.  In  winter  migrating  through  the 
United  States,  the  West  Indies,  Central  and  South  America  and  Falkland  Islands. 
Occasional  in  Europe. 

Bonaparte's  Sandpiper  during  the  breeding  season  is  found  in  the  Arctic  regions. 
It  is  a  species  of  wide  distribution  in  the  migrations,  wandering  into  tropical  regions. 
The  bird  is  said  to  breed  in  suitable  places  on  the  shores  of  Cumberland  Sound. 
MacFarlane  met  with  its  nests  and  eggs  on  or  near  the  Arctic  coast;  one  taken  July 
3  contained  four  eggs  with  large  embryos;  another  found  the  day  following  con- 
tained three  eggs.  A  third,  obtained  June  29  on  the  Barren  Laads,  was  a  mere  de- 
pression in  the  ground,  lined  with  a  few  decayed  leaves  and  contained  four  eggs 
with  very  large  embryos.  A  fourth  found  on  the  banks  of  a  small  river,  of  similar 
construction, held  4eggs.  Theggsare  pyriformin  shape,of  lightolive  or  olive-brown, 
spotted  with  bold  and  sometimes  rather  fine  markings  of  deep  chestnut-brown, 
almost  into  blackness,  chiefly  about  the  larger  end  in  confluent  groups.  Average 
size,  1.37X.94. 

241.  BAIRD'S  SANDPIPER.  Tringa  hairdii  (Coues.)  Oeog.  Dist.— North 
America,  chiefly  the  interior.  Rare  on  the  Atlantic  coast;  wintering  in  Mexico,  Cen- 
tral and  South  America. 

Baird's  Sandpiper  is  distributed  throughout  North  America  generally,  but  is 
said  not  yet  to  havr  been  observed  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  It  is  found  chiefly 
in  the  interior.  Known  to  breed  in  the  Arctic  regions;  winters  south  of  United  States. 
This  bird  was  entirely  unknown  to  ornithologists  until  within  the  last  thirty-flve 
years;  when  discovered  and  for  sometime  after  was  confounded  with  other  species. 
Dr.  Coues  first  gave  it  rank  and  name  in  1861.  It  breeds  in  the  Arctic  regions — on 
the  Barren  Lands;  nests  in  the  latter  part  of  June,  usually  within  the  vicinity  of 
lakes  and  small  ponds.  The  nest  is  made  of  a  few  dry  leaves  and  grasses  in  a  small 
depression,  shaded  by  a  tuft  of  grass.  The  eggs  are  usually  four  in  number;  buff 
or  clay  colored,  spotted  and  blotched  with  varying  shades  of  chestnut-brown;  In 
most  instances  the  markings  are  fine  and  innumerable,  of  definite  size,  irregular  in 
shape  and  thickness  at  the  greater  end,  where  they  are  occasionally  massed  in 
blotches;  size  about  1.30x.90. 


242.  LEAST  SANDPIPER.  Trimja  minuWla  Vleill.  Geog.  Dist.— Whole  of 
North  America;  breeding  north  of  the  United  States. 

The  smallest  of  the  Sandpipers,  measuring  five  and  a  half  or  six  inches  in  length. 
It  has  the  same  habits  as  characterize  its  Semipalmated  cousins,  frequenting  the 
same  localities,  and  fiocks  of  birds  are  often  composed  of  both  species.  When  this 
is  the  case  the  Semipalmated  Sandpipers  even  if  largely  in  the  minority,  take  the 
lead,  as  they  are  of  somewhat  larger  size,  stronger  in  flight  and  they  have  a  louder 
note.  When  not  in  company  with  other  species  none  of  our  shore  birds  are 
more  confiding  and  unsuspecting  than  these,  large  fiocks  continuing  their  search 
for  food  almost  under  the  feet  of  the  observer.  The  Least  Sandpiper  breeds  from 
Canada,  Newfoundland  ard  Labrador  northward  Into  Arctic  regions,  and  in  Alaska. 
.Tune  5, 1875,  one  was  found  building  its  nest  in  the  vicinity  of  Chicago,  111.    Nests  la 


140 


NSarS  AND  EGOS  OF 


the  Arctic  regions  are  usually  mere  depressions,  lined  with  leaves  and  j^-asses,  on  the 
ground,  in  the  vicinity  of  lakes  or  ponds.  The  eggs  are  usually  four  in  number,  and 
may  be  found  between  the  latter  part  of  May  and  June.  The  eggs  are  pyriform  in 
shape,  the  ground  color  is  light  drab,  thickly  spil..kled  with  reddish-brown  spots 
and  purplish-gray.    The  average  size  is  1.15x.85. 

[242.  1.]  LONG-TOED  STINT.  Triiiya  damuvnmiii  (Horsf.)  Geog.  Dist.— 
Asia,  breeding  toward  the  Arctic  coast;  accidental  in  Alaska  (Otter  Island,  Bering 
Sea). 

From  Daniel  Giraud  Elliot's  "North  American  Shore  Birds"  I  take  the  follow- 
ing: "This  species  is  a  miniature  Sharp-tailed  Sandpiper,  without  the  lengthened 
tail  and  proportionately  much  longer  toes.  It  also  resembles  the  Least  Sandpiper 
on  the  back,  but  exhibits  very  much  more  chestnut  on  the  margin  of  the  feathers  of 
the  back  and  head.  The  breast  band  is  differently  colored  also.  It  is  taken  into 
the  North  American  fauna  from  the  fact  that  a  specimen  was  procured  on  Otter 
Island,  Alaska,  June  8,  1885,  as  stated  by  Mr.  Ridgway  in  The  Auk  for  1886.  It  is  an 
Asiatic  species  going  as  far  east  as  Japan,  and  also  found  in  the  Indian  Archipelago. 
It  can  only  be  regarded  as  an  accidental  straggler  to  our  shores.  On  Bering  Island, 
Stejneger  observed  it  in  large  flocks  in  May,  when  it  frequented  the  beach,  and  was 
very  active  engaged  in  picking  up  small  crustaceous  from  the  floating  weeds  which 
the  surf  had  cast  ashore.  A  few  remained  to  breed,  but  the  majority  passed  farther 
north.    He  was  unable  to  find  the  nest." 


l' 


[243. J  DUNLIN.  Triiitju  aliHua  Linn.  Geog.  Dist.— Europe;  accidental  in 
North  America. 

The  Purre  or  Dunlin  has  a  wide  distribution  in  the  northern  parts  of  the  Old 
World.  By  far  the  most  abundant  of  the  British  Sandpipers,  being  equally  dis- 
tributed in  the  marshes,  on  the  borders  of  inland  lakes,  and  along  all  the  seashores 
from  the  most  northern  island  to  the  southern  coast  of  England.  The  birds  usually 
feed  in  great  numbers  after  the  retiring  tide,  or  on  the  oozy  flats  of  soft  sand  or 
mud,  which  cover  the  low-lying  shores  of  the  islands.  In  the  spring  they  separate 
into  pairs,  retiring  to  the  marshes  and  shores  of  inland  lakes  and  muirs  to  breed. 
Their  nests  are  made  at  the  foot  of  a  small  bush  or  tuft  of  grass,  often  so  concealed 
as  to  be  very  difficult  to  find.  A  few  bits  of  grass  or  moss  form  the  lining  of  the 
slight  cavity,  in  which  usually  four  eggs  an  deposited.  They  vary  in  ground  color 
from  greenish-white,  yellow,  gray  and  often  inclining  to  light  blue;  they  are  spotted 
and  blotched  irregularly  with  reddish-brown;  the  spots  becoming  more  numerous 
toward  the  larger  end.  Four  specimens  measure  1.54x1.14,  1.53x1.08,  1.59x1.15,  1.51 
xl.lO. 


243r».  BED-BACKED  SANDPIPEB.  Trini/a  alpiiin  nariflcd  (Coues.)  Geog. 
Dist.— North  America  in  general,  breeding  in  high  latitudes.    Eastern  Asia. 

This  is  the  American  Dunlin,  Black-bellied  Sandpiper,  or  Ox  bird;  it  is  larger 
and  brighter  colored  than  T.  alpim.  Distributed  throughout  the  whole  of  North 
America,  and  breeds  in  the  Arctic  regions,  migrating  in  winter  in  the  United  States, 
especially  coastwise.  Breeds  in  various  places  on  the  Alaskan  coast— at  the  mouth 
of  the  Yukon  and  m  the  salt  marshes  of  Norton  Sound.  It  has  also  been  found  breed- 
ing on  the  Arctic  coast  of  North  America,  on  Mf  Wille  Peninsula,  the  shores  of  Davis 
Strait  and  in  Southern  Greenland.  The  nest  is  built  in  the  vicinity  of  lakes  and 
petJds  or  in  marshes;  it  is  a  slight  hollow  with  merely  a  few  dry  grasses  and  leaves 


i\ORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


141 


18,  on  the 
iber,  and 
riform  in 
wn  spots 


;.    Dist.— 
d,  Bering 

le  foUow- 
jngthened 
Sandpiper 
eathers  of 
;aken  into 
I  on  Otter 
5.    It  is  «\n 
•cliipelago. 
Ing  Island, 
li,  and  was 
»eds  which 
Bed  farther 


cidental  in 

of  the  Old 
qually  dia- 
seashores 
■ds  usually 
ft  sand  or 
y  separate 
Is  to  breed, 
concealed 
ing  of  the 
round  color 
re  spotted 
numerous 
1x1.15,  1.51 


;s.)     Geog. 

la. 

It  is  larger 

of  North 

ited  States, 

the  mouth 

fund  breed- 

|es  of  Davis 

lakes  and 
land  leaves 


scraped  into  it.  The  eggs,  four  in  number,  of  a  dull  brownish-butt  or  clay  color, 
spotted,  blotched  and  stained  with  chestnut,  principally  about  the  larger  end;  their 
average  size  is  1.43x1.01. 

244.  CURLEW  SANDFIFEB.  Tiiiuju  frrninUica  Brunn.  Geog.  Dist —Old 
World  in  general,  occasional  in  Eastern  North  America  and  in  Alasl^a. 

A  bird  with  a  bill  resembling  that  of  the  Curlews — long,  slender,  compressed  and 
considerably  decurved.  The  length  of  the  bird  is  about  eight  and  a  half  inches. 
It  Is  said  to  be  one  of  the  rarest  of  the  Sandpipers  which  visit  North  America.  A 
common  species  in  Siberia,  where  it  breeds.  Said  to  breed  in  Holland,  Denmark 
and  northward  into  Norway,  Sweden,  and  in  Finland.  In  England  it  is  nowhere 
a:.undant  and  does  not  assemble  in  large  flocks  like  the  Dunlin  or  Purre.  A  few 
pairs  are  believed  to  breed  in  Great  Britain.  Known  to  breed  in  various  portions 
of  Greenland— nesting  near  the  margins  of  lakes  and  rivers  where  the  eggs  are  de- 
posited in  a  slight  hollow  of  the  ground,  lined  with  bits  of  grass.  The  eggs  are  four 
in  number,  pyriform  in  shape,  pale  grayish  or  greenish-buff,  spotted  and  blotched 
with  chestnut-brown.  They  are  hardly  distinguishable  from  those  of  the  Pectoral 
or  Red-backed  Sandpiper's  eggs,  the  average  size  being  1.50x1.04. 


[245. J  SPOON-BILL  SANDPIPER.  Euviinnrliimchus  pyi/matis  (Linn.)  Geog. 
Dist. — Asia;  in  summer  along  the  Arctic  coast,  in  winter  Southern  and  Southeastern 
Asia;  accidental  on  the  coast  of  Alaska  (Choris  Peninsula). 

This  is  a  curiously  unique  representative  of  the  Sandpipers.  Its  bill  is  about  as 
long  as  its  head,  straight,  spatulate  long.  Nelson  secured  a  specimen  in  summer 
plumage  In  1881  at  Plover  Bay  oh  Choris  Peninsula,  and  Dr.  Bean  obtained  one  in 
1S80.  In  summer  It  is  found  from  Plover  Bay  to  Cape  Waukarum,  and  in  this  part  of 
the  Siberian  coast,  according  to  Elliot,  its  breeding  grounds  are  situated.  Dr.  Coues 
states  that  it  is  one  of  the  rarest  birds  in  collections,  only  some  25  or  30  specimens 
being  known,  mostly  from  India.  It  breeds  north  of  Bering  Strait,  but  the  locality 
is  unknown. 

246.  SEMIPALMATED  SANDPIPER.  Ereunetrs  inisilliis  (Linn.)  Geog. 
Dist. — Northern  and  Eastern  North  America;  west  during  the  migrations  to  Rocky 
Mountains. 

This  little  "Peep"  is  found  everywhere  in  North  America.  In  the  summer  it  is 
distributed  from  Labrador  and  western  shores  of  Hudson  Bay  northward,  this  being 
its  breeding  grounds.  In  spring  and  fall  it  is  an  abundant  migrant  in  United  States, 
thronging  the  beaches,  the  gravelly  and  sandy  shores  of  streams  and  muddy  banks 
of  ponds,  in  company  with  the  Spotted  Sandpiper  and  others,  with  which  it  is  usually 
confounded.  It  winters  from  the  Carolinas  southward.  It  has  the  same  'tweet,  'tired 
as  the  Spotted  Sandpiper,  and  utters  it  frequently,  both  on  the  shore  and  when 
flying.  The  S*»mipalmated  Sandpiper  arrives  in  the  Saskatchewan  River  country 
about  the  middle  of  May,  where  it  deposits  its  eggs  early  in  June  on  a  few  pieces  of 
withered  grass  in  a  slight  hollow  in  the  ground.  These  are  three  or  four  in  number, 
and  measure  from  1.20  to  1.25  long  by  .82  to  .85  broad.  In  a  large  series  the  usual 
variations  in  color  are  noticeable;  the  ground  color  varying  from  clay  to  grayish  or 
greenish-drab  or  positive  olive  tint;  usually  boldly  spotted  and  splashed  with 
limber  or  chestnut-brown,  thickest  about  the  largest  end;  and  again,  In  some,  very 
fine  dots  are  distributed  over  the  entire  surface. 


i 


142 


NB8TS  AND  BOOS  OF 


i  t 


247.  WESTEBN  SANDPIPEB.  Ereiinetea  occidentalis  Lawr.  Geog.  Dlst.— 
Western  North  America;  occasionally  eastward  to  Ihe  Atlantic  coast;  breeding  far 
north.    Migrating  In  winter  to  Central  and  South  America. 

Very  much  like  the  last  species  and  there  is  essentially  no  difference  iu  its  gen- 
eral habits,  nesting,  eggs  and  other  pticullarltles.  Abundant  In  Alaska,  breeding 
along  the  Yukon  and  the  shores  and  islands  of  Norton  Sound.  Nests  commonly  on 
the  Island  of  St.  Michael's,  depositing  four  eggs  in  nests,  which  are  mere  hollows 
in  the  ground  with  a  few  blades  of  grass  for  lining.  In  June  and  July  it  breeds 
abundantly  on  the  islands  In  the  bays  alon^.:  (he  Arctic  coast  and  also  in  the  Barren 
Lands.  The  eggs  exhibit  as  great  variation  as  those  of  E.  pusillux.  Nelson  describes 
their  ground  color  as  pale  clay,  shading  toward  pale  brownish-clay.  In  many  in- 
stances, usually  among  the  larger  eggs,  the  ground  color  is  nearly  or  quite  con- 
cealed by  fine,  light  reddish-brown  spots  or  specks.  The  other  extreme  has  the  spots 
gathered  mainly  about  the  large  end  in  irregular  spots  of  rich  chocolate  and  umber- 
brown  in  small  spots,  a  little  more  dense  at  the  larger  end.  Sizes  vary  from  1.30x.92 
to  l.llx.82. 

248.  SANDEBLINO.  Culidrin  areiiaria  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist.— Nearly  cosmo- 
politan, breeding  in  high  Arctic  regions. 


■^y'S-^\tr^^\  /'#-'  .:•  ••■;\v  •^.-^   .».•• 


248.    Sandekmng  (From  Breli 111). 

The  Sanderling,  Ruddy  "Plover"  or  "Beach  Bird,"  is  a  species  of  wide  distribu- 
tion. During  the  breeding  season  it  is  distributed  through  the  northern  regions  of 
Europe,  Asia  and  North  America.  It  inhabits,  hov.ever,  the  entire  continent  of 
North  America,  wandering  in  its  migrations  through  the  United  States,  and  in 
winter  to  the  West  Indies.  Mexico,  Central  and  South  America.    Its  nests  and  eggs 


NORTH  AMEIU(\\y  JilRDN. 


143 


have  been  taken  in  Grlnnell  Land,  and  it  is  said  to  breed  Ou  islands  about  the  coast 
of  Greenland  and  on  the  shores  and  islands  of  Hudson  Bay.  Dr.  Brewer  states  that 
Mr.  MacFarlane,  on  June  29,  discovered  a  nest  with  four  eggs  on  the  Barren  Lands, 
near  the  Arctic  coast.  The  eggs  at  this  date  were  quite  fresh.  The  nest  is  said  to 
have  been  made  of  hay  and  decayed  leaves.  The  eggs  are  ashy  or  greenish-brown, 
spotted  and  blotched  with  brown  of  different  shades,  pyriform  ij  shape;  two  to  four 
in  number,  and  measure  1.41  by  .91. 

249.  MABBLED  GODWIT.  Limnm  frdna  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist.— North  Amerl- 
na  in  general.  Breeds  in  the  Missouri  and  Upper  Mississippi  region{>,  thence  to  the 
Saskatchewan.    Winters  In  the  Southern  States  and  southward. 

The  Great  Marbled  Godwit,  or  Marlin,  Inhabits  the  entire  temperate  North 
America,  and  it  Is  a  common  bird  during  the  migrations  and  in  winter.  It  breeds 
chiefly  in  the  Mississippi  and  Eastern  Missouri  regions,  in  Iowa,  Minnesota  and  the 
Dakotas,  thence  to  the  Saskatchewan;  known  to  breed  In  Northern  Ohio,  In  Wisconsin, 
Iowa,  Minnesota,  Kansas  and  Nebraska.  This  is  the  largest  of  the  "Bay  birds," 
except  the  Long-billed  Curlew,  and  can  readily  be  distinguished,  its  bill  being  either 
straight  or  bent  a  little  upward,  and  not  decurved,  like  the  Curlew's.  It  frequents 
muddy  pools,  sandy  shores  and  marshes,  usually  In  flocks  of  g^'eater  or  less  extent. 
The  bird  is  held  in  high  esteem  for  the  table,  and  they  are  eagerly  hunted  by  the 
gunners  when  flocks  of  ten  or  a  dozen  birds  appear  on  the  marshes.  The  sportsmen 
call  them  "Dough"  or  "Doe"  birds.  The  eggs  are  creamy-buff  or  light  oliveaceous- 
drab  spotted  and  blotched,  rather  sparsely,  with  yellowish  and  umber-brown  of 
varying  shades,  long  oval;  size  about  2.27  by  1.60;  three  or  four  in  number,  and  they 
are  deposited  In  a  slight  depression  of  the  ground,  lined  r:ith  a  few  bits  of  grasses. 
The  nests  are  placed  In  the  vicinity  of  a  pool  or  river,  but  not  always  near  the 
water's  edge. 


250.  PACIFIC  GODWIT.  Limosa  lappotHca  hatirri  (Naum.)  Geog.  Dis*. — 
Coasts  of  Eastern  Asia  and  across  to  Alaska,  south  in  winter  to  New  Zealand  and 
Australia;  casual  to  Lower  California. 

In  the  winter  months  the  Pacific  Godwit  is  found  in  many  of  the  Islands  of  the 
Pacific  Ocean — the  Polynesian  Islands  and  Australia.  At  this  season  It  is  also  found 
on  the  Eastern  and  Southern  coasts  of  Asia  and  Japan.  On  the  American  coast  It 
Is  a  summer  resident  in  Alaska,  and  south  of  this  point  it  is  recorded  only  from 
Lower  California.  An  abundant  species  at  the  mouth  of  the  Yukon  and  on  the 
marshes  of  Pastolik,  which  are  farther  north.  The  nests  are  built  in  tussocks  of 
grass,  lined  with  the  same  material.  The  eggs  are  said  to  be  only  two  in  number, 
of  light  olive  drab,  spotted  with  Irregularly  formed  spots  of  umber  of  varying 
shades,  similar  to  those  of  the  Godwit;  size,  2.25x1.45. 


251.  HUDSONIAN  GODWIT.  Litmna  Inrmastira  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist.— North- 
ern North  America.    Not  recorded  west  of  Rocky  Mountains,  only  in  Alaska. 

The  Hudsonian  Godwit,  though  not  common  anywhere  in  the  United  States,  is 
distributed  throughout  North  America  generally,  but  has  not  been  observed  west  of 
the  Rocky  Mountains.  It  passes  the  winter  south  of  the  United  States,  and  breeds 
in  the  most  northern  sections  of  the  country.  Breeds  abundantly  on  the  Barren 
Lands  of  the  Arctic  Ocean.  In  the  Lower  Anderson  river  region  it  nests  in  the  first 
part  of  June,  depositing  its  eggs  in  a  slight  depression  of  the  ground  lined  with  a 
few  leaves  and  grasses.  It  associates  with  L.  ftnln.  and  has  the  same  habits  and 
characteristics.    Called  by  the  gunners  the  "Smaller  Doe-bird."    .\meriran  Black- 


144 


NEaTS  AND  EGOS  OF 


tailed  Godwit  and  Ring-tailed  Marlin  are  its  other  names.  The  eggs  of  this  species 
are  heavily  shaded  olive-drab  or  "hair  brown"  almo.-^t  as  dark  as  a  Loon's  egg,  some- 
times lighter;  obscurely  spotted  and  blotched  with  dark  brown;  usually  four  in 
number;  size  2.20x1.12. 

[252.]  BLAC^-TAILED  GODWIT.  IJmosa  Unwsa  (Linn.)  Geog.  Diet— 
Northern  portion  of  the  Old  World;  accidental  in  Greenland. 

At  different  seasons  of  the  year  the  Black-tailed  Godwit  has  been  observed  in 
nearly  every  portion  of  Europe,  Asia  and  Africa.  It  is  only  an  occasional  visitant 
of  Greenland  which  gives  it  a  place  in  the  fauna  of  North  America.  Corsidered  mi- 
gratory in  Great  Britain,  and  a  few  are  known  to  breed  there  in  the  various  marshes. 
In  the  summer  months,  howevei',  this  Godwit  is  found  In  various  parts  of  Denmark 
and  throughout  Scandinavia,  especially  in  Finland  and  up  into  Lapland.  Known  to 
nest  in  France,  and  is  supposed  to  breed  sparingly  in  Switzerland.  In  Scotland  and 
other  portions  of  the  British  Islands  this  species  deposits  its  eggs  yearly  in  May. 
This  bird  is  known  as  Common  Gowit,  Godwyn,  Yarwhelp,  or  Yarwhit,  Jadreka 
Snipe,  and  Shrieker.  The  nesting  is  like  that  of  all  the  Waders  so  far  as  known— 
simply  a  hollow  in  wet  meadows  or  in  dry  parts  of  swamps,  midst  grass  or  weeds. 
The  eggs  aio  usually  four  in  number;  they  are  of  a  deep  grayish-olive  or  even  a  deep 
green,  faintly  spotted  with  olive-brown  of  different  shades.    Size  2.17x1.50. 


I  I 


[253.]  GREEN-SHANK.  Toto n lis  iKbuhirhis  (Gunn).  Geog.  Dist.— Old  World; 
accidental  in  Florida. 

Audubon  took  three  specimens  of  the  Green-shar.k  on  Sand  Key,  Florida,  near 
Cape  Sable,  May  28,  1832.  This  is  the  only  record  of  its  appearance  in  North 
Amcilca.  An  abundant  bird  in  the  British  Islands,  many  remain  to  breed,  especially 
in  Scotland,  and  on  the  islands  about  the  coast.  Breeds  in  Norway  and  Sweden, 
in  Finland  and  in  Lapland  as  far  north  as  the  Arctic  Circle.  The  nest  is  often 
placed  some  distance  from  water,  usually  in  a  tuft  of  grass  with  a  slight  lining. 
The  eggs  are  four  in  number  and  vary  from  yellowish  to  brownish-buff,  sprinkled 
and  spotted  all  over,  with  irregular  spots  of  dark  brown,  varying  in  intensity  of 
shade.  The  eggs  are  generally  pear-shaped.  The  average  size  of  ten  specimens 
is  1.98x1.40. 


254.  GREATER  YELLOW-LEGS.  Totaiius  mrlniiohuriis  (Gmel.)  Geog. 
Dist.— Nearly  all  of  North  America;  breeding  in  the  more  northern  portions. 

The  Greater  Yellow-legs,  or  Tell-tc.le,  is  found  in  North  America  at  large.  It 
is  said  to  breed  in  the  large  marshes  of  vVisconsin,  in  Iowa,  and  in  Northern  Illinois; 
doubtless  a  few  breed  in  suitable  places  in  California.  The  Greater  Tell-tale 
winter;;  from  the  Carollnas  southward;  is  abundant  during  the  migrations,  and  is 
W(  1  known  to  the  gunners.  In  the  Eastern  States  it  appears  to  be  much  more  wary 
then  in  Ohio,  and  is  said  to  give  warning  to  ducks  and  other  game  birds  on  the  ap- 
proach of  the  gunner.  About  four  rapIdiy  repeated,  loud  and  shrill  whistling  notes 
are  uttered,  which  is  a  signal  to  the  rest  of  his  feathered  neighbors,  when  the 
whole  t.Tke  wing,  often  to  the  disappointment  of  the  fowler.  From  this  habit  it  de- 
rives the  name  of  Tell-tale,  and  It  is  also  known  as  Stone  "Snipe,"  Greater  Yellow- 
shanks,  and  Long-lcggod  Tattler.  The  stately  form  of  this  bird  may  be  seen  moving 
along  the  gravelly  banks  of  streams,  wading  in  pools  or  the  shallow  margins  of  rivers 
and  lagoons,  feeding  upon  small  fishes,  crustaceans,  etc.  It  is  generally  found  in 
pairs,  less  often  in  small  flocks,  and  its  association  with  other  Sandpipers  is  merely 
accidental.    The  eggs  are  grayish-white,  marked  with  spots  of  dark  l)rown,  varying 


y OUT  11  AMHItrC'AN  BIRDS. 


145 


Old  World; 


te  iateuBity  of  shade,  together  with  obscure  shell-markings  of  lilac.  The  markings 
are  over  the  entire  surface,  but  more  numerous  at  the  larger  end;  three  or  four  1ft 
number;  size  1.43x1.80. 

265.    TELLOW-LEOS.     Totanus  flavipex  (Gmel.)    Oeog.  Dlst.— North  America. 

The  Common  Yellow-legs.or  Lesser  Tell-tale,  is  found  throughout  North  Ameri- 
ca. It  breeds  from  Northern  United  States  northward,  extending  its  migrations  to 
the  Artie  regions.  It  winters  in  the  Southern  States  and  southward.  In  some  locali- 
ties during  the  migrations  it  is  more  abundant  than  the  Greater  Tattler,  and  its 
general  habits  and  characteristics  are  the  same;  its  cries  are  clearer  and  not  so  loud. 
It  Is  fond  of  wading  about  in  pools  of  water  seeking  food,  which  consists  of  larvaa 
of  Insects  and  small  crustaceans.  The  Lesser  Yellow-shanks  is  known  to  breed  in 
Alaska,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Porcupine  River,  which  empties  into  the  Yukon.  It 
doubtless  breeds  in  all  the  region  between  Fort  Selkirk  and  Fort  Lake,  and  abund- 
antly In  the  MacFarlane  and  Anderson  River  regions.  The  nests  were  mere  de- 
pressions in  the  ground,  without  any  lining;  sometimes  they  were  placed  at  the  foot 
of  a  bush,  with  a  scanty  lining  of  withered  leaves.  The  eggs  were  usually  four. 
The  bird  is  reported  as  doubtless  breeding  In  Illinois  and  other  regions  farther 
south  than  those  Just  mentioned.  There  Is  no  doubt  that  a  few  of  the  lesser  Yellow- 
legs  breed  In  Central  Ohio.  In  referring  to  my  notes  I  find  that  a  sportsman  brought 
me  a  male  bird  on  the  28th  of  June,  1886.  This  season  (June  14,  1888)  Mr.  Robert 
Hedden  shot  a  specimen,  which  proved  to  be  a  female,  the  skin  of  which  is  now  in 
my  cabinet.  From  this  bird  I  took  a  well-formed  egg,  and  the  ovaries  contaii-  J 
several  others  in  different  stages  of  development.  The  breast  of  this  specimen  was 
quite  bare  of  feathers,  Indicating  that  it  was  engaged  in  the  lutles  of  incubation. 
The  bird  was  sitting  on  the  top  rail  of  a  fence  when  killed,  and  no  others  were  noticed 
in  the  vicinity.  The  eggs  of  the  Yellow-leg?  are  of  a  light  drab,  or  even  vary  to  clay, 
buffy  or  cream  color,  sometimes  light  brown;  the  markings  are  bold  and  heavy,  with 
great  diversity  of  heavily  splashed  blotches  of  chocolate,  umber-brown  and  blackish, 
these  being  chiefly  at  the  larger  end,  and  sometimes  confluent.  Paler  shell-markings 
are  also  numerous  and  noticeable;  pointedly  pyriform  in  shape:  three  or  four  In 
number;  sizes  range  from  1.58  to  1.78  long  by  about  1.16  broad. 

256.  SOLITARY  SANDPIPER.  Tntaii iix  mliUiriiis  (Wils.)  Goog.  Dlst.— North 
America,  breeding  in  Northern  United  States,  northward;  migratiiiR  southward  to 
Northern  South  America. 

The  Solitary  Tattler,  or  the  American  Green  Sandpiper,  Is  found  throughout  the 
entire  North  America;  breeds  in  Northern  United  States  and  northward,  and  prob- 
ably throughout  most  of  its  United  States  range.  Winters  chiefly  in  Mexico,  Central 
and  South  America  and  in  the  West  Indies.  It 
has  the  same  characteristic  habits  of  the  Green 
Sandpirer  of  Europe — always  seen  near  water, 
during  the  migrations,  on  the  borders  of  lakes, 
ponds  and  rivers,  or  seeking  its  food,  which  con- 
sists chiefly  of  worms  in  the  soft  loamy  soil  of 
marshes.  The  Solitary  Sandpiper  is  well  named, 
when  Its  personal  habits  or  the  localities  which 
It  frequents  are  considered.  It  is  found,  except 
during  and  shortly  after  the  breeding  season, 
about  small  pon  s  In  woods,  remote  shaded 
ditches  or  small  brooks,  just  such  localities  as 
are  frequented  by  the  Water  Thrush,  and  Its 
alarm  note  Is  very  similar  to  that  species,  but  is 
shriller  and  louder  and  is  sounded  while  on  the 
wing  In  Its  rapid  flight.    Although  common,  the 


I 


n 


256.    Solitary  Sandpiper. 


'rr 


146 


NB8Tli  AND  EGOa  OF 


eggs  of  this  species  have  been  until  a  comp&rativ«My  recent  date  of  special  desiderat- 
um, and  only  a  few  specimens  are  as  yet  to  be  found  In  the  numerous  collections. 
In  the  last  edition  of  this  work  I  mentioned  un  egy  Hupposed  to  belong  to  this  species, 
which  I  took  In  an  open  field  bordering  tlie  Scioto  River,  near  Columbus,  Ohio.  In  the 
latter  part  of  May.  1877.  This  specimen  was  flr,<»  described  by  the  late  Dr.  J.  M. 
Wheaton."  The  egg  v/as  of  a  pointed  oval  shape,  and  not  nearly  so  pyriform  as  art; 
the  eggs  of  most  of  this  family,  size  1.25  by  88.  smaller  than  the  eggs  of  the  Spotted 
Sandpiper.  The  ground  was  clay-color  with  a  reddish  tinge,  thickly  marked  with 
reddish  and  blackish-brown.  The  nest  v,  as  on  the  ground  In  as  exposed  a  locality  as 
is  ever  frequented  by  this  bird.  It  contalred  two  eggs,  both  far  advanced  In  incuba- 
tion, only  one  of  which  was  presf^:  ved.  ,n  Jones's  magnificent  workf  this  egg  is  ac- 
curately figured.  Prom  comparisons  made  at  the  time  this  specimen  could  not  be 
referred  to  any  other  species  than  that  of  the  Solitary  Sandpiper.  Dr.  Brewer  de- 
scribes an  egg,  taken  May  28,  1878,  by  Mr.  Jenness  Richardson,  near  Lake  Bombazine. 
Vermont.  It  measur'^s  1.32x.90.  The  ground  color  Is  of  a  light  drab,  similar  to  that 
of  .Ui/ialitis  viclnda,  ovlt  the  surface  are  scattered  small  rounded  markings  of  brown, 
some  of  these  are  quite  dark,  nowhero  confluent,  and  not  large  enough  to  be  called 
blotches.  Its  shape  was  elonip;ated  pyriform.  Mr.  Capen,  in  his  finely  illustrated 
work.t  gives  a  faithful  coloreu  illustration  oi  this  specimen.  The  female  parent  of 
this  erg  vas  shot  as  she  left  the  nest. 

256(1.  WESTERN  SOLITARY  SANDPIPER.  Totdiiun  xnlifarius  nntiuiintiKm 
Brewst.    Geog.  Dist.— Pacific  coast  region,  eastward  to  the  Plains. 

The  Cinnamon  Solitary  Sandpiper  of  the  Pacific  coast  region  and  the  plains  Is 
a  race  not  always  distinguishable  from  the  eastern  species,  7'.  soli  tar  ins.  According 
to  descriptions  given  by  T.lr.  Brewster  (Auk.  VIII,  p.  377),  from  specimens  collected 
by  Mr.  Frazar  In  Lower  California,  the  bird  is  larger,  wing  grayer,  the  light  spots 
on  the  back,  scaptilars,  and  wlng-coverets  brownish-cinnamon,  Instead  of  white  or 
buffy  whitish;  the  sides  of  the  head  more  whitish,  especially  on  the  lores;  no  well- 
defined  loral  stripes. 


I     •'     li^ 


[257. J  GREEN  SANDPIPER.  Totanus  orhropus  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist.— North- 
ern Portions  of  the  Old  World.    Accidental  in  Nova  Scotia. 

If  we  may  regard  the  authority  of  the  older  ornithologists,  Richardson  and 
Nuttall,  this  bird  obtained  from  them  recognition  as  a  straggler  to  North  America. 
Its  claim  to  our  faura,  however,  has  been  reatored  by  the  capture  of  a  single  speci- 
men, said  to  have  been  taken  in  Nova  Scotia,  which  was  in  the  possession  of  J. 
Edmund  Hartlng,  Esq.  The  bird  is  very  similar  to  our  Solitary  Tattler  and  aver- 
ages slightly  larger.  It  is  very  generally  distributed  through  Europe  and  in  some 
places  esteemed  a  great  delicacy  for  the  table.  Said  to  breed  in  all  the  northern 
portions  of  Asia.  In  England  it  is  considered  an  abundant  bird  in  spring  and  fail 
and  a  number  of  pairs  remain  to  breed,  Known  als)  as  the  Whistling  Sandpiper. 
It  frequents  the  shores  of  the  sea  and  Inland  lakes,  the  banks  of  shallow  streams 
and  the  borders  of  ponds  and  marshes.  Breeds  in  various  parts  of  Northwestern 
Germany  and  is  known  to  nest  in  Southoasteru  France.  The  Green  Sandpiper  Is 
said  to  be  vo!y  peculiar  In  its  mode  of  nesting — depositing  its  eggs  in  old  nests 

•In  his  Report  on  the  Birds  of  Ohio.  Vol  IV,  Ohio  Geological  Survey,  intitled 
Zoology  and  Botany,  p.  4^6. 

t  Illustrations  of  the  Nests  and  Eggs  of  Birds  of  Ohio.     Illustrailons  by  Mrs.  N.  K. 
Jones:    Text  by  Howard  Jones,  A.  M.,  M.  D.,  Clrclevllle,  Ohio,  1886. 
I  Oolo^.y  of  New  Eng:and:  Plate  XIX.  Fig.  6. 


\oirju  .».i/^'/c/fiA  imws. 


147 


situated  in  trees  and  Is  not  known  ever  to  nent  on  the  ground.  The  nt'Bts  uauaily  oc- 
cupied are  those  of  pigeons,  jays,  siuikes  and  other  birds,  but  most  f ->nunonly  tliose 
of  the  Thrushes.  These  are  said  to  be  situated  from  three  to  six  feet  and  a»  high 
as  thirty-flve  feet  from  the  ground.  The  eggs  aro  four  in  niimber;  greenisli-white 
or  delicate  grayish  sea-green,  sparsely  marked  with  spots,  blotches,  und  markings 
of  dark-brown,  chiefly  at  the  larger  end;  average  size  1.52x1.12. 

268.  WILLET.  Syniphnnia  xnniiialmtKa  ((Jmel.)  Oeog.  Dist.— Eastern  tem- 
perate North  America,  south  to  the  West  Indies  and  Urazii.  lireeds  from  Florida  to 
New  Jersey  and  locally,  and  rare'.y  to  Maine.    Accidental  in  Bermuda  and  Europe. 

The  Willet  is  the  largest  of  the  American  family  Scolopacidte,  except  tht;  genera 
Limom  and  \innntius.  One  of  the  most  extensively  distributed  of  all  of  our  North 
American  birds,  being  found  in  the  marshy  regions  of  the  interior;  along  the 
Atlantic  coast  from  Nova  Scotia  to  Florida;  throughout  Centra'  America  and  into 
a  large  portion  of  South  America.  It  is  also  abundant  along  the  Pacific  coast. 
Breeds  throughout  its  United  States  range  and  wherever  found  in  Southern  districts. 
Nests  commonly  on  Cobb's  Island,  Va.,  effectually  concealing  the  eggs  in  the  tall 
grass  on  the  higher  parts  of  the  Island.  The  marshes  at  this  place  are  also  favorite 
breeding  localities,  where  the  nests  are  built  up  from  the  ground,  which  is  wet  at 
high  tide.  At  Long  Beach,  N.  J.,  it  breeds  rarely  and  is  said  to  have  been  formerly 
one  of  the  most  abundant  breeding  species.  Mr.  Perry  writes  that  the  Willet  finds 
favorite  breeding  grounds  in  the  salt  marshes  of  Georgia  and  South  Carolina.  He 
mentions  a  large  tract  of  "salt  grass"  in  Beaufu.t  Co.,  S.  C,  where  it  breeds  in 
great  numbers.  A  hundred  pairs  or  moi-e  are  commonly  observed  breeding  in  this 
locality  and  at  the  same  time,  the  eggs  are  very  difficult  to  discover.  Crows  feed  on 
them  and  the  empty  shells  are  strewn  plentifully  over  the  field.  The  nest  is  a  mere 
depression  of  the  ground,  lined  with  a  few  pieces  of  dry  grass.  Sometimes  it  is 
placed  in  a  tunsock  of  grass.  Mr.  Perry  states  that  the  eggs  are  deposited  early  in 
May.  Mr.  Stuart  reports  the  Willet  as  breeding  abundantly  along  the  Gulf  coast 
or  Florida  in  May  and  June.  The  eggs  are  four  in  number,  and  there  seems  to  be 
two  distinct  types  of  coloration  in  the  ground  color — either  a  greenish-white  or  a 
dark  brownish-olive,  marked  with  bold  spots  of  various  shades  of  umber-brown  and 
markings  of  subdued  purple.  The  eggs  are  very  large  for  the  size  of  the  bird,  rang- 
ing from  1.98  to  2.12  in  length  by  i.  .3  to  1.58  broad.  Four  eggs  measure  1.95x1.50, 
1.98x1.49,  2.05X      3,  2.04x1.53. 


■tUitled 


258a.  WESTERN  WILLET.  Symplnmia  scmiimlmotH  iiinriKita  Brewst.  Geog. 
Dist. — Western  North  America,  east  to  Mississippi  Valley  and  Gulf  States;  in  winter, 
south  to  Mexico,  and,  during  migrations,  sparingly  along  coast  of  southern  Atlantic 
States.    Breeds  from  coast  of  Texas  to  Manitoba. 

Mr.  Brewster  first  described  this  race  In  The  Auk,  Vol.  IV,  April,  1887,  pp.  145- 
146.  It  is  somewhat  larger  and  grayer  than  the  eastern  species,  and  according  to 
Elliot  the  two  forms  in  winter  cannot  be  distinguished  from  each  other,  save  pos- 
sibly by  the  longer  bill  of  the  present  species,  though  this  is  not  always  reliable. 
The  present  variety  is  very  common  in  the  western  part  of  the  United  States  and 
in  Texas.  The  nesting  habits  and  eggs  are  identical  with  those  of  S.  scmipalmato ; 
the  eggs,  however,  averaging  a  trifle  larger. 

259.  WANDERING  TATTLER.  Ilctemctititis  inraniix  (Gmel.)  Geog.  Dist.— 
Pacific  coast  of  America,  from  Norton  Sound,  Alaska,  to  Galapagos,  and  west  to 
Kamtchatka  and  the  Hawaiian  Islands;  also  more  eastern  groups  of  Polynesia. 


i 


144 


NBBTa  AND  BOOB  OF 


This  plainly  colored  bird  Is  well  termed  "wandering."  No  tpeciea  of  thla  familjr 
traverso  ho  much  sea  and  coast  during  the  changing  seasons  as  this  one.  Elliot 
Mys:  Along  the  vast  extent  of  the  Pacific  coast  it  goes  from  the  Equator  oaward  to 
the  Aleutian  Islands  in  the  far  north,  and  to  the  interior  of  Alaska,  where  It  prob- 
ably breeds  along  the  banks  of  the  mighty  Yukon.  He  states  that  the  places  where 
this  bird  breeds  may  be  well  within  the  Arctic  circle. 

[260.]  BUFF,  ravoncclla  pugnat  (Linn.)  Oeog.  Dist.— Northern  portions  of 
the  Old  World;  occasionally  straying  to  Eastern  North  America. 

The  male  of  this  species  is  known  as  the  Ruff  and  the  female  as  Reeve.  It  Is  a 
bird  of  wide  distribution;  found  at  various  seasons  of  the  year  throughout  Europe, 
the  northern  parts  of  Africa,  and  in  western  Asia.  Examples  of  this  bird  have  been 
taken  In  Eastern  I'nited  States,  as  well  vlb  on  Long  Island  and  in  various  places  in 
New  England.     Dr.  Jasper   took  h  specimen   November  10,  1872,  at  the  Licking 


200.    Ruff  (From  Ureha.) 

County  Reservoir,  Ohio.  It  breeds  more  or  less  commonly  in  England  and  Scotland, 
where  the  eggs  are  deposited  diT-ing  the  first  or  second  week  in  May.  The  Ruff  is 
about  the  size  of  the  Ba'-tramian  Sandpiper,  and  it  also  resembles  this  bird  in  color. 
But  the  most  marked  peculiarity  of  the  species  is  the  ruff-like  growth  of  feathers 
about  the  neck,  from  which  it  takes  its  name.  There  is  an  endless  variety  of 
plumage  In  the  birds,  the  males  and  females  differing  widely  in  this  respect.  As  its 
specific  name,  pu(jnax,  implies  the  bird  Is  of  a  pugnacious  disposition,  the  males  en- 
gaging in  aggrressive  combats  during  the  breeding  season.     Their  movements  in 


\(tRTH  AMFRir.AS  HIKDK. 


149 


fighting  are  sold  'o  be  Homethlng  like  a  game  cock.  lircodH  throughout  the  greater 
portion  of  Scandinavia  and  in  Denmark.  In  Laphind  it  arrlvoH  in  the  List  wock  of 
May  where  It  is  found  along  Iho  margin  of  lakes  an<l  rIvorH;  later  In  the  Henson  it 
may  be  found  hiding  In  the  tall  grnsB  of  the  marHhes.  The  nest  is  usually  placed  on 
a  Blight  elevation  In  swampy  places  surrounded  by  coarKo  grass  of  which  material  It 
Is  compoBcd.  The  eggs  arc  four  In  niimber  and  average  l.fiOxl.oO.  Kour  eggs  In  my 
cabinet  from  England  measure  1.G4xl.l7.  1.79x1. liO,  l.Clxl.lS,  1.7.'xl.l2.  They  are  of 
an  oblong  pyrlform  shape;  the  ground  color  Is  of  an  olive  or  grayish-green;  th« 
markings  arc  the  same  as  those  of  the  American  .TacU  Snipe  eggs  but  are  heavier 
and  more  profuse-  with  spots  and  blotches  of  umbr-r  and  blacklsh-brown. 


Lli 


Gotland, 
Ruff  is 
n  color, 
feathers 
rlety  of 
As  its 
ales  en- 
lents  in 


261.  BARTRAMIAN  SANDPIPER.  IhntrumUt  l(,n;il<<iiiihi  (Dechst.)  Cieog. 
DIst.— Eastern  North  America,  north  to  Nova  Scotia  and  Alaska.  Flreeds  through- 
cut  Its  range.    South  In  winter  as  far  as  Southern  Sotith  America. 

Hartrnm's  Tattler  Is  distributed  more  or  less  abundantly  throughout  the  rnited 
States,  but  is  rare  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  IJreeds  commonly  from  the  middle 
districts— Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois.  Iowa,  Minnesota  and  the  Dakotas  nortnward,  Into 
the  Fur  Country,  and  in  Alaska.  It  Is  very  numerous  on  the  prairies  of  the  interior 
and  is  also  common  eastward.  It  Is  known  as  Field  "Plover,"  IM)land  "Plover,"  Orass 
"Plover,"  Prairie  "Pigeon."  and  Prairie  "Snipe."  In  Ohio  and  Pennsylvania  the 
eggs  are  hatched  by  the  first  or  second  week  In  June.  One  of  the  most  familiar  birds 
on  the  dry,  open  prairies  of  Manitoba,  where  it  breeds,  and  Ih  known  as  the 
"Qually,"  from  Its  soft,  mellow  note.  Mr.  L.  Jones,  of  Grlnnell.  Iowa,  informs  me 
that  It  nests  in  that  region  about  the  20th  of  May.  Known  to  breed  in  various  por- 
tions of  Michigan,  but  Its  eggs  are  not  often  taken.  The  bird  Is  less  aqur  Mc  than 
most  of  the  other  Sandpipers,  and  Is  seldom  seen  along  the  banks  of  streams.  Its 
favorite  resorts  are  old  pastures,  upland,  stubble  fields  and  meadows,  where  its  nests 
may  be  found  In  a  slight  depression  of  the  ground,  and  they  are  not  always  well 
concealed.  It  frequently  alights  on  trees  or  on  fences,  like  a  Meadow  Lark.  The 
eggs  of  Bartram's  Sandpiper  are  of  a  pale  clay  or  buff,  thickly  spotted  with  umber 
and  yellowish-brown,  especially  about  the  large/  end;  commonly  four  in  number; 
sizes  range  from  1.70  to  1.90  long  by  about  1.28  broad. 

262.  BUFF-BBEASTED  SANDPIPER.  TriiuulUH  mibniflcolUH  (Vlelll.)  Geog. 
DIst.— North  America,  especially  the  Interior.  Breeds  In  the  Interior  of  British 
America  and  in  Alaska.    Occasional  occurrence  In  Europe. 

This  interesting  little  Sandpiper  Is  of  general  distribution  in  North  America, 
but  apparently  nowhere  very  common.  It  Is  migratory  In  the  United  States,  and 
breeds  In  the  Arctic  regions.  Winters  south  of  United  States.  It  Is  often  found  in 
company  with  the  Semlpalmated  Plovers  and  Semlpalmated  Sandpipers  on  th* 
gravelly  banks  of  rivers.  This  bird  Is  said  to  resemble  Bartram's  Sandpiper  in  fre- 
quenting upland  fields  and  meadows.  Breeds  In  the  MacFarlane  and  Anderson  River 
regions  and  in  the  Barren  Lands  of  the  Arctic  coast.  The  nesting  season  In  these 
regions  Is  the  latter  part  of  June,  extending  to  the  middle  of  July.  The  bird  also 
breeds  In  the  Yukon  River  district.  The  nests  are  slight  depressions  In  the  soil, 
scantily  lined  with  a  few  grasses  or  withered  leaves.  The  eggs  are  clay  color  of 
various  shades,  sharply  spotted  and  blotched  with  rich  umber-brown;  there  Is  a 
great  diversity  in  the  shades  o*  the  ground  color  in  a  large  series  of  specimens,  and 
there  is  also  the  same  variations  in  the  markings;  the  eggs  are  pointedly  pyrlform 
in  shape;  commonly  four  in  number,  and  measure  from  1.40  to  1.50  long  by  1.02  to 
1.10  broad. 


150 


NBBTa  AND  BOGS  OF 


263.  SPOTTED  SANDPIFEB.  ActUi8  macularia  (Linn.)  Qeog.  Diet.— North 
and  South  America  and  West  Indies.    Winters  chiefly  south  of  the  United  States. 

The  familiar  little  Spotted  Sandpiper  is  an  extremely  abundant  bird  throughout 
North  America,  breeding  everywhere.  It  winters  in  the  Southern  States  and  be- 
yond. Every  lazy  flsherman  and  idle  school  boy,  who  has  whiled  away  many  a 
balmy  and  hot  summer  day  along  the  banks  of  streams,  knows  this  bird  well  by  the 
bobbing  and  tilting  movements  of  its  body  und  tail,  and  its  peculiar  note,  peet-treet, 
pivt-uat,  as  it  flies  up  and  down  and  across  the  streams.  It  is  known  by  many 
a  curious  nickname:  "Teeter-tall,"  "Tip-up,"  "Sandlark,"  "Peet-weet"  and  others 
which  generally  refer  to  some  eccentricity  of  the  bird.  The  eggs  are  creamy,  buff 
or  clay  color,  blotched,  spotted  and  dotted  with  blackish-brown;  usually  four  in 
number,  and  measure  about  1.34  by  .92.  The  nest  of  this  Sandpiper  is  made  on  the 
ground,  generally  in  the  shelter  of  high  weeds  or  grass  on  a  sandy  island  or  border 
of  a  cultivated  meadow,  near  water  and  often  at  a  considerable  (ustance  from  any 
water.  It  is  simply  a  d^^pression  in  the  soil,  sometimes  constructed  with  hay  and 
moss.  The  eggs  like  all  those  of  the  w.iders  lay  in  the  nests  with  the  small  ends 
together. 


ir^ 


264.     LONG-BILLED  CURLEW.      Sumaiiux  Umijinixtris  Wils.     Geog.  Dist.— 
Temperate  North  America,  migrates  south  to  Guatemala  and  the  West  Indies. 

The  large  Sickle-bill  is  of  irregular  distribution  in  temperate  North  America, 


«  *  EnnoPKAN  CuKLEW,  Nnmeniut  arquutut.    Similar  in  cut  to  the  Lonir-bllled  Curlew. 

(From  Brehm). 


NORTH  AMERIVAN  UIKUH. 


151 


—North 
States, 
'oughout 
and  be- 
many  a 
i\\  by  the 
pcet-u'cet, 
by  many 
id  others 
imy,  buff 
{  four  In 
ie  on  the 
or  border 
from  any 
L  hay  and 
tnall  ends 


ig.  Dlst.— 

idles. 

1  America, 


bleeding  nearly  throughout  its  range.  It  is  migratory  northward  and  is  resident 
from  the  Carolinas  south  to  Mexico.  It  nests  very  abundantly  on  the  South  Atlantic 
coast,  and  on  the  prairies  of  the  interior  and  the  Northwest.  Unlike  others  of  its 
genus  it  is  not  a  bird  of  high  latitude.  The  eggs  of  the  Long-billed  Curlew  are  three 
or  four  In  number;  and  almost  exactly  resemble  those  of  the  WiUet,  but  are  larger, 
measuring  from  2.45  to  2.80  In  length  by  1.80  to  1.90  in  breadth;  they  are,  however, 
more  of  a  pyrlform  shape  than  the  eggs  of  the  WiUet.  lu  common  with  other 
waders  the  eggs  are  deposited  on  the  ground  in  a  slight  hollow  lined  with  a  few 
grasses.  This  Curlew  may  be  known  from  all  others  by  its  large  size  and  very  long, 
curved  bill,  measuring  from  four  to  six  or  eight  Inches.  It  may  sometimes  breed  at 
St.  Mary's  Reservoir,  in  Mercer  county,  and  other  localities  of  Northwestern  Ohio, 
as  it  is  known  to  breed  in  Northern  Illinois. 

265.  HUDSONIAN  CUBLEW.  yiimenius  hudsoniais  Lath.  Geog.  Dlst.— 
North  and  South  America  and  West  Indies.  Breeds  In  the  far  north;  winters  chiefly 
south  of  the  United  States. 

The  American  Whimbrel,  Short-billed,  or  Jack  Curlew,  as  this  bird  is  variously 
called.  Is  not  so  abundant  as  the  Long-billed  or  Eskimo  Curlews.  It  is  generally  dis- 
tributed throughout  North  America,  breeding  in  the  far  north — in  vicinity  of  ponds 
and  lakes  on  the  Barren  Lands  of  the  Arctic  regions,  the  regions  of  the  Anderson 
River  and  in  various  parts  of  Alaska.  Nests  like  those  of  the  last  species.  In  the 
United  States  it  Is  a  spring  and  fall  migrant  and  is  often  found  in  company  with 
God  wits,  Snipe  and  others  of  its  tribe.  The  eggs  are  ashy-yellow,  the  markings 
are  large  and  bold,  of  different  shades  of  chocolate  and  umber-brown.  The  eggs  of 
this  species  can  only  be  distinguished  from  those  of  the  following  species  by 
their  larger  size;  from  2.12  to  2.30  in  length  by  about  1.60  broad:  generally  four  In 
number;  of  the  usual  pear-shape. 


i: 


266.  ESKIMO  CUBLEW.  SiimcHhtu  horealis  (Forst).  Geog.  Dlst.— Eastern 
Province  of  North  America,  breeding  in  the  Arctic  regions;  south  in  winter  to 
Southern  South  America. 

The  Dougu-blrd,  or  Eskimo  Curlew,  is  found  in  North  America  at  large  and 
breeds  within  the  Arctic  circle.  It  migrates  through  the  United  States,  where  it  is 
rarely  known  to  winter,  and  never  to  summer;  wintering  in  Central  and  South 
America.  Abundant  in  certain  places  during  the  migrations.  In  Labrador  it  is  said 
to  fairly  swarm  in  August.  Of  this  bird's  nest  and  eggs  Dr.  Coues  says:  "This 
species  breeds  In  great  numbers  in  the  Anderson  River  region,  usually  making  up 
its  nest  complement  of  four  eggs  by  the  third  week  in  June.  The  nest  Is  generally 
in  an  open  plain,  and  is  a  mere  depression  of  the  ground,  lined  with  a  few  dried 
leaves  or  grasses.  The  eggs  vary  to  the  great  extent  usually  witnessed  among 
waders.  The  ground  is  olive-drab,  tending  either  to  green,  gray  or  brown  In  dif- 
ferent instances.  The  markings,  always  large,  numerous  and  bold,  are  of  different 
depths  of  dark  chocolate,  bistre  and  sepia-brown,  with  ordinary  stone-gray  shell 
spots.  They  always  tend  to  aggregate  at  the  large  end,  or  at  least,  are  more 
numerous  on  the  major  half  of  the  eggs;  though  in  a  few  Instances  the  distribution 
is  nearly  uniform.  Occasionally  the  butt  end  of  the  egg  Is  almost  completely  nrr\\. 
pled  by  confluence  of  very  dark  markings.  Eggs  vary  from  1.90x1.40  to  2.12x1.33. 
averaging  about  2.00x1.45.  "♦ 


Jurlew. 


•  Birds  of  the  Northwest,  u.  rA2. 


i  • 


152 


NESTS  AND  BOOS  OF 


[267.]  WHIMBBEL.  Numeniua  phaopus  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist.— Old  World; 
•ccasional  In  Greenland. 

In  England  and  Scotland  this  bird  is  known  as  Whlmbrel  Curlew,  "Half-Cur- 
lew," or  Jack  Curlew.  It  breeds  throughout  Northern  Europe  and  Asia.  Though 
pretty  generally  diffused  In  Great  Britain,  it  is  only  found  breeding  in  the  extreme 
north  of  Scotland,  on  the  Orkney  and  Shetland  Islands,  where  the  eggs  are  hatched 
by  the  first  part  of  June.  In  these  placps  the  nests  are  made  on  elevated  portions  of 
the  heiih.  During  the  breeding  season  the  Whirabrel  is  found  on  the  Faroe  Islands 
and  in  Iceland.  It  is  distributed  throughout  Denmark,  Scandinavia  and  Russia;  a 
few  are  known  to  breed  in  Lapland,  a.s  far  north  as  latitude  65°.  It  is  said  by  tt.e 
best  authorities  that  this  bird  is  the  most  widely  diffused  of  all  the  waders.  Its 
extra-limital  range  includes  Siberia,  India,  China,  Australia  and  Africa.  On  the 
Faroe  Islands  it  is  recorded  as  breeding  from  the  2!>th  of  May  to  the  17th  of  June. 
The  nest  being  simply  a  depression  in  the  soil  on  some  slight  elevation  in  dry  spots 
in  marshes.  The  eggs  are  four  in  number,  pear-shaped,  and  vary  in  color  irom  light 
olive-brown  to  dark  greenish-brown,  clouded  with  spots  and  blotches  of  dt  .k  umber; 
average  size  2.34x1.67. 


[268.]  BBISTLE-TKIGHED  CUBLEW.  Xuniniivfi  tahitirtisis  (Gmel.)  Geor. 
Dlst. — Islands  of  the  Pacific  Ocean;  occasional  on  the  coast  of  Alaska  and  Lower 
California. 


I 


,i' 


'  t    ; 


268.    Bristlb-tkiohbd  Ctjhlew.    (From  Kelson.) 

This  Curlew,  which  Is  a  native  of  various  islands  in  the  Pacific  Ocean  is  t^rtn 
a  place  in  our  avifauna  on  the  ground  that  two  examples  were  taken  on  our  weetern 
coast,  one  at  St.  Michael's  l8>land  and  the  other  on  Kadlak  Island,  Alaska. 

[269.]  LAPWING.  TatieUus  raveUus  (Linn.)  G€Og.  LiSi.— Northern  portloB 
Of  Eastern  Hemisphere;  occasional  in  Arctic  America,  Greenland  and  the  Islands  of 
Norton  Sound,  Alaska. 


KORTP.   AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


153 


The  Lapwing  or  Peewit  is  one  of  the  most  familiar  birds  of  Ehirope.  A  rare 
visitant  in  Greenland  and  other  parts  of  North  America.  Abundant  in  all  suitable 
localities  in  Great  Britain  and  in  all  the  adjacent  smaller  islands.  Found  as  far 
north  as  the  Faroes,  and  in  Iceland.  Common  in  Denmark,  Norway,  Sweden  and 
throughout  Russia.  It  is  not  so  abundant  in  various  portions  of  Continental 
Europe,  ae  in  France,  Spain  and  Italy.    The  Lapwing  is  a  handsome  plover;  in  the 


, :  ] 


I 


269.    Lapwino  (From  Brehm). 


adult  in  summer  dress  the  fore  part  and  top  of  the  head,  chin,  throat  and  breast  is 
uniform  blue-black;  side  of  head  and  neck  white,  grayish  behind  the  neck;  upper 
parts  chiefly  metallic  bottle  green,  changing  to  a  coppery  purple.  From  the  occiput 
springs  a  long  crest  of  narrow  bluish-black  feathers  which  curve  upwards.  It  is 
commonly  called  Te-wit,  Crested  Lapwing,  Green  Lap'ving  and  Green  Plover.  The 
nests  of  this  bird  are  like  those  of  all  the  Plovers — slight  depressions  in  the  soil  with 
a  few  grasses  for  a  lining.  The  eggs  are  four  in  number;  they  vary  from  a  dull, 
light,  grayish-buff  to  deep  olive  buff,  more  or  less  heavily  marked  with  spots  and 
blotches  of  brownish-black;  they  are  pyriform  in  shape.  Four  eggs  in  my  cabinet, 
collected  in  Staffordshire,  England,  April  18,  measure  1.88x1.30,  1.89x1.32,  1.84x1.3(5, 
1.82x1.3.?.  The  average  size  is  1.85x1.33.  The  eggs  are  regarded  as  a  delicacy  and 
are  much  sought  after  in  all  districts  where  the  bird  Is  common. 


154 


NBSTS  AND  Si^GS  OF 


27C>.  BLACK-BELLIED  PLOVEB.  Charadrlus  aquatarola  (Linn.)  Oeog. 
Dlst. — Northern  portions  of  Northern  Hemisphere,  breeding  far  north;  migrating 
south  in  \Mnter;  in  America  to  Brazil,  New  Grenada  and  the  West  Indies. 

This  handsome  bird  is  Icnown  by  several  different  names:  Beetle-head,  Ox-eye. 
Whistling  Field  Plcver,  Bull-head  Plover  and  Swiss  Plover.  It  is  a  species  of  wide 
distribution,  being  nearly  cosmopolitan  during  its  migrations,  wandering  through 
Southern  Asia,  Northern  and  Southern  Africa,  Australia,  the  West  Indies,  Central 
and  South  America  to  Brazil.  The  eggs  have  only  been  taken  in  the  extreme  Arctic 
regions — on  both  sides  of  the  Ural  Mountains  in  Northern  Russia — the  banks  of  the 
Taimyr  In  the  East  and  the  tundras  of  the  Petchora  River  in  the  West.  In  North 
America  it  has  been  found  breeding  in  various  places  in  the  Arctic  regions,  as  on 
the  islands  of  Franklin  Bay  on  the  Arctic  coast,  in  the  first  part  of  July  and  on  the 
Barren  Lands.  It  is  also  known  to  breed  in  Greenland.  All  the  nests  found  arc 
mere  depressions  in  the  ground  with  a  slight  lining  of  grasses  and  leaves.  The  egg.s 
are  described  as  being  very  similar  to  those  of  the  Golden  Plover,  C.  apricarim,  or 
those  of  the  I.,apwing;  pyriform  in  shape,  varying  from  light  buffy-olive  to  deep 
olive-buff,  thickly  and  heavily  marked  with  brownish-black  or  deep  black;  average 
size,  2.04x1.43. 


[271.1  GOLDJSN  PLOVER.  Charadriiis  upricariua  hinn.  Geog.  Dist.— Europe; 
In  winter  south  Into  Africa.    Greenland. 

The  European  Golden  Plover  is  like  the  American  bird,  but  the  linings  of  the 
wings  are  white.  In  Great  Britain  during  the  winter  months  it  is  one  of  the  most 
abundant  species;  in  summer  returning  to  the  moorlands  of  Scotland  and  Ireland, 
and  northward  to  the  Orkney  and  Shetland  Islands,  where  i'  breeds.  It  Is  found  in 
Norway,  Sweden  and  in  Lapland.  Breeds  also  in  the  i^aroed,  in  Iceland  and  in 
Eastern  Greenland.  The  nest  is  simply  a  hollow  in  the  ground,  lined  with  a  few 
grasses.  The  full  complement  of  eggs  is  four  and  seem  exceeding  large  for  the  size 
of  the  bird.  The  ground  color  in  a  large  series  of  these  eggs  varies  considerably — 
crfeamy-white,  others  with  a  much  darker  shade  of  the  same,  and  again  of  a  dark 
chocolate-brown.  On  these  different  ground  colors  the  large,  bold  spots  and  con- 
fluent blotches  of  brownish-black  present  quite  a  varied  appearance.  Eight  eges  in 
my  cabinet  from  Renfrew,  Scotland,  measure,  2.02x1.42.  2.08x1.37.  2.10x1.38;  2.11x1.45, 
1.96x1.40.  2.01x1.37,  2.08x1.40,  2.12x1.43.    Average,  2.08x1.42. 


272.  AMERICAN  GOLDEN  PLOVER.  Cliaradrliin  domiiiinis  Mull.  Geog. 
Dist. — North  America  at  large,  breeding  in  the  Arctic  regions. 

The  Golden  or  Green  Plover  breeds  in  Arctic  America  east  of  the  coast  of  Bering 
Sea  and  Strait,  migrating  south  in  winter  n.-»arly  throughout  the  entire  America 
as  far  south  as  Patagonia.  MacFarlane  found  ft  breeding  at  Franklin's  Bay.  In 
spring  and  fall  it  is  an  abundant  bird  in  the  Uniied  States,  and  is  generally  esteemed 
for  the  table  on  account  of  its  large  size  and  the  flavor  of  its  flesh.  Breeds  abundantly 
on  the  coasts  and  islands  of  the  Arctic  Sea,  and  on  the  Barren  Lands,  depositing  four 
eggs  in  a  depression  of  the  soil,  which  is  usually  slightly  lined  with  bits  of  dry  grass. 
Out  of  one  hundred  and  fourteen  nests  recorded  by  Mr.  MacFarlane  in  the  Arctic 
regions,  ninety-two  contained  four  eggs  each.  They  vary  from  pale  buffy-biown 
to  dark  grayish-buff,  spotted  and  blotched  with  brownish-black,  chiefly  at  the  larger 
end.  The  spots  are  often  confluent.  The  average  size  is  1.98x1.37.  In  the  collection 
of  the  late  Capt.  B.  F.  Goss  there  is  a  set  of  four  eggs  collected  by  Mr.  MacFarlane 
on  the  Barren  Grounds  near  the  Anderson  River.    These  are  buffy-drab,  spotted  and 


NORTH  AMHIflCAX  HlRhS. 


\bi3 


splasbed  with  dark  brown,  almost  black;  they  are  pyriform  in  shape,  quite  pointed 
Ht  the  small  end,  and  blunt  at  the  larger  portion  of  the  egg. 

272a.  PACIFIC  GOLDEN  PLOVER,  ilniiadriiis  (Inniiiiinix  fulnix  (Gmel.) 
Geog.  Dist. — Asia,  and  islands  of  the  Pacific.  In  North  America,  the  islands  and 
coasts  of  Alaska.  In  winter,  south  through  India,  China,  etc.,  to  Australia  anii 
Polynesia. 

The  Asiatic  Golden  Plover  is  similar  to  ('.  doiniiiicuH,  but  is  slightly  smaller  and 
of  a  more  golden  color.  It  breeds  in  Northern  Asia,  the  Alaskan  coasts  of  Bering  Seu 
and  Strait.  Nesting  and  eggs  similar  to  those  of  the  last.  Average  size  of  the  eggs. 
2.02x1.30. 


273.     KILLDEEB.     .KtjiaUtiH  rocifera  (Linn.)     Geog.  Dist.— Temperate  North 
America,  south  in  v  inter  to  the  West  Indies,  Central  and  Northern  South  America. 

This  familiar  bird  whose  notes,  kil-dm;  kil-drcr,  are  heard  in  the  daytime,  and 
often  in  moonlight  nights,  more  frequently  during  the  breeding  season  than  at  any 
other  time,  is  very  abundant  in  North  America  at  large,  breeding  nearly  anywhere  in 
its  range.  The  nest  is  placed  on  the  ground,  usually  in  the  vicinity  of  a  stream,  ui 
pond,  and  often  on  an  elevated  spot  in  the  rrass  or  in  a  furrowed  field.  It  is  merely 
a  slight  depression  of  the  ground.  The  bird  frequents  both  high  and  low  grounds, 
pastures  and  fallow  fields,  as  well  as  borders  of  streams.  The  eggs  are  drab  or  clay- 
color,  thickly  spotted  and  blotched  with  blackish-brown  and  umber;  small  end 
quite  pointed,  as  is  usually  the  case  with  all  eggs  of  birds  of  this  order;  the  eggs  are 
generally  four  in  number,  measuring  from  1.50  to  1.60  long  by  about  1.10  broad. 


I 


274.  SEMIPALMATED  PLOVER.  /EyiaUtis  acmipaloiata  Bonap.  Geog. 
Dist. — North  America  in  general;  breeding  in  Arctic  and  sub- Arctic  districts;  south 
in  winter  throughout  tropical  America  as  far  as  Brazil  and  Peru. 

The  Semipalmated  Ring  Plover  is  abundant  and  generally  diffused  throughout 
the  whole  of  North  America.  In  the  United  States  it  occurs  only  in  the  migrations, 
but  it  probably«breeds  occasionally  in  some  of  the  Northern  States.  Both  eggs  and 
young  have  been  tauten  near  Chicago,  111.,  in  July.  It  has  been  found  in  the  summer 
months  in  the  Saskatchewan  and  Mackenzie  River  regions,  and  in  those  of  Hudson 
Bay,  in  Greenland  and  throughout  various  portions  of  Arctic  America.  It  has  been 
found  breeding  in  thr,-  latter  part  of  June  on  the  Arctic  coast,  and  in  the  Anderson 
River  regions.  Breeds  on  the  islands  of  the  Alaskan  coast,  and  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Yukon.  Audubon  found  it  nesting  In  Labrador.  The  nest  is  a  mere  depression  in 
the  ground,  with  a  lining  of  dry  grasses  or  leaves.  The  bird's  general  habits  are  like 
those  of  the  Killdeer.  The  eggs  vary  from  greenish  to  yellowish-ash,  spotted, 
blotched  and  dotted  with  varying  shades  of  brown;  pyriform;  scarcely  distinguish- 
able from  those  of  the  Killdeer,  excepting  in  size;  length  1.20  to  1.40  by  .90  to  .95  in 
breadth;  two  to  four  in  number. 


275.  RING  PLOVER.  .T.tjiaUHH  hiaiiruln  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist.— Northern  por- 
tion of  Eastern  Hemisphere,  and  eastern  portion  of  Arctic  America. 

The  well  known  Ringed  Dotterel,  or  Ringed  Plover  of  Europe,  holds  its  place  as 
a  North  American  species  on  the  grounds  of  its  breeding  abundantly  throughout 
Greenland  and  on  the  shores  of  Cumberland  Gulf.  It  is  particularly  common  in 
Great  Britain,  where  it  frequents  the  banks  of  rivers,  Inlets  and  l)ays.  and  the  shores 


156 


NESTS  AND  E008  OF 


r' 


I 


If 


'fi! 


% 


of  the  sea.  Common  in  Norway,  and  it  has  been  met  with  in  Lapland.  The  eggs  ot 
this  species  are  deposited  in  a  slight  depression  in  the  cand,  broken  shells  or  shingles 
above  high-water  mark.  Four  eggb  are  laid  and  Incir  gro'md  color  is  of  a  pale  buff 
or  cream  color;  they  are  beautifully  spotted  vith  dark  reddi.'i-brown,  approaching 
black,  here  and  there  are  obscure  shell  markings.  Average  size  1.41x1.00.  Four  eggs 
from  England,  collected  May  6,  are  in  m>  ca»:inet  and  measure  1.36x1.00,  1.40x1.02, 
1.43X.90,  1.42x1.00. 

[27b.]  LITTLE  RING  PLOVEP  .F.f/ialiiift  dubla  (Scop.)  Geog.  Dist.— North- 
ern portion  of  Eastern  Hemisphere.  Acciuental  on  the  coast  of  California  aud  in 
Alaska. 

The  Tilttle  Ringed  Dotterel  or  Little  Ringed  Plover  breeds  In  the  northern  por- 
tions of  the  rid  World.  This  European  species  has  less  grounds  for  being  included 
In  the  North  American  fauna  than  the  previous  ones.  Its  general  habits,  nesting  and 
eggs  resemble  those  of  the  Semipalmated  Plover.  hvX  the  eggs,  like  the  bird,  are  much 
smaller.  The  average  size  of  ten  eggs  in  my  collection  is  1.19x.85.  They  are  short 
ovate  in  form,  of  a  pinkish-buff  ground  oolor,  finely  speckled  all  over  with  brown. 


i  I 


276.    Little  Ring  Plover. 

277.  FIFING  PLOVER.  .Eyialitia  mcluda  (Ord.)  Geog.  Dist.— Chiefly  th« 
Atlantic  coast  of  the  United  States,  north  to  southern  Labrador.  In  winter,  West 
Indies. 

The  Piping  Plover  is  an  abundant  species  in  the  summer  months  along  the 
eastern  coast  of  the  United  States,  breeding  from  the  Carolinas  northward  as  far  as 
the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence.  It  is  a  graceful  and  attractive  little  species,  possessing 
a  remarkably  musical  voice  which  can  be  heard  as  the  bird  moves  gracefully  over 
th«  sandy  beaches.  Its  food  is  small  marine  worms,  Crustacea,  etc.  During  incuba- 
tion It  Is  said  that  the  parents  rarely  sit  upon  their  eggs,  except  at  night  and  in 
damp  weather,  but  always  remain  in  the  vicinity  and  watch  over  their  treasures  with 
solicitude.  The  eggs  are  four  in  number,  pale  buff,  speckled  with  black  and  purplish 
gray.  In  some  the  markings  are  very  much  more  profuse  than  in  others.  The 
average  size  of  a  large  series  (fifty  in  number)  is  1.20x.95.  Four  specimens  measurs 
1.28x1.01,  1.31x1.01.  1.25x1.03,  1.28x1.00. 


.\OliTU  AUtilUCAy  BUWS. 


157 


egssof 

Bhingles 
)alo  buff 
reaching 
our  eggs 
1.40x1.02, 


— North- 
la  aud  in 

tiern  por- 
;  Included 
sting  and 
are  much 
are  short 
brown. 


277u.  BELTED  FIPINO  PLOVEB.  .i^gialitis  nieluda  vircumcincta  Rldgw. 
rieog.  Oist.— Missouri  River  region;  occasionally  eastward  to  the  Atlantic  coast. 

This  variety  of  the  Piping  Plover  is  found  between  the  Missouri  River  and  th« 
Rocky  Mountains  and  as  far  eastward  as  Lake  Koskonong,  in  southern  Wisconsir. 
and  occasionally  along  the  Atlantic  coast.  Its  habits  are  the  same  as  those  of  meloda. 
The  eggs  measure  1.27X.93. 

278.  SNOWY  PLOVER,  ^yialltis  nivosa  Cass.  Geog.  DIat.— V/estern  North 
America,  south  to  Mexico  In  winter,  both  coasts  of  Central  America  and  In  Western 
South  America  to  Chili. 

The  Snowy  Ring  Plover  inhabits  the  United  States  chiefly  west  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains.  It  is  a  ;  >nstant  resident  along  the  California  coast,  and  a  specimen  has 
heen  taken  on  the  coast  of  Texas  in  the  latter  part  of  June.  Mr.  Emerson,  of  Hay- 
wards,  California,  informs  me  that  it  nests  along  the  sandy  beaches  of  the  ocean 
cuast,  and  says  he  has  no  doubt  that  it  breeds  along  the  bay  beach,  as  he  shot  the 
young  there  in  June.  Mr.  Shields  states  that  it  is  abundant  along  the  sandy  beaches 
in  the  vicinity  of  Los  Angeles,  nesting  in  the  first  week  of  April;  fresh  eggs  often 
being  found  as  late  as  May  15.  Mr.  N.  S.  Goss  lound  the  Snowy  Plover  breeding  on 
tiie  salt  plains  along  the  Ciraarrion  River,  in  the  Indian  Territory,  the  northern 
limits  of  which  extend  into  southwestern  Comanche  County,  Kansas;  he  also  took 
two  specimens  within  the  State  limits.  The  birds  are  describod  as  being  very  much 
lighter  in  color  than  the  California  specimens.*  The  eggs  are  three  In  number,  in 
ground  color,  pale  buff  or  clay  color,  and  the  markings  very  much  resemble  Wilson's 
IMover,  but  are  more  numerous  and  scratchy;  about  the  size  of  the  eggs  of  the  Piping 
Plover,  mduda,  1.20x.90. 


[279.]  MONGCLIAN  PLOVER.  .T.yiaUtis  moKyohi  (Pall.)  Geog.  Dist.— 
Northein  Asia,  south  in  winter  to  Malay  Archipeliago  and  Australia,  Chorls  Penin- 
sula, Alaska,  accidental. 

A  bird  of  wide  distribution.  Found  throughout  Northern  Asia  in  general,  west 
to  St.  Petersburg,  Palestine  and  Northeastern  .\frica.  In  winter  it  Is  found  through- 
out Southern  Asia  and  as  far  south  as  the  Philii)pines.  Malay  Archipeliago,  etc.,  to 
Australia.  Breeds  commonly  in  Northern  portions  of  Asia,  nesting  on  the  ground 
like  others  of  its  tribe.  The  eggs  are  four  in  nuraljer;  pale  dull  oliv.  or  l)Uff  sparsely 
luarkfd  with  brownish-blaok;  sizp.  1.43x1.05. 


Jhlefly  tht 
Inter,  West 

along  the 
Id  as  far  as 
J  possessing 
lefuUy  over 
Ing  Incuba- 
|ght  and  in 
asurcs  with 
id  purplish 
Ihcrs.     The 
18  measure 


280.  WILSON'S  PLOVER,  .lliiuililis  irHsoiiia  (Ord.)  Geog.  Dlst.— Atlantic 
and  Gulf  coasts  of  North  .Vmerlca,  north  to  Long  Island.  Casually  to  Nova  Scotia. 
Soiith  in  winter  to  Brazil  and  Peru  and  West  Indies. 

Wilson's  Plover,  named  in  honor  of  the  immortal  Wilson,  is  common  along  the 
soa  coast  of  the  South  .Mlantir  and  Gulf  States.  It  is  found  along  the  Eastern  coast, 
luit  rarely  north  beyond  New  Jersey.  One  of  the  "boaoh  l)irds,"  and  may  be  found 
in  company  with  others  of  the  genus  .i.V'« ''''•*'•  On  some  of  the  islands  on  the  coast 
of  Georgia  Mr.  Perry  found  them  breeuing  in  gjeat  numbers  in  company  with  the 
Least  Tern,  nesting  very  much  in  the  same  manner.  The  eggs  are  deposited  in  a 
cavity  of  the  loose  pebbles  or  shells  of  the  beach;  they  are  usually  three  in  number. 
Tlic  ground  color  is  a  pale  ollve-drab  or  clay-colored,  some  having  a  greenish  tint, 
marked  all  over  with  blackish-brown,  well  defined  spots,  small  splashes  and  fin© 


♦  Auk.  Ill,  p.  409. 


158 


NEBTB  AND  BOOS  OF 


■ 


dotB.    Sizes  from  1.30  to  1.46  long  by  1.00  to  1.05  broad. 
meuuuiTii  iiH  follows:     1.37x.99,  1.82X.98,  1.40x1. 0(i. 


A  set  in  Mr.  Perry's  cabinet 


281.  MOUNTAIN  FLOVEB.  .llffiaUlis  inontana  (Towns.)  Geog.  Dlst.— West- 
ern North  America,  east  to  the  Uveal  Plains;  accidental  In  Florida. 

More  properly  caliod  Prairie  Plover,  l)ut  It  seems  to  have  been  l)adly  named, 
for  It  certainly  is  a  prairie  bird,  inhabiting  the  most  barren  prairies,  as  well  as  the 
watered  regions  of  the  United  States,  from  the  plains  to  the  Pacific.  It  can  readily 
be  recognized  by  its  large  size,  the  lack  of  rings  on  the  breast,  with  the  uniform  pale, 
yellowish-brown  above.  It  is  quite  independent  of  water,  and  is  said  to  be  not  the 
least  aquatic,  even  on  the  Pacific  coast;  It  frequents  tne  plain,  never  the  marsh  or 
beach.  Nests  anywhere  on  the  open  prairie  in  June  and  July.  The  eggs  are  usually 
three  in  number,  olive-drab,  with  a  brown  shade,  finely  and  thickly  dotted  with  very 
dark  brown  and  black,  the  markings  not  larger  than  a  pin's  head;  sizes  from  1.40 
to  1.50  long  by  1.10  to  1.12  broad. 

282.  SURF  BIRD,  i .  ■  Ixf  tgata  (Qmel.)  Oeog.  Dlst.— Pacific  coast  of 
America,  from  Alaska  to  Chi 

Known  as  the  Plover-bilK  ;  Tur:i>  :»ne.  It  Is  rare  on  our  shores,  although  it  la 
found  almost  along  the  entire  s  •  %'jii  -opst  of  the  two  Americas.  Little  is  known 
concerning  its  breeding  place  anu  the  *>.'.  have  not  been  discovered.  Nelson  se- 
cured specimens  of  the  bird  In  the  vicinity  c'  St.  Michael's,  Alaska,  and  the  natives 
claimed  that  It  bred  on  the  bare  mountains  of  the  interior,  some  20  or  30  miles  from 
the  coast.    At  the  present  time,  however,  its  breeding  place  is  unknown. 

283.  TURNSTONE.  Arenarhi  hiUrprcH  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dlst.— Entlre'y  cosmo- 
politan, chiefly  along  the  sea  coasts.    Breeds  in  high  northern  latitudes. 


01 
CO 

Ar 

po 

thi 

It 

fro 

bic 

to  I 

spe 

Rl^ 

fire 

1.6S 


ciflc 

ca.  : 

its  1 


' 


383.    TuRNSTUNB     'Prom  Brehml 


Noitrn  AMKRHAy  luuits. 


1S9 


9  cabinet 


L— West- 

y  named, 
ell  as  the 
in  readily 
!orm  pale, 
je  not  the 
marsh  or 
re  usually 
with  very 
from  1.40 


:   coast   of 

lough  It  Is 
i  Is  known 
Nelson  se- 
Ihe  natives 
miles  from 


The  Common  Turnstone  Is  widely  distrilmted  in  the  breeding  season  through- 
out the  northern  portions  of  both  continents,  and  wanders  southward  along  the  sea 
coasts  of  all  countries.  In  America  it  breeds  commonly  in  the  Harrcn  Lands  of  the 
Arctic  coastH  and  the  Anderson  River  districts,  on  the  islands  of  Franklin  and  I/ivor- 
pool  Bays,  nesting  in  Julv.  In  the  Hudson  Hay  country  the  egRs  are  laid  In  Jime; 
the  nest  Is  nothing  but  a  hollow  scratched  in  the  earth,  lined  with  bits  of  grass. 
It  Is  known  by  various  names,  "Brant  Bird."  "Bead  Binl,"  'Horse-foot  Snipe,"  and 
from  its  varlRatcd  colors,  "Calico-back."  The  eggs  are  greenlsh-aah.  spotted, 
blotched  Riui  dotted  Irregularly  and  thickly  with  yellowish  and  umber  brown;  two 
to  four;  abruptly  pyrlform  in  shape,  and  average  1.58x1. If).  A  set  of  four  eggs  of  this 
species  is  in  the  cabinet  of  Captain  B.  F.  Goss.  These  were  taken  on  the  Yukon 
River,  In  Alaska.  The  nest  was  a  slight  (lepression  on  the  ground.  The  eggs  are 
greenish  drab,  spotted  all  over  with  brown;  sizes,  1.68x1.13,  1.60x1.17,  1.60x1.17, 
1.68x1.13. 

284.  BLACK  TURNSTONE.  Arcnarin  mrldiinrrphdhi  (VIg.)  Oeog.  Dist.— Pa- 
cific coast  of  North  America,  from  Alaska  to  Santa  Cruz  and  San  Mlnguel  Island. 

The  Black-headed  Turnstone  Is  common  along  the  Pacific  coast  of  North  Ameri- 
ca. It  has  been  found  nesting  in  Alaska  at  the  mouth  of  the  Yu^  ».  'n  all  respects 
Its  habits,  nesting,  eggs,  etc.,  are  said  to  be  similar  to  those  of  l.  fr/trrH.  The 
eggs  average  1.62x1.12. 


re'y  cosnio- 


i'^ 


i 


> 


2N4.     Ulack  Turnstonb. 

[285.]  OTSTEB-CATCHEB.  Ilamutninis  ostralvinis  Linn.  Geog  Dlst.— Sea 
coasts  of  Europe,  portions  of  Asia  and  Africa;  occasional  in  Greenland. 

The  Oyster-catcher  of  Europe  claims  a  place  In  the  North  American  fauna  from 
its  occasional  occurrence  in  Greenland.  It  appears  to  be  common  In  all  suitable 
places  on  the  coasts  and  islands  of  Europe,  extending  northward  to  the  northern 
shores  of  Russia  and  Siberia,  where  it  breeds  on  the  great  Arctic  flats.  Common 
itiroughout  the  summer  months  in  Denmark,  Sweden  and  on  the  west  shores  of 
Norway.  In  Great  Britain  the  Qyster-catcher  Is  a  well  known  species,  nesting  on 
the  shores  and  islands  as  far  north  as  Orkney  and  Shetland.    The  bird  breeds  gen- 


i.  r. 


160 


NEHTti  AND  tlOUS  OF 


erallx  in  pain,  btit  in  some  instances  a  large  number  are  found  netting  in  ont 
place.  Four  eggs  are  usually  laid  in  some  cavity  in  ttie  sand  or  shingle.  Nests  hare 
Iteen  found  on  tlie  top  of  rocks,  ten  to  fifteen  feet  above  the  ground.  The  eggs  are 
•t  a  dull  creamy  buff,  spotted  and  blotched  with  brownish-black,  generally  over  til* 
entire  egg.  Six  eggs  In  my  cabinei  from  England  measure  2.15x1.57,  2.35x1.63,  2.1te 
1.56,  2.17x1.54.  :i.32xl.50,  2.19x1.50. 


■'^^S'^^" 


^^' 


":'    ^s 


♦  ♦  EiJROPKAi  OvBTKR-CATCHKR,  BliTiilar  to  the  Ainericaa  Oystef-catcher.    (From  Brebm.) 

286.  AMERICAN  OYSTER-CATCHER.  Hamatoituti  iHtllialu.s  Temm.  Geog. 
Dust. — Sea  roasts  America  from  Nova  Scotia  and  Southern  California,  south  lo 
Patagonia. 

Tho  brown ish-barUed  Oyster-catcher  breeds  along  the  Atlantic  coast  from  New 
Jersey  southward,  where  it  becomes  more  common.  It  breeds  abundantly,  l)ut  ir- 
regularly, in  difleront  localities.  There  aro  extensive  breeding  resorts  along  t.he 
coast  of  Virginia.  On  Cobb's  Island  it  was  formerly  quite  common  during  the 
brooding  season,  where  now  only  a  few  pairs  aro  said  to  Ije  found  nesting.  It  is 
common  plong  the  coast  of  Florida,  nesting  on  the  beaches  and  depositing  three, 
sometimes  only  two.  eggs.  The  American  Oyster-catcher  is  an  abundant  resident 
throughout  the  Bahamas,  nesting  wherever  there  are  sandy  beaches.  It  has  been 
found  breeding  in  Galveston  Day,  Texas,  in  .lunr,  and  on  islands  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Rio  Grande.  The  eggs  are  creamy  or  white,  spotted  and  blotched  irregularly  with 
varying  shades  of  brown;  rather  oval  in  shape;  sizes  range  from  2.12  to  2.30  in 
length  by  1.r,0  to  1.62  in  breadth.  Six  eggs  from  the  roast  of  Virginia  measure  2.22x 
1.57,  2.23x1.58.  2.19x1.52.  2.15x1.52,  2.25x1.60,  2.21x1.57.     Mr.   Walter  Hoxie,  in  the 


SOUTH  AMEltlCAN  HIRDR. 


m 


"Ornithologist  and  OUIogist"  for  August,  1887,  gives  us  an  Interesting  account  of  a 
pair  of  (hesp  birds  moving  their  eggs  when  their  uest  was  discovered.  While  Mr. 
Hoxle  wnH  watching  the  parents  they  carried  the  eggs  about  on€  hundred  yards  from 
the  old  nest,  and  deposited  them  safely  in  a  new  nest  which  he  saw  the  l)lrds  pre- 
pare. The  female  lifted  the  eggs  between  her  legs  and  successfully  carried  them 
away. 

286.  1.  FRAZAR'S  OYSTER-CATCHER.  Ihrmntopun  fr(i:nri  Brewst.  Qeog. 
Dist.— lx)wer  California  (both  ooaHtH),  north  to  Los  Coronados  Islands. 

Mr.  William  Brewster  has  dedicated  thiH  new  species  to  M.  Abbott  Prazar,  who 
secured  three  specimens  north  of  l.a  Paz,  on  the  Gulf  of  California.  It  was  said  to 
be  common  in  the  locality  and  evidently  preparing  to  breed  on  the  sandy  islandH  and 
shores  of  the  gulf.  It  has  been  seen  on  Los  Corronados  IslandH.  Saii  Quentln  Bay, 
Cerros  Island;  also  at  Magdalena  Hay,  where  it  was  common,  and  on  Santa  Margarita 
Island.  Here  they  mated  in  .lanuary.  They  feed  upon  small  bivalves.  Mr.  Brewster 
describes  this  species  as  differing  from  fl.  palliatiiK  In  having  a  stouter,  more  de- 
pressed bill,  little  or  no  white  on  the  eyelids,  the  back,  scapulars  and  wing-coverets 
richer  and  deeper  brown.*  I  have  no  description  concerning  the  nesting  and  eggs 
of  this  new  species. 


287.  BLACK  OYSTER-CATCHER.  Btrmatopm  hachmani  And.  Oeog.  Dlst.— 
Pacific  coast  of  North  America  from  Lower  California  north  to  the  Aleutian  Islands 
and  pcross  to  the  Kurilas. 

Bachman's  Oyster-catcher,  as  It  Is  called,  Is  a  characteristic  bird  of  the  Pacific 
coast,  being  more  common  to  the  north 
than  to  the  south.  It  is  said  to  be  par- 
tial to  rocky  coasts  and  Islands  and  not 
always  met  with  on  sand  beaches.  It 
is  common  in  Alaska,  where  It  is  one 
of  the  characteristic  birds  of  the  sea- 
shore, and  It  Is  also  a  summer  resident 
of  the  entire  Aleutian  chain  of  islands. 
Dall  found  It  breeding  the  latter  part 
of  .Tune  on  Range  Island,  one  of  the 
Shumagin  group.  Here  he  found  two 
nests.  In  both  cases  the  eggs  were 
placed  directly  upon  the  gravel  on  the 
beach;  one  contained  two  eggs,  the 
other  one.  They  were  all  partly  Incu- 
bated. The  eggs  of  this  species  are  two 
or   three    in    number,  light    olive-buff, 

speckled  or  spotted  with  brownish-black  and  purplish-gray 
2.20x1.52  inches. 


287.      liLACk  OvbTER-CATCHER. 


Their  average  size  is 


[288.]     MEXICAN  JACANA.    J  mam  xpinnm  (Linn.)    Geog.  Dist.— Valley  of 
the  Lower  Rio  Grande,  Texas,  south  into  Central  America,  Panama,  Cuba,  Haytl. 

A  bird  which  combines   the   characters  of  the  Plover  and  the  Rail,  but    out 
wardly  distinguished  from  either  by  the  excessive  development  of  the  toes  and  par- 
ticularly the  claws.  These  are  slender,  compressed,  nearly  or  quite  straight,  that  of 

•  For  a  complete  description  see  The  Auk.  V,  pp.  84-sr>. 

12 


il  ' 


i 


I 


H>2 


NH8T8  AND  BOOB  OF 


the  hallux  much  longer  thon  Uh  UIkU.  The  Kprcud  uf  feet  thiiH  acquired  enables  tho 
l)lrd  to  run  quite  eaRily  over  floating  vegetntlon  In  the  marsheH.  Dr.  .lanu'H  C.  Mer- 
rill met  with  lh<'  proBMil  spcclcH  iirir  Kort  llrown.  In  SoiiihwcHtfrn  Tt'xiiH.  in  the 
••arly  part  of  AiiRiiBt,  INTd.  Tho  liird  Ik  common  throughout  th«'  whole  of  Middle 
Anierlra,  M(>xlco  and  Central  America  to  ranama.  inhabiting  the  donHc  marHhcH  of 
thoRo  rcgloiiH,  noHtlng  like  the  IlailH.  The  cggH  arc  of  a  rounded-oval  Hhapc,  ground 
color,  bright  drab  or  tuwny  olivo,  marked  over  the  surface  with  a  confusod  net- 


\  .vu 


^  iV^h  ^A\ 


«  *  Parra  juKina,  illusitaiiiig  (he  American  genus  of  ilie  family  }\trriiiar  iFrom  Brchm 


work  of  black,  or  dark  brown  wavy  stripes,  blotches  and  lines.  Average  size.  1  22 
x.i)4.  Mr.  Crandall  has  two  sets  of  the  <  i?g8  of  this  bird  collected  by  Frank  B.  Arm- 
strong in  Tamaulipas  county,  Mexico,  respectively  on  May  13  and  July  18, 1895.  The 
iipsts  in  both  cases  were  composed  of  water  weeds  and  trash  of  any  kind.  They  were 
constructed  so  as  to  float  among  the  lilly  leaves  growing  on  a  pond,  similar  to  a 
grebe's  nest.  One  set  contains  Ave  eggs,  and  they  measure  as  follows:  1.19x.89. 
1.16X.90,  1.18X.89,  1.21X.90.  1.23x.91.    The  second  set  of  four  eggs,  taken  in  July,  ex- 


ynitTii  wiF.nivAS  ninna. 


\(^ 


■■f 


bll'lt  the  folnwItiK  dlrm-nslonK:  l.L'Ox.91.  1.22x.nO,  l.l9x.93.  1.18X.92.  The  uvithk.'  h1/,i> 
of  thr  nlni>  ••krh  Ih  l.lOx.OO  liwhPH.  In  a  larRor  Horli'M  ti.,'  avpniRp  hIzp  Ih  InrRor.  nt* 
RhOVP  clfiMl. 

••EUROPEAN  QUAIL.  r,,tiinil.r  intuvitix  (I.lnn.)  (Jeog.  DUl.  — NoilhtMn 
jMtrtiotiH  of  Northern  n«'nilHi)h«'r»';  hitrotliicrd  into  the  rnlted  StaliH. 

The  f'omnion  Qniill  of  I'lirope  haH  liem  imported  iiy  tlie  hiiiuM-odH  In  vario\iR 
parlH  of  tlilH  country  during  tlH>  laHt  eighteen  years.  'I'IiIh  haH  es|)eriully  lieen  the 
caHP  in  tliH  KaHtern  States,  north  to  New  T'ninHwIck.  Hither  the  rliniaie  or  the  food 
waH  unHulted  to  them  and  their  naturalization  Ih  ronHldered  a  failure. 


^k.-^.f 


•  •  Common  Qitail  n*  Europk  (From  BrehniV 

289.  BOB-WHITE.  Coliniis  riiYuiiiiiiiis  (l^inn.)  Gtjog.  Dial.— Eastern  Uni- 
ted States;  west  to  Dakota,  Kansas,  Indian  Territory  and  Eastern  Texas.  North  to 
Southern  Maine  and  Southern  Canada,  south  to  the  Atlantic  and  Oulf  States. 

The  celebrat'  '1  game  bird  of  Eastern  United  States.  It  has  now  extended  its 
range  westward  •  to  nearly  all  the  Western  States  and  Territories.  In  the  two 
southern  extremes  of  its  habitat  it  is  found  in  two  light  and  dark  climatic  varieties, 
as  below.  Found  tlroughout  the  greater  portion  of  the  year  In  coveys:  in  the 
early  spring  pairing,  each  pair  selecting  a  particular  locality,  where  they  remain 
during  the  summer  months.  Where  mating  has  taken  place  the  male's  well-known 
mellow  notes. — Hnh-irhitrJiob-u-hUr,  may  be  heard  at  short  intervals  echoinp 
throughout  the  woodland.  The  favorite  nesting  places  of  this  bird  a.'o  on  the  groum; 
in  corners  of  rail  fences,  at  the  foot  of  stumps  surrounded  by  a  thick  giovth  rf  veici- 
tatlon.  In  gardens  or  cultivated  fields  where  there  are  bunches  of  tail  ^'rass  or  weeds. 


i 


i 


'4 


n 


164 


NBSTa  AND  EQ08  OF 


ill 


:u 


li' 

i 


Two  and  sometimes  three  broods  are  reared  in  a  season  and  nesting  begins  as  early 
as  May  Ist.  The  nest  is  often  made  in  close  proximity  to  the  farm  house,  ft  1b 
rarely  built  in  thick  woods.  Dr.  Jones  mentions  a  nest  which  he  found  alongside  a 
railroad  track.  It  is  usually  constructed  of  dry  grasses,  straws,  leaves  or  weeds. 
The  complement  of  eggs  is  from  fifteen  to  twenty-five,  often  only  twelve,  but  usually 
about  eighteen.  They  are  pure  white  unless  stained  by  the  bed  of  grass  upon  which 
tliey  He.  At  one  end  they  are  quite  pointed,  at  the  other  obtusely  rounded;  size 
1.20X.95. 

289a.  FLORIDA  BOB-WHITE.  Colinus  vit'ifluiaum  florldanux  (Coues.)  Geog. 
Dlst.— Florida. 

A  darker  colored  bird  than  C.  vlrt/lnianui.  General  habits,  nesting  and  eggs 
the  same.     Eggs,  119x.92. 


289h.  TEXAN  BOB- WHITE.  CoHnus  Hrainiamis  texanun  (Lawr.)  Geog. 
Dist. — Texas  and  Northern  Mexico,  north  to  Western  Kansas. 

A  bird  of  paler  color  than  the  C.  v,  florUlanim.  Eggs  smaller  than  r.  vitylnianun, 
1.17X.91. 

•  •  CUBAN  BOB-WHITE.  CoHnus  virfflnianus  cubaneusta  (Gould.)  Geog. 
Dist. — Cuba  and  Southwestern  Florida. 

The  late  MaJ.  Bendire  in  his  great  work:  "Life  Histories  of  North  American 
Birds,"  says:  "This  slightly  smaller  and  darker  colored  bird  than  Cnlimm  rlri/lniauus 
floridoiiiis,  is  found  in  limited  numbers  in  Southwestern  Florida,  south  of  Lake 
Okeechobee  and  Tampay  Bay."  Quoting  Dr.  Juan  Viar6,  professor  of  natural  his- 
tory, University  of  Havana,  Cuba:  "The  Cuban  Bob-White  lays  from  ten  to  eighteen 
eggs;  these  are  usually  deposited,  between  the  months  of  April  and  July,  in  a 
slight  cavity  of  the  ground,  sheltered  by  vegetation."  The  average  size  of  nine  eggs 
In  the  U.  S.  National  Museum  collection  is  1.20X.94. 

201.  MASKED  BOB  WHITE.  CoHiiiih  rUti/wayi  (Brewst.)  Geog.  Dist.— So- 
nora  to  Southern  Arizona. 

The  handsome  Masked  or  Arizona  Bob-white  is  a  comparatively  recent  addition 
to  the  avifauna  of  North  America,  it  having  been  described  and  named  by  Mr. 
William  Brewbter  in  The  Auk  (Vol.  IT,  1885,  p.  199):  from  a  specimen  taken  by  Mr. 
F.  Stephens,  August  11,  1884,  about  eighteen  miles  southwest  of  the  town  of  Sasabe, 
in  Sonora,  Mexico.  It  appears  that  this  species  is  confined  to  a  narrow  strip  of 
country  along  our  southwestern  border,  anrt  is  nowhere  as  common  as  the  Gnmbel's 
and  Scaled  Partridges,  which  are  found  in  the  same  regions.  The  eggs  appear  to  be 
indistinguishable  from  those  of  the  eastern  Bob-white.  An  egg  obtained  by  the  late 
MaJ.  Bendire  measures  1.22x.94. 


pi 


292.  MOUNTAIN  PARTRIDGE.  Orcoriyx  pMun  (Dougl.)  Geog.  Dist.— Pa- 
cific coast  from  San  I'^ranclBoo  north  to  Washington. 

The  lieautiful  Mountain  or  Plumed  Partridge  is  a  much  larger  and  handsomer 
bird  ihiin  the  Bob-white.  The  hrad  Is  adorned  with  two  arrow-like  plumes  three  or 
four  Inches  in  length;  these  are  noticeable  In  the  chick  just  from  the  egg,  in  the  form 
of  a  llttlo  tnft  of  down.  The  Konornl  slate  and  olH-e  color  of  the  adult  Is  beautifully 
marked  with  whito  along  the  sides,  Inner  secondaries  of  the  wings,  sides  of  the  neck, 
etc.    The  bird  !    found  breeding  along  the  Pacific  coast  region  from  California  north 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


165 


into  the  State  of  Washington.  Mr.  Emerson  informs  me  that  it  breeds  in  the  higher 
mountain  ranges,  not  below  4,000  feet.  In  some  portions  of  Oregon  it  is  very  abund- 
ant. The  eggs  are  deposited  on  the  ground,  on  a  bed  of  dead  leares,  under  a  bush 
or  tuft  of  grass  or  weeds.  Six  to  twelve  are  usually  laid,  of  a  cream  color  with  a  red- 
dish tint.  Dr.  Coues  describes  the  eggs  as  miniatures  of  the  Ruffed  Grouse's,  only 
distinguishable  by  their  smaller  size,  1.36x1.02 


292a.  PLUMED  PARTRIDGE.  (h-rortuJ'  piotiii^  phimtfenis  (Gould.)  Geog. 
Dist. — Sierra  Nevada  ranges  from  Oregon  southward;  coast  ranges  of  California  to 
Cape  St.  Lucas. 

This  subspecies,  which  very  much  resembles  O.  pirtiis,  inhahits  both  sides  of  the 
Sierra  Nevada  Mountains  from  Eastern  Oregon  southward,  through  the  coast  ranges 
of  California.  Its  general  habits,  nesting,  eggs,  etc.,  are  the  same  as  those  of  the 
Mountain  Partridge.  The  eggs  are  creamy-buff,  of  varying  shades,  and  their  aver- 
age size  is  1.40x1.02. 

292h.  SAN  PEDRO  PARTRIDGE.  Orrortyx  pMus  roflnix  Anthony.  Geog. 
Dist. — San  Pedro  Mountains,  Lower  California. 

This  is  a  comparatively  recent  subspecies,  having  been  first  de.scribed  by  Mr. 
.\.  W.  Anthony  in  1889.  It  differs  from  the  last-named  species,  in  that  the  upper 
jjarts  are  grayer  and  the  bill  thicker.  Mr.  Anthony  Informed  Maj,  Bendire  that  the 
breeding  range  of  this  race  extends  from  the  foothills  along  the  base  of  the  San 
Pedro  Mountains,  Lower  California,  to  the  tops  of  the  highest  peaks,  estimated  at 
about  12.600  feet.  Mr.  Anthony  found  a  nest  on  Valladares  Creek,  March  2'J.  1889. 
The  nest  was  placed  in  the  midst  of  thick  manzanlta  chaparral,  high  up  on  n  hill- 
side. The  nest  was  a  mere  hollow  under  a  manzanlta  bush,  lined  or  rather  filled, 
with  dry  leaves  of  the  lilac  and  manzanlta,  and  contained  but  a  single  egg.  Mr.  An- 
thony shot  the  female  and  secured  from  her  another  egg  just  ready  to  be  depoalted. 
He  states  that  they  resemble  those  of  the  Plumed  Partridge  In  shape  and  color,  being 
creamy  white  and  unspotted.  The  two  specimens  measure  1.42x1.10  and  1.46x1.06 
respectively. 

2\iS  SCALED  PARTRIDGE.  rnUipvpla  siiuuiuata  {Wg.)  Geog.  Dist.— North- 
western Mexico  and  border  of  the  United  States,  from  Western  Texas  to  New  Mexico 
and  Southern  Arizona. 

This  handsome  Partridge,  called  Blue  Quail,  is  distributed  throughout  North- 
western Mexico,  Western  Texas,  New  Mexico  and  Arizona,  but  Is  said  to  be  loss 
numerous  than  the  crested  Partridges  or  Quails.  In  .\rizona  they 
iire  found  In  fiocks  of  from  six  to  ten,  sometimes  muro  in  the 
most  barren  places,  miles  away  from  any  water.  Mr.  W.  E.  D.  Srott 
found  this  Qtiall  as  abundant  on  the  dry  mesas  of  the  San  Pedro  slopp  of  the 
Santa  Catallna  Mountains,  up  to  an  altitude  of  .1,500  feet,  as  Its  congener  (\  yixmhvli. 
At  this  altitude  Mr.  Scott  found  a  nest,  May  20.  containing  eleven  eggs.*  It  in- 
habits a  more  open  country  than  '(fnmhcU  and  In  other  localities  large  flocks  of  both 
species  were  often  seen  together.  A  slight  depression  under  a  bush  serves  as  a 
nest,  It  Is  generally  lined  with  a  few  coarse  grasses.  In  Western  Texas  complete 
sets  of  eggs  may  be  found  as  early  as  April  25.  The  eggs  are  extremely  thick- 
shelled;  the  number  laid  ranges  from  eight  to  sixteen,  twelve  being  the  more 
common  number.  Their  color  is  buffy-whlte  or  of  a  cream  color.  Irregularly  dotted 
with  specks  of  light  brown;  size,  1.24x.94. 


t  'I 


•  Auk.  in.  pp.  *ri-388. 


a 


H 


i^^ 

n 


rif 


166 


NESTS  AND  BOOS  OF 


293a.  CHESTNUT-BELLIED  SCALED  FABTBIDOE.  Cntfipepla  aquamata 
eastanu)/antris  (Brewst.)  Geog.  Dlst.— Eastern  Mexico  and  Lower  Rio  Grande  of 
Texas. 

ThiK  bird  is  like  the  last,  but  the  gennral  coloring  is  deeper  and  richer.  Tht 
bird  appears  to  inhabit  the  low  lands  along  the  lower  Rio  Grande  Valley,  while 
C.  squamata  inhabits  the  table  lands  of  Northwestern  Mexico,  Western  Texas,  New 
Mexico  and  Arizona.  Mr.  George  H.  Ragsdale,  of  Gainesville,  Texas,  kindly  sent 
me  four  eggs  of  this  bird  for  inspection;  these  have  a  ground  color  varying  from 
^hite  to  a  buff  with  the  surface  marked  with  minute  specks  of  reddish  brown.  In 
a  specimen  having  a  white  ground  tlie  markings  have  a  purplish  lint.  The  shape  of 
the  eggs  is  characteristic  of  all  eggs  of  the  Partridge.  The  sizrs  of  the  four  speci- 
mens are,  1.17x.94,  1.13x.92,  1.15x.94,  1.16x93.  In  the  collection  of  the  late  Capt.  B.  F. 
Goss  there  is  a  set  of  ten  eggs  of  this  Partridge  taken  May  14,  1886,  in  Western 
Texas.  They  are  dull  white,  speckled  all  over  with  fine  dots  of  different  shades  of 
brown.  Some  of  the  eggs  have  a  few  small  brown  spots  on  them  more  than  a  six- 
teenth of  an  inch  in  diameter;  they  resemble  the  eggs  of  the  Scaled  Partridge,  but 
are  more  thinly  speckled  and  much  lighter  in  color.  Sizes,  1.25x.99,  1.17x1.00,  1.24x 
1.06.  1.26x1.05,  1.26X.99,  1.24x1.05.  1.25X.99,  1.27x1.00.  1.27x.99,  1.28x1.00.  The  nest 
from  which  these  eggs  were  taken  wari  on  the  ground  and  made  of  leaves  and  dry 
graFs 

294.  CALIFOBNIA  FABTBIDOE.  Canipepla  ralifoniica  (Shaw.)  Geog. 
Dist. — Coast  region  of  California  south  to  Monterey.  Introduced  In  Oregon,  Wash- 
ington and  British  Columbia. 


CtAuroRNiA  Partridob  or  Hrlmbt  yuAiL  (Prom  Brebm}. 


SORT  a  AMURWAS  UlUDS. 


167 


The  handsome  California  Partridge  or  Valley  Quail  inhabits  the  lower  portions 
of  California  and  Oregon,  where  it  Is  very  abundant,  and  also  eastward  nearly  to 
the  Colorado  River.  It  is  known  also  by  the  name  of  Helmet  Quail.  The  nest  is 
made  on  the  ground,  and  is  often  found  in  curious  places.  Mr.  Emerson  says  It  Is 
sometimes  placed  in  tho  garden,  within  twenty  feel  of  the  doorway;  he  sav/  eggs  of 
this  Quail  laid  in  the  nest  of  chickens  that  had  hidden  their  nests  in  (he  barn-yard, 
and  it  is  commonly  found  under  hedges,  bushes,  brush-heaps;  even  in  the  grass  by 
the  wayside.  Mr.  Bryant  mentions  several  cases  of  this  bird's  nesting  in  trees  upon 
the  end  of  a  broken  or  decayed  limb,  or  at  the  intersection  of  two  large  branches. 
One  case  he  cites  of  a  brood  being  hatched  in  a  vine-covered  trellis  at  the  front  door 
of  a  popular  seminary.*  Mr.  II.  11.  Taylor,  of  Alameda,  California,  records  a  nest 
of  the  Spurred  Towhee  on  the  ground  in  wiiich  were  4  eggs  of  the  Towhee  and  2  of 
the  California  Quail. t  The  egg  of  this  species  are  most  beautifully  marked  on  a 
creamy-white  ground  with  scattered  spots  and  blotches  of  old  gold,  and  sometimes 
light  drab  and  chestnut-red.  In  a  large  series  of  specimens  sent  me  by  Mr.  .\rnold 
Hoyle,  collected  in  the  vicinity  of  Banning,  California,  there  is  a  striking  variation 
in  this  resp'^ct.  In  some  specimens  the  gold  coloring  is  so  pronounced  that  it 
strongly  .^  .ggestn  to  the  imagination  that  this  Quail  feeds  upon  the  grains  of  the 
precious  metal  which  characterizes  its  home,  and  that  the  pigment  thereof  is  im- 
parted to  the  eggs.  The  number  laid  ranges  from  eight  to  twenty-four.  In  shape 
they  are  like  those  of  the  Bob-white.  Ten  selected  eggs  measure  1.13x.90,l.I8x.93, 
1.19X.93.  1.19X.94,  1.23x.90,  1.27x.96.  1.30x.95,  1.32x.9.'),  1.33x.97,  1.3.-)X.94.  The  average 
size  is  1.23X.94. 


A\ 


I 


k 


iC 


294».  VALLEY  PABTBIDOE.  Calliixiilii  Kilifoniha  lallicnla  (Rldgw.)  Geog. 
Dist.-   Interior  Regions  of  California  and  Oregon,  south  to  Cape  St.  Lucas. 

This  variety,  which  is  very  similar  to  the  last  species,  is  common  to  the  interior 
valleys  and  foot-hills  of  the  Pacific  Province.  There  is  essentially  no  difference  be- 
tween the  eggs  of  (his  bird  and  those  of  ('.  raHfoniira. 

295.  CAMPEELL'S  FABTBIDGE.  (  alliitrpla  /,Y»mMi/  (Nutt.)  Geog.  Dist.— 
Northwestern  Mexico,  Arizona,  New  Mexico,  Southern  T'tab  and  Western  Texits. 

A  characteristic  game  bird  of  Arizona  and  New  iMexico;  al)undant  on  moun- 
tains and  in  valleys.  It  is  found  as  far  oast  as  Western  Texas,  west  to  the  Colorado 
River,  north  to  Southern  rtah.  In  Texas  it  is  replaced  by  the  Massena  Quail.  Mr. 
W.  R.  D.  Scott  found  it  distributed  throughout  tho  entire  Catalina  region  in  Arizona 
helow  an  altitude  of  ."j.OOO  feet.  F.y  the  middle  of  April,  on  the  San  Pedro  slope  of 
the  Catalina  mountains  most  of  the  birds  are  paired,  and  breeding  has  fairly  begun. 
.\l)oul  Tucson  the  breeding  season  begins  from  three  weeks  to  one  month  earller.J 
This  bird  is  also  known  as  the  Arizona  Quail.  The  nest  is  like  that  of  any  other 
l)artridge,  placed  on  the  ground,  sometimes  without  any  lining.  The  eggs  are  from 
eight  to  sixteen  in  number  and  they  do  not  differ  from  those  of  the  ('.  valifnrnira. 
The  average  size  of  thirty  specimens  is  1.27x.98. 

296.  MASSENA  PARTRIDGE,  ryrtonil-r  iiioiiuziimn  (Vlg.)  Geog.  Dist.— 
Tablelands  of  Mexico  from  the  City  of  Mexico  north  to  Western  Texas,  New  Mexico 
and  Arizona. 

In  Arizona  this  bird  is  known  as  "Fool  Quail"  or  "Fool  Hen."  Mr.  Scott  men- 
tions finding  it  common  in  the  evergreen  oak  region  of  the  Pinal  Mountains,  near 

•  Unusual  NeaiiMC  Sltrs.  I.    null.  Cnl.  Acnil.  Sol.  IT,  46^ 
t  OrnlthologlHt  Jin..  Oologlst.  Vol.  X.  p.  142. 
I  Auk.  Vol.   Ill,  v.  388-389. 


;ii 


168 


NB8T8  AND  BOOB  OF 


13 


the  head  of  Mineral  Creek  <n  Arizona  and  about  as  abundant  in  the  same  loi*alitiOB 
on  the  San  Pedro  slope  of  the  Catalina  Mountains,  ranging  up  as  high  as  5,700  feet 
and  as  low  as  4,000  feet  throughout  the  year.  It  was  generally  met  with  in  coveys  of 
six  to  a  dozen  birds.  Mr.  Otho  C.  Poling  found  this  Partridge  to  »e  fairly  common 
in  parts  of  the  Wetstone,  the  Santa  Rita,  Patagonia,  and  Huachaca  Mountains  of 
Southern  Arizona.  On  July  15,  1890,  he  found  a  nest  containing  eight  eggs;  it  was 
situated  under  a  dead  limb  of  a  pine  tree  on  a  hillside;  sunken  in  the  ground  and 
composed  of  grass  niems,  arched  over,  and  the  bird  could  only  enter  it  by  a  long  tun- 
nel leadi.ig  to  it  fiom  under  the  limb  with  the  grans  growing  around  it.  Mr.  d.  W. 
Todd  found  a  nest  of  thp  Massena  Partridge  containing  ten  eggs  in  Kinney  county, 
Texas,  Ju.ie  20,  1890.  These  are  now  in  Mr.  Thomas  II.  .Tswkson's  collection,  West 
Chester,  Pa.  The  eggs  are  white  and  similar  to  those  of  the  Bob-white,  the  majority 
being  more  elongated.  The  average  measurement  of  the  eight  eggs  collected  by 
Mr.  Poling,  1.26X.94  inches. 


1 


I 


207.  DUSKY  GROUSE.  Drmh-ntfdpuH  ubHrurus  (Say.)  Geog.  Dlst.— Rocky 
Mountains,  west  to  Wahsatch,  north  to  Central  Montana,  south  to  New  .Mexico  and 
Arizona. 

The  Dusky  (Irouse  in  its  several  geographical  garbs  is  distributed  chietty 
throughout  the  wooded  and  especially  the  evergreen  regions  of  the  T'nlted  States, 
from  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  tne  Pacific  and  northward  in  British  America.  In  the 
mountains  of  ColonuU)  this  species  Is  U  '\i\i\  on  the  border  of  timber  lin«»  throughout 
the  year,  going  above  in  the  fall  for  their  principal  food — grasshoppers.  In  summer 
its  flesh  is  said  to  be  excellent,  but  when  frost  has  cut  short  their  diet  of  insects  ejsi 
berries,  they  feed  on  spruce  needles  and  their  fleah  acquires  a  strong  flavor.  In  it's 
habits  it  resembles  the  Ruffed  Grouse.  It  nests  on  the  ground,  often  undtv  shelter 
of  a  hollow  log  or  projecting  rock,  with  merely  a  few  pine  needles  scratched  togvther 
on  which  the  eggs  are  laid.  The  eggs  are  buff  or  cream  color,  marked  all  over  with 
small  round  spots  of  iimbcr-brown,  but  generally  more  numerous  toward  ihe  ||;rf'>'.iyr 
end;  eight  to  fifteen  are  Uild;  average  size  1.98x1.42. 


297rt.  SOOTY  GROUSE.  IttiKlioi/iiinin  '.u///-  'iiU{fhi<>'*iix  Rldgw.  (Jeog. 
Dlst. — ivTountalns  near  the  Pacific  coast  from  Sltk?,  mnah  to  California. 

A  darker  colored  bird  than  />.  obnnirii<-.  Mr.  A.  W,  Am  .ony  records  this  Grotit^e 
as  abundant  in  Washington  cotinty,  in  the  northern  part  of  Oregon.*  Me  states 
that  in  the  winter  the  bird  remains  high  up  in  the  firs  and  is  vt\:'  seldom  seen.  At 
the  first  indication  of  spring  the  males  begin  to  "hoot."  This  Is  not  dissimilar  to  the 
"booming"  of  the  Prairie  Hen,  and  when  uttering  these  love  notes  the  bird  may 
usually  be  seen  about  fifty  or  seventy-five  feet  from  the  ground  In  a  thick  fir.  The 
note  is  repeated  from  five  to  seven  times.  Mr.  Anthony  says:  "This  Grouse  is  an 
accomplished  ventriloquist;  I  have  often  looked  for  an  hour  for  one  supposed  to  be 
fifty  yards  in  front  of  me  to  find  it  as  far  in  the  rear."  Nests  found  in  May  contained 
from  five  t  j  seven  eggs.  A  set  of  seven  eggs  of  this  bird  In  the  collection  of  the  late 
Captain  '^'  F.  Goss  was  taken  June  1st,  1887,  at  Oakland,  Oregon.  The  neat  was 
placed  .'.  he  ground.  The  eggs  are  creamy  buff,  spotted  and  speckled  with  reddish 
brown;  the  aput.  a/e  sr>-rhn  and  scattered,  most  of  them  sharply  defined;  the  measure- 
ments of  the  B'ven  eggs  are  as  follows:  1.87xl..18,  1.81x1.33,  1.78x1.33,  1.86x1.37,  \M 
xl.36,  1  30j.  ..!»♦.  -".S.r.l.SS. 


I"'  M 


•  Auk.  V<     Ml    •■  ,  ''.34.    i'l<ld  notcH  on  the  Birds  of  Washington  County.  OreKon. 


SUUTU  A!dEKHAS   mULtH. 


IM 


897.  AICHABDSON'S  OBOUBE.  UvndrayuimH  ubseuruH  riihardtmiiU  (Dougl.) 
Geog.  Dlst.— Northern  Rocky  Mountains  of  the  United  States— Centrul  Montauu 
northward  into  British  America. 

This  race  is  more  or  less  common  in  the  various  mountain  ranges  of  Montana. 
Its  general  habits  do  not  appear  to  be  different  from  those  of  /'.  uhnntntn.  The  birds 
prefer  rough  and  rocky  ledges  with  only  a  moderate  growth  of  flr  lo  the  densei 
forests.  Occasionally  they  are  found  away  from  the  mountains  in  Hcattered  clumpa 
of  fir  growing  on  the  high  bluffs  or  growing  on  some  of  the  streams.  Their  "tooting" 
is  a  low,  niuflled  sort  of  cooing,  uttered  without  vigor  or  any  apparent  effort  on  the 
bird's  part,  which  may  be  squatting  on  some  rock  at  the  time.  The  eggs  are  cream 
color,  marked  with  small  dots  of  reddibh-brown;  average  size  1.84x1.30.  1  hey  are 
not  distinguiuhable  from  those  of  />.  ohsriiniK,  and  tlie  nesting  habits  are  the  same. 

208.  CANADA  OBOUBE.  Dvmlnii/iiitux  ninailciiMia  (Linn.)  deog.  Dist.— 
Northern  North  America,  east  of  Rocky  Mountains,  from  the  Northern  portions  of 
New  England,  New  York,  Michigan  and  Minnesota  to  Alaska. 

Known  as  the  Spruce  or  Wood  Partridge,  Canada,  Black  or  Spotted  Grouse,  and 
found  in  all  favorable  localities,  especially  the  spruce  forests  and  swamp  regions 
from  Northern  United  States  northward,  as  far  as  the  woods  extend  in  the  Arctic 
regions,  and  it  has  been  found  breeding  \n  Northern  Alaska.  Audubon  found  it 
lireeding  in  the  vicinity  of  Eastport,  Maine,  in  the  Intericr  recesses  of  almost  im- 
penetrable woods  of  hackmatack  or  larches,  lie  was  informed  that  the  birds  breed 
in  the  neighljorhood  about  the  middle  of  May,  which  !:-  a  month  earlier  than  they  do 
in  Labrador,  in  the  nesting  Koason  tlio  males  produce  the  same  well-known  and 
peculiar  drumming  as  does  the  Rufted  (Jrous*'.  The  female  constructs  a  nest  of  a  bed 
of  dry  twigs,  leaves  and  mosses,  and  is  usually  carefully  hidden,  on  the  ground, 
under  low  horizontal  branches  of  flr  trees;  it  is  generally  placed  in  quiet  and  sw»»'npy 
localities.  The  eggs  are  of  a  buffy  or  reddish  brown  color.  Irregularly  splashed,  d-)t- 
ted  and  spotted  with  different  tints  of  brown;  eight  to  fourteen  in  number;  a /erage 
size  of  ten  eggs  is  1.70xL20.  The  shape  is  characteristic,  being  like  those  of  the 
Ptarmigan  in  form. 


fi 


280.  FBANKLIN'S  OBOUBE.  Ihiidnii/tiiiiii' frankliiiii  (Do\\g\,)  Geog.  Oi<it. — 
Northern  Itocky  .Mountains,  west  to  the  i'acitlc  coast;  chiefly  north  to  the  I  nitic-d 
States. 

This  bird  la  held  by  some  authorities  as  a  mere  variety  of  l>.  cauitdrnHiy..  It  la 
confined  to  the  territory  between  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  th-  Mcifto  coasv,  chlet\y 
in  British  America.  Its  habits  in  all  respects  are  identical  w  those  of  cancUciiMiH. 
The  nest  is  made  on  the  ground,  of  dry  leaves  and  giass.  oftei  the  foot  of  decayed 
stumps,  or  by  the  side  of  fallen  timber  in  dense  mountain  wuuus.  The  eggs  average 
in  size  1.68x1.24. 


300.     BUFFED    OBOUBE.      Honoxa    umh(llu.'<    (Lini  Geog.    Dist.— Eastern 

United  States,  south  to  North  Carolina,  Georgia,  .Missisfc  ,.pi  and  Arkanpas. 

The  Ruffed  Grouse,  "Pheasant"  or  "Partridge,"  is  a  noted  game  bird  ill8i.rll)Uted 
in  wooded  districts  \\i  oughout  Eastern  Ignited  States.  At  the  limits  of  its  habitat 
it  Is  found  la  several  geographical  races  as  l.s  shown  by  the  following  «ub-bp€cie«. 
Its  habits  in  many  respects  differ  from  those  of  the  Prairie  Hen;  the  latter  is  found 
on  open  plains,  while  the  Grouse  is  rarely  met  with  there.  The  food  of  the  two 
•pedes  is  very  similar,  making  the  difference  in  their  reppec've  abodes  quite  strik- 
ing.   The  well-known  drumming  of  the  male  birds  is  made     iring  the  love  season, 


'^^t1 

,Ml 

:»Ei 

lag 

I^K 

W^^ 

■T^^pZmHI' 

"^f^^R 

170 


NBBTS  AND  KOOS  OF 


which  commenceu  in  March.  The  sound  i-  pruduccd  by  the  bird  while  standing  oa 
a  fallen  log  or  elevated  rock  in  the  most  leiired  portion  of  the  woods;  the  wings 
arc  lowered,  tall  expanded,  the  neck  contracted,  and  the  entire  body  seems  inflated. 
The  tufts  of  neck  feathers  are  elevated,  the  bird  ail  the  while  strutting  about  in  the 
most  ])orapou8  manner  possible  to  imagine,  striking  the  sides  of  his  l)ody  with  rapid 
strokes  of  his  wings.  These  become  so  rapid  that  the  sound  thus  produced  reaeni- 
bleH  the  rumblings  of  remote  thunder,  and  ilw  sounds  always  seem  nearer  than  th«!y 
really  are.  I'uder  favorable  clrcums-anct's  this  Grouse  not  infrequently  rears  two 
broods  between  the  first  of  April  and  the  middle  of  October.  The  nest  is  usually  sit- 
uated at  the  border  of  a  largi-  woods  in  the  midst  of  dense  undergrowth,  often  in  a 
thicket,  not  far  from  the  roadside,  akid  very  frequently  the  birds  venture  to  con- 
struct it  in  a  small  woods  adjoining  a  farm  house.  The  position  of  the  nest  is  on 
the  ground  beside  a  log  or  slump,  or  in  a  brush  heap,  or  under  the  branches  of  a 
fallen  tree.  It  is  constructed  of  decayed  leaves,  a  few  feathers,  roots,  etc.  From  six 
to  flfteeneggsaredeposited, usually  tenor  twelve;  theyare  of  acreamcolorof  various 
shades,  some  times  so  dark  au  to  be  nearly  brownish,  and  in  others  the  surface  is  al- 
most milk-white.  They  are  often  stained  in  wet  weather  by  the  leaves  upon  which 
they  lie,  and  are  soinetimes  faintly  blotched  or  speckled  with  shades  of  l)rown.  Mr. 
L.  Jones,  writing  from  Iowa,  says  that  the  eggs  in  that  vicinity  are  deposited  about 
May  first.  Ten  eggs  measure  1.54x1.10.  1.51x1.13,  l..'.4xl.l3.  1. ".4x1. 14,  1.51x1,12.  1.56k 
l.i;i,  1,55x1.14.  I..->:?.\1.12,  1.57x1.14. 


300ff.  CANADIAN  RUfTED  OBOUSE.  HoiKim  iirnhvUux  Ui<nita  (Linn.)  Qeog. 
Dist. —  ICastern  Oregon  and  Washington  Territory,  east  to  Moose  Kuelory,  Nova 
Scotia,  Maine,  eic. 

Kgns  >;ui)p()se(l  lo  belong  to  this  darker  colored  variety  of  Ruffed  Grouse  in  my 
collection  ironi  Northern  .Maine  do  not  differ  from  those  of  li.  umlnUns. 


300/*.  GRAY  rUFFED  GROUSE.  Hhikisii  iiiiihdlii- iniibcUnidcs  (Dongl)  Geog. 
Dist.-  Ho(  K\    .\ioiiMi.'iiii  i^cgion  north  to  Alaska,  east  lo  Manitoba. 

Tile  upper  |)arts  of  this  iunl  are  mostly  o»'  entirely  grayish,  and  the  tail  is  always 
of  a  gray  color.  It  Is  found  in  ihe  wooded  districts  of  the  Rocky  Mountain  region  of 
iht  I'niled  Stales,  and  as  far  norlli  as  the  Yukon  valley  in  Alaska,  in  Drilish  Amer- 
ica, east  to  Manitobi!.  In  the  lato  ('apt.  Ci.-.ss';;  (oUection  there  is  a  set  of  five  eggs 
of  this  bird  taken  at  Ksles  I'ark,  Colorado.  .May  28,  1SS4,  Th<  y  are  creamy  buff; 
some  of  the  specimens  are  almobi  jv  (juite  iiiuuacuhite,  others  are  faintly  and  spar- 
ingly spotted  with  llla«'  brown.  Tlie  eggs  in  this  set  are  smaller  in  size  and  less 
spotted  than  the  usual  spotted  examples  of  U.  innhilliis,  and  unless  closely  examined 
the  marking  would  scarcely  be  noticed.  These  eggs  were  taken  from  a  nest  on  the 
grciind;  the  sizes  are  as  follows:  1,47x1.11,  1.45x1,12,1.44x1.12,  1.42x1.15. 


;)00(.     OREGON  RUFFED  GROUSE.     Itmiiisa  louluUus  mhini  (Dougl  )     Gcog. 
Dist. — Nnrthwest  coast  from  Northern  California  to  British  Columbia. 

This  subspecies  resembles  //.  umlhlliis,  but  the  upper  parts  are  darker  rusty- 
brown;  the  tall  Is  also  usually  deep  rusty  <'()lor,  rarely  grayish. 
Red  Ruffed  droiise.  The  nesting  habits  and  eggs  of  this  ;^iubspecies  are  essentially 
the  same  as  those  of  li.  umhrliiix  of  the  Eastern  iilates,  ll  breeds  in  Oregon,  Wash- 
ington into  Hrltish  Columbia.  The  nest  is  placed  in  a  sunken  hollow  of  th«  ground, 
under  a  bush  or  branches  of  a  fallen  tree,  the  cavity  of  the  nest  being  Mned  with 
dry  leaves,  spruce  needles  and  a  few  feathers.  The  eggs  range  from  seven  to  four- 
teen in  number,  creamy  white  in  color  and  average  in  size  1.5Gxl.lG  incheik 


ynirrn   \  Mrnrr  \  v  nrifnsi. 


tn 


301.  WILLOW  PTARMIGAN.  Liii/'>iiiis  lii,i„ini><  {\Ann.)  CJoug.  I)i.si.  -North- 
ern porllons  of  Northern  Hemispberp;  In  North  Aniorira  south  in  winter  to  Sitka, 
northern  Now  York,  etc. 

This  TMarniiKan  is  distrlbutod  In  suninipr  thrniiKhotit  Arrtir  Amprini.  It  broods 
ahunchintiy  in  the  valleys  of  tlie  Hoc  Uy  MouniJiins  on  tiio  Harron  Grounds  and  along 
tlio  Arctic  cojiKts.  The  winter  dross  of  the  l)lr<l  is  snow  whito.  witli  the  central  tail 
foatiiers  black,  tipped  wKli  wliite.  In  summor,  the 
head  and  nock  are  yillowish-red,  l)ack  black,  l)arred 
rather  finely  with  yellowish-  brown  and  chestnut;  most 
of  the  wings  and  under  parts  remain  white  as  in 
winter.  LarRo  nunibora  of  the  Willow  PtarmiRan  are 
said  in  the  winter  to  shelter  in  wi'low  thickets  ami 
dwarf  birches  on  the  banks  of  lakes  aad  rivers,  where 
liiey  feed  on  the  buds  of  the  smaller  shnibs  which 
form  their  princiiml  food  at  that  season.  Their  favor- 
ite resorts  in  daytime  are  barren,  sandy  tracts  of  land, 
but  they  pass  tlie  nlRhts  in  holes  in  the  snow.  When 
pursued  liy  sportsmen  or  birds  of  prey  they  are  said 
to  often  dive  in  the  loose  snow  and  work  their  way  be- 
neath its  surface.  Mr.  MacKarlane  found  nests  of  this 
species  In  the  Anderson  River  region  early  in  .June,  301.    willow  Ptahmioan 


if  cog. 

rusty- 

nllully 
Wash- 

l^round. 
•d  wltb 

Lu  four- 


3^1.    Willow  Ptaiimioan,  winter  |iluiii.ii:(:    I'lam  Drebut), 


n 


, 


i': 


172 


NE8T8  AND  BOOS  OP 


nnd  an  lute  as  June  24tb.  Others  were  found  on  the  banks  of  the  Swan  River  as  late 
aa  June  27th,  containing  large  embryos.  A  nest  observed  July  lOth  contained  ten 
perfectly  fresh  eggs,  and  another  set  of  eggs  wns  examined  July  22,  the  rontents  of 
which  were  slightly  developed.  The  nests  made  on  the  ground  were  mere  jiepres- 
sions,  generally  lined  with  leaves,  hay,  iind  a  few  feathers  from  the  birds  themselves. 
The  same  nest  is  often  orrupied  In  successive  seasons.  The  larRcst  numl)er  of  eggs 
taken  by  Mr.  MacFarlane  was  ten,  but  the  female  is  said  to  lay  as  many  as  sixteen. 
A  few  of  this  species  breed  in  various  parts  of  Alaska.  Mr.  Dall  took  eggs  near  the 
mouth  of  the  Yukon  in  the  latter  part  of  June.  The  eggs  have  a  ground  color  vary- 
ing from  pale  yellowish-buff  to  deep  chestnut-brown,  more  or  less  sprinkled, 
speckled,  spotted  or  marbled  with  rich  brown  or  black.    Average  size  1.78x1.25. 


30).     Willow  Ptarmiuaii,  tuiiinier  pluniaiie  (From  Urcliin). 


il 


301n.  ALLEN'S  PTARjfflOAN.  I.itffitimM  Jattnpiix  tillriil  Stejn.  Geog.  Dist.— 
Newfoundland. 

Accordii^  to  Dr.  Stejneffer  this  newb  describi-d  subspecies  is  similar  to  /.. 
la\iu\tuH,  but  distinicuishable  by  having  the  shafts  of  both  primaries  and  secondaries 
Mack,  the  wing  fMiibers  and  even  some  of  tb*  covvn^ts  marked  and  mo(ttie«l  with  the 


SOUTH  iiiKitlri.s  itiuns. 


173 


same  color.  It  Is  an  abundant  resident  in  Newfoundland.  It  frequents  I)ed8  of  aider 
and  dwarf  birch  in  swampy  places,  especially  the  borders  of  lakes  and  rivers.  On 
the  drier  portions  of  thoso  places  its  nest  Is  found.  The  breeding  range  of  this  weii- 
mnrkrd  rare  seems  to  be  confined  to  Newfoundland  where  It  is  resident.  I  huve 
no  description  conrcrning  its  eggs,  which  are  undoubtedly  indistinguishable  from 
those  of  th<>  Willow  IMarmigan. 


\ 


^^ 


302.  BOCK  PTARMIGAN.  l.iUfums  ruinstiii*  (Umel.)  Geog.  Dist.— Arctic 
America  in  general,  e.xcept  northern  extremity  of  Peninsula  of  Labrador  and  region 
thence  northward,  (Srocniand  and  Aloutian  islands;  southeastward  to  Uuif  of  St. 
Lawrence,  Island  of  Anticosti. 

The  Rock  Ptarmigan  is  somewhat  smaller  tlian  the  foregoing  and  the  summer 
and  winter  dress  is  similar.  The  general  mode  of  living  is  said  to  l>e  the  same,  but 
it  does  not  retire  very  far  into  wooded  districts  in  winter,  frcriucnting  the  more 
open  woodland  on  the  border  of  lakes,  especially  on  the  skirts  of  the  Hancn  Lands. 
Mr.  MacFarlane  founu  this  species  breeding  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Anderson,  incu- 
bating in  .lunc,  and  young  birds  of  goodly  size  were  observed  .June  30.  The  rests 
were  placed  on  the  ground  and  were  of  the  same  eoniijositlon  as  lliose  of  I,.  Itujititux. 
The  eggs  with  certainty  cannot  be  distinguished  from  ihose  of  the  Willow  Ptarmigan, 
but  are  described  as  usually  less  heavily  spotted  or  less  densely  marked— averaging 
lighter  in  color  and  less  in  size,  1.70x1.18. 


302((.  REINHABDT'S  FTABMIQAN.  Lifi/oinis  niixHtriM  nliihnnii  (Brehm.) 
Gleog.  Dist.— Greenland  and  western  shores  of  C'uml)erland  Gulf,  and  northern  ex- 
tremity of  Labrador. 

The  general  appearance,  summer  dress,  etc..  of  the  Greenland  Ptarmigan  is 
similar  to  that  of  the  foregoing.  It  is  found  in  Greenland  and  the  islands  on  the 
western  side  of  Cumberland  Gulf  and  Northern  Labrador.  The  eggs  are  indlstln- 
guisbable  from  those  of  /..  ruitrttlrix,  overaging  1.65x1.17. 


U 


f' 


Dist.— 

to  /.. 
iidaries 
rith  the 


302.'^.  NELSON'S  PTABMIGAN.  iMifupiiH  ro/ictfrf^  urlnoni  Stejn.  Geog. 
Dist. — Unalaska  and  some  ajacent  Aleutian  Islands. 

The  first  specimens  of  this  new  race  were  taken  by  Mr.  Nelson,  nt  Unalaska, 
one  of  the  Aleutian  Islands.  He  reports  It  as  common  at  that  place,  frequenting  the 
njountain  tops  and  slopes,  ond  breeding  in  June.  Turner  says:  'On  some  of  the 
islands  It  is  extremely  al)undant.  among  those  may  be  mentoncd  Unalaska,  Akutan 
and  Akun.  It  is  resident  wherever  found.  \t  Unalaska  they  seem  to  prefer  the  high, 
rocky  ledges,  but  everywhere  come  down  to  the  low  narrow  valleys  to  roost  and  rear 
their  young."  The  nest  i8comp08(>d  of  a  few  stalks  of  gnissand  feathers  that  may  fall 
from  the  mother's  breast  and  Is  described  altogether  as  being  a  very  careless  affair. 
The  site  for  the  nest  is  chosen  usually  amidst  the  tali  open  tundra  among  the  moss 
and  scanty  grass.  Tlu  number  of  eggs  varies  from  nine  to  seventeen,  eleven  ln'ing 
the  usual  numl)er.  Tlieie  appears,  at  the  present  writing,  that  there  are  no  eggs  of 
this  subspecies  In  the  extensive  oologlcal  collections  of  this  country,  but  It  is  safe 
to  Infer  that  there  is  little  or  no  difference  l)etween  the  eggs  of  this  bird  and  those 
of  the  Rock  Ptarmigan. 


ill 


I 


174 


NBSTB  AND  EOGB  OF 


30a<'.     TURNER  8  PTARMIGAN. 


1 

i 


il 


l1 


•M>i:(.     TuKNkK'S  Ptarmiuan. 


l,iff/fil>uM  nijiistr'n  titklif'iiulM  (Turner.)  Ooog. 
niHt.-  Atkn.  oijr  (if  tlip  Aloutliiii  IhI.iikIh. 

Tills  provi'H  to  hf  anothi'r  wrll-inarkod 
Kt'UKraphlca!  rare  of  /,.  niiMNlrls.  'i'urner 
securpil  HpcolmoiiK  May  29  and  Junr  7, 
upon  Atka  iKJand,  iho  cxtronu'  woHtorn 
I'ud  of  tho  Aleutian  chain.  According  to 
Turner  (hoy  were  al)undnnl  at  thiH  place 
and  also  on  Amchitka  and  Attn  iHlanda. 
The  iicHt  Is  built  amotiKHt  the  rank  RrasHert 
at  the  l)aHeH  of  the  hlll.s  and  the  lowlands 
near  the  heuch.  It  Im  oareleugly  arranged 
on  th<>  uround  with  a  few  dried  graHH 
stalks  and  other  trasli  that  may  be  near. 
The  eggs  vary  from  eleven  to  seventeen 
and  are  darker  in  color  than  those  of  L. 
niiMslrin,  and  slightly  smaller  than  those 
of  /..  /<///«</> H.«*.  A  number  of  eggs  of  this 
bird  were  sj'cured,  but  were  broken  in 
transportation.  So  far  as  I  am  aware 
nothing  farther  is  known  concerning  this 
bird's  eggs. 


302(1.  TOWNSEND'S  PTARMIGAN.  Lui/niniH  niiHHlrin  loimMnuli  Elliott. 
Geog.  Ulst.— Kyska  and  Adak  Islands.  Aleutian  Chain. 

1  can  find  nothing  regarding  the  nidiflcatlon  of  this  subspeclea  which,  very 
likely,  Is  identical  with  that  of  /..  niinxtrix. 


u 


302.1.  EVERMANN'S  PTARMIGAN.  Lni/oimn  nnniainit  Elliot.  Oeog. 
Dist.— Attn,  one  of  the  Aleutian  Islands,  Alaska. 

Dedicated  to  Prof.  Harton  W.  Evermann,  the  distinguished  nattiralist  of  the 
United  States  Fish  Commission,    {cf,  Elliott,  Auk,  XIII,  p.  25.) 


303.  WELCH'S  PTARMIGAN.  liitn>i»iH  inUhl  Ilrewst.  Geog.  Dist.— New- 
foundland. 

A  new  epecies,  described  by  the  ornithologist,  William  Brewster,  who  named  it 
in  honor  of  Mr.  George  O.  Welch.  It  is  an  inhabitant  of  Newfoundland,  Mr.  Hrewster 
Bays:  (Auk,  II,  p.  194.)  "The  colors  in  the  male  of  this  Ptarmigan  are  confused  and 
blended  to  such  a  degree  that  a  detailed  description,  however  carefully  drawn,  fails 
to  do  them  Justice."  According  to  Mr.  Welch  these  Ptarmigan  are  nunu-rotis  In 
Newfoundland,  where  they  are  strictly  confined  to  the  bleak  interior.  Unlike  the 
Willow  Ptarmigan  of  that  Island,  which  in  winter  wander  long  distances,  and  fre- 
quently cross  the  Gulf  of  I.4ibrador,  the  Rock  Ptarmigan  are  very  local,  and  for  the 
most  part  spend  their  lives  on  or  near  the  hills  where  they  were  reurcul.  The  nest 
and  eggs  of  this  species  have  not  yet,  as  far  as  I  am  aware,  been  described,  but  more 
than  likely  they  are  similar  to  /-.  /•H/>c.s/n'.v. 


304.  WHITE-TAILED  PTARMIGAN.  LatfopuH  kiirunis  Swains.  Oeog. 
Dist.— Alpine  Hummits  of  the  Uocky  Mountains,  south  to  New  Mexico,  north  Into 
British  Provinces;  west  to  the  higher  ranges  of  Oregon,  Waslilngton  Territory,  and 
British  Columbia. 


SOUTH  AMHUICAS    UlHlhS. 


175 


Geog. 
uf  the 

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uined  it 
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Ml  and 
n,  falls 

UllH    Itt 

ike  the 
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for  the 
i(;  nest 
It  more 


Oeog. 
•ih  in;o 
iry,  aud 


Thp  Rooky  Mountain  Hnow  UrouHf  lnba>)itii  the  Alpine  regloDs  uf  Weiitern  North 
America  froni  nriiiHh  America  south  to  N«'W  Mrxico.  In  Humnicr  it  Ih  found  ott  iho 
mountain  ihiikch  from  the  timber  line  to  iii<>  hiKhcHt  piMikH;  at  this  BcaHon,  the 
upper  parts  «)f  ilic  plumage  of  this  HpecifH  uir  minutely  mmked  with  black,  white. 
Krnyliih-l)rown  and  tawny,  with  the  tail  wing  and  lower  parts  white.  In  winter  the 
plumage  Ih  entirely  white.  Mr.  Dllle  InforniH  me  that  It  breeds  commonly  hi  Lamar 
county,  Colorado,  making  the  nest  in  Home  cavity  among  roj-ks  above  high  timber 
line.  The  nest  Ih  Hcantily  made  of  a  few  giaHHCH.  The  eggs  are  from  eight  to  (ifteen 
in  number,  generally  eight  or  nine,  creamy-ground  color,  marked  very  finely  over  the 
entire  surface  with  umlter-l)rown.  The  Hurface  Ih  often  almost  entirely  hidden  by  the 
heavy  maikings.  .\v(>rage  uize  1.68x1.15.  Mr.  Dllle  stateH  that  the  eggg  arc  de- 
poHited  early  In    Iumc, 


305.     PRAIRIE  HEN.    TyinitanurhiiH  amerlranuH  (Reich.)    Oeog.  Dl«t.— Prairies 

of  the  MlBBlHHlppi  Valley,  south  to  Louisiann  and  Texas,  west  to  Middle  Kansas.  Ne- 
braska and  North  Dakota;  north  to  Wisconsin,  east  tn  Indiana,  Ohio  and  Kentucky. 
The  Prairie  lien  or  Pinnated  Urouse  Is  n  well  known  game  bird,  once  dispersed 
throughout  the  I'nited  States;  at  present  it  Is  found  especially  common  In  Indiana, 
Illinois,  Iowa,  Missouri,  Arkansas,  Texas  and  Louisiana,  Middle  md  Eastern  Kansas 
and  Nebraska.  It  is  a  rare  resident  in  Northwestern  Ohio,  and  probably  breeds. 
In  Kansas  the  birds  begin  laying  the  last  of  April.  The  nest  is  placed  on  the  ground 
In  the  thick  prairie  grass,  and  ot  the  fool  of  bushes  on  tbc  barren  ground;  a  hollow 
is  scratched  in  the  soil  and  sparingly  lined  with  grasses  and  a  few  feathers.  The 
eggs  are  usually  eight  to  twelve  in  number,  but  frequently  more  are  laid.  Mr.  L. 
Jones  states  that  In  Iowa  high  or  low  land»  are  resorted  to  for  brteding  grounds,  and 
little  or  no  attempt  Is  made  at  concealing  the  nest.  The  eggs  are  deposited  by  May 
Ist.  In  Nebraska  the  eggs  are  laid  in  the  latter  part  of  April.  These  are  light  drab 
or  dull  butty,  sometimes  with  an  olive  hue,  and  occasionally  sprinkled  with  brown; 
their  form  is  rather  oval;  average  size  1.68x1.26. 


305ff.  ATWATER'8  PRAIRIE  HEN.  Tymitanurhui*  anuriranuti  alltiatrri 
(Bendire. )    Oeog.  Dibt.— Coast  region  of  Louisiana  and  Texas. 

This  geographical  rnce  of  the  prairie  chicken  was  first  described  by  the  late 
Major  Charles  E.  Bendire  in  "Forest  and  Stream"  (Vol.  XI,  No.  20,  May  18,  1893). 
So  far  as  I  can  Ascertain  the  general  habits,  nesting  and  eggs  of  this  subspecies  are 
lndistingui8hal)1e  from  those  of  the  common  Prairie  Hen  of  the  prairies  of  the 
MlHsisHlppI  Valley. 


306.  HEATH  HEN.  Tympanurhuif  rupltin  (Linn.)  Oeog.  DIst.— Island  of 
Martha's  Vineyard,  Mass. 

The  light  colored  Prairie  Hen  of  the  Western  prolrles  formerly  had  a  smaller, 
'larker.  and  redder  eastern  representative,  which  was  orlginolly  distributed  throus'.i- 
out  Long  Island,  New  Jersey,  Eastern  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia.  Perhaps  the  last 
of  this  race  still  linger  at  Martha's  Vineyard,  Mass..  and  a  wide  range  of  territory 
now  separates  It  from  Its  Western  cousins.  Mr.  Brewster  states  that  It  Is  common 
on  Martha's  Vineyard,  where  It  is  confined  to  the  woods,  haunting  oak  scrub  by 
preference,  feeding  largely  on  acorns.  Being  strictly  protected  by  law,  there  is,  ac- 
cording to  the  bebt  evidence  at  hand,  no  present  danger  of  the  colony  being  ex- 


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NE8T8  AND  EQGS  OF 


305     Prairie  Hen. 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BlRUlS. 


177 


terminated.*  The  eggs  are  described  by  Mr.  Capen  from  a  manuscript  by  Mr. 
Maynard:  "They  are  regularly  oval  in  form,  all  the  specimens  being  quite  uniform 
in  this  respect.  The  color  is  a  yellowish-green  of  a  peculiar  shade,  quite  different 
from  the  more  decided  greenish-brown  seen  in  the  Western  species,  from  which 
the  eggs  now  at  hand  also  differ  in  being  unspotted.  There  is  little  variation  in  tlu' 
dimensions  of  all  six,  the  average  measurements  being  1.72  by  1.27  inches."  Mr. 
Capen,  in  his  beautiful  work,  also  figures  an  egg  from  this  set.t  This  set  of  six  in 
Mr.  Brewster's  collection  is  the  only  one  known  of  the  Heath  Hen  so  far  as  I  am 
aware. 

307.  LESSEE,  PBAIBIE  HEN.  Tympauuchus  i)aUidiri)irtu.'i  Ridgw.  Geog. 
Dist. — Eastern  edge  of  Great  Plains  from  Western  and  probably  Southern  Texas, 
northward  through  Indian  Territory  to  Kansas. 

The  late  Maj.  Bendire  says  in  his  great  work  that  the  breeding  range  of  the 
Lesser  Prairie  Hen,  a  smaller,  paler-colored  species  than  T.  amcricuniis,  is  not  as 
well  known  as  could  be  desired,  and  as  far  as  our  present  knowledge  goes  includes 
Southv/estern  Kansas  and  western  parts  of  Indian  Territory.  Its  general  habits,  its 
nesting  and  eggs  are  similar  to  those  of  the  common  Prairie  Hen,  except  that  the 
eggs  are  of  a  somewhat  lighter  color.  The  number  laid  is  the  same  and,  like  the  bird, 
average  a  trifle  smaller. 


308.  SHABF-TAILED  GBOUSE.  Pcdiof<rtes  phnsianrlluH  (Linn.)  Geog. 
Dist. — Interior  of  British  America,  from  Lake  Superior  and  Hudson  Bay  to  Fort 
Simpson. 

The  Sharp-tailed  Grouse,  in  its  various  forms,  inhabits  the  western  and  north- 
western plains  of  the  United  States  and  the  northern  portions  of  North  America,  fre- 
quenting the  grassy  prairies  and  the  wooded  districts.  It  is  com.tonly  called  Pin- 
tail Grouse.  The  present  species  is  said  to  be  especially  abundant  in  the  territory  be  • 
tween  Great  Bear  Lake,  Fort  Simpson,  and  the  country  bordering  Great  Slave  Lake. 
It  is  found  in  the  open  glades  or  low  thickets  on  the  borders  of  streams  and  large 
bodies  of  water,  this  being  the  case  where  the  forests  are  partially  cleared.  At  all 
seasons  it  is  found  in  small  flocks,  in  the  winter  perching  on  trees,  but  keeping  to  the 
ground  in  the  summer.  In  winter  it  often  hides  in  the  deep  snow,  and  works  its  way 
under  fhe  surface  with  ease,  feeding  as  it  progresses  on  the  buds  of  the  willows, 
larches,  aspens,  etc.  Its  food  in  the  summer  and  autumn  is  principally  berries.  The 
eggs  are  deposited  in  the  first  part  of  June  in  a  nest  on  the  ground,  made  of  coarse 
grasses  and  lined  with  feathers.  The  eggs  are  of  a  dark,  tawny,  minutely  dotted  or 
speckled  with  darker  spots  of  brown.  The  number  laid  ranges  from  six  to  fourteen, 
usually  twelve.    The  average  size  is  1.75x1.25. 


If 


308«.  COLUMBIAN  SHABP-TAILED  GBOUSE.  Pediorwtes  phasiandlus  co- 
lumhianus  (Ord.)  Geog.  Dist. — Plains  of  the  Northwestern  United  States  and  British 
Columbia  to  central  portions  of  Alaska;  northward  chiefly  west  of  the  main  Rocky 
Mountains;  eastward  in  Montana  and  Northeastern  California. 

Dr.  Coues  says:  The  Pin-tailed  Chicken  inhabits  the  western  portions  of  Min- 
nesota, a  small  part  of  Iowa,  all  of  Dakota,  thence  diagonally  across  Nebraska  and 
Kansas  to  Colorado  in  the  Laramine  and  Upper  Platte  regions;  from  thence  west- 
ward in  suitable  localities  to  the  Sierra  Nevada  and  Cascade  ranges;  northern  limit 


*  See  William  Brewster's  article  on  The  Heath  Hen  In  Massachusetts: 
t  Oology  of  New  England:     Page  82,   Plate  XXIV,   Fig.  4. 

13 


Auk,  11,  80-84. 


!  I 


I 


178 


NB8T8  AND  EGOS  OF 


to  be  conventionally  established  along  the  northern  border  of  the  United  Stales,  be- 
yond which  it  shades  into  true  ithaniunvllus.  In  fine,  this  is  the  prairie  chicken  of  the 
whole  Northwest;  usually  occuring  where  C.  cupidu  does  not,  the  two  overlap  to 
some  extent.*  In  some  portions  of  Manitoba  it  is  said  to  be  very  abundant,  living 
exclusively  on  the  open  prairie  in  summer,  and  exclusively  in  the  wooded  districts  in 
winter.  The  nest  is  placed  on  the  ground,  composed  of  a  few  dry  grasses  arranged 
in  a  circular  form.  The  bird  is  esteemed  as  highly  for  the  table  as  the  Prairie  Hen. 
The  eggs  are  light  clay  to  a  dark  rusty-brown,  uniformly  speckled  with  fine  dottings 
of  darker  brown;  from  six  to  twelve  in  number;  average  size  1.70x1.25. 

308'».  PRAIRIE  SHARP-TAILED  GROUSE.  I'rdiarn'tcs  iiliwlamllua  cam- 
pistris  Ridgw.  Geog.  Dist.— Plains  and  prairies  of  the  United  States  east  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  south  to  eastern  New  Mexico. 

Another  variety  of  the  Sharp-tailed  Grouse,  inhabiting  the  great  plains  of  the 
United  States  east  to  Wisconsin  and  Northern  Illinois,  west  to  Eastern  Colorado 
and  south  to  Eastern  New  Mexico.  The  ground  color  of  the  plumage  in  this  bird  is 
more  rusty,  or  ochraceous,  than  in  7'.  j).  coUimbiunux,  that  of  the  latter  species  being 
buffy-grayish  or  pale  grayish-clay  color  above,  with  little  or  no  rusty  tinge. 

Ridgway  gives  the  average  measurements  of  the  eggs  as  1.66x1.23. 

309.  SAGE  GROUSE.  Cciitnirircus  iirot)hasianus  (Bonap.)  Geog.  Dist. — Sage- 
bush  plains  of  the  Rocky  Mountain  plateau,  north  into  British  America,  south  to 
New  Mexico,  Nevada,  Eastern  California  and  Washington  Territory. 

The  Sage  Cock,  Gage  Grouse,  Sage  Hen,  or  Cock  of  the  Plains,  as  it  is  variously 
called  in  the  West,  is  principally  found  in  what  are  known  as  the  sage-bush  regions 
of  Montana,  Wyoming,  Colorado,  Utah,  Nevada,  Oregon,  Idaho,  Arizona,  Eastern 
California  and  other  Western  States  and  Territories,  where  the  march  of  civilization 
has  not  exterminated  their  favorite  food,  the  leaves  of  the  wild  sage-bush,  which 
cover  large  tracts  of  Western  country.  This  is  the  natural  home  of  the  bird.  It  is 
the  largest  of  American  grouse.  The  color  of  the  bird  is  so  nearly  like  that  of  the 
ground  and  sagt-bush  that  it  is  difficult  to  detect  its  presence.  In  summer  their  food 
is  sage  leaves,  berries  and  insects,  but  their  sole  food  in  winter  seems  to  be  sage 
leaves.  The  male  is  a  little  larger  than  the  female;  their  weight  is  about  ten  pounds, 
and  that  of  the  female  seven,  live  weight.  They  roam  everywhere  in  winter  in 
la'rge  flocks,  the  snow  quenching  their  thirst  instead  of  the  water  of  the  streams 
which  supply  them  in  the  summer,  and  along  which  they  scatter  in  small  bands  at 
this  season.  The  males  flock  together  during  the  season  of  incubation;  the  females 
always  remaining  by  themselves  to  rear  their  young.  Mr.  G.  G.  Mead  states  that  the 
eggs  in  Wyoming  are  deposited  about  the  15th  of  May.  W.  S.  Rougis  reports  them  in 
th3  same  Territory  as  being  laid  as  early  as  the  latter  part  of  April  or  in  May,  and 
that  the  nests  are  mere  hollows  scratched  in  the  ground  under  sage-bushes.  Mr. 
Rougis  found  the  nest  complement  to  vary  from  ten  to  fourteen  eggs,  and  varying 
in  shape  from  oval  to  that  of  the  usual  shape  of  hen's  eggs,  and  some  specimens 
taper  to  a  smaller  point  at  the  smaller  end  than  do  those  of  the  domestic  fowl.  They 
are  of  a  light  greenish-drab  or  pale  olive-buff  or  a  drab  shaded  with  buff,  thickly 
freckled  with  small  rounded  spots  of  reddish-brown  and  dark  chestnut,  occasionally 
with  large  blotches  and  spots.  The  average  size  of  one  hundred  and  nine  speci- 
mens in  the  National  Museum  is  2.17x1.50.  Mr.  Rougis  gives  the  measurements  of 
six  specimens  as  follows:     1.75x1.33,  1.63x1.17,  1.69x1.18,  1.63x1.17,  2.25x1.51,  2.23x 


1.48 
laid 
a  fa 


intro 
1 
whitt 
Engl; 
genei 
Asia, 
with 
his  " 
in  Ai 
as  m 
May 
l.SOx 


Chin; 

Calif 


•  Key  to  North  American  Birds,  pp.  582-B83. 


NORTH  A.\U:/fl('.\S  HIRDN. 


179 


1.48.*  According  to  Major  Bendire's  observations  he  considers  the  number  of  eggs 
laid  by  this  species  as  usually  varying  from  seven  to  nine,  and  he  considers  eight 
a  fair  average  number. 


*  *  PuEasANX,  or  English  Pheasant,  Phasianus  coUil/ius 


**  PHEASANT.  I'haKUiiiHK  mUhliiis  I^inn.  Geog.  Dist.— Europe  in  general; 
Introduced  into  and  naturalized  in  (?)  Eastern  United  States. 

This  species  resembles  very  much  the  Ring-necked  Pheasant.  The  male  has  no 
white  ring  about  the  neck,  which  is  one  of  the  chief  differences.  It  is  generally  called 
English  Pheasant,  for  it  is  very  common  in  England  and  throughout  Europe  in 
general,  except  the  colder  portions.  It  was  introduced  into  Europe  from  Western 
Asia.  Its  general  habits  are  similar  to  those  of  the  Ring-necked  Pheasant,  and 
with  regard  to  the  nesting  and  eggs  they  are  substantially  the  same.  Mr.  Adams  in 
his  "Nests  and  Eggs  of  Familiar  Birds"  states  that  in  England  the  eggs  aie  laid 
in  April  or  May  and  the  number  of  eggs  deposited  varies  from  six  to  fourteen;  but 
as  many  as  twenty  have  bccii  found  in  a  nest.  A  set  of  seventeen  eggs  collected 
May  12,  1893,  in  Herefordshire,  England,  in  size  has  an  average  measurement  of 
1.80x1.40. 

*  •  BIKG-NECKED  PHEASANT,  rinmaiius  torqitatus  Gmel.  Geog.  Dist.— 
Ctina.  Introduced  into  the  United  States.  Common  in  Oregon;  southward  into 
California;  eastward  into  Idaho.    Introduced  in  other  sections. 


S:   1 


-H^ 


•  Young  OoloBist,  Vol.  I,  i)i).  76-77. 


I^  ' 


lit'' 


180 


NBST8  AND  BOOB  OF 


This  is  certainly  a  welcome  foreigner  to  our  shores.     As  an  introduced  species 
this  pheasant  of  magnificent  plumage  is  now  common  in  various  localities  of  the 
United  States,  especially  in  Oregon  and  southward  into  California.     It  is  common 
In  portions  of  Idaho,  where  it  has  been  found  breeding  in  numbers.     The  whole 
plumage  of  the  male  of  thi.>  species  is  of  such  gorgeous,  changeable  hues  as  not  to 
permit  a  full  description  here.    The  female  is  much  smaller  than  the  male  and  of 
a  uniform  pale  yellow,  with  light  shades  and  spot?  of  brown,  black  and  gray.     It  is 
known  by  two  other  names:    Chinese  and  Mongolian  Pheasant    The  male  measures 
from  34  to  40  inches;  the  tail  being  from  15  to  24  inches.     It  is  a  very  hardy  bird  and 
from  the  evidence  I  have  at  hand  it  will  propogate  in  any  temperate  latitude.     A 
number  of  pairs  of  this  splendid  bird  have  been  liberated  in  several  localities  in 
Ohio,  and  are  protected  by  law  until  they  become  established  sufficiently  to  make 
their  ultimate  extermination  by  the  gun  impossible.    As  a  table  bird  its  flesh   is 
among  the  finest  and  for  beauty  of  plumage  it  has  few  equals.     Both  of  these  quali- 
ties "Will  be  great  pgents  in  its  protection  fiom  total  extermination.    Dr.  A.  G.  Prill, 
of  Sodaville,  Oregon,  writes  me  that  the  legislature  of  Oregon  in  the  winter  of 
1894-95  passed  an  act  changing  the  name  of  this  pheasant,  calling  it  Denny's  Pheas- 
ant in  honor  of  Judge  O.  N.  Denny,  of  Portland,  Oregon,  who,  about  twelve  years 
ago  imported  six  pairs,  which  were  liberated  and  protected  by  law,  and  they  have 
since  multiplied  to  the  extent  as  above  stated.    The  males  crow  and  fight  similar 
to  the  domestic  cock.    Dr.  Prill  states  that  the  nest  is  made  upon  the  ground  in  open 
fields;  it  is  made  of  leaves  and  dry  grass,  built  in  a  tussock  of  grass  or  perhaps  under 
some  small  bush.     Three  broods  are  generally  raised  in  a  season  and  from  seven 
to  fifteen  eggs  are  laid,  and  the  first  complement  of  eggs  is  deposited  by  April  15,  c* 
by  May  1st.    A  set  of  thirteen  of  this  bird's  eggs  are  in  my  collection,  collected  by 
Dr.  Prill  near  Sodaville,  Oregon,  April  8,  1895;  they  are  a  buff  color  with  a  cast  of 
bluish  over  the  surface;  three  of  the  specimens,  however,  are  of  a  yellowish  buff 
throughout.    Their  average  size  is  1.61x1.31.    Dr.  Prill  says  that  the  birds  nest  and 
breed  in  captivity  and  do  w^ell.     In  order  to  show  the  value  of  this  excellent  bird 
I  quote  the  following  from  a  letter  to  the  editor  of  the  "Oregon  Naturalist."    It  is 
from  Mr.  F.  S.  Matteson,  of  Turner,  Oregon.    He  says:     "Noting  your  article,  'The 
Denny  Pheasant,'  please  allow  me  to  say:     The  food  which  he  dearly  loves  is  grass- 
hoppers, cutworms,  crickets,  etc.,  and   the  chicks  especially  are  very  fond  of  aphids, 
flea  beetles,  etc.     Turn  a  domestic  hen  with  a  brood  of  pheasant  chicks  into  your 
cabbage  lot  and  you  will  have  no  cabbage  aphid,  or  flea-Leetle.    We  have  tried  it. 
We  used  to  think  they  would  prove  a  nuisance,  when  they  first  became  numerous, 
but  our  further  acquaintance  has  changed  our  views.     They  pay  for  all  they  eat, 
and  more.     It  may  be  that  they  will  crowd  out  some  native  birds,  but  if  these  latter 
are  supplanted  by  a  better,  why  should  we  mourn?    They  are  fully  as  useful  insect 
destroyers  as  our  quail,  or  native  pheasants,  and  they  are  hardier,  and  better  cal- 
culated to  take  care  of  themselves  from  skunks,  hawks,  crows,  trappers,  pot-hunters, 
etc.    Our  hens,  in  confinement,  laid  over  100  eggs  each  last  summer,  and  we  now 
have  a  pheasant  hen  sitting.    We  have  now  the  third  generation  from  the  wild  state, 
and  the  biiJs  are  notably  gentler  to  us.     When  strangers  come  around  they  appear 
wild.    You  say  'this  bird  will  hybridize  with  the  domestic  hen.'    Please  permit  me 
to  doubt!     Our  experience  does  not  point  that  way  yet.     But  he  is  the  game  bird 
par  excellence,  and  we  are  that  much  ahead  of  our  eastern  brothers.     He  is  a  beauty, 
a  fighter;  and  is  useful  as  well  as  ornamental. 

310.  WILD  TURKEY.  Mrlcanrifi  oftUoparo  hinn.  Geog.  Dist.— Eastern  United 
States,  north  to  Southern  Canada,  south  to  Florida  and  Eastern  Texas,  west  to  the 
Great  Plains. 


^ 


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M)KTH  AMtntlVAS  ttlRDS. 


ISl 


*  *  RrNO-NECK«;D  Pheasant,  Phasianus  torquaius.    (Cheney  del.) 

This  Is  the  bird  which  so  very  much  resembles  the  domestic  turkey,  but  is  more 
brilliant  in  color.  It  is  a  constant  resident  in  suitable  localities  throughout  Eastern 
United  States.  It  occurs  as  far  north  as  Canada;  is  probably  extinct  in  New 
England,  and  is  found  as  far  northwest  as  the  Missouri  river,  and  southwest  a-? 
Texas.  But  this  grand  bird  is  rapidly  becoming  exterminated,  not  only  as  it  is  iu 
New  England,  but  in  other  sections  of  the  country.  In  Ohio  it  was  formerly  an 
abundant  resident,  breeding  throughout  the  State;  now  quite  unknown  in  the  more 
thickly  settled  portions,  but  still  common  in  some  of  the  northwestern  counties. 
Dr.  Kirtland  (1850)  mentions  the  time  when  Wild  Turkeys  were  more  common  than 
tame  ones  are  now.  Mr.  Thomas  Mcllwraith,  in  his  admirable  work  on  the  Birds  of 
Ontario,  says  that  within  the  recollection  of  people  still  living.  Wild  Turkeys  were 
comparatively  common  along  the  southwestern  border  of  Ontario,  and  that  the  day 
is  not  far  distant  when  this  bird  will  be  sought  for  in  vain  in  the  provinces.*  Mr. 
Edwin  C.  Davis  reports  the  Wild  Turkey  to  be  very  common  in  the  vicinity  of 
Gainesville,  Texas,  hundreds  being  brought  to  market  and  sold  during  the  winter 
months.  The  nests  of  this  bird,  he  says,  are  very  difficult  to  discover,  as  they  are 
made  on  the  ground,  midst  tall,  thick  weeds  or  tangled  briers.  The  female  will  not 
leave  the  nest  until  almost  trodden  upon.  Mr.  Davis  states  that  when  the  eggs  are 
once  touched  the  female  will  abandon  her  nest.  The  eggs  are  rich,  dark  cream  color, 
thickly  sprinkled  with  rounded  spots  of  rusty-brown  or  umber.  The  number  laid 
varies  from  nine  to  eighteen,  commonly  nine  to  twelve.  Some  writers  say  ten 
to  twenty  and  twenty-four,  but  I  have  never  seen  this  number  in  a  set.  Four  typical 
specimens  collected  in  Morrow  county,  Ohio,  May  10,  1884,  measure  2.54x2,  2.56x1.95, 
2.56x1.97,  2.69x1.94.    The  average  size  of  a  large  series,  2..'i5xl.80. 


'■  t 


♦The  Birds  of  Ontario,   vv-  130-131. 


Iij 


i 


I  ^il 


I 


13  •III' 


182 


NB8T8  AND  BOOS  OF 


*  *  Wild  Turkey  of  Central  America,  MeleagHs  ocellata  (From  Brehm). 

310a.  IIEXICAIT  TURKEY.  Mdcagris  yaUoparo  mcricam  (Gould.)  Geog. 
Dist. — Table-land  of  Mexico,  north  to  the  southern  border  of  the  United  States; 
Western  Texas  to  Arizona. 

This  Turkey  is  found  in  Western  Texas,  New  Mexico,  Arizona  and  southward; 
in  suitable  localities  it  is  abundant.  In  various  mountain  ranges  throughout  Ne\f 
Mexico  it  is  very  common.  On  the  approach  of  winter  they  leave  their  summer 
haunts  and  travel  down  the  foot  hills  and  the  mesas,  where  they  remain  until  the 
unow  disappears,  when,  like  the  deer,  they  return.  Mr.  Scott  states  that  in  the  pine 
woods  of  the  Catalina  mountains  of  Arizona  this  Turkey  was  very  common  late  in 
November,  1885,  though  snow  covered  the  ground.  The  bird,  however,  from  what  he 
could  learn,  has  already  decreased  in  number  in  most  localities,  and  to  have  be- 
come exterminated  in  others  wheie  it  was  formerly  abundant.*  Mr.  George  B. 
Sennett  found  this  Turkey  common  on  the  Lower  Rio  Grande  of  Texas,  nesting  in 
the  dense  woods.  The  first  set  of  eggs,  twelve  in  number,  were  taken  April  24, 
contained  young  chicks  peeping  in  the  shell.    A  set  of  fifteen  obtained  April  26  were 


•  Auk,  Vol.  Ill,  p.  389. 


NORTH  AM  ERIC  A\  liUiDFI. 


183 


freBh.*  Thb  nesting  habits  are  the  same  as  the  common  wild  turkey.  The  eggs 
are  described  as  resembling  those  of  the  domestic  turkey  in  ground  color  and  mark- 
ings; dark  buff  or  creamy-white,  more  or  less  thickly  sprinkled  with  spots  of  light 
and  dark  umber-brown;  they  measure  2.40x1.80.  The  average  size  of  twenty-eight 
eggs,  as  given  by  Mr.  Sennett,  is  2.43x1.86;  the  largest,  2.50x1.90;  the  smallest  2.33 
xl.72. 


310h.  FLORIDA  WILD  TURKEY.  MclcaijriH  iinllnpai'o  oscrnia  Scott.  Geog. 
Dist.— Southern  Florida. 

This  is  a  new  race  of  the  Wild  Turkey  described  by  W.  E.  D.  Scott  In  "The  Auk" 
for  October,  1800.  I  have  sets  of  what  I  presume  to  be  this  bird's  eggs  and  have  at 
present  considerable  correspondence  concerning  its  habits,  and  in  all  respects  they 
do  not  differ  from  those  which  are  characteristic  of  the  Wild  Turkey  of  the  North. 


i 


310c.  RIO  GRANDE  TURKEY.  Mtlcaijritt  (jallopavn  rlliot'i  Sennett.  Geog. 
Dist. — Lowlands  of  Southern  Texas  and  Northern  Mexico. 

The  general  habits,  nesting  and  eggs  of  this  geographical  race  are  the  same  as 
those  of  the  preceding  subspecies.  This  bird  was  first  described  by  George  B.  Sen- 
nett In  "The  Auk"  for  April.  1892,  page  1G7. 


311.  CHACHALACA.  Ortulis  rvtiila  mimalli  Baird.  Geog.  Dist.— Valley  of 
the  Rio  Grande,  southward  Into  Mexico. 

The  Texas  Guan,  or  Chachalaca,  is  a  remarkable  bird,  inhabiting  the  warm 
tropical  regions  of  America.  It  measures  from  twenty-two  to  twenty-four  inches 
in  length,  of  which  the  tail  measures  from  nine  to  eleven.  Dr.  Merrill  states  that 
this  is  one  of  the  most  characteristic  birds  of  the  Lower  Rio  Grande  region.  "Rarely 
seen  at  any  distance  from  woods  or  dense  chaparral,  they  are  abundant  in  those 
places,  and  their  hoarse  cries  are  the  first  thing  heard  by  the  traveler  on  awaking 
in  the  morning.  During  the  day,  unless  rainy  or  cloudy,  the  birds  are  rarely  seen  or 
heard;  but  shortly  before  sunrise  and  sunset,  they  mount  the  topmost  branch  of  a 
dead  tree  and  make  the  woods  ring  with  their  discordant  notes.  Contrary  to  almost 
every  description  of  their  cry  I  have  seen,  it  consists  of  three  syllables,  though  oc- 
casionally a  fourth  is  adaed.  When  one  bird  begins  to  cry,  the  nearest  bird  joins 
in  at  a  second  note,  and  in  this  way  the  fourth  syllable  is  made;  but  they  keep  such 
good  time  that  it  is  often  very  difficult  to  satisfy  one's  self  that  this  is  the  fact."t  The 
Mexican  name,  Chachalac,  meaning  a  noisy  person  or  bird,  is  derived  from  the  dis- 
cordant cries  of  this  species.  The  quality  of  these  notes  may  be  imitated  by  putting 
the  most  stress  upon  the  last  two  syllables.  The  compass  and  harshness  of  the 
cries  are  said  to  be  almost  equal  to  that  of  the  guinea  fowl.  The  birds  are  said  to 
be  easily  tamed,  and  to  cross  with  the  domestic  fowl.  Dr.  Merrill  remarks  that  they 
are  much  hunted  for  the  Brownsville  market,  but  the  flesh  is  not  particularly  good, 
and  when  domesticated  the  birds  become  troublesomely  familiar,  and  are  decided 
nuisances  when  kept  about  the  house.  Mr.  Sennett  states  that  this  bird  does  not 
breed  in  communities,  but  in  isolated  pairs,  and  from  all  accounts,  raises  but  one 
brood  In  a  season,  unless  the  nest  is  despoiled,  when  the  female  will  lay  another 
clutch,  which  almost  Invariably  consists  of  three,  rarely  less.    Mr.  Norrls  has  a  set 


*  Further  notes  on  the  Ornithology  of  the  Lower  Rio  Grande  of  Texas,  from  obaerva- 
tlons  made  during  the  spring  of  1878.  By  George  B.  Sennett.  Edited,  with  annotation?,  by 
Dr.  Elliott  Coues,  U.  S.  A.;  pp.  247-248.  Extracted  from  the  Bulletin  of  the  Geographical 
Survey,  Vol.  V,  No.  3;  Washington,  November  30,  1879.    Author's  edition. 

t  Notes  on  the  Ornithology  of  Southern  Texas 


■I  ^ 


184 


NEBTB  AND  BOOS  OF 


of  four  eggs,  and  reports  that  Mr.  Thos.  H.  Jackson  has  received  several  sets  of  the 
snmo  number  from  southern  Texas.  Mr.  Sennott  obtained  fresh  eggs  on  the  Rio 
Orande,  April  10th,  and  on  the  20th  sots  were  generally  full  and  fresh,  after  which 
time  they  contained  embryos.  The  nests  are  shallow  structures,  often  made  entirely 
of  Spanish  moss,  and  are  placed  on  horizontal  limbs,  a  few  feet  from  the  ground. 
The  pggs  are  of  a  buffy-whlte,  thlck-shellrd  and  roughly  granulated;  they  are  large 
for  the  bird;  sizes  rango  from  2. IS  to  2.^o  long  by  1.55  to  l.GO  broad. 

312.  BAND-TAILED  PIGEON,  fohimha  fasriata  Say.  Geog.  Dlst.— West- 
ern United  States,  from  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the  Pacific  coast,  from  Washington 
Territory  and  New  Mexico  south,  through  Mexico  to  the  highlands  of  Guatemala. 

The  Band-tailed,  or  White-collared  Pigeon,  is  found  from  the  Rocky  Mountains 
westward  to  the  Pacific.  It  Is  common,  but  irregular  In  distribution.  In  Wash- 
ington county,  Oregon,  Mr.  Anthony  records  this  Pigeon  as  a  common  summer  resi- 
dent, and  that  south  of  Beaverton  Is  a  large  spring,  whose  waters  contain  some 
mineral  which  has  a  great  attraction  for  these  birds,  and  here  they  are  always  to  be 
found  in  large  numbers.  Mr.  Scott  states  that  this  species  Is  common  In  the  Santa 
Catallna  mountains  in  Arizona,  breeding  In  July.  Ho  met  with  it  commonly  in  May 
and  June,  as  low  down  as  3,500  feet,  feeding  on  wild  mulberries.  It  was  not  un- 
common in  the  pine  region  about  the  middle  of  April.*  This  is  an  attractive  bird, 
about  the  size  and  possessing  many  habits  of  the  domestic  pigeon.  It  sometimes 
congregate.1  together  In  fiocks,  even  while  breeding,  and  nests  In  trees  and  bushes 
along  the  banks  of  streams,  or  In  the  thick  forests  near  water.  The  nest  is  a 
mere  platform  of  sticks,  and  the  eggs  are  also  placed  on  the  ground  without  any 
nest,  which  Is  sometimes  the  case  with  the  Mourning  Dove  (Z.  macroura).  The  eggs 
are  one  or  two  In  number,  equal-ended,  gllstenlng-white,  with  an  average  size  of 
1.50x1.20.  The  average  size  of  thirteen  eggs  in  the  U.  S.  National  Museum,  as  given 
by  the  late  Major  Bendlre,  is  1.57x1.10;  the  largest  of  these  being  1.70x1.18;  the 
smallest  1.50x1.06  inches. 


K 
IS 


iii;^ 


!  \m 


312rt.  VIOSCA'S  PIGEON.  Columha  fasciata  vioscw  Brewst.  Geog.  Dist.— 
Lower  California. 

Mr.  William  Brewster  first  described  this  new  subspecies  from  a  large  series  of 
specimens  taken  by  Mr.  Frazar  at  La  Laguna,  Lower  California.  The  bird  as  de- 
scribed differs  from  the  Band-tailed  Pigeon  in  being  a  trifie  smaller;  the  tail  band 
ic  wanting,  or  only  faintly  Indicated;  the  ground  color  lighter  and  more  uniform, 
etc.t  Mr.  Frazar,  while  collecting  near  Pearco's  Ranch  in  Lower  California,  se- 
cured two  nests,  each  containing  a  single  egg.  One  egg  which  the  late  MaJ.  Bendlre 
describes  was  found  in  a  nest  composed  of  a  few  sticks,  placed  on 
a  broken  upright  branch  in  the  center  of  a  giant  cactus,  about  18  feet  from  the 
ground.  It  is  pure  white,  slightly  glossy,  elliptical  ovate  in  shape,  and  not  quite  as 
notably  pointed  at  the  small  end  as  the  eggs  of  Columha  fasriata.  It  measures  1.50x 
1.04  inches. 

313.  RED-BILLED  PIGEON.  Columba  flavirostris  "Wagi.  Geog.  Diet.— South- 
ern border  of  the  United  States  from  the  Rio  Grande  Valley,  Arizona,  Mexico  and 
Lower  California  south  to  Costa  Rica. 

This  large  and  handsome  Pigeon  is  common  In  the  valley  of  the  Rio  Grande 
and  southward.    In  some  localities  on  the  Rio  Grande  in  Texas  it  is  abundant  during 


•  Auk.  Vol.  TIT,  p.  421. 

t  C/.    Brewster,  Auk,  V,  86. 


SOHTH  AMERIVAN  BIRDS. 


185 


the  summer  months.  Dr.  Merrill  found  it  not  uiicouimou  ubout  Fort  Brown,  but 
more  plentiful  higher  up  the  river.  It  lovc^  the  deep,  dense  woods,  where  It  can 
dwell  In  quiet  and  retirement.  The  :'  ^sts  are  frail  platforms  of  twlga  and  grasses, 
such  as  are  usually  built  by  other  pigeons,  placed  in  trees  and  l)ushe8.  Mr.  George 
B.  Sennett  describes  a  nest  which  he  found  April  Otli,  near  Hidalgo,  on  the  Rio 
Orande.  It  was  placed  In  a  thicket,  about  eight  fret  from  (hf  ground,  made  of  twigs, 
was  frail  and  saucer  shaped  and  contained  a  single  young,  nearlj  Hedged.  He  slans 
that  this  bird  lays  several  times  in  a  season.  Nests  were  found  containing  eggs  and 
young  in  all  stages  of  development,  but  in  no  case  did  a  nest  contain  more  than  one 
egg  or  young.  Mr.  Sennett  gives  the  average  size,  taken  from  a  large  series,  as 
1.55x1.10,  the  length  varying  from  1.60  to  1.45,  and  the  breadth  from  1.18  to  1.10.* 
The  eggs  are  pearly  white. 

314.  WHITE-CROWNED  PIGEON.  Cnhimha  leurocvpliala  Linn.  Gcog. 
Dist. — Greater  Antilles,  Bahamas  and  Florida  Keys. 

The  White-crowned  Pigeon  occurs  in  summer  on  the  Florida  Keys,  and  It 
breeds  abundantly  on  some  of  the  smaller  Islands;  it  is  an  abundant  resident  species 
in  the  Bahamas  and  West  Indies.  This  Pigeon,  according  to  Audubon,  arrives  on 
the  southern  Florida  Keys  about  April  20th,  or  not  until  May  first.  The  birds  were 
shy  aud  wary  on  account  of  the  war  waged  against  them,  their  flesh  being  esteemed 
for  its  fine  flavor.  Their  shyness  only  partially  abated  during  the  breeding  season 
and  they  would  silently  slide  from  their  nest  when  sitting,  and  retreat  to  the  dark 
shades  of  the  mangroves.  The  nest  Is  built  in  low  trees  and  bushes,  composed  of 
twigs  carefully  arranged,  with  little  or  no  lining  c*  grasses.  It  is,  on  the  whole,  a 
bulky  structure  for  a  pigeon.  These  birds  often  breed  in  numbers,  nesting  in  trees, 
some  at  high  elevations,  others  In  low  mangrove  bushes,  and  the  nests  resemble  that 
of  the  Passenger  Pigeon,  but  are  said  to  be  more  compact  and  better  lined.  The  eggs 
are  two  In  number,  oval  In  form,  and  opaque-white  with  a  very  smooth  surface;  the 
average  size  Is  1.41x1.02. 

316.  FASSENOEB  PIGEON.  Ectopistea  mi(;ratoriiis  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist.— 
Eastern  North  America,  from  Hudson  Bay  southward,  and  west  to  the  Great  Plains, 
straggling  thence  to  Nevada  and  Washington.  Breeding  range  now  mainly  re- 
stricted to  portions  of  the  Canadas  and  the  northern  borders  of  the  United  States, 
as  far  west  as  Manitoba  and  the  Dakotas. 

The  Wild  Pigeon  once  wandered  in  Immense  numbers  In  search  of  food  through- 
out all  parts  of  North  America.  In  early  times  it  was  extremely  abundant  in  par- 
ticular localities.  At  the  present  writing  (1897)  it  seems  to  be  on  the  same  parallel 
with  Ihe  American  Buffalo  of  the  W^estern  plains,  almost,  or  very  nearly  extermin- 
ited.  Both  were  seen  In  countless  ♦housands,  and  today  it  is  not  easy  to  procure 
examples  of  either.  The  late  Maj.  Bendire,  writing  In  1892,  says  that  it  looks  now 
I  hat  the  total  extermination  of  the  Wild  Pigeon  might  be  accomplished  within  the 
present  century.  The  only  thing  which  retards  the  complete  extinction  of  the 
Passenger  Pigeon  Is  the  fact  that  the  birds  are  so  few  in  numbers  that  it  does 
not  pay  to  net  them.  The  breeding  range  of  this  famous  pigeon  today  is  principally 
in  the  thinly  settled  and  wooded  regions  along  our  northern  border,  from  northern 
Maine  westward  to  Northern  Minnesota;  in  the  dakotas,  as  well  as  in  similar  locali- 
ties In  the  eastern  and  middle  portions  of  the  Dominion  of  Canada,  and  northward 
to  Hudson  Bay.    According  to  an  informant  of  Mr.  Brewster's,  the  last  nesting  in 

•  Further  notes  on  the  Ornithology  of  the  Rio  Grande  of  Texns. 


11 


IM 


NB8T8  AND  E008  OF 


i 


lli; 


I  (' 


1 1|!.) 


1        ii 

'  it 

Michigan  of  uuy  Itupurtauce  waH  in  1881.  Wilson's  and  Audubon's  graphic  accountM 
of  fhe  "coDKrpgated  millfnns"  which  thoy  saw  In  Ohio,  Indiana  and  Kentucky  seem 
hardly  crcdlblo  lo  those  who  have  not  scon  them.  The  oxtenslve  forests  which  once 
served  as  breeding  and  feeding  grounds  have  l)een  partially  or  wholly  destroyed, 
and  we  are  no  longer  favored  with  the  sublime  Bights  of  immense,  unbroken,  and 
apparently  ilmitless  flocks.  Until  about  18.'».'),  fhesp  Pigeons  were  pxtremely  abund- 
ant in  central  Ohio,  having  at  that  time  a  roost  and  brooding  i)liico  noar  Kirkersville, 


yim 


A,'  .Alliftla 


.iJ 


315.    Passenubk  Pigeon  (From  Brehni). 

Licking  county,  and  large  numbers  were  to  be  seen  from  sunrise  till  nine  o'clock  and 
after,  flying  westward  from  the  roost,  and  in  the  afternoon  about  four  o'clock  till 
sundown  returning.  At  these  hours  they  were  never  out  of  sight,  and  often  dozens 
of  flocks  were  in  sight  at  once.  Dr.  Klrtland  states  that  near  Circleville,  in  1850,  one 
thousand  two  hundred  and  eighty-five  were  caught  in  a  single  net  in  one  day,  and 
the  average  price  for  the  birds  in  Columbus  was  five  or  six  cents  per  dozen.  The 
Wild  Pigeon  congregates  in  vast  communities  for  the  purpose  of  breeding,  nesting 
in  trees  and  bushes,  frequently  at  a  considerable  height  from  the  ground,  and  often 


fl 


NORTH  AMIUi'h  AS    HI  lilts. 


187 


untM 
leem 
once 
)yo(l, 
and 
und- 


88  many  as  fifty  and  a  hundred  ncHts  have  been  observed  in  u  .sliit;lp  tree.  The  ncHt 
Is  a  mere  platform  of  sticks,  carelessly  thrown  together.  Tho  oRgs  are  usually  one. 
never  more  than  two  In  number,  pure  white,  and  broadly  ellipilcal  In  shapo;  average 
size.  1.50x1.03.     A  nest  foi'"  Oak  Park.  Minneapolis.  MInnraota.  June  21st.  1895. 

Is  the  latest  record  of  whu..  am  aware.  The  nest  contained  one  ckr  and  the 
female  bird  was  taken.  The  hue  MnJ.  Bcndire  gives  the  average  nieasureuMMita  of 
twenty  specimens  In  the  U.  S.  National  Museum  as  1.48x1.04. 


and 

k  till 
ozena 
),  one 
and 
The 
isting 
often 


316.  MOURNING  DOVE.  ZcnuhlKni  niucrtinni  (Unn.)  Geog.  Dlst.— Whole  of 
temperate  North  America  from  Southern  Maine,  Canada  and  Oregon,  south  to 
Panama  and  the  West  Indies. 

The  Carolina  Dove,  also  called  Turtle  Dove,  Is  one  of  our  best  known  and  fa- 
miliar birds.  Its  gentle  disposition,  its  sweet  but  motirnful  cooing,  liavi'  uuidc  It 
the  typical  sad-toned  singer  in  poetry  and  song.  The  Turtle  Dove  is  distributed 
throughout  temperate  North  America;  it  is  to  be  met  with  everywhere,  both  in 
woodland  and  In  open  place;-,.  It  is  particularly  fond  of  fecdluK  'n  country  roadways. 
During  the  breeding  season  they  are  found  in  pairs,  but  at  other  times  are  liiRhly 


316.     MouKNiNG  DovB  AND  Nbst.     (Oheney  del.) 

gregarious,  though  flocks  of  them  never  attain  the  size  of  those  of  the  Wild  Pigeon. 
The  nest  is  placed  on  the  horizontal  branches  of  trees,  on  stumps,  on  the  top  rail  of 
old  snake  fences,  on  rocks,  in  bushes,  and  In  treeless  regions  the  nest  is  placed  on  the 
ground.  It  varies  In  construction  with  Its  location.  When  found  in  small  branches 
of  trees  It  Is  made  of  a  few  sticks,  somewhat  after  the  style  of  the  Cuckoo's  nest, 
but  If  on  a  large  limb  or  stump,  It  Is  often  but  a  rim  of  twigs  sufficient  to  retain  the 


'li 


'i:! 


^1   |! 


w- 


188 


NESTS  AND  E0G8  OF 


eggs;  ivhen  on  the  ground,  a  few  straws  and  twigs  aro  used  to  indicate  the  nest. 
The  Carolina  Dove  rears  two,  sometimes  three  broods  in  a  season.  It  begins  to  nest 
early.  I  have  taken  eggs  April  10th;  the  late  Dr.  Wheaton  found  the  nest  with  younp: 
as  early  as  the  middle  of  April.  Breeding  usually  continues  until  September.  Dr. 
Jones  states  that  he  bad  seen  Doves  sitting  on  fresh  eggs  in  every  month  except 
December  and  January,  and  he  lias  no  doubt  that  they  occasionally  build  nests  and 
lay  eggs  in  these  months  in  mild  winters.*  Two  white  eggs  are  laid;  there  are 
exceptional  cases,  however,  where  more  are  deposited.  Mr.  Nonis  has  a  set  of  three; 
Mr.  L.  Jones,  of  Grinnell,  Iowa,  writes  that  he  has  in  his  collection  a  set  of  four. 
Mr.  P.  W.  Smith,  of  Greenville,  111.,  records  several  sets  of  three  and  four;  two  sets 
taken  from  old  robbins'  nests.  He  also  found  a  Brown  Thrasher's  nest  containing 
t>ne  egg  of  the  Thrasher  and  two  of  the  Dove's.f  The  eggs  are  elliptical  in  shape 
and  average  1.12x.82. 


317.  ZENAIDA  DOVE.  Zcnaida  zcuaida  (Bonap.)  Geog.  Dist.— Florida 
Keys,  Bahamas,  Cuba,  Jamaica,  Porto  Rico,  Santa  Cruz,  Sombero  and  coast  of 
Yucatan. 

According  to  Audubon's  observations,  this  species  makes  its  appearance  on  the 
islands  around  Indian  Key,  Fla.,  about  April  15,  increasing  in  numbers  until  October, 
"When  they  all  departed  for  the  West  Indies,  where  they  are  the  most  numerous. 
Egg  laying  is  begun  about  the  first  of  May.  In  Jamaica  this  species  is  known  as  the 
Pea  Dove  and  in  Santa  Cruz  as  Mountain  Dove.  Its  general  habit?  are  similar  to 
those  of  the  Mourning  or  the  Ground  Dovo,  and  like  the  latter  species  it  is  more 
terrestrial  in  its  habits.  It  nests  indiscriminately  on  the  ground,  in  trees  or  in  low 
bushes.  In  trees  or  bushes  the  nest  is  a  slight  platform  of  twigs.  Audubon  states 
that  this  species  breeds  in  various  keys  east  of  Florida,  which  are  covered  with 
grass  and  low  shrubs,  placing  the  nest  between  tufts  of  grass  or  on  the  ground  with 
Utile  concealment.  It  is  built  of  dry  leaves  and  grass  imbedded  in  a  hollow  scooped 
in  the  sand.  It  is  said  to  be  more  compact  than  the  nest  of  any  other  pigeon.  The 
eggs  are  one  or  two  in  number,  white,  with  a  very  smooth  surface;  size,  1.19x.94. 


318.  WHITE-FBONTED  DOVE.  Lcptotila  fulviventris  hrachyptera  (Salvla- 
dori.  Geog.  Dist. — Valley  of  the  Lower  Rio  Grande  in  Texas,  southward  through 
Mexico  to  Guatemala. 

Mr.  George  B.  Sennett  added  this  Dove  as  a  new  species  to  the  fauna  of  the 
United  States  in  IS'^T;  the  first  specimens  being  taken  in  the  vicinity  of  Hidalgo,  on 
lie  Rio  Grande  in  Texas.  Dr.  Merrill  notes  it  as- not  rare  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort 
Vr.'wn,  being  shy  and  not  very  often  seen.  Mr.  Sennett  states  that  in  'ts  general 
iiabits  this  bird  is  quiet  and  not  easily  alarmed;  it  frequents  the  high  branches  of 
»"11  trees,  associating  with  the  White-winged  Dove  and  is  less  numerous  than  the 
rtj-billed  pigeon.  By  its  peculiar  note — a  low,  short  cooing — it  is  easily  distin- 
guished from  ail  other  species.  A  nest  was  found  situated  in  the  forks  of  bushes, 
about  five  feet  from  the  ground,  was  fiat  and  quite  large  for  a  pigeon's  nest,  and 
composed  of  the  dead  branches,  twigs  and  bark  of  pithy  weeds.  Dr.  Merrill  found 
a  ncst  on  June  8,  1878,  which  was  about  seven  feet  from  the  ground,  supported  by  the 
dense  interlacing  tendrils  of  a  hanging  vine,  growing  on  the  edge  of  a  thicket.  This 
nest  contained  two  eggs  which  were  quite  fresh;   sizes  1.16x.86  and  1.19x.89,  re- 


•  Illustrations  of  the  Nests  nnd  Eggs  of  Birds  oC  Ohio,  p.  97. 
t  Ornithologist  and  Oologist,  XI,  p.  2S. 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BfRDS. 


189 


lie  aest. 

to  nest 
h  younp: 
er.  Dr. 
I  except 
ests  ami 
lere  are 
3f  three ; 

of  four, 
two  sets 
ntaining 
lU  shape 


-Florida 
coast  of 

;e  on  the 
October, 
umerous. 
vn  as  the 
imilar  to 
.  is  more 
or  in  low 
on  states 
red  with 
und  with 
scooped 
on.  The 
X.94. 


(Salvla- 
through 

la  of  the 
dalgo,  on 
of  Port 
s  general 
anches  of 
than  the 
y  distin- 
»f  bushes, 
nest,  and 
[•ill  found 
,ed  by  the 
tet.  This 
9X.89,  re- 


spectively. These  are  described  as  a  strong  olive-buff  color.  Mr.  Seanett  describes 
them  as  of  a  light  drab,  or  light  olive  drab,  and  gives  the  measurements  of  four 
specimens  as  follows:    l,14x.89,  1.12x.88,  l.f6x.83,  1.15x.85;  averafiing  1.14x.8e. 

319.  WHITE-WINGED  DOVE.  MvlopcJia  Icncoptcra  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist.— 
Southern  border  of  the  United  States  (Texas  to  Arizona)  and  Lower  California, 
southward  to  Costa  Rica  and  the  West  Indies. 

Dr.  James  C.  Merrill  mentions  this  as  a  very  common  species  during  the  summer 
months  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Brown,  Texas.  The  nests,  he  states,  arC;  "as  a  rule, 
smaller  and  more  frail  than  those  of  the  Carolina  Dove,  and  the  et,gs  have  a  decided 
creamy  tinge,  which  is  rarely  lost  after  blowing,  at  least  not  for  months.  Thirty- 
four  eggs  average  1.17x.88;  extremes  1.30x.95  and  1.05x.80.  TLe  note  is  a  deep 
sonorous  coo,  frequently  repeated  and  heard  at  a  great  distance,"  At  Lomita  Ranch 
on  the  Rio  Grande,  in  Texas,  Mr.  Sennett  found  this  species  to  be  more  abundant 
than  all  the  other  pigeons  combined,  and  when  they  have  begun  breeding,  all  day 
long  the  air  is  filled  with  the  music  of  their  cooing,  drowning  out  the  notes  of  most 
other  birds.  They  are  the  last  of  the  doves  to  come  in  the  spring  and  leave  about 
November.  By  the  first  of  May  eggs  were  found.  Their  color,  Mr.  Sennett  describes, 
as  varying  from  white  to  cream,  the  latter  prevailing,  and  two  is  the  number  laid. 
From  a  large  series  the  size  averages  1.14x.S8;  the  largest,  1.22x.93,  the  smallest, 
1.05X.88.  Two  sets  of;  the  eggs  of  this  Dove  arc  in  the  cabinet  of  J.  Parker  Norris. 
One  of  two  sets  of  eggs  taken  May  1,  1884,  in  Neuces  county,  Texas,  measure  l.lOx 
.82,  l.lOx.81.  The  second  set  collected  near  Catulla,  Texas,  May  11,  1887,  measure 
1.05X.78,  1.08X.79,  respectively. 

320.  GKOUND  DOVE.  Cohnnhfi,\iUinn  passeriiia  tcnrstris  Chapm.  Geog. 
Dist. — South  Atlantic  and  Gulf  States;  Texas,  New  Mexico,  Arizona  and  California, 
south  to  the  West  Indies  and  the  northern  portion  of  South  America. 

A  diminutive  Dove,  measuring  only  six  or  seven  inches  in  length.  Abundant  In 
Mexico,  Yucatan,  Central  America  and  the  West  Indies.  In  Ifco  South  Atlantic  and 
Gulf  States  it  is  a  common  and  familiar  species,  nesting  indiscriminately  on  the 
ground,  on  stumps,  on  vines,  bushes  and  young  saplings.  The  nest  is  elevated 
sometimes  as  high  as  twenty  feet,  but  usually  from  two  to  six  feet  above  the  ground, 
and  ib  s.mply  a  frail  structure  of  twigs,  often  containing  pine  needles.  The  breeding 
season  In  Georgia  begins  early  in  April,  and  fresh  eggs  may  be  found  in  May,  June 
and  sometimes  In  July.  Mr.  Perry  informs  me  that  in  the  vicinity  of  Savannah  he 
has  taken  fresh  eggs  as  late  as  July  9th.  Mr.  Arthur  T.  Wayne  took  a  set  of  two 
eggs  near  Charleston,  S.  C,  October  19th,  1886;  these  contained  small  embryos  and 
the  parent  bird  was  incubating.*  This  date,  however,  is  exceptional.  Mr.  Walter 
Hoxie,  of  Frogmore,  S.  C,  states  that  this  species  is  called  Mourning  Dove  by  the 
natives,  who  used  to  have  a  superstition  that  any  one  who  molested  their  nest  would 
be  "mourned  to  death"  by  the  grief-stricken  owners.  The  eggs  are  two  in  number, 
white  or  creamy  in  color;  a  large  series  averages  .85x.65. 

320a.  MEXICAN  GROUND  DOVE.  CoUmUiitnUina  passerina  pallcfircnii 
(Barrd.)  Geog.  Dist. — Mexico  and  contiguous  territory  of  United  States,  from  Texas 
to  Lower  California;  south  on  both  Mexican  coasts  to  Central  America. 

According  to  the  late  Major  Bendlre  in  his  "Life  Histories  of  North  American 
Birds,"  the  breeding  ran^e  of  the  Mexican  Ground  Dove  within  our  borders  is  con- 


•  Ornithologist  and  Oologlst:    Vol.  XII,  p.  7. 


190 


NESTa  AND  EQOB  OF 


A\v 


i  :i:li:i: 


Ak 


fined  lo  Southwestern  Texas  and  Southern  Arizona,  and  probably  to  Southern  New 
Mexico,  although  there  are  as  yet  no  records  of  its  breeding  in  the  latter  Territory. 
so  far  as  he  was  awa^e.  A  few  stragglers  bretd  probably  in  Southern  California, 
where  it  has  beer,  taken  on  several  occasions,  li.  is  quite  common  in  Lower  Cali- 
fornia, where  Mr.  J.  Xantus  took  itf,  eggs  rear  Cape  St.  Lucas,  and  Mr.  L.  Bclding 
at  San  Jose  del  Carbo.  Mr.  Xantus  says:  The  small  and  rather  compact  nests  are 
placed  on  the  horizontal  branch  of  a  stout  bush  or  tree,  and  are  lined  with  a  few 
strawt.  On  one  occasion  I  found  the  eggs  in  a  roughly-made  nest  on  the  ground  on 
the  edge  of  a  prairie."  Dr.  James  C.  Merrill  found  this  subspecies  abundant  in  the 
vicinity  of  Fort  Brown,  Texas,  wheie  he  secured  the  eggs.  Mr.  Herbert  Brown 
says  it  is  common  about  Tucson,  Arizona.  From  April  to  June  is  the  nesting  season 
of  this  Ground  Dove.  The  eggs  are  two  in  number,  pure  white,  elliptical  oval  in 
shape,  a  few  slightly  pointed,  and  some  may  be  called  oval.  The  average  measure- 
ment of  fifty-fou;'  specimens  in  the  National  Museum  collection  is  .85x.65;  the 
largest  .91x.69,  the  smallest  .79x.63. 

321.  INCA  DOVE.  Sidrdafcllti  iiira  (Less.)  Geog.  Dist.— Southern  border  of 
the  United  States  (Texas  to  Southern  Arizona)  south  to  Mexico  and  Guatemala. 

This  species  is  known  as  the  Scaled  Dove;  nearly  all  tlie  plumage  is  marked 
with  black  crescentic-edged  feathers,  producing  a  scaly  appearance.  In  various 
places  in  Southern  Arizona,  New  Mexico,  and  along  the  Rio  Grande  valley  in  Texas, 
this  species  is  quite  common  during  the  summer  months.  Throughout  Mexico  and 
Yucatan  it  is  very  abundant,  and  is  known  as  the  Lcng-tailed  Ground  Dove.  It  is 
very  tame  and  familiar,  frequenting  cultivated  gardens  about  houses,  and  is  said  to 
live  more  on  the  ground  than  the  so-called  Ground  Dove.  Its  cooing  is  coarse  and 
tolerably  loud.  The  nest  of  this  species  is  built  in  bushes;,  vines  and  small  trees 
similar  to  that  of  VuhnvhiijaUUni  intHxcihut ;  it  is  a  mere  platform  of  twigs.  The  eggs 
are  invariably  two  in  number,  white,  oval  in  shape,  both  end^  being  nearly  equal; 
average  size,  .82x.65. 

[322.]  KEY  WEST  QUAIL-DCVE.  (Icotrytmi  iimrtiuira  (Linn.)  Geog. 
Dist. — Key  West,  Florida,  Hayti,  Cuba,  Bahamas. 

A  constant  resident  of  the  Bahamas,  Cuba  and  Hayti.  Audubon  met  with  a  fev^ 
of  this  species  on  the  island  of  Key  V/est,  Florida,  but  it  is  said  not  to  'aave  been 
observed  there  lately.  Within  the  United  States,  however,  its  breedinv,  range  is 
confined  to  the  island  of  Key  West  and  the  extreme  Florida  Keys.  According  to 
Audubon,  the  movements  and  general  habits  of  this  species  are  simiLir  to  those  of 
the  Carolina  Dove.  The  nest  is  described  as  formed  of  light,  dry  twigs;  it  is  built 
In  the  branches  of  trees  or  in  bushes,  occasionally  it  is  placed  on  tbe  ground.  Ac- 
cording to  Audubon  the  eggs  are  two  in  number,  pure  white,  and  aljout  the  size  of 
those  of  the  White-crowned  Pigeon, 

[322.  1.]  RUDDY  QUAIL-DOVE.  ae(dryijoii  w  'itaiia  Linn.  Geog.  Dis*.— 
Tropical  America  in  general,  including  West  Indies;  north  to  Cuba  ard  Eastern 
Mexico;  accidental  at  Key  West,  Florida. 

The  Ruddy  Quail  was  first  given  a  place  in  the  avifauna  of  North  America  by 
Mr.  W.  E.  Scott  from  a  specimen  taken  at  Key  West,  Dec.  10,  1888.  Maj.  Bendlre 
states  that  it  is  very  doubtful  if  it  breeds  within  our  limits.  Two  eggs  are  laid.  The 
average  size  of  seven  eggs  in  the  U.  S.  National  Museum  collection,  all  taken  in  the 
West  Indies,  is  1.06x.83.  They  are  oval  in  shape  and  in  color  vary  from  pale  green 
to  salmon-buff.  Its  general  habits  and  nidification  resemble  those  of  the  Key  West 
Dove. 


:  !t; 


.\OKTU  A.]tf:/fl<\\N  BlJWi^. 


191 


[323.]  BLUE-HEADED  QUAIL-DOVE.  Staniunafi  cyonotvphala  (Linn.) 
Geog.  Dist.— Cuba  and  Florida  Keys. 

It  appears  that  the  Blue-headed  Quail-dove  ha;s  been  found  only  by  Audubon  on 
the  Florida  Keys;  it  is  resident  in  the  Island  of  Cuba,  where  it  nests  in  April  and 


Cv  r. 


;i23.     BbUE-HEADED  QuAiL-Dov^  (Frotu  Breliiii), 

May.  It  is  a  singular  Dove,  with  the  crown  ri^h  blue,  bounded  by  black;  a  white 
stripe  under  the  eye,  extending  under  the  chin;  the  throat  is  black,  bordered  with 
white.  Length  of  bird  about  eleven  inches.  The  nest  is  placed  on  trees  and  bushes, 
and  composed  of  sticks  carelessly  arranged.  The  eggs  are  two  in  number,  pure 
white.     The  average  size  is  1.38x1.01. 

324.  CALIFORNIA  VULTURE.  J'xnahtyriJithus  caUforulanun  (Shaw.)  Geog. 
Dist. — Coast  ranges  of  Southern  California  from  Monterey  Bay  southward  into 
Lower  California;  former)y  north  to  Frazer  River. 

Concerning  the  California  Condor  or  Vulture,  Dr.  Brewer  remarks  as  follows: 
"The  single  species  composing  this  very  distinct  genus  belongs  to  Western  North 
America,  and  so  far  as  known,  has  the  most  restricted  distribution  of  any  large  rap- 
torial bird  In  the  world.  It  is  remarkable  for  its  very  la/ge  size,  all  its  dimensions 
nearly,  if  not  quite,  equaling  those  of  the  famed  Condor  of  tho  Andes  ( ^nmrhnmi^hus 
f/rupJius).'  This  great  bird  has  already  become  very  much  reduced  in  numbers  and 
txtlnct  in  localities  where  it  was  formerly  abundant;  this  is  doubtless  due  to  the 
indiscriminate  use  of  poison  which  is  placed  on  carcasses  for  the  purpose  of  killing 
wolves,  bears,  lynx,  ooufears  and  other  noxious  animals  which  played  havoc  with 


.f* 


f1 


4 


-n  ■  V 


Ill 


•I 


192 


iST^JSrS  AND  E0G8  OF 


sheep,  calves,  and  other  cattle  of  the  stockmen.  Upon  these  poisoned  remains  the 
birds  feed  and  perish.  It  is  at  present  restricted  to  the  area  of  the  Pacific  coast 
ranges  as  above  stated.  It  is  more  common  in  the  warm  valleys  of  California, 
among  the  almost  inaccessible  cliffs  of  the  rough  mountain  ranges  running  parallel 
with  the  Sierra  Nevadas  for  a  hundred  miles  south  of  Monterey.  They  may  l;e 
found  in  those  places,  where  the  foot  of  man  has  never  trodden.  For  years  this  bird 
has  been  thought  to  be  on  the  verge  of  extermination  chiefly  for  reasons  stated 
above,  but  by  the  indefatigable  labor  of  several  ornithologists  within  the  last  ten 
years,  we  are  led  to  believe  that  the  bird  will  still  be  able  to  hold  its  own.  .Accord- 
ing to  the  late  Maj.  Bendire  it  does  not  seem  to  be  decreasing  in  the  barren  mountain 
langes  in  the  vicinity  of  Santa  Barbara.  The  writer  has  a  mounted  specimen  taken 
in  Monterey  county,  May  10,  1890,  and  a  number  of  specimens  have  been  taken 
within  the  past  few  j'ears  in  the  mountainous  regions  which  this  bird  inhabits.    A 


■I: 


I; 


324.     California  Condok  (From  Tenny,  after  Audubon). 

young  bird  was  taken  July  7,  1896,  from  a  nest  which  was  simply  the  bare  floor 
of  a  cave  high  up  in  the  cliffs  in  Monterey  county,  overlooking  a  dark  canyon  with 
the  stream  about  300  feet  below.  It  is  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  Frank  H.  Holmes,  of 
Berryessa,  California.  This  specimen  is  well  illustrated  from  life  at  about  eight 
months  old  in  The  Nidologist  for  February,  1897,  page  58,  with  a  full  text  regarding 
his    peculiar    habits    in    confinement.     It    associates    with    the    Turkey    Buzzard, 


SltKTH  AStEliKAS    Hlh'hs. 


193 


a>()  the  habits  of  both  species  are  alil<e,  often  feeding  logetliei'  on  the  same  carcass. 
Like  the  Turkey  Vulture  its  flight  is  easy  and  graceful,  sailing  majestically  with  al- 
most motionless  wings,  in  wide  circles  at  great  heights,  over  a  large  space  of  terri- 
tory, in  search  of  food.  The  weight  of  this  bird  varies  from  twenty  to  twenty-five 
pounds;  extent  of  wing  from  eight  and  a  half  to  eleven  feet.  Previous  to  the  egg 
recorded  by  Mr.  H.  R.  Taylor  It  is  doubtful  that  a  specimen  had  been  taken  in  twelve 
years.  With  the  discovery  of  this  egg  and  the  nesting  place  of  this  species  we  have, 
with  further  accessions  in  an  oological  way,  a  reasonably  full  knowledge  of  the 
bird's  nidiflcation.*    Mr.  Taylor  says:     "There  are  probably  but  three  or  four  eggs 


m^        


1   !!     '\ 


California  Conbor  Chick  (From  The  Nidologitt). 


of  the  California  Condor  In  existence,  and  one  of  these  I  have  the  honor  to  claim  as 
my  property,  having  purchased  it  a  month  ago  at  a  good  round  figure  from  the 
collector,  who  took  It  in  1889,  and  had  since  been  keeping  it  as  a  curiosity  (!)  The 
discovery  of  this  egg  gives  positive  Information  as  to  the  nesting  time,  heretofore 
unknown,  and  If  in  every  way  a  considerable  bit  of  ornithological  news.  In  ap- 
pearance the  egg  Is  almost  a  facsimile  of  the  one  figured  by  Capt.  [the  late  Maj.] 
Bendire,  although  I  would  describe  the  color  as  ashy-green.  As  an  unspotted  egg 
is  bound  to  appear  .lat  In  a  lithograph  (see  figure  of  egg  In  'Life  Histories')  I  have 
not  attempted  to  illustrate  this  one.  My  egg  was  taken  in  May,  1889,  in  the  Santa 
Lucia  Mountains,  San  Luis  Obispo  county,  Cal..  at  an  altitude  of  3,480  feet.  The 
egg  was  deposited  In  a  large  cave  in  the  side  of  a  perpendicular  bluff,  which  the 
collector  entered  by  means  of  a  long  rope  from  above.  The  bird  was  on  the  nest, 
which    was  in  a    low    place  In    the  rock,  and    was,  the  collector   says,  'lined  with 


•  For  an  exhaustive  treatise  on  the  habits  of  the  California  Condor  see  Taylor's 
article  In  Tht  NidoloKist  for  February.  1895,  pp.  74-79:  also  March.  1895,  ooncernlnR  the  par- 
ticulars of  the  taking  of  the  egs- 

14 


11 


194 


NESTS  AND  EOGS  OF 


feathers  picked  from  her  own  body.'  This  latter  assertioc  may  be  an  unwarranted 
conclusion.  There  was  but  the  one  egg,  incubation,  'about  ond  week.'  "  The  speci- 
men figured  in  MaJ.  Bendire's  work  measures  114x65  mm.,  or  4.49x2.56  inches.  The 
color  is  described  as  a  light  g^rayish-green,  unspotted.  Another  egg  of  this  Condor 
was  taken  in  the  same  region  described  by  Mr.  Taylor.  If  was  socured  by  the  well- 
known  collector,  Mr.  O.  W.  Howard,  and  an  assistant  for  Mr.  .\.  M.  Shields,  of  Los 
Angeles.  It  was  found  in  a  cave  of  a  lofty  precipice.  Rope  and  tackle  were  used 
to  reach  the  entrance.  The  egg  was  laid  on  the  bare  ground  in  a  saucer-shaped  de- 
pression. It  was  taken  April  25,  1895,  and  is  now  in  the  cabinet  of  G.  Freen  Mor- 
com,  of  Chicago.  It  measures  4.42x2.65  Inches.  Another  egg  was  taken  from  a  cave 
m  the  same  region  about  the  same  time.  From  the  facts  at  hand,  it  appears  that 
the  California  Condor  lays  but  a  single  egg. 

326.  TURKEY  VULTUBE.  Cathartcs  cura  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dlst.— Temperate 
America  from  New  Jersey,  Ohio  Valley,  Washington  and  Saskatchewan  region, 
southward  to  Patagonia,  and  the  Falkland  Islanffp. 


N"^  >  ■•^/  . 


■iK.    Turkey  Vulture  (From  Brenm). 


m 

I,  I 


The  common  Turkey  Buzzard  inhabits  the  United  States  and  adjoining  British 
Provinces  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  south  through  Central  and  most  of  South 
America,  and  is  resident  north  to  about  40°.    Every  farmer  knows  it  to  be  an  in- 


yORTn  AMERICAN  lilliim. 


195 


•  <•* 


duBtrioua  scavenger,  devouring  at  all  times  the  pucrid  decompu^ioR  Hc^li  of  car- 
casses.   It  is  essentially  gregarious,  not  only  flying  and  feeding  in  numpany,  hut 
resorting  to  the  same  spot  to  roost;  breeding  also  in  communities  and  sometlmrs 
by  single  pairs;  depositing  Its  eggs  on  the  ground,  on  rocks,  or  in  hollow  logs  and 
stumps,  usually  in  thick  woods  or  in  a  sycamore  grove,  in  the  liend  or  fork  of  :i 
stream.    The  nest  is  frequently  built  in  a  tree  or  in  the  cavity  of  a  sycamore  stump. 
In  the  vicinity  of  Tampa,  Florida,  Mr.  Stuart  says,  the  eggs  of  this  bird  are  laid  in 
February  and  March;  in  Indian  Territory  they  arc  deposited  in  March,  April  ami 
May.    In  Arizona  and  Colorado  it  nests  in  the  latter  pan  of  April  and  in  May.     Mr. 
Shields  states  that  in  the  region  of  Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  this  bird  begins  laying  about 
April  15.     He  observes  that  although  the  usual  nesting  sites  are  chosen,  the  favorite 
place  for  depositing  the  eggs  is  a  little  depression  under  ii  tniall  bush  or  overhanginu 
rock  on  a  steep  hillside.     In  Ohio  and  other  Eastern  States  ficsh  eggs  may  be  t'oiiiHl 
in  April  and  May.     Notwithstanding  the  arguments  set  forth  l»y  renowned  natural- 
ists that  this  bird  is  not  possessed  of  an  extraordinary  power  uf  smell,  it  has  been 
proven  recently   by   the  most  satisfactory  experiments   that    the  Turkey   Buzzartl 
dms  ponst'ss  a  keen  sense  of  smell  by  which  it  can  distinguish  the  odor  of  flesh  at  an 
immense  distance.     The  flight  of  this  Vulture  is  truly  beautiful,  and  no  landscape 
v.:ih  its  patches  of  green  woods  and  grassy  fields,  is  perfect  without  its  dignifled 
figure,  high  in  the  air,  moving  in  great  circles;  so  steady,  graceful  and  easy,  and  ap- 
parently without  any  effort.     It  is  a  very  silent  bird,  only  uttering  a  hiss  of  defiance 
or  warning  to  its  neighbors  when  feeding,  or  a  low  gutteral  croak  of  alarm  when 
Hying  low  overhead.     The  eggs  are  creamy  or  yellowish-white,  variously  Motched 
and  splashed  with  different  shades  of  brown  and  usually  showing  other  spots  of 
lavender  and  purplish-drab;  two  in  number,  sometimes  only  one;  average  size  about 
2.73x1.87.     Six  specimens  measure  2.80x1.89,  2.73x1.89.  2.79x1.98,  2.80x1.91,  2.84x1. S8. 
2.87x1.90.     Mr.  H.  R.  Taylor,  of  Almeda,  Cala.,  records  finding  early  in  .\pril  n  sot 
of  immaculate  eggs  of  this  species.*     The  average  size  of  nineteen    sets,  thirty-eight 
eggs,  taken  between  April  3,  and  June  13,  is  1.90x??.75  inches.    This  series  is  from 
Texas,  California,   Kansas,   Mississippi,   North  Ca'.oana  and   New   .Jersey.     The.sc 
are  in  the  collection  of  Mr.  C.  W.  Crandall,  Woodside,  N.  Y.    Mr.  Raymond  C.  Osl)urn 
reports  to  me  a  curious  nesting  place  of  the  Turkey  Vulture  which  he  found  in  Lick- 
ing county,  O.,  May  15,  1894.     It  was  in  a  hollow  tree  twelve  feet  below  the  opening, 
and  the  parent  bird  would  not  leave  the  nest  until  a  hole  was  chopped  in  the  tree  on 
a  level  with  the  nest. 


326.  BLACK  VULTURE.  VaihariNta  atrata  (Bartr.)  Geog.  Dist.— Whole  of 
tropical  and  warm-temperate  America,  south  to  Argentine  Republic  and  Chili,  north 
regularly  to  the  Carolinas  and  Lower  Mississippi  Valley,  irregularly  or  casually  to 
Maine,  New  York,  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  etc. 

This  Vulture,  called  Carrion  Crow,  is  very  common  along  our  South  Allaniie 
and  Gulf  States,  and  is  resident  from  South  Carolina  southward;  in  many  places  it  is 
more  numerous  than  the  Turkey  Buzzard,  and  its  general  traits,  nesting  habits,  etc., 
are  the  same,  breeding  in  hollow  logs,  decayed  trunks  of  trees,  stumps,  and  on  the 
ground.  In  the  Southern  Atlantic  cities  the  Black  Vulture  is  said  to  be  a  semi- 
domestic  bird,  and  even  protected  by  law.  Their  services  as  scavengers  in  removing 
offal  render  them  valuable  and  almost  a  necessity  in  Southern  cities.  A  specimen  of 
this  Vulture,  which  I  mounted  and  now  in  my  collection,  was  killed  February  6,  1895, 
frur  miles  north  of  Reynoldsburg,  Ohio.    On  an  island  near  Beaufort,  South  Caro- 


•  Ornithologist  nnd  Oologlst,  Vol.  XIII,  p.  102. 


Ml 

j  ■ 


196 


JViffST-S  A2V/)  iJOOS  OF 


,lna,  Mr.  Walter  Hoxle  found  the  Black  Vulture  nesting  under  a  dense  growth  of 
yucca.  No  attempt  was  made  at  forming  a  nest,  or  even  excavating  a  hollow.  The 
oggs  are  laid  far  In  under  the  intertwining  stems  of  the  yucca  and  in  the  seml- 
phadows  were  quite  hard  to  be  seen.  Mr.  Hoxle  states  that  the  parent  birds  have 
the  habit  of  always  following  the  same  path  In  leaving  and  approaching  the  nesting 
place.  By  these  paths,  which  wore  often  winding,  he  was  able  to  discover  the 
fggs.  Both  sexes  assist  in  Incubation  c  nd  two  eggs  constitute  the  nest  complement. 
Mr.  Hoxle  never  observed  a  bird  sitting  on  a  single  egg,  and  so  far  as  he  was  able 
to  determine  the  period  of  incubation  Is  nearly  thirty  days;  eggs  were  taken  from 
May  2  to  May  20.    He  states  that  Mr.  Alfred  Cuthbert  took  a  set  of  three  eggs  in  1884. 


•* 


;t2fi      I'.i.ACK  Vdltukk  (prom  Brpiuii). 

The  eggs  are  generally  'jroadly  elliplical-ovate  in  shape  and  similar  In  color  to  those 
of  the  Turkey  Vulture— bluish-white,  blotched  and  spotted  with  very  dark  brown 
and  umber— not  so  densely  marked  as  those  of  Catharfcs  aura;  average  size  3.10x2.04. 
Mr.  Crandairs  series  of  this  bird's  eggs  consists  of  twenty-four  sets,  forty-eight  eggs, 
mostly  taken  in  Texas,  some  in  Mexico,  between  February  28  and  June  5.  The 
iverage  size  of  this  series  Is  2.99x1.99  inches. 

327.  SWALLOW-TAILED  KITE.  Elaiwidex  forflcatus  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist.— 
Tropical  and  warm-temperate  parts  of  continental  America,  north  regularly  up  the 
Mississippi  Valley  to  Illinois,  Iowa,  Minnesota,  etc.  Casually  east  to  Pennsylvania 
and  Southern  New  England. 


NORTH  AMUKICAN  BIHD8. 


I'i7 


I 


,  I 


-\i-  'n 


i€ 


nh 


337.    Swallow-tailed  Kits  and  Nbst. 


«  .  ' 


•■■]■ 


198 


NESTS  AND  BOGS  OF 


Tbib  buuuliful  upt'c-ies,  uoted  lur  its  graceful  auU  cltguul  liigtit,  is  uu  abuadaut 
BumtQcr  resideut  of  ibe  Soulberu  Unilcd  Sluleu  uu  fur  uortb  us  Virginia,  uccusionally 
Blraying  to  the  Middle  Stales,  and  regularly  far  ujp  the  Mississippi  Valley.  Skins  of 
thib  Kite  are  in  my  collection  which  were  taken  in  Ohio,  August  22,  1878,  and  July 
lu,  1883.  Previous  to  these  records  it  has  not  been  heard  of  in  the  State  since  1858. 
The  favorite  resorts  of  this  bird  are  bottom  woodlands  near  prairies  or  fields.  Ub 
food  consists  of  small  reptiles  and  insects;  it  is  particularly  fond  of  small  snakes  and 
lizards,  grasshoppers,  crickets,  and  various  beetles.  The  nest  of  this  Kite  is  built  at 
the  extremity  of  small  branches  near  ihc  lops  of  the  tallest  trees.  The  one  repre- 
sentid  in  our  illustration  is  laiien  I'roui  a  sketch  made  on  th  '  spot  by  Mr.  J.  A. 
Singley,  of  Giddings,  Lee  county,  Texas.  This  nest,  as  represericd,  is  placed  in  the 
top  branches  of  a  pecan  tree;  it  is  composed  of  sticks  and  'Jeces  of  green  moss, 
some  of  the  moss  hanging  over  the  sides,  giving  it  a  beaudful  appearance  when 
seen  from  the  ground.  Outwardly  it  measures  eighteen  inches  in  diameter;  depth 
twelve  inches.  Two  eggs  from  this  nest  measure  1.77x1.43,  1.81x1.45.  In  other 
localities  the  materials  for  the  nest  differ,  no  moss  being  used.  Mr.  Singley  states 
that  the  birds  are  very  vicious  while  nesting;  he  has  seen  them  attack  and  drive  off 
Owls,  Turkey  Buzzards,  Florida  liedshouldcred  Hawk,  liiitro  Ihinihts  iillaii,  Black 
Vultures  and  Crows.  On  April  25,  lL.o3,  while  his  collector,  Mr.  Theodore  Thassler, 
was  climbing  to  the  nest  represented  in  ihe  engraving,  he  was  almost  knocked  out 
of  the  tree  by  the  birds;  and  before  he  could  secure  the  eggs  was  comijelled  lu  kill 
the  most  pugnacious  one,  which  proved  to  be  the  male.  Unlike  the  Whiie-taileil 
Kite,  when  the  nest  is  disturbed,  the  birds  will  desert  it.  The  eggs  of  this  species  are 
from  two  to  four  in  nrnber,  occasionally  but  one,  and  rarely  three  or  four.  This  is 
the  statement  by  the  late  Maj.  Charles  E.  Dcndirc  in  his  matchless  work,  "Life 
Histories  of  North  American  Birds."  According  to  his  measurements  of  twenty 
specimens  from  different  parts  of  the  United  States  the  average  size  is  1.85xl.4G 
inches.  Mr.  Singley  took  seven  sets  in  the  season  of  1887,  and  was  fortunate  enough 
to  find  one  containing  three  eggs,  and  a  nest  with  three  young.  The  color  of  the 
eggs  is  white,  greenish  or  ycilowish-white,  spotted  and  blotched  with  brown  and 
umber  of  varying  shades;  some  are  sparingly  marked  with  specks  of  dark  brown, 
in  others  the  spots  are  clustered  about  the  large  end.  The  markings  are  often  large 
and  of  a  rich  chestnut  and  mahogany  color.  During  a  trip  to  Texas,  in  1888,  Mr. 
G.  B.  Benners  and  Mr.  Thos.  Gillin  collected  six  sets  of  eggs  of  this  bird  in  that 
State.  One  set  contained  three  eggs,  another  only  one,  while  the  other  four  nests 
had  two  eggs  each.  Under  date  of  August  2d,  1895,  Mr.  Singley  writes  me  that  the 
Swallow-tailed  Kite  is  almost  exterminated  here  (Lee  county)  "and  I  doubt  if  there 
were  two  sets  of  eggs  taken  in  Texas  this  season."  They  must  now  be  considered 
expensive  eggs  to  procure.  Two  sets  of  two  eggs  each  collected  by  Mr.  Singley 
measure  1.87x1.50,  1.78xL49;  the  second  2.03x1.40,  L90xl.50  respectively.  These  are 
in  Mr.  C.  W.  Crandall's  collection,  Woodside.  New  York. 


328.  WHITE-TAILED  KITE.  Elauus  leucurus  (Vleill.)  Geog.  Dist.— South- 
ern portion  of  the  United  States,  from  South  Carolina,  Southern  Illinois,  and  Cali- 
fornia, southward  into  South  America. 

>'  The  late  MaJ.  Bendire  states  in  his  "Life  Histories  of  North  American  Birds" 
that  the  breeding  range  of  this  species  so  far  as  actually  known  by  the  taking  of  their 
nests  and  eggs,  seems  to  be  confined  to  South  Carolina  (where  Mr.  Ward,  Audubon's 
assistant,  found  it  nesting  on  the  Sautee  River  early  in  March),  Florida,  the  Indian 
Territory,  Texas  and  (he  middlo  portions  of  California.    The  Black-shouldered  or 


NoitTU  wnjifirw  iinam. 


199 


I 


White-tailed  Kite  is  diHtributod  lliroughout  Southern  United  Stateu  from  the  At 
lantic  to  Pacific,  and  southward  into  tropical  America.  In  the  East  it  Is  found  as 
far  north  us  Southern  Illinois;  in  the  West  ns  far  north  as  Indian  Territory  and 
Middle  California.  The  flight  of  this  bird  is  siiid  id  l*o  easy  and  graceful,  but  not 
rapid.  Sometimes  it  stops  for  a  few  moments,  dcsronds  with  groat  velocity  to  the 
ground  to  capture  a  lizard  or  snake.  1  ac  nest  of  tliis  specieE,  lil<o  that  of  the  Swal- 
low-tailed Kite,  is  always  placed  just  as  high  in  the  tree  as  possible.  Prof.  B.  W. 
Evermann  informs  me  that  of  all  the  nests  he  examined  he  did  not  notice  an  ex- 
ception in  this  respect.  It  is  not  a  very  substantial  structure,  composed  of  Hticks, 
forming  scarcely  more  than  a  mere  platform,  the  cavity  being  quite  shallow;  it  is 
very  sparingly  lined  with  the  inner  bark  of  the  cottonwood,  sometimes  with  straw. 
When  robbed  of  a  first  set  of  eggs  another  is  likely  to  be  laid.  Prof.  Evermann 
states  that  the  usual  time  of  nesting  in  the  Santa  Clara  Valley  is  from  April  1  lo 
May  1.  Nests  of  this  Kite  have  been  found  in  Southern  Texas  which  were  placed  in 
bushes  only  seven  or  eight  feet  from  the  ground.  Mr.  Samuel  C.  Evans  "took  six 
sets  of  the  eggs  of  this  species  in  San  Jose  Valley  between  May  1  and  22,  1886;  one  of 
two  eggs  on  the  1st  was  far  advanced  In  incubation;  one  of  four  on  the  8th  was 
fresh;  another  of  two  on  the  19th  was  fresh;  two  sets  of  two  each,  taken  on  the  20th, 
in  which  incubation  had  begun,  ov\  on  the  22d  a  set  of  five  fresh  eggs  was  taken. 
The  nests  were  placed  in  sycamores,  oaks  and  maple  trees;  one  was  situated  forty 
feet  from  the  ground,  and  the  heights  of  the  others  ranged  about  fifteen  feet.  Mr. 
Evans,  in  several  cases,  placed  small  painted  hen  eggs  in  the  Kites'  nests,  and  the 
birds  did  not  detect  the  difference,  but  continued  laying.  The  eggs  are  of  a  dull, 
rreamy-white,  thickly  blotched,  dotted  and  tinged  with  deep  chestnut,  in  somo 
almost  completely  covering  the  whole  ground;  nearly  spherical;  four  to  six;  this  is 
the  number  usually  stated,  but  four  Is  almost  invariably  the  number  of  eggs  lalu. 
A  set  of  four  eggs  collected  by  Prof.  Evermann  in  the  Santa  Clara  Valley,  California, 
measure  1.64x1.27,  1.62x1.27,  1.69x1.27,  1.62x1.27.  The  average  measurement  of  four- 
teen eggs  in  Mr.  Crandall's  collection  is  1.72x1.30. 


329.  MISSISSIPPI  KITE.  Ivthnu  mitiSlssippiensiH  (Wils.)  Geog.  D'st.— 
Southern  United  States,  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  southward  from  South  Caro- 
lina on  the  coast,  and  casually  or  Irregularly  to  Kansas,  Iowa,  Wisconsin  on  the 
interior;  south  to  Mexico. 

The  Mississippi  Kite  is  a  summer  resident  in  the  southern  portion  of  the  United 
States.  It  is  irregular  in  its  distribution,  and  its  occurrence  in  particular  localities 
is  uncertain,  often  being  found  common  in  regions  where  it  was  formerly  rare.  It 
is  geneially  found  in  the  same  localities  with  the  Swallow-tailed  Kite,  and.  like 
the  latter  species,  Its  extremely  beautiful  flight  is  one  of  the  bird's  characteristics. 
It  often  soars  so  high  in  the  air  as  to  be  almost  invisible.  Like  the  Swallow-tail 
species,  its  food  consists  of  insects,  small  snakes  and  lizards.  The  nests  of  the 
Mississippi  Kite  are  built  in  the  tops  of  gigantic  pines,  pin  oaks,  sycamores,  cotton- 
wood,  elm,  and  lofty  cypress  trees.  Mr.  J.  A.  Singley  has  a  nest  which  he  took  in 
Lee  county.  Texas,  which  was  placeu  in  the  forks  of  a  live  oak  twenty-two  feet  from 
the  prround.  The  foundation  and  sides  of  the  nest  is  built  entirely  of  small  sticks, 
the  interior  portion  of  small,  green  oak  twigs  in  leaf,  and  leaves  of  the  mesquite 
tree:  the  lining  is  of  green  moss,  on  lOp  of  which  are  placed  green  leaves  of  the 
pecan  tree.  The  outer  diameter  from  tLe  ends  of  the  longest  twigs  Is  seventeen 
Inches,  the  most  compact  portion  eleven  inches;  interior  diameter  five  Inches;  outer 
depth  seven  inches,  inside  one  and  a  half  inches.    Mr.  Singley  states  that  the 


M  ^ 


i;  ^ 


I 


2<)0 


NKSTa  AND  saoa  OF 


meMurrmpntB  of  fwooggs  taker  May  22.  I88fi,  1h  l.r,5xl.40.  1.63x1.34;  tlipy  are  bluish- 
white,  unmarked,  one  ol  thom  having  light  lirown  atalns  on  It.  They  were  (uken 
from  a  nest  placed  in  the  slender  forkB  of  a  small  post  oak  about  thirty  leet  from  the 
ground;  it  was  made  of  sticks  and  weed  sterna,  llnrd  with  willow  twigs  in  Icuf.  Mr. 
Plngley  has  Riven  rat-  ihe  sizes  of  the  eggs  of  four  sets  which  ho  colleottMl  In  the 


^^ra*. 


3:19.    Left,  Missisibii'i'i  Kiik,  rigbt,  Swallow-tailku  Kitk  (Frufn  Brehm). 

BCPion  of  1887.  Three  of  these  sets  were  of  two  eggs  each  and  one  of  three;  their 
CO'. Of  was  invariably  blulsh-whlte,  unmarked,  and  their  sizes  are  as  follows:  1.53x 
1.S4,  1.64x1.36,  1.71x1.02,  1.63x1.34,  1.60x1.35,  1.67x1,32,  1.65x1.34.  1.59x1.35,  1.62x1.33. 
Considerable  variation  will  be  noticed  in  the  length  of  these  specimens,  while  their 
diameter  is  very  uniform.  Col,  N,  S.  Goss  found  this  species  breeding  In  company 
with  the  Swallow-tailed  Kite  In  the  vicinity  of  Neosho  Falls,  Kansas,  An  egg  was 
taken  July  5,  from  an  old  crow's  nest,  fitted  up  with  a  few  extra  sticks  and  green 
twigs  in  leat  for  lining.  It  was  placed  in  a  medium-sized  oak  about  forty  feet  from 
the  ground.  The  egg,  which  was  advanced  in  incubation,  he  describes  a  pure  white, 
size  1.70x1.35.*  Col.  Goss  also  observed  the  Mississippi  Kite  nesting  in  the  timber 
lands  bordering  Medicine  River,  near  Sun  City,  Barber  county,  Kansas,  and  found 


♦  Auk,  Vol.  n,  V.  21. 


SHU  I II  wniiav.xs  miins. 


301 


Mven  ueslK  un  Iho  22(1  of  May  ou  the  Mhi  ho  oolhctcd  four  Hriti  of  oggK  containing 
two  each  and  ou(>  ncbt  cunlalueil  a  »lnglf  egg.  .Iimic  luih,  two  luurt  ht>ls  o(  twu  cggn 
each  were  takon  Col.  (juuh  debcilbih  ihc  eggs  an  "while  or  l)iuiBh-whit(>,"  ilir  last 
two  Hets  were  stained  i)y  the  wci  leaves  in  the  nesis.  The  egga  measure  by  sots  as 
followH  Pirsi.  i.r.r.xl.;!;],  l.O^xl.St;,  second.  1.7Gxl.l8,  1.05x1.3:..  ihird,  1.70x1. Hit. 
l.r.Gxl.ar);  fourth.  1.70x1.37.  1.08*1.30;  fifth.  1.75x1. .10,  sixth,  l.-.4xl,.Tl,  1  l.".xl.24i 
sevenih,  1.70x1.38,  1.08x1.43.  The  nests  were  all  built  either  In  the  Un\i><^  from  the 
main  body,  or  in  the  forks  of  the  larger  limbs  of  the  cottonwood  and  elm  trees,  and 
when  old  would  be  taken  for  the  nests  of  the  common  crow.  Their  height  from  the 
ground  ranged  from  twenty-five  lo  fifty  feet.*  Mr.  H.  K.  Rachford  informs  me  that 
he  took  two  sets  of  the  eggs  of  ibis  species  in  Texas  from  nests  situated  about  thirty 
feet  from  the  ground  in  o;ik  iree.s.  The  color  of  the  ( ggs  h<  describes  as  white,  with 
a  sliglit  greenish  tinge.     The  averii^c  iiitasuremeiil  of  ten  specimens  is  I  t)4xl.28. 


330.  EVERGLADE  KITE.  liu'^hhamHs  snriahilis  (WelW.)  (Jeog.  Dial. —Flori- 
da. Atlantic  coast  of  Mexico,  part  of  Wist  indies.  Central  .\merlca,  hastern  portion 
of  South  America  lo  the  Argentine  Republic. 

This  slate-colored  Kite  is  a  resident  ol  the  Everglades  of  Florida,  and  also  occurs 
in  the  fresh  water  marshes  and  lakes  of  the  middle  and  southern  portions  of  the 
State.  Mr.  W.  E.  D.  Scott  found  it  abundant  at  Panasofkee  Lake,  al.out  February 
first,  where  it  was  feeding  on  a  kind  of  fresh-water  snail,  which  was  very  abuntlant, 
and  the  local  name  given  the  t)ird  is  "Snail  Hawk."  The  birds  fish  over  shallow 
water,  after  the  manner  of  gulls;  securing  a  snail  by  diving,  they  carry  it  to  the  most 
available  perch,  when  the  animal  is  dexterously  taken  from  the  shell  without  injury 
to  the  latter.  At  many  places  where  a  particularly  convenient  iri  ♦•  or  siui)  rises  out 
of  the  saw-graas,  the  ground  is  literally  heaped  with  the  empty  shells  of  the  snails.t 
The  nesting  season  of  this  sitecies  in  the  Everglades  of  Florida  is  in  Marcli,  some 
pairs  breeding  later  than  others,  and  two  or  three  eggs  are  deposited.  The  nests  are 
built  In  tall,  rank  grass  and  bushes;  especially  in  the  saw-grasses.  al)Out  a  loot  below 
the  tops,  just  so  as  to  lie  out  of  sight,  and  the  nests  are  usually  composed  of  the 
same  material;  they  measure  about  a  foot  in  diameter,  with  a  cavity  iluee  inches 
deep.  Mr.  H.  B.  Bailey  describes  a  set  of  three  eggs,  taken  in  the  Everglades. 
March  16,  by  E.  W.  Montreull;  their  sizes  are  1.91x1.50.  1.80x1.51,  1.80x1.4.'.;  ihe 
color  of  one  is  light  brown,  nearly  obscured  by  large  blotches  of  dark  and  reddish- 
brown;  another  has  a  dirty-white  ground  color,  with  spots  and  blotches  of  various 
shades  of  brown,  which  become  smaller  and  fewer  at  the  smaller  end.  It  resembles 
the  common  varieties  of  eggs  of  the  European  Sparrow  Hawk,  .UTiiiitcr  iiisus.  The 
third  is  of  a  greenish-white,  over  the  smaller  end  are  scrawls,  lines  and  a  few  spots 
of  light  and  dark  brown. t 


k.  1 


>/4 


331.  MARSH  HAWK.  Virnis  hudsouius  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist.— Whole  of 
North  America,  south  In  winter  to  Panama,  the  Bahamas  and  Cuba. 

The  Marsh  Hawk,  Blue  Hawk,  or  Harrier,  is  distributed  throughout  the  whole 
of  North  America.  It  is  one  of  the  most  abundant  and  widely  diffused  of  our  birds, 
and  breeds  from  the  fur  country  of  Hudson  Ray  to  Texas,  and  from  Nova  Scotia  to 
Oregon  and  California.  It  is  found  especially  in  regions  covered  by  ijushes.  small 
trees,  rank  grass,  swamp  prairies  or  marshy  places.    Here  the  nest  may  be  found, 


*  Auk.  Vol    IV,  pp.  344-345. 

»  Bu'l    Nutt.  Club.  Vol    VI,  p.  16. 

}  Auk,  I,  p.  05. 


:;fl 


I     3 


I 


!l: 


111 


''I 


a 


202 


i^^fifTS  AATD  EGGS  OF 


placed  on  the  ground,  which  is  only  a  collecUun  uf  twigs  and  huy,  but  from  three  to 
seven  inches  in  height  and  a  foot  or  more  in  diameter.  Sometimes  the  nests  are  of 
large  proportions,  which  is  the  result  of  nesting  in  the  same  spot  for  a  number  of 
years.  The  eggs  are  frequently  laid  on  a  bed  of  green  moss,  with  the  material  ar- 
ranged in  a  circular  form.  The  bird  may  often  be  seen  during  the  spring  and  sum- 
me-  months  sweeping  slowly  over  meadows  and  bottom  lands  in  pursuit  of  gophers, 
mice,  birds,  grasshoppers  and  large  insects.  It  can  readily  be  recognized  by  the  en- 
tirely pure  white  upper  tail  coverts;  the  male  above  bluish-ash,  whitening  below; 
the  female  above  dark  umber-brown.  Mr.  S.  F.  Rathbun  records  a  set  of  seven  eggs 
taken  June  14,  at  Dunnville,  Ontario.  Marsh  Hawks  frequently  begin  to  incubate 
with  the  first  egg  and  the  young  are  hatched  at  intervals,  after  the  manner  of  the 
cuckoos.  Fresh  eggs  may  be  found  from  the  first  of  May  to  the  15th  or  20th  of  June, 
according  to  locality.  The  eggs  are  green ish-v/hite,  either  immaculate  or  faintly 
spotted  with  pale  brown  or  lilac,  rather  oval  in  shape;  three  to  six  in  number,  often 
four  or  five,  and  measure  from  1.80  to  1.90  in  length  by  1.38  to  1.45  in  breadth. 

332.  SHAB-P-SHINNED  HAWK.  AcripWr  rclor  (Wils.)  Geog.  Dist.— 
Whole  of  North  America,  south  to  Panama. 

This  spirited  little  Hawk  is  distributed  at  large  throughout  North  America  and 
it  is  considered  an  abundant  species,  although  in  some  localities  it  is  quite  rare. 
Known  as  Pigeon  Hawk,  but  it  should  not  be  con  founded  with  Falco  columbarius. 


If 


;i;»2.     Sharp-shinnkd  Hawk  (After  Audubon). 

The  Sharp-shinned  Hawk  is  swift,  irregular  and  nervous  in  its  flight;  is  one  of  the 
most  daring  of  the  family,  often  successfully  attacking  birds  of  its  own  weight; 
failing  sometimes  to  do  so  either  from  over-confidence  in  it?,  own  abilities,  or  under- 
estimation of  the  powers  of  its  victim.  The  smaller  birds  and  quadrupeds,  young 
chickens,  pigeons,  small  reptiles  and  various  insects  constitute  this  bird's  food. 
The  nests  of  this  species  are  built  in  troos  in  donsp  woods,  yrtferably  pine  groves; 


yoRTu  .\]n:iff('A\  RfRns. 


203 


^^:- %  _^ 


Q  1 


•Til 


,;j;lj 

I  ,  ft" 

m         H 

'*'  1 

I-     'J 

I'J 

i     ^'1 

i'  t- 

%          ^^1 

III 

;.      J 

|Hr!{| 

f;N 

APfir-,   »   aB 

*  *  Accipher  nr'stt*  of  E.irope.     Tlie  cut  well  represents  our  Shaip-sbinned,  (Joopet'sor  Coi>hawk, 


irequently  a  scrubby  oak  or  a  birch  offers  a  favorite  site,  and  the  height  from  the 
Kround  may  iange  from  ten  to  sixty  feet;  the  nosts  generally  rest  against  the  trunk 
of  the  tree  at  the  base  of  a  limb.  The  composition  of  the  nests  are  small  sticks 
forming  a  platform  with  a  slight  hollow,  usually  without  lining.  Occasionally  nests 
are  placed  in  cavities  similar  to  those  of  the  Sparrow  Hawk,  or  upon  -i  ledge  of  rock 
overhanging  a  lake  or  river.  Mr.  O.  C.  Poling  informs  me  that  in  Western  Illinois 
this  Hawk  selects  for  ihe  s..e  of  its  nest  the  top  branches  of  an  almost  limbless  tree, 
usually  an  oak.  which  is  situated  in  dense  woods:  it  is  generally  composed  of  oak 
twigs  and  leaves.  Mr.  Poling  states  that  nesting  begins  by  the  middle  of  April;  all 
the  nests  he  has  observed  contained  five  eggs,  although  others  were  found  in  that 
ir2;irr  ^'intnlnin;:!;  droo  and  four.     Mv.  rhnrlr"?;  F.  Morrison,  of  Fort  T.owi.s,  Colorado, 


J04 


NBSfS  AND  EQ08  OP 


li  ; 

- 


took  a  set  of  three  eggs  June  22  from  a  dilapidated  Magpie's  uest,  the  arched  roof  of 
which  had  fallen  in,  and  formed  a  hollow,  which  was  lined  with  a  few  feathers 
upon  some  dead  leaves.  .  he  Marsh  Hawk  and  the  present  species  deposit  their  eggs 
when  other  Hawks  are  nearly  through  breeding.  The  Sharp-shinned  Hawk's  eggs 
may  be  found  in  the  first  week  of  April  and  as  lat"  f  s  the  last  week  of  June,  the  birds 
seldom  occupy  a  nest  tiie  second  time.  Mr.  Cr  •  i  til's  oological  collection  consists 
of  thirty-eight  eggs,  two  sets  of  five  and  seven  seis  of  four,  and  have  an  average 
measurement  of  1.47x1.20  inches.  Mr.  J.  Parker  Norris  has  a  large  series  of  these 
eggs  in  his  collection,  consisting  of  seventeen  sets,  ranging  in  number  from  thret 
to  five, and  onecontaining  the  unusual  number  of  seven  eggs;  the  dates  on  which  they 
were  taken  are  from  April  11  to  June  26.  Most  of  these  eggs  were  collected  by  the 
experienced  oologist,  "J.  M.  W.,"  Mr.  C.  L.  Rawson,  of  Norwich,  Conn.  Mr.  Norris 
also  describes  seventeen  eggs  which  were  laid  in  succession  by  a  single  bird  between 
May  23  and  June  2!).  The  eggs  of  the  Sharp-shinned  Hawk,  Mr.  Norris  states,  are 
suijject  to  great  variation  in  markings,  and  yet,  as  a  rule,  they  can  be  identified  at 
a  glance.  With  the  exception  of  the  Sparrow  Hawk,  TtiiiiKiiniliis  sparvcriiis,  they 
are  the  smallest  laid  by  any  of  the  hawks  found  in  North  America,  and  among  the 
most  beautiful  eggs  of  any  of  the  f'aptnirs.  Their  grouod  color  varies  from  bluish- 
white  to  grayish-white,  spotted,  blotched,  speckled,  streaked  and  clouded  with  light 
fawn  color,  burnt  umber,  chestnut,  lavender-gray,  chocolate,  russet-brown  and 
cinnamon,  exhibiting  an  endless  variety  of  bold  and  indistinct  patterns  of  coloration 
and  design.  The  usual  form  of  the  egg  is  sphpriral,  of  nearly  equal  size  at  both  ends. 
Thf  avrrnge  size  is  1.r»0xl.l6. 

333.  COOPER'S  HAWK.  Arripifn-  rt.uprrii  (Donap.)  (leog.  Dist.— North 
America  at  large;  greater  portion  of  Mexico. 

Distributed  throughout  temperate  North  America  at  la"ge  as  a  summer  resident, 
and  well  known  to  the  farmers  by  the  name  of  Chicken  Kawk.  Its  flight  is  easy 
and  usually  slow,  but  the  bird  is  quick  in  its  movements,  its  long  tail  serving  the 
purpose  of  a  rudder  as  it  suddenly  pounces  upon  the  object  of  its  pursuit  or  quickly 
ascends  into  the  air.  This  an(  the  last  species  are  perhaps  the  boldest  depredators 
of  the  family.  They  are  shy  and  difTifult  of  approach,  yet  their  imprudence  often 
proves  fatal  to  them.  They  do  not  hesitate  'o  attack  chickens  in  the  presence  of 
their  owners;  they  also  feed  largely  upon  small  quadrupeds,  weasles,  squirrels  and 
young  rabbits;  snakes  and  reptiles  are  among  their  victims.  A  specimen  of  this 
bird  is  in  my  coll'jction  which  was  killed  by  a  weasel  in  mid  air,  the  weasel  sucking 
the  blood  of  the  hawk,  while  the  bird  was  struggling  with  its  intended  victim,  which 
escaped  unharmed.  The  nests  of  Cooper's  Hawk  are  usually  placed  in  tall  trees, 
from  ten  to  fifty  feet  from  the  ground;  frequently  an  old  crow's  or  some  other 
hawk's  nest  is  fitted  up  for  the  purpose,  which  is  occupied  for  a  succession  of  years, 
and  the  nests  are  often  so  augmented  by  ihe  continuous  adding  of  brush  and  rubbish 
that  they  become  huge  structures.  May  i5,  1880,  a  collector  brought  me  a  set  of  four 
eggs  taken  from  an  old  squirrel  o  nest.  Mr.  L.  .Tones,  of  Grinnell,  Iowa,  writes  that 
this  HawK  deposits  its  eggs  in  that  region  about  (he  first  of  May.  The  number  of 
eggs  laid  ranges  from  four  to  six,  rarely  the  latter  number,  and  they  may  be  found 
in  various  sections  between  April  1  and  May  20.  The  fggs  are  of  a  pale-bluish  or 
greenish-white,  usually  spotted  with  pale  reddish-brown.  The  average  size  is  1.97x 
1.42  Inches.  A  ?ft  of  four  eggs  from  Southern  Arizona,  taken  May  l.'i,  measure 
1.90x1.40.  1.95x1. 4i^,  1  92x1.40  1.90x1.42;  another  set  of  four  collected  in  Central  Ohio, 
April  9.  measure  1.89x1.40,  1.92x1.4.5.  1.93x1.40,  1.90x1.42. 


Nort 
resid 

J 
fami] 
usual 
bulk^ 
The 
size  i 
with 

3 

Dlst.- 

A 

north 


AOA'77/    \Ui:UI(A\  ItlUltS. 


205 


334.  AMERICAN  GOSHAWK.  Arciintcr  atrirapillus  (Wils.)  Geog.  Dist  — 
Northern  and  Eastern  Norlh  America;  the  northern  half  of  United  States,  a  winter 
resident  in  some  parts. 

A  large  and  handsome  hawk— cue  of  the  most  symmetrical  in  outline  of  the 
family;  known  to  breed  mostly  north  of  the  United  States.  Its  breeding  places  are 
usually  in  thick  evergreen  woods,  the  nest  being  placed  in  tall  hemlock  trees;  it  is 
bulky  and  composed  of  sticks,  twigs  and  weeds,  lined  with  bark  strips  and  grass. 
The  number  of  eggs  laid  by  the  Goshawk  varies  from  two  to  five.  The  average 
size  is  2.32x1.75  inches;  they  are  bluish-white  in  color,  sometimes  faintly  spotted 
with  yellowish-brown. 

334a.  WESTERN  GOSHAWK.  Airiitilrr  atricapillus  striuhilus  Ridgw.  Geog. 
DIst. — Western  North  America. 

A  darker  colored  race  than  the  foregoing,  inhabiting  the  Pacific  coast  region, 
north  to  Sitka,  breeding  in  the  Sierra  Nevadas  in  obably  as  far  south  as  39°.    General 


\i 


■i*  ; 


jil! 


m 


334.    European  Goshawk.    The  cut  well  represents  the  Americaa  Goshawk  (From  Brehm). 


206 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


habits,  nesting,  eggs,  etc.,  the  same  as  those  oi  attivapillun.    Average  size  of  eggs 
2.36x1.75. 

335.  HARBIS'S  HAWK.  I'urabtitm  iiiiiciiiitKX  harrisi  (Aud.)  Geog.  Dist.— 
Southern  border  of  the  United  States;  Mississippi,  Texas,  Arizona,  souihward  to 
Panama. 

This  bird  is  an  inhabitant  of  the  warmer  parts  of  America,  extending  its  ruuge 
over  our  Mexican  border.  In  Texas  it  is  common,  especially  about  the  mouth  of  the 
Rio  Grande.  Its  habits  resemble  those  of  the  Caracara  Eagle,  but  it  is  not  so  active, 
and  the  nests  are  hardly  distinguishable  in  situation  and  construction.  It  is  said,  by 
some  observers,  to  subsist  ontirely  on  cfirrion.  and  may  be  seen  in  company  with  the 
Tuikey  Buzzard,  Blacli  Vulture  and  Caracara  Eagle.  Mr.  Sennett  found  this  species 
to  1)6  the  most  abundant  of  any  other  of  the  family  on  the  Lower  Rio  Grande  in 
Texas,  in  their  crops  he  found  mice,  lizards,  birds  and  often  the  Mexican  striped 
gopher,  indicating  that  they  were  active  hunters  instead  of  sluggish  birds.  The 
eggs  are  white,  with  a  yellowish  tinge,  sometimes  marked  with  light  dashes  of  yel- 
lowish-b'own  and  dottings  of  purplish  drab;  commonly  two  or  three  in  number, 
raiely  four.  Four  sets  of  these  eggs  are  in  the  cabinet  of  Mr.  J.  Parker  Norris,  and 
show  considerable  variation  in  size  and  shape.  One  set  of  three  taken  near  Corpu.s 
Christi,  Texas.  May  10,  1886,  is  entirely  dull  white;  sizes,  2.19x1.61,  2.13x1.63,  2.14x 
1.58;  another  of  two  eggs  taken  in  Cameron  county,  Texas,  May  25,  1886,  measure 
2.08x1.65,  2.19x1.71;  a  set  of  three  eggs  from  the  same  place,  collected  April  25, 
measure  2.00x1.65,  2.06x1.65,  2.13x1.69;  one  of  the  eggs  of  this  set  has  a  few  faint 
cinnamon  spots;  the  fourth  set  taken  in  Cameron  county,  Texas,  May  3,  18S6;  two 
of  these  are  faintly  marked  with  lavender,  but  the  third  is  distinctly  spotted  at  the 
large  end  with  cinnamon;  sizes,  2.14x1.65,  1.94x1.61,  1.99x1.57. 

[336.]  EUROPEAN  BUZZARD.  Butio  biitco  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist.— Northern 
portions  of  the  Eastern  Hemisphere.     Accidental  in  Michigan. 

The  older  ornithologists  were  doubtless  mistaken  in  the  identification  of  ^he 
specimens  obtained  in  this  counlry,  which  they  described  and  figured  as  Biiteo 
lurf/aris  of  Europe.  This  Hawk  has  been  entirely  excluded  from  our  fauna  by  more 
recent  authorities,  and  it  is  admitted  only  on  the  grounds  of  a  single  specimen  taken 
near  Paw  Paw,  Michigan,  by  J.  D.  Allen,  and  received  in  the  skin  by  Mr.  C.  J. 
.Maynard  in  the  autumn  of  1873.  The  bird  is  quite  common  in  England,  frequenting 
the  more  cultivated  portions,  as  well  as  the  very  wildest  parts  of  Scotland  aud  tracts 
of  Alpine  forests,  where  its  favorite  breeding  place  is  on  the  edges  of  ravines.  The 
nest  is  placed  in  some  large  tree  or  on  a  ledge  of  rock,  and  is  built  of  sticks  with  a 
scanty  lining  of  wool  and  hair.  The  eggr  are  two  or  four  in  number,  generally  th»'ee, 
of  an  oval  form,  bluish-white,  with  pale  brown  blotches  and  spots  of  yellowish- 
brown,  chiefly  at  the  larger  end.  A  set  of  three  eggs  in  my  cabinet,  from  England, 
measure  2.30x1.75,  2.28x1.72,  2.30x1.68. 


337.  RED-TAILED  HAWK.  Buteo  burralis  (Gmel.)  Geog.  Dist.— Eastern 
portions  of  North  America,  west  to  the  Great  Plains. 

The  Red-tailed  Buzzard,  in  its  .light  and  dark  geographical  races,  is  distributed 
throughout  the  whole  of  North  America.  This  species  is  abundant  in  the  ea.stern 
portion.  A  large  Hawk  and  a  notorious  visitor  to  barn-yards,  though  lacking  much 
of  the  pluck  and  dash  of  the  members  of  so,  le  of  the  preceding  genera  it  has  the 
equally  successful  quality  of  perseverance.    The  food  of  thi-^  species  is  chiefly  small 


y'ORTn  AMr:niCAN  nrnni--. 


207 


33fi     European  Buzzard  (From  Brehni) 

Quadrupeds,  red  squirrels,  gophers  and  ground  moles,  and  the  remains  of  these 
rodents  may  always  be  found  in  this  bird's  nest  containfng  young.  The  Hawk  will 
always  be  found  common  where  these  small  animals  are  most  abundant.  The  nest 
is  placed  in  high  trees  in  deep  woods;  it  is  largo  and  bulky,  though  comparatively 
shallow;  made  of  sticks  and  twigs,  mixed  tosclhcr  with  corn-husks,  grans,  moss,  and 
on  the  inside  may  be  found  a  few  feathers.  Sometimes  the  deserted  nest  of  a  (M-ow 
or  that  of  another  hawk  is  fitted  up  and  used.  Mr.  J.  Parker  Norris  records  a  nost 
occupied  first  by  the  Great  Horned  Owl  and  afterwards  by  the  Red-tailed  Hawk,  each 
year;  the  young  owls  leave  the  nest  before  the  hawk  is  ready  to  occupy  it.  The  num- 
ber of  eggs  laid  by  this  species  is  two  or  three,  rarely  four.  Mr.  Norris  has  a  series 
of  twenty-seven  sets  collected  in  Connecticut,  Pennsylvania.  Iowa.  Mississippi,  and 
Texas;  nineteen  of  these  sets  are  of  two  eggs,  six  of  three,  and  two  of  four.*  The 
time  of  depositing  the  eggs  in  the  United  States  varies  according  to  locality  and 
circumstances,  but  they  are  generally  laid  in  March  or  April.  Eggs  are  found  in 
different  stages  of  incubation  as  late  as  the  middle  or  latter  part  of  May.  A  large 
series  of  eggs  present  amazing  differences  in  size  and  markings;  their  ground  color 
is  white  or  bluish-white;  some  are  entirely  unmarked,  while  others  are  very  heavily 
blotched  and  splashed  with  many  shades  of  red  and  brown;  some  are  faintly  marked 
here  and  there  with  a  light  purplish  tint,  and  again  the  colorings  may  form  an 


•  For  a  detailed  description  of  this  series  see  Ornithologist  and  Oologlst,  Vol.  XT,  pp. 
67-69.    Since  the  above  was  written  Mr.  Norris  has  Increased  his  series  to  thlrty-sIx  sets. 


lit 


y- 1\ 


!i 

1! 


r    ■  T, :  r.|t 

I  Mill 


20H 


SESTS  AND  EOGS  OF 


almost  conflupnt  wreath  at  either  end.  The  largest  eggs  iu  Mr.  Norrie'  collection 
measure  2.41x1.81,  2.37x2.00;  the  smallest,  2.17x1.80,  2.20x1.78.  The  average  size  is 
2  3fixl.80. 

337(1.  KRIDER'S  HAWK.  Butro  horcalis  kriderii  Hoopes.  Geog.  Dist.— Great 
Plains  of  the  United  States,  from  Minnesota  to  Texas. 

This  lighter  colored  variety  of  the  Red-tailed  Hawk  occurs  In  the  Great  Plains, 
from  Minnesota  to  Texas;  east  irregularly  or  casually  to  Iowa  and  Northern  Illinois. 
Mr.  F.  M.  Dille  writes  that  this  bird  nests  In  remote  places  on  the  plains  and  among 
the  large  cliffs  of  Colorado.  He  was  unable  to  detect  any  difference  between  the 
nest  and  eggs  of  this  bird  and  those  of  the  Western  Red-tail.     He  took  a  set  of  the 

eggs,  three  In  number,  in  Weld  county, 
May  24,  1886,  from  a  nest  in  a  Cottonwood 
tree.  Two  of  these  specimens  are  slightly 
spotted  with  Vandyke  brown,  but  the 
third  is  quite  heavily  splashed  and 
l)Iotched  at  the  smaller  end  with  chestnut 
and  cinnamon;  their  sizes  are  2.34xl.S2, 
;i.30xl.84,  2.28x1.83.  A  set  of  three  coleotod 
by  Mr.  Dille  Is  in  my  collection  and  offer 
the  following  measurements:  2.40x1.90, 
2.38x1.85,  2.30x1.89  inches.  Mr.  Dille  states 
that  the  nest  contained  cotton  balls,  from 
the  tree  in  which  it  was  placed;  these  had 
Ijurst  and  made  excellent  soft  lining  for 
the  nest. 

337/i.  WESTERN  RED-TAIL.  Biilm 
hdiralis  caliirus  (Cass.)  Geog.  D^^'t.— West- 
ern North  America,  especially  in  the 
United  Slates,  from  Rocky  Mountains 
to  the  Pacific,  south  into  Mexico. 

A  blackish  or  sometimes  an  almost  en- 
tirely sooty  variety  inhabiting  West- 
ern North  America.  In  all  respects  its 
breeding  habits  are  the  same  as  those  of 
the  Eastern  representative,  nesting  in  the 
branches  of  lofty  oaks,  pines,  sycamores, 
etc.  In  mountainous  regions  the  nests  are 
often  placed  on  the  narrow  ledges  of  clifts. 
The  eggs  cannot  be  distinguished  from 
those  of  /?.  borcaUs. 


;"V*.    Wkstern  Red-tail. 


337r.  ST.  L.UCUS  RED-TAIL.  litiUo  hotralis  liicasamix  Ridgw.  Geog.  Dist.— 
Peninsula  of  Lower  California. 

This  subspecies  is  confined  to  the  Peninsula  of  Lower  California.  Its  nesting 
and  eggs  are  identical  with  the  above  variety. 

337(i.  HARLAN'S  HAWK,  ftutcu  bwcnUa  hnrlaui  And.  Geog.  Dist.— Gulf 
States  and  Lower  Mississippi  Valley,  north  to  Pennsylvania,  Iowa  and  Kansas;  south 
to  Central  America. 


NORTH  AM  H  UK  AS  HI  If  Its. 


209 


-Great 


Mr.  Crandall  has  a  set  of  the  eggs  of  this 
aubBpecies  taken  at  Avery's  Island,  I.ouis- 
iaaa,  March  17,  1895.  The  nest  was  large  and 
bulky,  composed  of  sticks,  t\v'«rs,  lined  with 
green  leaves  and  moss.  The  nebl  was  placed 
in  a  large  white  oak  tree  on  the  edge  of  a 
swamp.  Tho  eggs,  two  in  number,  measure 
2.40x1.81,  2.45x1.83  respectively.  Thoir  ground 
color  is  bluish-white,  blotched  with  lirown; 
in  one  somewhat  sparingly  over  the  small 
end,  and  in  the  other  specimen  sprinkled 
ever  the  entire  surface. 

339.       RED-SHOULDERED       HAWK. 

Butfto  liiiiutiix  (Gmel.)  Cleog.  Dist.— East- 
ern North  America,  north  to  Nova  Scotia; 
west  to  the  edge  of  the  Great  Plains. 

This  large  species  is  one  of  the  common- 
est hawks  in  the  United  fltales,  and  it  is 
especially  abundant  in  winter,  from  which 
It  receives  the  name  of  Winter  I'alcon, 
but  it  Is  not  more  hardy  than  the  Red-tail. 
It  also  shares  the  name  of  Chicken 
Hawk,  commonly  applied  to  all  the  larger 
hawks.  Only  occasionally  it  visits  the 
barnyard,  its  diet  is  of  a  more  humble  kind, 
such  as  frcgs,  rats,  mice  and  small 
snakes.  The  nesting  of  the  Red-shouldered  Hawk  is  very  much  the  same  as  that  of 
the  Red-tail,  but  in  many  sections  it  seems  to  have  a  preference  for  lower  woods,  In 
bottom  lands.  The  nest  is  said  not  to  be  so  long  re-occupied  by  the  birds.  The  eggs 
are  usually  deposited  in  April  or  May.  The  number  of  eggs  is  three  or  four,  some- 
times only  two.  The  ground  color  is  bluish,  yellowish-white,  or  brownish,  spotted, 
blotched  and  dotted  irregularly  with  many  shades  of  reddish-brown;  they  are  usu- 
ally more  highly  colored  than  the  eggs  of  the  Red-tail.  Some  of  them  are  exceed- 
ingly handsome.  A  series  of  sixty-one  sets  are  in  Mr.  Norris'  cabinet,  nearly  all  of 
which  were  collected  by  the  celebrated  oologist,  "J.  M.  W."  (C.  L.  Rawson);  they 
show  a  wonderful  variation  in  size  and  markings,  ranging  from  almost  unmarked 
to  very  heavily  spotted  and  blotched  specimens.  To  describe  all  the  shades  of  reds 
and  browns,  which  comprise  the  variation,  would  be  an  almost  endless  task,  and  a 
large  series  like  this  must  be  seen  in  order  to  appreciate  how  much  the  eggs  of  this 
species  vary.  The  sizes  range  from  2.00  to  2.30  long  by  1.65  to  1.75  broad.  For  a 
thorough  treatise  on  the  food  of  txie  RaiUorcs  we  refer  the  reader  to  Dr.  A.  K.  Fisher's 
"Hawks  and  Owls  of  t..e  United  States."*  Hundreds  of  stomachs  of  these  birds  have 
been  examined  and  their  contents  recorded  in  this  work,  which  proves  conclusively 
that  ihey  are  of  great  benefit  to  agriculturalists  and  should  by  all  means  be  pro- 
tected by  law  everywhere  In  this  country. 


imrf.     Harlan's  Hawk  (After  Audubon). 


*  V.  S.  Dcpiirtment  of  AKrieulture  Division  of  OrnilholoKy  and  Mammalogy,  Bulletin 
No.  3.  The  Hawks  and  Owls  of  the  United  States  in  their  relation  to  Agriculture.  Pre- 
pared under  the  direction  of  Dr.  C.  Hart  Merrlam,  Ornithologist,  by  A  K.  Fisher,  M.  D., 
Assistant  Ornithologist.  Published  by  authority  of  the  Secretary  of  Agriculture.  Wa«h- 
inpton:     Government  Printing  Office,  1893. 

15 


I 


If 

'1! 


I 


21U 


NESTS  AND  BOOB  OF 


339o.  FLORIDA  RED-SHOULDERED  HAWK,  liiitro  Umutu<i  alUiii  Ridgw. 
Geog.  DlBt.— Florida,  Texas. 

In  Texas  Mr.  Slngley  found  this  bird  breeding  In  the  densely  wooded  bottom 
lands,  In  tall  pin  oaks  that  border  the  streams.  He  states  that  the  nest  Is  placed 
nn  the  large  limbs  of  the  trees,  and  Is  constructed  of  large  and  small  sticks,  weeds 
and  moss;  sometimes  It  Is  beautifully  decorated  with  Spanish  moss.  A  few  of  th« 
birds  prefer  the  uplands  for  a  breeding  place,  and  select  i)in  oaks  and  hickory  trees 
in  the  neighborhood  of  streams.  Mr.  Slngley  says  this  Hawk  has  the  peculiar  hal)it 
of  placing  green  leaves  in  the  nest.  Sometimes  the  leaves  are  bruised  and  nt'ten 
stain  the  eggs,  and  by  the  time  incubation  is  well  advanced  the  nest  is  half  full  of  the 
leaves.  Nest  building  commences  about  the  middlp  of  March,  and  fresh  sets  of  eggs 
may  be  found  until  the  middle  of  April.  Two  or  three  eggs  are  laid.  Mr.  Norris 
has  seven  sets  collected  by  Mr.  Singley  in  Leo  county,  Texas.  Their  ground-color 
is  dull  white  or  blulsh-whlte  and  they  vary  from  almost  entirely  unmarked  to 
heavily  blotched,  spotted  and  speckled  with  red.  lilac  and  rich  reddish-brown.  They 
vary  in  size  from  1.90  to  2.19  long  by  1.67  to  1.73  broad. 


Sii 

'Hi 

il 

j  n 

■ 

1  m 

1 
i 

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11 

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11 

; 

■im 

(     i 

I  -1 


339ft.  RED-BELLIED  HAWK.  Bubo  liiirotiis  elmuix  (Caas.)  Geog.  Diat.— 
Pacific  coast  of  the  United  States,  south  Into  Mexico. 

This  western  race,  whose  whole  under  plumage  is  of  a  rich  dark  reddish  color,  is 
distributed  from  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the  Pacific.  Nesting  and  eggs  similar  to 
those  of  /?.  /.  (illeiii.  Average  size  of  the  eggs  i.s  2.10x1.71.  A  set  of  two  eggs  in  Mr. 
Norris'  collection,  taken  May  2,  1887,  in  Los  Angeles  county,  California,  measure 
2.12x1,75,  2.04x1.77.     They  are  grayish-white  spotted  with  russet. 

340.  ZONE-TAILED  HAWK.  Biitrn  fibhniiuhis  Cuban.  GeoK.  Dist.— Texas, 
Arizona  and  Southern  California,  south  into  the  northern  portion  of  South  America. 

The  Zone-tailed  Hawk  is  a  peculiar  species,  unlike  any  other  of  the  United 
States.  It  is  slenderly  built  with  long  wings  and  tail  and  in  its  various  plumages  is 
not  yet  well  known.  The  bird  is  a  Mexican  and  Guatemalian  species  and  is  of  quite 
general  distribution  in  Texas  and  Arizona,  where  it  frequents  the  wooded  districts 
In  the  vicinity  of  streams.  Its  food  is  small  birds,  quadrupeds,  beetles,  locusts  and 
grasshoppers.  In  Texas  and  Arizona  this  Hawk  has  been  found  nesting  in  May. 
fresh  eggs  being  taken  by  the  middle  of  the  month.  The  nests  are  built  on  tall 
trees,  such  as  cottonwood,  ash,  box-elders,  sycamore  and  cypress  that  fringe  the 
streams.  It  is  placed  from  fifteen  to  forty  feet  from  the  ground,  in  the  horizontal 
branches;  is  large  and  bulky,  made  of  coarse  sticks,  lined  with  cottonwood  leaves 
or  Spanish  moss.  When  disturbed  while  incubating  the  bird  is  said  to  fly  off,  utter- 
ing a  loud  whistling  cry.  The  eggs  are  two  to  four  in  number;  dull  white,  usually 
spotted,  splashed  or  speckled,  with  rich  chestnut  or  umber-brown,  chiefly  at  the 
larger  end;  their  average  size  is  2.15x1.70. 

34_.  SENNETT'S  WHITE-TAILED  HAWK.  Butro  alhicavdatus  sennetti 
Allen.  Geog.  Dist. — Lower  Rio  Grande  Valley  of  Texas,  southward  through  Mexico, 
Central  and  most  o*f  South  America. 

This  fine  Hawk  is  a  rather  common  resident  on  the  Rio  Grande  of  Southern 
Texas  and  southward.  Dr.  Merrill  mentions  two  nests  which  he  found  May  2,  1878, 
placed  in  the  top  of  a  yucca  growing  in  Palo  Alto  prairie,  about  seven  miles  from 
Port  Brown.  The  nests  were  not  more  than  eight  feet  from  the  ground,  and  were 
good-sized  platforms  of  twigs,  with  scarcely  any  lining.    While  examining  these 


HI!  J 


yoffTii   ii//;/.7riv  niifns. 


311 


nests,  the  parents  saileJ  In  circles  overhpad,  constantly  uttoilng  a  cry  rfSfml)llnK 
the  bleating  of  a  goat.  Each  nnt  contained  one  egg.  The  first  was  fresh;  size  2.3.'> 
xl.91;  dirty-white,  with  a  few  reddish  blotches  at  the  smaller  end.  Tbc  second, 
partly  incubated,  was  lilte  the  first,  but  thp  blotches  were  rather  sparsely  dlatrlbutnil 
over  the  entire  egg;  size,  2.35x1.85.  Mr.  Edwin  C.  Davis  fotind  a  nest  •f  this  Hawk 
seven  miles  south  of  Fort  Grlffln.  Texas,  containing  two  slightly  Incubated  eggs,  on 
the  2d  of  June,  1886;  it  was  in  a  mesquite  bush,  eight  feet  from  the  groiind.  Thh  l.s 
doubtless  late  nesting,  as  all  other  nests  found  were  empty.  Three  8*ia  of  two  r^gs 
each  are  in  Mr.  Norris'  collection;  one  taken  May  2,  1S84,  near  Corpus  Christ!, 
measures  2.20x1.80,  2. 19x1. SO;  their  color  is  light  grayish,  faintly  and  sparingly 
spotted  with  light  drab;  another  collected  in  the  same  locality  March  24.  188»;,  one 
egg  of  which  is  unmarked,  and  the  other  faintly  spotted  with  fawn  color  at  the  large 
end;  sizes,  2.17x1.77,  2.25x1.78:  the  third  set  was  taken  on  the  Arkansas  river,  Toxas, 
April  2.  1888;  they  are  dull  grayish-white,  faintly  and  sparingly  marked  with  light 
fawn  color;  sizes.  2.33x1.65,  2.30x1.73. 


342.     SWAINSON'S  HAWK.     Ituhi,  sirainsnii!  Bonap. 
North   America  from   the   Mississippi   Valley  to  the   Pacific 
regions  and  south  to  Buenos  Ayres.    Casual 
in  New  England. 

One  of  the  commonest  and  most  charac- 
teristic of  the  large  Hawks  in  various  places 
of  the  West.  Many  are  killed,  as  they  com- 
mit great  depredations  In  the  poultry  yards; 
their  food,  however,  consists  largely  of  birds 
and  the  smaller  quadrupeds — squirrels,  goph- 
ers, rats,  mice,  etc.  The  flight  of  Swainson's 
Hawk  is  usually  slow,  but  in  pursuit  of  its 
prey  its  swiftness  is  said  to  remind  one  of  the 
dash  of  Aecipitrr  vclox.  Sharp-shinned  Hawk. 
The  sites  which  are  chosen  for  nesting  places 
by  this  Hawk  are  extremely  varia,ble;  in  some 
localities  the  nest  is  built  on  the  ground,  on 
bushes,  small  saplings  and  on  the  ledges  of 
rocky  cliffs.  Old  nests  of  hawks  and  crows 
are  fitted  up  for  the  occasion;  but  usually  It  is 
built  In  the  tallest  trees  and  in  an  almost  in- 
accessible position  in  the  outer  branches.  Mr. 
L.  Jones  states  that  in  Iowa  this  bird,  while 
l)reeding,  is  found  principally  in  moderately 
timbered  tracts,  selecting  less  inaccessible 
places  for  its  nests  than  Butro  borcalis,  but  of 
the  same  position  and  composition.  The  eggs 
are  deposited  as  late  as  May  15,  usually  May 
1.  Mr.  A.  M.  Sh'^lds  took  a  set  of  two  eggs 
of  this  Hawk,  May  21,  1886,  in  the  vicinity  of 
Los  Angeles,  California,  from  a  nest  situated 
In  the  extremity  of  the  branches  of  an  oak 
tree,  fully  fifty  feet  from  the  ground;  these 
are  in  my  cabinet  and  measure  2.20x1.61,  2.20 


CeoK.   Dist.— 
nnrtli    to   tli 


Wfsiern 

I'    Arctic 


'!!i 


343.    Swainson's  Hawk. 


I J 


llln 


912 


NE8TB  AND  BOOB  OF 


311.67.  The  eggs  of  this  Hawk  are  two  to  four  In  number,  greenlsh-white,  buffy- 
wkite  or  colorlesH,  BometlmpR  unmarked,  but  usually  spotted,  stained  or  blotched 
with  reddish  or  rusty-brown.     Their  average  size  Is  2. 21x1. "0. 


343.  BROAD- WINGED  HAWK.  IhiUo  latinnimiis  (Wlls.)  Oeog.  Dist.— 
Bastern  North  America,  from  New  Brunswick  and  the  Saskatchewan  country  south 
to  Texas,  Mexico,  Central  America,  northern  portion  of  South  America  and  West 
lidles. 


343.    Broad-winged  Hawk  (After  Audubon). 


1- 
ti 

111 


!■! 


The  Broad-winged  Hawk  Is  of  general  distribution  in  Eastern  North  America. 
It  makes  its  summer  home  in  the  solitudes  of  dense  woodlands,  usually  in  the  vi- 
elnity  of  a  marsh,  lake  or  river.  The  bird  Is  of  an  unsuspicious  and  spiritless  char- 
acter, frequently  permitting  the  Intruder  to  approach  within  a  few  yards  of  it  with- 
out exhibiting  the  least  alarm.  When  the  nest  is  approached  this  Hawk  is  said  to 
utter  a  piercing  cry  of    larm.    Its  food    consists  of  squirrels,  weasels,  frogs,  mice 


SOUTH  AiltmCAS  lilHUa. 


ai3 


5,  buffy- 
blotched 


Dlst.— 
ry  south 
nd  West 


and  small  birds.  Not  always  are  the  highest  trees  selected  us  nustlDg  sites;  in  aonif 
sections  the  crotches  and  branches  of  trees,  ten  to  forty  feet  from  the  ground,  ar* 
usually  chosen,  while  in  other  regions  ihe  tallest  oak  and  hickory  trees,  sixty  tc 
eighty  feet  from  the  ground,  are  preferred.  Abandoned  crows'  nests  are  likewise 
made  use  of  l)y  this  speoies.*  The  nosts  are  coarsely  constructed  of  sticks,  lined 
with  fibrous  roots,  bark  strips,  moss  or  feathers.  The  eggs  of  the  Broad-winged 
Hawk  are  usually  deposited  In  May.  In  the  forests  of  the  Red  River  of  the  North 
in  Minnesota,  Mr.  J.  W.  Preston  found  the  eggs  in  the  latter  half  of  May:  they  hav« 
been  taken  near  St.  John,  New  Brunswick,  as  late  as  June  23;  in  Monroe  county, 
Pennsylvania,  June  C;  and  Northampton  county,  Pennsylvania,  May  17  and  18; 
near  Framlngham,  Massachusetts,  May  25;  in  Lafayette  county,  Mississippi.  April 
9,  May  17  and  18.  Mr.  O.  C.  Poling  took  sets  of  this  Hawk's  eggs  near  Quincy,  111., 
In  May.  A  set  of  two  eggs  were  brought  to  me  which  were  taken  In  Knox  county. 
Ohio,  May  26,  1886.  The  eggs  are  of  a  grayish,  lavender-gray  or  yellowish-whit* 
ground  color,  variously  marked  with  spots  and  blotches  of  fawn  color  and  umber- 
brown  and  chestnut.  Two  or  three  are  the  usual  number  laid,  and  four  are  ei- 
ceptional.    The  average  size  is  1.90xl.54t 


344.  SHORT-TAILED  HAWK.  Butco  hrnchyurus  Vieill.  Geog.  Dlst.— Mexi- 
co, Central  America  and  most  of  South  America,  north  to  Eastern  Mexico  and 
Florida. 

This  tropical  species  comes  as  far  north  as  Florida,  where  it  Is  said  to  breed 
regularly,  where  It  places  its  nest  In  the  tall  trees  of  the  cypress  swamps.  An  egg 
is  described  by  the  late  Major  Bendire  as  dull  white,  showing  blue  when  held  against 
a  strong  light.  It  is  marked  on  the  larger  end  with  reddish-brown  spots  an4 
blotches  over  about  one-fourth  of  the  surface.      Size,  2.17x1.61  inches. 


r 


America, 
the  vi- 
ess  char- 
'  it  with- 
s  said  to 
)gB,  mice 


345.     MEXICAN    BLACK    HAWK.     Vnihithm    aiithracina     (Llcht.;     Geog. 
Dlst. — Arizona,  southward  to  northern  portions  of  South  America. 

A  beautiful  Hawk,  known  as  the  Mexican  or  Anthracite  Buzzard,  and  founi 
throughout  tropical  America,  and  north  to  Southern  Arizona.      The  general  color 


♦  Many  nests  of  the  Rnptores  described  by  writers  as  resembllngr  those  of  the  Crow 
may  safely  be  attributed  to  the  latter  as  their  architects,  and  wherever  Crows  bree* 
abundantly  It  Is  almost  an  assurance  that  some  species  of  Hawk  or  Owl  may  be  found  nest- 
ing in  the  Immediate  vicinity. 

t  This  Is  the  average  size  given  by  Mr.  Norrls,  taken  from  a  series  of  seventeen  sets 
in  his  cabinet,  nine  of  which  came  from  Minnesota,  three  from  Mississippi,  one  from 
Massachusetts,  and  four  from  Pennsylvania;  forty-two  eggs  In  all.  Mr.  Norrls  states  that 
there  are  two  types  of  coloration  In  the  series;  twenty-four  of  the  eggs  have  markings  of 
very  subdued  tints  of  pearl-gray,  lavender-gray,  lilac-gray  and  ecru-drab,  on  a  faint  yel- 
lowish or  blulsh-whlte  ground;  the  tints  In  many  Instances  have  the  appearance  of  being 
under  the  shell,  and  are  present  In  specks,  spots  and  blotches.  The  remaining  eighteen 
eggs  are  marked  with  spots  and  blotches  of  fawn  color,  russet,  walnut-browji,  burnt  umber 
and  chestnut.  Some  of  the  sizes  from  this  series  are  as  follows:  1.74x1.52,  1.76x1.50,  1.85x1.4^, 
1.87x1.53,  1.90x1.54,  1.99x1.53,  2.01x1.62,  2.06x1.52.  See  Ornithologist  and  Oologlst,  Vol.  XII,  pn. 
9-11  and  Vol.  XIII.  p.  21. 


% 


( 

I 

'M 

f 


214 


NKHTH  INl)  mOH  OF 


of  i^if  a<lul»  bird  Ih  roal-blark;  tulI-rovertB  narrowly  tipped  with  white;  taii  black, 
thf  'i|t  and  base  wblto,  and  croHsed  at  alioiit  the  middle  by  a  broad  band  of  white. 
Or  I'MKiir  A.  MearnH  met  with  thlH  Hawk  In  the  valley  .of  the  Rio  Verde. 
Ariz<»nji.  in  issi-fi.  'I'ho  lilrdH  were  preHcnt  tbroiiKbout  the  Hummer  monthH.  but 
(If  IiiirH'ii  in  aulunin.  they  wero  cxIrenuMy  Hhy  and  were  iiflually  found  hidden  In  the 
(!« iisf  foliane  of  <'ottonwr)()tlH  n<  ar  wiihr.  in  soinc  low  Hituation.  Their  (light  he 
(leitcrllieR  au  Hwlft  and  powerful.  OccfiKioiially  one  wnH  Keen  eating  a  fish  upon  the 
sandy  niarKin  of  the  river,  'i'lieir  loudly  whiHfied  cry  wuh  rendered  with  great, 
power,  and  different  from  tluit  of  any  bird  of  prey  with  which  h»'  waH  acquainted. 
.\  noHl  was  found  built  in  a  ctjilonwood  tree  June  !!>.  This  had  evidently  been  the 
liirihplace  of  many  generationK  of  thene  Hawks,  tor  it  meanured  four  feet  In  depth 
by  two  feet  in  width.  It  waH  lined  with  a  layer  of  cottonwood  loaves,  several  inrhes 
di'»'p,  was  v»'ry  KllKlitly  concave,  and  composed  of  large  sticks,  much  decayed  l)elow, 
showing  that  they  had  been  in  position  for  a  number  of  years.  The  nest  was  about 
thirty  feet  from  the  ground  and  contained  a  half-grown  nestling.  Upon  approaching 
the  nest  the  Hawk  exhibited  much  uneasiness  and  screamed  h.stily.  .\  fully  identi- 
fied egg  of  (Ills  species,  taken  by  Dr.  Mearns  on  May  20,  ISS7,  as  descrll)ed  l)y  tne 
late  Major  Hendlre.  Is  oval  in  shape,  dull  white  in  color,  and  irregularly  l)iotcbe(i, 
principally  about  the  larger  end,  with  small  markings  of  different  shades  of  brown. 
It  measures  2.L*lixl.Sl  inches.  This  egg  Is  figured  on  Plate  8,  Fig.  8,  of  Maj.  Bendire's 
great  work,  Vol.  I. 


IS 


346.     MEXICAN     GOSHAWK.     Asturinii     pUiifUtta     Schlegel.     Geog.     DIat.— 
Southern  liorder  of  the  United  States,  southward  to  Panama;  accidental  In  Southern 

Illinois. 

llie  late  Maj.  Charles  E.  Hendlre  stales  that  this,  one  of  the  handsomest  of  our 
It'iiiiliif  s,  is  not  an  uncommon  summer  resident  of  the  southern  portions  of  Arizona. 
Th(  l)ii<rs  peculiar  call-notes  he  describes  as  reseml)ling  the  piping  of  the  Long- 
l)illt(l  Curlew;  their  flight  exceedingly  graceful  and  swift,  resembling  in  many  re- 
spects that  of  the  American  Goshawk.  They  seem  to  prefer  more  o.^en  country  than 
the  latter  species.  In  the  timber  bordering  Rillitto  creek,  near  Tucsi  "  Maj.  Bendire 
found  this  Hawk  breeding  In  1872;  on  the  dates  May  17,  June  6  and  19,  and  June  20. 
nests  were  found  containing  two  and  three  eggs  each.  The  nests  were  placed  in 
cottonwood  trees,  fifty  and  seventy-five  feet  from  the  ground;  one  found  May  17. 
located  in  the  topmost  branches  of  a  cottonwood  was  not  a  very  substantial  struc- 
ture; a  shallow  platform  composed  principally  of  small  cottonwood  twigs,  a  number 
of  them  broken  off  green  by  the  birds  themselves.  The  birds  were  seen,  while 
flying,  to  grasp  at  a  suitable  twig  with  the  talons,  usually  succeeding  in  breaking  it 
off  at  the  first  trial.  The  nest  was  lined  with  dry  cottonwood  leaves  and  the  top.s 
of  the  willows,  the  latter  taken  while  yet  green.  Major  Bendire  describes  the  eggs  as 
white  or  pale  bluish-white,  unspotted,  but  always  more  or  less  stained  with  yellow- 
ish matter  hard  to  clean  off;  size  2.00x1.60.*  A  set  of  two  eggs,  taken  in  Arizona. 
May  23,  1884,  by  Mr.  F.  Stephens,  is  in  the  collection  of  the  late  Captain  B.  F.  Goss. 
The  nest  from  which  these  were  taken  was  in  a  cottonwood  tree,  seventy-flve  feet 
from  the  ground;  It  was  made  of  cottonwood  and  willow  twigs,  mostly  green,  lined 


*  P.rnithnlocrlst  and  Ooloplst.  Vol.  VT,  pp.  S7-SR. 


SOHTH    WIHUlrW  HlltltS. 


au 


with  small  twigH  uud  Krcen  l«>avfH.     The  «'kkh  an;  whllt*.  with  .i  few  IndlstlDCt  buffy- 
hrown  HpntH.  rIzpb  1.96x1.54,  1.96x1.58. 


[347.1  ROUOH-LEOOED  HAWK.  SrvhUtutvn  UuMtun  {lAvwnxi.)  Ook  Dint.— 
Northern  jjortlons  of  tho  old  wo»-!«i;   AluHka. 

The  Euro|)oiin  Rough-lpRged  Uuzzard  v«'ry  niueh  reaemhles  our  AiiHTicun  bird. 
saiifli-iohaiiHls.  In  Europe  it  Is  said  to  he  Hparingly  dlHtrlhuted  over  the  northern 
IiartB,  appearing  occaflionally  in  Northern  Mrltaln.  and  with  regularity  in  the  more 
southern  portlonn.  It  is  known  to  breed  In  the  rugged  mountain  regions  of  Swltzer- 
I'lnd  and  various  parts  of  France  and  Italy,  placing  the  bulky  nest  of  stickM  in  lofty 
ireea  or  on  lueclpltons  rocks.     'I  he  eggs,  two  to  four  In  number,  varv  ir...  i  dirty- 


.^47.     RouGH-i,F.c.GKn  Hawk  (From  Brehni;. 

white  to  grayish  or  cream-color,  usually  marked  with  numerous  spots  and  blotches 
of  umber  and  sepia-brown,  and  sometimes  entirely  unmarked;  average  size  2. 20x1. SO. 


!l 


'I' 

t"! 


|! : 

I 

'i 
1 

1 
1 

1 

iHi 


216 


N98TB  AND  MOQB  OF 


347u.  AMEBICAN  BOUOH-LEGQED  HAWK.  Archibutio  lay<>im>i  samti- 
fohainiis  (Gmel.)  Geog.  Dist.— Whole  of  North  America,  north  of  Mexican  boundary 
breeding  chiefly  north  of  the  United  States. 

The  plumage  of  the  "Black  Hawk,"  as  it  is  called,  is  subject  to  great  variations. 
In  general,  the  whole  plumage  is  dark  brown  or  blackish  and  light  brown,  gray  or 
whitish.  From  tiiCse  variegated  stages  the  bird  varies  to  more  or  less  uniform 
blackish;  but  in  either  plumage  it  is  easily  recognized  by  the  feathered  shank.  The 
Rough-legged  Buzzard  frequents  swamps,  marshes  and  the  vicinity  of  lakes  and 
rivers.  It  appears  lo  be  more  numerous  near  the  coast  than  in  the  interior  east  of 
the  Mississippi.  It  in  less  acti/e  than  most  Hawks,  and  approaches  the  owls  in  the 
habit  of  hunting  by  twilight.  Its  food  consists  chiefly  of  mice  and  frogs.  The  nest 
01  this  species  is  placed  on  large  trees,  frequently  on  ledges  of  rocks;  it  is  a  bulky 
structure,  composed  of  sticks,  grasses,  weeds  and  various  other  materials  which  are 
soft  and  easily  matted  toppthe.r.  The  eggs  are  two  or  three  in  number;  they  are 
white  or  buffy,  sprinkled,  spotted  or  blotched  with  brown;  the  average  size  given  is 
2.27x1.76.  Mr.  Norris  has  a  set  of  two  eggs  taken  June  9,  1864,  on  the  Anderson 
River,  in  Arctic  America,  by  R.  R.  MacFarlane.  These  are  of  an  ivory  white, 
spotted,  splashed  and  blotched  with  cinnamon;  they  measure,  2.20x1.76,  2.22x1.81, 

348.  FERRUGINOUS  ROUGH-LEG.  ArrhthiiUo  fvrnio-tiirKS  (Llcht.)  Geog. 
Dist. — Western  United  States,  across  the  great  plains,  north  to  the  Saskatchewan 
)o-  'on;  south  to  Mexico.     Occasionally  to  Illinois. 

Known  as  the  Ferruginous  Rough-legged  Buzzard  or  California  Squirrel  Hawk. 
':  common  species  on  the  plains  of  the  west,  and  one  of  the  largest  and  handsomest  of 
ci<r  American  Hawks.  In  some  localities  this  species  builds  its  large  and  bulky  nests 
on  trees,  rar  ging  from  ten  to  fifty  feet  from  the  ground;  it  is  composed  of  large 
sticks  and  lined  with  leaves,  tufts  of  grass  and  roots.  Mv.  F.  M.  Dille,  of  Greeley, 
Colorado,  states  the  birds  are  not  shy,  and  made  no  demonstration  when  he  ap- 
proached the  nest.  He  describes  a  nest  as  measuring  three  feet  in  diameter  and 
two  in  depth.  The  eggs  are  two  or  three,  rarely  four,  in  number.  The  late  Capt. 
B.  F.  Goss  informed  me  that  he  found  this  Hawk  in  Northern  Dakota  nesting  on  the 
ground,  on  ricky,  precipitous  hillsides;  this,  too,  being  the  case  seemingly  from 
choice,  for  heavy  timber  was  only  a  few  miles  away,  and  patches  of  brush  and  low 
trees  were  often  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  nest.  May  4,  1884,  the  late  Capt. 
Goss  found  a  nest  at  the  foot  of  a  rock,  on  a  steep  bluff;  it  was  composed  of  sticks, 
buffalo  ribs,  weed  stalks  and  small  pieces  of  turf,  lined  with  dry  grass.  Four  eggs 
vary  greatly  in  color,  from  finely  spotted  to  heavily  splashed  with  different  shades 
of  bro  vn;  sizes,  2.44x1.96,  2.55x1.96,  2.45x2.00,  2.40x1.92.  Mr.  Dille  states  that  the 
usual  date  for  depositing  the  eggs  on  the  plains  of  Colorado  is  about  May  20,  but  he 
has  taken  fresh  eggs  as  early  as  April  20.  A  set  of  two  in  Mr.  Norris'  collection, 
taken  in  Comal  county,  Texas,  March  30,  1873,  are  spotted,  splashed  with  brown  and 
burnt  umber.  They  measure  2.33x1.88,  2.33x1.88,  2.34x1.86.  Mr.  Crandall  has  a 
series  of  the  eggs  of  this  species  consisiting  of  nine  sets  of  four  eggs  each,  the  thirl  y- 
six  eggs  show  r.n  n  'erage  measurement  of  2.43x1.91  inches. 


.349.  GOLDEN  EAGLE.  .1«/mi7«  rhri)S(if't(is  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist.— Northern 
pordons  of  the  Northern  Hemisphere,  chiefly  in  mountainous  regions. 

The  Golden  Eagle  inhabits  North  America  at  large,  and  also  the  northern  parts 
of  the  Old  World.  It  may  be  recognized  by  the  tarsus  being  whnUy  feaihcrvd  to  the 
t»€s;  the  general  color  of  i* o  plvmage  is  dark-brown  throughout,  and  the  tone  of  the 


XORTH  AMKRICAX  ItlRltS. 


SIT 


parts 

to  the 

of  the 


color,  in  certain  lights,  is  of  a  golden-brown.  It 
is  known  to  breed  In  mountainous  portions  of 
Northern  New  England  and  New  York.  In  the 
Anderson  River  region  Mr.MacFarlane  found  the 
Golden  Eagle  nesting  as  early  as  the  last  of 
April,  and  eggs  containing  large  embryos  were 
taken  May  27.  The  bird  is  quite  common  in  the 
mountainous  regions  of  California.  The  nests 
are  built  usually  on  inaccessible  rocks,  and 
sometimes  in  trees,  and  two  or  three  eggs  are 
laid,  generally  two.  Throughout  California  the 
Golden  Eagle  seems  to  nest  in  trees  by  prefer- 
ence. Mr.  Samuel  C.  Evans  found  it  breeding 
in  March,  in  the  wild,  rugged  mountains  of 
Santa  Clara  county,  in  the  vicinity  of  Mt.  Day; 
the  nests  were  placed  in  sycamores,  pines  and 
oaks— one  in  a  large  pine  tree  which  overhung  a 
deep  and  rocky  canon.  Mr.  Norris  has  a  set  of 
two  eggs  which  was  taken  February  26,  1886, 
hear  Tres  Pinos,  California,  from  a  nest  built  in 
a  solitary  live  oak  standing  in  a  wheat  field,  on 
the  fiide  of  a  gulch.  This  nest  was  very  largo, 
nearly  four  feet  in  depth  and  five  feet  in  diam- 
eter; it  was  composed  of  sticks  and  lined 
with  straw  stubble,  green  grass  and  twigs 
in  leaf.  The  eggs  are  whitish,  heavily 
blotched  with  chestnut,  and  pale  lavonder 
under-shell  markings;  sizes,  2.86x2.21,  2.89x 
2.29.     Mr.     J.     R.     Chalker,     in     the     seasons 

of  1886-7-8,  collected  ten  sets  of  the  eggs  of  this  bird  in  San  Benito  county,  California, 
nearly  all  of  which  were  taken  from  nests  placed  in  trees.  The  first  set  was  found 
February  26,  and  the  others  at  various  dates  in  the  month  of  March.  Two  eggs  was 
the  usual  number  laid,  and  one  set  of  three  was  taken.  A  nest  in  a  lofty  red-wood 
tree,  ninety-four  feet  from  the  ground,  is  described  as  being  made  of  large  sticks, 
lined  with  red-wood  twigs  and  straw-stubble.  Nests  were  also  found  placed  on  al- 
most inaccessible  cliffs.  The  eggs  in  colors  varied  from  white,  unmarked,  to  faintly 
and  heavily  marked  specimens.  One  set  was  found  which  was  densely  blotched  witk 
reddish-brown  all  over,  Maj.  Bendirc  gives  the  average  measurements  of  twenty- 
eight  specimens  taken  in  California  as  2.93x2.28.  Mr.  C.  W.  Crandall's  oological  col- 
lection contains  no  less  than  a  series  of  over  sixty  eggs  of  the  Golden  Eagle.  Many 
of  these  were  taken  by  Mr.  Chalker  and  among  these  is  a  set  containing  the  number 
of  three.  These  are  beautifully  marked  over  a  whitish  ground  with  heavy  blotches, 
spots  and  specks  of  chestnut,  lavender,  grayish  and  purplish  brown  and  sienna 
varying  in  degrees  of  intensity  in  each  egg,  but  these  are  always  more  abundant 
find  heaviest  at  the  large  ends.  Their  sizes  are  2.97x2.37,  2.96x2.27,  2.95x2.40  inches. 
They  were  collected  March  4,  1889,  in  San  Benito  county,  Cal.  The  nest  was  situated 
k>n  a  cliff  and  had  been  used  for  years,  this  year  being  lined  with  a  little  straw. 
Mr.  Crandall  states  that  all  of  his  Golden  Eagle  eggs  are  heavily  marked,  which  w« 
believe  is  not  generally  the  rule  with  this  species.  He  gives  the  measurement  of 
thirty-seven  eggs  as  2.91x2.32  inches. 


34i).     Golden  Eaglf.  (After  Fishen. 


lii 


!18 


NEST8  AND  EGOS  OF 


[350. J  HARPY  EAGLE.  Tlinisatos  htuftyiu  Linn.  Oeog.  Dist.— I.,ower  Rio 
(ri-ande  Valley,  casual;  south  to  Paraguay.    Louisiana  (?). 

The  late  Maj.  Bendire  says  in  his  "Life  Histories  of  North  American  Birds": 
"The  Harpy  Eagle,  if  not  the  largest,  is  certainly  the  most  powerful  of  all  the  birds 
of  prey  found  on  the  American  <ontinent,  and  can  only  be  considered  as  a  straggler, 
having  been  noticed  in  the  Lower  Rio  Grande  Valley  in  Texas.  No  specimens  have 
as  yet  l)een  talien  within  our  i)orders.  It  1)rpeds  in  Southern  Mexico  and  thence 
southward  as  far  as  Bolivia  and  Southern  Brazil."  According  to  the  authority  of  Dr. 
Felix  Oswald,  this  bird  attacks  and  kills  large  turkeys,  young  fawns,  sloths,  full- 
grown  foxes  and  badgers,  middle-sized  pigs  and  even  the  black  Sapayou  monkey 
(AMcs  iHiiiixciisJ,  whose  size  and  weight  exceed  its  own  more  than  three  times. 
The  Harpy  Eagle's  nesting  place  is  amongst  the  highest  branches  of  the  tallest 
forest  trees  and  the  more  inaccessible  rocks  of  the  foothills.  The  nest  is  composed 
of  dry  sticks  and  moss,  lichens,  etc.  The  eggs,  four  or  five  in  number,  but  according 
to  Dr.  Oswald  the  birds  never  hatch  more  than  two.  They  are  while,  with  yellov- 
ish-brown  dots  and  washes;  about  as  long,  but  not  quite  as  heavy  as  a  hen's  egg. 
Maj.  Bendire  says:  "Judging  from  the  size  of  several  specimens  of  the  Harpy  Eagle 
in  the  U.  S.  National  Museum  collection,  the  egg  of  this  species  should  at  least  be 
as  large  as  that  of  the  Golden  ♦Eagle  (.[<iiiih:  ilirusaliitij,  and  in  fact  considerably 
larger.     I  have  been  unable  to  find  a  correct  description  of  the  egg  of  this  species." 


[351.]  GRAY  SEA  EAGLE.  Halhnlus  iilbiciUu  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist.— North- 
ern portions  of  Europe  and  Asia;  Greenland. 

A  large  dusky-brown  species  known  as  ilie  White-tailed  or  Gray  Sea  Eagle.  In- 
cluded in  our  North  American  fauna  upon  its  occurrence  in  the  south  and  southeast- 
ern coasts  of  Greenland,  where  it  is  common,  nesting  in  all  suitable  places.  It  is 
common  to  the  sea  coasts  of  Europe  and  is  rarely  found  inland,  lireeds  on  the 
coasts  of  Great  Britain;  its  most  favorite  haunts  being  the  shores  and  islands  of  the 
northern  and  western  coasts  of  Scotland;  the  Hebrides,  Orkney  and  Shetland  Islands, 
where  it  nests  on  the  rocky  cliffs  projecting  out  over  the  water.  The  nests  are  made 
of  sticks  or  seaweed.  Trees  are  also  resorted  to,  though  much  less  frequently. 
This  Eagle  also  breeds  on  the  coasts  of  Denmark,  Norway  and  Sweden,  and  those 
of  Russia.  The  eggs  are  two  or  three  in  number,  plain  white,  but  occasionally 
with  small  faint  spots  of  light  brown,  rounded  ovate  in  shape.  The  average  size  of 
twenty-four  eggs  in  Mr.  Crandall's  collection  (of  one  to  three  eggs  to  a  set  re- 
spectively) is  2.92x2.29.  These  were  all  taken  in  Southern  Russia  and  on  the  coast 
of  Sweden  between  February  28  and  April  20.  There  are  seven  set?  of  three  eggs, 
one  of  two  and  one  of  one.  The  largest  gg  measures  3.10x2.32,  the  smallest  2.64x 
2  19.     Mr.  Crandall  states  that  some  of  the  eggs  are  considerably  pointed. 


U  : 


352.  BALD  EAGLE.  Uali'irtiis  leu('0(Tphalti.s  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist.— Whole  of 
North  America,  south  to  Mexico. 

This  great  bird  is  common  everywhere  in  North  America.  It  passes  through 
three  stages  of  plumage;  the  first  year  the  young  are  very  dark-colored  and  are  er- 
roneously called  "Black  Eagles,"  the  second  they  are  "Gray  Eagles,"  and  are  usually 
larger  than  the  old  birds.  The  residence  of  the  White-headed  Eagle  is  greatly  In- 
fluenced by  the  abundance  of  food,  especially  that  of  fish.  It  is  found  as  far  north 
as  the  Arctic  Circle,  and  south  as  far  as  Florida  and  Texas.  Breeds  In  the  interior 
Arctic  regions  on  the  borders  of  lakes  and  rivers.  Not  an  uncommon  summer  resi- 
dent in  Labrador,  and  breeds  from  thence  southward  along  the  Atlantic  coast  to 


salt  I II  \M  Hint  AS  itiuns. 


219 


1 


:!VJ.    Bald  Eagle  (From  lUelini). 


Florida.  Common  resident  of  Oregon  and  Washington  Territory.  It  is  particularly 
common  along  the  Columbian  River,  where  the  supply  of  ".ch  Is  abundant.  The  eggs 
are  deposited  from  December  to  April,  according  to  locality.  The  Bald  Eagle  is  not 
the  sluggish,  fish-oating  bird  that  some  writers  state  it  to  be,  devoid  of  energy,  ob- 
taining its  living  by  robbing  :iic  industrious  Osprey.  It  has  been  known  to  swoop 
down  upon  flocks  of  Geese,  Drant,  Duck  and  Coot,  select  a  particular  bird,  when  the 
tlorks  scattered,  and  successfully  carry  off  its  victim  to  the  nearest  sand-bar.  If  it  is 
a  goose,  and  too  heavy,  both  birds  fall  into  the  water,  when  the  Eagle  literally  tows 
tho  prize  along  the  surface  until  the  shore  is  reached.*  This  bird  abso  captures 
wounded  ducks  and  other  birds,  and  feeds  on  putrid  fish  and  flesh.  Florida  seems 
to  be  a  favorite  breedinp  ground  of  the  Bald  Eaglr,  where  they  nest  usually  in  Jan- 
uary, but  in  the  extreme  southern  portions — Cape  Sable  and  the  Keys  In  that  region — 


•  Wm.   Brewster:     Hull.   Nutt.  Clul).   Vol.  V,   pp.  57-58. 


f 


220 


NB8TS  AND  3008  OF 


they  breed  in  December.  The  nests  are  massive  structures,  made  of  sticks,  lined 
with  roots  or  grass;  they  are  placed  In  trees,  and  their  distance  from  the  ground 
ranges  from  twenty  to  ninety  feet.  On  rocky  coasts,  destitute  of  suitable  trees,  this 
Eagle  resorts  to  the  cliff  for  nesting  places,  and  the  same  eyrie  is  occupied  for  many 
years.  The  eggs  are  two,  rarely  three  in  number,  and  are  white,  or  ivory-white, 
unmarked,  usually  with  a  granulated  surface  and  nest-stained.  Three  sets  of  two 
eggs  each  are  in  Mr.  Norris'  collection;  one  from  Morritt's  Island.  Florida,  taken 


352. 


Bald  Eagle  (After  Aiidubon). 


December  13,  1883,  measure  2.79x2.21,  2.74x2.09;  another  from  Stone  Island,  Maine, 
collected  April  21,  1887,  measure  2.88x2.15,  2.94x2.13;  the  third  from  Tampa,  Florida, 
taken  December  3,  1884,  give  the  following  dimensions:  2.70x2.12,  2.70x2.10.  Four 
sets  in  my  cabinet,  collected  by  Mr.  R.  C.  Stuart  at  Cape  Sable,  December  1,  4  and 
16,  exhibit  the  following  sizes  by  sets:  First,  2.57x2.12,  2.98x2.22;  second,  2.89x2.15, 
2.91x2.17;  third,  2.73x2.09,  2.63x2.02;  fourth,  2.51x1.94,  2.51x2.00.  These  eggs  were 
taken  from  huge  nests,  placed  in  mangrove  trees,  twenty  to  thirty-five  feet  fro"-.  the 
ground. 


353.  WHITE  GYBFALCON.  Falco  islandus  Brunn.  Geog-  Dist.— Arctic 
regions,  including  Arctic  America  and  Greenland. 

The  Gyrfalcons  are  large  handsome  birds  and  are  found  In  various  phases  of 
plumage,  being  white,  more  or  less  barred  and  spotted  with  brownish  and  black. 
They  are  birds  of  boreal  regions,  and  nest  in  trees  or  cliffs,  preying  upon  the  smaller 
quadrupeds,  grouse,  ducks,  auks,  etc.  The  adult  of  the  present  species  averages  as 
white  as  the  Snowy  Owl.  It  is  called  Greenland  Gyrfalcon  and  breeds  in  Greenland 
and  other  portions  of  Arctic  America.  Dr.  Stejneger  states  that  this  species  breeita 
on  Bering  Island.  A  pair  had  their  nest  in  a  steep  and  inaccessible  rock,  a  couple  of 
miles  from  the  main  village.  The  eggs  are  two  to  four  In  number.  Mr.  CrandaM 
has  two  sets  of  four  eggs  each  of  this  species  taken  at  Umanack,  Greenland,  May  M 


I 


NORTH  AMEHICAN  BllWm. 


221 


the 


as 
and 
eeds 
e  of 
idaM 


and  28th,  1894.  Both  nests  were  placed  upon  ledges  of  cliffs  and  the  stmrtures 
were  composed  of  sticks  and  rubbish.  The  eggs,  Mr.  Crandall  informs  me,  have  a 
reddish-white  ground  color,  profusely  marked  with  a  rich  dark  red  of  varying 
shades,  but  exceedingly  bright  in  intensity.  In  some  these  markings  blend  with  the 
ground  color.  All  the  eggs  show  little  elevations  like  warts  on  the  shell.  The  first 
set  mentioned  measures:  2.32x1.83,  2.35x1.83,  2.38x1.84,  2.39x1.79  inches  respectively; 
the  second,  2.40x1.82,  2.38x1.85,  2.41x1.74,  2.43x1.83  inches. 

354.  GRAY  GYRFALCON.  Faho  riiKti<i)lu.s  Linn.  Geog.  Disl.— Extreme 
.Slorthern  portions  of  Europe,  Asia  and  North  America;  Iceland,  Southern  Green- 
land; south  in  winter  to  the  northern  border  of  the  United  States. 

The  Gray  Gyrfalcon  is  not  uncommon  in  Iceland  and  Southern  Greenland,  and 
strays  in  v/iuter  into  Northeastern  United  States.  Mr.  Norris  has  a  set  of  two  eggs 
of  this  bird,  collected  by  Mr.  Proctor  in  Southern  Greenland,  on  the  30th  of  May, 
1884.  Incubation  was  just  begun,  and  the  parent  bird  was  shot.  The  nest  was  placed 
on  a  shelving  rock.  One  of  the  eggs  is  marked,  over  a  whitish  ground,  with  small 
light  Feddish-browu  spots  sparing  '  sprinkled  over  the  surface,  confluent  at  the 
small  end,  where  they  almost  obscure  the  ground  color.  The  rest  of  the  egg  his  a 
whitish  appearance.  The  other  specimen  is  heavily  marked  over  the  entire  surface. 
Sizes,  2.26x1.82,  2.25x1.86. 

354«.  GYBFALCON.  I'ulvo  rustUoluts  tjyrfulco  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist. — Northern 
Europe;  interior  or  Arctic  .^vmerica,  from  Hudson's  Bay  to  Alaska. 

MacFarlane's  Gyrfalcon  breeds  abundantly  in  the  interior  regions  of  Arctic 
America,  where  numerous  skins  and  eggs  are  annually  taken.  It  not  infrequently 
visits  the  Northern  United  States  in  winter,  and  it  is  recorded  as  even 
reaching  the  Middle  States.  The  number  of  eggs  laid  by  this  variety  of 
Gyrfalcon  ranges  from  two  to  four,  more  commonly  three  to  four.  In  Mr.  Crandall's 
collection  there  are  two  sets  of  four  eggs  each,  taken  April  20,  1892,  and  April  25, 
1893;  the  former  near  Kantokino,  the  latter  near  Finnmarken,  Lapland.  Both  nests 
were  placed  on  ledges  of  cliffs  and  were  composed  of  sticks,  small  twigs,  feathers, 
etc.  The  first  set  of  eggs  are  very  light  colored  and  may  be  described  as  appearing 
an  almost  uniform  dull  yellowish  red;  the  sizes  are  2.18x1.68,  2.28x1.70,  2.28x1.71, 
2.20x1.70.  The  second  is  of  a  very  dark  type  of  coloration,  the  ground  showing  but 
little  of  the  yellowish-red;  the  markings  being  of  a  deep  burnt-umber,  resembling 
the  markings  of  the  typical  Merlin's  eggs.  They  measure  2.34x1.79,  2.30x1.79,  2.35x 
1.78,  2.32x1.82  inches.  These  two  sets  are  selected  to  show  the  wide  contrast  In 
coloration  from  a  series  of  forty-one  eggs  of  this  species.  A  single  egg  In  the  cabinet 
of  the  late  Capt.  B.  F.  Goss,  taken  at  Fort  Yukon,  Arctic  America,  In  June,  1865,  Is 
finely  and  evenly  speckled  with  reddish-brown  over  the  entire  shell;  the  spots  are 
partly  confluent,  giving  the  egg  a  reddish  appearance;  size  2.34x1.75,  which  Is  un- 
usually large. 

354^.  BLACK  GYRFALCON.  Falco  rimtivolus  obsoletiis  (Gme\.)  Geog.  DIst.— 
Labrador;  south  in  winter  to  Canada,  Maine  and  New  York. 

This  dusky  form  of  the  Gyrfalcon  makes  its  home  on  the  cliffs  of  the  rugged 
coasts  of  Labrador.  Its  habits  are  said  lo  be  the  same  as  those  of  any  of  the  fore- 
going belonging  to  the  genus,  and  the  eggs  are  similar.  All  the  eggs  of  the  several 
forms  of  Gyrfalcons  present  common  characteristics,  and  do  not  differ  from  each 
other  more  than  eggs  known  to  belong  to  the  same  species  of  hawk  are  found  to 
vary.    The  average  size  of  the  Black  Gyrfalcon's  eggs  is  2.26x1.77. 


11 1 


222 


SESTS  AND  FjGOS  OF 


365.  FBAIBIE  FALCON.  Fuko  mcxirunus  Schleg.  Geog.  Dist.— Western 
Urlted  States,  from  the  Eastern  border  of  the  Plains  to  the  Pacific  Ocean.  South 
into  Mexico.    Casual  to  Illinois. 

The  American  Lanner  or  Prairie  Falcon  lb  an  abundant  species  throughout  liu; 
open  country  of  Western  United  States.  It  is  the  reprr-sentative  of  the  two  Lanneis 
of  the  Old  Won."  This  Falcon  is  said  to  possess  grest  strength  and  daring;  it  at- 
tacks and  overpowers  the  great  hares  of  the  prairies,  and  other  animals  even  larg.  r 
and  heavier  than  itself.  It  Is  very  common  in  Wyoming  and  Washington  Terri- 
tories, Oregon  and  California.  The  Prairie  Falcon  nests  usually  on  cliffs  and  ledg<:- 
of  rocks,  sometimes  in  ca\  ilies  in  trors.     The  composition  of  the  nests  is  stinks  with 


♦  ♦  Lannek  Falco.n,  not  distinguishable  in  cut  fioin  our  Pr...ine  Kalcuii  VFioui  Brehni). 


a  lining  of  grasses.  In  some  of  the  rocky  canons  of  Colorado  nests  of  this  hawk 
have  been  foimd  on  tw ;  topt.  of  those  massive  sandstone  columns  that  stand  solitary 
and  alone  like  huge  chimneys.  The  eggs  are  two  to  five  in  number.  Three  sets  of 
the  eggs  of  this  species  are  in  the  cabinet  of  J.  Parker  Norrls.     One  of  five  eggs, 


MtKTH  AMEUH'A.\  HUilhS. 


223 


>  J 


collected  by  Waller  E.  Bryant,  near  Mt.  Diablo,  California,  exhibit  the  following 
dimensions:  2.00x1.56,  1.99x1.56,  1.98x1.59,  2.11x1.57,  1.93x1.56.  These  were  laid 
upon  the  sand  in  a  cavity  in  a  large  boulder.  They  are  handsome  eggs,  creamy 
ground  color,  almost  wholly  obscured  with  specks,  spots  and  cloudings  of  cinna- 
mon and  vinaceous-cinnamon.  The  second  set  is  of  two  eggs,  taken  in  Sweetwater 
county,  Wyoming,  May  1,  1887;  the  nest  was  on  a  rocky  mound,  along  the  Big 
Sandy  River.  The  eggs  are  quite  different  from  each  other  in  appearance;  In  one 
the  ground  color  is  cinnamon,  sprinkled  all  over  with  Mars  brown;  size,  2.13x1.66. 
The  other  has  a  ground  color  of  russet,  sprinkled  all  over  with  burnt  umber;  size, 
2.14x1.68.  The  third  set  consists  of  three  eggs.  They  were  collected  May  6,  1888, 
In  Sweetwater  county,  Wyoming.  The  nest  was  on  a  rock  on  the  bank  of  the  Big 
Sandy  River,  The  ground  color  varies  from  a  deep  cream  to  a  hazel,  and  it  is  almost 
wholly  obscured  with  cinnamon,  rufous  and  light  chestnut.  They  measure  2.28x 
1.68:  2.10x1.64;  2.40x1.67. 

356.     DUCK  HAWK.     Faho  iHrtifiiims  aiiatum  (Bonap.)     Geog.  Dlst.— Whole 
of  North  America. 

The  Peregrine  Falcon,  Great-footed  Hawk,  or  Wandering  Falcon,  as  this  species 
Is  variously  called,  is  distributed  throughout  North  America  at  large,  but  It  can 
hardly  be  c(  .isidered  common  anywhere.  The  Duck  Hawk  breeds  as  far  south  as 
latitude  36**  and  usually  in  mountainous  regions,  or  in  the  vicinity  where  water  fowl 
are  abundr  at.  The  nests  are  placed  in  natural  cavities  in  trees,  and  on  the  sides 
of  rocky  cliffs.  Colonel  N.  S.  Coss  states  that  this  Hawk  is  not  an  uncommon 
resident  jf  Kansas,  and  that  it  begins  laying  early  in  March.  It  is  known  to  breed 
in  many  of  the  rocky  regions  and  along  the  coasts  of  the  New  England  States;  in 
Pennsylvania,  New  York  and  in  Michigan.  It  has  been  found  nesting  in  the  Ander- 
son River  regions  in  Arctic  America,  in  Alaska  and  on  the  coast  of  Labrador.  This 
species  Is  often  called  Bullet  Hawk,  being  the  terror  of  ducks  and  other  water  fowl, 
pursuing  and  striking  them  down  while  on  the  wing,  often  seizing  the  bird  which 
the  hunter  has  killed,  carrying  It  off  when  almost  within  his  reach.  The  eggs  of  the 
Duck  Hawk  are  three  or  four  In  number,  and  measure  2.15x1.62.  They  vary  from 
creamy-white  to  reddish-brown,  spotted,  blotched  and  dotted  with  reddish-brown 
and  chocolate  of  varying  shades.  Mr.  Crandall  writes  me  as  follows  concerning  a 
series  of  this  bird's  eggs  in  his  cabinet:  "A  set  of  four  of  this  species  in  my  collec- 
tion, taken  by  R.  H.  Beck,  in  Alameda  county,  California,  April  21,  1896,  was  taken 
from  a  nest  on  a  narrow  ledge  of  a  cliff  twenty  feet  below  the  top;  no  regular  nest 
was  made,  only  a  few  small  sticks  on  either  side  of  the  eggs.  The  bird  was  flushed 
and  Incubation  was  begun.  These  eggs  are  of  the  dark,  heavily  marked  type,  anil 
show  the  following  measurements:  2.11x1.64,  2.28x1.66,  2.15x1.67  and  2.10x1.68 
inches.  Another  set  of  three  eggs  from  Greenland  measure  1.99x1.55,  2.02x1.58  and 
1.96x1.61.  These  are  also  heavily  mr  ked.  Thinking  perhaps  it  would  be  interest- 
ing, I  herewith  give  the  average  size  of  my  series  of  the  European  Duck  Hawk. 
Seven  sets  of  four,  twenty-eight  eggs,  average  2.08x1.63.  These  were  carefully  se- 
lected from  a  number  of  sets." 


I   s 


^!     > 


S- 


4-  f 


Mi.  '. 


356fl.  FEALE'S  FALCON.  Falro  prrCffriiiiix  itealei  Ridgw.  Geog.  Dist.— 
Aleutian  and  Commander  Islands,  south  along  the  Pacific  Coasts  to  Oregon. 

Dr.  Leonard  Stejneger  states  that  the  "Black  Hawk,"  as  it  is  called,  is  a  com- 
mon resident  of  Coopei*  and  Bering  Islands,  breeding  in  high  and  Inaccessible  cliffs. 
The  eggs  are  not  described,  but  are  doubtlesb  similar  to  those  of  I'.itniUfrinuH, 


224 


NESTS  AND  BOOS  OF 


:»ri«.     Duck  Hawk  (Kiom  Brelimj. 

857.  PIGEON  HAWK.  Falcn  coUimbariits  Linn.  Geog.  Dist.— North  America 
in  general,  south  in  winter  to  West  Indies  and  northern  South  America. 

A  handsome  little  Falcon,  generally  distributed  throughout  North  America, 
and  known  to  breed  in  various  sections  from  latitude  40°  northward,  but  the  ma- 
jority breed  north  of  the  United  States.  It  subsists  mostly  on  smaller  birds,  together 
with  an  occasional  mouse  or  small  squirrel,  capturing  them  on  the  wing.  When  in 
pursuit  of  its  prey  the  speed  of  its  flight  is  something  astonishing.  Known  to  breed 
as  far  north  as  the  Anderson  and  McKenzie  River  regions  in  Arctic  America,  and  it 
Is  common  in  Alaska.  During  the  breeding  season  it  is  found  as  far  south  as  New 
Brunswick  and  Nova  Scotia,  in  various  New  England  States,  New  York,  Delaware, 
etc.  It  formerly  bred  in  Ohio,  but  not  of  recent  date.  In  the  West  it  has  been  found 
breeding  in  Washington  Territory,  Oregon,  Idaho  and  Utah.  Mr.  Norris'  cabinet 
contains  two  sets  of  four  eggs  each;  one  collected  in  the  Wasatch  Mountains,  Utah, 
May  29,  1868.     They  have  a  cinnamon  ground  color,  heavily  spotted  and  blotched 


NORTH  AMHIfK.W  HlUhS. 


with  burnt  umber;  aizes,  1.5t>xl.25,  1.59x1.25.  1.56x1.21,  1.59x1.28.  AnultuT  set  from 
Bingham  county.  Idaho,  taken  May  13,  1885,  have  a  creamy-white  ground  color, 
sprinkled,  spotted  and  blotched  wllh  chestnut;  sizes,  1.44x1.22,  1.50x1.24,  1.52x1.25, 
1.47x1.22.  The  nests  of  this  Hawk  are  variously  situated;  In  the  cavity  of  a  cliff,  I 
itae  hollow  of  a  tree,  on  the  branches  of  trees,  and  sometimes  under  the  roofs  or  be- 
tween the  rafters  of  ruined  or  desertet.  I)tiilding8. 


ss^ 


m: 


Imerica 

lerica, 
le  ma- 
igether 
fhen  in 
breed 
and  it 
is  New 
[aware, 
found 
cabinet 
I,  Utah, 
lotched 


357f/.  BLACK  MERLIN.  Fulvo  nthiinbariiis  Kuklcyi  Rldgw.  Geog.  Dist.— 
Northwest  coast  region  of  North  America,  from  California  to  Sitka;  eastward  il 
Oregon  and  Washington. 

Little  is  known  concerning  the  breeding  habits  of  this,  the  darkest  colored  of  our 
Merlins.  Major  Bendire  states  that  its  range  probably  includes  the  mountain 
regions  from  Northern  California  to  Alaska,  along  the  coast;  and  in  the  interior  it  is 
found  in  Southern  Oregon  (Fort  Klama'.h)  and  Eastern  Washington  (Fort  Walla 
Walla),  in  both  of  which  places  he  obtained  specimens  of  the  bird,  but  was  not  aware 
that  its  eggs  have  ever  been  taken.  He  states,  however,  that  he  is  quite  positive 
th!>  an  occasional  pair  breeds  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Kl  ith.  I  have  no  authentic 
iT  ormation  at  hand  which  describes  the  nests  and  ep  .  this  Merlin,  bui  it  is  re'as- 
Muable  to  believe  that  they  do  not  differ  from  those  oi  i'alrn  prnl/rhiiis  pcaM. 

358.  RICHARDSON'S  MERLIN.  Fulco  rivhardsoiiii  Ridgw.  Geo^.  Dist— 
Interior  of  North  America,  northward  to  the  Arctic  regions,  south  in  winter  to  Texas 
and  Arizona;  straggles  west  to  the  Pacific  coast. 

Richardson's  Merlin  is  said  to  breed  in  the  Rocky  Mountains  of  Colorado,  and 
from  thence  northward.  Its  habits  in  general  are  identical  with  those  of  F.  coliim- 
t»iriu8.  Little  has  been  known  respecting  the  nesting,  eggs  and  breeding  range  of 
Richardson's  Merlin,  and  no  absolutely  authentic  eggs  have  been  described.  I  now 
take  pleasure  in  describing,  so  far  as  I  am  aware,  the  first  genuine  set  of  this  bird's 
eggs  in  the  cabinet  of  Mr.  Crandall,  of  Woodside,  New  York.  The  eggs,  a  set  of  four, 
were  taken,  the  female  bird  shot  and  carefully  identified.  The  late  Maj.  Bendire 
and  other  oological  students  of  eminence  have  pronounced  them  genuine  and  the 
set  remains  unique  in  collections  at  the  present  time.  The  region  In  which  they 
were  taken  was  Calgary,  Alberta,  Northwest  Territory,  May  12,  1894,  by  Mr.  J.  E. 
Houseman.  The  ground  color  of  the  eggs  is  a  creamy  or  buffy-white,  shaded  In 
places  over  the  surface  with  spots,  blotches,  splashes  and  cloudings  of  rich  reddish- 
brown,  chestnut  and  rufus  of  various  tints,  interspersed  with  very  blackish-brown 
blotches,  like  some  types  of  coloration  in  the  eggs  of  the  White-tailed  Kite.  The 
measurements  of  the  four  eggs  are  as  follows:  1.59x1.25,  1.60x1.24,  1.66x1.24,  1.61x 
1.23  inches.  In  general  appearance  Mr.  Crandall  writes  me  that  they  seem  to  diftei 
from  any  falcons  which  he  has  seen,  either  American  or  European. 

[358.  1.]  MERLIN.  Fnlcn  regulua  Pail.  Geog.  Dist.— Europe,  etc.,  accidental 
in  Greenland. 

Mr.  Ludvig  Kumlien,  of  the  Public  Museum,  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin,  received 
from  Dr.  C.  F.  Wiepken,  of  Oldenburg,  Germany,  a  fine  specimen  of  this  bird,  which 
was  shot  at  Cape  Farewell,  Greenland,  May  3,  1875,  making  an  additional  species  to 
the  avifauna  of  North  America.  It  is  a  common  bird  in  Europe,  especially  In  the 
more  northern  portions.  Tn  England  it  is  considered  migratory,  while  in  Scotland 
it  resides  permanently.  It  breeds  commonly  in  the  Orkney  and  Shetland  Islands, 
placing  its  nest  among  precipitous  rocks.    It  was  formerly  trained  to  the  chase,  and 

16 


Ml 


r 


226 


NESTS  AND  EOOS  OP 


used  to  hawk  for  quallu,  snipf^H  and  larks.  The  rugged  mountain  r'lnges  on  (h» 
Scottish  border  furnish  many  breeding  places  for  the  Merlin.  The  site  generally  se- 
lected is  the  side  of  some  ravine,  a  projecting  rock,  bank,  or  tuft  of  heath.  The 
nest  consists  of  a  scanty  supply  of  slicks,  heather,  grass  or  moss,  loosely  arranged. 


Li 


i 


353.  1.     Mekmn  (From  Biehiii).  , 

The  eggs  are  three,  four  or  five  in  number;  Bewick  says  six;  Temminck,  five  or  six. 
They  are  bluish-white,  spotted  and  blotched,  generally  more  thickly  at  the  larger 
end,  with  deep  reddish-brown.  Average  size,  1.49x1.20.  Eleven  sets  of  five  eggs 
each  are  in  Mr.  Crandall's  extensive  collection.  These  v/ere  taken  in  Lapland  and 
various  localities  In  Iceland,  all  in  June  between  the  dates  ranging  from  the  3d  to  the 
14th.  The  average  size  of  the  fifty-five  eggs  is  1.58x1.23  inches;  the  longest  being 
1.65x1.26,  the  shortest  1.50x1.24. 


350.     AFLOMADO    FALCON.     Folcn    fusco-cirrulcsccu/<    Vieill. 
Southern  Texas,  New  Mexico  and  Arizona,  south  to  Patagonia. 


Geog.    Dist.— 


D  ih« 

ly  86- 

The 

inged. 


or  SIX. 

larger 

re  eggs 

Id  and 

to  the 

being 


Dist.— 


yonrn  ^\^^H^flr^N  ninnft. 


227 


This  beautiful  bird,  known  as  the  Femoral  Falcon,  Is  common,  and  has  a  wide 
range  Id  South  and  Central  America;  and  specimens  of  the  bird,  its  nests  and  eggs 
have  been  taken  In  Southern  Texas,  along  the  banks  of  the  Rio  Grande,  and  in 
Arizona.  Dr.  James  C.  Merrill  found  nests  of  this  species  on  June  16,  1877,  and 
May  7,  1878,  near  Fort  Brown,  Texas;  they  were  placed  on  the  tops  of  the  low  Span- 
ish bayonet,  and  were  simply  slight  platforms  of  twigs  with  depressions,  lined  with 


359.    Aplomaoo  Falcon. 

a  little  grass.  Two  nests  contained  three  eggs  each.  The  eggs  mearure  1.78x1.34, 
1.84x1.29,  1.73x1.32.  Their  ground  color  is  white,  but  so  thickly  dotted  with  reddish 
as  to  appear  of  that  color;  over  these  are  somewhat  heavier  markings  of  deeper 
shades  of  brown.     The  three  others  measure  1.80x1.29,  1.77x1.33,  1.88x1.33. 

[359.  1.]  KESTREL.  Fulcn  liiniuiiiuliis  Linn.  Geog.  Dist.— Europe,  etc.,  ac- 
cidental in  Massachusetts. 

Mr.  Charles  B.  Cory,  of  Boston,  Massachusetts,  mak«s  record  of  the  first  oc- 
currence of-  this  bird  in  North  America.  A  female  specimen  was  shot  by  a  hunter 
at  Strawberry  Hill,  Nantasket  Beach,  Massachusetts,  on  September  29,  1887,  the  skin 
of  which  is  now  In  Mr.  Cory's  cabinet.*  The  European  Kestrel  thus  finds  a  place  in 
the  avifauna  of  North  America.  It  is  a  common  species  in  Europe,  and  one  of  the 
most  abundant  of  its  tribe  in  Great  Britain.  It  resembles  the  American  Sparrow 
Hawk  in  size  and  general  appearance,  and,  like  that  bird,  it  has  the  curious  habit 
of  poising  In  midair  over  a  mouse,  lizard,  frog,  or  some  other  object  of  food  before 
attacking  them.  In  Great  Britain  It  is  one  of  the  commonest  Falcons,  and  may  be 
found  in  all  parts  of  the  country.    The  nest  is  built  in  rocky  cliffs  by  the  sea  coast, 


I 

If 


la 


■:,, 


'  '  < 

Pi  ■' 

I'ai '.  ■■>■ 
Mi'' 


»  Auk,  V.  no  and  205. 


22K 


SKFITF!  ASn  KOGS  OF 


In  nutuiul  cuvllleH  uf  tiecH,  in  ancient  ruinH,  in  tuwers  of  church«H.  Iioth  In  the 
loiintry  and  cltlps,  even  in  London.  The  material  used  conHlsts  of  sticks,  twigs,  hay. 
wool  and  feathers,  all  arranged  In  a  slovenly  manner.  When  the  nest  Is  placed  in 
r(M-kB,  It  Ih  Haid  that  no  material  Is  used.  The  eggs,  which  are  rounded-oval  In  form. 
*re  four  or  five  In  number,  Homeflmes  hIx  They  vary  from  a  reddish  to  yellowish. 
»peckled,  spotted  or  blotrhed  with  nrriiiRf-lirown  and  reddish-brown.     A  great  vaiia- 


X^ 


3&)>.  1.    Kestrel  (From  Biehuii. 


tion  exists  in  the  style  and  amount  of  markings  in  a  large  series  of  eggs.  Pour 
eggs  collected  in  Staffordshire,  England,  May  12,  1884,  measure  1.42x1.20,  1.48x1.24. 
1.50x1.30,  1.53x1.24.  A  set  of  five  eggs  taken  from  an  old  church  spire  In  County 
Antrum,  Ireland,  May  25,  1883,  gives  the  following  measurements:  1.58x1.30.  1.56x 
1.26.  1.54x1.28,  1.56x1.26,  1.54x1.24. 


360.  AMERICAN  SPABBOW  HAWK.  Faho  Knarveriiis  Linn.  Geog.  Dist.— 
North  America,  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  south  to  Northern  South  America. 

This  beautiful  little  Hawk  Is  abundant  everywhere  In  North  America  in  its  sev- 
eral geographical  races,  and  is  familiar  to  every  boy  who  has  been  in  the  fields. 


,Vo/,'/7/    [URUir.iS  niNhH. 


58.  Four 
1.48x1.24. 
n  County 
1.30,  1.56X 


Ig.  Dlst— 
Irlca. 

its  sev- 
Ihe  fields. 


Here  it  may  b«  seen  hovering  altnoHt  niotiunleaM  In  mid  air.  then  Huddtuly  swoop- 
ing down  to  the  gruund,  urlHCg  again  with  porhnpa  a  field  mouse  In  Its  tulons.  From 
this  habit  it  recclvcH  the  name  of  Mouho  Hawk,  a'.ttiougb  It  uIbu  |>rey8  upon  spurrows 
and  otlier  small  birds.  It  Ih  found  iilmout  everywhere,  though  most  abundant  along 
fltreams  where  the  high  sycamored  whose  natural  cavities  furnish  Hultablc  nesting 
places,  but  meadows  rnd  fields  arc  Its  retreats  when  In  search  of  food.  It  builds  u« 
neat,  but  deposits  Its  egga  In  the  natural  cavities  of  high  trees,  uften  In  the  dcuertcd 
holes  of  wuod|)eckers,  or  in  crevices  In  rockH.  In  holes  In  banks  along  rivers,  or  nooks 
about  buildings.  In  the  West  It  frequently  occupies  a  deserted  Magpie's  nest.  I 
have  eggs  of  this  Hawk  taken  from  a  crevice  In  a  stone  quarry  on  the  Scioto  River, 
where  the  birds  have  nested  for  years.  Doxch  on  farm  burns,  provided  for  domestic 
pigeonB,  are  often  appropriated  by  the  Sparrow  Hawk,  and  it  always  proves  t« 


3tfU.    American  Sparrow  Hawk. 

be  a  peaceable  neighbor.  The  cavities  where  the  eggs  are  deposited  generally  coa- 
tulB  BO  lining.  The  eggs  of  the  Sparrow  Hawk  are  four  or  five,  rarely  six  In  num- 
ber. A  series  of  forty  eggs  before  me  exhibit  the  usual  wide  diversity  of  coloraUoi^ 
that  Is  to  be  found  in  eggs  with  spotted  shells.  Most  of  my  eggs  are  from  Ohi«. 
Indiana  and  Kentucky,  while  two  sets  are  from  California.    The  ground  color  varies 


230 


NE8T8  AND  EGGS  OF 


(  : 


-I 


from  a  yellowish  or  creamy-white  to  reddish  or  pinkish-buff;  the  surface  is  sprinkled, 
splashed,  blotched,  spotted  and  clouded  with  shades  of  chestnut  and  cinnamon- 
brown,  and  the  markings  may  be  more  numerous  and  heavier  at  either  end,  and  they 
may  be  so  confluent  as  to  conceal  the  ground  color.  The  largest  eggs  I  have  are 
from  Ohio,  taken  by  Robert  Linton,  April  20,  four  in  number.  Sizes,  1.37x1.15,  1.40x 
1.13,  1.38x1.12,  1.44x1.16.  The  average  size  of  the  Sparrow  Hawk's  eggs  is  1.36x1.12. 
They  are  usually  deposited  in  April  or  in  the  first  half  of  May. 

360(/.  DESERT  SP^iiBOW  HAWK.  /'«/(«  spaniriuH  lUserticolus  Mearns. 
Geog.  Dist. — Western  United  States,  north  to  British  Columbia  and  Western  Mon- 
tana. 

The  nidiflcation  and  general  habits  of  this  subspecies  are  in  most  cases  identical 
with  those  of  its  Eastern  representatives.  Mr.  L.  P.  Williams,  of  Redlands,  Cali- 
fornia, writes  me  that  he  found  this  hawk  nesting  in  holes  in  the  bank  of  a  creek  in 
that  vicinity.  He  states  that  the  holes  were  dug  on  an  average  of  about  fifteen  feet 
above  the  stream  and  were  about  twelve  inches  deep.  A  set  of  five  and  one  of  four 
eggs  were  taken  from  a  hole  from  which  he  had  previously  obtained  a  set  of  Red- 
shafted  Flicker's  eggs.  The  Hawks,  he  states,  dug  the  holes  themselves,  and  the 
nest  lining  was  nothing  but  the  dust  from  the  walls. 

360/;.  ST.  LUCAS  SFABBOW  HAWK,  ralio  xparvniun  pruinxularis  Mearns. 
Geog.  Dist.— Lower  California. 

This  geographical  race,  confined  to  Lower  California,  has  the  same  habits  which 
characterize  the  American  Sparrow  Hawk  of  the  Eastern  States. 

[361.]  CUBAN  SPABBOW  HAWK.  Fairo  (limiinireiisiH  Gmel.  Geog.  Dist.— 
Cuba;  casual  in  Florida. 

A  darker  colored  bird  than  /'.  simrvniun  is  a  common  resident  of  the  Islands  of 
Cuba  and  Haiti,  and  it  secures  a  place  in  the  North  American  avifauna  on  the 
strengih  of  stragglers  having  been  taken  in  Florida.  The  general  habits  of  the 
Cuban  Sparrow  Hawk  are  counterparts  of  those  of  the  species  of  Eastern  United 
States.  The  eggs  are  from  three  to  five  in  number  and  average  a  trifle  smaller  than 
those  of  S.  Nparrerhis.  • 

362.  AUDUBON'S  CABACABA.  Puliihonis  rhcrhrati  (Jacq.)  Geog.  Dist— 
J^orthern  South  America  (Ecuador  and  Guiana)  north  to  the  southern  border  of  the 
United  States,  Florida.  Texas  and  Arizona. 

Common  to  the  Southern  border  of  the  United  States,  and  known  as  the  Mexican 
Eagle  or  Buzzard — Intermediate  between  the  Eagles  and  Buzza'r"?,  and  resembling 
both  in  its  habits.  It  catches  some  of  its  prey  living,  but  feeds  readily  upon  dead 
animals.  Although  sluggish  at  times,  it  is  said  to  fly  well,  invii>g  in  a  direct  line, 
resembling  the  Black  Vulture  somewhat,  flapping  and  sailing  alternately,  but  when 
high  in  air,  circles  like  a  Hawk  or  Eagle.  Dr.  Merrill  records  this  bird  as  a  common 
resident,  but  more  abundant  in  winter  than  summer  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Brown, 
Texas,  and  Mr.  George  B.  Sennett  also  mentions  it  as  not  urcommon  in  the  region 
of  Brownsville.  It  has  been  found  breeding  as  far  north  as  Comal,  Hays  and  Lee 
counties,  Texas,  In  the  months  of  March  and  April,  and  in  Jefferson  county  as  late 
as  March  30.  Mr.  Stuart  informs  me  that  he  has  always  met  with  this  bird  breeding 
on  the  large  prairies  of  Southern  Florida  In  March  and  April.  Eggs  were  taken 
April  4.  The  tops  of  the  cabbage  palmetto  trees  are  their  favorite  nesting  places  in 
that  region.  The  nests  in  Texas  and  Mexico  are  built  In  trees  or  bushes,  and  some- 
times In  cliffs;  they  are  bulky  platforms  of  branches,  with  a  slight  depression,  lined 
-with  twigs,  roots  and  grasses,  and  frequently  altogether  without  lining.    Both  sexes 


1 


NORTH  AUEUIVAA  UIHDS. 


231 


4'''- 

«' 


'  Kill 

I 


iil 


382.    The  Cakacaka  (Imuiii  Brebuj). 


;xican 
ibling 
dead 
It  line, 
when 
Immon 
Vown, 
region 
id  Lee 
IS  late 
beding 
taken 
[ces  in 
Isome- 
lined 
sexes 


incubate.  Two  or  tiiree  eggs  are  laid,  and  they  are  noted  for  the  beauty  of  their 
coloration.  On  a  ground  color  varying  from  light  and  dark  cinnamon  to  reddish 
and  umber-brown,  are  specks,  spots,  blotches  and  cloudings  of  yellowish  or  reddish- 
brown,  bright  chestnut,  umber  or  claret-brown.  The  markings  are  variously  dis- 
tributed over  the  surface;  in  some  specimens  they  are  dispersed  over  the  entire  egg, 
while  in  others  scattering  or  more  abundant  at  the  smaller  or  greater  half;  occasional 
specimens  are  found  almost  entirely  unmarked.  The  sizes  vary  from  2.10  to  2.92  ia 
length  by  1.37  to  1.90  in  breadth. 

363.  QUADALUPE  CABACABA.  Polybonis  hitomis  Ridgw.— Oeog.  Dist.— 
Ouadaiupe  Island,  Lower  California. 

This  is  a  much  paler  and  browner  colored  species  than  the  preceding.  It  was 
and  possibly  is  a  resident  of  Guadalupe  Island. From  all  accounts  its  general  habits 
are  the  same  as  those  of  Audubon's  Caracara,  and  there  Is  probably  little  difference 
In  Its  nesting  and  eggs. 

304.     AMEBICAN    OSFBEY.     Pandion    haUwtuB   caroHiiensis    (Gmel.)    Qeog 
Diet.— Nearly  cosmopolitan.    In  America  from  Alaska  and  Hudson  Bay  south  t» 
Wert  Indies  and  Northern  South  America. 


232 


NESTS  AND  EOUS  OF 


This  \s  inged  fisher  inhabits  the  entire  temperate  North  America,  breedinit;  any- 
•where  in  suitable  places  throughout  its  range.  Found  about  inland  waters,  and 
particularly  along  the  sea  coast.  Mr.  W.  W.  Worthington,  of  Shelter  Island,  N.  Y., 
says  they  are  exceedingly  variable  in  the  choice  of  a  nesting  place.  On  Gardiner's 
Island  they  all  build  in  trees  at  distances  varying  from  ten  to  seventy-five  feet  from 
the  ground;  on  Plum  Island,  where  a  great  many  of  them  breed,  a  large  number 
place  their  nests  on  the  yrouml,  some  being  built  up  to  the  height  of  four  or  five  feet, 
while  others  are  simply  a  few  sticlis  arranged  in  a  circle,  and  the  eggs  laid  oh  hare 
sand.  On  Shelter  Island  they  build  on  the  chimneys  of  houses,  and  a  pair  has  a 
nest  on  the  cross-bar  of  a  telegraph  pole.  Another  pair  has  a  nest  on  a  large  rock 
in  Gardiner's  Bay,  near  Gardiner's  Island.  They  are  made  chiefly  of  coarse  sticlis 
and  sea  weed  and  anything  that  is  handy,  such  as  pieces  of  dry  cow  dung,  bones,  old 
shoes,  straw,  etc.  A  curious  nest  of  the  Fish  Hawlt  was  found  by  Mr.  S.  C.  Shick  in 
May,  1888,  on  the  coast  of  New  Jersey.    A  set  of  three  eggs  was  taken,  and  upon  4b- 


.'itU.     Fish  Hawk,  or  Osprev. 


tcending  the  tree,  Mr.  Shick  observed  a  nest  of  the  purple  Grackie,  (jiiiaculiix  quisiul^, 
eecnrely  imbedded  in  the  loose  material  of  the  Osprey's  nest;  from  this  he  took  f^ve 
eggs.  At  the  bottom  of  the  Osprey's  nest  was  a  thick,  rotten  limb,  in  which  ther« 
was  a  Tree  Swallow's  nest  containing  seven  eggs.  Mr.  Worthington,  who  has  col- 
lected Iiundreds  of  the  eggs  of  this  species,  and  to  whom  I  am  indebted  for  a  large 
series,  says  the  largest  set  of  eggs  he  has  ever  taken  or  seen  is  four;  the  usual  num- 
ber, howerer,  Is  three,  though  se^s  of  two  are  common.  They  are  subject  to  grei^t 
rarlation;  the  ground  color  is  of  yellowish  or  creamy- white,  spotted,  streaked  and 


y 

ad 

ir.. 

r*8 
>m 
)er 
et, 
ire 
i  a 
tck 
;kB 
old 
in 
de- 


li'«. 
five 
here 
col- 
arg« 

UBQ- 

and 


MtRTH  AMKRICAX  BlRlfS. 


233 


blotched  with  reddish-brown  and  umber,  so  thickly  at  the  larger  end  as  to  com- 
pletely obscure  the  ground,  some  are  marked  chiefly  at  the  smaller  end:  in  a  series 
of  two  hundred  eggs  before  me,  there  is  a  wonderful  diversity  of  coloring:  some  are 
almost  entirely  unmarked.  The  shapes  and  sizes  also  exhibit  great  variations.  Four 
selected  specimens  measure  2.05x1.65,  2.21x1.76,  2.42x1.76,  2.54x1.87.  The  average 
size  is  2.40x1.75. 


164.    OsPRBT'S  Nest  m  Giant  Cactus.    (Prom  Tk*  I^fdologisi.) 

365.  AMERICAN  BARN  OWL.  fUrix  pratincola  Bonap.  Geog.  Digt.->- 
Vnited  States  in  general,  south  into  Mexico. 

A  beautiful  ochraceous-yellow  or  amber-colored  owl;  sometimes  called  the 
"Monkey-faced  Owl."  A  constant  resident  of  the  southern  portions  of  the  United 
States.  Mr.  Stuart  says  that  in  Florida  the  Barn  Owl  breeds  most  generally  in 
March,  usually  in  hollow  trees,  sometimes  in  deserted  buildings  or  in  the  wrecks  of 
boats  left  along  the  coast.  I  am  informed  by  Mr.  Shields  that  in  the  region  of  Lor 
Angeles,  California,  this  Owl  nests  almost  anywhere;  in  church  towers,  hoUow  trees, 
holes  In  banks.  In  barns,  pigeon  houses,  old  crows'  nests,  and  even  in  holes  in  thr 
ground.  He  took  a  set  of  five  eggs  from  a  nest  in  a  burrow  far  out  upon  the  plains. 
The  breeding  season  he  states  begins  about  the  first  of  April,  and  continues  until  the 
last  of  June.  Natural  cavities  of  trees  are  this  bird's  usual  nesting  places.  Mr. 
Samuel  C.  Evans  writes  the',  along  the  Santa  Anna  River  are  high  banks,  perforated 
with  holes,  in  which  these  owls  nest.  The  egas  are  often  found  in  various  stages  of 
incubation  in  the  samo  nest — some  fresh  and  others  nearly  hatched.  The  nests  are 
scantily  supplied  with  a  few  sticks,  straw,  bones  and  other  refuse  of  food.  Ttie  num- 
ber of  eggs  deposited  by  the  Barn  Owl  ranges  from  five  to  eleven,  rarely  the  latter 


'•V. 


XP 


i 


234 


VEBTa  AND  BGGB  OP 


number;  soL^e  writers  say  three  to  ten.  I  know  of  several  authentic  sets  of  eleven. 
Their  color  is  plain,  dead  white;  their  shape  ovate.  Six  specimens  measure  1.75x1.35, 
1.67x1.30,  1.79x1.33,  1.67x1.34,  1.72x1.35,  1.68x1.29.  Twenty-eight  specimens  have 
an  average  size  of  1.74x1.30.  The  largest  egg  of  the  Owl  of  which  I  have  any  record 
!s  in  the  collection  of  Joseph  M.  Wade,  of  Boston,  Massachusetts;  it  measures 
1.97x1.40. 


f.   i 


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*   ♦  Barm  Owls  (From  Brubui) 


366.  AMEBICAN  LONf^-EABED  OWL.  A«ln  icUsoitiannH  (Less.)  Geog. 
Dist.— Temperate  North  America,  south  into  Mexico. 

The  Lonj-eared  Owl  is  a  common  resident  and  generally  distributed  throughout 
North  Americk  <>t  large.  It  is  of  nocturnal  habits,  thus  escaping  observation,  even 
where  it  is  very  common.  Its  food  consists  chiefly  of  mice  and  other  small  rodents. 
Breeds  in  suitable  places  wherever  found.    Forests  of  evei^eens  are  favorite  re- 


SOUTH  AMEUIVAS  BlUUS. 


235 


sorts  uf  this  species  for  breeding  purposes.  The  nest  is  constructed  with  very  little 
art;  composed  of  a  few  sticks  with  a  more  or  less  complete  lining  of  feathers. 
Various  nesting  places  are  selected;  such  as  a  hollow  tree  or  stump,  rift  of  tocV.,  an 
old  crow's  or  hawk's  nest,  which  is  repaired  with  a  few  sticks.  In  some  localities 
the  nest  is  made  on  the  ground  or  on  low  bushes,  and  the  same  nest  is  occupied  for 
several  years.  In  the  West  where  this  Owl  is  very  abundant  it  frequently  deposits 
its  eggs  in  old  Magpie's  nests.  In  California  it  begins  nesting  as  early  as  the  middle 
of  February;  in  Kansas  the  eggs  arc  deposited  early  in  April.  The  eggs  are  from 
three  to  six.  and  sometimes  seven  in  number;  they  are  white  and  oval  in  shape. 
Three  eggs  uf  this  Owl  are  in  my  collection,  taken  from  an  old  hawk's  nest  in  Knox 
count>,  Ohio,  April  20, 1884;  they  were  so  far  advanced  in  incubation  that  they  could 
hardly  be  preserved;  these  measure  l.G2xl.32, 1.57x1.28,  1.59x1.35.  Three  eggs  from  a 
set  of  five  collected  in  Marion  county,  Ohio,  April  9,  1884,  measure  1.65x1.27,  1.59x 
1.33,  1.75x1.28.  A  set  of  six  eggs  from  an  old  Magpie's  nest,  collected  in  Douglas 
county,  Colorado.  April  20,  1885.  measure  1.59x1.32,  1.64x1.33,  1.57x1.38,  1.65x1.44, 
1.60x1.35,  1.60x1.40.  .' 


367.     SHOBT>£ABED   OWL.     Aaio   aeclpitritius    (Pail.)     Geog.    Dist.— Entire 
North  America:  nearly  cosmopolitan. 

The  Marsh  Owl,  or  Short-eared  Owl,  is  found  throughout  North  America  at 
large,  but  is  more  aburdant  in  the  Arctic  regions  during  the  breeding  season  than 
it  is  in  the  United  States.  K  frequents  the  marshes,  the  thickets  of  bottom  lands, 
and  it  seems  to  be  particularly  common  in  the  tall  weeds  and  grass  of  fields  and 
meadows.  In  the  West  it  is  found  on  the  vast  prairies,  along  sloughs,  hiding  in  the 
daytime  among  the  sage  bushes  and  tall  grass.  This  Owl  is  the  species  commonly 
shot  by  sportsmen,  as  it  rises  from  a  ueld,  marsh  or  thicket.  It  is  nocturnal,  but 
often  hunts  its  food  on  dark  days;  this  consists  of  field  mice,  moles,  shrews  and  other 
small  rodents.  The  nest  is  made  on  the  ground  in  the  matted  grass  of  marsh  land; 
it  may  be  found  in  a  depression,  at  the  foot  of  a  bush,  beside  a  log,  or  in  a  burrow 
made  by  a  rabbit  or  a  muskrat;  a  few  sticks,  soft  grasses  and  a  few  of  its  own  feath- 
ers usually  comprise  the  nest  proper;  sometimes  the  eggs  are  laid  on  the  bare 
ground.  The  complement  of  eggs  ranges  from  four  to  seven.  In  Ohio  they  are 
deposited  in  the  month  of  April,  sometimes  as  early  as  the  latter  part  of  March,  or 
as  late  as  the  middle  of  May.  Within  these  dates  it  doubtless  may  be  found  breed- 
ing throughout  the  United  States.  A  set  of  six  eggs  in  my  cabinet,  with  the  parent 
bird,  collected  by  A.  Corwin,  in  Morrow  county,  Ohio,  May  8,  1884,  measure  1.60x 
1.20,  1.56x1.19,  1.50x1.21,  1.52x1.20,  1.64x1.18,  1.56x1.22.  They  are  white  and  oval  in 
shape.  The  nest  was  on  the  ground,  between  logs,  at  the  edge  of  a  blackberry  patch. 
The  average  size  ot  tbe  eggs  is  1.55x1.25. 


nts. 
re- 


'  368.  BARBED  OWLi  Syniium  uebuloaum  (Forst.)  Geog.  Dist.— Eastern 
United  States,  north  to  southern  British  Provinces;  south  to  Georgia  and  Northern 
T«xaf  ... 


236 


!■ 


in 


Called  the  Atnerirfln 


NEBTB  AND  EOQS  OF 

Hoot  Owl  or  Wood  Owl,  and  Round-head'^d  Owl.  A  large 
dark-eyed  species,  common  to  wooded 
lands  of  Eastern  United  States,  especially 
bottom  woods;  those  of  swamps,  along 
ravines  and  rivers  where  there  is  a  heavy 
growth  of  tall  timber.  The  loud,  laughing 
notes  of  this  Owl,  hnard  in  the  night,  are 
something  terriL.  ,  and  if  heard  about  the 
farm-house  or  camp-fire  will  not  soon  be 
forgotten.  Its  (light  is  soft,  as  if  on  wings 
of  down,  noiseless,  quick  and  easy.  Nests 
in  hollows  uf  trees,  in  old  nests  of  hawks 
and  crows.  In  Ohio  it  is  said  to  breed  as 
early  as  the  last  of  February,  but  I  have 
always  found  it  nesting  in  April  and  the 
first  half  of  May.  In  New  London  county, 
Connecticut,  Mr.  C.  L.  Rawson  has  taken 
eggs  of  this  Owl  in  February,  which  were 
deposited  on  a  solid  cake  of  ice  in  a  cavity 
ur  in  the  open  nest;  he  states  that  of  late 
years  full  clutches  of  eggs  are  deposited 
by  the  last  of  March.  The  usual  time  of 
nesting  in  Iowa  is  March  and  April.  The 
same  nesting  place  is  occupied  by  the 
birds  for  years,  even  after  being  robbed 
many  times.  The  eggs  are  two  or  three 
in  number,  very  rarely  four;  globular, 
white.  Between  the  eggs  of  this  species 
and  those  of  the  Great  Horned  Owl  there 
is  commonly  considerable  difference  in  di- 
mensions in  favor  of  the  former,  b«t 
sometimes  they  approach  each  other  so  closely  that  to  identify  them  by  size  alone  is 
impossible.  The  Barred  Owls'  eggs  measure  in  long  diameter  from  1.87  to  2.20,  am4 
In  short  diameter  from  1.50  to  1.75. 

368a.  FLOB.IDA  BABBED  OWL.  ^yniium  tiebuloaum  alUiii  Ridgw.  Ge*g. 
Dist. — Florida,  Texas,  Louisiana  and  adjoining  regions. 

A  darker  colored  race  found  in  Florida,  Texas,  etc.  Mr.  Singley  states  this  is  the 
commonest  owl  in  Lee  county,  Texas,  where  it  frequents  almost  exclusively  the  thick 
wooded  bottom  lands.  He  found  seventeen  nests  in  hollows  of  trees  with  eggs  or 
young,  and  the  number  in  each  was  invariably  two.  The  sizes  of  a  set  of  two  eggs 
taken  March  20.  1885,  now  in  Mr.  Norris'  collection,  are  1.89x1.58,  1.86x1.61;  six 
other  specimens  measure  1.97x1.78,  1.90x1.61,  L88xl.67,  1.89x1.60,  1.81x154,  1.87x2. M. 
The  eggs  are  subspherical,  pure  white,  smooth,  without  granulations 


368.    Bakred  Owl  (After  Jasper) 


860.  SPOTTED  OWL.  Syrnium  occideittale  Xantus.  Geog.  Dist.— Southwest- 
erm  United  States,  California,  Arizona,  New  Mexico,  Lower  California  and  Mexico. 

By  no  means  a  common  bird  and  comparatively  little  is  known  concerning  ita 
life  history.  The  Western  Barred  Owl  was  first  described  in  1859  from  a  specimeft 
which  remained  unique  in  collections  until  Major  Bendlre  rediscovered  it  in  Arlzoma 


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ill  the  spring  of  1872.  A  nest  was  found  April  17,  which  appeared  to  have  been  built 
by  the  birds  themselves,  and  was  placed  about  thirty  feet  from  the  ground;  composet. 
of  small  sticks  and  twigs,  lined  with  grasses,  bark  and  a  few  feathers.  It  contained 
one  white  globular  egg.  Mr.  Ridgway  gives  the  size  of  an  egg  as  2.05x1.80.  Mr. 
Norrls  has  a  set  of  two  eggs  collected  by  E.  M.  Halght,  near  Rlve'jide.  California, 
May  19,  1885.  They  measure  2.11x1.67,  2.12x1.68;  they  were  laid  on  the  bare  ground 
at  the  base  of  a  large  rock. 

370.     GREAT   QBAY   OWL.     .Sru/i/Wr.r   riiiina    (Gmel.)    (Jeog.    DIst.— Arctic 
America,  south  in  winter  to  the  nor;.beru  border  of  the  UnUed  States. 

An  immense  owl — one  of  the  largest  In  North  America. — round-headed  and  very 
much  resembling  the  Barred  Owl  in  appearance.  It  breeds  far  northward.  Dr. 
Richardson  met  with  this  species  in  the  fur  regions  and  found  it  common  on  the 
borders  of  Great  Bear  Lake,  keeping  constantly  in  the  woods,  hunting  hares  and 
other  smaller  quadrupeds.  May  23  a  nest  was  found  built  on  the  top  of  a  lofty 
balsam-poplar,  composed  of  sticks  with  a  lining  of  feathers.  Mr.  MacFarlane  found 
this  Owl  abundant  in  the  Anderson  River  region,  and  on  July  19  discovered  a  nest 
built  In  the  top  of  a  pine  tree,  twenty  feet  from  the  ground;  it  was  composed  of 
sticks,  mosses  and  thinly  lined  with  down.  The  eggs  are  white,  two  or  three  In 
number,  and  the  average  size  given  Is  2.16x1.71. 


[370a.]     LAPP    OWL.     Scotiaptea-    cinerm 
Arctic  portions  of  the  Old  .World;  accidental 
in  Alaska  (Norton  Sounu). 

A  lighter  colored  bird  than  the  Great 
Gray  Owl,  and  Is  given  a  place  In  our 
avifauna  on  the  grounds  of  a  single  specimen 
brought  to  Mr.  L.  M.  Turner  from  the  Yukon 
Delta  April  15,  1876.  According  to  Dresser 
this  Owl  is  considered  one  of  the  rarest  in- 
habiting the  Polar  Arctic  region,  and  is  al- 
most entirely  confined  to  the  more  boreal 
districts,  where  it  is  a  resident  in  the  upper 
portions  of  the  forest  belt,  but  rarely  strag- 
gling lower  into  the  northern  parts  of  Cen- 
tral Europe.  It  has  not  been  met  with  In 
Great  Britain,  Greenland  or  Iceland,  but  Is 
found  throughout  the  northern  portions  of 
the  Scandinavian  Peninsula.  The  nests  of 
the  Lapp  Owl  are  built  chiefly  in  fir  trees, 
often  at  considerable  heights.  They  are  com- 
posed of  sticks,  small  twigs,  heather,  and 
sometimes  are  made' of  any  kind  of  rubl)ish 
near  at  hand.  The  eggs  are  from  two  to  six 
in  number,  pure  white,  but  have  a  finer  shell 
texture  than  those  of  the  Great  Horned  Owl. 
Two  sets  of  this  bird's  eggs  are  in  the  collec- 
tion of  Mr.  C.  W.  Crandall,  of  Woodside.  New 
York.  One  is  of  six  eggs,  taken  near  Kittlla, 
Lapland,  April  8,  1891.  The  measurements 
of  the  eggs  are  as  follows:  2.16x1.67,  2.17x 
1.68.  2.31x1.71,  2.25x1.06.  2.12x1.70,  2.09x1.61 
inches.     The  nest  was  placed  high   up  in  a 


lapitunica     (Retz.)     Geog.     Dlat. — 


:i7('a.     I, APP  Owl  (From  Turner) 


238 


NESTS  AND  EOOS  OP 


fir  tree.    The  second  set  was  collected  near  Muonio,  Lapland,  June  7,  1892,  from  a 
nest  eighteen  feet  up  in  a  flr  tree;  these  measure  2.08x1.72,  2.05x1.67,  <:  11x1.71  inches. 


371.  RICHARDSON'S  OWL.  Xyrtain  Utujmulmi  rUhardsoni  (Bonap.)  Oeog. 
Dlst.— Northern  North  America,  south  in  winter  to  northern  border  of  the  United 
States. 

The  American  Sparrow  Owl,  or  Richardson's  Owl,  so  far  as  known,  breeds  in 
northern  latitudes  and  is  supposed  to  nest  as  far  south  as  Nova  Scotia.  In  Western 
Manitoba,  in  the  Red  River  region,  it  is  quite  common  in  the  wooded  districts. 
Specimens  of  this  Owl  have  been  taken  in  various  parts  of  the  Arctic  regions,  as  at 


371.     Larger  figure— Tkngmalm's  European  Saw-whet  Owl,  similar  in  cut  to  our  Richaidson's  Owl 
No.   (71.     Smaller  figure,  resen.bles  the  Caiiforiiia  Pigmy  Owl  No.  379a. 

Fort  Simpson,  Fort  Resolution,  etc.,  and  in  Alaska.  Dr.  Richardson  states  that  it 
inhabits  all  the  wooded  country  from  Great  Slave  Lake  to  the  United  States.  The 
nest  is  described  as  built  in  trees,  composed  of  grass  and  leaves;  the  eggs  two  to  four 
in  number  and  their  average  size  1.35x1.14.  They  are  globular  in  shape  and  white 
in  color. 


372.  SAW- WHET  OWL.  }iycta\a  acadica  (Gmel.)  Geog.  Dist.— Whole  of 
North  America;  breeding  froff  Middle  United  States  northward. 

The  Acadian  Owl  is  the  smallest  member  of  the  family  found  in  Eastern  North 
America,  and  it  inhabits  the  United  States  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  ranging 


of 

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ing 

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SOUTH  AiihiULAS  mints. 


239 


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north  ioto  British  America;  iiouihwarU  in  wooded,  mountainous  regions,  into  Mexi- 
co. Its  shrill,  harsh  notes,  resembling  the  filing  of  a  saw,  have  occasioned  its  name. 
The  Lird  has  been  found  breeding  in  Massachusetts,  Maine,  New  Yorl<,  etc.,  nesting 
In  holes  of  trees,  artificial  nests,  and  in  the  old  nests  of  herons.  Mr.  William 
Brewster  records  a  set  of  four  eggs  taken  April  5,  near  Tyngsboro,  Massachusetts, 
by  Mr.  W.  Perham;  they  were  deposited  in  artificial  rests  made  from  sections  of 
hollow  trunks,  nailed  to  trees  in  woo'ls.  The  sizes  of  four  eggs  are  given  as  fol- 
lows: 1.12X.95, 1.21X.98,  1.25x.96,  1.23x.97.  Other  eggs  were  taken  from  similar  nests 
by  Mr.  Perham.  Near  Utica,  New  York,  Mr.  Egbert  Bagg,  on  the  dates  of  April  7, 
21  and  30,  1886,  found  four  sets  of  eggs  of  this  species;  two  sets  of  five  and  two  of 
seven  eggs  each.  They  were  taken  from  deserted  woodpeckers'  excavations  in  tree 
stubs,  ranging  from  twenty-two  to  fifty  feet  from  the  ground.  The  eggs  were  laid  on 
the  rotten  chips  in  the  cavities,  and  a  few  feathers  of  the  Owl  were  present.  The 
eggs  are  white,  nearly  elliptical;  the  average  size  is  1.20x1.02.  The  number  ranges 
from  four  to  seven.  On  May  28,  1889,  my  friend,  J.  E.  Gould,  shot  two  young  birds 
of  this  species  in  a  woods  near  Worthington,  Ohio, — about  five  miles  north  of  Co- 
lumbus. These  had  Just  left  the  nest.  About  a  mile  and  \  half  distant,  in  an  en- 
tirely different  strip  of  woods,  another  specimen  was  observed  the  same  day.  On 
June  2,  returning  to  'the  place  where  he  had  taken  tho  two  young,  three  more  were 
observed,  sitting  in  the  branches  of  the  same  sapling  from  which  the  two  were  shot 
on  May  28.  One  of  these  was  secured  with  a  stick,  the  other  2  were  allowed  to  remain. 
These  were  doubtless  a  brood  of  five,  and  the  one  observed  in  another  woods  mak- 
ing six  in  all.  There  is  little  doubt  that  the  three  young  observed  on  June  2  were 
not  strong  enough  to  leave  the  nest  when  Mr.  Gould  visited  the  place  on  May  28.  A 
dead  mouse  was  observed  hanging  in  a  crotch  of  the  sapling  where  the  Owls  were 
perched,  which  was  doubtless  placed  there  by  one  of  the  parent  birds.  Two  of 
these  specimens,  kindly  presented  to  me  by  Mr.  Gould,  are  in  my  collection;  the 
third  is  in  bis  possession.  That  the  Acadian  Owl  breeds  in  Central  Ohio  there  is 
now  no  longer  any  doubt,  and  the  securing  of  its  eggs  is  only  a  question  of  time. 


373.    SCREECH  OWL.     Meffasvops  asio  (Linn.) 
states, north  to  British  Provinces;  west 
to  the  Great  Plains,  south  to  Georgia. 

The  Mottled  Owl  is  resideut 
throughout  Eastern  United  States  and 
Canada;  west  to  the  Rocky  Mountains; 
on  the  limits  of  its  range  shades  into 
several  varieties.  The  eggs  of  the  dif- 
ferent varieties  of  Miyaficops  are  not 
distinguishable.  The  nest  of  the  I^ittle 
Horned  or  Red  Owl, as  it  isoften  called, 
is  made  in  a  hollow  tree  or  stump, 
sometimes  in  the  topmost  corner  inside 
of  an  old  barn  or  shed.  I  have  found 
several  nests  between  the  oroken  sid- 
ing of  ice-houses,  alom;  streams. 
The  materials  used  arc  K  few  sticks, 
leaves,  feathers,  etc.,  on  which  the  eggs  ^s- 
are  laid.  In  the  month  of  April,  1885,  a 
farmer  brought  me  nine  young,  with 
the  parent  birds,  which  he  had  taken 
from  a  hollow  tree.  This  number  of 
young  is,  of  course,  extraordinary  for 
this  species.    One  of  the  old  birds  was 


Geog.  Dist.— Eastern  United 


Ill 


373.    ScRE£c:«  Owl. 


240 


SESTS  AND  EGOh  OF 


gray,  tho  oihe  •  rod.  am]  Home  of  the  young  were  of  red,  niid  some  of  the  gray  typ« 
of  coloration,  this  being  a  common  occurrence.  The  eggs  of  thia  bird  rango 
usually  from  four  to  six,  frequently  eight;  they  are  v^hite,  neerly  round  and  average 
1.40x1,20. 


373(1.  FLOBIDA  SCREECH  OWL.  .\h'i/<tsrni)H  a«i<i  fturidunuH  (Ridnw.)  (leog. 
Dlst, — Florida.  Southern  Georgia,  occasional  In  Lousiana. 

A  Bmaller  and  much  darker  form  in  the  :•.<"'  and  gray  phasea  of  plumage  !■- 
habiting  Florida  and  adjoining  regions.  Its  habit  j  are  the  samo  as  those  of  M.  nnio, 
and  eggs  in  my  collection  are  not  dlstlngulshablf;  except,  perhaps,  by  their  smaller 
•he.  1.32x1.15. 


373/(.  TEXAS  SCKEECH  OWL.  Mvyuscoits  aalo  trichoitHiti  (Wagl.)  Geog.  Dlst. 
—Rio  Grundf  Valley  of  Texas,  south  to  Guatemala. 

This  is  a  slightly  darker  bird  than  i  sin,  of  the  same  s!z3  as  fluriilaiinn,  and  found 
in  the  red  and  gray  plumage.  Three  eggs  in  my  cabinet,  collected  near  Corpus 
ChristI,  March  20,  1885,  measure  1.. 36x1. 17,  1.33x1.18,  1.36x1.15. 


r\ 


373c.  CALIFORNIA  SCREECH  OWL.  Mci/afiroits  anio  iMndirei  (Brewst.) 
Geog.  Dlst.— California. 

No  red  phase  of  plumage  is  known  In  this  bird;  It  Is  grayish-brown  or  brownish- 
gray,  and  very  much  like  M.  iis'm,  lieing  of  the  same  size.  Eggs  In  my  collectlom 
from  Petaluma  and  Riverside,  California,  do  not  differ  from  those  of  the  Easter* 
representative.  Four  specimens  measure  1.38x1.18,  1.40x1.18,  1.47x1.19,  1.47xl.2#. 
The  average  of  ten  eggs  is  1.40x1.17. 


373W.  KENNICOTT'S  SCREECH  OWL.  Mf!/u»rni>s  umo  kninironH  (Elliot.) 
Geog.  Dlst. — Region  of  the  Northwest  coast,  from  Sitka  to  Oregon,  east  to  Montana. 

Kennicott's  Screech  Owl,  In  the  red  and  gray  phase  of  plumage,  averages  con- 
siderably larger  than  aslo  and  mrcaUil.  length  about  eleven  Inches.  Its  general 
habits  are  essentially  the  same  as  those  of  M.  asia.  Major  Bendire  gives  the  sizes 
Bf  a  set  of  four  eggs  taken  from  a  hole  In  a  cottonwood  In  Washington  Territory, 
April  7,  as  1.47x1.28,  1.43x1.29,  1.45x1.30,  1.46x1.30.  The  cavity  from  which  thea* 
eggs  were  taken  was  sixteen  inches  deep  and  twenty-five  feet  from  the  ground. 


373«.  ROCKY  MOUNTAIN  SCREECH  OWL.  Me(/a.<trops  aalo  maTtcellta 
(Ridgw.)     Geog.  Dlst.— Rocky  Mountain  region,  from  Colorado  north  to  Montana. 

This  form  of  the  Screech  Owl  has  been  named  In  honor  of  Mrs.  M.  A.  Maxwell,  of 
Boulder,  Colorado,  a  noted  huntress  and  taxlderirlsi.  No  gray  phase  Is  observed 
In  this  form,  but  the  whole  plumage  is  very  light  colored.  Mr.  Norris  has  a  set  of 
four  eggs,  taken  near  Loveland,  Colorado,  April  20,  1888;  they  measure  1,49x1.19, 
1.46x1.20,  1.46x1.21,  1.54x1.26. 


373^-    MEXICAN    SCREECH    OWL.     Meyaarops    asio    cineraeceus    (Ridgw.) 
Geog.  Dist.— New  Mexico,  Arizona.  T^ower  California  and  Western  Mexico. 


NtmiH  AHHUIC.i.S    HHihii. 


'241 


The  plumage  of  this  form  is  described  as  nearly  ashy-gray  above,  with  broad 
lilacliish  Htreal<8  in  Htrong  contrasl,  blacixiBh  bars  od  lower  parts  uumeroub,  black 
border  on  ihe  face  and  black  spots  on  the  breast.  Its  general  habits  dn  not  diSer 
from  those  of  its  Northern  and  Eastern  relatives.  .Nvorage  size  ol  the  figgf., 
1.30x1.10. 


3T3.(/.  AIKEN'S  SCREECH  OWL.  Mi'f^isiniis  anht  aktiii  Urewst.  QtiOg 
Disl. — Plains  El  Paso  County,  Colorado,  south  probably  to  Central  New  Mexico  auu 
Northern  Arizona. 

I  have  no  knowledge  concerning  the  nesting  habits  of  this  bird.  There  Is  no 
reason  to  believe  that  they  differ  materially  from  those  of  the  Flammulated  Screech 
Owl. 


373/1.  MACFABLANE'S  SCBEECH  OWL.  Mti/umuint  unin  iitacfar- 
luHii.  Geog.  Dist. — East  of  the  Cascades  in  Washington,  interior  of  British  Co- 
lumbia: Ku\ithward  to  Central  Oregon  and  eastward  into  Montana. 

So  far  as  1  know  there  are  no  published  records  coiicci  niiig  the  nIdlflcatloD 
of  this  new  subspecies. 


374.  FLAMMULATED  SCBEECH  OWL.  .U(7/u.«(.//jm  flammeula  (Kaup.) 
Geog.  Dist. — Highlands  of  Guatemala  and  Ceniral  Mexico,  north  to  Colorado  and 
Northern  California. 

A  small  species  whose  general  appearance  is  that  of  a  young  or  rather  an  ungrown 
Mottled  Owl,  .1/.  (tnUt — t.he  toes  are  entirely  naked  to  the  extreme  base.  A  nest  of 
this  Owl  was  found  in  Fremont  county,  Colorado,  June  15,  1875,  by  Charles  E.  Aiken; 
it  was  in  a  dead  pine  tree,  and  contained  one  egg,  which  was  taken  with  the  female 
bird.  In  color  and  shape  the  egg  resembles  those  of  other  species  of  the  genus,  and 
measures  1.12x.95. 


374a.  DWABF  SCBEECH  OWL.  Mu/asntitx  flammitla  idahoensiit  Merriam. 
Geog.  Dist.— MountalL      f  Central  Idaho. 

The  type  specimen  of  this  new  subspecies,  and  so  far  as  known  the  smallest  of 
our  Screech  Owls,  was  obtained  in  the  Big  Wood  River  Mountains,  near  Ketchum, 
Alturus  county,  Idaho,  September  22,  1S90.  Nothing  so  far  as  1  am  aware  is  known 
concerning  its  general  habits,  nests  or  eggs,  but  it  is  reasonal)1e  to  believe  that  they 
do  not  differ  from  the  preceding  species.  ^ 


Ridgw.) 


375.  GBEAT  HOBNED  OWL.  ifiihn  rirs/inianux  (Gmel.)  Geog.  Dist.— East- 
ern North  America,  westward  as  far  as  the  Mississippi  Valley,  and  from  Labrador 
south  to  Costa  Rica. 

Literature  abounds  with  the  observations  of  naturalists  on  the  habits  of  the 
Great  Horned  Owl,  and  the  pages  of  prose,  poetry  and  song  graphically  depict  its 
many  characteristics.  It  is  known  as  the  Hoot  or  Cat  Owl,  or  "Hooter,"  and  ib  the 
largest  of  all  the  owls  with  ear-tufts.  A  common  bird  throughout  North  America  at 
large  in  its  several  geographical  varieties,  the  present  species  being  restricted  to  the 
region  east  of  the  Mississippi  Valley.    Barn-yards  are  its  favorite  huniiug  grounds, 

17 


242 


sasTs  Asn  Koas  of 


Htid  its  depredatloDH  done  Xhcic  iinionK  the  poultry  arc  well  known.  Rahliltn,  rur- 
(!OonR,  wcaselB.  mink  and  othor  i|iuidnipodH.  with  an  orcasionul  quail  or  grouHc, 
make  up  a  largo  portion  of  this  l)ird'8  food.  The  hones,  fur  and  fealherH  of  theao 
animalB.  and  other  rofiine  of  food  may  he  found  In  their  nests  in  greater  or  less 
abundance,  and  the  neatitnc  plnres  are  aiKo  frequently  impregnated  with  the  odor  of 


375.    Curat  Hornkd  Owl  (After  Audubon). 


the  skunk.  This  bird  does  not  migrate,  but  is  resident  wherever  found.  It  gen- 
erally breeds  earlier  than  the  Barred  Owl.  The  time  of  nesting  is  usually  in  Peb- 
tuary^  and  March,  and  I  know  of  eggs  comparatively  fresh  taken  April  15.  but  through 
extensive  research  and  information  furnished  by  correspondents  regarding  the  neat- 


Mm  III   WlhUli'.XS    lilHbS. 


IAS 


Ing,  the  greater  portion  of  the  eggs  arc  dopositcd  In  the  latter  part  of  February  >r  the 
first  part  of  Murob;  ut  least  more  egKss  Uum;  Leen  culleclcd  ui  thul  tliia-  iliaii  .it  any 
other  period;  and  these  dates  will  apply  tu  the  nesting  uf  all  other  furniH  of  thh 
Owl.  Deep  woods  arc  Its  favorite  haunts  while  lireeding,  where  its  Ixilky  ueuts  of 
sticks,  bark,  leaves,  etc..  may  be  found  In  the  hrnnches  of  trees  ranging  from  twenty 
to  one  hundred  feet  from  the  ground,  or  the  rggs  may  be  deposited  In  a  natural 
cavity  of  a  tree.  The  deserted  nests  of  crows  or  those  of  hawks  arc  appropriated — 
the  nests  of  the  Red-tail,  Red-shouldered  and  Cooper's  Hawks  being  common  re- 
ceptacles. In  Florida  and  some  other  sections  the  nests  of  the  Hald  Eagle,  Osprey 
and  Carncara  Eagle  are  frequently  taken  possession  of  by  this  Owl,  and  the  .snme 
pair  of  birds  will  occupy  a  nest  for  successive  years,  even  after  l)f'lng  annually  mo- 
lested and  robbed.  A  rap  on  the  trunk  of  the  tree  will  genernlly  <nuse  the  birds  to 
leave  the  neat.  Resides  thematcrial  alreadymentioned, the  eavitieswill  often  contain 
weed-stem8,corn  stalks, corn-silk  and  feathers  from  tliebreastaof  the  mother  bird, and 
again  the  eggs  will  be  found  laid  upon  the  bare  ground  or  decayed  wood  of  the 
cavity  in  the  presence  of  a  few  bones  and  skulls  of  animals.  This  Owl  deposits  two 
or  three  white,  globular  eggs.*  Five  sets  of  two  eggs  each  are  In  my  cabinet  from 
Florida,  Indiana.  Iowa  and  Ohio;  the  ten  specimens  measure,  2.18x1.72,  2.20x1.78. 
2.24x1.80,  2.2CX1.88,  2.26x1.79,  2.29x1.82,  2.31x1.88,  2.30x1.89,  2.28x1.74.  2.32x1.80.  The 
average  measurements  of  thirty  eggs  in  Mr.  Crandall's  collection  Is  2.26x1.87.  This 
is  A  series  containing  ten  sets  of  three  eggs  each  qnd  four  sets  of  two. 


375a.  WESTEBN  HORNED  OWL.  Jiubn  rlrt/iiilanuH  siibarrticuH  (Hoy.) 
Geog.  Dlst.— Western  United  States,  from  the  Great  Plains  westward  (except  the 
northwestern  coast);  east  casually  to  Illinois,  Wisconsin  and  western  portion  of 
Canada,  north  to  Manitoba,  south  to  Mexican  table  lands. 

A  lighter  colored  form  inhabiting  Western  United  States.  Its  nesting,  egge  and 
other  characteristics  are  the  same  as  those  of  It.  tirginlanm.  Four  eggs  in  my  col- 
lection from  Riverside,  Cal.,  taken  in  March,  1884,  measure  2.16x1.78,  2.20x1.74, 
2.25x1.76.2.16x1.78. 


■1 1 


375b.  ABCTIC  HOBNED  OWL.  Bubo  vifj/iiiianua  arcticus  (Swains.)  Geog. 
Diat.— Chiefly  the  interior  of  Arctic  America  (Fur  Countries),  south  in  winter  to  the 
Northern  Rocky  Mountains  and  Great  Plains;  Dakota,  Montana  and  Wyoming. 

This  bird's  general  plumage  is  whitish  through  the  fading  of  the  ground  color 
and  restriction  of  the*  dark  markings;  beneath  pure  white,  with  dark  markinga. 
Prof.  RIdgway  gives  the  average  size  of  the  eggs  as  2.19x1.91. 


376e.    PACIFIC  HOBNED  OWL.     Bubo  vtrffinianuB  pacifUms  Cassln.     Ctoof. 
Dist.— Southern  California. 

The  exact  range  of  this  subspecies  is  not  known. 


•  In  exceptional  oases  four  eggs  t.  we  been  taken  from  a  single  nest,  but  I  am  not 
aware  of  an  authentic  set  of  five  eggs  or  the  extreme  number  of  six  of  the  Eastern  Homed 
Owl  as  has  been  reported  of  B.  v.  SmiaretUiu  In  Colorado.  I  have  in  several  Inst^pces 
received  sets  of  four  eggs  of  B.  virginiantu,  . 


r? 


244 


NBST8  AND  BOOB  OF 


it. 

111- 


376.  SNOWY  OWL.  Nyctm  nyvUa  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist.— Northern  portions  of 
the  Northern  Hemisphere;  in  North  America,  migrating  southward  in  winter  to  the 
Middle  States,  straggling  to  Virginia,  South  Carolina.  Texas  and  to  the  Bermudas. 

This  large  and  beautiful  bird  Inhabits  the  boreal  regions  of  both  continents. 
It  is  commonly  called  White  Owl,  and  is  found  with  the  plumage  almost  immacu- 
late, or  marked  with  bars  and  spots  of 
black  and  slaty-brown.    It  is  a  bird  of 
wide  range,  extending  its  migrations  as 
far  south  as  the  sub-tropical  regions. 
During  some  winters  it  is  very  abun- 
dant in  the  United  States,  especially  in 
the    Northern,    Middle    and    Eastern 
States.     The  food  of  the  Snowy  Owl 
consists  of  hares,  squirrels,  muskrats, 
and  other  small  animals,  and,  as  the 
bird    is   not    exclusively    nocturnal,    it 
catches  these  quadrupeds  In  daytime  as 
readily  as  any  hawk.    Ii  is  said  probably 
to  breed  in  Northern   Maine,  Canada, 
Nova  Scotia  and  New  Hrunswick,  as  it 
does  in   Newfoundland  and   Labrador. 
Common  during  the  summer  months  in 
the  region   of  Hudson  Bay  and  other 
portions  of  Arctic  America,  nesting  on 
(he  grourd  in  u;oss  on  the  dry  parts  of 
marshes,      i    cannot    quote    better   au- 
thority on  the  breeding  range  and  nidi- 
fication  of  this  species  than  that  of  the 
late  Major  Charles  E.  Bendire  from  his 
"Life    Histories    of    North    American 
Birds."       He     says:       "The     breeding 
range    of    the    Snowy    Owl    in    North 
America   extends   from   about   latitude 
53°   in    Labrador   north   to   the   Arctic 
Sea,  and  it  has  been  observed  at  the 
highest  latitudes  our  Arctic  explorers 
have  as  yet  bt^.i  able  to  reach,    it  is  likewise  common  in  Greenland  during  the 
breeding  season,  but  much  more  in  the  northern   than   (he  southern   portions." 
Oen.  A.  W.  Greely,  chief  signal  officer,  U.  S.  army,  mentions  a  nest  of  this  species 
taken  near  Fort  Conger.  Grinnell  Land,  May  22,  1882,  and  young  birds  on  July  8. 
He  says  that  "the  Snowy  Owls  breed  abundantly  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Conger,  and 
•as  niany  as  fifteen  or  twenty-flve  young  birds  were  raised  in  i$82  and  kept  by  us 
until  approaching  winter  compelled  us  to  release  them,    A  nest  near  Fort  Conger 
resembled  that  described  by  MaJ.  Feilden.  which  was  a  mere  hollow  scooped  out  of 
the  f  arth  and  situated  on  the  summit  of  an  eminence  which  rose  from  the  center  of 
the  valley."    In  this  case  a  few  feathers  and  e  little  grass  were  present.    From  three 
to  ten  oggs  are  laid  by  the  Snowy  Owl,  usually  from  five  to  seven,  white  In  color, 
sometimes  apparently  with  a  creamy  tint,  and  oblong  oval  in  shape.    The  average 
measurement  of  fifteen  specimens  in  the  U.  S.  National  Museum  is  2.24x1.77.  ' 


376     Snowy  Uwi.  (After  AudaboD.) 


SORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


245 


rtlons  of 
er  to  the 
mudas. 

ntinents. 
immacu- 
spots  of 
a  bird  of 
ations  as 
regions, 
ry  abun- 
ecially  in 
Eastern 
owy  Owl 
nuskrats, 
d,  as  the 
Lurnal,   it 
aytime  as 
probably 
,  Canada, 
vick,  as  it 
Labrador, 
months  in 
and  other 
lestlng  on 
y  parts  of 
letter   au- 
and  nidi- 
hat  of  the 
!  from  his 
American 
breeding 
in    North 
t   latitude 
.he    Arctic 
ed  at  the 
explorers 
luring  the 
portions.** 
is  species 
on  July  8. 
)nger,  and 
lept  by  us 
rt  Conger 
ped  out  of 
center  of 
rom  three 
In  color, 
e  average 
1.77.  ' 


sn. 


[377.]     HAWK  OWL.     Surnta  ulula  (Linn.)     Geog.  Dist.— Arctic  portions  of 
the  Old  World.    Casual  in  Alaska  (St.  Michael's). 

Mr.  F.  M.  Turner  obtained  several  specimens 
of  this  species  in  the  vicinity  of  St.  Michael's, 
Alaska,  while  on  duty  there  in  connection  with 
the  U.  S.  Signal  Service  during  the  years  1874  to  1881 
which  gives  the  Hawk  Owl  of  Europe  a  place  in  our 
avifauna.  It  is  a  larger  bird  than  the  American  Hawk 
Owl.  Dresser  in  his  magnificent  work  on  "Birds  of 
Europe"  says:  "The  Hawk  Owl  is  a  northern  species, 
being  spread  over  the  whole  of  Scandinavia  and  Si- 
beria; it  visits  more  southern  countries  only  In  winter 
and  then  very  sparingly,  but  has  not  yet  been  found  on 
the  shores  of  the  Mediterranean.  According  to  Collett 
It  is  very  widely  distributed  throughout  Norway,  pre- 
ferring the  sub-Alpine  regions  to  the  low  country;  it 
is  tolerably  numerous  in  the  sub-Alpine  woods  of 
Northern  Sweden  and  Norway,  common  in  Lapland 
and  Finland,  occasionally  visiting  Denmark  in  winter; 
said  to  have  nested  in  East  Prussia."  The  bird  nests 
in  hollows  of  de<  <.yed  pine  trees,  the  lining  of  the  nest 
being  simply  the  powdered  wood  or  rottien  chips  of  the 
tree  itself.  The  eggs  are  from  five  to  nine  In  number, 
white  in  color,  smooth  and  glossy;  in  shape  like  those 
of  the  Short-eared  Owl.  The  breeding  varies  from  the 
middle  of  April  to  the  end  of  June.  A  set  of  nine  eggs 
in   Mr.  Crandall's  collection   taken   May  3,   1893,   at 

Kittila,  Lapland,  exhibit  the  following  measurements:      1.67x1.24,  1.57x1.28,   1.58z 
1.23.  1.63x1.25,  1.63x1.27,  1.52x1.23,  1.60x1.23,  1.58x1.29,  1.63x1.27. 

377o.  AMERICAN  HAWK  OWL.  tiuinid  ulula  vaitaruvh  (Mull.)  Geog. 
Dist. — Northern  North  America;  south  in  winter  to  Northern  border  of  tho  Ignited 
States.;  occasional  in  British  Islands. 

A  bird  hawk-like  in  appearance,  but  nevertheless  a  true  owl,  and  being  tlie  least 
nocturnal  of  its  tribe,  it  is  called  Day  Owl.  Its  food  is  chiefly  field-mice  and  other 
small  rodents,  hawked  for  in  broad  daylight.  The  Hawk  Owl  Inhabits  the  northern 
portions  of  North  America,  and  is  said  to  breed  from  Maine  northward.  Dr.  Rich- 
ardson notes  this  species  as  common  throughout  the  Fur  Countries  from  Hudson 
Bay  to  the  Paciflc.  It  was  found  In  considerable  numbers  by  Mr.  MacFarlane  In  the 
Anderson  River  Region,  nesting  in  top  branches  of  pine  trees.  Dr.  Brewer  de- 
scribes a  nest  containing  six  eggs  taken  by  Mr.  MacFarlane  on  the  28th  of  April, 
which  was  composed  of  dry  sticks  and  lined  with  hay  and  a  few  feathers.  Another, 
which  contained  six  eggs,  was  lined  with  green  mosses  and  deer's  hair.  One  neat 
contained  as  many  as  seven  eggs,  and  all  but  one  had  as  many  as  six.  Mr.  R.  B. 
Ross  found  this  Owl  breeding  in  the  Great  Slave  Lake  district  as  early  as  the  last  of 
March  or  first  of  April.  Dr.  Merriam  states  that  the  Hawk  Owl  unquestionably 
breeds  in  northern  Idaho.  It  is  said  that  Mr.  Boardman  collected  two  of  this  species 
on  the  shores  of  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence.  A  common  species  about  Nualto,  on  the 
Yukon,  Alaska,  where  Mr.  W.  H.  Dall,  on  April  5th,  obtained  six  eggs  which  were 
laid  in  a  hollow,  in  the  top  of  an  old  birch  stump,  fifteen  feet  from  the  ground. 


EuROPKAN  Hawk  Owl  (Proa 
Turner). 


2M, 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


The  eggs  are  said  to  range  from  two  to  six  in  number,  dull  white  in  color,  rounded- 
oval  in  shape,  and  average  in  their  long  diameter  1.53  and  in  their  short  diameter 
1.25.  A  set  of  five  eggs  is  in  Mr.  C.  W.  Crandall's  collection.  They  were  collected  by 
Mr.  Edward  Arnold  at  Fishing  Lakes,  Ass!n{i)oia,  British  America,  May  26,  1895. 
The  nest  was  In  a  maple  tree,  fifteen  feet  from  the  ground;  It  was  composed  of  large 
and  small  sticks,  lined  with  grass,  moss,  rabbit-fiii  and  rubbish.  While  taking 
these  eggs  the  parent  bird  proved  to  be  very  pugnaoious.  The  eggs  measure  as  fol- 
Jowb:    1.59x1.^3.  1.54x1.24,  1.58x1.24,  1.53x1.25,  1.58x1,25. 


m 


378.  BUBBOWINO  OWL.  Spcotyto  riniiruluria  hypuytva  (Bonap.)  Qeog. 
Dlst. — Western  United  States,  from  the  Great  Plains  to  the  Pacific,  south  to  Guate- 
mala.   Accidental  In  New  England. 

The  Burrowing  Owl,  made  famous  by  popular  stories  of  its  living  in  burrows 
and  holes  of  the  ground  with  rattlesnakes,  gophers  and  prairie  dogs,  inhabits  the 


37M      BuRKOvvi.N(i  Owl  (From  Brehcn) 


irt'eless  regions  of  Western  North  America,  from  the  plains  to  the  Pacific.  It  ii 
found  in  all  suitable  places  in  Kansas,  Colorado,  Utah,  Nevada,  Nebraska,  Indlam 
IVrritory,  Wyoming,  Dakota,  Montana,  New  Mexico,  Arizona,  Washington,  Oregoa 
and  California.  They  are  u^iually  abundant,  and  congregate  in  large  com- 
Bunities,  breeding  in  deserted  burrows  nf  quadrupeds,  such  as  the  prairie  dog, 
badger  or  gopher,  and  t'aere  is  no  truth  in  the  statements  made  by  travelers  that  the 


yaitrn  imkhicax  nih'its. 


247 


OwIb,  gophers  and  rattlesnakes  ilwcll  together  in  harmony.  The  Owls  choose  aban- 
doned burrows,  and  if  a  snake  or  quadruped  enters,  it  is  only  by  accident  or  for  the 
purpose  of  devouring  the  unsuspirious  Owls.  In  Dakota  and  other  regions  as  many 
as  twenty  of  these  birds  may  be  found  nestling  together  in  one  hole,  at  which  time 
they  are  well  supplied  with  food,  such  as  mice,  shore  larks,  etc.  In  some  localities 
the  nesting  place  is  lined  with  fine  weed-stalks,  feathers.  l)its  of  skin.  etc..  as  Mr. 
Kred  Corey  informs  me  is  the  rase  in 
the  vicinity  of  Santa  Paula,  Cai.  The 
late  Major  Charles  E.  Bendlre  says  he 
never  found  any  other  material  in  the 
cavity  occupied  by  the  nest  than 
broken  pieces  of  horse  or  cow  dung,  In 
the  State  of  Washington.  .\ round  the 
outside  may  be  found  bits  of  skins  of 
gophers,  rats,  mice,  and  ears  of  small 
rabbits.  The  eggs  are  pure  glossy 
white,  nearly  round,  although  in  a 
large  series  any  shape  may  be  found, 
from  globular  to  pyriform.  The  num- 
ber laid  varies  from  four  to  ten,  usually 
six  or  eight.  Professor  Evermann  has 
a  set  of  eleven  which  he  collected  near 
Santa  Paula,  Cal.,  April  14,  1881,  and 
Major  Bendire  records  an  extraordin- 
ary set  of  twelve,  taken  by  Mr.  Walter 

E.  Bryant,  near  Carsou,  Nevada.  The  average  size  given  by  Major  Bendire  m  a 
series  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  specimens  is  1.24x1. OH:  the  smallest  1.17x.97,  the 
largest  1.35x1.09, 


:i78.     buRKuwiMo  Uwt  (After  Fiblier). 


M 


378a.     FLOBIDA  BUBBOWINO  OWL.     Sinuty  >  vunUulurUi  /ioridaiia  Ridgw 
Ge«g.  Dist.— Florida  and  adjacent  Bahama  Islands. 

A  smaller  local  race  of  Florida,  having  the  lower  parts  of  its  plumage  nearly 
pure  white.  In  some  places  in  Florida  colonies  of  these  birds  are  quite  common, 
nesting  in  the  same  manner  as  .s'.  ruiiUulorUt  h!nto;,va.  Four  eggs  from  Southern 
Manatee  county,  Florida,  taken  April  10.  ISS.'.  measure.  1.24x1.05.  1.23x1.02.  1.22x1.08, 
1.25x1.05. 

379.  PYOMY  OWL.  CUiiiridiiim  iynonia  Wagl.  deog.  Dist.— Western  North 
America  in  mountainous  regions  from  British  Cohimliia  to  eastern  slopes  of  the 
Rooky  Mountains,  and  south  to  tlie  tahlelnn'^s  of  Mexico. 

The  breeding  range  of  this  little  owl  extends,  as  far  as  known,  through  the  tim- 
bered regions  of  Western  North  .\merica,  from  the  Southern  Rocky  Mountains  in 
Colorado,  New  Mexico  and  Arizona  westward  to  Eastern  California,  Eastern  Oregon 
and  Eastern  Washington:  north  into  Eastern  British  Columbia,  and  south  lot* 
Mexico.  From  their  very  small  size  and  unobtrusive  habits  they  are  likely  to  be 
overlooked.  The  Pygmy  Owl  feeds  upon  insects  and  the  smaller  rodents,  which  it 
hants  by  day  as  well  as  by  night.  Its  flight  is  descri!  ed  as  short,  quick  and  jerky, 
siBiilar  to  that  of  the  Sparrow  Hawk.  Comparatively  litt!e  has  been  written  regard- 
lag  the  nesting  and  eggs  of  this  bird.  There  is  no  reason  to  believe  that  the  tMitoMa 
ud  ♦'ggs  of  this  bird  differ  from  those  of  ihf  Callfriria  Pygmy  Owl. 


■I'- 


!■■'/ 


ji 


248 


NBST8  AND  BOOS  OF 


379a.    CALIFORNIA  PYOMY  OWL.     (JIuuridium   f/iiomu   califomicum   (Scl.) 
Geog.  Dist.— Pacific  (oast  region,  Horn  Califoinia  to  British  Columbia. 

A  darker  colored  race  than  the  preceding,  is  a  resident  of  the  timbered  regions 
adjacent  to  the  Pacific  coast,  where  it  breeds  from  about  latitude  37°  N.  in  middle 
California,  through  Western  Oregon,  Washington  and  Southern  British  Columbia. 
Mr.  William  A.  Cooper  describes  a  nest  of  this  subspecies  which  was  found  by  Mr. 
George  H.  Ready,  near  Santa  Cruz,  Cal.,  In  a  deserted  woodpecker's  excavation  in 
the  trunk  of  a  tree  seventy-five  feet  from  the  ground.  The  burrow  was  about  nine 
inches  deep  and  two  inches  across  the  mouth.  The  nest  was  found  June  8,  1376,  and 
contained  three  eggs,  deposited  upon  a  bed  of  twigs  and  a  few  feathers  for  :i  lining, 
three  inches  deep.  One  egg  was  accidentally  broken.  The  two  remaining  eggs  are 
described  as  dull  white,  with  a  scarcely  perceptible  yellowish  tinge.  The  surface  is 
quite  jnooth,  and  has  the  appearance  of  having  been  punctured  with  a  fine  point 
over  the  entire  egg.  They  are  oblong-oval  in  shape,  more  pointed  at  one  end;  sizes 
1.17X.87,  1.18X.90,  the  larger  specimen  is  more  pointed.  Incubation  was  far  ad- 
vanced, and  the  embryos  were  extracted  with  difficulty.  The  eggs  are  three  to  five 
in  number.  Mr.  C.  Barlow  has  a  set  of  four  of  this  bird's  eggs,  pure  white  with  a 
gloss;  they  measure  1.15x92,  1.17x.93,  1.19x.97,  1.18x.95.  An  interesting  paper  on 
this  bird  was  read  before  the  Cooper  Ornithological  Club  ly  H.  Ward  Carrigpr  and 
published  in  the  "Nidologist"  for  August,  1895.  I  quote  the  article  in  part:  "The 
flight  of  this  Owl  is  jerky  and  at  times  quite  swift.  It  is  not  often  one  sees  this  bird 
fly  for  any  distance,  as  !t  usually  flies,  if  disturbed,  from  tree  to  tree.  As  the  birds 
are  very  quick  in  winter  they  are  not  often  seen,  though  you  search  faref'illy  for 
them.  One  rainy  day  in  October  two  were  met  sitting  side  by  side  in  the  low  limbs 
of  a  lauiel  tree,  .^nd  they  retained  their  position  until  the  limb  was  lorcibly  shaken 
and  then  flew  to  another  portion  of  the  tree.  Along  in  February  they  comn'.ence  to 
'toot.'  This  note  is  hard  to  describe,  but  once  heard  is  never  forgotten.  It  Is  easily 
imitated,  and  probably  resembles  the  word  'toot'  or  'who'  uttered  in  a  drawn-out, 
explosive  manner.  The  Owls  were  observed  'tooting'  as  early  a8-6  a.  m.,  and  up  to 
11  a.  m.,  but  never  in  the  afternoon.  The  usual  time  of  'tooting'  is  from  6  to  8:30 
a.  m.,  and  on  cloudy  dayj  later,  even  up  to  eleven  o'clock.  The  note  cannot  be 
called  loud,  but  nevertheless  can  be  heard  for  a  quarter  of  a  mile  and  upward.- and 
is  deceptive.  When  disturbed  during  its  time  of  'tooting'  the  Owl  will  glance  at  the 
Intruder  for  a  moment,  and  then  reiume  its  note  with  apparent  unconcern.  During 
mating  season  they  are  hard  to  drive  from  their  perch.  Years  ago  Mr.  Carriger  re- 
members seeing  a  number  of  these  Owls  in  the  orchard  about  the  house,  but  cf  late 
years  none  have  been  observed  within  a  mile  or  more  of  a  residence.  In  1893  a 
specimen  was  captured  and  kept  in  a  cage  for  over  a  month,  when  it  fell  a  prey  to  a 
cat.  Mr.  Carriger  has  had  the  good  fortune  to  discover  four  nests  of  this  species 
during  recent  years.  Nest  No.  1  was  found  April  26,  1801,  and  contained  six  fresh 
eggs.  A  rap  on  the  tree  brought  the  bird  from  the  cavity,  and  after  following  her 
for  some  time  she  returned  to  the  nest,  but  left  as  soon  as  the  ascent  to  the  cavity 
was  begun,  and  remained  in  the  tree  while  her  home  was  being  despoiled.  The 
cavity  was  in  the  main  body  of  a  large  white  oak,  fourteen  feet  from  the  ground. 
The  entrance  was  a  little  over  two  inches  in  diameter,  and  four  inches  deep.  The 
inside  diameter  of  the  cavity  was  nearly  six  inches,  'ihe  nest  contained  a  freshly 
killed  lizard. 


379.  1.     HOSKIN'S  PYGMY  OWL. 

DlBt.— Lower  California. 


iiUturidium  hoakinail    (Brewst.)      Geog. 


NORTH  AUHRK'Ay  BlRltS. 


249 


This  bird  wao  first  described  by  Mr.  William  Brewster.  It  is  smalier  and  grayer 
than  the  California  Pygmy  Owl.  The  type  specimen  was  taken  by  M.  Abbott  Frazar, 
May  10,  1887,  in  the  Sierra  de  la  Laguna,  Lower  California.  Nothing  is  known  con- 
cerning its  habits  and  eggs  which  doubtless  are  similar  or  identical  with  those  of 
the  two  preceding  races. 

380.  FERRUGINOUS  PYGMY  OWL.  OUniridhm  phaliriinides  (Daud.)  Qeog 
Dist. — Southern  border  of  the  United  States,  from  Texas  to  Southern  Arizona,  south 
to  Southern  Brazil. 

The  Ferruginous  Pygmy  Owl  is  a  resident  of  the  southern  border  of  the  United 
States,  breeding  in  the  valley  of  the  Rio  Grande  in  Texas,  and  in  Southern  Arizona 
In  Mexico  its  nests  have  been  found  in  the  hollows  of  trees  or  in  those  excavations 
made  by  woodpeckers.  A  set  of  four  eggs  was  taken  near  Brownsville,  Texas,  from 
a  nest  in  a  woodpecker's  hole  in  a  mesquite  tree,  about  ten  feet  from  the  ground  on 
May  3,  1890.  The  eggs  are  white,  glossy  and  average  in  size  1.10x.91.  Two  sets  of 
four  eggs  each  of  this  species  are  in  Mr.  C.  W.  Crandall's  collection.  They  were 
taken  by  Mr.  Frank  B.  Armstrong  in  Tamaulipas  county,  Mexico,  May  6  and  I6th. 
respectively,  1895.  The  eggs  in  both  cases  were  simply  laid  in  the  hollows  in  old 
trees,  sixteen  and  eighteen  feet  from  the  grou  !.  The  first  set  taken  measures  as 
follows:  1.08X.90,  l.lOx.89,  l.llx.88.  1.13x.91  inches;  the  second,  1.08x.88,  1.10x.90, 
l.lOx.90,  l.llx.88  inches.  The  average  size  of  the  eight  eggs  is  l.lOx.89  inches.  They 
are  remarkably  uniform  in  size  and  are  miniatures  of  the  Screech  Owl's  eggs. 


Qeog. 


381.     ELF  OWL.     MirruiHillas  uhitiivin  (Cooper.)     Oeog.  Dist.— Southern  Ari- 
zona, Southeastern  California,  Lower  California,  south  to  Southern  Mexico. 

One  of  the  smallest  of  all  raptorial  birds,  first  discovered  by  Dr.  J.  G.  Cooper, 
the  type  specimen  being  an  adult  male,  taken  near  Fort  Mohave,  California,  April 
26,  1861.  Others  were  afterwards  taken  by  Col.  Grayson  on  islands  off  the  western 
coast  of  Mexico.  Major  Bendire  took  several  specimens  In  the  dense  mesquU''> 
thickets,  near  Rillito  Creeic,  about  seven  miles  from  Tucson,  Arizona,  In  April,  1872. 
He  also  found  one  of  their  nests  with  fully  fledged  young  in  a  hole  of  a  mesquite 
stump.  This  Owl  was  found  to  be  common  by  Mr.  F.  Stephens  in  the  desert  region 
about  Tucson  and  Camp  Lowell.  Mr.  W.  E.  D  Scott  states  that  it  is  decidedly  the 
commonest  Owl  breeding  in  Southern  Arizona  (Pima,  Pinal  and  Gila  counties),  and 
is  very  abundant  during  the  breeding  time,  nesting  in  the  woodpecker  holes  of  the 
giant  cactus.  The  eggs  range  from  two  to  four  in  number,  ordinarily  three,  Mr. 
Scott  took  a  set  of  five  from  a  nest.  On  one  occasion,  near  Fuller's  Ranch,  about  the 
last  of  May,  1883,  Mr.  Stephens  and  Mr.  Scott  collected  a  large  number  of  the  birds 
and  their  eggs  in  a  few  hours.  Mr.  Walter  E.  Bryant  has  a  set  of  two  eggs  taken 
near  Tucson,  Arizona,  May  28,  1885,  by  Mr.  Herbert  Brown.  The  nest  was  in  an 
abandoned  woodpecker's  hole,  in  a  cactus  about  twenty  feet  from  the  ground;  the 
i^'x^'iiy  was  about  eight  or  nine  Inches  deep.  The  eggs  measure  26.5x23.5,  26x22.6 
i.u:Ti.'*  Mr.  Ejfmerson  has  a  set  of  three,  taken  by  Mr.  Stephens  near  Camp  Lowell, 
May  24,  1884.  They  were  found  In  a  woodpecker's  burrow  in  a  giant  cactus,  ten 
feet  from  the  ground.  The  sizes  are  27x23,  26x23  mm.f  A  set  of  three  eggs  coHscted 
near  Camp  Lowell  are  pure  white,  nearly  globular,  and  measure  1.04x.93,  1.09x.91. 
1.12X.91.  These  were  taken  from  a  woodpecker's  hole  In  a  giant  cactus  twenty  fet>t 
from  the  ground. 


•  1.04x93.  1.02X.89. 

1 1.06x01.  1.02X.91.  1.06X.91. 


m\ 


4 


hi 


PI 


1 1 


2M) 


iWESTS  AND  EOOS  OF 


382.  CAROLINA  FABOQUET.  CuuuruH  ruruliiun»iv  (Linn.)  Ceog.  Dist.— 
Formerly  South  Atlautk-  and  Gulf  States;  up  the  MIssisBlppi  to  Missouri;  up  the 
Missouri  River  to  the  Plalle.  Colorado;  regularly  to  Ohio,  ladiu'<a,  Illinois,  Iowa, 
Wisconsin,  Nebraska,  etc.  Formerly  lorth  in  the  Eas'^-rn  United  bibles  to  Penn- 
sylvania and  the  Lakes. 

In  the  flr=t  part  of  the  present  renliiry  ihe  liaautiful  Carolina  Paroquet  was 
very  abundant  in  the  South  Atlantic  and  Gulf  Stats,  and  its  migrations  extended 
far  north  war;!  it  has  continued  to  diminish  in  numbers  until  it  is  now  nearly  ex- 
terminated, existing  only  in  remote  localities  m«"  the  lower  Mississippi  Valley  and 
Gulf  States.  It  is  still  found  in  some  regions  of  FloiMa.  On  November  I,  1889,  Mr. 
F.  M.  Chapman  read  before  a  meeting  of  the  Linnean  Society  of  New  York,  a  paper 
entitled  "Notes  on  the  Carolina  Paroquei  in  Florida."  In  this  paper,  compiled 
from  personal  observa'ion,  Mr.  Chapman  writes  as  follows:  "Fifteen  years  ago, 
Paroquets  were  more  or  less  generally  distributed  throughout  Florida  and  In  many 
cases  were  extremely  abundant,  and  even  at  more  recent  d?te  were  not  uncommon 
in  numerous  localities,  but  today  they  have  entirely  disappeared  from  the  more 
settled  portions  of  the  state,  and  we  m:iy  look  for  them  only  bevond  the  bounds  of 


'Ma.    Carolina  Paroqukt  (H'rou  Biehm,  afur  Audubon). 


MtRTH  AMKKIC.IS  UHWa. 


251 


civilization,  indeed  in  regions  which  are  practically  uninhabitable.  In  what  num- 
bers they  still  exist  Is  Impossible  for  us  to  say."  Mr.  William  Brewster  in  "The 
Auk"  (Vol.  VI,  pp.  336,  037).  has  probably  thrown  more  light  on  the  nesting  habits  of 
this  species  than  any  other  writer.  While  In  Florida  during  February  and  March, 
1888,  he  questioned  everybody  whom  bo  met  regarding  the  nesting  of  the  Paroquet. 
Two  professional  hunters  of  alligators  and  plume  birds,  both  uneducated  men,  stated 
that  they  had  seen  Paroquets'  nests  which  they  described  ns  flimsy  structures  placed 
in  the  branches  of  cypress  trees.    This  was  so  widely  in  variance  with  the  state* 


3S2      (^AROLIMA  Paroquet  vFroni  WiUoii 

ments  of  Wilson,  Audubon  and  others,  that  the  Carolina  Purcquct  lays  its  eggs  in 
hollow  trees  that  the  statement  at  the  time  was  taken  as  a  mere  fabrication  until 
it  was  strongly  corroborated  by  Judge  R.  L.  Long,  of  Tallahassee,  ii  gentleman  with 
a  very  good  general  knowledge  of  birds.  He  stated  that  formerly  thoy  nested 
abundantly  in  large  colonies  ih  the  lypress  swamps.  Several  of  these  colonies  con- 
tained a  thousand  birds  each,  and  they  invariably  .selected  a  forlv  near  the  end  of  a 
slender  horizontal  branch  for  the  position  of  the  nest.  Every  sudi  fork  would  l)e 
occupied,  and  he  has  seen  as  many  as  forty  or  fifty  nesls  in  one  small  tree.  Th(  y 
closely  resembled  those  of  the  Carolina  Dove;  the  eggs  were  (jften  visible  from  lie- 
neath.  Mr.  Long  descrll)es  the  eggs  as  being  of  a  greenish-white  color,  unspotted. 
He  thought  the  number  laid  was  at  least  four  or  five.  He  had  often  taken  young 
birds  frona  the  nest  to  rear  or  to  give  to  his  friends.  He  knew  of  a  small  colony  of 
Paroquets  breeding  in  Waukulla  Swamp,  about  20  miles  from  Tallahassee,  in  the 
summer  of  1895,  and  believed  they  still  occur  there  in  moderate  numbers.  There 
appears  to  be  no  positive  information  concerning  the  actual  number  of  eggs  laid  by 
the  Carolina  Paroquet  in  Its  wild  state.  Dr.  Karl  Russ,  of  Berlin,  Germany,  men- 
tions several  Instances  of  this  bird  breeding  in  caplvity  in  Germany,  where  the  eggg. 
were  deposited  in  June  and  July,  the  number  being  from  three  to  five,  pure  white, 
fine  gained,  very  round  and  quite  glossy,  like  woodpeckers'  eggs,  and  measuriog 
abotit  1.50x1.42  Inches,     Mr.  Robert  Rldgway's  Paroquets  which  he  had  in  captivltj 


152 


NBSTS  AND  BOOB  OF 


would  uot  use  the  nesting  boxes  provided  for  tliem.  and  botli  females  deposited  their 
eggs  on  the  floor  of  the  cage;  they  were  laid  ir  July.  August  and  September,  respect- 
ively. None  of  these  eggs  can  be  called  round;  they  vary  from  ovate  to  short  ovate, 
and  are  rather  pointed;  they  are  white  with  the  faintest  yellowish  tint,  Ivory-llite 
And  quite  glossy;  the  shell  rather  thick,  close  grained  and  deeply  pitted  not  unlike 
the  eggs  of  the  African  Ostrich,  but  the  pits  are  not  so  noticeable.  These  eggs  meas- 
ure 1.43x1.00,  1.36x1.07  and  1.31x1.06.  The  smallest  one  of  these  is  flgured  in  the 
late  Major  Bendire's  monumental  work  (Vol.  II,  Plate  1).  The  last  record  we  have 
of  thlB  bird  being  taken  >n  Ohio  is  October  9th,  1884.  A  specimen  was  shot  by  Mr. 
A.  Lee  Hoskinson,  near  Newark,  and  mounted  by  S.  G.  Hamilton,  taxidermist,  of 
that  city.  The  bird  wus  seen  about  the  place  for  several  days  and  was  heard  scream- 
ing all  the  night  before  it  was  killed.     It  is  still  in  Mr.  Hoskinson's  possession. 


r 


[383.]  ANI.  Crutophaytt  uiii  Linn.  Geog.  Pist,— West  Indies;  eastern  South 
America,  rare  or  casual  in  Florida  and  I     lisiar      accidental  near  Philadelphia. 

The  Ani,  Bi  ck  Witch  or  Savanna  Uh  >  h;.^. .  so  grotesque  in  appearance  is  only 
of  rare  or  accidental  occurrence  in  the  Un,  Vi  ^^ti.i  .  as  in  Southern  Florida,  and  in 
other  regions  as  above  cited.    The  bi^d  Is  i     lu  '„iurie*»n  to  fifteen  inches  long;  tail 


WH.    Ani  (From  Brebm). 

eight  Inches;  the  bill  is  exceedingly  compressed  and  smooth,  or  with  a  few  traverse 
wrinkles  on  the  upper  mandible;  the  color  of  the  plumage  is  black,  with  steel-blue 
reflections.  It  is  common  throughout  the  West  Indies  and  In  Northeastern  South 
America.  Observers  state  that  several  of  these  birds  will  form  sort  of  a  community 
or  colony  to  build  an  immense  nest,  which  is  used  In  common.    It  Is  a  large  mass  of 


SiHiTU  AMtilHiJAS  HiliDS. 


2S3 


Interwuven  .wigs,  lined  with  leaves,  and  is  built  in  trees  or  bushes,  sometimes  in 
marshes.  From  five  to  fourteen  eggs,  or  even  more,  are  deposited  by  the  s*  veral 
birds.  These  are  of  a  glaucous-blue  in  color,  usually  covered  with  a  light  challiy 
crust.     Their  average  size  is  1.34xl.2U. 


verse 
•blue 
outh 
unity 
88  of 


I 


384.  OROOVED-BILLED  ANI.  rrntnithatAi  nuhinmlrin  Swains.  Oeog.  Dist. — 
Lower  Uio  Grande  Valley  in  Texas  and  I^wer  California  southward  to  Peru. 

The  Grooved-billed  Ani  was  formerly  only  known  from  Yucatan,  Central  and 
South  Amp:ii.a.  Between  the  years  18G5  and  1871  it  was  discovered  in  Western 
Mexico,  and  finally  added  to  the  fauna  of  the  I'nited  States  by  Mr.  George  B.  Sennett, 
who  shot  an  adult  male  on  May  19,  1878,  at  Lomita  Ranch,  on  the  Rio  Grande,  which 
is  seven  miles  above  Hidalgo.  It  has  since  been  found  breeding  in  chaparral  near 
Brownsville,  Texas,  and  its  nest  and  three  sets  of  its  eggs  taken  there  are  in  the 
Ralph  collection  in  the  U.  S.  National  Museum.  The  eggs  of  this  species  range  from 
four  to  eight,  usually  five  in  number,  and  of  the  same  color  as  those  of  the  last 
species.  No  peculiarity  seems  to  be  noted  in  the  nesting  of  this  species;  no  mention 
is  made  of  eggs  being  laid  in  one  nest  by  several  females,  as  is  the  case  with  ('.  ani, 
and  we  would  naturally  expect  the  breeu:ng  habits  of  both  species  belonging  to  the 
same  genus  to  be  very  much  similar.  Colonel  Grayron  states  that  ^  nest  is  usually 
built  In  a  thorny  tree  nr  bush,  at  a  moderate  height,  and  comp,  ed  thorns  and 
dry  twigs  exteriorly,  and  lined  with  fibrous  roots.  He  descriV'^s  t*  >gg8  on  toe 
outside  of  the  shell  r!s  rough  and  white,  the  inside  green.  TI  h  t:1s,  te  remarks, 
associate  in  small  flocks  of  eight  or  ten,  and  are  fond  of  pick'  .^,  lU.  .a  off  the  cattle. 
Mr.  Charles  W.  Richmond  states  that  this  species  is  very  abuao  ;t  n  the  vicinity 
of  Bluefields,  Nicaragua.  The  heart  of  a  thick  thorny  oran^f  or  lemon  tree  appears 
to  be  their  favorite  situation,  from  four  to  seven  feet  from  tL  '  .und,  sometimes  as 
high  up  as  fifteen  feet.  The  nests  like  those  of  ('.  aiii,  are  very  bulky,  conspicuous 
structures,  composed  of  dead  black  twigs,  and  the  cavity  proper  is  invariably  lined 
with  green  leaves.  The  nest  is  a  voluminous  structure,  and  while  in  its  cavity  may 
be  found  eggs  of  the  original  builder,  other  eggs,  undoubtedly  the  product  of  some 
intruder,  are  often  found  in  jts  framework.  The  eggs  resemble  those  of  the  Ani  so 
closely  that  the  same  description  will  answer  for  both.  The  average  measurement 
of  forty  eggs  in  the  r.  S.  National  Museum  is  about  1.23x.94,  the  largest  1.32x.99 
inches,  the  smallest  1.09x.86  inches. 

385.  ROAD-RUNNER.  (Iroroccyj  nilifonilann8  (h^as.)  Geog.  Dist. -Texas, 
New  Mexico,  north  to  Western  Indian  Territory  and  Kansas;  Southern  Colorado, 
westward  to  California;  Lower  ralifornia;  south  into  Mexico. 

The  Ground  Cuckoo,  Chaparral  Cock,  Snake  Killer  or  Palsano,  as  It  is  differently 
called,  is  a  curious  long-tailed,  chlcken-llke  bird,  noted  for  Us  swiftness  of  foot.  It  Is 
found  In  Texas,  New  Mexico.  Arizona  and  California  southward.  In  Southern  Call- 
tornia.  Mr.  Shields  states  that  this  bird  is  abundant  In  the  chaparral  and  sage  bush 
regions.  Its  favorite  food  consists  of  small  lizards  and  snakes.  It  nests  in  low 
trees,  usually  in  the  low  branches  of  a  cactus  or  in  a  thorny  bush.  A  nest  before 
me,  collected  in  Lee  county,  Texas,  by  J.  A.  Slngley,  Is  a  coarse  structure  made  of 
sticks.  It  was  placed  In  a  haw  bush  about  eight  feet  from  the  ground.  The  struc- 
ture is  thick  and  clumsy,  with  but  a  slight  depression  for  the  eggs.  The  latter  are 
deposited  at  intervals  of  several  days,  and  a  perfectly  fresh  egg  is  often  found  with 
one  on  the  point  of  hatching;  or  young  birds  of  various  sizes  with  partially  incu- 
bated eggs  in  the  same  nest  is  of  common  occurrence.    Mr.  Shields  found  <>gga  as 


M 


254 


NHSTS  AN!)  EQOS  OF 


ir  \ 


J? 


i   ! 


early  ho  the  last  of  March,  and  Uh  hue  as  the  inldUk'  ot  June.  Most  of  tha  eggs  ob- 
tained by  Mr.  Scnnott  In  Southern  Texas  were  deposited  In  April.  From  two  to 
twelve  are  laid,  commonly  five  to  nine;  the  general  shape  Is  ovate  and  the  col'ir 
white  or  buffy-whito.  Six  selected  specimens  measnre  l.r»rixl.20.  1.51x1.23,  1.60x1.18, 
1.50x1.17,1.57x1.11.  1..5«xl.23,  1.58xl,l!».  I,»ilxl.l4. 


v<v 


W).    RoAU-KCNNKR  ( From  Hrehm). 

386.  MANGBOVE  CUCKOO.  Cmryzuy  minor  (Umel.)  Geog.  Dist.— West  In- 
dies  (except  Bahamas);  Florida  Keys;  coast  of  Louisiana;  Central  to  Northern  and 
Eastern  South  America. 

The  Mangrove  Cuckoo  is  very  much  like  the  yellow-billed  species,  C  nmcrlmftug, 
with  the  lower  parts  of  the  plumage  more  deeply  colored — deep  ochraceous,  often 
extending  to  the  throat;  bill  similar  to  that  of  ('.  amcriranun.  This  f!pecie8  occurs 
in  nearly  all  of  the  West  Indian  Islands,  except  the  Bahamas,  and  it  fd  a  rare  summer 
resident  of  the  Florida  Keys.  Audubon  records  it  as  a  regular  summer  visitor  to 
Key  West  and  the  other  Keys.  In  the  Island  of  .Jamaica  the  Mangrove  Cuckoo  is 
said  to  breed  from  March  to  July,  building  in  the  low  branches  of  trees  and  in 


Sniflll    WirffliW  HlRDft. 


255 


bushes.  The  nest  is  dpHrrflu'il  »h  h  Inosfly  madt-  ntructure.  rompnsod  of  a  few  dry 
sticks.  The  oggs  are  thr<H>,  rarrly  four,  In  number,  of  a  fclauroUH-Rrorn  color,  oval- 
oblong  In  shape,  and  on  tb»'  wholr  thry  are  of  the  Hani»>  hIz«'  and  K»'noral  appearance 
as  those  of  i'.  amrriraniiH. 

386*1.  MAYNARD'S  CUCKOO.  t'ow^iiiH  inhmr  iiiiiiiimnli  Hidgw.  (i«'Og. 
Dlst. —  Bahamas  and   I'lorlda  Keys.     ('ulia.(?) 

A  smaller  and  somewhat  palrr  racp  ihan  {hv  preceding  and  from  which  it  has 
been  separated  In  the  last  decade  It  has  so  far  only  been  found  at  Key  West, 
where  It  Is  rare,  but  is  thought  to  breed  there  In  limited  numbers.  The  eggs  are  un- 
Itnown.  1  ui  probably  are  Indlsiin^uishable  from  those  of  the  Yellow-billed  Puckoo. 


.'*i^^- 


lis 


387.    Ykliow-billkd  Cuc«(Oo    From  Hrrhm). 


387.  YELLOW-BILLED  CUCKOO.  Cnvcutiis  nmrrirainis  (Linn.)  (>eog. 
Dist. — Eastern  North  America,  north  to  Drltlsh  Province,  west  to  the  edge  of  Great 
Plains,  south  in  winter  to  tropical  regions— West  Indies.  Eastern  Mexico  and  Costa 
Rica. 


2M, 


NRHTN  ANIt  KOUH  O^ 


Tbl«  bird  l8  known  by  H(>v(>rul  names,  such  as  Rain  Crow,  Rain  Dove  and  Cbow- 
cbuw,  which  are  llkewiHc  applU'd  lu  the  Ulack-billeU  ipecleii.  Whurevci  wuodh  ind 
undergro\/th  abound  In  EaHUru  United  States  the  Yellow-bllicd  Cui-kuu  may  be 
Keen  In  the  breeding  HeuHun.  Its  peculiar,  resounding  no'CH  resenibllng  ihe  syllables 
*■  utk-kuok-hmk  arc  probably  uttered  more  frequently  Just  before  fulling  weather- 
hence  the  name,  Ualn  Crow.  Melng  Homewhat  nocturnal  In  their  hublis,  ilie  notes 
of  both  our  CuckooH  ure  olten  heard  ul  night.  The  neu.  will  usually  l^e  found  In  a 
low  tree  or  buuh,  HoniellnieH  It  Ih  placed  In  a  brier  patca  close  to  the  ground.  Thick- 
ets along  the  HlreaiUH  or  upon  islandH  ure  favorite  nesting  places.  The  usual  distance 
of  the  nest  from  the  ground  is  between  five  and  ten  feel.  It  Is  a  slight  structure  of 
slender,  dried  stic  ku,  Honieiinies  twelve  to  fifteen  Inches  long,  but  generally  much 
uhorter.  bark-strips  and  eutklns  miiklng  up  the  fabric.  Although  near  relatives  of 
the  notorloUH  Cuckoo  of  Europe,  which,  like  our  Cowbird,  luys  Its  eg^^s  In  the  nest 
of  other  liirdh,  our  CuckooH  generally  respect  the  marriage  tie,  and  are  not  alto- 
gether deserving  uf  (be  Htlgmu  of  the  family  name  of  Cuckoos  of  the  Old  World, 
although  its  eggH  are  honietimes  laid  in  the  nests  of  the  Mourning  Dove,  Catbird, 
Cedar  Uaxwitig.  Cardinal  Grosbeak.  Robin  and  others.  The  eggs  are  deposited  at 
Intervalh  ol  iwo  to  live  dayn,  and  frequently  young  nre  found  In  the  nest  wlili  par- 
tially ineul.attd  eggs.  Two  to  four  are  usually  laid.  iJr.  Howard  Jones,  In  "Nests 
and  Eggs  of  ihe  liirds  of  Ohio,"  says  that  when  incui)atlon  does  not  begin  until  the 
comiilement  Is  completed,  as  is  commonly  the  case,  four  eggs,  rarely  six,  make  up 
the  set.  Mr.  Norris  has  a  set  of  six.  The  average  size  of  twenty-eight  sp<>clmens 
Is  1.27X.89.  Fresh  eggs  may  be  found  as  curly  as  the  middle  of  May,  in  .June,  July 
and  even  August.  Not  Infreiiuently  are  the  eggs  of  the  Yellow-billed  and  Ulack- 
bllled  Cuckoos  found  in  the  same  nest.  The  color  of  the  egg.s  i.s  gluucous-green,  of 
the  same  tint  found  In  herons'  eggs,  which  fades  upon  exposure  to  light,  and  when 
incubated,  this  color  becomcH  several  shades  lighter  than  that  In  the  fresh  specimens. 
On  June24, 1894,  a  nest  of  this  species  was  found  by  Mr.  R.C.Osburn  In  Licking  county, 
O..  which  was  placed  In  an  apple  tree  twenty  feet  from  the  ground.  It  had  a  lining 
a  quarter  of  an  Inch  deep,  composed  wholly  of  the  seeds  of  the  ash  tree.  The  seeds 
had  been  carried  at  least  three  hundred  yards. 


|387r>.J  CALIFORNIA  CUCKOO,  ('luv^fiux  (iintriraiiuK  tKTidv»talin  Ridgw. 
Oeog.  Dlst.  -Western  United  States,  north  to  Oregon,  east  to  New  Mexico  and 
Colorad(».  .south  over  tablelands  of  Mexico.  ' 

Ridgwuy  describes  this  western  form  as  larger  than  f\  mnvrifuinix,  with 
proportionately  larger  and  stotiier  bill.*  The  nesting  and  eggs,  and  the  general 
habits  of  this  geographic  race  are  Indistinguishable  from  those  of  the  Yellow-billed 
Cuckoo.         ".■'."■  '         ■  '. 


388.  BLACK-BILLED  CUCKOO.  Cwvyzux  cri/lltroitlitlialniux  (Wils.)  Geog. 
Dist.  -  Eastern  North  America,  north  to  Labrador  and  Manitoba,  westward  to  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  south  in  winter  to  the  West  Indies  and  Tropical  America. 

The  same  names  are  given  to  this  bir<I  as  are  common  to  the  Yellow-billed 
Cuckoo,  ('.  (iincrhaniin,  and  their  general  h^  uits  are  similar.  The  nests  of  the  Yel- 
low and  Black-billed  Cuckoos  resemble  each  other  closely,  and  It  is  not  always  pos- 
sible to  differentiate  the  two.    Nests  of  the  former  are  often  found  which  could  not 


•  For  Dtsi  rl|>ilon  set-  Manuiil  of  North  American  Ulrds.  j).  :iT3. 


1;  j   I 
i!  ! 


MUfTII    WIHIfirW  III  Hits. 


2S1 


he  mistaken  for  those  of  the  lUack-lilllcd  on  urcuunt  uf  the  coaraeneu  of  the  neat, 
larger  size  and  paler  color  of  the  cgga.  However,  hh  a  rule,  the  neat  of  the  Dlack-blll 
Ih  conatructed  with  more  caro,  the  Hticka  being  somewhat  amaller,  the  catkina  leas 
numeroua,  and  the  whole  woven  together  ir.  a  firmer  manner.  The  eggs  are  nmaller. 
lean  elliptical,  and  are  of  a  darker  green— d^cp  g'.aucoua-green  or  verditcr-blue. 
The  neat  complement  variea  from  two  to  five,  rarely  alx,  uaually  four,  and  they  are 
found  in  all  ntagea  of  incubation,  aH  ia  the  caae  with  the  egga  of  ('.  amrriainuM.  Ten 
Kpeclmena  meaaure  I.13x.79,  l.llx.80.  l.lSx.84.  1.13x.80,  1.17x.82.  1.17x.84.  1.19x.S0, 
1.12X.86.  1.13X.82.  1.18X.89,  with  an  average  aize  of  1.14x.79.  A  very  intereatlng  note 
concerning  thia  Hpeclea  in  made  l)y  Dr.  Edgar  A.  Mearna  in  hia  "HIrdH  (,r  Hudaon 
Hlghlanda."*  He  Huya:  "The  young  arc  covered  with  curioua-looking  pin-feathera, 
which  give  them  an  appenrancr  like  that  of  the  wire  Hwal)  used  In  gun 
cleaning.  Tho  old  bird  I:;  :i  dorr  altter,  and  when  obliged  to  leave  the  neat 
inovca  off  slowly  upon  the  hranchca, 
with  winga  and  tail  outspread.  Some- 
tiraea  It  will  come  quite  cloae  to  the  ob- 
server, and  then  utter  for  aeveral  mln- 
utea  n  low,  mournful  rno,  mn,  vuu,  mo, 
and  then  an  outpouring  of  harsh,  louu 
notea  that  quickly  bring  the  mate  to  Ita 
aide,  all  the  while  keeping  ita  winga 
and  tail  expanded,  and  crouching  low 
upon  the  branch.  Ita  ordinary  notea 
are  quite  commonly  heard  at  night  aa 
well  aa  during  the  day." 


[388.  1.]     KAMCHATKAN  CUO- 

XOO.  Curulua  vanoruH  Ulciihonua 
(Heine.)  Qeog.  Diet. — Eastern  Asia, 
casually  to  the  Pribilof  Islands,  Alaska. 
The  Siberian  Cuckoo  is  entitled  to  a 
place  in  our  avifauna  on  the  strength 
of  a  single  specimen  having  been  taken 
by  Mr.  William  Palmer  at  Northeast 
Point.  St.  Paul's  Island,  Alaska,  July 
4,  1890,  and  now  in  the  U.  S.  National  Museum 


«  «  EuROPBAM  Cuckoo. 


Nothing  definite  apparently  is 
known  concerning  its  nesting  habita  and  ?gg8,  but  they  undoubtedly  correspond 
with  those  of  the  European  Cuckoo. 


380.  COPPEBY  TAILED  TBOGON.  Troyon  ambiguuH  Gould.  Geog.  Dist.— 
Southern  and  Central  Mexico,  from  Oaxaca  and  Guerrero,  north  to  the  valley  of  the 
Lower  Rio  Grande  in  T(  xas  and  Southern  Arizona. 

A  specimen  in  my  collection  of  this  magnificent  bird,  the  only  rpprebeniii- 
tive  of  this  family  in  the  United  States,  was  taken  in  the  Huachuca  Llouutainti, 


•  A  I..l8t  of  the  Birdu  of  Hudson  Highlands  with  Annotations.    By  Sdir^r  A.  Meamsi 
Bulletin  of  the  Essex  Institute,  Vols.  X>XIIIi  Part  VIII,  p<  71 


18 


258 


VESra  AND  EOGB  OF 


»     ^ 


f'  '■ 


It 


Arizona,  June  Iti,  lbD4.    This  specimen 
has  a  copper-colored  tail  above,  with 
the  crown,  hind-neck,  bacic  and  scapu- 
lars a  deep  metallic  green,  varying  to 
coppery  bronze.     The   length  of  this 
species  varies  from  eleven   to  twelve 
inches,  the  tail  ranging  from  6.50  to 
7.20  Inches.    There  is  no  longer  doubt 
that  this   beautiful  species   breeds  in 
some  of  the  mountain  ranges  of  South- 
ern Arizona,  as  it  has  It'oen  talien  a 
number  of  times  in  that  region  from 
June  to  August.    The  Trogons,  whose 
breeding  habits  are  known,  nest  in  the 
natural  cavities  of  trees  or  in  cavities 
excavated    by    woodpeckers,    the   eggs 
being  deposited  in  the  bottom  of  the 
holes  on  the  rubbish  or  chips  which 
may  be  found  in  them.    The  eggs  are 
said  to  vary  from  two  to  four  in  num- 
ber, unspotted.    The  eggs  of  the  Mexi- 
can Trogon  are  described  as  a  very  pale 
green  in  color,  while  those  of  Triff/fin 
auninia  from  Paragtiay  are  said  to  be 
pure  white.    The  late  MaJ.  Charles  B. 
Bendire,  in  the  second  volume  of  nis 
"Life    Histories    of    North    American 
Birds,"  says:     "I  have  seen  eggs  pur- 
porting; to  belong  to  this  species,  but 
their  large  size,  as  well  as  the  source 
frim  which  they  came,  do  not  warrant 
me  In  giving  measurements  or  a  de- 
scription  of  these  specimens,   and  as 
far  as  I  know,  genuine  eggs  of  the  Cop- 
pery-tailed Trogon  still  remain  to  be 
described."     With  the  above  facts  in 
view  I  venture  to  describe  a  set  of  this 
bird's  eggs  In  the  collection  of  Mr.  R.  P. 
Sharpies,  of  Springfield,  Hi.    The  eggs, 
three  In  number,  were  taken  .June  14, 
1882,  In  the  vicinity  of  Mazattan,  Mexi- 
co, by  Mr.  A.  Porrer.    The  nest  was 
placed  In  a  hole  in  a  bluff  of  a  river,  ten 
feet  above  the  bed  of  the  stream  and 
two  feet  below  the  top  surface  of  the  bank,  and  the  cavity  extended  In  about  eighteen 
Inches.    The  eggs  are  dull  white  in  color,  nearly  oval  In  form,  and  the  shell  has  very 
Indistinct  lines,  resembling  water  marks  In  writing  paper.    Their  sizes  are  as  fol- 
lows:   1.12X.86,  l.lOx.87,  1.03X.84  inches.    According  to  the  data  furnished  with  this 
■et  of  eggs  these  birds  nest  In  suull  colonies;  six  seta  of  eggs  havlug  been  secured 
from  the  bank  where  this  set  wa&  obtained. 


*  *  MoTMOT  tlTooi  brabm) 


In 
bel 
stl 
lat 


HORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


259 


•  ♦  BLT7E-CB0WNED  MOTMOT.  Momotus  cicruleUrps  Gould.  Oeog.  Dlat.— 
Eastern  Mexico,  north  to  Rio  Grande  Vailey. 

The  Motmots,  or  Sawbills.  as  they  are  called,  is  a  family  of  twelve  or  fifteen 
species  inhabiting  tropical  America,  the  present  species  coming  very  near  our  iK>rder 


•  *  Pa«A0Iik  Trooan.  Pkmr*maen$8  m0eim»*  (Afltr  IfiebtM). 


In  the  Rio  Qrande  Valley.  They  are  birds  of  striking  plumage,  the  general  color 
being  plain  greenish,  tinged  with  olive;  the  ear-coverets  are  rather  lengthened  and 
stiffened  and  chiefly  black,  but  partly  blue.  They  have  lengthened  and  usually  spatu- 
late  middle  tail-feathers,  blue  except  the  tips,  where  they  are  black.    The  head  of  the 


V? 


960 


vaara  and  egos  op 


Blue-crowned  Motmot  varies  from  bluish  to  greenish  or,  as  Mr.  Ridgway  describes  it, 
"verdlter-blue,  varying  to  verdigris-green,  duMer  centrally";  length  of  bird  about 
14.20  to  15,  middle  tail  feathers  8.80  to  9.15  inches. 

300.  BELTED  KINOFISHEB.  Cirylr  alnion  (Linn.)  Oeog.  Dist. -Entire 
North  America.  South  Panama  and  West  Indies. 

This  is  the  familiar  bird  whose  loud,  coarse,  rattling  notes  are  heard  along  our 
streams,  it  may  be  seen  perched  upon  the  lower  branches  of  a  tree  overhanging  the 
water,  or  on  the  top  of  a  dead  stump;  these  places  furnish  a  favorite  outlook,  from 

which  it  plunges  beneath  the  water  to  se- 
cure Its  prey,  which  is  chiefly  fish.  It  is  a 
curious  fact  that  Mr.  W.  E.  D.  Scott  fre- 
quently met  with  this  bird  in  the  desert 
region  of  Southern  Arizona,  far  from 
water,  feeding  on  the  large  insects  and 
lizards.  The  nest  of  the  Kingflshor  is  an 
excavation  in  the  face  of  a  perpendicular 
bank  of  a  stream,  or  in  the  banks  of  gravel 
pits.  The  entrance  is  generally  about  two 
or  three  feet  below  the  surface;  the  tun- 
nel is  usually  straight,  but  sometimes  an 
angle  from  three  to  six  or  eight  feet,  and  is 
dug  by  the  bird.  The  Kingfisher  ejects 
from  its  mouth  the  bones,  scales  and  other 
indigestible  portions  of  its  food,  like  a  bird 
of  prty.  Thus  are  we  able  lo  account  for 
the  bones  and  other  refuse  of  food  found 
in  the  nesting  cavities,  in  the  midst  of 
which  the  eggs  are  deposited.  The  egge  are  of  a  clear  shining  white,  nearly  spherical 
In  shape,  usually  six  h)  number;  when  the  full  complement  is  laid  it  generally  num- 
bers seven  or  eight.  Six  eggs  measure  1.84x1.07,  1.35x1.08.  1.37x1.04,  1.47x1.03,  1.37x 
1.05,  1.40x1.08. 

390.  1.  RINGED  KINOFISHEB.  CeryU  torquaia  (Linn.)  Oeog.  Dist— Mexi- 
co and  southward  to  Southern  South  America;  casual  on  the  Lower  Rio  Grande. 
Texas. 

This  in  the  largest  and  handsomest  Kingfleher  found  on  the  American  con- 
tinent, inhabiting  suitable  localities  throughout  the  greater  portion  of  South 
America,  ine  whole  of  Central  America,  and  most  of  Mexico.  It  has  been  added  to 
our  fauna  from  the  fact  that  Mr.  Geo.  B.  Benncrs  shot  an  adult  female  about  a  mile 
below  Laredo,  Texas,  on  the  United  States  side  of  the  Rio  Grunde.  The  birds  nest 
In  boles  In  perpendicular  banks,  sometimes  a  long  distance  from  water  and  lay 
white  cgRR  which  are,  in  all  probability,  similar  to  those  of  our  familiar  Belted 
Kingfisher. 

391.  TEXAN  KINGFISHER.  VcryU  amnlrana  HrptcnMnnaH*  Sh>»-"9 
(THchudi.)  Geog,  Dist. — Southern  Texas  to  Arlsooa,  aoutb  to  Ecuftdor  and  ''  .i,«rn 
Peru. 

This  beautiful  little  bird,  known  as  Texan  Green  Kingfisher,  is  quite  common  in 
■ultablB  places  along  the  streams  of  Southern  Texas — wherever  the  water  is  not  too 
muddy  for  it  to  clearly  see  its  prey.  Like  the  Belted  Kingfisher,  this  species  nests 
In  holes  of  bankH,  depositing  the  eggs  on  the  bare  floor  of  the  cavity,  or  upon  flab 


A  Ttpical  KiNoriSHiii. 


i 


NORTH  AMERICAX  BIRDft. 


261 


bones  and  other  extraneous  matter.  Mr.  Brewster  describes  the  eggs  of  this  species, 
taken  In  Comal  county,  Texas,  April  25,  as  extremely  thin-shelled,  rounded-oval  and 
nearly  elliptical  in  shape,  clear  ivory-white,  with  a  rather  high  polish;  others 
creamy-white,  with  scarcely  any  polish.  The  sizes  of  five  eggs  are  given  an  l.OOx.71, 
.94X.69,  .99X.69,  l.OOx.71.  l.OOx.75.  respectively.  The  average  size  is  about  .95x.73 
inches. 


i! 


9M.     IvoKy-BiLLEU  Wuuui'KCKEK  (Froiu  Urebiu). 


ommon  in 
is  not  too 
icies  nests 
upon  flsb 


308.  IVORY-BILLED  WOODPECKER.  fVi im />«■/> A {./  primtpaltH  (Linn.) 
Oeog.  Dlst.— Formerly  Southern  Atlantic  and  Guif  States  and  Lower  Mississippi 
Valley,  north  to  North  Carolina,  Eastern  Missouri,  Southern  Illinois  and  Indiana. 
Now  r'»8trJci€d  and  only  ".n'-.^lly  distributed  In  the  «Ju!f  States  and  lower  Mississippi 
Valley  where  only  locally 


262 


NBBTB  AND  BOOS  OF 


'A. 


The  largest  of  our  No/tb  American  WoodpocKers— in  fact  It  is  the  prince  of 

Woodpeckers.  Its  length  r  ingeu  from  nineteen  to  twenty-one  Inches.*  The  adult 
male  has  a  long  pointed  creit  uf  scarlet,  the  entire  crown  (with  its  elongated  feath- 
ers) Is  black;  the  bill  ivory-yellowish  or  whitish.  This  bird  is  now  rare,  and  is  ap- 
parently restricted  to  the  extreme  Southern  States,  especially  those  bordering  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico.  It  Is  of  a  wila  and  wary  disposition,  making  its  home  In  the  dark, 
swampy  woodlands.  The  dense  cypress  swamps  of  Florida  are  at  present  one  of  its 
favorite  haunts.  A  zc*  of  three  eggs  of  this  species  Is  in  the  cabinet  of  Captain  B. 
P.  Cioss.  They  were  la^en  in  Southern  Texas  in  May,  1885,  from  a  hole  in  a 
tree  about  forty  feet  from  the  ground;  the  cavity  was  excavated  to  the  depth  of 
nearly  two  feet,  and  was  large  enough  to  allow  the  collector  to  insert  his  arm  and 
take  out  the  eggs.  These  ore  pyriform  in  shape,  and  have  the  usual  gloss  of  wood- 
peckers* eggs,  and  measure,  respectively,  1.44x1.06,  1.45x1.06.  1.44x1.07.  The  average 
measurement  of  thirteen  eggs  In  the  IT.  S.  National  Museum  is  about  1.45x.99  inches. 
Mr.  W.  E.  D.  Scott  found  a  nest  of  this  epecies  In  Hillsboro  county,  Florida,  March 
17,  1887,  containing  a  young  bird,  one-third  grown.  The  nest  cavity  was  dug  in  a 
large  cypress  tree  in  the  midst  of  a  dense  swamp,  and  was  forty-one  feet  from  the 
ground:  the  depth  of  the  cavity  was  fourteen  Inches.  Mr.  Scott  was  told  by  old 
residents  the  bird  was  once  very  common  In  that  region,  but  is  now  comparatively 
raio  and  shy.  The  day  the  nest  was  found  eleven  of  the  birds  were  counted  in  the 
swamp,  sometimes  four  or  five  were  in  sight  at  once.f 

303.  HAIRT  WOODPECKEB.  Dryobntea 
vUliinuM  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist.-  Northern  and  mid- 
dle portions  of  the  Eastern  United  States,  from 
the  Atlantic  coast  to  the  Great  Plains. 

A  ragged-looking  black  and  white  species, 
known  as  the  large  "Sapsucker."  and  one  of  the 
most  noisy  in  the  woods  during  the  breetlirg 
season,  which  occurs  In  latter  part  of  Aprl? 
through  May  and  the  early  part  of  /  ••  U 
does  not  accept  the  society  of  other  spe^  .v>  like 
Its  miniature,  t^  little  "Sapsucker" — Downy 
Woodpecker,  and  al^s,-  lyy  rMlntnlns  a  more  dlg- 
nlfled  man-'-^v  than  fh.m  spi  sics  when  hunting 
Insects  In  the  trunks  :-f  uees.  The  nest  cavity 
Is  commonly  dug  In  dead  or  parv;'<ily  dead  tree- 
trunks,  on  the  outskirts  of  woods  or  those  in 
orchards:  the  distance  from  the  ground  usually 
ranges  from  ten  to  twenty  feet,  and  the  depth 
of  the  cavity  eight  to  fifteen  Inches.  No  material 
Is  used  for  a  nest  lining;  the  eggs  simply  rest 
on  the  fine  chips  made  during  the  excavating. 
Four,  rarely  five,  glossy-white  eggs  are  de- 
posited. Five  specimens  measure  .97x.70,  .88x 
m.   H..:*  WooDi-it-Mii.  .70.  .94X.69.  l.OOx.70.  l.OOx.69. 


*  The  Imperiiit  Vx  ;<;4icIm-,  C  itMptrinlii  (Gontd),  meaaureH  twontj-lhree  or  tw«nty>f<)ur 
lncb«B  In  lenirth.  TbI  >  '>ird  Ih  fnund  in  Weaicrn  Mexico,  north  alonif  the  Sierra  Madre,  and  prnb- 
ably  baa  nut  7«*  tMi  cit<>-r'-<^<'  >rlak«a  witbln  our  11  iiita,  bat  la  likely  tu  occur  at  any  time  within 
the  United  Btats<4 /•i.un.av jr. 

t  Auk,  V.  p.  m 


UORTH  AyKnir.W  HIJtDS. 


263 


393a.  NORTHERN  HAIRY  WOODPECKER.  Dryobaten  iHUonuit  Icummrlns 
Bodd.  Geog.  Dist.— Northern  North  ^America,  south  to  about  the  northern  bolder  of 
tbe  United  States. 

The  general  habits,  nesting  and  eggs  are  exact  counterparts  uf  those  of  />. 
viUoaus. 

803b.  SOUTHERN  HAIRY  WOODPECKER.  Dryobatcx  rUlmuH  amhihonU 
(Swains.)  Geog.  DisL  -South  Atlantic  and  Gulf  States,  north  to  North  Carolina  and 
Tennessee,  west  to  Louisiana  and  Southern  Texas. 

The  general  habits,  food,  nesting  and  eggs  of  this  geographical  race  are  identical 
with  those  of  I).  villnHua. 

393r.  HARRIS'S  WOODPECKER.  Dryobates  viUoHiiH  harriitti  (And.)  Geog. 
Diat. — Pacific  coast  of  North  America  from  northern  California  to  Southern  Alaska. 

Harris's  Woodpecker  is  exactly  like  IKrillnsuK,  except  that  It  'has  fewer  wing 
■pots;  the  coverts  and  tertials  are  plain  black,  the  lower  parts  are  usually  white,  fre- 
quently pure  white,  rarely  smoky-gray.  In  th^  mountainous  regions  of  the  W-st 
coast  this  bird  Is  quite' common,  inhabiting  all  kinds  ef  forests,  especially  those  of 
the  pint)  regions.  Its  nesting  and  eggs  are  indistinguishable  from  those  of  /). 
vtVoau8. 

S9'A<I.  CABANIS'S  WOODPECKER.  DryobatrH  rUhsus  hyloHoopuH  (Cab.) 
Qeor.  Dist.— Western  United  States,  except  northwest  coast,  and  -outh  into  Mexico. 

The  general  habits  of  this  race  are  all  characteristic  of  those  of  the  Hnlry 
Woodpecker  of  Eastern  United  States.  Four  eggs  taken  in  Socorro  county.  New 
Mexico,  exhibit  the  following  sizes:  .95x.67,  .98x.69,  .96x.70,  .97x.7().  Th.-y 
are  glossy-white.  These  were  taken  May  5,  1887,  from  a  hole  in  an  oak  trne  forty 
feet  from  the  ground.  In  all  respects  the  nesting  and  eggs  are  similar  to  those  of  I). 
viUnaus. 

394.  SOUTHERN  DOWNY  WOODPECKER.  nryohattH  imbtmna  (Linn.) 
Geog.  Dist.— South  Atlantic  and  Gulf  States,  from  South  Carolina  to  Florida  and 
Texas. 

A  careful  study  of  the  Downy  Woodpecker  made  by  Mr.  Harry  C.  Oberholser 
has  resulted  In  separating  this  bird  into  three  geographical  races,  the  present  form 
as  the  true  DryobaUx  puhcmrns  (Linn.),  the  bird  of  the  middle  region;   Ih-ynbatvH 
pubctinnH  mcdIaituH  (Swafns.),  and  that  of  Alaska  and  northern  Tlrltlsh   America, 
DryuhttU'H  pubesvntH  nrhonll  Oberholser.    (Cf.  Brewster,  Auk.  January,  1897.  pp.  80-82.) 
All  of  these  races  have  habits  und  characteristics  generally  alike     They  are  M\ 
commonly  called  Little  or  Lesser  "Sapsuckprn."  but  these  are  mlsn*       rs  and  terms 
which   can   only    be    applied    with    any    propriety    to    woodpeck<        >jf    the   genus 
Sphyraptcus.    They  are  perhaps  the  most  social  of  all  our  Woodpe<        s,  and  the  best 
known.    They  seem  to  enjoy  the  company  of  other  birds,  especlall 
mice  and  wrens.  In  whose  society  they  are  generally  found,  sear* 
of  low  trees  or  saplings,  the  hedges,  the  brush  heaps  and  fences  f 
larvo).    It  Is  fond  of  drumming  on  the  stub  of  a  dead  limb  wh 
and  whose  shcl]  Is  hard  and  resonant.     Upon  such  places  It  will  drum  for  an  hour  at 
a  time,  now  and  then  stopplnf?  to  listen  for  a  response  from  Its  mate  or  of  some  rival. 
At  all  times  unsusptclou!<  of  yum,  and  when  engaged  !n  excavating  the  cavity  for  the 
nest  continue  the  busy  chiseling,  unheeding  his  near  approach.    The  nest  Is  exca- 
vated In  the  trunk  of  a  small  dead  tree,  often  In  the  dead  limb  of  an  apple  tree.  In  a 
post  or  rail  of  a  fence,  seldom  more  than  twenty  feet  from  the  ground,  usually  be- 
tween ten  and  fifteen  feet.    The  eggs  are  four  or  five,  rarely  s:  •    they  are  pure 


nuthatches,  tSt- 
lUg  the  branches 
insects  and  their 
center  Is  hollow, 


264 


NBaTS  AND  BOOS  OF 


gloasy-wblte,  and  nearly  elliptical  In  shape.  TLerc  Is  conBlderable  difference  in  the 
size  of  the  eggs;  a  set  of  four  measure,  respectlveiy,  .75x.62,  .77x.62,  .73x.61,  .73x.62; 
another  set,  containing  four.  .84x.58.  .78x.69,  .83x.68,  .82x.56;  a  set  of  five,  .80x.57, 
.86X.60,  .84X.60,  .83x.62.  .84x.63. 

304«7.  OAIRDMEB'S  WOODPEOKEB.  lirynlmtrH  piittrscvim  yairdnerii  (Aud.) 
Oeog.  Dist. — Western  United  States,  from  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the  Pacific,  north 
to  British  Columbia,  south  to  New  Mexico. 

The  western  representative  or  counterpart  of  the  Downy  Woodpecker  of  the 
Bast,  resenthling  it  in  size,  general  habits,  etc.  In  many  places  of  the  West  it  is  nn 
abundant  bird,  but  is  not  generally  so  common  as  the  Downy  is  in  the  Eastern 
States.  Mr.  Norris  has  a  set  of  Ave  eggs  of  this  Woodpecker,  collected  June  1,  1876, 
near  Santu  Cruz.  California.  They  are  glossy-white,  and  measure  .31x.69,  .80x.58, 
MxM,  .77X.58,  .74x.56. 

394h.  BATCHELDER'S  WOODPECKEB.  ItrynhntcH  itubrHvem  nrewrm  Batch. 
Geog.  Dlst.— Ilocky  Mountain  region  of  the  United  States. 

This  8Ul)Hpecies  inhiihitH  the  Rocky  Mountain  region  of  the  United  States,  but  it 
appears  to  be  more  common  on  the  eastern  slopes  than  on  the  western  and  through- 
out the  Great  Basin  regions.  Its  habits,  food,  nesting  and  eggs  are  identical  with 
those  of  the  Downy  Woodpecker  of  the  Eastern  States.  A  set  of  six  eggs  of  this 
subspecloH  is  in  Mr.  C.  W.  Crandall'H  oiiloglcal  collection.  They  were  taken  by  Mr. 
D.  P.  Ingrahani  near  Heulah.  Pueblo  county,  Colorado,  June  1,  189fi.  The  bird  was 
shot  and  Ideniiflcatioji  made  certain.  Thf  nest  was  in  the  hollow  of  a  dead  limb 
of  an  aspen  ircM-  u\)()ut  11  fe<>L  from  the  ground,  ut  an  altitude  of  S.OOO  feet.  The  eggs 
are  pure  while,  very  glossy  and  of  a  trtio  ovato  shape.  Their  sizes  are  as  follows: 
.73X.58,  .74x.r)8.  .74x.60,  .76x.59.  .7fix.57,  .74x.r)9  Inches  respectively. 

394r.  DOWNY  WOOBi'ECKER.  IhiiofKilvH  /»»/^mr»«x  mallnniiH  (Swains.) 
GeoK.  Dist.— Middle  and  northern  i.artH  of  eastern  United  States  and  northward. 

N<jw  a  geographical  race  of  the  typical  liriinhatrM  inihiHcriis  of  Linnaeus.  It  is  the 
the  fnm'iiar  "Downy"  of  the  middK;  and  northern  parts  of  eastern  United  States.  Its 
habits,  nesting  and  egga  ore  described  tinder  ihe  type  No.  391. 


ti 


a 


394»/.  NELSON'S  DOWNY  \\'UODPECKEB.  Ihiinhatis  puhiHcniM  nclsnni 
Oberholser.     Geog.  Dlst. — .\laskn  and  Northern  British  Anierlca. 

Mr.  Nelson  states  that  this  Downy  Woodpecker  is  a  winter  and  summer  resident 
in  .Maska.  Where  woodland  or  a  growth  of  bushes  and  small  trees  occur  it  is  cer- 
tain tc  he  found.  It  has  been  taken  along  the  entire  course  of  the  Yukon,  as  weJI 
as  at  ^  prions  points  on  the  eoant  of  Bering  Sea.  The  nesting  holes  were  frequently 
found  in  the  decaying  stubs.  'Ithough  he  did  not  And  a  nrst  containing  eggs. 

306.  RED-COCXADED  WOODPEO^ER.  Drunhnirs  horralin  (VieiU.)  Geog. 
Dlst. — Southern  States,  north  regularly  to  North  Carolina,  irregularly  to  New  Jersey; 
west  to  Indian  Territory  and  Eastern  Texas. 

The  Red-cockaded  Woodpecker  has  a  restricted  distribution  In  the  Southeastern 
Atlantic  and  Gulf  States,  and  is  found  regularly  as  far  north  as  the  Carolinus.  west- 
ward to  Indian  Territory  and  Eastern  Texas,  and  only  irregularly  to  New  Jersey. 
Audubon  speakp  of  It  In  his  day  as  being  found  abundant »y  from  Texas  to  New 
Jersey,  and  as  far  inland  as  Tennegsee.  and  nowhere  more  numerous  than  in  the  pine 


JiOKTH  AMKHiLAA  BlHUti. 


MS 


s    iiclsnni 


SUU.    Downy  Wuoupkckick  (U.  S.  Cheney  del). 

regions  of  Florida,  Georgia  and  ttie  Caroiinas.  He  fcxind  these  birds  mated  ia 
Florida  as  early  as  January,  and  engaged  in  preparing  a  lireeding  place  in  Fcl)ruary. 
The  nest,  he  states,  is  not  iinfrcquontly  bored  in  a  decayecj  stmnp.  In  Oeorgia  and 
other  localities  this  bird  excavates  a  nesting  cavity  in  tali  pine  trees.  living  or  dead. 
The  eggs  range  from  three  to  four  in  numlier.  rarely  more,  glossy-white;  size  .91x.68. 

396.  TEXAN  WOODPECKER.  lUimhatrx  xnilarls  mlnll  (},Ui\\\cr\>e).  (Wagl.) 
fleog.  Dist. — Southern  border  of  the  Vnlled  States,  from  Texas  to  .\rlzona  south  Into 
Mexico. 

This  bird  is  called  the  Ladder-backed  Woodpecker,  from  the  black  and  white 
cross-bars  on  the  back.  It  averages  larger  than  the  Downy,  />.  inihrnniis.  Dr. 
Merrill  found  it  a  common  resident  lu  Kouthern  'I'l-xas.  He  states  that  In  its  habits 
It  la  BO  like  the  Downy  Woodpecker  that  there  ia  little  to  be  said  about  It.  He  gives 
the  average  size  of  eighteen  eggs  as  .Six. 64. 

3B6fj,  BT.  LUCAS  WOODPECKER.  UrimlMttrM  Hntlnrix  liiruntnniH  Xantus. 
Oeog.  DIsi,     Uiwer  California  north  to  Int.  34'  in  the  Colorado  Desert,  California. 

There  appears  to  be  no  written  account  concerning  the  nidlfU-ation  of  this  geo- 
graphical race  which  is  found  in  Lower  CalifOtnla  and  the  Colorado  Desert  la 
California. 

397.  NUTTALL'S  WOODPECKER.  nryoltnUn  n,ittntin  (Gamb.)  GeQ«. 
Dlit. — Southern  Oregon,  California  and  Northern  Lower  California. 

The  hal)ltat  of  Nuitall's  Woodpecker  is  restricted  to  the  limited  area  of  th» 
State  of  California.  Southern  Oregon,  and  down  Into  Northern  Lower  California. 
It  closely  resembles  the  Texan  Woodpecker,  and  may  be  easily  recognized  from  (he 


266 


NBSTS  AND  EOQB  OF 


\l 


» 


latter  by  tbe  white  or  dull  buff  aasal  tufts  and  tbe  markings  of  the  tail  feathers. 
The  bird  is  of  the  same  size  as  the  Downy  Woodpeclcer  of  the  Eastern  States,  and  hai 
many  of  its  characteristics,  familiarly  uearching  the  orchards,  stumps  of  trees  and 
fence  rails  for  insects  and  their  larvie.  Mr.  Walter  E.  Bryant  found  a  nest  of  this 
species  on  Mt.  Diablo,  California,  May  29,  1880.  It  was  in  a  cavity  picked  between 
the  l)ody  and  the  bark  of  an  oak  stump,  fifteen  feet  from  the  ground.  The  opening 
wns  very  difilcult  to  And,  The  male  bird  was  sitting,  and  flew  from  the  stump  as  Mr. 
Bryant  approached,  and  he  was  obliged  to  wait  for  its  return  before  the  entrance 
could  be  located.  The  cavity  was  about  twelve  inches  deep  and  four  inches  inside 
diameter;  diameter  of  the  entrance  was  about  one  inch  and  a  half.  The  nest  con- 
tained four  glistening,  white  eggs;   their  sizes  being  as  follows:    24x17.5,  23x17, 


Wr.    HoMK  o*  NuTTAti-'t  Wooi»«c««ii  (Prom  7'Mf  ffiiMefitt), 


K! 


23x17.5,  23.5x.17  millimeters.*  Mr.  B.  T.  Oault  on  April  23, 1883,  obtained  a  set  of  six 
eggs  nf  thiH  species  from  a  cavity  in  the  mafa  trun!;  of  an  elder  bush  or  tree  In  tbe 
Kan  Bernardino  Valley.  Notwithstanding  various  loud  demonstrations — tapping  on 
ihe  tree  trunk  and  chopping  into  tbe  cavity  with  a  hatchet  the  female  bird  did  not 
leave  the  nest,  and  when  taken  oui  appearrd  stupefied.  The  nest  was  about  five  and 
a  half  feet  from  the  ground,  was  very  nearly  a  foot  deep  and  about  five  Inches  wide; 


•  Mx  (».  .91X.67,  .91x  <»     93X.67. 


JfORTII  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


267 


the  entrance  was  a  little  larger  than  a  silver  half  dollar, 
advanced  In  incubation;  their  sizes  are  .85x.66,  .S'tx.65, 
.64.*    They  are  of  a  pearly  white. 


The  eggs  were  pretty  well 
.82X.64,  .85X.66.  .85x66,  .84.x 


308.  ARIZONA  WOODPBOXEB.  Drynhtttra  arizontr  {HtirgiU.)  Grog.  Plst.— 
Southern  Arizona  to  Northern  Mexico. 

Mr.  F.  Stephens  met  with  this  species  in  the  Santa  Rita  andChiricahua  Mountains 
In  Southern  Arizona.  Although  the  birds  were  not  uncommon  he  did  not  succeed 
In  obtaining  the  eggs.  A  nest  was  found  May  16  in  a  sycamore  tree  which  containetl 
young.  Mr.  W.  E.  D.  Scott  found  this  Woodpecker  in  the  oak  region  of  the  San 
Pedro  slope  of  the  Cataline  Mountains  where,  except  in  midwinter,  it  is  not  uncom- 
mon. Mr.  Drown  found  it  common  on  the  Santa  Rita  Mountains.  Mr.  Scott  rarely 
met  with  more  than  two  in  company;  frequently  in  the  fall  a  party  was  seen  com- 
posed of  Arizona  Jays,  California  Woodpeckers,  vurious  Titmice  and  Warblers,  and  a 
pair  of  Strickland's  Woodpeckers.  They  appeared  mated  late  in  January  or  early 
in  February.  A  nest  containing  three  young,  found  May  27,  was  in  an  oak  about 
ten  feet  from  the  ground;  it  was  much  like  that  of  the  Hairy  Woodpecker,  but  the 
opening  was  a  little  smaller.  The  eggs  are  three  or  four  In  number,  glossy  white, 
and  average  .84x.64  inches. 


H  of  six 
e  in  the 
ping  on 
did  not 
five  and 
wide, 


399.  WHITE-HEADED  WOODPECKER.  Xriiopiciifi  alholarvalim  (Cass.) 
Qeog.  Dlst. — Mountains  of  the  Pacific  coast,  from  Southern  British  Columbia  to 
Southern  California  (Including  the  eastern  slope  of  Sierra  Nevada),  and  east  to  the 
Blue  Mountains  of  Oregon  and  West  Central  Idaho. 

This  peculiarly-colored  species  is  common  In  (he  pine  regions  of  Washington. 
Oregon  and  California.    Dr.  James  C.  Merrill,  Asslstont  Surgeon,  U.  S.  Army,  states 
that  this  bird  was  first  observed  In  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Klamath.  Oregon,  November 
9;  by  December  It  became  rather  abundant,  and  so  continued  until  the  latter  part 
of  February,  but  after  the  mlddlo  of  March  none  were  seen.     Careful  search  during 
the  breeding  season  failed  to  reveal  its  presence  near  the  Fort,  nor  was  it  found  in 
the  higher  mountains  In  July  and  August.     Dr.  Merrill  rarely  heard  this  Wood- 
pecker hammer,  and  even  tapping  is  rather  unusual  with  It.     The  bird  uses  Its  bill 
as  a  crowbar  rather  than  a  hammer,  /»r///»//  off  the  successive  scales  and  layers  of 
bark  In  a  very  characteristic  way,  which  explains  the  fact  of  Its  being  a  quiet  work- 
er.   As  a  result  of  the  great  abundance  of  food  which  these  birds  obtained,  the 
specimens  killed  were  loaded  with  fat — scarcely  surpassed  In  this  respect  by  some 
Sandpiper  In  autumn. t    Capt.  D.  F.  Ooss  has  a  set  of  three  eggs  of  this  species, 
taken  May  17, 1882,  near  Crockers,  California.    The  nest  cavity  was  In  a  small  rotten 
stub,  thirteen  feet  from  the  ground.    The  eggs  are  pure  crystalline  white,  exhibiting 
the  following  aizis-     .96x.75,  .98x.74,  .98x.77.     Set  No.  253  (oological   collection  of 
Walter  E.  Bryan\  ,  consisting  of  four  eggs,  was  taken  at  Blue  Canon.  Cal.,  by  C.  A. 
Allen,  May  27, 1879.    The  nest  was  In  an  excavation  of  a  pine  stump,  five  feet  from  the 
ground.    The   eggs   measure   respectively   23x17.5,   23.5x18.5,   24x18,   24x18.5   mm.} 
Set  No.  815  in  Mr.  Bryant's  collection  was  taken  at  Big  Trees,  Cal.,  by  Chas  W.  Knox, 
This  set  contains  five  eggs;  they  were  taken  from  a  hole  in  a  dead  pine  stump,  eight 
feet  from  the  ground.    Their  sizes  are:     25x19,  23.5x18.5,  25x19,  24x19,  24x19.5  mm.S 

•  Bull.  No.  2.    Rldtrwny  OrnltholoRical  Club.  April,  1887:    Chicago,  III.,  pp.  78-81. 

t  Auk,  V,  p.  253. 

t  .91X.69,  .Mx.73.  .94x.71,  .94x.73. 

II  .98X.75.  .«bi.7.r  .98X.7B.  .94x.7!>.  Mx.V. 


V' 


.•'. 
}' 


268 


NBBTa  AND  BOOB  OF 


400.  ABOTIC  THBEE-TOED  WOODPEOKEB.  Picoidea  arcticu9  (Bwalns.) 
Oeog.  DiBt.— Northern  North  America,  from  the  Arctic  reglouH  south  to  the  North- 
em  United  States  (New  England,  New  York,  Michigan,  Minnesota  and  Idaho),  and 
In  the  Sierra  Nevadas  to  Lalce  Taboe. 

The  Black-backed  Three-toed  Woodpecker  has  an  extended  distribution  from 
the  Pacific  to  the  Atlantic,  and  from  the  northern  border  of  the  United  States  north- 
ward to  the  Arctic  regions.  Its  favorite  haunts  are  the  pine  woods  of  muuntaln- 
ous  country.  Tn  some  portions  of  Northern  New  England  it  is  a  rare  summer  rest 
dent.  Audubon  says  that  it  occurs  in  Northern  Massucbusetts  and  In  all  portions  of 
Maine  covered  by  tall  trees,  where  It  resides.  It  Is  found  as  far  south  as  Northern 
New  York,  where  Dr.  Bachman  was  of  the  opinion  that  it  nested.  Dr.  Merriam 
states  that  this  bird  Is  not  an  uncommon  resident  In  those  portions  of  Lewis  county, 
New  York,  which  pertain  to  the  Canadian  fauna;  for  they  are  found  both  in  the 
Adirondack  region  and  in  the  coniferous  forests  bordering  Big  Alder  and  Fish 
Creeks,  In  the  Tug  Hill  range.  Dr.  J.  C.  Cooper  found  this  Woodpecker  quite  numer- 
ous in  September,  In  the  vicinity  of  Lake  Tuhoe  and  the  summits  of  the  Sierra 
Nevada,  above  an  altitude  of  0,000  feet.  Dr.  Merrill  mentions  it  as  a  rather  com- 
mon resident  in  the  vicinity  of  Forth  Klamath,  Oregon;  in  summer  more  com- 
mon In  the  mountains.  Several  nests  were  found  early  In  July,  but  with  young, 
fledged.  The  excavations  wore  In  dead  young  pint's,  not  more  than  Ave  or  six  feet 
from  the  ground.  In  this  respect  differing  from  those  of  the  other  Woodpeckers 
found  there,  all  of  which,  so  far  us  he  had  observed,  make  their  holes  at  a  greater 
height.  The  eggs  range  from  four  to  six  In  number,  pure  ivory-white;  average  size, 
.95X.71. 

401.  AMEBICAN  THBEE-TOED  WOODPECXEB.  PlcoldtH  amcrlranun 
Brehm.  Geog.  DIst. — Northern  North  America  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  south 
in  winter  to  the  Northern  I'nited  States  (Maine,  Massachusetts,  New  York). 

The  Banded  or  Ladder-backed  Three-toed  Woodpecker  is  found  in  the  spruce 
and  fir  regions  of  Northern  North  America.  It  is  often  found  associated  with  the 
last  species,  /'.  (ircllciix,  whose  characteristics  are  similar,  and  whose  nesting  is 
identical.  Dr.  C.  Hart  Merriam  met  with  a  pair  of  these  birds  nesting  In  Northern 
New  York,  June  4, 1878.  The  oavlty,  which  contained  four  nearly  fresh  eggs,  was  In 
a  spruce  tree  about  eight  feet  from  the  ground;  the  entrance  of  the  hole  was  an 
inch  and  a  half  In  diameter,  and  the  cavity  ten  Inches  deep.  The  eggs  are  described 
as  cream-white,  and  of  a  texture  like  those  of  other  Woodpeckers;  they  are  strongly 
ovate  In  outline,  and  measure  respectively.  23.8x17.2,  23.6x17.8.  23x17.9.  23x17.8 
millimeters.* 

401a.    ALASKAN  THBEE-TOED  WOODPECKEB.     PlcoidcH  amcrlvanm  al(U- 

caish  (Nela.)    Cecc.  Dlst.— Alaska,  south  to  Northern  Washlngtor. 

Nothing  has  been  published  regarding  this  bird's  nesting  and  eggs,  but  more 
than  likely  they  do  not  differ  from  those  of  the  preceding  species. 

401b.  ALPINE  THBEE-TOED  WOODPErXEB.  Picuidca  amcriranus  dornalis 
Balrd.  Geog.  Dlst.— Rocky  Mountain  region,  from  British  Columbia  and  Idaho 
south  into  New  Mexico. 

The  nesting  habits,  eggs  and  general  characterlBticB,  of  this  race  inhabiting  the 
Rocky  Mountain  region  are  the  same  as  those  of  Pictiidea  ameriranua. 


•  .Mx.68.  .93Z.70,  .»4x.71,  .Olz.70.    Bull.  Nutt.  Club,  III,  200. 


I 

i 
I 

I 

t 
t 
r 
I 

li 
n 
n 
h 

(I 
tl 

n 

o 

il 


watni.) 

North- 
o),  aod 

m  from 
I  uorth- 
luntaln- 
ler  real- 

tiODB  o( 

iorthero 
Merrtam 

county, 
1  In  ihe 
ad  FlHh 
I  numer- 
e  Sierra 
ler  com- 
n-e  corn- 
t  young. 

hix  feet 
Jpeckera 
L  greater 
age  size, 


18,   HOUtb 

0  Hpruoe 

with  the 

Bting  is 

orthern 

waH  in 

waH  an 

oHcribed 

strongly 

23x17.8 


lUH  ala$' 
ut  more 


dor»ali9 
d  Idaho 

iting  the 


NORTH  AUtUIVAS  BiHUS. 


269 


SiT/'r.-  - 


•*BuiiopiiAN  Tnnkk  TOKU  WooDPicKiR  Pii»iUn  trtaiKiylMt.  Similar  in  cul  to  P.  »mtHcamm$  (Prom  Br«hin)k 

402.  YELLOW-BELLIED  BAP8UCKEB.  HphvravUuH  variun  (Mnn.)  (]coR. 
Diat. — BaHtcrn  North  America  north  to  aliout  63°  31'  (north  of  Port  Simpiion),  breed- 
ing from  MaHHiichuBettH  northward;  in  winter  to  the  WcHt  Indlea,  Mexico  and  Costa 
Rica. 

The  Yellow-liellied  Woodpecker  is  one  of  the  moHt  HinRuliirly  mnrked  and  moat 
attractive  birds  of  the  family.  It  breectH  from  the  northern  I'nlted  atates  northward. 
A  common  bird  in  moHt  of  Its  Tnitrd  StatcH  range.  The  WoodpeckerH  of  thiH  genua 
are  the  only  oncH  to  which  the  term  'Sapsuckpr"  can  with  any  propriety  b«'  ap- 
plied. They  lock  the  long  cxtcnHlle  lonKU<*  M'hich  enablcH  the  other  Hpeclcs  to  prol)« 
the  winding  gallcrIcK  of  wood-eallng  larvn',  and  Ihoy  ore  known  to  feed  largely  upon 
the  green  Inner  bark  of  trees.  In  some  localities  this  species  is  said  to  d*  troy 
many  trees  l)y  stripping  off  bark  and  girdling  them  with  holes  for  the  sap.  The  fol- 
lowing details  are  from  Mr.  William  Urewstcr's  account  of  this  bird's  neating  hahlta 
In  New  Englond.  He  stotcs  that  throughout  the  White  Mountains  of  New  Hamp- 
shire, ond  in  most  sections  of  Northern  Maine,  the  Yellow-bellied  Woodpeckers  out- 
number oil  the  other  speciea  in  the  summer  season.  Their  favorite  nesting  sites  are 
large,  dead  birches,  ond  a  decided  preference  is  manifested  for  the  vicinity  of  water, 
though  some  negta  occur  In  the  Interior  woods.  The  average  height  of  the  excava- 
tion from  the  Rround  Is  about  forty  feet.  In  nearly  every  tree  examined  by  Mr. 
Brewster,  which  contained  a  neat,  there  were  aeveral  newly-flnlahed  cavltiea,  and 
othera  made  in  prevtoua  yeara,  but  In  no  caae  waa  more  than  one  of  the  excavotiona 
inhabited.    Many  o '  the  neata  were  gourd-Ilka  In  abape.  with  the  aldea  very  amootbly 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
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23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


t 


270 


NEST8  AND  EQG8  OF 


and  evenly  chiseled;  the  average  depth  was  about  fourteen  Inchee  by  five  in 
diameter  at  the  widest  point,  while  the  diameter  of  the  exterior  hole  varied  from 
1.25  to  1.60  inches.  The  labors  of  excavating  the  nest  and  those  of  incubation  are 
Shared  alternately  by  both  sexes.    Mr.  Brewslor  gives  the  eggs  as  numbering  from 


I 

J"' 


40S.    YBLLOW'BXbLiBD  Sapsucker  (iTotn  Beal). 

five  to  seven  in  a  set,  and  varying  considerably  in  shape,  some  being  oblong,  others 
decidedly  elliptical.  They  are  pure  white  in  color,  and  there  is  much  less  of  that 
fine  polish  than  in  eggs  of  the  other  species  of  Woodpeckers  he  had  examined.  The 
size  is  given  aa  .85x.60.* 

402a.  BED-NAPED  SAFSUOKEB.  Sphyrapicus  varius  nuchalis  Baird.  Geog. 
Dist — Rocky  Mountain  region,  west  to  the  Sierra  Nevada  and  Cascade  ranges;  south 
Into  Mexico. 

The  late  Major  Charles  B.  Bendire,  U.  S.  A.,  met  with  this  race  of  S.  varius 
sparingly  distributed  in  various  portions  of  the  Blue  Mountains  of  Oregon,  Wash- 
ington Territory  and  Idaho,  and  as  far  west  as  the  eastern  slope  of  the  Cascade 
Range  in  Southern  Oregon,  in  the  Klamath  Lake  region,  where  it  was  replaced  hf 
Sphyrapicus  ruber,  the  two  species  overlapping  eacb  other,  but  not  intergrading,  and 
remaining  perfectly  distinctHe  found  it  breeding  in  June,  nesting  in  cavities  of  live 


•  Bull,  Nutt.  Club,  I,  pp.  «S.TO. 


VORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


271 


aspen  trees.  Dr.  James  C.  Merrill  found  a  nest  of  this  bird  in  a  cavity  of  a  dead 
young  Cottonwood,  in  Montana,  June  12.  The  height  of  the  hole  from  the  ground 
was  twenty-five  feet,  anu  near  the  top  of  the  same  tree  were  three  similar  holes,  prob- 
ably used  by  the  same  birds  in  previous  years.  Mr.  Dennis  Gale,  an  enthusiastic 
naturalist,  has  given  Major  Bendire  the  results  of  his  observations  on  the  nesting  of 
this  Woodpecker  in  the  mountains  of  Colorado.  According  to  him,  its  nesting  sites 
are  invariably  in  living  aspen  trees,  along  the  gulches  and  hillsides,  and  the  birds 
are  seldom  found  above  an  altitude  of  9000  or  much  below  8000  feet.  In  excavating 
the  cavity  the  female  bird  does  the  work  from  beginning  to  end,  and  completes  it  in 
from  six  to  ten  days.  The  height  of  the  nesting  place  from  the  ground  varies  from 
five  to  thirty  feet.  The  eggs  are  from  three  to  six  in  number,  usually  four  or  five. 
Fresh  eggs  may  be  found  in  Colorado  from  June  1  to  15,  and  should  the  first  set  be 
taken,  a  second  may  generally  be  found  in  from  ten  to  fifteen  days  later;  and  as  a 
rule,  the  second  nesting-site  will  not  be  a  great  distance  from  the  first  one.  Several 
nests  of  this  species  may  be  found  within  a  short  distance  of  one  another  in  the  same 
aspen  grove.  The  cavities  are  roomy  and  gourd-shaped.  Bendire  gives  the  measure- 
ments of  two  sets  of  four  eggs  each,  taken  by  Mr.  Gale.  The  first  set,  collected  June, 
1884,  measures  as  follows:  .91x.67,  .90x.68,  .89x.68,  .88x.64;  second  set  taken  June  1, 
1887.  .90X.69.  .90x.69,  .90x.68.  .89x.65.  A  set  of  three  eggs  taken  by  himself  in  the 
Blue  Mountains,  Grant  county,  Oregon,  exhibit  the  following  sizes:  .90x.65,  90x.64, 
.88X.66.  The  average  measurement  is  given  as  .88x.66.  The  eggs  are  pure  white 
after  blowing,  moderately  glossy  or  lustrous,  and  generally  ovate  in  shape.*  The  set 
of  five  taken  by  Dr.  Merrill  in  Montana  pleasure  .91x.72,  .90x.73,  .93x.71,  .93x.73, 
.91X.73,  respectively.  , 


403.  BED-BBEASTED  SAFSXTCEEB.  Sphyrapicus  ruber  (Omel.)  Oeog. 
Dlst— Pacific  coast  region,  from  California  northward  into  Alaska. 

This  species  is  confined  to  the  Pacific  coast  region,  occuring  as  far  east  ab  the 
eastern  slopes  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains  in  Central  and  Northern  California; 
in  the  Cascade  Mountains  of  Oregon  and  Washington,  thence  northward  through 
British  Columbia  into  Alaska:  A  handsome  bird,  with  the  whole  head,  neck  and 
breast  carmine>red  in  both  sexes.  Major  Bendire  states  that  this  bird  is  an 
abundant  summer  resident  of  the  aspen  groves  on  the  mountains  in  the  southwestern 
portion  of  Oregon — the  region  about  Fort  Klamath,  etc.  According  to  his  observa- 
tions its  nesting  is  very  similar  to  S.  v.  nuclialls — breeding  in  healthy  live  aspen 
trees,  making  a  gourd-shaped  nest  cavity  from  six  to  ten  inches  deep,  four  or  five 
inches  wide  at  the  bottom  and  three  inches  near  the  top.  It  is  situated  from  fifteen 
to  twenty-five  feet  from  the  ground,  and  usually  excavated  below  the  first  limb  of 
the  tree.  A  sure  sign  of  a  nest  was  the  chips  scattered  about  the  base  of  the  tree. 
Five  or  six  eggs  are  laid,  and  fresh  eggs  may  be  looked  for  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Foiit  Klamath  from  May  20  to  June  5.  Major  Bendire  took  the  first  set  of  eggs 
May  23,  1883,  and  he  has  taken  nearly  fresh  eggs  ae  late  as  June  13.  When  blown 
the  eggs  are  a  pure  delicate  white,  the  shell  showing  a  moderate  amount  of  lustre. 
There  is  considerable  variation  In  their  shape,  running  through  all  the  different 
ovates  to  an  elongate-ovate.  The  average  measurements  of  sixty  specimens  are 
.94X.68;  the  largest  egg  1.00x.?0;  the  smallest  .86x.78.  A  set  of  five  eggs  is  in  Mr. 
Norris's  collection,  taken  with  the  female  bird,  near  Salem,  Oregon,  April  13,  1888, 
from  a  cavity  in  a  cottonwood.  twenty-five  feet  from  the  ground.  They  measure 
l.OOx.73,  .91X.71,  .94X.70,  .90x71,  .90x71. 


*  See  Notes  on  the  Habits.  Nests,  and  Eggs  •<  the  Gtenus 
Charles  B.  Bendire:    In  The  Auk,  V,  pp.  225-240. 


SphyraplcuB.    By  Major 


9i 


272 


NE8TS  AND  EQOB  OF 


404.  WILLIAMSON'S  SAFSUCKEB.  Sphyrapicus  tTiyroidem  (Cass.)  Geog. 
DIst. — Western  United  States,  from  and  inclusive  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the 
Pacific. 

This  singular   representative  of  the 

Sphyrapicus,  has  a  distribution  extending 
from  the  eastern  slopes  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains  to  the  Pacific  coast  in  Oregon 
and  California.  The  male  and  female  of  this 
species  are  so  different  in  coloration  that 
they  were  for  a  long  time  considered  sepa- 
rate species.  Regions  of  coniferous  trees 
.  seem  to  be  the  favorite  haunts  of  William- 
son's Woodpecker.  Dr.  Merrill  notes  it  as 
notan  uncommon  resident  in  the  vicinity  ol 
Fort  Klamath,  Oregon,  but  shy  and  very 
suspicious.  Two  nests  containing  young 
were  found  June  20  in  large  dead  pines; 
each  were  at  a  height  of  about  sixty  feet, 
and  Inaccessible.  Mr.  Dennis  Gale,  who 
has  given  Major  Bendire  his  observations 
on  the  habits  of  this  species  in  the  moun- 
tains of  Colorado,  says  that  the  birds  arf 
as  often  met  with  in  moderately  thick 
woods  as  in  more  open  clearings.  The 
nesting  sites  are  excavated  in  the  trunks 
of  pine  trees,  at  heights  ranging  from  five 
to  sixty  feet  or  more.  Fresh  eggs  may  be 
looked  for,  according  to  altitude,  from 
May  20  to  June  15.  At  Fort  Klamath, 
Major  Bendire  took  the  first  set  of  eggs 
June  3,  1883.  Five  or  six  are  laid.  They  are  pure  white,  a  trifle  less  lustrous  than 
those  of  8.  ruber,  a  little  more  elongated  and  pointed  in  shape,  some  approaching  a 
distinct  ovate-pyriform  or  pear  shape,  a  characteristic  not  apparently  found  in  the 
eggs  of  other  species  of  the  same  genus.  Major  Bendire  gives  the  average  size  of 
seventeen  specimens  as  .97x.67;  the  largest,  1.02x.68;  the  smallest,  .94x.67. 

405.  FILEATED  WOODPECKER.  CeopJilaius  pikatus  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist.— 
Formerly  entire  North  America  In  heavily-wooded  districts,  south  of  latitude  63°, 
except  lE  the  southern  Rocky  Mountains;  now  rare  or  extirpated  in  the  thickly 
settled  part  of  Eastern  United  States. 

Next  in  size  to  the  Ivory-billed  species  is  the  Pileated  Woodpecker,  commonly 
called  Logcock.  It  was  formerly  common  to  the  whole  wooded  region  of  North 
America  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  but  is  now  rare  or  absent  in  the  thickly 
settled  portions  of  the  Eastern  States.  In  southern  districts,  midst  timbered 
swamps  and  heavy  secluded  woods  It  is  still  abundant.  The  nesting  places  are  ex- 
cavated usually  in  the  main  trunks  of  high  trees,  such  ?<»  oaks,  sycamores,  elms, 
pines,  etc.  The  height  of  the  burrow  from  the  ground  ranges  from  twenty  to  eighty 
feet.  If  inhabited,  and  the  bird  is  at  home,  a  rap  upon  the  trunk  of  the  tree  will 
generally  bring  this  species  to  the  entrance  of  the  excavation.  The  eggs  are  from 
three  to  five  in  number,  glossy  or  chlna^white  and  average  in  size  about  1.30x1.00 
inches. 


KM.    Williamson's  Sapsucker. 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BlRDfi. 


405.     PiLEATED  WOODPFXKER  (From  Beal). 

406.  BED-HEADED  WOODPECEEB.  Melanerpes  erythrocephalua  (Linn.) 
Geog.  Dlst. — United  States  and  British  Provinces,  west  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  oc- 
casionally farther.    Rare  or  casual  east  of  Hudson  River. 

One  of  the  most  familiar  birds  in  Eastern  United  States.  It  is  found  almost 
everywhere — in  deep  forests  and  open  woods,  in  groves,  orchards  and  solitary  trees 
in  fields,  or  along  the  roadside,  and  on  the  open  prairies.  A  bird  of  manifold  trickr 
and  manners — some  are  commendable,  and  some  are  not.  It  is  known  to  rob  and 
demolish  the  nests  of  the  Cliff  Swallows;  oftentimes  whole  colonies  of  these  nests 
are  destroyed  by  this  Woodpecker.  It  seems  to  have  considerable  foresight  In 
"looking  out  for  a  rainy  day  ahead"  by  storing  grasshoppers,  acorns  and  beech  nuts 
in  the  cracks  and  crevices  of  posts,  in  the  cavities  of  partially  decayed  trees,  and 
under  patches  of  raised  bark.  Berries  and  various  fruits  are  likewise  a  portion  of 
its  food.  A  cavity  for  the  nest  is  dug  in  the  decayed  trunk  of  any  kind  of  a  tree 
of  sufficient  thickness,  and  in  almost  any  situation.  Telegraph  poles  are  often  re- 
ported to.  On  the  open,  treeless  prairies  it  has  been  known  to  nest  in  the  angle 
formed  by  the  shares  of  an  upturned  plow,  and  necessi':^  often  compels  this  bird 
to  make  its  nest  under  the  roofs  or  in  any  dark  hole  it  may  find  on  the  prairie 

19 


274 


NBSTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


i\ 


farms.  The  eggs  are  fire  or  six  in  number;  when  fresh  and  before  blowing,  like 
those  of  all  Woodpeckers,  show  the  yolk  through  the  translucent  shell,  which  gives 
them  a  beautiful  pinkish  appearan^^e.  After  blowing  they  are  of  a  clear,  glossy- 
white.    Tbe  average  size  Ie  .99x.78. 


406.     Rrd>headbd  Woodpbckbr  (Prom  Beal). 


407.  ANT-EATING  WOODPECKEB.  Melanerpes  formicivorus  (Swains.) 
Geog.  Dist. — ^Western  Texas,  New  Mexico  and  Arizona,  thence  over  the  tablelands  of 
Mexico. 

Mr.  W.  H.  Henshaw  met  with  this  species  in  the  Rocky  Mountain  region  of  New 
Mexico,  near  Santa  Fe,  where  it  frequented  the  small  oak  groves.  Mr.  W.  E.  D. 
Scott  states  that  the  bird  is  a  common  resident  of  the  Pinal  and  the  Catalina  Moun- 
tains of  Arizona,  both  in  pine  and  oak  regions  as  low  as  4,000  feet.  July  30,  1884,  a 
nest  containing  tbree  half  grown  young  was  found;  it  was  in  a  natural  cavity  of  a 
sycamore  tree  fifty  feet  from  the  ground.  The  number  of  eggs  laid  to  a  set  is  four 
or  five,  rarely  more.  They  are  like  the  eggs  of  all  woodpeckers,  pure  white  and 
glossy.  The  average  measurement  of  nineteen  specimens  as  given  by  Maj.  Bendire 
is  l.OOx.75  inches. 

407o.  CALIFOBNIAN  WOODPECKEB.  Melanerpes  fortnicirorut  bairdi  Ridgw. 
Geog.  Dist. — Pacific  coast  region  of  the  United  States,  from  southern  Oregon  south 
to  Northern  Lower  California  and  Mexico,  east  through  Arizona  to  Southern  Mexico 
and  Western  Texas. 

This  subspecies  of  the  Pacific  coast  region  has  ta«  same  general  habits  as  M» 
iformiciroru8.  -  . 


aOUTU  AMEHWAH  B11{D8. 


27ft 


4076.    NABBOW-FBONTED   WOODPECKEB.    Uelanerpes   formicivoruB  om- 

tfUBtifroua  Balrd.    Geog.  Dist.— Southern  Lower  California. 

A  smaller  race  with  a  brighter  sulphur-yellow  throat  and  narrow  frontal  band 
than  the  California  Woodpecker.  It  is  an  inhabitant  of  the  more  southern  portions 
of  Lower  California  and  was  first  described  by  Baird  in  1870.  Mr.  L.  Belding  found 
it  common  at  Miraflores,  and  abundant  in  the  Victoria  Mountains.  On  June  3,  1887, 
Mr.  M.  Aboott  Frazar  found  a  nest  of  this  species  in  the  Sierra  de  la  I  aguna,  Lower 
California.  The  eggs,  four  in  number,  are  now  in  Mr.  William  Brewster's  collection; 
these  are  white,  with  rather  a  dull  gloss,  varying  in  shape  from  blunt  ovate  to  broad 
elliptical  oval,  measuring  .95x.75,  .94x.74,  .89x.77,  .8Sx.76  inches.  Mr.  Frazar  in<b 
formed  Major  Bendire  that  as  nearly  as  he  remembered  the  nesting  place  was  in  ft 
dead  pine  stump,  not  a  great  distance  from  the  ground. 

408.  LEWIS'S  WOODPECKEB.  Melanerpcs  torquatns  (Wlib.,  Geog.  Dlst— 
Western  United  States,  from  the  Black  Hills  and  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the  Paciflo 
coast. 

In  most  of  the  wooded,  mountainous  regions  of  the  West,  from  the  Rocky 
Mountains  to  the  Pacific,  Lewis's  Woodpecker  is  a  common  bird.  About  Fort 
Klamath,  Oregon,  Dr.  Merrill  notes  it  as  rather  uncommon  during  the  summer, 
nesting  usually  near  the  tops  of  tall  dead  pines,  especially  isolated  ones,  from 
which  they  can  obtain  a  good  view  of  passing  insects,  which  they  will  often  follow 
to  a  considerable  distance.  The  general  habits  of  this  species  are  similar  to  those  of 
the  Red-headed  Woodpecker.  It  is  found  in  grtater  or  less  abundance  in  the  pine 
and  oak  districts  of  New  Mexico,  Arizona,  California,  Colorado,  etc.,  where  the  nests 
are  burrowed,  preferredly  in  dead  trees,  at  all  heights  from  the  ground.  The  eggs 
are  five  to  nine  in  number,  six  or  seven  being  the  most  common  number,  and,  like  all 
those  of  the  Woodpeckers,  are  white  and  glossy.  The  average  measurement  of  one 
hundred  and  seveuty-one  specimens  in  the  U.  S.  National  Museum  collection  is  about 
1.03X.80  inches;  the  largest  specimen  1.18x.88,  the  smallest  .94x.65  inches. 


409.  BED-BELLIED  WOODPECKEB.  Melanerpcs  caroUuus  (Linn.)  Geog. 
Dist. — ^Eastern  United  States,  west  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  south  to  Florida  and 
Central  Texas. 

This  Woodpecker  is  regarded  by  some  as  the  most  beautiful  of  the  smaller  spe- 
cies of  its  tribe,  and  is  known  to  many  as  the  "Zebra  Bird,"  from  the  back  and  wings 
being  closely  banded  with  black  and  white;  the  whole  crown  and  nape  are  scarlet 
in  the  male,  partly  so  in  the  female.  Under  parts  grayish,  mixed  with  yellowish- 
white,  reddening  on  the  belly.  A  bird  generally  of  retired  habits,  seeking  the 
deepest  and  most  unfrequented  forests  to  breed.  When  engaged  In  hammering  for 
insects  it  frequently  emits  a  short,  singular  note,  which  Wilson  likens  to  the  bark  of 
a  small  dog.  The  note  is  repeated  twice,  and  resembles  the  hoarse  utterance  of  the 
syllables  choir,  chow.  Prof.  D.  E.  Lantz  states  that  this  species  in  the  vicinity  of  Man- 
hattan, Kansas,  exhibits  the  same  familiarity  as  shown  by  the  Flicker,  the  Red- 
headed and  Downy  Woodpeckers.  About  a  dozen  nests  were  observed,  the  excava- 
tions ranging  usually  less  than  twenty  feet  from  the  ground.  One  nest  in  a  burrow 
of  a  large  dead  limb  of  an  elm  tree  was  found  May  12,  and  contained  five  eggs.  ,The 
earliest  date  for  a  full  set  was  May  10.  The  birds  were  very  much  attached  to  their 
nests,  so  much  so  that  in  several  cases  it  was  necessary  to  remove  them  with  th#- 
hand  before  the  eggs  could  be  secured.  The  eggs  being  taken,  they  almost  imi« 
mediately  begin  excavating  another  nest  cavity  for  the  second  set,  always  In  the' 


i'     I 


i 


.1 


it 


!  7 


276 


y^SrS  /17\^D  EGOS  OF 


vicinity  of  the  first  nest,  often  in  the  same  tree.  In  Ohio  this  bird  Is  a  common 
resident.  Breeds  ir.  May.  Four  to  six  white  eggs  are  laid,  varying  in  length  from 
.77  to  1.00  by  .67  to  .79  in  breadth.  Six  eggs  talcen  in  Franklin  county,  Ohio,  mea3- 
ure  l.OOx.77,  .98x.78,  l.OOx.78,  .99x.74,  l.OOx.76,  l.OOx.74.  The  average  size  of  twenty- 
four  specimens  in  the  U.  S.  National  Museum  as  given  by  the  late  Major  Bendire  la 
.9&X.73  inches.    These  are  mostly  from  Florida. 

410.  GOLDEN-FBONTED  WOODPECKEB.  Melanerpea  aurifroM  (Wagl.) 
Geog.  Dist. — Southern  Texas  and  Northeastern  Mexico. 

Dr.  James  C.  Merrill  records  this  species  as  abundant  on  the  Lower  Rio  Grande 
In  Texas,  and  Mr.  George  B.  Sennett  found  it  very  common  at  Lomita,  and  as  bold 
and  noisy  as  the  Red-headed  Woodpecker  of  the  North.  Although  breeding 
abundantly,  the  eggs  were  difficult  to  obtain,  as  the  nesting  cavities  were  often 
situated  in  the  heart  of  large  hard-wood  trees,  and  not  very  accessible.  From  four 
to  seven  rather  dull  looking  white  eggs  are  laid;  usually  Ave  or  six.  Mr.  Sennett 
took  the  first  set  of  eggs  April  17,  and  a  clutch  of  five  fresh  ones  was  taken  May  1st. 
Two  broods  are  probably  reared  in  a  season  as  eggs  have  been  found  in  June.  The 
late  Major  Charles  E.  Bendire  gives  the  average  measurement  of  seventy-three  eggs 
1.02X.77  inches. 

411.  OILA  WOODPECKEB.  Melonerpes  tiropygialls  (Baird.)  Geog.  Dist.— 
Southern  Arizona,  Southeastern  portion  of  California,  Lower  California  and  Western 
Mexico. 

This  species  was  first  discovered  by  Dr.  Kennerly  in  his  route  along  the  35th 
parallel,  and  described  by  Professor  Baird  in  1854.  Dr.  Hermann  found  it  abun- 
dant along  the  Gila  -Wer  among  the  mesquite  trees  and  giant  cactus.  He  met  with 
it  in  Calitornia  i'  .  ivu  iderable  numbers  on  the  banks  of  the  Colorado.  Mr.  G.  Frean 
Morcom,  in  his  Vi  :  ble  paper  on  the  birds  of  Southern  California  and  Southwestern 
Arizona,*  notes  chis  as  one  of  the  species  found  by  Mr.  F.  Stephens  at  Yuma,  Arizona, 
where  it  was  not  common.  A  nest  was  found  May  4,  excavated  in  a  growing  willow 
on  the  edge  of  a  slough.  It  contained  three  eggs,  incubation  commenced.  In  the 
region  about  Tucson,  Arizona,  Mr.  W.  E.  D.  Scott  states  that  it  is  a  common  resident, 
especially  in  the  giant  cactus  regions,  occurring  in  numbers  up  to  an  altitude  of 
4500  feet.  Though  breeding  in  mesquite  and  cottonwood  trees,  they  show  a  great 
preference  for  groves  of  giant  cactus,  which  afford  nesting  places  for  thousands  of 
pairs  about  Tucson,  Florence  and  Riverside.  Near  Tucson,  Mr.  Scott  took  fresh 
eggs,  three  to  five  in  number,  from  May  15  until  the  last  of  the  month.  The  birds 
do  not  always  excavate  new  nesting  holes  in  the  giant  cactus,  but  more  frequently 
take  advantage  of  former  excavations.  The  birds  are  very  fond  of  the  fruit  of  the 
giant  and  other  cacti.    The  eggs  are  smooth,  glossy  white,  and  measure  .99x.72. 


hi 


412.  FLICKEB.  Colaptea  auratus  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist.— Eastern  North  Ameri- 
ca, west  to  the  Great  Plains,  north  to  Hudson  Bay  and  Alaska. 

This  is  the  Golden-winged  Woodpecker,  Yellow-shafted  Flicker,  Pigeon  Wood- 
pecker, High-holder,  Wake-up  end  Yellow-hammer  of  Eastern  North  America. 
Every  country  boy  has  a  name  for  it.  The  bird's  ordinary  notes  are  the  familiar, 
oft-repeated  "chuck-up,  chuck-up,  chuck-up,"  the  scythe-whetting  note,  "quit-^u, 
quit-tu,  quit-tu,"  and  the  peculiar  "wake-up"  call,  preluded  by  rapid  monosyllables. 

•  Bulletin  No.  2.    The  Kidgway  Ornithological  Club. 


*&m 


lM(MiM£UiMi 


m  iwiiiii 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


V7 


\ 


412.     Flickrh  (From  Brehm). 


The  Golden-winged  Woodpecker  is  found  everywhere  in  woodlands,  nesting  in  the 
same  manner  as  others  of  the  family,  most  frequently  in  a  dead  trunk  of  a  tree,  at 
considerable  height  from  the  ground.  The  excavations  are  generally  made  by  the 
birds,  though  not  unfrequently  the  eggs  are  laid  within  l  natural  cavity.  Curious 
breeding-places  are  sometimes  selected.  It  has  been  found  nesting  in  an  old  wagon 
hub  far  out  on  the  treeless  prairie;  in  barrels  and  in  the  crevices  of  deserted  barns 
and  out-houses.  Mr.  Raymond  C.  Osburn  found  a  nest  of  the  Flicker  on  May  27, 
1894,  in  Licking  county,  O.,  in  the  natural  cavity  of  a  gate-post,  only  three  feet 
from  the  ground.  Ordinarily  from  six  to  eight  or  ten  crystaline  white  eggs  are  de- 
posited, but  in  exceptional  cases  this  bird  is  known  to  lay  a  large  number.  Prof. 
Evermann  took  thirty-seven  eggs  from  a  single  nest  between  May  4  and  June  22, 
1885.  In  this  period  of  time  the  bird  rested  fourteen  days.  The  most  remarkable 
instance  of  the  laying  capacity  of  the  Flicker  of  which  I  am  aware  is  that  recorded 
by  Charles  L.  Phillips,  of  Taunton,  Mass.  On  May  6,  1883,  he  found  a  cavity  in  a 
large  willow  tree  containing  two  eggs;  he  took  one,  leaving  the  other  as  a  "nest-egg," 


if 


■fl 


I 


I 

ji 
1 

278 


KESTS  AND  EQQB  OF 


and  continued  to  do  so  day  after  day  until  tae  female  Flicker  had  laid  seventy-one 
egSB  in  seventy-three  days.*  The  average  size  of  the  eggs  is  l.lOx.90,  and  In  a  large 
series  a  great  variation  in  size  and  shape  are  noticeable.  While  it  Is  hardly  within 
the  scope  of  the  present  work  I  herewith  quote  entire  the  "General  Remarks"  in 
Mr.  F.  B.  L.  Beal's  "Food  of  Woodpeckers,"t  which  certainly  proves  their  great 
value  to  the  agriculturalist.  He  says:  "With  the  possible  exception  of  the  crow, 
no  birds  are  subject  to  more  adverse  criticism  than  woodpeckers.  Usually  no  at- 
tempt U  made  to  discriminate  between  the  numerous  species,  and  little  account 


412.    Flicker  (After  Audubon). 

l8  taken  of  the  good  they  do  in  destroying  injurious  insects.  The  name  of  'Sapsucker' 
has  been  applied  to  two  or  three  of  the  smaller  kinds,  in  the  belief  that  they  subsist 
to  a  great  extent  upon  the  Juices  of  trees,  obtained  from  the  small  holes  they  make 
in  the  bark.    There  can  be  little  doubt  that  one  species,  the  Yellow-bellied  Wood- 


•  In  the  last  editions  of  this  work  Mr.  Phillips'  record  was  credited  to  the  Ornitholo- 
gist and  Oologist  (Vol.  XI,  p.  16).  Mention  of  It  first  appears  in  The  Young  Oologlst  ( Vol. 
I,  p.  28),  and  It  has  recently  been  recorded  In  The  Auk,  Vol.  IV,  p.  346.  *▼ 

t  Bulletin  No.  7,  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture,  Division  of  Ornithology  and  Mam- 
malogy. Preliminary  report  on  the  Food  of  Woodpeckers,  by  F.  E.  L.  Beal,  Assistant 
Ornithologist.  The  Tongues  of  Woodpeckers,  by  F.  A.  Lucas,  Curator,  Department  Com- 
parative Anatomy  U.  S.  National  Museum*  Washington:  Government  Printing  Office, 
1896. 


immm 


NORTH  A  HE  It  I  VAN  HIItDS. 


279 


pecker  {Sphyraplcua  rarius),  does  live  to  a  considerable  extent  upon  this  sap.  Ob- 
servation does  not  show  that  other  specif  have  the  same  habit,  but  It  Is  a  difficult 
point  to  decide  by  dissection,  as  fluid  contents  disappear  quickly  from  the  stomach. 
Many  observers  have  testified  to  the  good  work  these  birds  do  In  destroying  Insects, 
while  others  have  spoken  of  harm  done  to  fruit  or  grain.  Both  are  correct  within 
certain  limits.  Field  observation  on  the  food  habits  of  birds  Is  attended  with  so 
many  difficulties  as  to  render  It  a  very  unreliable  source  from  which  to  draw  general 
conclusions.  The  most  conscientious  and  careful  person  Is  often  deceived,  not  only 
as  to  the  quantity  of  a  particular  kind  of  food  eaten  by  a  bird,  but 
as  to  the  fact  that  it  is  eaten  at  all.  The  further  difficulty  of  keeping  a  number  of 
birds,  or  even  a  single  oJe,  under  constant  observation  makes  an  estimate  of  relative 
proportions  of  different  kinds  of  food  Impossible.  When  much  mischief  Is  done 
the  fact  Is  apparent,  but  there  is  no  way  to  find  out  how  much  good  Is  done  during 
the  same  time.  For  these  reasons  it  often  happens  that  reports  on  food  habits, 
based  on  observations  of  wild  birds,  not  only  conflict  with  each  other,  but  also  disa- 
gree with  the  results  obtained  from  stomach  examinations.  This  last  method 
must  be  taken  as  the  court  of  final  appeal,  and  it  Is  evident  that  a  collection  of 
stomachs  covering  every  month  In  the  year,  and  as  nearly  as  may  be  all  points 
of  the  birds'  range,  becomes  more  and  more  trustworthy  as  it  Increases  In  size;  In 
other  words,  the  more  stomachs  examined  the  nearer  correct  will  be  the  result  as  to 
the  birds'  annual  diet.  The  present  paper  Is  merely  a  preliminary  report,  based  on 
the  examination  of  679  stomachs  of  Woodpeckers,  and  representing  only  7  species — 
all  from  the  eastern  United  States.  These  species  ai3  the  Downy  Woodpecker 
(Drynbatrs  puhesreiis),  the  Hairy  Woodpecker  (/).  viUoHus),  the  Flicker  or  Golden- 
winged  Woodpecker  {Colaptcs  attratus),  the  Red-headed  Woodpecker  {mvUincrpea 
(rythrocepahlus),  the  Red-bellied  Woodpecker  (McUiiicrpcs  caroUnus),  the  Yellow- 
bellied  Woodpecker  {Sphyrapicus  varius),  and  the  Great  Plicated  Woodpecker 
{Ceophlocus  pileatus).  Examination  of  their  stomachs  shows  that  the  percentage 
of  animal  food  (consisting  almost  entirely  of  Insects)  Is  greater  in  the  Downy,  and 
grades  down  through  the  Hairy,  Flicker,  Plicated,  Redhead,  and  Yellow-bellied  to 
the  Red-bellied,  which  'akes  the  smallest  quantity  of  Insects.  Prof.  Samuel  Aughey 
stated  that  all  of  these  species  except  the  Pileated  (which  was  not  present)  fed  upon 
locusts  or  grasshoppers  during  the  devastating  Incursions  of  these  Insects  in  Nebras- 
ka. The  veguable  matter,  of  course,  stands  in  inverse  order.  The  greatest  quantity  of 
mineral  matter  (sand)  is  taken  by  the  Flicker,  somewhat  less  by  the  Redhead,  very 
little  by  the  Downy  and  Hairy,  and  none  at  all  by  the  Yellow-bellied  and  Pileated. 
The  stomachs  of  all  of  the  7  species  except  the  Redhead  and  Red-bellied  contained 
the  substance  designated  as  'cambium'  in  the  accompanying  list  of  vegetable  food. 
This  is  the  layer  of  mucilaginous  material  lying  Just  inside  of  the  bark  of  trees,  and 
from  which  both  bark  and  wood  are  formed.  It  Is  supposed  by  many  to  be  the  main 
object  sought  by  woodpeckers.  Except  In  the  case  of  a  single  species  the  stomach 
examination  does  not  bear  out  this  view,  since  cambium,  if  present  at  all,  was  In 
such  small  quantities  as  to  be  of  no  practical  importance.  The  Yellow-bellied 
Woodpecker,  however,  Is  evidently  fond  of  this  substance,  for  In  the  stomachs  ex- 
amined it  formed  23  per  cent,  of  the  whole  food  of  the  year.  It  w^s  found  in  37 
stomachs,  most  of  which  were  taken  in  April  and  October.  Of  18  stomachs  collected 
in  April,  16  contained  cambium,  and  one  of  the  remaining  contained  no  vegetable 
food  whatever.  Moreover,  as  the  true  cambium  is  a  soft  and  easily  digested  sub- 
stance it  is  probable  that  what  is  usually  found  In  the  stomachs  is  only  ttfe  outer 
and  harder  part,  which  therefore  represents  a  much  larger  quantity.    The  extent 


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m  VEBTa  AND  BOOB  Of 

of  the  Injury  donp  by  <legtroylng  cambium  muBt  depend  on  the  quantity  taken  froni 
individual  trees.    It  Is  well  known  that  woodpeckers  sometinaes  do  seriouH  harm 
by  removing  the  outer  bark  from  largo  arras  on  the  trunks  of  fruit  trees.  ^  The  rings 
of  punctures  often  seen  around  the  trunks  of  apple  trees  are  certainly  the  work 
of  the  Sapsucker,  though  sometimes  attributed  to  the  Downy  and  Hairy  Woodpeck- 
ers.   Dut  the  bird  Is  not  sufficiently  numerous  In  most  parts  of  the  country  to  do 
much  damage.    It  Is  a  difficult  task  to  summarize  the  results  of  the  Investigations 
herein  detailed,  more  especially  If  an  attempt  Is  made  to  decide  as  to  th^?  compara- 
tive merits  or  demerits  of  each  particular  species.    The  stomach  examinations  do 
not  always  corroborate  the  testimony  received  from  observers,  and  many  no  doubt 
will  be  Inclined  to  think  they  have  seen  more  harm  done  by  some  members  of  this 
family  of  birds  than  Is  shown  by  the  data  hero  published.     If  birds  are  seen  feeding 
repeatedly  on  a  certain  kind  of  food  the  Inference  Is  ihat  they  are  ^artlcula^ly  fond 
of  It,  but  the  truth  may  be  that  they  are  eating  It  because  they  can  find  nothing  they 
like  better,  and  that  a  collection  of  their  stomachs  from  many  localities  would  show 
only  a  small  percentage  of  this  particular  food.    In  reviewing  the  results  of  these 
Investigations  and  comparing  one  species  with  another,  without  losing  sight  of  the 
fact  that  comparative  good  Is  not  necessarily  positive  good,  It  appears  that  of  7 
species  considered  the  Downy  Woodpecker  Is  the  most  beneficial.    This  is  due  In 
part  to  the  great  number  of  Insects  It  eats  and  In  part  to  the  nature  of  Its  vegetable 
food,  which  Is  of  little  value  to  man.    Three-fourths  of  Its  food  consists  of  Insects, 
and  few  of  these  are  useful  kinds.    Of  grain.  It  eats  practically  none.    The  greatest 
sin  we  can  lay  at  Its  door  Is  the  dissemination  of  poison  ivy.  The  Hairy  Woodpecker 
probably  ranks  next  to  the  Downy  In  point  of  usefulness.    It  eats  fewer  ants,  but  a 
relatively  larger  percentage  of  beetles  and  caterpillars.    Its  graln-eatlng  record  is 
trifling;  2  stomachs  taken  In  September  and  October  contained  corn.    For  fruit,  it 
seeks  the  forests  and  swamps,  where  It  finds  wild  cherries,  grapes,  and  the  berries  of 
dogwood  and  Virginia  creeper.    It  eats  fewer  seeds  of  the  poison  Ivy  and  poison 
Bumac  than  the  Downy.    The  Flicker  eats  a  smaller  percentage  of  Insects  than  either 
the  Downy  or  the  Hairy  Woodpecker,  but  if  eating  ants  Is  to  be  considered  a  virtue, 
as  we  have  endeavored  to  show,  then  surely  this  bird  must  be  exalted,  for  three- 
fourths  of  all  the  Insects  it  eats,  comprising  nearly  half  of  its  food,  are  ants.    It  is 
accused  of  eating  corn;  how  little  its  stomach  yields  Is  shown  on  another  page. 
Fruit  constitutes  about  one-fourth  of  its  whole  fare,  but  the  bird  depends  on  nature 
and  not  on  man  to  furnish  the  supply.    Judged  by  the  results  of  the  stomach  ex- 
aminations of  the  Downy  and  Hairy  Woodpecker  and  Flicker  it  would  be  hard  to  find 
three  other  species  of  our  common  birds  with  fewer  harmful  qualities.    Not  one  of 
the  trio  shows  a  questionable  trait,  and  they  should  be  protected  and  encouraged  in 
every  possible  way.    Fortunately,  only  one,  the  Flicker,  is  liable  to  destruction,  and 
for  this  bird  each  farmer  and  landowner  should  pass  a  protective  law  of  his  own. 
The  Redhead  makes  the  best  showing  of  the  seven  species  In  the  kinds  of  insects 
eaten.    It  consumes  fewer  ants  and  more  beetles  than  any  of  the  others,  in  this  re- 
spect standing  at  the  head,  and  It  has  a  pronounced  taste  for  beetles  of  very  large 
size.    Unfortunately,  however,  its  fondness  for  predaceous  beetles  must  be  reck- 
oned against  it.    It  also  leads  in  the  consumption  of  grasshoppers;  these  and  beetles 
together  forming  36  per  cent,  of  its  whole  food.    The  stomachs  yielded  enough  corn 
to  show  that  it  has  a  taste  for  that  grain,  though  not  enough  to  Indicate  that  any 
material  damage  is  done.   It  eats  largely  of  wild  fruit,  and  also  partakes  rather  freely 
of  cultivated  varieties,  showing  some  preference  for  the  larger  ones,  such  as  apples. 
In  certain  localities,  particularly  in  winter,  it  feeds  extensively  on  beechnuts.    No 


mt 


mm 


yORTa  AMERICAN  ttlRDS. 


281 


charge  can  be  brought  against  it  on  the  score  of  Injuring  trees  by  pecking.  The 
Red-bcllled  Woodpecker  Is  more  of  a  vegetarian  than  any  of  the  others.  In  certain 
localities  In  Florida  it  does  some  -'-"nage  to  oranges,  but  the  habit  is  not  general. 
On  the  other  hand,  It  eats  quantlt.  nts  and  beetles.    The  Yellow-bellied  Wood- 

pecker seems  to  shov  only  one  questicaable  trait,  that  of  a  fondness  for  the  sap  and 
Inner  bark  of  trees.  Both  field  observations  and  the  contents  of  the  stomachs  prove 
this  charge  against  it,  but  it  Is  not  probable  that  forest  trees  are  extensively  injured, 
or  that  they  ever  will  be,  for  aside  from  the  {"act  that  the  bark  of  many  trees  would 
be  unpalatable  an  immense  number  of  birds  would  be  required  to  do  serious  dama^'e. 
But  with  fruit  trees  the  rase  Is  different.  Their  number  Is  limited,  and  there  are 
no  superfluous  ones  as  In  the  forest.  In  localities  where  the  bird  Ih  atnindant  consid- 
erable harm  may  be  done  to  apple  trees,  which  appear  to  be  pleasing  to  its  taste. 
The  Pileated  Woodpecker  Is  more  exclusively  a  forest  bird  than  any  of  the  others, 
and  its  food  consists  of  such  elements  as  the  woods  afford,  particularly  the  larvss 
of  wood-boring  beetles,  and  wild  fruits.  The  species  is  emphatically  a  conservator 
of  the  forests.  In  describing  the  stomach  contents  of  the  different  woodpeckers  a 
quantity  of  material  is  classed  under  the  term  'rubbish.'  The  great  bulk  of  this  stuff 
is  rotten  wood  and  bark,  picked  up  in  digging  for  Insects  In  decayed  timber,  and 
apparently  swallowed  accidentally  with  the  food.  If  the  six  woodpeckers  which  had 
eaten  rotten  wood  are  compared  with  respect  to  the  quantity  of  this  material  con- 
tained in  the  stomachs  it  is  found  that  the  Hairy  Woodpecker  stands  at  the  head 
with  8  per  cent.,  the  Downy  next  with  5,  the  Flicker  with  3,  the  Redhead  and 
Yellow-bellied  with  1  per  cent,  each,  and  the  Pileated  with  only  a  trace.  From 
this  it  appears  that  the  Hairy  Woodpecker  is  preeminently  a  xcoodpeclirr,  while  the 
Redhead  and  Yellow-belly  do  much  less  of  this  kind  of  work.  The  difference  in  habit 
is  obvious  to  the  most  casual  observer.  The  Redhead  is  ordinarily  seen  upon  a 
fence  post  or  telegraph  pole  hunting  for  insects  that  alight  on  these  exposed  surfaces, 
and  watching  for  others  that  fly  near  enough  to  be  captured  in  mid-air.  Unlike 
other  woodpeckers,  he  is  seldom  seen  digging  at  a  rotten  branch  except  in  spring, 
when  he  prepares  a  home  for  the  family  he  intends  to  rear." 


413.  RED-SHAFTED  FLICKER.  Colaptes  cafer  (Gmel.)  Geog.  Dist.— West- 
ern United  States,  from  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the  Pacific  coast;  north  to  Sitka; 
south  to  Southern  Mexico. 

This  species  replaces  the  Yellow-shafted  Flicker  from  the  Rocky  Mountains  to 
the  Pacific.  In  its  habits,  nesting  and  eggs  it  Is  the  exact  counterpart  of  C.  auratua. 
The  eggs  average  a  trifle  larger;  1.14x.86  is  the  average  of  thirty  specimens. 

413a.  NORTHWESTERN  FLICKER.  Colaptes  cafer  aaturatlor  RIdgw.  Geog. 
Dlst. — Northwest  coast,  from  Northern  California  north  ir  Sitka. 

The  general  habits,  nesting,  etc.,  of  this  darker  colored  race  are  the  same  as  those 
of  C.  auratua  or  C.  cafer. 


414.    GILDED  FLICKER.    Colaptes  chrysoidea  (Malh.)    Geog.  Dlst.— Southern 

Oalifomia,  Lower  California:  Southern  Arizona. 

Mr.  F.  Stephens  regards  the  distribution  of  this  species  In  Arizona  as  coextensive 
with  that  of  the  giant  cactus,  for  he  never  met  with  it  except  where  this  singular 
plant  grows.*     Mr.  Scott  states  that  it  is  wommon  throughout  the  giant  cactus 

•  Wm.  Brewster  on  a  collection  of  Arizona  blraj.    Bull.  Nutt.  Club,  Vol.  VIII,  24. 


Ti 


I 


11- 


-i 

II 


282 


NEST8  AND  EGGS  OF 


regioa  all  aboxit  Tucson,  and  he  occasionally  saw  single  individuals  in  the  mesquite 
timber.  All  that  he  ever  met  with  breeding  have  been  in  giant  cactus.  The  nesting 
time  is  from  April  10  until  the  lasc  of  May.  According  to  Mr.  Scoit,  the  number  of 
eggs  is  small,  varying  from  two  to  five;  the  latter  number  being  the  largest  he  ever 
found  in  a  nest.*    The  eggs  are  giossy  white,  and  average  1.12x.84. 

414a.  BBOWH  FLICKER.  Coluptes  chry snides  brunnescens  Anthony.  Geog. 
Dist— Northern  Lower  California. 

This  is  a  brown  phase  of  the  Gilded  Woodpecker,  occupying  the  northern  por- 
tion of  Lower  California. 

415.  GUADALUPE  FLICKER.  Colaptes  ruflpileus  Ridgw.  G^sog.  Dist.— 
Guadalupe  Island.  Lower  California. 

Mr.  Walter  E.  Bryant  gives  us  the  first  knowledge  we  have  concerning  the  nest- 
ing and  eggs  of  this  bird.f  On  Guadalupe  Island  he  found  it  not  rare  in  the  re- 
stricted area  of  a  large  cypress  grove,  but  apart  from  this  locality  less  than  a  dozen 
were  seen  during  his  stay  on  th  n  Island.  For  a  portion  of  the  year  the  food  of  this 
species  coneiets  largely  of  smooth-skinned  caterpillars,  with  numerous  beetles  and 
ants.  The  nesting  cavities  are  found  at  heights  varying  from  three  to  fifteen  feet. 
The  scarcity  of  decayed  trees,  with  the  exception  of  fallen  ones,  necessitates  either 
work  upon  seasoned  wood  or  the  resort  to  dead  palm  stumps.  A  cavity  was  found 
April  7,  which  was  dug  to  the  depth  of  twenty  inches,  and  contained  six  fresh  eggs, 
upon  which  the  female  was  sitting.  They  correspond  exactly,  both  in  color  and 
general  shape,  with  scores  of  other  eggs  of  this  genus,  and  offer  the  following 
raeasurments  in  millimeters:    28x22,  28x22,  28x22.5,  29x22,  29.5x22,  29.5x22.| 

416.  CHUCK-WILL'S-WIDOW.  Antrostomus  carolinensis  (Gmel.)  Geog. 
Dist. — South  Atlantic  and  Gulf  States,  from  Virginia  south  through  Eastern  Mexico 
to  Central  America;  Cuba.  North  in  the  interior  to  Southern  Illinois  and  Kansas. 
Accidental  in  Massachusetts. 

Perhaps  the  two  best  known  North  American  species  of  this  family  (Caprimul- 
ffida,  the  Goatsuckers),  are  the  Whip-poor-will,  Antrostomus  vocifertis,  and  the  Night- 
hawk,  Chordciles  virginianus.  They  are  all  more  or  less  nocturnal,  and  fanciful 
imaginations  have  detected  in  many  of  their  cries  the  syllables  from  which  their 
common  names  are  derived — such  is  the  case  with  Chuck-will's-widow.  It  is  no- 
where a  very  abuncant  species,  but  more  common  in  Florida  than  in  any  other  State. 
It  found  in  Georgia,  South  Carolina,  Alabama,  Mississippi  and  Tc;:ias.  Mr.  Stuart 
Inlotirii^  ne  that  in  Florida  it  nests  in  the  months  of  May  and  June,  depositing  two 
'^iK'f  ■"'  iii<^  bare  ground,  or  on  leaves  in.  the  shadow  of  some  dense  thicket.  Ac^ord- 
iag,  to  Audubon,  deep  ravines,  shady  swamps  and  extensive  pine  groves  are  the  re- 
t  \  i .,  .)•'  this  species  during  the  day,  when  the  birds  roost  in  hollow  trees.  When 
*s.  search  of  food,  the  same  places  are  resorted  to  at  night,  and  thoir  singular  notes 
are  only  uttered  for  a  brief  period  in  the  early  evening,  when  on  the  wing.  If 
either  their  eggs  or  young  are  disturbed,  they  are  carried  off  in  the  capacious  mouths 
of  the  birds  to  some  distant  part  of  the  forest,  in  the  same  manner  that  a  cat  trans- 
ports her  kittens.  A  set  of  two  eggs  in  my  cabinet,  collected  by  Mr.  Stuart  near 
Tampa,  Florida,  May  20,  1886,  measure  1.40x1.02, 1.42x1.00;  another  set,  from  Mana- 


•  The  Auk.  Ill,  429. 

t  Addition  to  the  Ornithologry  of  Guadalupe  Island;  Bulletin  6,  California  Academy  of 
Science,  dp.  286-288. 

t  l.lOx.87,  l.lOx.87,  *.10x.89,  1.14X.87,  1.16X.87,  1.16X.87. 


8ta<C 
toG 

hua 
rang 


liiiaa 


^ORTU  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


283 


tee  county,  taken  May  14,  1887.  measure  1.39x1.00.  1.41x1.02.  A  set  taken  in  Comal 
county.  Texas,  April  22,  1888,  measure  1.41x1.02.  1.42x1.04.  These  are  beautiful  eggs, 
with  a  pinkish-buff  ground,  variously  marbled  with  pale  buff-brown  and  lilac-gray. 
They  are  moderately  polished.  Mr.  C.  W.  Crandall,  of  Woodside,  N.  Y.,  hrs  kindly 
given  me  the  measurements  and  descriptions  of  56  sets  of  this  species'  eggs,  all  col- 
lected in  Mississippi,  North  Carolina,  Georgia  and  Florida,  the  earliest  date  being 
April  3,  the  latest  June  24.  In  every  instance  the  eggs  were  laid  either  on  the  bare 
ground  or  on  a  few  dry  leaves,  especially  in  Hillsboro  county,  Fla.,  where  the  eggs 
were  always  laid  on  some  dry  leaves,  among  scrub  oaks,  in  the  hummock ..  Ac  othei 
places  the  eggs  were  sometimes  found  at  the  foot  of  a  tree  and  usually  in  thick 
woods.  Concerning  the  coloration  of  this  bird's  eggs  Mr.  Crandall  bays:  "The 
ground  color  varies  from  almost  a  pure  white  to  a  rich  dark  cream,  pinkish  buff  and 
other  creamy  shadep.  Ihe  markings  consist  of  about  every  known  type  of  spots, 
specks,  blotches,  cloudings,  marbling,  lines,  streaks  and  scratches  of  every  con- 
ceivable pattern;  sometimes  all  of  these  appear  on  one  egg  and  in  others  the  egg 
will  only  show  two  or  three  styles  of  markings,  the  small  end  occasionally  catches 
them,  but  the  typical  egg  shows  them  generally  distributed,  and  in  the  majority  of 
specimens  they  form  more  or  less  of  a  zone  around  larger  half  of  the  egg."  The 
average  measurement  of  this  series  of  fifty-six  sets  (one  hundred  and  twelve  eggs) 
Is  1.41x1.01  Inches.    The  largest  measures  1.54x1.05,  the  smallest  1.29x.90  inches. 


417.  WHIP-POOR-WILL.  Avtrostomus  vociferus  (Wils.)  Geog.  Dist.— East- 
ern United  States  to  the  Plains,  and  from  Lat.  50°  south  to  Guatemala. 

The  well-known  Whip-poor-will,  which  Inhabits  the  Eastern  United  States,  may 
be  easily  distinguished  from  A.  carolinvnHis  by  Its  greatly  inferior  size;  the  colors  of 
both  birds  are  quite  similar.  In  Its  habits  the  Whip-poor-will  is  very  nearly  the 
counterpart  of  the  Chuck-wlll's-widow,  keeping  within  the  '•ecesses  of  deep  woods 
and  undergrowth  during  the  daytime,  remaining  perfectly  silent.  The  name  of  this 
species  is  a  pretty  accurate  rendering  of  its  note,  which  is  uttered  v/hen  night  comes 
on,  both  when  the  bird  Is  on  the  wing  In  pursuit  of  nocturnal  insects,  or  at  rest. 
Rocky  ravines  shaded  by  trees,  where  the  sun  seldom  penetrates  the  thick  foliage, 
or  beneath  deneo  underbrush,  midst  fallen  logs,  are  the  favorite  nesting  places  of 
the  Whip-poor-will.  The  eggs  are  deposited  on  the  ground,  on  decayed  wood,  or 
among  fallen  leaves.  Two  eggs  constitute  a  set.  They  are  elliptical,  of  moderate 
polish,  with  a  ground  color  of  white  or  cream  color.  They  are  handsomely  marked 
with  large  and  small  spots  of  yellowish-brown  distributed  rather  abundantly  over 
the  entire  surface;  occasionally  a  feT;v  blotches  may  be  observed.  Deep  shell  marks 
are  about  as  numerous  as  the  surface  marks,  and  are  of  a  lilac-gray  or  lavender  tint. 
A  set  of  two  eggs  which  I  took  in  Franklin  county,  Ohio,  May  28,  188Y,  measure 
1.18X.90.  1.20X.90;  a  set  from  Delaware  county,  Ohio,  collected  June  2,  1888,  measure 
1.14X.87.  1.16X.86.  Dr.  Jones  gives  a  common  size  as  1.12x.88.  Like  the  Chuck-wlll's- 
widow  this  species  removes  in  its  mouth  the  eggs  or  young  to  a  place  of  safety  If 
they  have  been  molested  or  handled. 


Lcademy  of 


417a.  STEPHENS'S  WHIP-POOR-WILL.  Antrostomus  vociferus  macromy- 
8ta<c  (Wagler.)  Geog.  Dist. — Arizona,  New  Mexico,  and  table  lands  of  Mexico,  south 
to  Guatemala. 

This  is  a  larger  bird  than  the  last.  Mr.  F.  Stephens  met  with  '.t  In,  the  Chiraca- 
hua  Mountains  in  Southern  Arizona  In  1880,  and  less  numerous  in  the  Santa  Rita 
range  in  1881.    la  the  Chiracahua  range  by  June  Ist,  they  were  as  common  as  he 


284 


NBBTa  AND  EPGB  OF 


M 


417.     Whip-poor-wili.  (From  Brehm). 

ever  knew  them  to  be  in  the  East;  sometimes  three  or  four  were  heard  v/histling  M 
once.  They  were  restless  and  rather  shy.  July  4,  a  female  was  shot  as  she  few 
from  her  nest,  which,  as  usual,  was  only  a  very  slight  depression  in  the  ground,  but 
in  this  case  was  overhung  by  a  rock.  Mr.  Brewster  describes  the  egg  which  thfs  nest 
contained  as  white  with  a  dull  gloss,  apparently  immaculate,  but  upon  close  'nspec- 
tion  revealj  a  few  faint  blotches  of  the  palest  purple,  so  faint  that  they  might  pass 
for  superficial  stains  were  it  not  for  the  fact  that  they  underlie  the  exterMal  polish. 
This  specimen  measures  1.17x.87.* 

418.  POOH-WILL.  Phalccnoptilus  nutallii  (Aud.)  Geog.  Disc. — Western 
United  States,  from  the  Sierra  Nevada  eastward  to  Eastern  Nebraska  and  Eastern 
Kansas  north  to  Central  Idaho  and  Montana,  and  south  to  Southern  Mexico. 

Nuttall's  Whip-poor-will,  or  Poor-will,  as  it  is  called,  is  found  to  be  more  or 
less  abundant  throughout  various  States  and  Territories  of  the  West— in  the  interior 
valleys  and  foot-hills  of  California,  Oregon  and  Washington,  and  in  Arizona,  New 
Mexico,  Texas,  Colorado,  etc.  Colonel  N.  S.  Goss  mentions  it  as  a  common  summer 
resident  of  Kansas,  and  may  be  looked  for  on  the  high  prairies  and  rocky  grounds 
a'ong  the  banks  of  streams.  Begins  laying  the  last  of  May,  depositing  two  white, 
unspotted  eggs  upon  the  bare  ground,  in  the  thick  growth  at  the  edge  of  timber;  also 
at  the  it>ot8  of  a  bunch  of  bushes  or  briers  upon  the  prairies.    Mr.  Emerson  states 


•  William  Brewster's  Notes  on  Some  Birds  from  Arizona  and  New  Mexico. 
Nutt  Club,  VI,  pp.  69-71;  and  Collection  of  Arizona  Birds,  Vol.  VII,  211-212. 


Bull. 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


285 


that  he  frequently  heard  this  bird's  mournful  cries,  poor-will,  poor-will.  In  San 
Diego  county,  California,  in  the  month  of  April.  A  set  of  two  eggs  in  his  collection, 
taken  near  Manhattan,  Kansas,  May  2S,  1885,  are  pure  glossy-white,  and  measure 
30x22,  30x22.5  mm.  or  1.18x.87  and  1.18x.91  inches. 


atllng  M 
she  fiCW 
und,  but 
this  :vest 
flspec- 
ghi  pass 
l1  polish. 


-Western 
Eastern 

more  or 
interior 
)na.  New 
summer 
grounds 
70  white, 
ber;  also 
on  states 

CO.    Bull. 


418a.  FBOSTED  POOB-WILL.  PhalwnopWus  nutalUi  nitidus  Brewst.  Geog. 
Dist. — Texas  to  Arizona  and  north  to  Western  Kansas. 

This  lighter-colored  and  grayer  bird  than  Nuttall's  Poor-will  was  first  described 
by  William  Brewster  in  "The  Auk"  (Vol.  IV,  1887,  p.  147),  from  specimens  taken  on 
the  Nueces  River,  Texas,  February,  1886.  Its  general  habits  are  identical  with  those 
of  P.  nutalli.  Mr.  Crandall  has  a  set  of  eggs  of  this  bird  which  was  taken  by  Mr.  M. 
W.  Kibbe  in  Franklin  county,  Kansas,  May  10,  1891,  The  bird  was  shot  and  fully 
Identified.  The  eggs  were  laid  on  the  bare  ground  on  the  side  of  a  rocky  hill.  They 
measure  l.lOx.81, 1.09x.80  respectively.  These  eggs  have  the  peculiar  glossy  polished 
appearance  usual  to  eggs  of  Chuck-will's-widow  and.  Whip-poor-will,  and  they  are 
of  a  decidedly  creamy  white  color  and  not  a  pure  white,  entirely  unspotted  and  in 
shape  like  the  typical  egg  of  a  Chuck-will's-widow. 

4186.  DUSKY  POOB-WIIiL.  Phalwnoptilus  nutallH  calif ornicus  Rldgw.  Geog. 
Dist. — Coast  of  California. 

The  range  of  this  dark  or  dusky  race  is  confined  to  the  coast  region  of  Cali- 
fornia.   Its  habits,  nesting  and  eggs  are  the  same  as  those  of  the  Poor-will. 

419.  MEBBILL'S  FABAUQUE.  Nyctidromus  albicollis  mcrrilll  Senn,  Geog. 
Dist. — Valley  of  the  Rio  Grande,  north  to  the  Nueces  River,  south  into  Northeastern 
Mexico. 

Mr.  George  B.  Sennett  named  this  bird  in  honor  of  Dr.  Tames  C.  Merrill,  Assis- 
tant Surgeon  U.  S.  Army,    In  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Brown,  Texas,  it  was  a  common 
summer  resident,  arriving  early  in  March  and  remaining  as  late  as  the  raiddle  of 
November.    It  frequents  shady  thickets  and  cops«s,  and  when  flushed  dodges  rapidly 
and  silently  among  the  bushes,  but  soon  alights.    In  these  places  the  eggs  are  de- 
posited usually  at  the  foot  of  a  bush.    Dr.  Merrill  observes  that  the  habits  and  eggs 
of  this  species,  in  addition  to  its  anatomical  characters,  show  its  affinity  with  the 
Whip-poor-wills  rather  thaa  the  Nighthawks.    Their  notes  are  among  the  most 
characteristic  night    sounds  of  the  lower  Rio  Grande,  and  are  constantly  heard  at 
evening  during  the  summer  months.    They  consist  of  a  repeated  whittle,  resem- 
bling the  syllables  "whew,  whew,  whew,  whew,  whe-e-e-e-3-w,"  much  stress  being 
laid  upon  the  last,  which  is  prolonged.    The  whole  is  soft  and  mellow,  yet  can  be 
heard  at  a  great  distance.    Mr.  Sennett,  in  the  same  region  in  Southern  Texas,  ob- 
tained a  set  of  two  eggs,  April  20.    He  states  that  the  birds  breed  in  the  more  open 
places  among  the  cactus  and  scattered  bushes  along  with  C.  texcnsis — Texas  Night- 
hawk.    The  eggs  are  two  in  number,  of  a  rich  creamy-buff,  sparingly  marked  with  a 
deeper  shade  of  the  same,  and  with  lilac;  average  size  1.25x.92.     Their  size  and 
creamy-buff  color  render  them  easy  of  identification.    On  the  15th  of  May,  Dr.  Merrill 
found  a  set  of  eggs  of  this  species  near  camp  at  Hidalgo,  and  rn  returning  in  about 
fifteen  minutes  to  secure  the  parent,  who  had  disappeared  among  the  thickets,  he 
found  that  she  had  removed  the  eggs,  although  they  had  not  been  touched.    The 
average  of  size  of  thirty-six  sets  (seventy-two  eggs)  of  this  bird  in  Mr.  Orandall's 
eollection  is  1.24x.90;  the  largest  1.35x.92,  the  smallest  in  length  1.14x,92;  broadest 
1.38X.95  inches.    These  were  all  collected  in  various  parts  of  Tamaullpa  county, 
Texas,  between  April  9  and  Jyly  27. 


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NEBTS  AND  EGOS  OF 


420.  NIGHTHAWK.  Chordeilcs  vinjinianus  (Gmel.)  Geog,  Dlst.— Eastern 
North  America,  north  to  Hudson  Bay,  west  to  the  edge  of  the  Great  Plains,  south 
through  tropical  America. 

The  Nlghthawk,  Bullbat,  or  Goatsucker,  as  It  Is  variously  called,  breeds  through- 
out its  range,  depositing  two  eggs  in  open  situations,  such  as  fields,  etc.,  on  the  cold 
bare  ground,  often  among  stones;  scarcely  a  trace  of  a  nest  can  be  found  where  the 
eggs  lay.  They  are  frequently  deposited  on  bare  rocks,  and  on  the  flat  roofs  of  build- 
ings in  large  cities.  Mr.  Norris  once  found  a  set  on  the  stump  of  a  tree  about  eighteen 
inches  from  the  ground;  and  a  set  in  his  cabinet  was  taken  from  the  gravel  roof  of  a 
four-story  building  in  the  center  of  Philadelphia.  The  Nlghthawk  and  Whip-poor- 
will  are  often  confounded  or  considpred  as  birds  of  the  same  species.    A  careful  com- 


420.     NiGHTHAWK  (From  Brehm). 

parison  with  each  other,  or  with  the  descriptions,  will  at  once  show  a  very  decided 
difference.  The  large,  white  patches  on  the  five  outer  primaries  of  the  wings  of  the 
Nlghthawk  when  flying,  appear  like  tattered  holes  caused  by  the  shot  from  a  gun. 
In  the  evenings  of  summer  months  great  troops  of  Nlghthawks  may  be  seen  high  in 
air  over  forest  or  town  In  search  of  insects,  performing  their  wonderful  evolutions 
and  uttering  their  peevish  cries,  or  swooping  down  with  their  strange  booming  or 
rumbling  sound,  they  skim  over  the  grassy  meadows.  Thus  they  continue  till  the 
gloaming  merges  into  darkness,  and  their  flight  is  seen  no  longer.  The  eggs  of  the 
Nlghthawk  vary  from  pale  olive-buff  to  buffy  and  grayish-white,  thickly  mottled 
and  dashed  with  varied  tints  of  darker  gray,  slate,  olive,  or  even  blackish,  mixed 
with  a  marbling  and  clouding  of  purplish-gray;  the  pattern  and  tints  are  very  vari- 
able. The  shape  is  elliptical,  and  average  size  1.25x.85.  Six  eggs  measure  1.24x.85, 
1.27X.87,  1.22X.83,  1.24X.86,  1.21X.82,  1.24X.84. 

420a.  WESTEBN  NIGHTHAWK.  Chordeilea  virgtntanus  henryl  'Cass.)  Geog. 
Dist.— Western  United  States  from  the  Great  Plains  to  the  Pacific,  and  from  British 
Columbia  south  to  Northern  South  America. 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


387 


A  lighter-colored  form  of  the  Nig'athawk,  found  ia  the  unwooded  portions  of 
Western  United  States.  Its  general  habits,  nesting,  etc.,  are  the  same  as  those  of 
0.  virglnanua;  the  eggs  average  paler;  size  1.20x.85. 

420b.  FLOBIDA  NIQHTHAWK.  Chordeiles  virginianus  chapmani  Coues. 
Geog.  Dist. — Florida  and  the  Gulf  coast  of  Texas,  south  ia  winter  to  South  America. 

This  race  of  the  Nighthawk  Is  dedicated  by  Mr.  Sennett  to  Mr.  Frank  M.  Chap- 
man, the  well-known  ornithologist  and  author.  It  is  a  somewhat  darker-colored 
bird  and  is  smaller  than  the  common  Nighthawk.  In  all  respects  its  habits,  nesting 
and  eggs  do  not  differ  from  those  of  C.  vir{/lnianus.  Mr.  Crandall  has  a  series  of 
thirty-eight  sets  of  the  eggs  of  this  geographical  race,  eighteen  of  which  were  taken 
in  Manatee  and  Hillsboro  counties,  Florida,  between  the  dates  of  April  27  and  July 
7;  twenty  sets  on  Islands  off  the  Mississippi  coast  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  between 
the  dates  of  May  21  and  25.  The  average  size  of  the  seventy-six  eggs  is  1.16x.84;  the 
longest  is,  1.29x.86;  shortest,  1.05x.77;  broadest,  1.20x.92;  narrowest,  1.05x.77  inches. 

420c.  BENNETT'S  NIGHTHAWK.  Chordeiles  virginianus  sennetti  (Coues.) 
Geog.  Dist, — Treeless  region  of  the  Great  Plains,  from  the  Saskatchewan  south  to 
Texas. 

This  geographic  race  is  of  a  silvery  grayish-white  predominating  above,  the 
white  below  is  greatly  in  excess  of  the  narrow  irregular  or  broken  dark  bars  and 
little  or  no  rufous  anywhere. 

421.  TEXAN  NIGHTHAWK.  Chordeiles  acutipennis  texensis  (Lawr.)  Geog. 
Dist. — Southern  border  of  the  United  States,  from  Texas  to  Southera  California, 
north  into  Southern  Utah;  south  to  Cape  St.  Lucas  and  Veragua. 

This  subspecies  has  quite  an  extended  range.  It  is  known  to  occur  as  far  north 
as  San  Joaquin  and  Stanislaus  counties  in  California;  in  Southern  Nevada;  in  the 
lower  Santa  Clara  Valley,  Utah;  the  desert  regions  of  Arizona;  southern  portions  of 
New  Mexico,  and  it  is  found  to  be  a  common  summer  resident  of  the  southern  and 
western  portions  of  Texas.  The  Texan  Nighthawk  is  smaller  than  the  foregoing 
subspecies,  the  general  tone  of  the  plumage  lighter,  and  it  differs  otherwise.  Mr. 
Sennett  describes  its  flight  as  resembling  that  of  the  Whip-poor-will,  but  it  does  not 
indulge  in  the  perpendicular  descents  accompanied  by  the  whir  of  wings  so  char- 
acteristic of  C.  virgin ianvs.  On  the  Lower  Rio  Grande  eggs  were  obtained  as  early 
as  April  26,  and  fresh  ones  found  as  late  as  May  19.  They  were  always  laid  on  the 
bare,  hot  ground.  Dr.  Merrill  states  that  the  notes  of  this  species  are  a  curious  mew- 
ing call  difficult  to  describe.  He  found  the  eggs  in  the  vicinity  of  Brownsville,  Texas, 
usually  deposited  in  exposed  situations,  among  sparse  chaparral  on  ground  baked 
almost  as  hard  as  a  brick  by  the  intense  heat  of  the  sun.  One  set  was  found  on  a 
small  piece  of  tin,  near  a  frequented  path.  Mr.  Rachford  informs  me  that  in  Jeffer- 
son county,  Texas,  this  species  usually  deposits  its  two  eggs  on  the  ground,  in  a  well- 
beaten  cow-path;  the  nesting  season  begins  from  about  May  10th,  and  eggs  may  be 
found  in  the  latter  part  of  June.  Dr.  Merrill  states  that  the  eggs  vary  consi  t,rably, 
but  exactly  resemble  the  surface  on  which  they  are  placed.  The  ground-color  is 
usually  clay;  some  are  very  sparingly  dotted  with  brown;  others  mottled  with  light 
brown  and  ooscure  lilac;  some  are  so  thickly  marbled  with  brown  and  lilac  on  a 
dark  ground  as  to  give  them  a  granite-like  appearance.    They  average  1.07x.77. 

422.  BLACK  SWIFT.  Cypseloides  nigcr  (Gmel.)  Geog.  Dist.— Rocky  Moun- 
tain region  (Colorado),  west  to  the  Pacific  coast;  north  to  British  Columbia,  and 
south  to  Lower  California,  Mexico,  Costa  Rica  and  the  West  Indies. 


'   III 


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A 


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288 


NB8T8  AND  BQG8  OF 


The  Black  Swift  has  been  met  with  sparingly  in  the  various  regions  cited  in  the 
above  habitat.  Another  common  name  for  this  bird  is  "Black  Cloud  Swift."  Com- 
paratively little  has  been  ascertained  concerning  its  general  habits  and  its  eggs 
until  recently.  The  general  habits  and  characteristics  of  this  bird  are  well-known, 
4)ut  the  construction  of  its  nest  and  a  full  description  of  its  eggs  remain  unpublished. 
In  the  last  two  editions  of  this  work  I  quoteu  an  article  which  bore  evidences  of  ac- 
curacy concerning  the  nesting  and  eggs  of  this  species,  but  I  am  now  convinced  that 
the  writer  was  mistaken  in  his  identification.  Mr.  A.  W.  Anthony,  in  the  summer  of 
1883,  found  this  species  abundant  in  Colorado,  nesting  in  the  highest  inaccessible 
crags,  and  nothing  but  that  which  was  provided  with  wings  could  possibly  reach 
them.  About  Silverton  a  large  colony  had  taken  possession  of  a  very  high  cliff, 
making  their  appearance  about  June  20.  Dr.  A.  K.  Fisher  saw  a  number  of  these 
birds  about  the  cliffs  near  Trinidad,  Colorado.  Mr.  Ridgway  met  with  it  in  Nevada. 
It  undoubtedly  occurs  in  suitable  localities  in  the  intervening  regions,  as  the  moun- 
tains of  Utah.  It  is  said  to  be  abundant  at  Lake  Samish,  Washington.  Mr.  RoUo  H. 
Beck,  while  hunting  neai  the  rocky  coast  of  Monterey  county,  California,  in  the 
summer  of  1894,  shot  a  female  Black  Swift  on  June  29,  containing  a  nearly  devel- 
oped egg  in  the  oviduct.  The  shell  was  not  yet  formed  and  he  had  no  means  of 
measuring  it.    In  shape  it  resembled  the  egg  of  the  Chimney  Swift.* 

423.  CHIMNEY  SWIFT.  Chwtura  pelagica  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist.— Eastern 
North  America,  north  to  Labrador  and  in  the  interior  to  the  Fur  Countries;  west  to 
the  edge  of  the  Great  Plains. 

The  progress  of  civilization  has  brought  about  conditions  and  causes  which  have 
given  rise  to  this  bird's  common  and  now  appropriate  name.  Chimney  Swift,  or,  as 
it  is  probably  better  known.  Chimney  "fc'wallow."  When  the  country  was  first  set- 
tled this  species  was  known  to  breed  only  in  the  hollow  trunks  of  forest  trees,  but  as 
soon  as(  the  chimneys  of  dwellings  erected  by  civilized  man  presented  greater  con- 
venience and  better  security  against  enemies  this  bird  forsook  its  primitive  nest- 
ing places,  and  now  only  in  remote  regions  or  wild  portions  of  the  country,  where 
natural  facilities  are  still  afforded,  it  is  found  breeding  in  the  hollows  of  decaying 
trees.  A  chemical  analysis  ot  this  bird's  nest  made  for  me  by  Professor  Weber, 
chemist  of  the  Ohio  State  University,  proves  conclusively  that  the  glue  which  these 
birds  use  is  not  from  the  gum  of  any  tree,  but  purely  an  animal  production.  This 
should  set  at  rest  the  claims  made  by  a  number  of  writers  in  recent  periodicals  that 
the  glue  of  the  Swift  is  of  a  vegetable  nature.  The  nest,  as  shown  in  our  illustration, 
is  a  beautiful  semi-circular  basket  made  of  small  dead  twigs  of  nearly  uniform  length 
and  thickness,  and  when  attached  to  the  inside  of  a  chimney  is  placed  sufficiently 
below  the  top  to  be  protected  from  the  rays  of  the  sun.  The  twigs  are  broken  from 
trees  by  the  birds  while  on  the  wing.  They  are  all  strongly  cemented  together  and 
fastened  to  the  wall  with  the  saliva  of  the  birds.  This  glue-like  substance  dries  and 
hardens,  and  becomes  so  firm  that,  when  the  nest  is  separated  from  the  sides  of 
chimneys,  portions  of  the  brick  to  which  it  is  fastened  often  adhere  to  the  structure. 
My  friend,  Mr.  Arnold  Boyle,  took  a  nest  of  this  species  from  the  inside  of  a  barn  in 
Wyandot  county,  Ohio;  its  position  was  similar  to  that  of  the  Barn  Swallow.  From 
four  to  six  narrowly  elliptical,  pure  white  eggs  are  deposited,  ordinarily  four.  May 
and  June  are  the  nesting  months,  and  usually  but  one  brood  is  reared  in  a  season. 
A  set  of  four  eggs,  collected  in  the  Adirondack  region,  Essex  county.  New  York,  June 
27,  measure  .82x.52,  .81x.52,  .84x.51,  .82x.50;  a  set  of  five  taken  in  Franklin  county, 


k  \ 


*  Slee  Bendlre's  Life  Histories  of  N.  A.  Birds,  Vol.  II,  pp.  175-177. 


NORTH  AMElilVAN  UllthS. 


289 


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423.    Chi»inbv  Swifts  and  Nest. 


20 


290 


NEBTS  AND  B008  OF 


ii.' 


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1 


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Ohio,  exhibit  the  following  sizes:     .79x.50,  .80x.50,  .80x.52,  .77x.50,  .79x.53.    The  eggs 
in  a  large  series  range  from  .74  to  .86  In  length  and  from  .47  to  .55  In  breadth. 

424.  VAUX'S  SWIFT.  Chatura  vanxii  (Towns.)  Geog.  Dist.— Pacific  coast 
of  the  United  States  northward  to  British  Columbia;  south  in  winter  to  Lower  Cali- 
fornia and  Mexico. 

This  is  a  lighter  colored  and  smaller  spt-  'es  than  the  Chimney  Swift.  The 
habits  of  the  two  birds,  however,  are  similar,  except  that  Vaux's  Swift  is  said  only 
to  nest  in  hollow  trees.  In  various  regions  of  Oregon  and  in  Washington  this  species 
is  a  common  summer  resident,  where  it  breeds  in  May  and  June,  fastening  to  the  in- 
side walls  of  hollow  tree  trunks  and  stubs  the  half-saucer-shaped  nest  of  twigs,  which 
is  glued  together  with  the  bird's  saliva.  Three  to  five  narrow-elliptical  white  eggs 
are  deposited,  which  have  an  average  size  of  about  .72x.50.  Very  few  of  this  bird's 
eggs  have  found  their  way  into  collections, 

425.  WHITE-THROATED  SWIFT.  JEronautes  melamleucvs  (Balrd.)  Geog. 
Dist.— Western  United  States,  from  the  Black  Hills,  Northern  Wyoming  and 
Southern  Montana  to  the  Pacific;  south  in  winter  to  Guatemala. 

The  late  Major  Bendire  states  that  the  range  of  the  "Rock"  Swift,  as  it  is  com- 
monly called,  does  not  appear  to  extend  nearly  as  far  north  in  the  mountains  of  the 
Pacific  coast  districts  as  it  does  in  the  Rocky  Mountain  region,  where  it  is  generally 
distributed  throughout  suitable  localities,  from  Southern  Arizona  and  New  Mexico 
northward,  through  Colorado  and  Wyoming  to  Montana.  The  latter,  as  far  as  known, 
marks  the  northern  limits  of  its  range.  Here  it  was  found  breeding  by  Mr.  R,  S. 
Williams  in  small  numbers  in  holes  in  a  limestone  cliff  on  Belt  River,  about  the 
middle  of  July,  1881.  It  was  found  by  Mr.  Robert  Ridgway  to  be  abundant  in  the 
same  situations  In  the  Ruby  Mountains  and  in  the  Easi  Humboldt  range,  but  less 
abundant  In  the  Wasatch  Mountains  in  Utah.  The  eggs  of  this  species  still  remain 
among  the  special  desiderata  in  oological  collections  and,  according  to  Bendire 
(1895),  there  are  none  in  the  U.  S.  National  Museum  collection.  Mr.  Walter  E. 
Bryant  gives  us  the  best  description  of  the  eggs  I  have  seen.  It  is  in  the  September 
number  of  the  Nidologist  for  1894,  and  is  as  follows:  "More  than  a  dozen  years  ago 
an  imperfect  set  of  five  fresh  unblown  eggs  of  the  White-throated  Swift  were  pre- 
sented to  me  by  a  young  man  in  Contra  Costa  county  (California).  They  were  taken 
from  a  nest  in  a  crevice  in  the  back  of  a  tunnel-shaped  cave  in  the  side  of  a  cliff 
about  twenty  feet  above  the  base.  In  color  the  eggs  are  pure  white,  narrowly  ellip- 
tical in  form,  but  rather  smaller  at  one  end.  They  measured:  .87x,53:  .88x.53, 
.88X.52,  .86x.50;  the  fifth  was  too  much  damaged  to  measure  accurately.  The  eggs 
were  collected  on  June  6,  1878." 

426.  RIVOLI  HUMMINGBIRD.    Eugenes  fulgens  (Swaim.)       Geog.  Dist.— 
Southern  Arizona  and  tablelands  of  Mexico  to  Nicarauga.  '      "'v 

One  of  the  largest  and  one  of  the  most  handsome  Hummingbirds  found  within  thV 
limits  of  the  United  States,  and  it  is  generally  known  as  the  "Refulgent  Humming- 
bird." Within  our  limits  it  is  not  an  altogether  common  summer  resident.  It  has 
been  obtained  in  the  mountains  near  the  Mexican  border,  in  Arizona,  and  in  the 
extreme  southwestern  portion  of  New  Mexico.  It  was  first  added  to  our  avifauna  by 
Henshaw.  who  took  a  specimen  near  Fort  Grant,  Arizona,  in  September,  1873.  The 
late  Major  Bendire  describes  two  nests  that  were  taken  in  the  Huachuca  Mountains, 
Arizona.  One  of  these,  the  best  preserved  one,  resembles  the  nest  of  the  Ruby- 
throated  Hummingbird  very  closely,  but  like  the  bird,  is  considerably  larger.  It 
was  found  by  Mr.  L.  Miller  on  June  22,  1894,  at  an  elevation  of  7000  feet,  saddled  on 
a  walnut  branch  about  ten  feet  from  the  ground  and  contained  one  young  bird  neai'Iy 


NOItTfl  AM!:/{ICA\  ItlltDS. 


291 


able  to  fly.    The  other  nest,  taken  June  4,  1883,  contained  one  fresh  egg  which  was 
accidentally  broken. 

427.  BLUE-THROATED  HTJlCMIiraBlBD.  CrrUfjena  rlemaicifr  T.ess.  Geoff. 
Dist.— Southern  Arizona  and  the  tablelands  of  Mexico  to  Guerrero  and  Oaxaca. 

This  is  a  slightly  larger  species  than  the  Rivoll  Hummingbird,  and  is  sometimes 
called  "Blue-throated  Casique."  It  is  only  a  summer  resident  within  the  southern 
boundary  of  the  United  States  and  breeds  wherever  found.  It  appears  to  be  more 
common  than  the  preceding  species.  It  was  first  added  to  our  avifauna  by  Mr.  F. 
Stephens,  who  secured  an  adult  male  in  the  Santa  Catalina  Mountains,  Arizona, 
May  14,  1884.  Since  then  it  has  been  taken  in  several  other  mountain  ranges  of 
Arizona,  and  Dr.  Edgar  E.  Mearns  took  It  in  the  Luis  Mountains  of  Southwestern 
New  Mexico.  Mr.  Nelson  on  September  9th,  1893,  found  a  nest  containing  two  eggs  at 
an  altitude  of  11,500  feet  on  the  north  slope  of  the  volcano  Toluca,  in  the  State  of 
Mexico.  The  nest  was  built  in  the  fork  of  a  small  shrub  growing  out  of  the  face  of 
a  cliff,  about  30  feet  above  its  base,  on  the  side  of  a  canyon  in  the  pine  and  fir  forest. 
It  is  a  handsome  and  rather  bulky  structure,  sr-oothly  quilted  together  of  fine 
mosses,  and  lined  with  the  down  of  willow  catkUis.  This  nest  was  nearly  inac- 
cessible and  one  egg  was  broken  in  securing  it.    The  single  egg  measures  .64x.39 


Inches. 

428.     RUBY-THROATED  HUHMINGBIRD.    TrnrMlus  colubris  Linn. 
DIst.— Eastern  United  States  to  the  Great  Plains,  north  to  Canada,  south  in 
to  Cuba,  Eastern  Mexico  and  Central 
America,  to  Uraguay. 

This  is  the  only  species  of  Hum- 
mingbird found  east  of  the  Mississippi, 
where  it  is  common  and  well-known. 
Its  small  size,  irrldescent  plumage,  its 
marvelous  swiftness  of  flight,  and  the 
architectural  beauty  of  its  nest  are  the 
admiration  of  all.  The  eggs  of  the 
whole  family  of  Hummingbirds,  as  far 
as  known,  are  white,  unspotted;  rather 
elliptical  than  oval,  and  always  two  in 
number.  The  only  difference  noticed 
are  the  relative  variations  in  size.  The 
nests  are  generally  saddled  upon  a  hori- 
zontal branch,  are  cup-like  In  shape, 
and  are  mostly  made  up  of  various 
kinds  of  soft  vegetable  down;  in  nearly 
all  cases  covered  on  the  outside  with  a 
coating  of  lichens  or  mosses.  The  nest 
of  the  Ruby-throated  Hummingbird  Is 
a  miniature  of  the  Blue-gray  Gnat- 
catcher's.  It  Is  felted  with  a  mass  of 
exquisitely  soft  cottony,  silky,  or  woolly 
substances,  such  as  the  down  from  the 
stem  of  plants,  and  is  artistically  cov- 
ered on  the  outside  with  lichens.  It  Is 
usually  placed  on  a  horizontal  limb  of  a 
forest  or  orchard  tree.  Several  speci- 
mens before  me  are  placed  on  branches  _, 
that  we.e  slanting,  and  the  nests  rest      ^  ■~K"eTrar."iowr,YemSiV'''' "*""• 


Geog. 
winter 


I 


m 


i  : 


m* 


1*1 


Hi 


n 


•292 


NESTS  AND  EQOS  OF 


In  small  forks.  A  very  fine  one  measures,  outwardly,  one  and  three-fourth  inches 
broad  by  one  and  a  half  deep.  Nests  saddled  on  thick  limbs  are  usually  larger.  In 
Ohio  the  Ruby-throat  prefers  nesting  in  the  branches  of  the  buckeye  to  all  other 
trees.  The  birds  are  ospecially  abundant  about  this  tree  when  it  is  In  full  blossom 
early  in  May.  The  nesting  time  is  from  about  the  middle  of  May  to  the  latter  part 
of  June.  The  average  size  cf  thirty  eggs  is  .51x.34.  The  Ancients  knew  nothing  of 
Hummingbirds  because  they  belong  exclusively  to  the  Americas,  and  we  can  read 
nothing  concerning  these  gems  of  bird  life  in  the  mythologies  and  legends  of  the 
Greeks  and  the  Romans.  There  are  about  four  hundred  species  of  Hummingbirda 
known  to  the  New  World. 

429.  BLACK-CHINNED  HUMMINGBIRD.  Trnrhilus  ahxardri  Bourc.  & 
Muls.  Geog.  Dist. — Western  United  States,  from  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the  Pacific, 
south  into  Mexico. 

This  Hummingbird  nests  in  more  open  ground  than  the  Rufous  or  Anna's,  plac- 
ing the  structure  usually  on  the  small  branches  of  oaks  and  sycamores.  Sometimes 
it  rests  lightly  In  the  forks  of  a  slender  twig.  It  Is  composed  of  the  web  or  down 
found  on  the  under  side  of  the  leaves  of  the  sycamore;  the  effect  is  that  the  nest 
looks  like  a  small,  round,  yellow  sponge.  Eggs  same  as  those  of  the  Ruby-throat, 
with  an  average  size  of  .50x.30.  Mr.  W.  E.  D.  Scott  states  that  this  species  is  an 
abundant  summer  resident  In  the  Catalina  mountains  In  Southern  Arizona,  and  by 
the  last  of  May  the  birds  are  mated  and  begin  breeding.  He  found  fresh  eggs  as 
late  as  July  and  early  in  August.  Mr.  Stephens  notes  this  Hummingbird  as  not  un- 
common in  the  San  Bernardino  Valley.  A  nest  taken  May  22  was  built  in  a  willow, 
eight  feet  from  the  ground,  and  contained  two  eggs  in  which  incubation  had  com- 
menced. 

429.1.  VIOLET-THROATED  HUMMINGBIRD.  Trochilus  violajufiulnm  Jett- 
ries.    Geog.  Dist. — Coast  of  California  (Santa  Barbara). 

Known  only  from  one  specimen  first  described  by  the  late  J.  Amory  Jeffries. 
The  specimen  was  a  male  taken  April  5,  1883,  near  Santa  Barbara,  California.* 
Nothing  is  known  regarding  its  habits  or  the  extent  of  its  range. 

430.  COSTA'S  HUMMINGBIRD.  Calyptc  rosUc  (Bourc.)  Geog.  Dist.— 
Lower  California,  Western  Mexico,  Arizona  and  Southern  California. 

Costa's  Hummingbird  is  more  or  less  abundant  in  various  regions  of  Arizona 
and  Southern  California.  It  is  not  generally  so  abundant  as  the  Black-chinned 
Hummingbird,  in  whose  company  it  is  often  found  breeding.  Small  streams  in  the 
mountain  canons,  fringed  with  alder,  laurel,  sycamore  and  other  shrubbery,  are 
their  favorite  resorts.  Mr.  Scott  did  not  find  this  species  very  common  at  Riverside, 
Pinal  county,  Arizona,  in  1882.  On  May  5  a  nest  was  found  built  In  a  Cottonwood 
tree  thirty-five  feet  from  the  ground,  almost  at  the  extremity  of  the  branches. 
Four  sets  of  the  eggs,  with  the  nests,  of  Costa's  Hummer,  collected  in  the  neighbor- 
liood  of  Banning,  California,  May  12  and  13,  1884,  are  before  me.  The  nests  were 
built  in  shrubs,  varying  from  six  to  twelve  feet  in  height.  Two  of  the  nests  rest  in 
slender  forks,  while  the  other  two  are  built  on  small  twigs.  The  materials  in  these 
do  not  differ  essentially  from  those  in  ten  nests  of  Anna's  Hummingbird,  consisting 
of  soft,  downy,  yellowish  or  grayish  vegetable  substances,  with  here  and  there  bits 
of  flower  stems,  the  whole  covered  on  the  outside  with  spider  webs.  Each  of  these 
nests  contained  two  eggs,  and  they  exhibit  the  following  sizes:  .49x.31,  .49x.29; 
.45X.30,  .47X.31;  .48x.30,  49x.30;  .45x.32,  .46x.30. 


♦  The  Auk,  Vol.  V„  pp.  168-169. 


yORTB  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


293. 


431.  ANNA'S  HUMMINGBIRD.  I'alyiHe  anna  (Less.)  Geog.  Dlst.— Valleys 
of  California,  Arizona  and  Moxico 

Anoa  s  HnnjmlngLird  is  a  <omniou  resident  of  California;  its  nest  and  eggs  ran 
be  found  almost  any  timo  in  May  and  June.  In  the  vicinity  oi  naywarda,  California, 
Mr  EiiKMbon  look  a  nest  of  this  species  which  contained  two  eggs,  January  20.  It 
was  built  m  slen<ler  forks  ol  a  pear  tree,  about  eight  foot  from  the  ground.  Over 
tho  entire  outside  of  this  nest  are  distributed  green  lichens.  Mr.  H.  R.  Taylor,  of 
Alameda,  California,  records  a  nest  containing  two  eggs  far  advanced  In  incubation, 
which  he  found  February  13.  The  nest  was  placed  about  thirty  feet  from  the 
ground,  near  the  end  of  slender  limb  of  a  cypress  tree.  The  birds  build  in  trees, 
and  are  not  particular  what  kind  or  where  they  are  situated;  on  hillside,  along 
creeks,  in  orchards  or  in  gardens.  Ten  nests  collected  by  Mi.  R.  B.  Herron,  at  San 
Gorgonio  Pass,  California,  in  May,  do  not  exhibit  great  variation  in  their  general 
make-up  and  style.  They  are  composed  of  thistle-down  and  willow-cotton,  with 
occasionally  a  few  small  feathers  and  bits  of  flower  stems;  on  the  outside,  moss 
well  covered  with  spider  webs,  with  here  and  there  pieces  of  lichens.  Eggs  same  as 
those  of  T.  rohibris;  four  specimens  measure  as  follows:  .45x.30,  .47x.30,  .49x.32, 
.49x.30.    Twen/.y-four  eggs  Lave  an  average  size  of  .1j0x.32. 

431.  1.  FLORESI'S  HUMMINGBIRD.  Sclnsphorus  floresii  Gould.  Geog. 
Dist.— Mexico  (Bolanos,  Jalisco);  accidental  to  California. 

Floresi's  Hummingbird  or  Flame-bearer,  of  exquisitely  gorgeous  plumage,  can 
only  be  considered  an  accidental  straggler  within  the  borders  of  the  United  States 
and  still  is  very  rare  in  collections.  It  was  obtained  at  Bolano,  Oaxaca,  Mexico,  in 
1845,  and  remained  unique  for  some  time;  more  recently  it  has  been  reported  from 
the  State  of  Jalisco.  Mr.  Walter  E.  Bryant  found  a  specimen  In  a  taxidermist's  shop 
in  San  Francisco,  California,  which  had  been  mounted  as  a  hat  bird.  He  was  as- 
sured that  it  had  been  killed  near  that  city,  which  gives  it  a  place  in  our  avifauna. 
Nothing  appears  to  be  known  regarding  the  life  history  of  this  species. 


432.  BROAD-TAILED  HUMMINGBIRD.  Seln.y}horiit«  itlatycrrcus  Swains. 
Geog.  Dlst.— Rocky  Mountain  plateau  region  of  the  United  States,  from  Montana, 
Idaho  and  Wyoming  southward  to  Guatemala, 

This  Hummingbird  is  a  common  species  in  the  Rocky  Mountain  regions  of  the 
United  States,  and  is  particularly  numerous  in  New  Mexico,  Colorado  and  northward. 
In  its  flight  it  is  said  to  utter  almost  constantly  a  sharp  screeching  or  chattering 
note.  Large  numbers  of  these  birds  are  often  found  breeding  in  thickets  of  dwarf 
willows  along  streams.  The  nests  are  beautiful  structures,  composed  of  soft,  vege- 
table down  and  covered  externally  with  lichens  and  bark-fibre,  resembling  the  twigs 
to  which  they  are  attached,  and  their  height  from  the  ground  ranges  from  three  to 
ten  feet.  The  nests  are  similar  to  those  of  the  Ruby-throat,  but  are  usually  sus- 
pended on  small,  swaying  twigs,  sometimes  directly  over  running  water.  In  Colo- 
rado this  species  rears  two  broods  in  a  season.  Ten  eggs  before  me  are  not  dis- 
tingulshaole  from  those  of  the  Ruby-throated  Hummingbird  in  size,  color  and 
shape. 

433,  RUFOUS  HUMMINGBIRD.  Selasphoriis  rufits  Gmel.  Geog.  Dist.— 
Western  North  America,  from  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the  Pacific  coast;  north  to  or 
nearly  to  Alaska,  south  over  the  Table  Landt;  of  Mexico.     . 

The  commonest  and  most  extensively  distributed  Hummingbird  of  the  West; 
from  the  Rv;cky  Mountains  to  the  Pacific,  and  from  Mexico  northward.    Its  favorite 


I 

li    > 

r  ! 
■i,  « 


I 


m 


w 


294 


NE8TB  AND  BOOS  OF 


neBting  site  is  along  the  borders  of  creeks,  on  tl;e  overhanging  limbs  and  branches 
of  trees  and  bushes.  Mr.  A.  W.  Anthony  mentions  this  specleH  as  abundant  in  Wash- 
ington county,  Oregon,  breeding  nearly  everywhere.  Nests  were  found  In  ferns,  In 
bushes,  trees  and  vines  overhanging  embankments;  the  latter,  he  states,  seems  to  be 
the  favorite  locality,  six  nests  being  found  In  an  old  railroad  rut,  In  May  and  June. 
The  materials  used  are  willowflosB  and  soft  plant-down.  Frequently  nests  are  found 
covered  with  !lght-colored  lichens,  which  resemble  the  small  Lunches  of  moss  In  the 
trees  where  they  are  built.  The  eggs  are  not  distinguishable  from  those  of  T. 
colubria,  except  that  they  average  slightly  smaller. 


433.     Rdfous  Hummingbirds  (Cheney  del). 

434.  ALLEN'S  HUMMINGBIRD.  Sclasphorus  ollaii  (Hensh.)  Geog  Dlst.— 
Coast  district  of  California,  north  to  British  Columbia,  south  to  Arizona. 

Allen'"'  Hummingbird  is  found  throughout  the  coast  region  of  California  and 
north  ware'  This  species  is  said  to  be  very  lively  and  active,  keeping  constantly  in 
open  places,  and  always  perching  upon  the  most  prominent  dead  twigs.  Compared 
to  the  unsuspicious  nature  of  the  Rufous  Hummingbird,  it  is  extremely  shy.  Nests 
usually  in  thickets  and  trees  along  creeks  and  canons.  The  outside  of  the  nest  is 
composed  of  fine  moss,  the  lining  is  the  delicate  floss  of  the  cottonwood.  Eggs  same 
as  those  of  T.  coliibris.  All  the  Hummingbirds  that  breed  in  California  are  said  to 
rear  two  broods  in  a  season. 

436.  CALLIOPE  HUMMINGBIRD.  Sitellula  ralHnpe  Gould.  Geog.  Dlst.— 
Western  United  States,  north  to  British  Columbia,  south  to  Mexico;  east  to  Rocky 
Mountains. 


yORTll  AMERICAS  BIRDS. 


295 


One  of  the  imalleit  of  HummlnKblrda.  Commun  to  the  mountalne  of  the  Paclflo 
ilope,  from  British  Columbia  south  to  the  tablelands  of  Mexico.  It  Is  abundant  la 
some  localities  on  the  eastern  slopes  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains,  and  occurs  aa 
far  east  as  the  Rocky  Mountain  region,  from  New  Mexico  north  to  Montana.  In  the 
vicinity  of  Fort  Klamath,  Oregon,  Dr.  Merrill  found  this  sperics  abundant  after 
May  16  about  the  blosoms  of  wild  currant  and  gooseberry  bushes.  During  the  breed- 
ing season  the  birds  are  generally  distributed  In  deep  pine  woods  as  well  as  In  mor« 
open  places,  the  constant,  sharp  shrill  notes  of  the  males  Indicating  their  presence. 
A  nest  found  about  the  middle  of  July  which  the  young  had  Just  left  was  placed  upon 
a  dead,  flattened  cone  of  /•/«»«  nnitortn.  It  was  composed  of  thin  strips  of  g^ay 
bark,  with  a  few  spiders'  webs  on  the  outside;  the  lining  was  Rimllar,  but  with  a  few 
small  tufts  of  a  cottony  blossom  from  some  tree;  the  nest  was  Just  the  color  of  the 
cone,  and  was  admirably  adapted  to  escape  notice.  Another  nest  containing  two 
nearly  fledged  young  was  found  at  about  the  same  time,  but  was  quite  unlike  the  one 
Just  described  In  construction  and  situation,  being  of  the  common  Hummingbird 
type,  and  saddled  upon  a  dead  willow  twig.  Near  Carson,  Nevada,  Mr.  Walter  E. 
Bryant  found  a  nest  of  this  species  built  upon  a  projecting  splinter  of  a  wood  pile  at 
a  height  of  five  feet.  Another  was  secured  to  a  rope  within  an  outbuilding.  The 
eggs  of  this  species  measures  .48x.32. 

437.  LUCIFER  HUMMINOBIBD.  Calothorax  lurifci  (Swains.)  Qeog.  Dlst.— 
Tablelands  of  Mexico,  from  Puebla  and  the  Valley  of  Mexico  north  to  Southern 
Arizona. 

Mr.  H.  W.  Henshaw  added  this  species  of  Hummingbird  to  our  fauna  In  1874 
when  he  took  a  specimen  near  Camp  Bowie,  Arizona.  The  late  Major  Bondlre  stated 
that  so  far  as  he  was  aware  no  other  specimens  have  been  taken  within  our  borders 
since  that  time. 

438.  BIEFFEB'S  HUMMINOBIBD.  Amazllta  fuavicaudatn  (Fraser.)  Geog. 
Dlst. — Lower  Rio  Grande  Valley  In  Texas,  south  through  Eastern  Mexico  to  Central 
America  and  Northern  South  America. 

This  common  Central  American  species  was  given  a  place  in  our  fauna  by  a 
single  specimen  secured  alive  by  Dr.  James  C.  MerrIM  in  June,  1876.  It  has  not  been 
obtained  in  the  lower  Rio  Grande  Valley  since  and  must  be  considered  a  straggler 
with  these  limits.  It  la  extremely  abundant  In  the  lowlands  of  Eastern  Nicarauga. 
Specimens  of  the  nest  of  this  species  resemble  some  of  those  of  the  Black-chlnned 
Hummingbird,  and  Its  eggs  are  similar. 

439.  BUFF-BELLIED  HUMMINOBIBD.  Amasllla  rerrinlrnitrls  Gould.  Geog. 
Dlst. — Lower  Rio  Grande  Valley  in  Texas,  south  to  Eastern  Mexico. 

Dr.  James  C.  Merrill  added  this  Hummingbird  to  the  avifauna  of  the  United 
States  in  1876,  the  first  specimen  being  taken  August  17,  on  the  Lower  Rio  Grande, 
In  Te.\as.  He  found  It  nowhere  so  abundant  as  on  the  military  reservation  at  Fort 
Brown,  where  it  was  perfectly  at  home  among  the  dense,  tangled  thickets,  darting 
rapidly  among  the  bushes  and  creeping  vines.  A  rather  noisy  bird,  its  shrill  cries 
usually  first  attract  one's  attention  to  its  presence.  A  Hummer's  nest,  undoubtedly 
made  by  this  species,  was  found  In  September,  1877,  within  the  fort.  It  was  placed 
on  the  fork  of  a  dead,  drooping  twig  of  a  small  tree  on  the  edge  of  a  path  through  a 
thicket;  it  was  about  seven  feet  from  the  ground,  and  contained  the  shriveled  body 
of  a  young  bird.  The  nest  was  made  of  downy  blossoms  of  the  tree  in  which  it  was 
placed,  bound  on  the  outside  with  cobwebs,  and  rather  sparingly  covered  with 
lichens.  The  Inside  depth  was  somewhat  less  than  1.00;  the  diameter  .50;  external 
depth  1.50.    Mr.  C.  W.  Crandall's  collection  contains  a  beautiful  nest  apd  two  eggs 


296 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


in 


of  this  handsome  Hummer  secured  by  Mr.  Armstrong,  the  well-known  ornithological 
and  oological  collector,  who  secured  them  at  Brownsville,  Cameron  county,  Texas, 
August  3,  1892.  The  nest  is  composed  principally  of  thistle-down,  also  \veed  stems 
and  silky  fibers  of  vegetable  matter.  It  Is  ornamented  on  the  outside  with  a  few 
lichens  held  on  with  spider  webs.  The  outside  measurements  are  1.04  in  depth  by 
1.53  in  diameter;  inside  diameter  .97  by  .73  in  depth.  The  eggs  measure  .55x.36, 
.51x33. 

440.  XANTUS'S  HUMMINGBIRD.  Basilinna  xantusi  (Lawr.)  Geog.  Dist.— 
Lower  California. 

This  Hummingbird  occurs  in  the  southern  portion  of  Lower  California.  It  was 
first  taken  at  Cape  St.  Luoas  by  Mr.  Xantus,  and  described  by  Mr.  George  N.  Law- 
rence in  1860.  I  have  no  information  regarding  its  specific  habits;  they  perhaps 
do  not  differ  essentially  from  those  which  ciiaraclerize  other  Hummingbirds.  Prof. 
Ridgway  describes  the  nest  as  composed  of  various  soft  vegetable  fibres  (especially 
raw  cotton,  spiders'  webs,^  etc.),  and  attached  to  small  twigs.  Size  about  1.50  in 
diameter  by  about  .80  in  height,  the  cavity  about  1.00x.55-.60.    Eggs  .47x.31. 

440.1.  WHITE-EARED  HUMMINGBIRD.  BasUinna  leiicotis  (WieUl)  Geog. 
Dist. — Mexico  and  Nicarauga,  north  to  the  Chiricahua  Mountains. 

A  handsome  Hummingbird,  recently  added  to  the  avifauna  of  North  America 
by  Dr.  A.  K.  Fisher,  having  obtained  a  specimen  on  June  9,  1894,  in  the  Chiricahua 
Mountains  of  Southeastern  Arizona.  Early  in  June  a  camp  was  made  at  Fly  Park, 
a  well-wooded  area  southeast  of  the  head  of  Pinery  Canyon,  at  an  altitude  of  about 
10,000  feet.  Here  a  boreal  honeysuckle  grows  commonly  through  the  woods  of 
spruce,  fir,  pine  and  aspen.  The  flowers  of  the  V-oneysuckle  attract  great  numbers  of 
Hummers.  It  was  here  that  the  first  specimen  was  taken  on  the  abo\'e  date.*  Ac- 
cording tu  Salvin  and  Godman  this  is  one  of  the  commone;  t  and  most  characteristic 
of  the  Hummingbirds  of  the  highlands  of  Mexico  and  Guatemala.  So  far  as  I  am 
aware  there  is  no  authentic  published  account  of  the  nests  and  eggs  of  this  beautiful 
species. 

441.  BROAD-BILLED  HUMMINGBIRD,  lache  hitcrostris  (Swains.)  Geog. 
Dist, — Southern  Arizona,  and  the  South  to  the  Valley  of  Mexico. 

Quoting  the  late  Major  Bendire,  he  says:  "The  Broad-billed  or  Circe  Humming- 
bird apt  ears  to  be  a  moderately  common  summer  resident  in  suitable  localities  in 
Southern  Arizona  and  Southwestern  New  Mexico,  at  altitudes  from  3500  to  500O 
feet.  It  was  first  added  to  our  fauna  by  Mr.  H.  W.  Henshaw,  who  took  two  adult 
males  in  the  Santa  Rita  Mountains,  a  few  miles  from  old  Camp  Crittenden,  Arizona, 
on  August  23,  1874.  Since  then  it  has  also  been  taken  by  F.  Stephens  in  the  same 
locality,  where  he  secured  five  specimens,  which  are  now  in  Mr.  William  Brewster's, 
collection."  He  says  that  the  birds  were  always  found  near  water,  and  usually 
along  the  streams  which  flowed  through  canyons,  high  among  mountain.^.  Mr.  W. 
E.  D.  Scott  took  an  adult  female  that  contained  an  egg  with  shell  nearly  formed. 
This  was  in  the  Catalina  Mountains,  June  26,  1884.  So  there  can  be  no  doubt  that 
t.  e  bird  breeds  in  that  region.  A  nest  from  Mexico  is  described  as  being  composed 
of  plant  fibres,  and  vegetable  down;  decorated  on  the  outside  with  narrow  strips  of 
fine  plant  stems,  bits  of  lichens,  etc.  The  nest  was  saddled  on  a  fork  of  a  drooping 
twig.  There  appears  to  be  no  published  account  of  the  eggs  of  this  Hummer,  but 
undoubtedly  are  identical  with  those  of  the  other  well-known  snaller  species  of  this 
group. 


»  See  The  Auk,  Vol.  XI.  1894,  pp.  325-326. 


if!  if 


NOItTH  AMIJIHVAS  UUiUH. 


297 


•  *  BOSE-THBOATED  BECABD.  Ftatupsahs  alaicr  (Lafr.)  Geog.  Dist.— 
Eastern  Mexico,  north  to  the  Rio  Grande  Valley,  south  to  Salvador. 

The  family  Cotingidae,  or  the  Contingas  is  a  very  extensive  group  of  tropical  and 
subtropical  America.  They  are  represented  by  two  genera  on  our  southern  border, 
P I  at  upmriH  and  Pachyrhawiihiis.  They  are  very  closely  allied  to  the  family  Tyraniiida\ 
the  Tyrant  Flycatcher,  their  habits  and  general  characteristics  being  similar.  The 
present  species  is  found  in  Eastern  Mtxico  and  northward  to  the  Valley  of  the  Rio 
Grande.  The  extensive  oological  collection  of  Mr.  C.  W.  Crandall  contains  two  sets 
of  five  eggs  each  of  this  bird,  which  were  taken  by  Mr.  Frank  B.  Armstrong  at  Alta 
Mira,  Mexico,  May  8,  1895.  The  nests  in  which  these  eggs  were  found  were  as  large 
as  a  bushel  basket  and  were  composed  of  general  rubbish,  bark,  straw,  dry  grass, 
etc.  Each  contained  a  small  cavity  where  the  eggs  were  deposited.  The  eggs  have  a 
ground  color  of  a  very  light  drab,  marked  with  blotches,  scratches  and  pen  lines 
often  similar  to  the  markings  found  in  the  eggs  of  the  Crested  Flycatcher— fawn 
color  or  hair-brown  inclining  to  form  a  ring  around  the  large  end.  One  set  exhibits 
the  following  measurements:  .98x.71,  1.04x.71,  1.03x.69,  .98x.71,  .97x.70;  the  other 
1.02X.73,  1.05X.73,  .98x.73,  .98x.73,  1.02x.73;  the  eggs  in  the  second  set  are  remark- 
able for  their  uniformity  of  breadth.  The  average  size  of  the  ten  eggs  is  1.01x.71 
inches. 

441.  1.  XANTUS  BECABD.  Plntijpstiris  albircntris  (Lawr.)  Geog.  Dist. — 
Western  and  Southern  Mexico,  north  to  southern  Arizona  (Huachuca  Mountains). 

One  specimen  of  this  species  taken  in  southern  Arizona  by  Mr.  W.  W.  Price  gives 
this  species  a  place  in  our  fauna.  A  nest  from  Guatemala  was  hung  from  the  branch 
of  a  sapling  at  the  foot  of  a  mountain.  It  was  composed  of  strips  of  bark  and  grass 
so  as  to  form  a  hanging  nest  open  at  the  top  and  about  2  inches  deep.  The  egg  i? 
white,  beautifulUy  maiked  with  pencilings  of  pinkish  red  and  spots  of  the  same 
color. 

[442.]  FOBK-TAILED  FLYCATCHEB.  Mihuhis  tiiratniiis  (Linn.)  Geog. 
Dist. — Mexico  to  South  America.  Accidental  in  the  United  States — Mississippi,, 
Louisiana,  Kentucky,  New  Jersey. 

This  handsome  Flycatcher  with  a  very  deeply  forked  tail  is  found  throughout 
tropical  America.  Its  tail  is  about  a  foot  long,  and  <"orked  as  much  as  six  to  eight 
inches.  The  bird's  occurrence  in  the  United  States  it,  purely  accidental,  and  only  a 
few  opecimens  have  thus  far  been  taken  in  the  regions  cited  above.  Its  habits  are 
said  not  to  differ  essentially  from  those  of  the  Scissor-tailed  Flycatcher  of  our 
southern  fauna.  Dr.  Brewer  describes  an  egg  of  this  species  obtained  by  Dr.  Bal- 
damus  from  Cayenne,  as  bearing  a  strong  resemblance  to  the  egg  of  the  common 
Kingbird.  It  has  a  clear  white  ground,  and  is  spotted  with  deep,  bold  markings  of 
reddish-brown;  size  .90x.68. 

443.     SCISSOB-TAILED  FLYCATCHEB.     Mihuliis  forflcattis  (Gmel.)     Geog. 

Dist. — Eastern  Mexico  and  southwestern  prairie  districts  of  the  United  States,  north 
to  Indian'  Territory,  Kansas  and  the  southwestern  portion  of  Missouri.    Accidental 

in  the  Eastern  States — Virgma,  New  Jersey,  New  England— even  as  far  north  as 

Hudson  Bay  Territory  and  Manitoba. 

Known  as  the  Swallow-tailed  or  Fork-tailed  Flycatcher — an  elegant,  graceful 

bird,  common  in  the  southwestern  portion  of  the  United  States,  from  Kansas  and 

southwestern    Missouri    southward— especially    abundant    in    Texas.    Mr.    Singley 

states  that  in  Lee  county,  Texas,  this  bird  nests  in  trees  varying  from  six  to  twenty 

feet  from  the  ground.    He  describes  a  typical  nest  as  built  of  weeds,  small  stems  and 

thistle-down,  and  lined  with  down  and  sometimes  with  a  few  fibrous  roots.    Since 


i 


ill 


I  I 


I: 


%t. 


I  i ' 


NB8T8  AND  BGQS  OF 


the  introduction  of  cotton  gins  and  sheep  ranches  most  of  the  nests  are  built  of 
weeds  and  cotton  or  wool,  or  both  felted,  lined  with  the  same,  but  oftener  with  no 
lining.  Mr.  E.  C.  Davis  informs  me  that  the  favorite  nesting  site  of  this  bird  in 
Cooke  county,  Texas,  is  in  the  low  mesquite  bushes  on  the  prairies.  He  has  fre- 
quently found  double  nests;  one  now  in  bis  collection  consists  of  three  nests  buili 
on  each  other  and  made  entirely  of  cotton,  measuri^^P'  fifteen  inches  from  top  to 
bottom.  Mr.  Slngley  says  the  usual  number  of  eggs  .  set  is  five,  fully  eighty  per 
cent,  being  of  this  number;  the  other  twenty  per  cen.  is  about  equally  distributed 
between  sets  of  four  and  six.  ^hey  are  white,  or  creamy-white,  marked  with  a  few 
dark  red  spots,  and  occasionally  of  an  obscure  purple,  chiefly  at  the  larger  end;  the 
eggs  vary  in  color  from  pure  white,  unmarked  specimens,  which  are  very  rare,  to 
finely  speckled  with  reddish-brown,  and  often  covered  with  large  spots  and  blotches 
of  brown  and  lilac,  and  look  as  if  whitewash  had  been  brushed  over  the  colors. 
Their  average  size  is  .87x.67.  A  male  specimen  of  the  Scissor-tailed  Flycatcher  was 
taken  near  Marietta,  O.,  May  20,  1894,  by  Mr.  Frank  H.  Welder,  the  skin  of  which 
is  now  in  his  collection.  This,  I  believe,  is  the  first  record  of  the  bird  having  been 
taken  in  the  state. 

444.  KINGBIRD.  Turanuus  turnniius 
(Linn.)  Geog.  Dist.— Eastern  temperate  North 
America,  south  to  Central  ard  Western  South 
America  to  Bolivia;  Cuba;  Bahamas.  Hare  west 
of  the  Rocky  Mountains. 

A  common  bird  in  Eastern  United  States, 
and  perhaps  better  known  by  the  name  of  Bee- 
bird  or  Bee-martin.  It  destroys  thousands  of 
noxious  insects,  which  more  than  compensates 
for  all  the  bees  it  eats.  This  bird's  pugnacious 
disposition  during  the  breeding  season,  the  bold- 
ness, persistent  tenacity,  and  reckless  courage 
with  which  it  attacks  other  birds,  even  crows, 
hawks  and  owls,  are  characteristics  familiar  to 
all.  The  nest  is  placed  in  an  orchard  or  garden, 
or  by  the  roadside,  on  a  horizontal  bough,  or  in 
a  fork  at  a  moderate  height;  sometimes  in  the 
lop  of  the  tallest  trees  alo.ng  streams.  It  is 
bulky,  openly  situated,  and  r.s  easily  found  as 
that  of  the  Robin.  Exterioiiy  it  is  ragged  and 
loose,  but  well  cupped  and  brimmed,  consisting 
of  twigs,  weedstalks,  grasses,  rootlets,  bits  of 
vegetable-do 'vn  and  wool  firmly  matted  to- 
gether. The  i...?ag  is  of  slender  grasses,  chicken 
feathers,  horse  hair,  fibres,  rootlets  and  wool, 
used  singly  or  combined  in  various  proportions. 
The  eggs  range  from  three  to  five  in  number. 
A  large  series  before  me  exhibit  a  wonderful  di- 
versity in  their  markings;  the  ground  color  is 
either  white  or  creamy-white,  and  the  common 
type  is  spotted  with  rich  umber  and  chestnut- 
red.  Tti  ■  sizes  vary  from  .80  to  1.05  in  length  by 
.69  to  .71  in  breadth.  The  average  size  of  forty 
specimens  is  .97x.70.  Sometimes  sets  of  these 
eggs  are  found  almost  wholly  unmarked. 

445.  GRAY  KINGBIRD.  Tifratiuvs  domtn- 
iceiisis  (Gmel.)  Geog.  Dist. — South  Carolina, 
Georgia  and  Florida:  West  Indies,  coasts  of  the 
Caribbean  Sea  and  Gulf  of  Mexico.  Accidental 
in  Massachusetts. 

A  larger  species  than  the  common  Kingbird, 
444    KiNGB!RD.  but   Its   general   aooearance.   habits   and   nest- 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


299 


Ing  are  the  same.  It  is  a  common  bird  in  the  West  Indies,  and  is  found  regularly 
in  Florida  and  northward  to  Georgia,  etc.  Mr.  Stuart  states  that  it  breeds  in  Florida 
in  *he  months  of  May  and  June,  building  for  its  nest  a  frail  structure  of  dry  twigs, 
lined  with  a  few  roots,  dead  moss  or  fibrous  plant  stems;  it  is  placed  in  low  bushes 
or  in  trees  at  a  considerable  height.  The  favorite  nesting  localities  are  along 
streams  in  live  oaks.  Usually  three,  sometimes  four  eggs  are  deposited ;  they  have  a 
ground  color  of  a  creamy,  pinkish  or  rosy  tint,  spotted,  blotched  or  dashed  with 
umber-brown  and  lilac-gray.  A  set  of  three  eggs  in  my  cabinet,  taken  near  Tampa, 
Florida,  May  20, 1885,  measure  l.OOx.75, 1.02x.76,  1.04x,75;  another  set  of  three,  taken 
near  Thomasvllle,  Georgia,  June  4,  1888,  exhibit  the  following  sizes:  .99x.70,  l.OOx 
.72,  l.OOx. 73.  Mr.  Norris  has  a  set  of  four  eggs,  taken  in  Matee,  Florida,  May  25; 
these  measure  .97x.72,  .99x.82,  .97x.70.  .97x.74. 

446.  COUCH'S  KINGBIRD.  Tyrannus  melancholicus  couchii  (Baird.)  Geog. 
DIst. — Northern  portion  of  Central  America,  north  through  Mexico  to  southern 
border  of  the  United  States  (Southern  Texas  to  Arizona). 

This  is  a  common  bird  from  Guatemala  north  through  Mexico  to  the  southern 
border  of  Texas,  New  Mexico  and  Arizona.  It  possesses  the  same  characteristics 
common  to  birds  of  its  family.  A  nest  and  four  fresh  eggs  are  described  by  Mr. 
Sennett.*  These,  together  with  both  parents,  were  taken  at  Lomlta  Ranch,  on  the 
Rio  Grande,  Texas,  in  1881.  The  nest  was  situated  some  twenty  feet  from  the 
ground,  on  a  small  lateral  branch  of  a  large  elm,  in  a  grove  not  far  from  houses. 
It  was  composed  of  small  elm  twigs,  with  a  little  Spanish  moss,  a  few  branchlets  and 
leaves  of  the  growing  elm,  lined  with  fine  rootlets  and  black  hair-like  heart  of  the 
Spanish  moss.  The  outside  diameter  is  6  inches  and  the  depth  2  inches;  inside 
diameter  3  and  depth  1.25  inches.  The  eggs,  Mr.  Sennett  says,  have  a  general  re- 
semblance to  those  of  all  our  Tyrant  Flycatchers,  but  are  quite  distinct  in  form,  size 
and  ground-color  from  any  he  had  seen.  The  blotches  are  more  numerous  and 
smaller;  the  large  end  is  very  round,  and  the  small  end  quite  pointed;  the  ground- 
color is  rich  buff;  the  blotches  are  similar  to  those  of  the  Kingbird's  eggs,  but  more 
Irregularly  distributed  over  the  entire  eggs;  sizes  l.OOx.76,  .99x.76,  .98x.76,  .97x.72. 


447.  ARKANSAS  KINGBIRD.  Tyrannus  verticalis  Say.  Geog.  DIst.— West- 
ern North  America  from  the  Plains  to  the  Pacific,  south  through  Western  Mexico  to 
Guatemala.  Accidental  In  Eastern  States — Maine,  New  York,  New  Jersey  and  Mary- 
land. 

The  Western  Kingbird  possesses  the  same  general  traits  which  are  common  to 
the  Kingbird  of  the  Eastern  States.  Colonel  Goss  mentions  It  as  a  common  summer 
resident  in  middle  and  Western  Kansas,  arriving  about  the  first  of  May;  begins  lay- 
ing in  the  latter  part  of  the  month.  Mr.  A.  M.  Shields  states  that  In  the  region 
about  Los  Angeles,  California,  this  species  is  found  nesting  from  about  the  first  of 
May  until  late  in  July,  building  in  any  convenient  place;  In  the  frame-work  of  a 
windmill,  the  cornice  of  a  house,  on  fence  posts,  in  the  forks  of  trees  at  heights 
ranging  from  five  to  fifty  feet.  The  nest  Is  built  of  any  avallaole  material,  rags,  grass 
and  twigs  lined  with  wool  or  cotton.  Mr.  Walter  E.  Bryant,  in  his  papers  entitled 
"Unusual  Nesting  Sites,"  mentions  some  curious  freaks  concerning  the  nesting  of  the 
Arkansas  Kingbird:  An  old  and  much  flattened  nest  of  Bullock's  Oriole  was  found 
relined,  and  containing  four  Kingbird's  eggs.  A  nest  was  found  by  Mr.  A.  M.  Inger- 
soll  built  upon  a  fence  post  more  than  half  a  mile  from  the  nearest  tree.    It  was  se- 


•Auk,  1.  p    93. 


300 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


cured  from  observation  on  ont  side  by  a  board  nailed  to  the  post  and  projecting 
above  it.  One  of  the  most  remarkable  instances  of  persistency  in  nest  building  was 
met  with  in  the  case  of  a  pair  of  K.ngbirds,  which  had  attempted  to  construct  a 
nest  upon  the  outer  end  of  a  windmill  fan.  A  horizontal  blade  had  probably  been 
first  selected,  but  an  occasional  breath  of  air  had  slightly  turned  the  mill,  bringing 
into  place  another  and  another,  upon  each  of  which  had  been  deposited  the  first 
material  for  a  nest  until  several  nests  were  in  different  stages  of  construction,  vary- 
ing from  the  time  tha-  the  windmill  had  remained  quiet,  while  upon  the  roof  below 
was  strewn  a  quantity  of  debris  that  had  fallen  as  the  wheel  revolved.  Of  course, 
nothing  but  failure  could  be  expected  from  their  repeated  attempts.  The  eggs  are 
five,  sometimes  four,  in  number.  A  large  series  before  me  do  not  differ  essentially 
from  those  of  T.  tyniiinus,  except  that  they  average  smaller;  .94x.65. 

448.  CASSIN'S  KIITGBIRD.  Tiiraiinus  vocifcraiis  Swains.  Geog.  Dist.— 
Guatemala  north  through  Mexico  and  Western  United  States  to  Idaho  and  Southern 
Wyoming,  and  coast  districts  of  Southern  California. 

Cacsin's  Kingbird  greatly  resembles  T.  vcrticitlis  in  color;  is  less  lively,  and  not 
so  quarrelsome  or  pugnacious  in  its  nature.  It  is  a  common  bird  in  Southern  Cali- 
fornia, but  is  nowhere  so  abundant  as  the  Arkansas  Flycatcher.  In  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tain region,  according  to  Dr.  Coues,  it  mostly  veplaces  icrtlcaU.s  In  the  breeding  sea- 
son. A  common  bird  in  Arizona.  Mr.  W.  E.  D.  Scott  states  that  the  position  of  the 
many  nests  he  examined  in  the  Catalina  Mountain  region  shows  a  decided  preference 
for  the  evergreen  oaks  over  other  trees.  The  nest,  which  is  commonly  from  twenty 
to  twenty-five  feet  from  the  ground,  is  most  always  placed  near  the  extremity  of  a 
branch,  and  is  hidden  by  the  thick  leaves.  Six  nests  and  a  large  series  of  the  eggs 
of  this  species  before  me  do  not  differ  essentially  from  those  of  T.  turaniius  or  T, 
verticalis. 


'i  '     :if 


449.  DERBY  FLYCATCHER.  Pitaiifjus  derbianus  (Kaup.)  Geog.  Dlst.— 
Northern  South  America,  Central  America,  Mexico,  north  to  the  Valley  of  the  Rio 
Grande  in  Texas. 

A  large,  spirited-looking  Flycatcher  of  Mexico  and  southward,  lately  found  on  the 
Lower  Rio  Grande  in  Texas.  It  is  said  to  build  its  nest  chiefly  in  thorny  bushes  ^^nd 
trees;  the  structure  is  large  and  dome-shaped,  like  a  Magpie's  nest,  with  an  entrance 
on  one  side.  It  is  composed  of  twigs,  coarse  straws,  dried  mosses,  lichens,  etc. 
The  eggs  are  from  three  to  five,  sometimes  six  in  number;  creamy-white,  speckled, 
spotted  and  blotched,  chiefly  at  the  larger  end,  with  umber-brown,  chestnut  and 
lilac.  Average  size  of  ten  eggs  is  1.20x.80;  an  average  specimen  measures  1.16x.75. 
A  set  of  five  eggs  In  Mr.  Crandall's  collection,  taken  May  9,  1895,  in  Tamaullpas 
county,  Mexico,  measures  l.lOx.82,  l.lOx.83,  1.07x.87,  1.05x.81,  1.12x.85.  Another  set 
measures  1.18x.84,  1.18x.85,  1.19x.87,  1.16x.84.  1.20x.87. 

450.  GIRAUD'S  FLYCATCHER.  Myiozctetcs  tcxaisis  (Glraud.)  Geog.  Dlst.— 
"Texas"  (Glraud),  south  to  Central  America  and  Northern  South  America. 

This  species  Is  admitted  to  our  fauna  upon  Giraud's  record  and.  If  It  occurs  at  all 
along  the  Rio  Grande  Valley  in  Texas  it  must  be  considered  a  straggler,  and  It  is 
doubtful  if  It  breeds  within  our  limits.  Mr.  Crandall  has  a  set  of  four  eggs  of  this 
species  taken  In  Tamaullpas  county,  Mexico  April  30,  1895,  by  Mr.  Frank 
B.  Armstrong.  The  nest  was  placed  In  a  bush.  In  open  woods,  was  bulky 
and  round  and-  composed  of  grass,  hay  and  moss.     The  eggs  are  creamy  white. 


4 
<Jeog. 

Tl 
able 
pears 
In  the 
and  h 
natun 
of  .93: 
M.  cri 
ieavy 


fc^ 


NORTH  AMERICAN  UIRDH. 


301 


very  sparsely  marked,  except  at  the  larger  end,  where  they  form  a  wreath  of  specks 
and  spots  of  brownish  purple  and  lavender.  This  is  a  typical  set  in  a  series.  The 
Bizes  are  as  follows:     .98x.67,  1.02x.68,  .96x,66,  .96x.66,  .99x.68. 

451.  SULPHUB-BELLIED  FLYCATCHER.  Myiodnasies  luteiventris  Scl. 
Geog.  Dist. — Southern  Arizona,  south  to  Panama. 

In  1874  Mr.  W.  H.  Henshaw  added  this  handsome  Flycatcher  to  the  avifauna 
of  North  America.  He  found  it  to  be  a  summer  resident  in  the  Chiricahua  Moun- 
tains of  Southern  Arizona,  where  he  secured  a  pair  of  old  birds,  with  three  young, 
August  24.  The  birds  frequent  streams  bordered  with  large  trees,  seeming  always  to 
prefer  sycamores,  and  they  are  seldom  seen  more  than  50  yards  from  a  stream.  They 
nest  in  the  knot  holes  of  trees  or  any  suitable  tree  cavity,  the  nest  being  simply  con- 
structed of  small  twigs,  stems  of  leaves,  etc.  A  set  of  three  well  incubated  eggs  was 
taken  August  15,  1894,  in  Ramsay's  Canyon  in  the  Huachuca  Mountains.  The 
ground  color  is  a  rich  creamy  buff,  profusely  blotched  and  lighter  shades  of  lavender. 
The  markings,  according  to  the  late  Major  Bendire,  do  not  resemble  the  streaky 
pattern  found  in  the  eggs  of  the  genus  Myiarchus.  They  measure  1.07x.75,  1.04x.74 
.and  .97x.73  inches. 


Jl 


iii' 


m 


m 


m 


id 


452.  CRESTED  FLYCATCHER.  MyiarrliuH  rrinitm  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist.— 
Eastern  United  States,  west  to  the  Plains,  north  to  Southern  Canada,  south  in  winter 
through  Eastern  Mexico  and  Central  America  to  Costa  Rica. 

The  Great-crested  Flycatcher  is  an  abundant  bird  in  the  woodlands  of  Eastern 
United  States  as  far  north  as  Massachusetts.  Mr.  Thomas  Mcllwraith  states  that  it 
is  a  regular  summer  resident  along  the  southern  frontier  of  Ontario,  Canada,  arriv- 
ing early  in  May.  During  the  summer  months  the  loud,  harsh  cries  of  this  species 
are  familiar  sounds  in  the  woods,  which,  when  once  known,  are  easily  recognized. 
The  Great-crested  Flycatcher  breeds  throughout  its  United  States  range.  It  builds 
in  the  hollows  of  trees,  post-holes,  and,  even  Bluebird  and  Martin  boxes  are  some- 
times occupied.  The  nest  is  made  of  slender  twigs,  grasses,  fine  stems  and  rootlets 
and  cast-off  snake  skins  are  invariably  found  among  the  materials.  The  eggs  are 
remarkable  for  their  coloration,  having  a  ground  of  buity-brown,  streaked  longitudin- 
ally by  lines  sharp  and  scratchy  in  style,  and  markings  of  purple  and  darker  brown; 
four  to  six  in  number;  average  size,  .82x.62.  The  smallest  egg  selected  from  one 
hundred  specimens  measures  .76x.62;  the  largest  .93x.70.  The  eggs  are  so  peculiar 
in  their  style  of  markings  that  they  may  be  easily  identified,  and  all  the  eggs  of  the 
North  American  species  of  the  genus  myiarclius  are  alike  in  character. 


Dist.— 


453.  MEXICAN  CRESTED  FLYCATCHER.  Myiarchus  mexicanus  (Kaup.) 
•Geog.  Dist. — Lower  Rio  Grande  Valley  in  Texas,  southward  to  Guatemala. 

The  Mexican  Crested  Flycatcher  was  found  by  Dr.  Merrill  breeding  in  consider- 
able numbers  on  the  Lower  Rio  Grande  in  Texas.  In  its  notes  and  habits  it  ap- 
pears to  closely  resemble  M.  crinitus.  With  one  exception,  no  snake  skins  were  used 
In  the  construction  of  any  of  the  nests.  They  were  composed  of  felted  looks  of  wool 
and  hairs,  and  were  placed  not  far  from  the  ground  in  old  woodpeckers'  holes  or  in 
natural  cavities  of  decayed  trees  or  stumps.  Thirty-two  eggs  have,  an  average  size 
of  .93X.66,  the  extremes  being  1.03x.73  and  .82x.65.  The  eggs  are  similar  to  those  of 
M.  crinitus,  except  that  they  have  a  paler  ground  color  and  the  markings  are  not  so 
iieavy. 


302 


NESTS  AND  EQOS  OP 


i\ 


t  i 


«! 


453.     Mexican  Crested  Flycatchek, 

453a.  ABIZONA  CBESTED  FLTCATCHEB.  Myiarchus  mexivanus  magiater 
Ridgw.    Geog.  Dist.— Western  Mexico,  riorth  to  Southern  Arizona. 

Mr.  W.  E.  D.  Scott  found  this  bird  to  be  common  in  spring  and  summer  about 
Tucson,  Florence,  Riverside,  and  in  the  foot-hills  of  the  Catalina  Mountains  up  to 
about  450  feet,  in  Southern  Arizona.  About  Tucson  it  frequents  the  mesquite  and 
giant  cactus  groves.  In  the  Catalinas,  at  an  altitude  of  4000  feet,  a  aest  was  found 
built  in  a  deserted  Woodpecker's  hole  in  a  dead  sycamore  stub;  it  was  entirely  simi- 
lar to  that  of  M.  crinitus,  even  to  the  traditional  snake  skins,  and  contained  five  eggs 
nearly  ready  to  be  hatched,  very  similar  to  those  of  M.  criuitus,  but  a  little  larger. 
About  Tucson  the  birds  nest  commonly  in  deserted  Woodpecker's  holes  in  the  giant 
cactus.  From  three  to  five  eggs  are  laid.  An  egg  of  this  Flycatcher  iu  my  cabinet, 
taken  in  Pinal  county,  Arizona,  March  21,  1886,  measures  1.03x.70. 


i 


454.  ASH-THBpATED  FLYCATCHER.  Myiarchus  cinerascens  Lawr.  Geog. 
Dist. — Western  United  States  from  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the  Pacific,  north  to 
Oregon,  Nevada,  Utah  and  Colorado,  south  over  the  highlands  of  Mexico  to  northern 
Central  Ameiica. 

The  Ash-throat'jd  Flycatcher  Is  a  common  species  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains; 
in  some  places  it  is  abundant.  It  is  described  as  being  shy,  and  of  retiring  habits, 
preferring  the  solitude  of  deep,  shady  forests  where  its  insect  food  abounds.  It  is 
usually  sole  possessor  of  the  tree  in  which  its  nest  is  built;  all  intruders  are  vio- 
lently assailed  and  compelled  to  retreat.  The  nests  are  placed  in  natural  cavities  of 
trees  ot  aliijost  any  kind,  in  a  deserted  squirrel's  or  Woodpeckers'  hole.  The 
clutches  of  ^ggs  range  from  four  to  seven,  ordinarily  five  or  six,  and  the  nesting 
season  is  in  May  and  June.  Old  excavations  of  Gairdner's  Woodpecker  are  com- 
monly resdrted  to  by  this  species  in  California.  The  eggs  are  colored  and  marked 
like  those  of  .1/.  mcxlcanus.  Set  No.  208  (oological  collection  of  Walter  E.  Bryant), 
taken  ne^r  Oakland,  California,  June  22,  1881,  contains  five  eggs,  which  were  fresh 
when  found;  their  measurements  are  22-.5xl6.5,  22x16,  23.5x16.5,  22x16.5,  23x16.5  mm.* 

*  .89X.65,  .87X.63,  .93x.65.  .87x.65,  .91X.65.  .    ,. 


MM 


NORTn  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


303 


Set  No.  207,  five  eggs,  taken  at  Berkely,  California,  June  9,  1880,  contained  small 
embryos,  and  show  the  following  dimensions:  21x16,  21.5x15.5,  21.5x15.5,  21.5x16.  20x 
15  mm.* 

464(7.  NUTTING'S  FLYCATCHER,  '[uiarrhus  cliurascciis  unttinyl  (Ridgw.) 
Oeog.  Dist. — Southern  Arizona,  southward  through  Western  Mexico  to  Costa  Rica. 

This  is  a  recent  addition  to  our  avifauna.  The  bird  with  four  fresh  eggs  was 
secured  by  Dr.  A.  K.  Fisher  at  Rillito  Creek,  Arizona,  on  June  12,  1892.  Other  speci- 
mens of  the  bird  have  since  been  taken.  The  nest  which  Dr.  Fisher  found  was  in  a 
hole  formerly  occupied  by  Woodpeckers  In  a  giant  cactus  tree  about  four  feet  from 
the  ground.  The  eggs  are  similar  to  those  of  the  Ash-throated  Flycatcher  and  meas- 
ure .96X.67.  .95X.66.  .98x.67  and  .94x.69  inches. 

[455.]  LAWRENCE'S  FLTCATCHEB.  Myiarchvs  lawrenceii  (Giraud.)  Geog. 
Dist.— Texas  (?)  and  Eastern  Mexico. 

This  species  is  placed  in  our  avifauna  on  Qiraud's  record  from  the  lower  Rio 
Grande  in  Texas,  but  has  not  since  his  day  (1841)  been  observed  or  taken  by  any 
collector.  A  set  of  five  eggs  of  Lawrence's  flycatcher  was  taken  by  Mr.  Frank  B. 
Armstrong  near  Alta  Mira,  Tamaullpas  county,  Mexico,  May  20,  1895.  The  bird  was 
shot  and  identification  made  certain.  The  nest  was  placed  in  the  hole  of  a  tree  in 
open  woods,  ten  feet  from  tLe  ground.  The  composition  of  the  nest  was  brownish- 
colored  hairs,  feathers,  etc.  1  he  ground  color  of  the  eggs  Is  a  rich  creamy  buff,  very 
sparingly  marked  when  compared  with  the  eggs  of  other  species  of  this  genus,  the 
same  purple  and  dark  brown  colors,  however,  predominating,  but  not  laid  on  in  the 
same  scratchy  style,  tending  considerably  more  to  blotches  and  spots,  although  suf- 
ficient enough  to  identify  them  as  eggs  belonging  to  birds  of  this  genus.  The  set  of 
five  eggs  just  described  are  in  Mr.  C.  W.  Crandall's  collection  and  were  sent  to  him 
by  Mr.  Armstrong  as  being  typical  of  the  species  selected  from  a  small  series  taken 
at  Alta  Mira.  The  sizes  of  the  eggs  are  as  follows:  .83x.68,  .87x.66,  .81x.65,  .88x.67, 
.84X.66:  average  .85x.66.  inches. 

455a.  OLIVACEOUS  FLYCATCHER.  Myiarchus  lawrenceii  olivascens  Ridgw. 
Geog.  Dist. — Arizona  and  Western  Mexico;  casual  at  Fort  Lyon,  Colorado. 

First  described  by  Mr.  William  Brewster  in  1881  from  specimens  taken  by  Mr. 
F.  Stephens  in  the  Santa  Rita  Mountains,  Arizona,  during  the  months  of  May  and 
June.  Mr.  Stephens  supposed  that  this  sub-species  bred  in  the  knot  holes  of  trees  or 
in  the  excavations  made  by  woodpeckers.  Nothing  possitlve  seems  to  be  known 
concerning  the  eggs  of  this  species,  but  in  all  probability  they  are  similar  to  those  of 
the  Ash-throated  Flycatcher. 

* 

456.  PHCEBE.  Sayornis  phcehe  (Lath.)  Geog.  Dist — ^Eastern  North  America; 
In  winter  south  to  Mexico  and  Cuba. 

The  Phoebe,  Pewit,  or  Pewee  Is  one  of  the  best  known  birds  In  Eastern  United 
States,  where,  with  the  Robin  and  the  Bluebird,  It  is  always  one  of  the  first  spring 
arrivals.  Shady  ravines,  the  borders  of  rivers  and  open  fields  are  Its  resorts.  It  is 
commonly  found  perched  upon  a  dead  branch  of  a  tree  at  the  edge  of  a  woods, 
where  it  sits  fiirting  Its  tall  and  occasionally  darting  out  after  passing  insects,  al- 
ways returning  to  the  same  twig,  and  frequently  uttering  its  simple,  agreeable  and 


mi 


.8fx6d,    Sbx61.  .85x.61,  .85x.63,  .79x.59. 


}  A 


304 


NESTS  AND  EQGS  OF 


s      fl> 


emphatic  note,  pe-ircr,  pc-iiit,  or  as  some  hear  It,  pha-hrr.  This  species  is  called 
"Bridge-bird,"  from  its  habit  of  nesting  in  old  wooden  bridges.  The  original  situa- 
tion of  the  nest  is  the  face  of  an  upright  rock,  which  is  sometimes  mois-grown  and 
dripping  with  water.  Wilson  s'.ates  that  the  Phoebe  occasionally  nests  in  an  open 
well,  five  or  six  feet  down,  among  the  interstices  of  the  side-walls;  and  Nuttall  has 
known  It  to  nest  In  an  empty  kitchen.  In  wild  places,  far  from  the  habitation  o*" 
man,  hollow  trees  are  resorted  to  as  breeding  places.  Stone  culverts,  caves,  old 
log  houses,  barns  and  sheds  are  its  accustomed  nesting  places,  and  nests  are  often 
found  In  woods  built  In  the  roots  of  overturned  trees.  Mr.  W.  W.  Coe  records  the 
nesting  of  a  pair  of  Pewees  on  a  ferry  boat  running  between  Portland  and  Middle- 


4S8      Ph(ebe  (From  Beal) 


town,  Connecticut,  the  boat  making  trips  every  ten  minutes.  The  birds  seemed  to 
claim  Middletown  as  their  home,  and  appeared  to  collect  the  material  for  the  nest 
on  that  side  of  the  river.  My  friend,  Mr.  Mebs,  took  a  nest  containing  five  eggs 
from  the  beams  of  a  freight  car,  which  had  recently  made  a  trip  of  forty-five  miles. 
The  eggs  were  fresh,  and,  except  one,  unbroken.  Two  nests  which  I  found  in  cul- 
verts, over  running  water,  were  perfectly  green  with  moss,  and  had  evidently  been 
occupied  for  several  years.  The  nest,  attached  to  a  perpendicular  surface,  is  built 
like  that  of  the  Barn  Swallow,  being  compactly  and  neatly  made  of  mud  and  various 
vegetable  substances,  with  a  lining  of  grass  and  feathers.  This  bird's  attachment 
of  a  chosen  locality  Is  sometimes  remarkable;  Its  nest  is  known  to  have  been  torn 
down  and  rebuilt  again  by  its  owner  in  the  same  spot.  The  eggs  may  be  taken, 
when  a  second  and  even  a  third  set  will  be  deposited.  The  eggs  are  ordinarily  four 
■or  five  in  number;  clutches  of  five  are  the  most  common;  they  are  pure  white, 
sometimes  sparsely  spotted  with  obscure  or  well-defined  reddish-brown  dots  at  thb 
larger  end.  In  exceptional  instances  the  Pewee  deposits  six  and  seven  eggs.  Their 
average  size  is  .Six. 52. 


45 
iHst.- 
Ameri 

T 
escape 
less  so 
those 
localit 
numer 
Jersey 
mer  re 


WORTH  AMEIUCAN  HIUUH. 


305 


467.  SAY'S  PHOEBE.  Sayoruin  mya  (Bonap.)  Oeog.  Dlst.— Western  United 
States  from  the  Great  Plains  to  the  Pacific,  north  to  the  Saskatchewan,  south  to 
Mexico. 

A  bird  of  an  extended  distribution  in  Western  United  States,  asd  possessing  the 
same  general  traits  common  to  the  Eastern  Pewee.  Col.  Goss  records  this  species 
as  a  summer  resident  in  Western  Kansas,  and  styles  it  "a  bird  of  the  plains."  Be- 
gins laying  the  last  of  May.  Dr.  Coues  says  that  it  is  common  in  open  or  rooky 
country,  where  It  is  seen  singly  or  in  pairs;  the  principal  flycatcher  of  unwooded 
regions,  in  weedy,  brushy  places,  displaying  the  usual  activity  of  its  tribe,  and 
uttering  a  melancholy  note  of  one  syllable,  or  a  tremulous  twitter.  Like  .S.  phnhr. 
It  has  been  found  nesting  in  hollow  trees,  in  caves  and  recesses  of  rocks.  In  outbuild- 
ings or  abandoned  dwellings.  Sometimes,  with  the  familiarity  of  the  Eastern  spe- 
cies, it  will  build  its  nest  on  a  porch  of  a  dwelling  whose  inmates  are  almost  con- 
stantly in  sight.  Occasionally  two  broods  are  reared  in  a  season.  Mr.  Bryant  men- 
tions a  nest  found  by  Mr.  Walter  Bliss  at  Carson,  Nevada,  placed  within  and  close 
to  the  entrance  of  a  deserted  Bank  Swallow's  burrow.  The  composition  of  the  nest 
varies  more  or  less  according  to  the  locality  in  wh  ch  it  is  built;  vegetable  fibres, 
soft  grasses,  spiders'  webs,  etc.,  are  the  principal  naterials,  and  the  shallow  cavity 
is  lined  with  feathers  and  hair.  The  eggs  are  four  or  five  in  number,  white,  with  an 
average  size  of  .75x.57.  A  set  of  four  eggs,  taken  near  Banning,  California,  May  19, 
1884,  measure  .75x.61.  .77x.61.  .75x.61.  .76x.59. 


> 


458.  BLACK  FHCEBE.  f^ayonils  tiiifricaim  (Swalna.)  Geog.  Dlst.— Southwest- 
ern United  States  and  Mexico — Texas,  through  Southern  New  Mexico  and  Arizona 
to  California,  northward  along  the  coast  to  Oregon. 

This  bird's  general  color  is  like  that  of  the  "Black"  Snowbird,  Juucn  hycinalis, 
now  called  Slate-colored  Junco.  It  Is  an  abundant  species  throughout  California, 
Southern  Arizona  and  New  Mexico,  and  its  general  habits  are  much  the  same  as 
those  of  the  common  Phcebeblrd;  the  nests  are  also  constructed  in  similar  situations 
as  those  of  the  Eastern  species — in  caves,  on  ledges  of  rocks,  under  bridges,  in  de- 
serted dwellings,  etc.  The  bird  Is  found  more  or  less  abundantly  along  streams, 
and  is  said  to  prefer  the  vicinity  of  human  habitations.  Mr.  Walter  E.  Bryant 
records  a  pair  of  these  birds  that  built  for  two  consecutive  years  in  a  well,  four  feet 
below  the  surface.  The  first  year  a  second  nest  was  built  after  the  first  had  been 
taken.  Four  or  five  eggs  are  laid.  A  set  of  four  eggs  is  in  my  cabinet,  taken  April 
26,  by  Mr.  S.  C.  Evans,  from  a  nest  in  a  barn  at  San  Jose,  California.  Two  of  them 
are  white,  unmarked,  and  the  other  two  are  spj-rsely  dotted  at  the  larger  end  with 
light  reddish-brown:  their  sizes  are  .73x.59.  ,80x.59,  .81x.57.  .80x.58. 

459.  OLIVE-STDED  FLYCATCHEE.  Cotitopus  borealis  (Swains.)  Geog. 
Dlst. — North  America  at  large,  north  even  to  Greenland,  south  in  winter  to  Central 
America  and  Columbia. 

The  Olive-sided  Flycatcher,  apparently  nowhere  abundant — at  least  it  seems  to 
escape  the  notice  of  observers — is  very  rare  in  the  Middle  and  Southern  States,  but 
less  so  in  the  West.  It  frequents  the  coniferous  woods  of  the  mountain  districts  and 
those  of  the  lowlands,  breeding  from  Northern  United  States  northward.  In  some 
localities  of  New  England  the  Olive-sided  Flycatcher  is  rather  common,  where 
numerous  instances  of  its  nesting  are  recorded.  It  has  been  found  breeding  in  New 
Jersey,  Pennsylvania,  and  Northern  Minnesota.  Colonel  Goss  says  it  is  a  rare  sum- 
mer resident  of  Kansas.    The  nest  is  usually  built  in  evergreen  trees,  frequently  at  a 


21 


306 


NEST8  AND  BOOS  OF 


V 


i 


n 


I  f 


li  '  s 


1^ 


great  height  from  the  ground.  It  is  similar  in  construction  to  that  of  the  Wood 
Pcwee'8  nest,  being  saddled  on  a  horizontal  limb  or  fixed  in  a  forlt.  A  nest  before  me, 
taken  in  Windsor  county,  Vt.,  June  10,  1884,  is  a  shallow  structure  made  of  twigs, 
grasses,  and  bark  strips,  lined  with  soft  grasses  and  moss;  It  is  a  very  frail,  clumsy 
structure,  compared  to  that  of  Coiitoinis  rlrnm.  This  was  placed  in  a  hemlock  tree, 
thirty  feet  from  the  ground,  and  contained  four  eggs,  which  is  the  usual  number. 
From  three  to  five  eggs  are  laid  by  this  species,  and  May  and  June  are  the  breeding 
months.  The  eggs  are  creamy-white,  spotted  about  the  greater  end  with  a  distinct 
confluent  ring  of  chestnut-red  and  brown;  there  are  also  spots  of  purple  and  laven- 
der, and  on  the  whole  the  eggs  very  much  resemble  those  of  the  Wood  Pewee,  but 
are  larger;  sizes,  .90x.65,  .89x.C5,  .90x.62,  .90x.67.  These  sizes  are  slightly  larger  than 
most  of  those  stated  by  writers.  The  average  size  given  is  about  .82x.62  inches.  Mr. 
C.  Barlow  read  a  paper  July  10,  1897,  before  the  Cooper  Ornithological  Club  describ- 
ing a  nest  and  a  set  of  eggs  of  the  Ollve-slded  Flycatcher  taken  by  W.  W.  Price  in  El 
Dorado  county,  Cal.  The  nest  was  situated  in  a  fir  tree  seventy-one  feet  from  the 
ground. 

460.  COUES'S  FLYCATCHEB.  Contopus  pcrtinax  Cab.  Qeog.  Dlst.— Moun- 
tains of  Southern  and  Central  Arizona,  south  thiough  Mexico  and  Guatemala. 

This  Flycatcher  was  added  to  our  avifauna  by  Dr.  Elliott  Couea,  who  took  a 
specimen  near  Fort  Whipple,  Arizona,  August  20,  1864.  It  is  generally  distributed 
throughout  the  southern  half  of  Arizona  and  southwestern  New  Mexico,  but  is  no- 
where common.  Breeds  wherever  found.  Like  the  Olive-sided  Flycatcher  woods 
on  the  edge  of  an  opening  or  along  rocky  ravines.  The  ncst  and  eggs  of  this  Fly- 
catcher were  first  described  by  Mr.  Samuel  B.  Ladd,  of  Westchester,  Pa.,  In  The  Auk 
(Vol.  VIII,  p.  315).  They  were  collected  June  17,  1890.  It  is  as  follows:  "The  nest, 
placed  on  an  oak  limb  20  feet  from  the  ground,  is  compact,  and  reminds  one  of  the 
nest  of  our  Cotitopiis  virens,  excepting  in  size.  Outside  diameter  5  inches  by  2  inches 
high;  inside  diameter  3  inches  by  1  inch  deep.  The  body  of  the  nest  seems  to  consist 
of  the  web  of  some  spider,  Intermingled  with  the  exuviae  of  some  insect,  fragments 
of  insects  and  vegetable  matter,  such  as  staminate  catkins,  QucrciiK-riiKiryi,  a  pod  of 
Hosacka,  and  some  leaves  of  Qucrcus  emoryi  and  Quercus  uiiulata.  The  interior  of  the 
nest  is  made  up  of  grasses,  principally  of  two  species  of  Poa,  also  some  fragments  of 
a  Bontehma  and  Stlpa.  The  eggs,  three  in  number,  were  slightly  incubated.  The 
ground  color  is  cream  buff,  spotted  in  a  ring  around  the  larger  end  with  chestnut 
lilac-gray.  Measurements:  0.63x0.86,  0.82x0.61,  0.61x0.83  Inch  0.62x0.84."  Mr. 
George  F.  Breninger,  of  Phoenix,  Arizona,  makes  note  of  the  nesting  of  Coues's 
Flycatcher  in  "The  Osprey"  for  September,  1897,  page  12,  as  follows:  "I  found  the 
Coues'  Flycatcher  quite  a  common  bird  in  the  Huachuca  Mountains,  but  saw  none  in 
the  Santa  Ritas.  A  nest  was  found  on  June  11,  by  watching  the  female.  At  first 
both  birds  appeared  rather  indifferent  about  my  presence,  but'I  noticed  that  no  time 
was  lost  in  driving  Jays  from  a  large  spruce  tree.  Patient  watching  revealed  the 
nest;  It  was  built  at  the  confluence  of  two  limbs,  resting  In  part  on  the  main  limb, 
and  so  well  hidden  that  It  was  located  only  by  seeing  the  bird  resume  the  duties  of 
incubation.  The  nest  is  of  the  Wood  Pewee  type,  but  much  larger;  being  composed, 
outwardly,  of  grass  stems  covered  with  lichens.  The  inside  Is  lined  entirely  with 
the  ripe  tips  of  a  species  of  grass  (Stipa  species?)  growing  In  places  near  the  nest. 
It  was  situated  thirty  feet  from  the  ground,  and  ten  feet  from  the  trunk  of  the  tree. 
In  the  nest  were  two  eggs  and  a  third  one,  after  receiving  sonie  injury,  was  thrown 
out  of  the  nest,  lodging  upon  iie  edge,  where  I  found  It.    Incubation  In  the  two  eggs 


NORTU  AMEIUVAS  BIRDS.  Wf 

was  well  advanced.  They  resemble  eggs  of  the  Olive-sided  Flycatcher,  but  aro 
somewhat  smaller  than  that  species."  Mr.  Crandall  has  In  his  collection  a  set  oC 
three  eggs  of  this  species  collected  by  Mr.  W.  O.  Howard  in  the  Huachuca  Moun- 
tains, Arizona,  July  8,  1897.  The  nest  was  saddled  on  the  branch  of  a  yellow  pine, 
near  the  extremity  of  the  limb,  sixty  feet  from  the  ground.  The  nest  was  composed 
almost  entirely  of  dried  grass  of  a  rich  straw  color.  On  the  outside  it  was  artistically 
covered  with  bits  of  lichen  and  bark,  the  green  tips  and  buds  of  pine.  The  outside 
depth  Is  1.95  by  3.80  Inches,  outside  diameter.  Tho  eggs  are  of  a  rich  cream  color 
blotched  and  spotted  in  a  confluent  ring  about  the  large  end  with  chestnut  brown 
and  various  al^ades  of  gray.    The  sizes  are  .86x.61,  .81x.61,  .83x.61  inches. 

461.  WOOD  PEWEE.  Contopiis  rhrns  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dis.— Eastern  North 
America  to  the  edge  of  the  Great  Plains,  north  to  Canada,  Huuth  in  winter  to  Eastern 
Mexico  and  Guatemala. 

A  common  and  a  well-known  bird  in  Eastern  United  States.  By  those  who  have 
a  superficial  knowledge  of  birds,  it  Is  often  confounded  with  the  common  Pewee, 
but  It  Is  considerably  smaller,  slenderer,  and  rather  darker  in  color.  The  notes  of 
both  birds  are  very  similar;  those  of  the  Pewee  consist  of  two  syllables,  quickly  and 
sharply  uttered,  while  those  of  the  Wood  Pewee  are  of  two,  sometimes  three  sylla- 
bles, pc-U'i'c  or  pc-a-tccc,  repeated  at  all  hours  of  the  day,  but  especially  after  sunset. 
The  notes  are  truly  sad  but  sweet,  less  emphatic,  much  slower  and  softer  than  those 
of  the  Phoebe  and,  as  Mr.  Thomas  Mcllwralth  says:  "To  human  ears  the  notes  of  the 
male  appear  to  be  the  outpourings  of  settled  sorrow,  but  to  his  mate  the  Impressions 
conveyed  may  be  very  different."*  The  nest  of  the  Wood  Pewee  is  usually  placed 
either  on  the  upper  surface  of  a  limb,  or  in  a  horizontal  fork.  It  is  generally  built 
in  a  large  tree  in  the  interior  or  on  the  border  of  woods,  or  by  the  roadside.  Very 
frequently  the  nest  is  placed  on  the  horizontal  branches  of  apple  trees  in  orchards, 
and  even  in  shade  trees,  in  close  proximity  to  houses,  or  on  those  along  river  banks. 
The  distance  from  the  ground  ranges  from  six  to  fifty  feet.  The  nest  Is  a  very 
pretty,  flat,  compact  structure,  with  a  thick  wall  and  a  thin  floor — often  the  branch 
forms  a  portion  of  the  bottom  of  the  nest,  and  It  Is  frequently  so  thin  that  the  e'  gs 
can  be  seen  from  beneath.  Slender  or  split  grasses,  weed-fibres,  narrow  strips  of 
grapevine  bark,  and  pieces  of  moss-fibres  make  up  the  nest  proper.  Externally  it  la 
covered  with  pieces  of  lichens,  which  are  held  In  position  by  webs,  and  the  structure 
thus  ornamented  Is  rendered  indistinguishable  from  a  natural  protuberance  of  the 
branch  Itself.  A  large  series  of  the  Wood  Pewees'  nests  which  I  have  personally 
taken  In  the  past  ten  years  are  before  me.  The  best  of  them  are  far  inferior  in 
design  to  even  the  poorest  nests  built  by  the  Blue-gray  Gnatcatcher  and  Ruby- 
throated  Hummingbird,  whose  structures  have  high  walls,  gracefully  turned  brims, 
deeply  cupped  interiors  and  highly  artistic,  lichen-covered  exteriors.  Some  of  the 
nests  of  the  Wood  Pewee  are  scantily  ornamented  with  lichens,  are  very  shallow, 
and  at  once  suggest  a  one-story,  flimsy,  poverty-stricken  home.  The  nesting  time 
Is  in  the  latter  part  of  May  or  in  June.  The  eggs  are  usually  three,  rarely  four  in 
number,  with  a  creamy-white  ground  of  varying  Intensity;  the  markings  are  formed 
In  a  wreath  around  the  larger  end,  or  around  the  center;  these  are  spots  of  reddish- 
brown,  burnt  umber  and  lilac-gray.  In  their  short  diameter  the  eggs  measure  from 
.50  to  .59;  In  their  long  diameter  from  .65  to  .79;  the  average  size  Is  about  .74x.55. 

462.  WESTERN  WOOD  PEWEE.  Contopm  richardsonii  (Swains.)  Geog. 
DIst. — Western  North  America,  from  the  Great  Plains  to  the  Pacific;  north  to  British 


Vll 


*  Birds  of  Ontario,  p.  181. 


1 ;' 


ii  ' 


,'i 


I 


1 


.1      J     . 


1    . 


30ti 


NEBTB  AND  E008  OF 


Columbia  and  Interior  of  British  America;  south  in  winter  through  Mexico  and 
Central  America. 

The  Western  Wood  Pewee  is  common  in  various  regions  of  Western  United 
States,  ns  in  Colorado,  New  Mexico,  Arizona,  California,  Oregon,  etc.  Colonel  Ooas 
rcL'ordH  it  as  a  rare  summer  resident  in  Western  Kansas;  begins  laying  the  flrat  of 
June.  Mr.  Bryant  informs  me  that  it  is  tolerably  common  near  Oalciand,  Cal.,  where 
it  uestu  by  preference  on  the  horizontal  branches  of  alders,  about  fifteen  feet  from 
the  ground.  According  to  Mr.  Emersuu  it  is  not  at  all  common  aboOt  Hayward, 
Cal.  A  neBt  taken  May  22,  1881,  was  placed  on  the  large  horizontal  limb  of  a  syca- 
more, thirty  foet  from  the  ground;  another,  taken  In  Sunta  Cruz  county,  May  26, 
\^-a8  alHo  built  in  a  Himilar  position  at  a  height  of  forty  feet.  At  Fort  Klamath,  Ore- 
gon, Dr.  Merrill  found  the  nests  usually  built  on  a  horizontal  pine  branch,  often  at 
a  considerable  elevation;  sometimes  they  are  placed  against  upright  twigs,  and 
others  merely  saddled  on  the  bare  limb.  Only  one  was  found  in  an  aspen  tree. 
They  averaged  rather  deeper  than  the  nests  of  C.  vlrens,  and  were  not  coated  with 
lichens.  The  nests  of  the  Western  Wood  Pewee  do  not  differ  widely  from  those  of 
the  typical  vireus,  except  that  they  are  rarely  ornamented  with  lichens.  The  eggi, 
too,  are  similar— creamy-white,  marked  with  spots  of  chestnut-brown,  umber  and 
lilac-gray  in  wreaths  about  the  larger  end  or  center  of  the  eggs;  the  number  de- 
posited ranges  from  two  to  four,  usually  thre<^.  A  set  of  three  in  my  cabinet  col- 
lected in  Douglass  county,  Colorado,  June  10,  188T,  have  the  following  measurements: 
.67X.57.  .69X.67.  .65x.57. 

4620.  LABOE-BILLED  WOOD  PEWEE.  Contopus  rlchardaonii  peninaulOB 
Brcwst.    Geog.  Dist. — Sierra  de  la  Laguna,  Lower  California. 

This  subspecies  was  first  described  by  Mr.  William  Brewster  (The  Auk,  Vol.  VIII, 
p.  144).  It  is  an  inhabitant  of  Lower  California  and,  while  so  far  as  I  am  aware  there 
Is  nc  published  account  concerning  its  nests  and  eggs,  it  is  reasonable  to  suppose  that 
they  differ  little  from  those  of  the  Western  Wood  Pewee,  C.  richardaonii. 

463.  YELLOW-BELLIED  FLTCATCHEB.  Empldonajc  fla^iventrla  Baird. 
Geog.  Dist. — Eastern  North  America  to  the  Great  Plains,  south  in  winter  through 
Eastern  Mexico  and  Central  America.  Breeds  from  Northern  United  States  north- 
ward. 

A  common  bird  in  Eastern  United  States,  where  it  frequents  thickets,  swamps 
and  woodland.  It  does  not  seem  to  have  been  met  with  or  observed  during  the  breed- 
ing season  so  commonly  as  other  members  of  the  genus  Empidonax,  which  is  doubt- 
less due  to  the  peculiarity  of  its  nidiflcation,  and  from  its  limited  breeding  area  with- 
in the  United  States.  Its  note  is  as  much  entitled  to  the  name  of  song  as  many  of 
the  Warblers  and  other  Oscinea.  A  nest  containing  four  eggs  was  found  by  Mr.  H.  A. 
Purdy  on  June  18,  in  Aroostook  county,  Maine,  at  the  edge  of  a  wooded  swamp,  built 
In  a  ball  of  green  moss  In  the  roots  of  an  upturned  tree,  two  feet  from  the  ground. 
It  was  composed  of  dry  moss,  and  the  outside  was  faced  with  the  same  in  its  beauti- 
ful green  state.  It  was  large  for  the  size  of  the  bird,  and  was  lined  mostly  with  fine 
black  roots,  a  few  pine  needles  and  grass  stems.  June  10,  1878,  Mr.  S.  D.  Osborne 
found  a  nest  of  this  species,  with  four  eggs,  on  the  island  of  Grand  Manan.  It  was 
built  in  a  good-sized  hummock  of  moss  at  the  edge  of  some  low  woods.  The  cavity 
extended  In  about  two  Inches,  and  was  about  four  inches  deep,  lined  with  a  few 
grasses,  black,  lialr-like  roots,  etc.  Another  nest,  similar  In  construction,  was  found 
by  Mr.  Osborne  In  Oxford  county,  Maine,  In  a  bunch  of  moss  under  the  roots  of  a 


NORTH  AMHHIVAS  HIRns. 


309 


small  tree  In  swampy  woods,  bordering  a  smull  Btream.  Two  neutH  of  thla  binl  were 
taken  Kt  Fort  Fulrfleld.  Maine,  by  Mr.  Charles  F.  Ilatchelder.  One  found  June  14 
was  In  wet  mixed  woods  of  spruces,  arbor  vltn^s  and  hemlocks;  It  was  on  the  edge 
of  a  bank  of  a  small  brook,  in  a  decayed  tree  trunk,  and  partly  sunk  In  the  sur- 
rounding moss.  This  nest  contained  four  eggs.  The  second  nest,  which  also  con- 
tained '  ur  eggs,  taken  June  27,  was  deeply  sunk  In  the  soft,  green  moss  on  the 
side  of  the  stump  of  a  fallen  tree.*  Mr.  Frederick  I).  Spauldlng  recorda  the  finding 
of  a  nest  similar  to  those  described,  near  Lancaster,  New  Hampshire,  June  11,  ISSC.f 
Mr.  Spauldlng's  nest  contained  five  fresh  eggs.  The  eggs  arc  usually  four  In  number, 
bufy  or  creamy-white,  speckled  and  spotted,  chiefly  around  the  larger  end  with 
rusty-brown  or  cinnamon.  The  average  size  Is  .70x.50.  The  measurements  of  Mr. 
Batchelder's  two  sets  are  as  follows:  .68}. .52,  .68x.52,  .66x.51,  .66x.Gl;  .70x.54;  .67x.54. 
.67X.B3,  .67X.51. 


I 


464.  WESTERN  FLYCATCHER.  tUniHdumix  difflclUs  Balrd.  Oeog.  Dlst.— 
Western  United  States,  from  the  edge  of  the  Great  Plains  to  the  Pacific;  north  to 
Sitka,  south  in  winter  to  Western  Mexico. 

The  Western  Yellow-bellied  Flycatcher  is  an  abundant  species  throughout  Its 
United  States  range.  Its  general  habits,  nesting  and  eggs  are  similar  to  those  of 
fluvivrutrlH.  Mr.  Walter  E.  Bryant  mentions  a  nest  of  this  species  found  by  Mr.  A.  M. 
Ingersoll,  which  was  built  at  the  bottom  of  a  hole  five  inches  deep,  made  by  a  Red- 
shafted  Flicker  in  a  live  oak.  Mr.  Emerson  states  that  in  California  this  bird  nests 
in  hollows  in  banks  and  along  creeks,  in  natural  cavities  of  trees  and  among  the 
roots  of  fallen  ones,  and  in  some  of  the  most  out-of-the-way  places;  in  tall  Austral- 
ian gum  trees  and  In  corners  of  rail  fences.  Nest  composed  of  shreds  of  roots,  dead 
leaves,  cobwebs,  bits  of  fine  grass,  and  lined  with  finer  grasses  and  a  few  feathers. 
A  set  of  four  eggs  is  in  my  collection,  taken  by  Mr.  Ingersoll  May  2,  1886.  The  nest 
was  placed  on  rocks  four  feet  from  running  water.  These  specimens  measure  as  fol- 
lows: .64x.50,  .67X.53,  .63x.49,  .64x,50.  The  eggs  are  creamy-white,  spotted  and 
finely  speckled  with  cinnamon  or  reddish-brown,  in  some  quite  thickly  about  the 
larger  end,  often  forming  a  complete  ring,  again  well  sprinkled  over  the  entire  sur- 
face; three  or  four,  sometimes  five  in  number;  average  size  .69x.51. 


m 


464.  1.  ST.  XUCAS  FLYCATCHER.  Empldonax  clncritlus  Brewst.  Geog. 
Dlst. — Lower  California. 

This  comparatively  new  species  or  extreme  Southern  variety  of  the  Yellow- 
bellied  Flycatcher  was  first  described  by  Mr.  William  Brewster  from  a  specimen 
taken  by  Mr.  M.  Abbot  Frazar  at  La  Laguna,  Lower  California.  I  believe  nothing 
has  been  published  concerning  its  nests  and  eggs. 


466.  GREEN-CRESTED  FLYCATCHER.  Empidonax  virescens  (Vieill.) 
Geog.  Dlst. — Eastern  United  States,  north  to  Southern  New  York  and  Southern 
Michigan,  west  to  the  Plains,  south  to  Cuba  and  Costa  Rica;  rare  or  casual  in  New 
England. 

A  common  bird  in  the  woodlands  of  Eastern  United  States.  Breeds  more  or  less 
abundantly  in  nearly  all  the  Mississippi  Valley  region,  even  as  far  south  as  Eastern 
Texas,  Southern  Louisiana  and  Alabama.    Colonel  Goss  gives  It  as  not  uncommon 


*  For  a  detailed  account  of  these  nests  and  eggs,  see  Bull.  Nutt.  Ornith. 
Ill,  pp.  166-168-187-188;  Vol.  IV,  pp.  240-242. 

t  Ornithologist  and  Oologist,  XII,  pp.  133-134. 


Club,  Vol. 


IM< 


'I  ill 


i^ 


310 


NBBTH  AlfD  EOOS  OP 


in  Eastern  Kansas,  where  it  arrives  the  first  of  May  and  begins  laying  early  in  June. 
Messrs.  Keyes  and  Williams  record  it  as  a  summer  resident  of  Iowa,  but  not  common; 
several  nests  have  been  taken  near  Dea  Moines  during  the  past  few  years.*  In  New 
England  the  Acadian  Flycatcher,  which  is  its  other  name,  is  of  rare  occurrence. 
In  Ohio  and  the  bordering  States  it  is  an  abundant  species.  Regions  timbered  with 
large  trees,  and  overgiown  with  bushes,  low  trees,  vines  and  weeds  are  its  favorite 
resorts.  The  birds  love  to  penetrate  the  shadowy  depths  of  the  forest,  and  delight  to 
rear  their  young  in  the  most  qaict  and  gloomy  spots.  Rarely,  if  ever,  is  the  nest  built 
in  isolated  trees,  but  frequently  in  those  along  lonely  wagon  roads  or  at  the  border 
of  woods.  In  these  quiet  retreats  the  observer  Is  often  startled  by  the  bird's  loud, 
quick  and  emphatic  note,  irJtat-d'-see,  Khat'd'-ye-see,  coming  from  an  unseen  per- 
former, who  is  perched  in  the  lower  branches.  The  distance  of  the  nest  from  the 
ground  varies  from  three  to  twenty  feet,  and  it  is  usually  suspended  in  a  horizontal 
fork  at  the  extremity  of  a  low  limb.  In  manner  of  attachment  it  resembles  the 
nests  of  the  Vireos,  being  fastened  by  the  brim,  while  the  bottom  is  unsupported. 
Sometimes,  as  when  in  vines  or  bushes,  it  is  suspended  between  two  parallel  stems. 
On  the  whole,  it  is  a  loose,  rustic  fabric,  made  of  grasses,  catkins,  weed-fibres  and 
shreds  of  bark,  and  when  just  finished  considerable  quantities  of  grass  hangs  from 
the  periphery  of  the  nest,  giving  it  a  slovenly  appearance.  Two  or  three  j^gs  are 
the  number  deposited  by  this  species.  In  only  two  instances,  out  of  the  large  number 
which  I  have  collected,  have  I  found  nests  with  four  eggs,  and  in  both  cases  one  egg 
was  badly  addled.  Their  color  is  a  slight  yellowish-buff  of  varying  intensity,  with 
a  de-.i^d  flesh-color  tint  when  fresh.  The  markings  are  of  a  light  reddish  or  bay 
or  ruFly-brown  color,  and  are  found  either  in  specks  or  spots  grouped  chiefly  about 
Hid  irger  end.  Ten  specimens  offer  the  following  sizes:  .70x.53,  .70x.56,  .70x.'i3,  .72 
X.54,  .7GX.54,  .77x.58,  .77x.56,  .78x.57,  .77x.56,  .78x.57.  An  average  egg  measures 
.74X.54.  The  eggs  are  not  distinguishable  frpm  those  of  traillii,  except  that  the 
ground-color  ard  markings  in  those  of  virescens  are  generally  darker. 

466.  TRAILL'S  FLYCATCHER.  Empidonax  traillii  Aud.  Geog.  Dist.— West- 
ern North  America,  from  the  Mississippi  Valley  (Ohio,  Illinois  and  Michigan)  to  the 
Pacific,  and  from  the  Fur  Countries  south  into  Mexico. 

Common  in  Western  woodlands,  where  it  is  generally  distributed.  A  nest  con- 
taining a  set  of  three  eggs,  collected  by  S.  C.  Evans,  near  San  Jose,  California,  May 
26,  is  in  my  cabinet.  The  nest  was  placed  in  the  forks  of  a  small  bush,  three  feet 
from  the  ground.  Its  composition  is  chiefly  vegetable  fibres,  loosely  put  together; 
the  lining  is  of  the  same  material,  but  of  finer  shreds,  and  horse  hair.  The  eggs 
havo  a  pale  yellowish-buff  ground-color,  spotted  and  speckled  at  the  greater  end 
with  light  reddish  and  madder-brown;  sizes,  .73x.53,  .74x.51.  .74x.53. 

466«.  ALDER  FLYCATCHER.  Empidonax  traiUii  alnonnn  Brewst.  Geog. 
Dist. — Eastern  North  America,  from  the  Maritime  Provinces  and  New  England  west- 
ward at  least  to  Northern  Michigan,  etc.,  breeding  from  the  southern  edge  of  the 
Canadian  Fauna  northward;  in  winter  south  to  Central  America. 

rhe  Alder  Flyca:  her  breeds  from  the  Northern  United  States  northward,  and  as 
tar  south  as  Southern  Illinois  and  Missouri.  The  locality  usually  selected  as  a  nest- 
ing site  by  this  bird  is  in  a  thick  growth  of  alders  bordering  a  stream,  or  in  the 
deep  solitude  ot  a  lonely  wood,  where  it  is  associated  with  the  Green-crested  Fly- 

•  A  Preliminary  Annotated  Catalogue  of  the  Birds  of  Iowa:  By  Charles  R.  Keyes 
«nu  H.  6  WilltaniR,  M.  D.  Extra'^ted  from  FroceedlnRS  of  Davenport  Academy  Natural 
er.encea,  'Vol.  V      Davenport    Iowa.    1888,  p.  23. 


meamm 


'  in  June, 
common; 
In  New 
currence. 
Bred  with 
5  favorite 
ielight  to 
nest  built 
tie  border 
rd's  loud, 
seen  per- 
from  the 
lorizontal 
nbles  the 
lupported. 
lei  stems, 
fibres  and 
ings  from 
)  Jogs  are 
56  number 
is  one  egg 
sity,  with 
sh  or  bay 
efly  p.bout 
,70x.'j3,  .72 
measures 
L  that  the 


ard,  and  as 
1  as  a  nest- 
1,  or  in  the 
rested  Ply- 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


311 


466a.    Aldbr  Flvcatchsr  and  Nbst. 


312 


NESTS  AND  EOOS  OF 


catcher  during  the  breeding  season.  Wherever  found  breeding  E.  t.  alnorum  is  more 
abundant  than  is  generally  supposed,  but  from  its  retiring  habits  is  little  known. 
Our  illustration  represents  a  typical  nest  of  Alder  Flycatcher,  taken  in  June,  1885, 
placed  in  a  clump  of  alders.  They  are  scarcely  ever  placed  higher  than  eight  feet 
from  the  ground;  in  most  cases  about  four.  In  nearly  all  instances  they  are  built 
in  an  upright  fork,  and  have  a  strong  resemblance  to  the  usual  structure  cf  the 
Yellow  Warbler,  but  lack  in  compactness  and  neatness.  The  external  or  greater 
portion  of  the  nest  is  composed^  of  hempen  fibres,  internally  lined  in  true  Flycatcher 
style  with  fine  grasses.  In  some,  however,  there  is  a  slight  lining  of  horse-hair  and 
of  the  down  from  the  mi  Ik- weed  or  thistle.  A  typical  nest  measures  two  and  a 
half  inches  in  height  and  three  in  diameter,  with  a  cavity  one  inch  and  a  half  in 
diameter  and  two  inches  deep.  Three  eggs  is  the  usual  cciiiplement,  although  four 
is  not  uncommon^  and  they  are  often  found  in  varying  stages  of  incubation.  The 
ground-color  of  the  eggs  is  extremely  variable.  In  some  it  is  of  a  cream,  in  others 
approaching  buff.  In  four  sets  there  is  a  striking  variation  in  the  distribution  of  the 
markings. .  They  are  usually  marked,  chiefly  at  the  larger  end,  with  blotches  of  red 
and  reddish-l)rown,  and  while  in  som«  the  markings  are  silnply  very  small  dots 
sparingly. sprinkled  o.ver.the  surface,  in  others  these  dottings  are  scarcely  visible, 
giving  them  the  appearance  of  an  almbst  unspotted  surface.  Six  eggs  exhibit  the 
following  measurements:  .72X.55,  .70x.53,  .70x.52,  .64x.5S,  .69x.52,  .70x.53.  An  aver- 
age specimen  measures  .73^.53.  The  eggs  of  E.  t  alnorum  are  paler  in  ground-color 
and  markings^  than  those  of  vires'cen^,  but  the  difference  is  so  slight  that  no  one  can 
differentiate  them.^ith  certainty.  . 

t       ' '       ' 

467.  LEAST  FLYCATCHEB,  Empidonax  minimus  Baird.  Geog.  Dist. — 
Cbiefiy  Eastern  North  America  west  to  Eastern  Colorado  and  Central  Montana,^ 
south  in  winter  through  Central  America.  .  Breeds  from  the  Northern  States  north- 
ward. 

In  all  the  States  between  the  Atlantic  and  the  Great  Plains  the  Least  Flycatcher 
is  an  abundant  species,  occurring,  as  a  migrant  and  breeding  from  about  40°  latitude 
northward.  Breeds  abundantly  in  New  England  and  throughout  all  the  Northern 
States — New  York,  Michigan,  Wisconsin,  Minnesota,  etc.'  An  abundant  summer  resi- 
dent in  Manitoba.  Adult  and  young  specimens  have  been  taken  at  San  Angelo, 
Texas,  during  the  breeding  season.  It  is  reported  as  breeding  commonly  at  Fannin 
county,  Texas,  and  sometimes  in  the  State  of  Nebraska.  The  bird  frequents  the 
borders  of  woods  and  thickets,  particularly  the  edges  of  lowland  forests  and  the 
more  open  swamps.  The  nest,  commonly  placed  in  an  upright  fork  of  a  small  tree  or 
sapling,  sometimes  on  a  horizontal  limb,  is  small,  compact  and  felted  of  fine,  soft 
materials — bark-fibres,  intermingled  with  vegetable  down,  lined  with  fine  grasses 
and  shreds  of  bark,  or,  as  is  frequently  the  case,  with  a  few  feathers.  The  nest 
bears  a  strong  resemblance  to  that  of  the  Redstart,  and  the  eggs  canot  be  mistaken 
for  those  of  any  of  our  Flycatchers  of  the  Eastern  States,  as  they  are  wholly  unlike 
any  of  them.  They  are  normally  pure  white  or  buffy-white,  unmarked,  rarely 
speckled;  their  number  is  sometimes  only  two  or  three,  usually  four,  and  their 
average  size  is  .65x.50.  Seven  eggs  measure  .60x.50,  .62x.&0,  .64x.51,..64x.52,  .65x.53, 
.63X.60,  .64X.51.    May  and  June  arc  the  nesting  months. 


468.  HAMMOND'S  I*LYCATCHEB.  Empidonax  hammondl  (Xantus.)  Geog. 
Dist. — Western  North  America,  south  in  winter  to  Southern  Mexico,  north  to  the 
Lesser  Slave  Lake. 


HORTn  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


313 


The  Western  representative  of  the  Least  Flycatcher  from  the  Plains  to  the 
Pacific.  The  nesting  and  eggs  are  said  to  be  substantially  like  those  of  E.  minimu8. 
On  account  of  its  general  plain,  soiled  color  it  is  called  Dirty  Little  Flycatcher.  A 
L^et  of  four  eggs  was  collected  by  Edmund  Heller  in  San  Bernardino  county,  Cali- 
fornia, June  16.  1897.  The  female  was  shot  and  identification  made  certain.  The 
nest  was  placed  on  the  horizontal  branch  of  a  fir  tree,  fifteen  feet  from  the  ground 
and  three  feet  from  the  trunk.  It  was  composed  of  strips  of  bark  and  lined  with 
feathers;  the  outcide  diameter  is  2.6S  by  2.48  inches  external  depth.  The  eggs 
measure  .70x.53,  .70x.53,  .70x.52,  .73x.54  inches;  color  creamy  white,  unmarked.  This 
nest  and  eggs  are  in  Mr.  Crandall's  extensive  collection. 

469.  WRIGHT'S  FLYCATCHEB  Empidouar  wrlghtii  Baird.  Geog.  Dist.— 
Western  United  States,  south  to  Southern  Mexico,  east  to  Rocky  Mountains. 

The  Gray  Flycatcher  is  common  to  the  woodland,  groves  and  thickets  of  the 
Western  States  and  Territories.  During  the  breeding  season,  in  the  region  about 
Fort  Klamath,  Oregon,  Dr.  Merrill  usually  found  it  in  groves  of  aspens  in  company 
w'th  the  Warbling  Vireo;  also  among  the  pines  with  Cassln's  Vireo  and  the  West- 
ern Wood  Pewee.  The  nests  were  most  frequently  built  in  young  aspens,  at  an 
average  height  of  about  six  feet.  They  resemble  nests  of  the  Yellow  Warbler,  which 
are  found  in  the  same  localities;  but  all  the  nests  of  the  Flycatcher  were  built  against 
the  main  trunk,  while  all  of  the  Warbler  were  on  branches  and  generally  higher 
from  the  ground.  The  nests  are  composed  externally  of  strips  of  light  gray  bark  of 
about  the  same  colors  as  the  bark  of  the  aspens,  and  partly  on  this  account  and 
because  of  their  location  the  nests  are  liable  to  escape  notice  if  careful  search  is 
not  made.  The  lining  is  sometimes  a  smooth,  felted  mass  of  fur  and  horse-hairs,  in 
others  feathers  are  used,  and  the  nests  are  generally  more  deeply  cupped  than  is 
usual  with  this  group.  Pairs  that  are  found  among  the  pines  usually  place  their 
nests  in  an  upright  form  of  a  manzanita  or  buck-brush  that  grow  abundantly  in  such 
localities.  The  eggs  are  dull,  huffy- white;  seven  sets  of  twenty-seven  specimen^ 
average  .68x.53,  the  extremes  of  the  sets  being  .65x.50  and  .72x.57.* 

469.  1.  GRAY  FLYCATCHEB.  Empidonax  griseua  Brewst.  Geog.  Dist. — 
Lower  California  and  portions  of  Sonora  (Arizona  ?). 

In  The  Auk  (Vol.  VI,  p.  87)  Mr.  William  Brewster  describes  this  new  species 
from  specimens  taken  by  Mr.  M.  Abbott  Frazar  near  La  Paz,  Lower  California,  it 
is  a  slightly  larger  and  grayer  bird  than  Wright's  Flycatcher.  Nothing  has  been 
published  concerning  its  nidification. 

[470.]  FULVOUS  FLYCATCHEB..  Empidonax  fulvifrora  (Giraud.)  Geog. 
Dist.— "Texas"  (Girsud)  and  Eastern  Mexico. 

Giraud  in  his  monograph,  published  in  1841,  "Sixteen  Texas  Birds,"  first  describes 
this  species.  It  appears  that  no  other  specimens  since  that  time  have  been  taken  along 
our  southern  border  along  the  lower  Rio  Grande  in  Texas  nor  in  Eastern  Mexico^ 
and  there  is  nothing  known  concerning  its  nests  and  eggs. 


470<?.  BUFF-BBEASTED  FLYCATCHEB.  Empidonax  fulvifrons  pygmmis 
Coues.  Geog.  Dist. — Western  New  Mexico  and  Southern  Arizona,  south  lutQ  Western 
Mexico. 


•  A  uk.  III.  258. 


I  i 


I 


It'    '       ! 

i: 

f! 

il 


314 


NtaSTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


This  subspecies  was  first  added  to  our  avifauna  by  Dr.  Elliott  Coues,  who  ob- 
tained it  near  Fort  Whipple,  Arizona  in  May.  1865.  Since  then  it  has  been  taken 
several  times  in  Western  New  Mexico  and  Southern  Arizona,  but  is  far  froca  being 
a  common  bird.    Nests  and  eggs  unknown. 

471.  VEBMILION  FLYCATCHER.  Pyroccphalus  ruhincm  mexicanus  (Scl.) 
Oeog.  Dlst. — Southern  bqrder  of  the  United  States  (Southern  Texas  to  Arizona), 
south  through  Mexico  to  Guatemala. 

Along  the  Rio  Grande  of  Southern  Texas  and  in  Southern  Arizona  the  beautiful 
Vermilion  Flycatcher  is  a  common  species.  Mr.  W.  E.  D.  Scott  notes  it  is  a  common 
species  about  Riverside,  Tucson,  and  Florence,  Arizona.  During  the  breeding  sea- 
son the  male  frequently  utters  a  twittering  song  while  poised  in  the  air,  in  the  man- 
ner of  the  Sparrow  Hawk;  during  the  song  It  snaps  its  bill  as  if  catching  insects. 
Thickets  along  water-courses  are  this  bird's  favorite  resort.  The  nests  are  usually 
placed  in  horizontal  forkB  of  ratana  trees,  often  in  mesquites,  not  more  than  six 
feet  from  the  ground;  they  are  composed  of  small  twigs  and  soft  materials  felted 
together,  and  the  rims  covered  with  lichens;  the  cavity  is  shallow.  A  few  horse  or 
cow  hairs  comprise  the  lining.  Dr.  Merrill  states  that  they  bear  considerable  re- 
semblance to  nests  of  the  Wood  Pewee  in  appearance  and  the  manner  in  which  they 
are  saddled  to  the  limb.  Mr.  Brewster  describes  a  nest  taken  by  Mr.  F.  Stephens  on 
the  25th  of  April,  at  Tucson,  Arizona,  which  lacks  the  exterior  coating  of  lichens. 
Others  were  found  by  Mr.  Stephens  of  a  similar  construction.  The  usual  number  of 
eggs  is  three;  the  ground-color  is  a  rich  creamy-white,  with  a  ring  of  large  brown 
and  lilac  blotches  at  the  larger  end.  Dr.  Merrill  gives  the  average  size  of  fourteen 
eggs  as  .73X.54.  A  set  of  three  eggs  in  Mr.  Norris'  cabinet  was  taken  in  Cochise 
county,  Arizona,  May  21,  1888.  The  nest  was  placed  in  a  sycamore  tree  near  a  run- 
ning stream.  The  eggs  are  pale  creamy-buff,  with  bold  spots  and  blotches  of  seal- 
brown  and  lilac-gray,  in  a  circle  around  the  center  of  each  egg.  They  measure,  re- 
spectively, .71X.53,  .69X.53,  .80x.53.  Six  other  sets  in  the  same  cabinet  show  great 
variation. 

473.  BEARDLESS  FLYCATCHER.  Ornithion  imberbe  (Scl.)  Geog.  Dist.— 
Valley  of  the  Rio  Grande  in  Texas,  south  into  Eastern  Mexico,  Guatemala  and  Nica- 
ragua. 

Mr.  George  B.Sennett  took  a  specimen  of  thib  diminutive  Flycatcher  near  Lomita 
Ranch,  Texas,  April  24,  1879,  thus  adding  a  new  species  to  our  avifauna. 


472fl.  RIDGWAY'S  FLYCATCHER.  Ornithion  inibcrhe  riihjwayi  Brewst. 
Geog.  Dist. — Southern  Arizona,  south  in  Mexico  to  Puebla  and  Jalisco. 

This  comparatively  new  addition  to  our  avifauna  was  first  described  by  Mr. 
William  Brewster  in  the  Bulletin  of  the  Nuttall  Ornithological  Club  (Vol.  VII,  pp. 
208,  209),  from  specimens  secured  by  Mr.  F.  Stephens  in  the  neighborhood  of  Tucson, 
Arizona,  in  the  spring  of  1881.  On  May  28  he  obtained  a  female  and  a  young  bird 
which  had  just  left  the  nest.  In  April,  1884,  he  also  (ook  another  specimen  near 
Tucson.  Other  examples  have  since  been  taken,  but  it  is  not  considered  by  any 
means  a  common  bird. 


!. 


[473.]     SKYLARK.     Alauda  arvcnsis  Linn.    Geog.  Dist. — Europe  and  portions 
of  Asia  and  Africa;  accidental  in  the  Bermudas  and  in  Greenland. 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


315 


The  far-famed  Skylark  of  the  Jld  World  holds  a  place  in  the  avifauna  of  North 
America  from  its  occasional  occurrence  in  the  Bermudas,  and  in  Greenland.  Several 
attempts  have  been  made  to  introduce  these  desirable  birds  in  Eastern  United  States, 
but  so  far  the  experiments  have  proved  unsuccessful.  The  Skylark  is  an  inhabitant 
of  all  the  countries  of  Europe,  and  is  said  to  be  more  plentiful  in  cultivated  districts. 
The  mating  season  is  in  April,  and  two  broods  are  reared  in  a  season.  The  nest  is 
always  placed  on  the  ground,  in  meadows  or  open  grassy  places;  it  is  often  sheltered 
by  a  tuft  of  grass,  clod  of  earth,  or  other  projection.  The  materials  used  in  its  com- 
position are  grasses,  plant  stems,  and  a  few  chance  leaves;  the  lining  is  of  the  same, 
but  finer.  The  eggs  are  three,  four  or  five  in  number,  and  vary  considerably  in  form 
and  coloration;  some  are  grayish-white  with  a  tinge  of  purple  or  greenish-white, 
thickly  sprinkled  and  mottled  with  a  grayish-brown  or  drab;  others  are  of  a  deep 
sombre  hue,  and  in  some  the  markings  are  chiefly  concentrated  at  the  larger  end. 
These  are  the  variations  exhibited  in  four  sets  of  four  eggs  each  in  my  cabinet,  taken 
in  Staffordshire,  England,  in  the  latter  part  of  April  and  the  first  of  May.  The 
smallest  set  offers  the  following  sizes:  .86x.57,  .87x.60,  .84x.58,  .89x.60;  the  largest. 
.93X.64.  .95X.64,  .92x62,  .94x.64,  respectively. 


474     Horned  Lark  (From  Brehm). 


474.  HOBNED  LARK.  Otocoris  alpcstris  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist.— Northeastern 
North  America— Labrador,  region  about  Hudson  Bay,  Greenland,  and  northern  parts 
of  the  Old  World;  in  winter  south  in  Eastern  United  States  to  the  Carolinas, 
IlMnois.  etc. 


316 


NE8T8  AND  EGOS  OF 


IN  ^ 


The  Shore  Lark,  the  true  alpeatris,  breeds  in  northeastern  North  America  and 
Greenland,  wiuiering  in  Eastern  United  States.  It  breeds  on  the  coasts  of  New- 
foundland and  Labrador,  in  the  Province  of  Keewatin,  Do.ninion  of  Canada,  and  on 
both  shores  of  Hudson  liay.  It  also  inhabits  northern  portions  of  the  Old  World. 
The  common  name  is  derived  from  the  tufts  of  black  feathers  over  each  ear,  which 
at  wi!l  the  bird  har  the  power  of  erecting  like  the  so-callsd  "horns"  of  r.ome  owIh. 
In  the  Eastern  States,  during  the  winter  months,  flocks  varying  in  size  from  a  dozen 
to  those  of  a  hundred  or  more,  may  be  seen  frequenting  open  plains,  old  fields,  dry 
shores  of  bays,  and  the  banks  of  rivers.  As  there  are  a  number  of  geographical 
varieties  of  the  Horned  r>ark,  the  greatest  uncertainty  has  always  attended  their 
identlflcatiou,  even  by  expens,  and  the  breeding  and  winter  ranges  of  the  various 
subspecies  do  not  yet  seem  to  be  clearly  defined.  This  was  the  species  found  by 
Audubon  breeding  on  the  low,  mossy  and  sheltered  hills,  along  the  dreary  coast  of 
Labrador.  In  the  midst  of  the  mosses  and  lichens  that  covered  the  rocks  the  bird 
imbedded  its  nest,  which  is  composed  of  fine  grasses,  arranged  in  a  circular  form 
and  lined  with  the  feathers  of  grouse  and  other  birds.  The  eggs,  deposited  early  in 
July,  are  four  or  five  in  number,  and  are  described  by  Audubon  as  marked  with  bluish 
as  well  as  brown  spots.  In  his  last  great  work  the  late  Major  Bendire  describes  a 
set  of  three  eggs  taken  near  Okak,  Labrador,  on  June  21,  1892.  The  ground  color  is 
greenish-gray,  somewhat  darker  than  the  rest  of  eggs  of  our  Horned  Larks.  They 
are  profusely  blotchea  and  spotted  with  dark  olive,  olive-buff  and  lighter  shades  of 
pale  lavender.  They  measure  .98x.66,  .95x.68,  and  .87x.64  Inches.  European  eggs  are 
grayish-white,  spotted  with  brownish-lavender  or  lilac-gray. 


474a.  PALLID  HORNED  LABK.  Otocoris  alpeatris  Icucolccma  (Coues.)  Geog. 
Dist. — Interior  of  British  America  and  Alaska,  south  in  winter  to  Western  United 
States. 

This  paler  northwestern  form  of  the  Shore  Lark  breeds  from  Alaska  southward, 
east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  nearly  to  the  United  States  boundary.  The  nest  Is 
bui-lt  in  a  depression  of  the  ground,  and  sunk  a  little  below  the  surface,  usually 
under  a  tuft  of  grass;  it  is  well  cupped  and  woven  in  a  circular  form  of  old  grapses, 
lined  with  hairs.  The  eggs  are  three  or  four,  grayish  or  pale  olive,  finely  and  thickly 
sprinkled  with  olive-brown.    Average  size  .91x.65. 


I  ,1 


iit  t  il 


474&.  FBAimE  HOBNED  LABK.  Otocoris  alpcstris  praticola  Hensh.  Geog. 
Dist.— Upper  Mississippi  Valley  and  region  of  the  Great  Lakes  to  New  England, 
breeding  eastward  to  Northeastern  New  York  and  Western  Massachusetts,  New 
Hampshire  and  Vermont,  migrating  south  to  South  Carolina,  Texas,  etc. 

The  birds  of  this  race  may  be  distinguished  from  the  typical  alpcstris  by  their 
smaller  size  and  paler  colors.  In  the  northern  half  of  the  Mississippi  Valley  it 
breeds  abundantly,  and  as  far  south  as  Eastern  Kansas,  where  Colonel  Goss  notes 
it  as  common  and  abundant.  It  begins  laying  the  last  of  March.  The  Prairie 
Horned  Lark  breeds  in  Indiana,  Illinois,  Iowa,  Michigan,  Wisconsin  and  Minnesota. 
In  Northwestern  Ohio  young  birds  have  been  taken  in  May.  Mr.  Ernest  W.  Vickers 
found  a  nest  of  the  Prairie  Horned  Lark  on  April  17,  1895.  When  first  discovered 
it  contained  two  young  and  one  egg  which  was  hatched  the  day  following.  Prof. 
E.  L.  Moseley  Informed  him  that  this  lark  bred  about  Sandusky.  Mr.  James  E.  Gould 
found  young  birds  near  ^.lacklick,  Franklin  county,  July  14,  1893.  So  far,  this 
makes  the  breeding  range  of  the  Prairie  Horned  Lark  in  Ohio  extend  from  the  central 
portion  northward  east  and  w^^st.    It  doubtless  breeds  farther  south,  but  I  have  no 


Tfe! 


SORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


317 


records  to  that  effect.  Two  broods  are  reared  In  a  season,  the  first  very  early — usu- 
ally by  the  last  of  April.  Mr.  L.  Jones,  of  Grinnell,  Iowa,  states  that  as  many  as 
three  broods  are  reared  in  that  region;  the  first  nest  is  built  late  in  March  or  early 
in  April,  the  second  about  the  first  of  June,  and  the  third  late  in  July  or  early  in 
August.  The  highlands  of  meadows  and  cornfields  are  its  resorts  while  breeding, 
the  nest  being  placed  in  a  hollow  of  the  earth,  compactly  made  of  dry  grasses  and 
corn  loaves,  lined  with  a  few  feathers  and  horse  hairs.  Mr.  Jones  says  that  the 
first  nest  is  most  elaborately  made,  while  the  second  and  third  are  more  slovenly 
put  together.  Three  or  four  eggs  are  deposited,  usually  four;  their  ground-color 
varying  from  pale  olive  or  light  greenish  to  dull  olive-buff,  thickly  speckled  and 
sprinkled  with  drab.  A  set  of  four  eggs  in  my  collection,  taken  In  Poweshiek 
county,  Iowa,  by  Mr.  Jones,  gives  the  following  measurements:  .82x.61,  .84x.62, 
.82X.63.  .86X.62. 


474o.  DESEBT  HORNED  LABK.  Otocorls  alpestris  arenicola  Hensh.  Geog. 
Dist. — Great  Plains  and  Rocky  Mounain  region  of  the  United  States. 

This  subspecies  inhabits  the  Rocky  Mountain  regions  and  the  Great  Basin  of  the 
United  States,  coming  east  to  Dakota,  where  it  breeds  at  least  as  far  east  as  Ramsey 
county.  Colonel  N.  S.  Goss  gives  it  as  a  common  resident  in  Middle  and  Western 
Kansas,  where  it  begins  laying  early  in  April.  Nesting,  habits  and  eggs  similar  to 
0.  alpcstrin  prativoh       Average  size  of  the  eggs  .86x.60. 

474(Z.  TEX^  J!J"  HOBNED  LABK.  Otocoris  alpestris  glraudi  Hensh.  Geog. 
Dist. — Eastern  s  id  Southeastern  Texas. 

Mr.  Joseph  u.  Hancock  found  this  form  of  the  Shore  Lark  very  common  on  the 
flats  north  of  Corpus  Christi,  Texas,  and  on  May  27  a  nest  with  four  eggs  was  taken. 
The  nesting  and  eggs  of  this  subspecies  do  not  differ  materially  from  those  of  the 
others  in  this  group  that  are  better  known.  The  average  measurement  of  ten  eggs 
before  me  is  .92x.<56  inches. 


474c.  MEXICAN  HOBNED  LABK.  Otocoris  alpestris  clirysohvma  (Wagl.) 
Geog.  Dist. — Coast  district  of  California  (north  to  Nicasio),  Northern  California, 
and  parts  of  Mexico,  Mirador,  Vera  Cruz,  Valley  of  Mexico,  etc. 

This  form  of  the  Horned  Lark  is  a  constant  resident  of  Mexico,  and  it  occurs 
northward  and  breeds  in  the  larger  valleys  of  Southern  California.  Its  nesting,  eggs 
and  general  characteristics  are  similar  to  those  of  the  preceding  subspecies.  The 
average  size  of  twenty  eggs  in  the  National  Museum  collection  is  .82x.60  inches.    .    . 

474f.  BUDDY  HOBNED  LABK.  Otocoris  alpestris  rubea  Hensh.  Geog. 
Dist. — Sacramento  and  San  Joaquin  Valleys,  California. 

The  breeding  range  of  this  subspecies  is  confined  to  a  rather  small  area  of  the 
interior  of  the  northern  portion  of  Califor'  'a,  the  valleys  of  the  Sacramento  River 
and  its  tribu'aries,  and  probably  the  northern  portion  of  the  San  Joaquin  Valley. 
A  'sorrel'  or  rufous-colored  race,  abundant  in  California.  Mr.  Shields  informs  n»e 
that  this  bird  may  always  be  seen  in  greater  or  less  abundance  on  the  broad  plains 
and  prairies  of  Los  Angeley  county,  California.  He  found  their  nosts,  containing 
Iresh  eggs,  as  early  as  April  15  and  as  late  as  the  middle  of  June.  The  eggs  were 
three  or  four  in  number,  commonly  four,  and  sometimes  five.  One  nest  was  found 
containing  six  eggs.  The  nest  is  usually  placed  in  a  depression  of  the  ground  under 
a  small  bush,  tuft  of  grass,  vines,  by  the  side  of  a  clod  of  earth,  small  rock,  etc.  It 
is  composed  of  fine  straw  and  grasses  lined  with  horse  hairs.    Mr.  W.  O.  Emerson's 


Ill 


318 


NE8T8  AND  BOOS  OF 


collection  contains  a  series  of  this  Lark's  eggs,  collected  in  San  Diego  county,  Cali- 
fornia, and  in  comparing  them  with  a  large  number  of  those  from  the  East,  South 
and  Middle  States,  there  is  really  no  perceptible  difference  in  their  general  shape, 
color  and  markings.  My  cabinet  contains  thirty  eggs  of  the  Ruddy  Horned  Lark, 
taken  in  various  parts  of  California.  Their  color  is  a  pale  olive-buff,  finely  and 
densely  sprinkled  with  a  rusty-drab  color.  Ten  specimens  measure:  ,82x,54,  .84x.53, 
.83X.56,  .83x,51,  .82x.57,  .80x.56,  .81x.56,  .80x.59,  .83x.56,  .80x.56. 

474^.  STREAKED  HORNED  LARK.  Otocoris  alpestris  strigata  Hensh.  Oeog. 
Dist. — Coast  region  of  Oregon,  Washington  and  British  Columbia;  islands  off  coast 
of  Southern  California. 

This  conspicuously  streaked  and  striped  Shore  Lark  is  larger  than  the  California 
bird,  O.  a.  rubca,  and  is  found  breeding  from  Oregon  northward.  Its  nesting  and 
eggs  are  exactly  the  same. 


474ft.  SCORCHED  HORNED  LARK.  Otororin  aliwstris  adusUt  Dwight.  Geog. 
Dist. — Southern  Arizona  and  New  Mexico;  "Western  Texas  and  southward  into 
Mexico. 


i;:i 


.; ' 
i 

V' 

! 
1 

i 

Tf      ^ 

474A.    HoRNKD  Lark. 

During  the  breeding  season  this  subspecies  is  confined  to  the  southern  borders 
of  the  United  States,  from  New  Mexico  and  Western  Texas  into  Northern  Mexico. 
In  its  habits,  nests  and  eggs  it  differs  little  if  any  from  members  of  this  family. 

474t.  DTTSKY  HORNED  LARK.  Otocoris  ali)estns  merrilli  Dwight.  Geog. 
Dist. — Eastern  Oregon,  Washington  and  British  Columbia,  between  the  Cascade  and 
Rocky  Mountains;  southward  in  winter  into  Nevada  and  California.  To  Dr.  James 
C.  Merrill,  U.  S.  A.,  belongs  the  credit  of  having  first  collected  the  eggs  of  this  bird. 
Near  Fort  Klamath,  Oregon,  May  30, 1887,  he  found  a  nest  which  on  June  4  contained 
two  eggs.  This  was  the  first  set  of  these  eggs  known,  and  remained  unique  in  col- 
lections until  a  second  set  was  also  found  near  Fort  Klamath,  by  another  collector, 
on  June  1,  1888.  The  nest  was  sunken  in  the  ground,  and  was  made  of  grass,  very 
loosely  constructed.  It  contained  four  eggs.  Two  of  them  have  an  olive-buff 
groundtcolor,  while  the  other  two  are  of  a  light  pea-green.  All  are  thickly  speckled 
with  light  brown.  They  are  ovate  in  shape,  and  measure:  .83x.58,  .83x.60,  .85x.58, 
.85X.60. 


Hi 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRIiR. 


31<i 


OtororlH  (ili)rs(rtM  intUhhi  Towns.     Geog. 


474/.     SONOBAN  HORNED  LABK. 

Diet. — Lower  California  and  Sonera. 

The  breeding  range  of  this  small  pallid  race  Is  probably  coextensive  with  its 
geographical  range,  and  comparatively  little  is  known  concerning  its  general  habits, 
nests  and  eggs.  Very  likely  they  do  not  dUfer  from  those  of  other  Larks  of  this 
family. 


475.    American  Magpie  (After  Audubon). 

475.  AMERICAN  MAGPIE.  Pica  pica  hudmnica  (Sab.)  Geog.  Dlst.— West- 
ern North  America  (except  California),  east  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  north  to 
Alaska,  south  to  New  Mexico  and  Arizona.  Replaced  in  California,  west  of  the 
Sierra  Nevada  by  the  next  species. 


I    i 


¥ 


320 


NEHTS  AND  EUU(i  O** 


Known  aa  the  Black-billed  Magpie.  A  bird  of  a  bad  reputation— a  rascal,  thief, 
and  a  rogue  iu  general,  but  like  the  Devil,  is  not  perhaps  "as  black  as  he  is  painted." 
The  camp  tales  of  many  a  western  traveler  are  interspersed  with  incidents  Illustrat- 
ing the  tricks  and  thieving  propensities  of  the  Magpie,  tt'^e  pets,  their  familiarity 
be'^omes  a  derided  nuisance.  A  common  species  on  the  plains,  mountains  and  hills 
of  Colorado,  where  it  breeds  in  abundance.  The  height  of  the  nest  from  the  ground, 
Mr.  Dllle  says,  ranges  from  six  to  sixty  feet;  they  are  often  built  In  the  branches  of  a 
slender  sapling,  or  in  a  scrubby  willow.  In  the  mountains  the  large  black  pine 
tree  Is  this  bird's  favorite  nesting  site,  and  often  as  many  as  four  nests  are  built  in 
a  single  tree.  The  i^ests  are  large  and  bulky — a  rustic  lattice-work  of  sticks,  meas- 
uring from  two  to  three  feet  high,  though  not  more  than  twelve  to  eighteen  inchua 
in  the  greatest  diameter.  The  nest  has  an  arched  roof,  with  an  opening  on  the  side. 
Sometimes  these  dome-shaped  roofs  and  doorways  are  not  very  artistically  or  elab- 
orately made,  and  the  observer  is  often  compelled  to  put  on  the  finishing  touches 
vvlth  his  imagination.  The  sticks  are  cemented  together  with  mud,  anv.  the  lining 
of  the  nests  consist  usually  of  a  few  grasses  or  roots.  The  long  tails  of  the  Magpies 
may  be  observed  protruding  from  one  of  the  entrances  of  ti.e  nest  while  incubating. 
The  number  of  eggs  varies  from  five  to  nine,  commonly  seven,  and  they  are  deposited 
inColoradoasearlyasthelatterpartof  April,  usually,  however,  in  May.  Dr.  Merrill  took 
a  set  of  eggs  at  Modoc  Print,  Oregon,  on  April  8.  The  eggs  are  grayish-white,  with 
a  yellowish,  occasionally  with  a  greenish  tinge,  spotted,  dashed  and  dotted  with 
markings  of  r  rplish  or  violet-brown;  most  thickly  around  the  larger  end.  Ten  eggs 
measure:  1.32x.89,  1.37x.90,  1.38x.92,  1.40x.94,  1.34x.90,  1.36x.89,  1.42x.92,  1.34x.8y, 
1.42X.87,  1.40X.93.     The  average  size  is  1.34x.8!)  inches. 


lil 


476.  YELLOW-BILLED  MAGPIE.  Viva  uuttaUl  And.  Geog.  Dist.— Cali- 
fornia, west  of  the  Sierra  Nevada,  from  Sacramento  Valley  south  to  about  latitude 
34°;  locally  distributed. 

The  Yellow-billed  Magpie  is  confined  exclusively  to  California,  where  it  breeds 
abundantly;  and  it  begins  nesting  about  the  first  of  April  Its  general  habits  are  like 
those  of  P.  hiidsonico,  and  the  nest  is  similarly  constructed.  The  eggs  range  from 
five  to  nine  in  number,  usually  six  or  seven.  They  are  of  a  light  drab,  so  thickly 
marked  with  fine  cloudings  of  an  obscure  lavender  color  as  nearly  to  conceal  the 
ground,  and  to  give  the  egg  the  appearance  of  an  almost  violet-brown.  A  set  of  six 
eggs,  collected. in  Wheeler  Canon,  near  Santa  Paula,  California,  exhibit  the  following 
dimensions:  1.31X.89,  1.28x.89,  1.31x.89,  1.32x.89,  1.30x.88,  1.28x.90.  A  set  of  six  eggs 
in  my  cabinet,  taken  from  a  nest  situated  twenty  feet  from  the  ground  in  an  oak 
tree,  near  Santa  Barbara,  California,  April  10,  1887,  offers  the  following  sizes:  1.30 
X.85,  1.29X.84,  1.29X.90,  1.30x.82,  1.28x.81,  1.25x.86. 


477.  BLUE  JAY.  Cyanocitta  cristata  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist.— Eastern  North 
America  except  Florida,  west  to  the  Plains,  north  to  the  Fur  Countries. 

The  well-known  Blue  Jay  is  aoundant  in  Eastern  North  America,  where  it  breeds 
In  the  latter  part  of  April,  In  May  and  June,  according  to  locality.  He  is  a  con- 
spicuous member  of  a  family  of  questionable  character  and,  as  in  the  case  of  the 
Magpie,  unjust  pre.1udices  have  doubtless  done  much  to  brand  him  a  profligate.  His 
fine  personal  dress,  and  noisy,  boisterous  habits,  only  serve  to  make  him  the  more 
prominent  as  a  rowdy  full  of  cunning  traits.  Yet  no  observer  will  dispute  that  the 
sagacity  often  evinced  by  this  bird — his  forethought,  intelligence  and  sensibility,  are 
strongly  akin  to  reason;  and  according  to  the  treatment  received  from  a  man  he  Is 
Justly  either  shy  or  wary,  confiding  or  familiar.    The  nest  of  the  Blue  Jay  is  built  In 


NOltTIl  AMf:u:CAi\   BIRDS. 


321 


W^MW^ 


Ybllow-billbo  Magpie  (Obeney  del,) 


the  branches  of  a  lonely  forest  tree,  in  the  trees  of  orchards,  in  those  bordering 
quiet  roadways  or  lanes,  and,  where  the  bird  is  not  molested  it  Is  commonly  placed 
not  far  trom  dwelling-houses,  Itt  trees  or  bushes.  The  nest  is  large,  and  the  ma- 
terials used  are  various— twigs,  leaves,  roots  and  vegetable  fibres  rudely  but  strongly 
interwoven;  often  paper,  rags,  wool  and  yarn  enter  Into  its  composition.  The  eggs 
are  four  or  five  in  number,  olive-brown  or  ollve-drab,  thickly  spotted  with  dark 
olive-brown.  In  some  specimens  the  ground-color  is  light  or  dark  green,  similar  to 
that  in  the  eggs  of  the  California  Jay,  In  which  the  markings  stand  out  in  strong 
contrast.  Ten  eggs  exhibit  the  following  sizes:  l,02x.84,  1.06x.84,  l.lOx.87,  l.llx.8^,. 
1.12x,82,  1.15X.83,  1.14x.84,  1.12x.83,  1.18x.86,  1.18x.86;  one  runt  egg  measures  .76x.60. 
The  following  concerning  this  bird's  food  is  from  Deal's  "Some  Common  Birds":* 
"The  Blue  Jay  is  a  common  bird  of  the  United  States  east  of  the  Great  Plains,  and 
remains  throughout  the  year  In  most  of  Its  range,  although  its  numbers  are  some- 
what reduced  in  winter  In  the  Northern  States.  During  spring  and  summer  the  Jay 
Is  forced  to  become  an  industrious  hunter  for  Insects,  am).  Is  not  so  conspicuous  a 
feature  of  the  landscape  as  when  It  roams  the  country  at  will  after  the  cares  of  the 
nesting  season  are  over.  Ornithologists  and  field  observers  in  general  declare  that 
a  considerable  portion  of  Its  food  In  spring  and  early  summer  consists  of  the  eggs 
and  young  of  small  birds,  and  some  farmers  accuse  It  of  stealing  corn  to  an  Injurious 
extent  in  the  fall.    While  there  may  be  some  truth  in  these  accusations,  they  have 

*  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture.  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  54.  Some  Common  Birds 
In  Their  Relation  to  Agriculture.  By  F.  E.L.  Beal.B.  S.,  Assistant  Ornithologist,  Biological 
Survey.    May,  1897.    Washington:    Government  Printing  Office,  1897. 

22       , 


NKSTti  AM)  EOOH  OP 


almoHt  cortalDly  been  exaggerated.  No  doubt  many  Jays  have  been  observed  rob- 
bing nests  of  other  birds,  but  thousands  have  been  seen  that  were  not  so  engaged. 
In  an  inrvestigation  of  the  food  of  the  Blue  Jay  292  stomachs  were  examined,  which 
showed  that  animal  matter  comprised  24  per  cent,  and  vegetable  matter  76  per  cent, 
of  the  bird's  diet.  So  much  has  been  said  about  the  nest-robbing  habits  of  the  Jay 
that  special  search  was  made  for  traces  of  birds  or  birds'  eggs  In  the  stomachs,  with 
the  result  that  shells  of  small  birds'  eggs  were  found  In  three  and  the  remains  of 
young  birds  in  only  two  stomachs.  Such  negative  evidence  Is  not  sufficient  to 
controvert  the  great  mass  of  testimony  upon  this  point,  but  it  shows  that  the  habit 
is  not  so  prevalent  as  has  been  believed.  Besides  birds  and  their  eggs,  the  Jay  eats 
mice,  flsh,  salamanders,  snails,  and  crustaceans,  which  altogether  constitute  but 
little  more  than  1  per  cent,  of  its  diet.  The  insect  food  is  made  up  of  beetles,  grass- 
hoppers, caterpillars,  and  a  few  species  of  other  orders,  all  noxious,  except  from 
3*/6  per  cent,  of  predaceous  beetles.  Thus  something  more  than  19  per  cent,  -of  the 
whole  food  consists  of  harmful  Insects.  In  August  the  Jay,  like  many  other  'birds, 
turns  its  attention  to  grasshoppers,  which  constitute  nearly  one-flfth  of  Us  food 
during  that  month.  At  this  time,  also,  most  of  the  other  noxious  insects,  Including 
caterpillars,  are  consumed,  though  beetles  are  eaten  chiefly  in  spring.  The  vegetable 
food  Is  quite  varied,  but  the  Hem  of  mod  Interest  Is  grain.    Corn  was  found  la  70 


477.    Bi-UB  Jay  (From  Beal). 

stomachs,  wheat  In  8,  and  oats  in  2 — all  constituting  19  per  cent,  of  the  total  food. 
Oorr  i?  evidently  the  favorite  grain,  but  a  closer  inspection  of  the  record  shows  that 
the  greater  part  was  eaten  during  the  first  five  months  of  the  year,  and  that  very 
little  was  taken  after  May,  even  in  harvest  time,  when  it  is  abundant.  This  indi- 
cates that  most  of  the  corn  is  gleaned  from  the  fields  after  harvest,  except  what  is 
stolen  from  cribs  or  gathered  in  May  at  planting  time.  The  Jay's  favorite  food  is 
mast  (i.  e.,  acorns,  chestnuts,  chinquapins,  etc.),  which  was  found  in  158  of  the  292 
stomachs  and  amounted  to  more  than  42  per  cent,  of  the  whole  food.  In  September 
corn  formed  15  and  mast  35  per  cent.,  while  in  October,  November  and  December 
corn  dropped  to  an  almost  inappreciable  quantity  and  mast  amounted  to  64,  82  and 
83  per  cent.,  respectively.  And  yet  in  these  months  corn  is  abundant  and  every- 
where easily  accessible.    The  other  elements  of  food  consist  of  a  few  seeds  and  wild 


NORTH  AMERICAS  RlRliS. 


323 


frulti,  among  which  grapes  and  blackberries  predominate.  The  reiulti  of  the 
stomach  examination  show;  (1)  that  the  Jay  eats  many  noxious  insects;  (2)  that  Its 
habit  of  robbing  the  nests  of  other  birds  le  much  less  common  than  has  been  as- 
serted; and  (3)  that  It  does  Uttlc  harm  to  agriculture,  since  all  but  a  small  amount 
of  corn  eaten  Is  waste  gral»'." 

477a.  FLORIDA  BLUE  JAY.  CyanoHtta  ninlata  ftorhicoUi  Coues.  Oeog. 
DiBt.— Florida. 

This  is  tt  smaller  bird  than  the  last,  with  less  white  on  the  tips  of  the  second- 
aries and  tall-feathers.  A  set  of  four  eggs  in  my  cabinet  from  Florida  do  not  differ 
essentially  from  those  of  C.  crMata,  having  the  brown  type  of  coloration  for  the 
ground-color. 

478.  STELLEB'S  JAY.  ('uaiinrUta  utrlhrl  (Gme].)  Geog.  Dlst.— Pacific  coost, 
north  to  bitka,  south  to  Northern  California. 


Stellbr's  Jay  and  Nest  (Cheney  del.) 


Steller's  Jay  is  an  abundant  species  along  the  Pacific  coast  from  Northern  Cali- 
fornia northward.  In  Oregon  it  is  a  very  common  resident.  He  is  the  saaie  bold, 
noisy  fellow  as  is  his  eastern  cousin,  the  Blue  Jay.  The  nest  of  this  bird  lb  built 
in  firs  and  other  trees,  and  in  bushes,  ranging  from  eight  to  twenty-five  feet  from  tiic 
ground;  it  is  very  bulky,  and  made  of  large  sticks  and  twigs,  generally  with  a  supply 
of  mud,  and  a  lining  of  fine,  dry  grasses  and  hair.  The  eggs,  three  to  five  in  number, 
are  usually  pale  green  or  bluish-green,  speckled  with  olive-brown,  with  an  average 
size  of  1.28X.85.  Mr.  Norris  has  a  set  of  four  eggs  collected  near  Salem,  Oregon, 
May  4,  1888.    This  set  was  taken  from  a  nest  in  a  thorn  bush,  twelve  feet  from  the 


u 


I 


J  id 


i 


324 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


ground.  The  eggs  are  light  bluish-green,  spotted  and  sprinkled  with  clove-brown; 
the  markings  are  heavier  near  the  larger  ends,  where  they  form  indistinct  circles. 
They  offer  the  following  dimensions:    1.25x.93,  1.22x.94,  1.19x.91,  1.23x.92. 

478a.  BTiUE-FBOXTED  JAY.  Cyanocitta  stcUeri  frontalis  (Ridgw.)  Geog. 
Diet. — Southern  ranges  of  Sierra  Nevada  of  California  and  Western  Nevada,  from 
Fort  Crook  south  to  Lower  California. 

A  common  bird  in  the  mountains  of  California,  inhabiting  the  whole  length  of 
the  Sierra  Nevada  and  also,  it  is  sale:,  the  coast  ranges.  Colonel  N.  S.  Goss  found 
quito  a  number  of  nests  of  the  Blue-fronted  Jay  in  the  vicinity  of  Julian,  California, 
in  the  spring  of  1883,  and  "in  all  cases  but  one,  in  holes  and  trough-like  cavities  In 
trees  and  stubs,  ranging  from  four  to  fifty  feet  from  the  ground,  generally  ten  to 
twenty  feet.  The  nest  found  outside  was  built  upon,  a  large  horizontal  limb  of  an 
oak  close  beside  a  gnarl,  the  sprout-like  limbs  of  which  thickly  covered  the  nest 
overhead,  and  almost  hid  It  from  view  below."  They  were  quite  bulky,  loosely 
made  of  sticks,  stems  of  weeds,  and  lined  with  fibrous  rootlets  and  grasses;  and  as 
they  were  all  built  at  or  near  the  opening,  the  tell-tale  sticks  projected,  and  made 
the  finding  of  the  nest  not  difficult.  A  strange  departure  from  the  usual  habits 
of  Jays  is  noted  of  the  Blue-fronted  Jay  by  Mr.  Bryant.  In  Placer  county,  California, 
the  birds  had  persisted  in  building  within  the.snow-'3beds  in  spite  of  the  noise  and 
smoke  of  passing  trains,  "The  destruction  of  their  uestt  by  the  men  employed  on 
the  water  train  which  makes  two  trips  a  week  through  the  sheds  during  the  summer, 
sprinkling  the  woodwork  and  teaiing  down  nests  of  Jays  and  Robins  with  a  hook 
attached  to  a  pole,  seemed  not  to  discourage  them.  So  accustomed  do  the  Jays  be- 
come to  the  passing  of  trains,  that  they  will  (;ften  remain  on  their  nests  undisturbed. 
In  one  season  more  than  two  hundred  nei^ls  of  Jays  and  Robins  were  destroyed,  so 
the  train  men  say,  between  Cisco  and  Summit,  a  distance  of  thirteen  miles.  Some 
of  the  nests  wern  but  partially  built,  others  contained  eggs,  these  latter  ones 
having  probably  been  overlooked  on  previous  trips.  The  nesting  of  the  Jays  within 
the  snow-sheds  Is,  so  Mr.  Ingersoll  supposes,  to  avoid  the  persecution  of  squirrels. 
None,  he  thinks,  however,  succeed  in  rearing  a  brood,  for  of  more  than  thirty  nests 
which  he  found,  nearly  all  were  uncompleted."  ("Unusual  Nesting  Sites,"  No.  II.) 
Colonel  Goss  gives  the  color  of  the  eggs  as  light  blue,  speckled  and  spotted  with  dark 
brown,  rather  thickest  at  large  end,  and  the  measurements  of  two  sets  as  follows: 
one  taken  May  19,  1.20x.87,  1.20x.88,  1.21x.88;  May  21,  1.21x.88,  1.15x.86,  1.19x.86, 
1.16X.85.  Mr.  W.  O.  Emerson  informs  me  that  the  nests  In  the  vicinity  of  Haywards, 
California,  are  placed  in  oaks,  redwood  and  other  tall  trees  A  nest  containing  a 
set  of  three  eggs,  collected  by  Mr.  A.  M.  Ingersoll,  May  19,  1888,  at  Julian,  Cali- 
fornia, was  inside  of  an  immense  oak  stub,  about  fifteen  feet  from  the  E;round,  and 
the  eggs  were  far  advanced  In  Incubation.  They  are  of  a  light  grayl^ih-blae,  speckled 
and  spotted  with  burnt  umber.    Their  sizes  are:    1.26x.86,  1.30x.85,  1.21x.85. 

478ft.  LONO-GBESTED  JAY.  Cyanocitta  stcllcri  macrolopha  (Balrd.)  Geog. 
Dlst, — Southern  Rocky  Mountains,  Southern  Arizona  and  Northwestern  Mexico. 

A  common  bird  in  the  southern  Rocky  Mountain  region.  In  some  portions  of 
the  pine  districts  of  Arizona  the  birds  aie  permanent  residents.  They  are  mated  by 
the  latter  part  of  April,  and  nests  with  eggs  may  be  found  in  May.  It  Is  a  very 
numerous  species  in  Northern  New  Mexico  and  Colorado,  where  It  is  a  constant 
resident.  Large,  noisy  troops  of  this  species  are  to  be  found  roving  about  during  the 
winter  months.  Their  notes  at  times  are  said  to  resemble  those  of  the  Blue  Jay. 
Mr.  Dille  states  that  in  Colorado  the  nest  of  the  Long-crested  Jay  is  built  In  trees  or 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


325 


bushes,  but  generally  artfully  concealed  in  a  bunch  of  rubbish  at  the  top  of  a  pine  or 
spruce.  It  is  rather  large  and  coarse,  made  of  small  sticks,  and  weed-stalks,  with 
little  or  no  lining.  Nests  with  eggs  have  been  found  all  through  June.  The  eggs 
range  from  three  to  six  in  number,  four  or  five  being  most  commonly  found.  They 
are  of  a  light  green,  with  fine  markings  of  dark  olive-brown  and  lighter  cloudings 
of  purplish  or  violet-brown,  and  in  shape  are  more  elongated  than  those  of  the 
Blue  Jay.    Their  Bl:e  ranges  from  1.20  to  1.32  in  length  by  .80  to  .89  in  breadth. 

478c.  BLACK-HEADED  JAT.  Cyanocitta  8telleri  annectena  (Baird.)  Geog. 
Dist. — Northern  Rocky  Mountains,  south  Wasatch  range,  west  to  Eastern  Oregon 
and  Washington. 

A  resident  of  the  northern  Rocky  Mountain  region  of  the  United  States,  and 
doubtless  also  In  similar  localities  in  the  southern  portions  of  British  North 
America,  in  Eastern  British  Columlia.  and  in  the  Province  of  Alberta.  It  was 
found  breeding  in  Parley's  Park,  Wasatch  Mountains,  Utah,  June  25,  by  Mr.  Robert 
Ridgway.  The  nest  was  placed  in  a  small  fir  on  the  edge  of  a  wood.  It  was  saddled 
on  a  horizontal  branch,  about  fifteen  feet  from  the  ground,  and  contained  six  eggs. 
The  base  of  the  nest  was  composed  of  coarse,  strong  sticks,  rudely  put  together. 
Upon  this  was  constructed  a  solid,  firm  plastering  of  mud  of  a  uniform  concave 
shape,  lined  with  fine  wiry  roots.  The  sizes  of  three  eggs  of  the  set  found  by  Mr. 
Ridgway  are  given  by  the  late  Major  Bendire  as  follows:  1.24x.84,  1.26x.86,  1.26x.88 
inches.    They  resemble  in  every  particular  those  of  the  Long-crested  Jay. 

479.  FLORIDA  JAY.    Aphelocoma  florldana  (Bartr.)     Geog.  Dist.— Florida. 
The  geographical  distribution  of  this  beautiful  species  is  confined  to  the  limited 

area  of  Florida.  In  some  districts  it  is  abundant,  while  in  others  it  is  extremely 
rare.  Mr.  Stuart  regards  it  as  not  very  abundant  in  the  region'  about  Tampa,  where 
it  nests  in  March  and  April,  usually  among  a  thick  growth  of  bushes.  The  nest  is 
a  flat,  compact  structure,  composed  of  leaves,  small  dry  sticks,  liuv^d  with  moss, 
roots,  fibr.ms  plant-stems  and  often  with  wool  and  feathers.  The  eggs  of  the 
genus  Apheloroma  usually  have  more  of  a  greenish  ground  and  heavier  markings 
than  those  of  Cyanocitta.  Mr.  Stuart  says  that  four  or  five  eggs  are  generally  laid  by 
the  Florida  Jay,  of  a  light  blue  or  greenish  ground,  sparingly  sprinkled  with  rufous 
and  black,  the  spots  being  larger  and  more  numerous  towards  the  larger  end; 
average  size,  l.OOx.80. 

480.  WOODEOUSE'S  JAT.  Aphelocoma  ucoodUousvii  (Baird.)  Geog.  Dist.— 
Western  United  States,  from  the  desert  ranges  of  Southern  Caliiornia  north  to 
Eastern  Oregon,  east  to  Montana,  Wyoming,  Colorado  and  New  Mexico,  and  south 
to  Northern'  Mexico. 

Woodhouse's  Jay  is  more  or  less  common  throughout  the  States  and  Territories 
mentioned  in  the  above  habitat.  It  is  generally  not  so  abundant  as  the  Long- 
crested  Jay,  and  frequents  the  scrub-oak  and  other  thickets  on  the  open  hillsides. 
The  nest  is  built  in  bushes  and  thickets,  or  in  low  trees  of  thick  foliage,  and  from 
three  to  six  eggs  are  deposited.  Mr.  Norris  has  a  set  of  five  eggs  of  this  species, 
taken  in  Weber  county,  Utah,  April  10,  1888.  The  nest  from  which  the  eggs  were 
^n,ken  was  placed  in  a  sage  bush  two  feet  from  the  ground,  and  was  composed  of 
twigs,  lined  with  fine  roots  and  hair.  The  eggs  were  fresh,  and  are  of  a  pale 
bluish-green,  spotted  with  burnt  umber  and  lavender-gray.  They  measure  1.03x.80, 
l.Olx.80,  l,07x.80,  1.02X.82, 1.05x.80.    The  average  clze  Is  l.C6x.80. 


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326 


NESTS  AND  EQOS  OF 


480.  1.  BLX7E-EABED  JAY.  Aphelocoma  cyanoUs  Ridgw.  Oeog.  Dist. — 
Northern  Mexico,  ranging  northward  into  Western  Texas. 

The  Blue-fronted  Jay  is  a  recent  addition  to  our  fauna.  It  Is  found  in  the 
mountainous  and  hilly  portions  of  Eastern  Mexico  and  as  far  north  as  Western 
Texas.  Authentic  eggs  of  this  species  I  believe  remain  unknown,  but  very  likely 
do  not  differ  much  from  other  members  of  this  genus. 

481.  CALIFOBNIA  JAY.  Aphelocoma  californica  (Vig.)  Geog.  Dist.— Pacific 
coast  of  the  United  States,  from  Southern  California  to  Oregon,  east  to  Western 
Nevada. 

A  common  species  from  the  southern  portion  of  California  northward  to  Oregon, 
inhabiting  the  trees  and  thickets  bordering  streams  in  the  valleys.  It  also  fi^- 
quents  the  chapparal  and  sagebrush  patches,  and  prefers  the  realms  of  solitude  to  the 
the  haunts  of  man.  It  is  nearly  always  found  in  company  with  the  California 
Thrasher,  Harporhynchus  redivivus,  whose  tastes  in  regard  to  the  general  surround- 
ings are  similar.  Mr.  Shields  says  that  in  Los  Angeles  county  this  bird  begins  build- 
ing about  the  first  of  May,  but  fresh  eggs  can  be  found  as  late  as  the  last  of  June; 
they  are  usually  four,  sometimes  five  in  number.  The  nest  is  large  and  bulky, 
usually  placed  in  scrub-oak  or  in  the  thick  portions  of  chapparal ;  it  is  composed  of 
twigs,  roots  and  dry  grasses.  The  color  of  the  eggs  is  a  dark  sea-green  or  bluish- 
green,  thickly  dotted,  spotted  and  sometimes  blotched  with  clove-brown,  chestnut, 
light  buff,  dark  brown  and  bluish-gray.  A  set  of  five  eggs  measure:  1.06x.82,  1,08 
X.72,  1.09X.84,  l.lOx.81,  1.09x.8O.    Ten  specimens  average  1.08x.80. 

481a.  XANTXTS'S  JAY.  Aphelocoma  californica  hypohiica  Ridgw.  Geog. 
Dist. — Lower  California,  from  Cape  St.  Lucas  north  to  latitude  28°. 

The  following  description  of  a  nest  and  eggs  is  by  Walter  E.  Bryant:*  "A 
single  nest  of  this  new  variety  was  found  by  myself  a  few  miles  southward  from 
San  Ignacio  on  April  12, 1889.  The  nest  was  built  about  three  metres  high  in  a  green 
acacia  near  the  trail.  Tha  female  was  sitting  and  did  not  fly  until  preparations  for 
climbing  the  tree  had  commenced.  The  nest  was  in  quite  an  exposed  situation 
amongst  scant  twigs  on  a  horizontal  branch.  It  is  composed  of  small  loosely  laid 
dry  twigs,  and  a  shallow  receptacle  lined  with  fibre  and  horsehair.  The  eggs,  three 
in  number  (set  No.  899,  coll.  of  W.  E.  B.),  contained  small  embryos.  They  are  more 
finely  spotted  than  some  similar  Jay's  eggs,  with  shell  spots  of  pale  lilac-gray  and 
surface  spots  of  pale  olive-green.  The  ground  color  is  dull,  pale  glaucous  green. 
They  measure  27.5x20.5;  27.5x21;  27x21  millimetres. "t 

481  b.  BELDING'S  JAY.  Aphelocoma  californica  obscura  Anthony.  Geog. 
Dist. — San  Pedro  Martir  Mountains,  Lower  California. 

Another  subspecies  of  the  Californi.n  Jay,  a  darker  race,  described  by  Mr.  A.  W. 
Anthony,  who  named  it  In  honor  of  Mr.  L.  Beldlng,  the  well-known  ornithologist. 
I  believe  nothing  is  as  yet  known  regarding  its  nests  and  eggs. 


481.  1.  SANTA  CBUZ  JAY.  Aphelocoma  insularia  Hensh.  Geog.  Dist. — Santa 
Cruz  Island,  Southern  California. 

This  species  is  a  larger  bird  than  the  California  Jay,  and  generally  deeper 
colored.    There  appears  to  be  little  known  about  its  life  history. 


•  Proc.  Cal.  Acad.  Scl..  2d  Ser..  Vol.  II,  June  20,  1889,  p.  24. 
1 1.08X.79.  1.08x83  and  1.06x.83  Inchps. 


i;     J 


fgl^l^fg. 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


327 


482.  ASIZONA  JAT.  Aphelocoma  sicberii  arizoMB  Ridgw.  Oeog.  List — 
Southern  New  Mexico,  Arizona  and  Northwestern  Mexico. 

According  to  Mr.  Scott  the  Arizona  Jay  is  an  abundant  subspecies  and  resident 
wherever  the  live-oaks  are  found  on  the  San  Pedro  slope  of  Las  Sierras  de  Santa 
Catallna,  in  Southern  Arizona,  between  the  altitudes  of  3000  and  7000  feet.  It  is  an 
eminently  gregarious  and  sociable  bird;  even  during  the  breeding  season  a  number 
of  pairs  may  be  found  nesting  in  the  same  locality.  March  16  a  nest  was  found  by 
Mr.  Scott  apparently  completed,  but  comtaining  no  eggs;  it  was  built  in  a  sapling 
about  ten  feet  from  the  ground,  and  was  composed  of  dry  rootlets  laid  very  loosely 
in  concentric  rings;  there  was  no  lining,  and  the  walls  of  the  structure  average 
about  three-quarters  of  an  inch  in  thickness;  interior  diameter,  five  inches;  greatest 
Interior  depth,  an  Inch  and  three-quarters — a  flat,  saucer-like  fabric.  It  was  not 
built  in  a  crotch,  but  where  several  small  twigs  leave  the  large  branch.  All  other 
nests  found  resembled  this  one.  On  the  25th  the  nest  was  visited  again,  and  the 
female  was  sitting,  but  no  eggs  had  been  laid,  and  further  out  on  the  same  brunch 
another  nest  was  built.  Two  other  nests  were  found  the  same  day  about  one 
hundred  feet  away;  In  one  a  female  was  sitting  on  two  eggs,  which  was  thought  at 
the  time  to  be  the  full  set.  The  eggs  were  fresh,  and  so  much  like  those  of  the  Robin, 
in  color  and  general  appearance  as  to  be  almost  indistinguishable  from  them.  These 
two  eggs  measured  1.18x.88,  1.13x.86.  April  1  the  two  nests  first  mentioned  were 
visited,  and  although  the  old  bird  was  sitting  on  the  nest  earliest  completed,  it  con- 
tained no  eggs,  but  on  April  7  Mr.  Scott  was  rewarded  by  finding  five  fresh  eggs  in 
this  nest.  Identical  In  appearance  with  those  above  described,  and  measure  1.25x.83, 
1.13X.85,  1.23X.83,  1.14x.80,  1.16x.84.  The  other  nest  at  this  time  did  not,  nor  several 
weeks  after,  contain  eggs.  Perhaps  no  explanation  can  be  offered  for  the  prepara- 
tion of  the  nest  so  long  before  it  is  used.  The  first  nest  was  evidently  complete  on 
March  16,  and  it  contained  no  eggs  until  later  than  April  1;  the  first  eggs  must  have 
been  deposited  between  that  date  and  the  7th.  Mr.  Scott  states  that  the  same  facts 
have  been  noted  in  the  breeding  of  the  Gray  Vlreo  {Yirco  vicinior).  As  to  the  circum- 
stance of  the  bird  sitting  so  constantly  before  laying  he  suggests  that  it  is  not  im- 
probable that  it  was  in  order  to  keep  possession  of  their  nest,  for  as  a  number  of 
individuals  of  the  species  composed  the  colony  a  question  of  ownership  might  easily 
arise.  He  observes  that  the  Arizona  Jay  is  as  great  a  robber  of  other  birds'  nests 
as  its  cousin  of  the  East,  and  possibly  the  habit  of  sitting  so  constantly  even  before 
any  eggs  are  laid.  Is  to  be  accounted  for  by  a  strongly  inuerlted  tendency  to  prevent 
intrusion.  The  building  of  extra  nests  finds  a  parallel  in  the  case  of  the  Long- 
billed  Marsh  Wrens,  and  Is  possibly  to  be  accounted  for  by  the  nervous  activity  of 
the  birds;  or,  the  extra  nest  may  afford  night  resting  places  for  the  male  during  the 
breeding  season. — Auk,  III,  pp.  81-83. 


483.  OBEEN  JAY.  Xanthoura  luxuosa  (Less.)  Geog.  Dist. — Eastern  Mexico, 
north  to  the  Rio  Grande  valley  In  Texas. 

Dr.  Merrill  states  that  the  Rio  Grande  Jay  Is  a  common  resident  about  Fort 
Brown  and  higher  up  the  river,  but  does  not  seem  to  pass  much  Into  the  Interior  of 
Texas.  Mr.  George  B.  Sennett  says:  "Of  all  the  birds  on  the  Lower  Rio  Grande, 
this  Is  the  most  mischievous,  robbing  and  despoiling  other  birds'  nests  without 
mercy."  Its  nest,  Mr.  Sennett  observes,  is  not  easily  found,  for  It  is  always  con- 
cealed In  thickets,  or  in  the  heavy  undergrowth  of  dense  woods.  A  large  cerles  of 
eggs  was  taken.  Of  those  obtained  early  In  April,  few  were  freshly  laid,  while  all 
those  obtained  in  May  were  fresh,  indicating  ihat  a  second  brood  Is  reared,  though 


fi  i 


328 


HJUHTS  AND  EGGH  OF 


no  young  of  the  first  brood  were  seen,  while  numbers  of  adults  were  observed  daily 
from  April  9  uu;U  the  last  of  May.  On  April  19  the  first  eggs  were  taken,  two  sets 
being  found;  one  of  four  with  large  embryos,  the  other  of  five,  nearly  fresh.  The 
latest  set,  consisting  of  four  fresh  eggs,  was  found  May  17.  The  usual  number  of 
eggs  to  a  clutch  is  four,  occasionally  five.  The  average  size  of  the  specimens  col- 
lected by  Mr.  Sennett  in  a  season  is  1.06x.81,  those  taken  in  another  season's  col- 
lecting, 1.08X.81.  Dr.  Merrill  describes  the  eggs  as  having  a  grayish-white  ground- 
color, thickly  spotted  with  brown  and  pale  lilac,  especially  at  the  larger  end.  One 
set,  however,  was  found  with  the  markings  more  numerous  at  the  smaller  end,  and 
averaging  l.Olx.80. 

484.  CANADA  JAY.  Perisoreus  canadtnsia  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist.— Northern 
New  England  and  New  York,  Northern  Michigan  and  Canada,  northward  to  Arctic 
America. 

The  Moose-Bird,  Whisky  Jack,  or  Whisky  John,  as  it  is  variously  called,  breeds 
in  Maine  and  northward.  It  is  a  resident  species,  and  seldom  seen  south  of  its 
breeding  range.  In  Manitoba  it  is  an  abundant  bird.  Its  general  habits  and  nesting 
are  in  nowise  peculiar,  being  similar  to  those  of  others  of  the  family.  The  nest  is 
usually  a  large,  bulky  structure,  placed  on  the  bough  of  a  spruce  or  other  ever- 
green. It  is  made  of  twigs,  pine-needles,  bark-strips  and  grasses,  lined  with  finer 
vegetable  material  and  feathers.  The  nesting  time  in  Northern  Maine  and  New 
Brunswick  is  March  and  April.  The  eggs  are  light  gray,  with  a  yellowish  tinge, 
finely  marked,  more  abiindantly  at  the  larger  end  with  dots  and  blotches  of  slate 
color  and  brown,  and  faint  cloudings  of  an  obscure  Hlac,  exhibiting  the  usual  varia- 
tions in  color  and  size  found  in  the  eggs  of  other  Jays;  four  or  five  in  number; 
average  size,  1.17x.80. 


^^ 


484a.  BOCEY  MOUNTAIN  JAY.  Perisoreus  canadensis  capitalis  Baird. 
Geog.  Dist. — Rocky  Mountains,  south  to  Arizona  and  New  Mexico. 

This  bird  is  called  the  White-headed  Jay  or  Rocky  Mountain  Whisky  Jack— 
a  race  of  the  Canada  Jay,  but  very  much  different.  It  is  peculiar  to  the  Rocky 
Mountain  region,  and  is  especially  common  in  Northern  New  Mexico  and  Colorado. 
Ip  t^e  breeding  season  it  is  found  high  up  in  the  mountains  in  the  spruce  timber, 
f/'-'m  8000  feet  to  timber  line.  He  is  said  to  be  "as  big  a  thief  as  ever  wore  feathers." 
White-headed,  he  at  times  appears  grave  and  sedate,  but  is  always  possessed  of  a 
whimsical  brain.  Small  articles  around  camp  that  strike  his  fancy  are  always  found 
missing  after  one  of  his  visits.  Nest-building  is  begun  usually  in  April.  The  site 
generally  chosen  is  the  horizontal  branch  of  a  pine,  varying  in  height  from  fifty  to 
sixty  feot  from  the  ground.  The  materials  are  twigs,  pine-needles,  lark,  grasses 
and  hempen  fibres,  all  compactly  interwoven  into  a  rude,  bulky  but  strong  struc- 
ture; it  is  warmly  lined  with  the  feathers  and  down  of  birds.  The  external  height 
is  about  four  inches,  and  the  diameter  seven;  the  cavity  about  two  inches  deep  and 
four  across.  The  eggs  are  three  to  five  in  number,  grayish-white  in  ground-color, 
finely  speckled  with  various  shades  of  brown;  in  some  specimens  the  markings  are 
more  numerous  about  the  greater  end.    Size,  1.16x.86. 


is:  ■ 


484ft.  ALASKAN  JAY.  Perisoreus  canadensis  fumifrons  Ridgw.  Geog.  Dist. — 
Alaska,  excep*^  southern  coast  districts. 

According  to  Turner  the  Alaskan  Jay  rarely  occurs  In  the  vicinity  of  St. 
Michael's,  but  alonib  ^he  Yukon  River  it^is  abundant  and  a  permanent  resident. 
Two  nests  were  brought  Mr.  Nelson  from  the  mouth  of  the  Tanana  River  by  Mr.  M. 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


329 


Francois  Mercier,  who  obtained  tliem  April  1,  1880.  Mr.  Nelson  describes  ttiem  as 
follows:  "These  two  nests  now  before  me,  are  built  of  a  matted  mass  of  cotton- 
like down  of  some  plant;  about  the  upper  edge  and  in  the  cavity  are  pieces  of  rabbit 
fur.  a  few  Horned  Owl  feathers  and  strips  of  baric.  The  entire  nest  rests  upon  a 
horizontal  branch  nearly  two  inches  in  diameter,  and  a  scanty  number  of  small 
dead  spruce  twigs,  six  to  eight  inches  long,  loosely  woven  into  the  structure,  give  it 
consistency  and  prevent  It  from  being  easily  damaged.  This  nest  is  four  and  a  half 
inches  high  by  six  broad,  with  a  cavity  two  and  a  half  inches  deep  by  three  and  three- 


"■;it 


484^.    Alaskan  Jay  (After  Nelson  .  ' 

fourths  inches  across  the  top.  The  other  nest  was  placed  in  the  forlc  of  a  small 
branch  less  than  an  inch  in  diameter,  and  rests  on  a  rough  platform  of  slender 
spruce  twigs.  The  main  part  of  the  nest  is  made  of  the  same  cottony  substance 
as  is  the  first,  and  is  also  interwoven  with  twigs.  Above  this  is  a  layer  of  fine 
fibrous  black  moss,  such  as  occurs  on  spruce  trees.  The  inside  of  the  cavity  is 
slightly  lined  with  fine  grass.  This  nest  measures  four  inches  high  by  six  inches 
broad,  and  the  cavity  two  inches  deep  by  two  and  three-fourth  inches  across  the 
top." 


484o.  LABRADOR  JAY.  Perisorcus  canadensis  nigricapillus  Ridgw.  Oeog. 
Dist. — Coast  district  of  Labrador,  north  to  Ungava  Bay. 

A  resident  and  breeds  wherever  found.  Its  general  habits  and  characteristics 
are  similar  to  those  of  other  members  of  this  family.  Major  Bendire  describes  a  set 
of  five  eggs  of  this  bird  taken  in  Labrador  in  about  latitude  57°  30'  N.  They  were 
collected  by  Mr.  Jewell  D.  Sornborger  in  the  summer  of  1892.  The  eggs  resemble 
those  of  the  Canada  Jay  in  color  and  in  general  style  of  markings,  but  the  latter  are. 
as  a  rule,  coarser  and  larger,  and  the  eggs  are  more  pointed.  They  measure  1.19x 
.88.  1.18X.84,  1.17X.83.  and  1.15x.85  inches,  respectively. 


330 


NESTS  AND  EGOS  OF 


ni 


!         :i 


485.  OREGON  JAY.  Periaoreus  obscurus  (Rldgw.)  Geog.  Dist.— Northwest 
coast,  from  Northern  California  to  British  Columbia. 

Mr.  A.  W.  Anthony  mentions  this  species  as  a  common,  winter  resident  of  Wash- 
ington county,  Oregon.  In  March  they  depart  for  the  mountains  to  breed,  although 
a  few  sometimes  remain  to  breed  In  the  more  secluded  parts  of  the  country.  He 
characterizes  it  as  a  bird  utterly  devoid  of  fear.  While  dressing  deer  in  the  thick 
timber  he  has  been' almost  covered  with  these  Jays;  they  would  alight  on  his  back, 
head  and  shoulders,  and  there  tug  and  pull  at  each  loose  shred  of  his  coat  as  if 
assisting  him  in  all  ways  possible.  On  March  31, 1884,  he  look  a  nest  with  five  eggs, 
the  first,  probably,  ever  taken.  The  nest  was.  placed  about  eighty-five  feet  from  tb6 
ground,  in  a  fir,  and  well  concealed.  It  Was  built  close  against  the  trunk,  an<d  was 
composed  of  sticks,  twigs  and  moss,  rather  loosely  put  together,  lined  with  cow-hair, 
wool,  and  one  or  two  grouse  feathers.  The  eggs  were  very  light  blue,  with  a  grayish 
cast,  thickly  covered  with  spots  of  brown  and  lilac,  chiefly  on  the  larger  ends.  In 
one  specimen  there  were  a  few  black,  hair-like,  lines  over  the  larger  end.  Size. 
1.04X.79.  ■ 

■.     ,vV''v; 

486.  AMEBICAN  BAVEIT.  Corvu8  corax  sinuatus  (Wagl.)  Qeog.  Dist.— 
Western)  United  States,  from  the  Rocky  Mountains  south  to  Guatemala. 

An  inhabitant  of  the  regions  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  where  it  is  common. 
The  late  Major  Bendire  wrote  as  follows:  "Our  ravens  have  recently  been  separated 
Into  two  races;  but  from  the  information  I  have  been  able  to  obtain  it  is  questionable 
if  the  alleged  differences  of  the  two  forms  will  prove  conytant  and  marked  enough  to 
warrant  this  distinction.  There  is  not  at  present  sufTlcient  material  available  for 
examination  to  determine  this  conclusively.  I  will  leave  this  to  abler  ornithologists 
to  decide,  and  will  follow  the  adopted  nomenclature  of  the  American  Ornithologists' 


486.    Head  OF  A  Raven. 

Union*  for  the  present,  including,  however,  the  Ravens  found  in  the  Eastern  United 
States  in  this  race."  He  states  that  the  Raven  is  found  throughout  the  western 
portions  of  the  United  States  more  commonly  than  in  the  eastern  parts  of  its  range, 
where  it  is  found  only  locally,  chiefly  in  the  more  mountainous  regions  from  New 
England  and  Northern  New  York  to  South  Carolina,  and  in  the  thinly  inhabited  and 
heavily  timbered  sections  of  some  of  our  Northern  and  Middle  States.  Out  of 
twenty  nests  exatnined  near  Camp  Harney,  Oregon,  only  one  was  placed  in  a  tree, 
which  was  in  a  dead  willow  twenty  feet  from  the  r"ound,  on  an  island  in  Sylvies 
aiver,  and  contained  five  fresh  eggs  on  April  13.    The  other  nests  were  placed  on 


in 


NOiaU  AMElttCAN  liUWH. 


331 


cliffB  and  It  generally  took  several  assistants  and  strong  ropes  to  reach  tne  nesi.  on- 
taining  the  eggs.  A  favorite  site  was  a  clilT  where  the  nest  was  conpletely  covered 
from  above  by  a  projecting  rook.  They  were  constructed  of  sticks  well  interlaced, 
the  inner  cup  being  lined  with  cattle  hair  or  quilted  with  the  fine  inner  bark  of  the 
Cottonwood.  Mr.  C.  Barlow  writes  me  (1895)  that  a  pair  of  Ravens  have  nested  on 
the  cliffs  of  the  Farallones  for  years,  near  what  Is  known  as  the  West  End.  No  per- 
son had  attempted  to  secure  the  nest  and  eggs  until  this  year,  when  one  of  the  light- 
house keepers,  Mr.  R.  H.  Williams,  was  lowered  by  rope  to  the  ledge  where  the  nest 
was  situated.  It  w£.s  placed  in  a  nicbe  of  a  cliff  about  one  hundred  feet  in  height, 
the  nest  being  about  twenty-five  feet  from  the  top.  In  the  Immediate  vicinity  there 
are  nun'><;rous  other  niches  where  solitary  pairs  of  Baird's  Cormorants  breed  undis- 
turbed. On  June  9th  the  nest  contained  two  unfeathered  young,  apparently  but  a 
few  days  old.  The  nest  was  composed  or  sticks  and  pieces  of  wreckage,  the  cavity 
being  lined  with  goat's  hair,  obtained  from  a  dead  animal.  The  number  of  eggs  laid 
b3'^  the  Raven  ranges  from  five  to  seven,  commonly  five,  while  six  is  not  rare.  The 
ground  color  is  a  pale  pea  green  or  light  olive  green,  spotted  and  blotched  with 
various  shades  of  brown,  drab,  and  lavender.    The  average  size  is  1.92x.27  inches. 

486a.  NOB.THEBN  RAVEN.  CorvHH  corax  principalis  Ridgw.  Geog.  Dist. — 
Northern  North  America,  from  Greenland  to  Alaska,  south  to  British  Columbia, 
Canada,  New  Brunswick,  Maine,  Michigan,  New  Jersey,  Ohio,  North  Carolina,  etc. 

If  it  were  possible  in  the  English  language  the  name  of  Poe  and  Raven  would 
doubtless  become  synonymous,  for  who  can  think  of  the  Raven  without  associating 
it  with  the  name  of  Edgar  Allen  Poe?  In  former  years  the  Raven  appears  to  have 
been  considered  not  uncommon  in  the  northern  New  England  States,  but  is  now 
considered  very  rare,  and  late  records  of  its  occurrence  there  are  very  few.  It  breeds 
occasionally  on  the  cliffs  of  the  island  of  Grand  Manan,  and  more  frequently  farthc " 
east,  as  in  New  Brunswick,  Nova  Scotia,  Newfoundland,  etc.  It  is  rather  a  common 
resident  along  the  whole  coast  of  Labrador.  In  Alaska  this  Raven  nests  about  the 
middle  of  May;  in  South  Greenland  Hagerup  took  eggs  April  11  and  May  9.  Mac- 
Farlane  found  its  eggs  on  the  Anderson  River,  British  America,  April  30.  Forest- 
clad  cliffs  of  great  rivers,  the  crags  of  lonely  islands  in  the  ocean,  wooded  lakes  and 
streams  in  solitary  regions  are  the  haunts  of  this  sable-plumed,  ominous  bird.  The 
Rev.  J.  H.  Langille  states  that  in  Nova  Scotia  nesting  begins  early  in  March.  The 
site  chosen  for  the  nest  is  usually  the  most  inaccessible  tree  or  rocky  cliff;  sometimes, 
however,  it  is  built  in  the  flat-topped,  low  spruces,  as  is  the  case  on  Mud  and  Seal 
Islands,  on  the  southwestern  coast  of  Nova  Scotia.  The  nest  is  made  of  large  sticks, 
closely  and  artistically  arranged,  with  a  lining  of  coarse'  grasses,  sea  weed  and  wool. 
The  same  nest  is  repaired  from  year  to  year,  and  in  course  of  time  becomes  quite 
bulky.  The  eggs  are  four  to  six  in  number.  A  set  of  Ave  eggs  is  in  my  cabinet, 
which  was  collected  by  Mr.  H.  Pope,  near  South  West  Point,  on  the  island  of  Antl- 
rosta,  off  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  April  21,  1887.  The  nest  was  built  in  cliffs 
facing  the  sea,  and  the  eggs  were  secured  only  after  a  dangerous  scramble  over 
banks  of  ice  and  snow.  Like  the  eggs  of  the  crow,  these  are  subject  to  great  varia- 
tion in  markings.  The  ground-color  is  pale  bluish-green  or  light  olive-green.  They 
.ire  spotted,  blotched,  streaked  or  dashed  with  purple  and  greenish-brown;  some 
specimens  are  so  densely  marked  as  to  almost  wholly  obscure  the  ground-color,  giv- 
ing the  surface  a  dull  greenish-gray  appearance.  Four  of  the  specimens  in  the  set  of 
Ave  are  of  this  type,  while  the  other  Is  of  a  brilliant  bluish-green,  sparsely  marked 
with  blackish-brown  and  obscure  lilac.  Their  sizes  are:  1.85x1.24,  1.90x1.30.  2.04x 
1.32,  2.07x1.34.    The  average  size  is  1.90x1.27  ic-^hes. 


:    it 

■  i» 


x-i 


ul 


A'L'.sT.v  AM)  Unas  OP 


Mr.  Amos  W.  Butler,  Indiana's  state  ornithologiBt,  has  just  informed  me  (Septem- 
ber 21, 1897)  that  the  Raven  has  recently  been  found  breeding  in  ^7artin  and  Du  Bols 
counties  of  that  state.  It  is  the  only  record  I  have  of  the  Raven\^  nesting  in  this 
part  of  the  Ohio  Valley.  In  Ohio  it  must  be  considered  a  rare  winter  visitor,  and  a 
few  may  breed  in  the  northern  portion.  The  bird  was  more  common  in  former  years 
than,  at  present. 


487.  WHITE-NECKED  HAVEN.  VurvuH  rryptoleurus  Couch.  Geog.  Dlst.— 
Southwestern!  United  States  and  table-lands  of  Mexico,  north  to  Indian  Territory, 
Kansas,  Colorado  and  Southern  California,  south  to  Guatemala. 

The  White-necked  Raven  is  an  abundant  species  throughout  most  of  its  range. 
The  bird's  general  appearance  and  its  nesting  habits  are  similar  to  those  of  the  com- 
mon crow,  with  which  it  is  often  confounded.  From  four  to  seven  eggs  are  laid  by 
this  species,  and  they  have,  on  the  whole,  markings  of  a  lighter  color  than  the  eggs 
of  other  species  of  Corvus;  and  in  addition  they  have  lines  running  from  one  end 
of  the  egg  to  the  other,  somewhat  after  the  manner  of  those  on  the  genus  Mylarrhus, 
of  the  Flycatchers,  of  which  the  most  familiar  example  is  the  Crested  Flycatcher,  Jf. 
criiiitus.  This  peculiarity  is  typical  of  the  species,  and  is  found  constant  in  a  large 
series  in  the  collection  of  the  National  Museum,  at  Washington.  A  set  oi'  Ave  eggs 
in  Mr.  Norris'  cabinet  was  taken  May  16,  1888,  in  Cochise  county,  Arizona,  from  a 
nest  in  an  oak  tree.  The  eggs  are  of  a  pale  bluish-green,  spotted  with  clove-brown, 
and  profusely  streaked  with  longitudinal  lines  of  olive-gray.  They  measure:  1.74x 
1.19,  1.77x1.21.  1.67x1.18,  1.76x1.18,  1.77x1.21. 


II  ! 


5, 


.  i     .' 


1 


I 


488.  AMERICAN  CBOW.  Corvus  americanus  Aud.  Geog.  Dist. — Eastern 
North  America  except  Southern  Florida  and  Arctic  regions. 

An  abundant  bird  in  all  the  Eastern  States,  where  it  is  well  known.  The  nest  is 
built  in  woods,  preferably  in  high,  thick  forest,  and  the  tree  selected  is  one  of  thick 
foliage.  In  pine  regions  the  cedar  is  the  favorite  tree.  The  altitude  is  usually  so 
great  that  the  nest  is  practically  inaccessible.  In  quiet,  solitary  places,  however,  I 
have  found  it  placed  not  more  than  ten  or  fifteen  feet  from  the  ground.  It  is  buill 
of  twigs  and  sticks,  sometimes  of  considerable  size,  firmly  interlaced,  while  weeds 
and  grass,  often  with  clods  of  earth  attached,  form  part  of  the  structure.  The  lining 
is  of  leaves,  grapevine  bark  and  fine  grasses.  Mr.  Frank  L.  Burns  has  probably 
given  us  the  best  history  of  the  American  Crow  that  has  yet  been  written.  In  a 
monograph*  of  forty-one  pages  the  general  habits,  pp'ticularly  the  feeding,  nesting, 
roosting,  flight,  relative  abundance,  etc.,  is  recorded.  These  facts  and  figures  are 
from  competent  observers  within  the  geographical  range  of  this  bird.  Concerning 
the  material  of  the  nest,  he  says:  "The  composition  of  the  nest  varies  somewhat, 
of  course,  with  the  local  surroundings,  as  well  as  with  the  individual  builder's  ex- 
perience and  'taj  2'  as  to  the  proper  material  for  building.  They  rarely  use  a  de- 
serted squirrel's  nest.  The  typical  nest  is  composed  or  coarse  sticks,  strips  of  bark, 
clods  of  earth,  dead  leaves;  lined  with  hog  bristles,  strips  of  grape  vine  bark;  the 
inner  bark  of  chestnut  or  oak,  cow  hair,  or  horse  hair.  Occasionally  the  body  of  the 
nest  will  contain  moss,  grass,  rootlets,  corn  stalks,  cloth  (often  from  some  dilapi- 
dated 'scare  crow'),  corn  husks,  weed  stalks,  pieces  of  rope,  dried  cow  and  horse 
manure,  feathers,  pieces  of  matting,  sheep's  wool,  twine,  or  seaweed.    The  lining 


•  Bulletin  No.  5;  The  Wilson  Ornithological  Chapter  of  the  Agaasiz  Association.  The 
American  Crow  (Corvus  Amerlcanus).  with  special  reference  to  its  Nest  and  Eggs.  By 
Frank  L.  Burrs.    Oterlln.  Ohio,  March  15.  1S?5. 


tlon.    The 
Eggs.    By 


your II  AMERIVAN  BIRDS. 


333 


is  sometlmeB  made  up  of  strips  of  cedar  or  juniper  bark,  dead  leaves,  sheep's  wool, 
feathers,  or  skunlc's  hair.  Quite  often  In  some  localities,  especially  in  the  Eastern 
States,  pine  needles  are  used  for  lining;  while  in  many  other  localities,  where  the 
surroundings  will  permit  the  use  of  this  material,  it  is  not  used  at  all.  Much  binder 
twine  is  made  use  of  in  the  West.  Rev.  P.  B.  Peabody,  Owatonna,  Minn.,  writes:  'It 
has  apparently  become  as  Indispensable  as  oesting  material  to  the  Crow  as  snake- 
skins  are  to  the  Crested  Flycatcher.' "  The  nesting  season  is  In  April  and 
May,  or  June,  and  sometimes  even  in  March.  Fium  four  to  six,  and  occasionally 
seven  eggs  are  laid.    These  vary  from  a  pale  bluish  to  an  olive-green,  and  from 


488.    American  Crow  (After  Audubon). 

almost  unmarked  specimens  to  those  which  appear  of  a  uniform  olive-green,  so  dense 
and  small  are  the  markings.  The  typical  egg,  however,  is  of  a  light  sea-green, 
thickly  spotted  and  blotched  with  dark  brown,  almost  black,  with  purplish  reflec- 
tions; these  are  chiefly  about  the  larger  «md.  Mr.  Burns  gives  the  measurement  of 
three  hundred  and  twenty  eggs  from  New  York  State  as  follows:  Maximum,  2.03x 
I  33;  minimum,  1.43x1.08;  average,  1.65x1.15  inches. 


488a.     FLOBIDA  CROW. 

Southern  Florida. 


Corvus  atnericanus  floridanus  Baird.    Geog.  Dist. 


.:!• 


-■^ 


?',M 


■''i 


334 


NKSTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


I. 


A  set  of  four  eggs  from  Manatee  county,  Florida,  taken  April  16,  Is  in  my  cabinet, 
and  measuro  1.62x1.18,  1.62x1.19,  1.66x1.18,  1.62x1.16.  Their  color  and  markings  aru 
similar  to  those  cf  typical  eggs  of  C.  amcrlcanua. 

489.  NOBTHWEST  CBOW.  (Utrvua  caurinua  Baird.  Oi.og.  DiBt.— Northwest 
coast  from  Oregon  to  Kadiak,  Alaska. 

The  {Northwestern  Fish  Crow  is  a  smaller  bird  than  the  common'  Crow  of  the 
Eastern  States.  In  its  habits  it  is  said  to  be  the  exact  counterpart  of  the  Fish  Crow 
of  the  Atlantic  coast.  Its  principal  food  is  marine  crabs  m*  flsh  which  it  gathers  along 
the  banks  of  rivers  and  the  shores  of  lakes.  T  live  'V.e  Raven  and  Herring  Oull.  It 
carries  clams  high  into  the  air  and  drops  tliem  in  ordsr  to  break  ♦he  shell.  Its  nest 
is  said  to  be  substantially  like  that  of  Corrus  usuifntyux.  being  built  in  evergfeens 
and  oaks  growing  along  ravines;  and  the  eggs  are  Indistinguishable.  Ridgway  gives 
their  average  sizes  as  1.56x1.08. 


490.    PisR  Crow  (After  Andubon). 

400.    FISH  CBOW.     Corvus  ossifraffua  Wils.    Geog.  Dist— Atlantic  and  Gulf 
Coasts  of  the  United  Stj,ces  from  Long  Island  to  Louisiana. 


NORrn  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


335 


—Northwest 


A  common  species  along  the  Atlantic  coast  ot  the  United  States  from  New 
Jersey  to  Florida,  and  on  the  Oulf  coast  to  Louisiana.  It  is  called  the  Southenstern 
Fish  Crow.  Mr.  Charles  S.  Schick  states  that  along  the  coast  of  Capo  May  county. 
New  Jersey,  he  has  found  sets  of  eggs  of  this  spec'es  au  early  as  April  13,  and  un 
che  16th  of  the  same  month  observed  nests  with  young,  the  dates  of  laying  vaiyiug 
with  the  temperature  of  the  season.  The  usual  number  of  eggs  deposited  is  Ave  or 
six,  a  set  of  seven  being  uncommon.  In  a  section  containing  two  hundred  ever- 
green trees,  there  were  at  least  sixty  nests,  ranging  in  height  from  twenty  to  sixty 
feet  above  the  ground.  The  composition  is  nearly  the  same  as  la  those  of  the  Com- 
mon Crow,  except  that  the  lining  consists  of  a  few  dry  leaves  or  flne  barl(-flbrcd. 
The  bird,  Mr.  Shick  says,  feeds  largely  on  small  crabs,  and  devours  large  numbers  of 
the  eggs  of  the  Clapper  Rail.  The  eggs  of  the  Fish  Crow  are  so  nearly  like  those 
of  the  Crow  in  color  and  markings  that  one  description  will  answer  for  both;  those 
of  the  present  species  are  much  smaller.  Five  specimens  measure  1.50x1.08,  l.SOx 
1.05.  1.46x1.02.  1.51x1.06,  1.47x1.02.      The  average  size  of  twelve  eggs  is  1.50x1.09. 


491.  CLARKE'S  NUTCBACKEB.  Nucifnino  columbiunuK  (Wils.)  Geog. 
Dist. — Western  North  America,  north  to  Alaska,  south  to  Arizona,  east  to  and  includ- 
ing the  Rocky  Mountains. 


491.    Clarke's  Nutcracker  (Cheney  del.) 

Clarke's  Crow,  or  Nutcracker,  is  found  in  considerable  numbers  in  all  suitable 
localities  in  the  coniferous  forests  of  the  higher  mountain  ranges  within  the  limits 
of  the  above  habitat.  It  is  the  American  representative  of  the  European  Nutcracker, 
Nucifraga  caryocatactes.  A  remarkable  bird,  embodying  the  peculiar  habits  of  cer- 
tain woodpeckers  and  those  of  some  of  the  jays — wild,  restless  and  noisy,  inquisitive 


'i 


336 


SEST8  AM)  Eaas  OP 


u  I 


i 


and  cunning.  Major  Bendlre  found  It  breeding  quite  commonly  in  the  mountain- 
ous regioHH  about  Fort  Harney,  Oregon.  April  22,  1876,  two  neatB  were  found,  one 
containing  a  young  bird,  JuHt  hatched, and  two  eggawith  the  Bhella chipped;  the  other 
contained  three  young.  Between  April  24  and  30  about  a  dozen  ncBts  were  observed, 
all  containing  three  young,  each  in  different  stagea  of  development.  In  the  uprtng 
of  1877  not  a  aingle  bird  was  observed  where  they  were  found  breeding  the  year  be- 
fore, and  their  abaence  was  accounted  for  by  the  acarclty  of  the  aeeda  of  the  pine 
which  conatitute  their  principal  food.  On  April  4,  1878,  a  nest  containing  three  eggs 
was  found,  and  at  this  early  date  Incubation  waa  far  advanced.  A  set  of  two  eggs, 
with  good-alzed  embryoa,  was  taken  April  8.  All  the  nests  were  placed  in  pine  trees, 
generally  well  out  on  the  limba,  and  from  aixteen  to  forty  feet  above  the  ground. 
Trees  with  plenty  of  branchea  aeemed  to  be  preferred,  and  the  edges  of  pine  timb<!r 
to  the  Interior  of  the  forests.  A  nest  is  described  aa  rather  bulliy,  the  base  consisting 
of  a  platform  of  small  sticks  and  twigs,  mostly  of  the  white  sage;  on  this  the  nest 
proper  i»  placed,  which  is  composed  of  dry  grasses,  vegetable  fibres,  hypnum  moas 
and  the  fine  inner  bark  of  the  western  Juniper,  all  compactly  woven  together,  making 
a  warm,  comfortable  structure.  The  sizes  of  four  eggs,  as  given  by  Major  Bendirc, 
are  as  follows:  1.22x.95,  1.20x.90,  1.26x.95,  1.30x.92,  respectively.  Their  color  Ih  a 
light  grayish-green,  irregularly  spotted  and  blotched  with  a  deeper  shade  of  gray, 
chiefly  at  the  larger  end.  In  the  mountainous  region  aoutheast  of  Fort  Garland, 
Colorado,  the  late  Captain  B.  F.  Goss  found  nests  of  this  species  under  the  same 
conditions  as  observed  by  Major  Bendire.  May  21  a  nest  was  discovered  containing 
young.  The  nests,  at  first  appearance,  according  to  both  observers,  looked  more 
like  squirrels'  nests  than  anything  else,  and  the  birds  were  close  sitters,  even 
allowing  themselves  to  be  captured  rather  than  leave  their  nests.  During  the 
breeding  season  they  are  perfectly  silent. 

492.  FINON  JAY.  Cyanorephalus  cyanocephalua  (Wied.)  Geo.  Dist.— The 
Region  between  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  Sierra  Nevada  Ranges,  from  Mexico  to 
British  America. 

The  region  between  and  including  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  the  eastern  slope  of 
the  Sierra  Nevadas,  wherever  grows  the  yellow  pine,  the  pinon  and  the  Juniper,  the 
Blue  Crow,  Maximilian's  or  Pinon  Jay  makes  its  home.  A  bird  combining  the 
form  of  a  crow  and  the  color  and  habits  of  a  Jay;  of  a  restless,  roving  disposition, 
but  resident  wherever  found.  It  breeds  in  colonies,  nesting  in  April,  May  and  June, 
according  to  locality.  Nests  containing  eggs  have  been  found  in  Nevada  by  Mr. 
H.  G.  Parker  in  the  first  part  of  May,  and  fully  fiedged  young  were  observed  in  the 
same  region  by  Mr.  Ridgway  as  early  as  April  21.  Mr.  H.  B.  Bailey  took  a  set  of  four 
eggs  in  New  Mexico  that  were  well  incubated  June  5.  The  late  Captain  B.  F.  Goss 
found  this  bird  breeding  ini  the  region  southeast  of  Fort  Garland — the  western  base 
of  t)he  Sangre  de  Christo  Mountains,  at  an  elevation  of  about  900J  feet.  The  nests 
were  all  in  small  pinon  pines,  from  five  to  ten  feet  up,  out  some  distance  from  the 
body  of  the  tree,  and  not  particularly  well-concealed.  They  are  large,  coarse  and 
deeply-hollowed  structures,  much  alike,  being  made  mostly  of  grayith  shreds  of 
some  fibrous  plant  or  bark,  which  breaks  up  into  a  mass  of  hair-like  fibres,  these 
forming  the  lining,  while  some  weeds  and  grass  are  worked  into  the  general  fabric. 
The  birds  were  close  sitters,  several  not  leaving  till  the  nest  was  shaken,  and  they 
could  have  been  caught  with  the  hand.  One  nest  contained  five  eggs,  six  contained 
four  each,  and  two  three  each;  both  sets  of  three  were  partly  incubated.  Two  nests 
were  taken  May  5,  five  on  the  10th  and  two  on  the  11th,  1879.'  The  eggs  are  quite 


lii,  ' 

liU        di 


SOUTH  AMtlUH  AN  UlUDS. 


337 


polutfd  ut  the  umail  cnil;  tbo  Kiuuud-color  ih  bluinb-wbite,  splaahcd  ail  over  with 
Hiuall  HpotB  of  d'irk  brown  thickest  at  the  large  end  Thirteen  eggH  mcaHure  re- 
upectivcly  l.i!*x.88.  l.Ulx.Oa,  1.22X.92,  1.25x.9l,  1  17x.87.  1.18X.84,  I.17x.85,  1.20x.82. 
J.r<x.80;  avfiage  1.19x.S7. 


1 

T 


[403.]  STABLINO.  StuniuM  vulyarh  Linn.  Oeog.  Dist.— Europe  and  North- 
ern  Asia;  accidental  in  Greenland.    Introduced  in  New  York. 

A  specimen  of  the  Starling,  taken  in  Greenland  In  ISfil,  entltleH  It  to  a  place  In 
the  avifauna  of  North  America.  It  has  been  Introduced  and  apparently  well  estab- 
lished in  the  vicinity,  of  New  York  city.  Mr.  Chapman  In  his  "Birds  of  Eastern 
America,'  says  that  the  Starling  has  bred  for  three  successive  years  in  the  roof  of 
the  Museum  of  Natural  History  and  at  other  points  In  the  vicinity.  It  is  a  well- 
known  bird  In  Europe,  and  of  a  very  general  distribution.  Its  handsome  plumage, 
sprightly,  social  habits,  retentive  memory,  and  pleasing,  imitative  voice  have  made 
it  a  great  favorite  as  a  caged  bird.  It  is  said  to  live  in  flocks  the  greater  part  of  the 
year,  selecting  for  its  nest  suitable  places  in  holes  of  trees,  eaves  of  houses,  church- 
steeples,  old  towers  and  ruins,  In  cliffs  or  in  high  rocks  overhanging  the  sea,  and  in 
wooden  boxes  put  up  for  its  accommodation.  The  material  used  for  the  nest  Is  twigs, 
straws  and  fine  grasses.  The  eggs  are  four  to  six  In  number,  of  a  pale  greenish-blue 
or  bluish-white.  A  set  of  five  eggs  collected  by  W.  Wells  niadden.  May  4,  in  Stafford- 
shire, England,  is  in  my  cabinet,  and  exhibits  the  following  sizes:  1.13x.84,  l.lOx.82, 
l.llx.83,  1.18X.79,  1.20X.79.  ;.  - 


^T I 


.       l-*l-/,Oj. 


) , 


y 


4U3.     Starling. 

494.  BOBOLINK.  Dolichouyx  oryzivonis  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dlst.— Eastern  North 
America  to  the  Plains,  north  to  Southern  Canada,  south  in  winter  to  the  West  In»- 
dles  and  South  America.    Breeds  from  the  Middle  Jtates  northward. 

A  familiar  bird  In  Eastern  United  States,  breeding  from  the  38th  to  the  54th 
parallel.    In  some  parts  of  the  country,  in  suitable  places.  It  la  very  abundant.    Of 

23 


338 


?iEaTS  AND  EOQS  OF 


all  our  oatural  songsters  the  Bobolink  is  the  most  noted  and  popular.  Descriptions 
of  his  song  so  frequently  appear  in  literature  that  even  those  who  have  not  heard  it 
must  form  a  good  idea  of  its  enchanting  music: 

"  That  rollicking,  Jubilant  wtilstle. 
That  roils  lil<e  a  brooklet  along— 
That  sweet  flageolet  of  the  meadows, 
The  bubbling,  bobolink  song." 

Often  have  I  heard  him  sing  when  on  the  wing,  or  when  at  rest,  with  the  broad, 
meadow  and  pasture  lands  spread  before  him,  perched  oa  the  top  of  a  wind-beateu 
reed,  with  his  wings  sunward  spread,  his  head  erect,  hl8  white  and  black  bucit 
glistening  in  the  sunlight,  pouring  forth  his  "bubble-ing"  bobolink  notes  to  the  azure 
windows  of  heaven.  In  the  South  he  is  known  as  the  Rice-bird,  in  the  Middle  States 
M  Reed-bird  and  Meadow-wink,  and  in  the  North  as  Skunk  Blackbird.    The  nesting 


494.    Bobolink. 

time  is  In  the  latter  part  of  May  or  in  June.  The  nest  of  the  Bobolink  is  very  hard  to 
find;  it  is  built  in  a  natural  cavity  of  the  ground,  amongst  the  tall  grass  of  meadows; 
sometimes  it  is  sunk  in  the  depression  made  by  a  cow's  or  a  horse's  hoof.  Fields  of 
clover,  with  here  and  there  a  tall  weed-sta^K  or  sapling,  on  which  the  birds  alight,  are 
favorite  nesting  resorts.  In  leaving  the  nest  the  female  will  run  off  through  the 
grass  quite  a  distance  before  rising,  and  she  will  repeat  the  same  performance  upoa 
her  return,  so  that  the  nest  can  only  be  found  by  diligent  and  careful  search  in  the 
vicinity  from  which  she  arlFes.  The  eggs,  too,  resemble  the  color  of  the  ground  so 
closely  that  they  are  easiiy  overlooked.  The  nest  Is  a  very  slight  affair,  made  of  dry 
grasses  and  weed-stems,  arranged  In  a  circular  form.  The  eggs  are  usually  five, 
sometimes  six  or  seven  in  number,  and  of  a  dull  white  or  grayish-white,  variously 
tinged  with  light  drab,  olive  reddish  and  grayish-brown,  intermingled  with  laven- 
der; the  leneral  effect  being  that  of  a  dark,  heavily-colored  egg.  Ten  specimens 
measure:  .Tfx.SS,  .SOx.55,  .86x.60,  .84x.63,  .87x.58,  .87x.61,  .88x.66,  .86x.61,  .83x.60. 
.85x.60.     An  average  specimen  measures  .85x.64. 


406.    COWBIBD.     Mnlothrus  ater  (Bodd.)     Qeog.  Dist.— Whole  of  the  United 
States,  north  into  Southern'  British  Columbia,  south  in  winter  to  Mexico. 

•   Known  as  tne  Cow  Bunting  or  Cow  Blackbird  from  its  habit  of  alighting  on  the 
backs  of  cows  or  cattle,  where  it  sits  contentedly  while  they  are  grazing.    It  is  a 


1!\ 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


339 


BOtoriouB  parasite,  and  does  not  build  a  nest,  but  like  the  European  Cuckoo,  lays 
Its  egga  in  the  nests  of  other  birds,  usually  in  those  of  species  smaller  than  itself. 
Generally  a  single  egg  is  deposited,  but  as  many  as  five  have  been  found  in  a  nest 
The  exact  number  the  female  lays  is  not  known.  Eggs  of  this  bird  are  subject  to 
great  variation  in  their  size  and  markings,  and  when  found  in  the  nests  of  such  birds 
as  the  Cardinal  Redbird,  Towhee  Bunting,  Meadow  Lark  and  Brown  Thrasher,*  it 
is  sometimes  difficult  to  readily  distinguish  which  is  which."  Yet  it  should  not  be 
understood  that  the  Cowbird's  eggs  look  exactly  like  those  of  the  species  Just  men- 
tioned, for  they  really  have,  on  the  whole,  only  a  faint  resemblance  to  them,  and 
when  a  large  series  of  either  species  is  brought  together  and  compared  with  those 
of  the  Cowbird  the  diHerence  is  at  once  apparent.  Dr.  Jones  suggests  that  when 
the  egg  of  the  Cowbird  resembles  so  closely  the  eggs  in  the  nest  where  it  has  been  laid, 
as  to  make  identification  uncertain,  it  is  a  good  plan  to  blow  all  the  eggs  and  notice 
if  the  suspected  egg  has  a  yelk  of  different  tint  from  the  balance  of  the  set.  If  it  has, 
it  is  strong  evidence  that  it  was  laid  by  an  intruder,  for  almost  invariably  eggs  of  the 
same  set  have  the  same  tinted  yelks.  The  ground-color  of  the  Cowbird's  egg  is  white 
or  gray,  sometimee  obscured  by  the  abundance  of  markings.  Spots,  specks  and 
blotches  are  generally  pretty  evenly  distributed  over  th«  entire  surface.  The  mark- 
ings vary  from  a  chocolate-brown  to  those  of  a  reddish  and  yellowish-brown.  The 
whole  surface  of  ant  egg  is  often  quite  densely  marked  with  specks  the  size  of  a  pin 
point,  while  the  shell  of  other  specimens  is  sparsely  spotted.  Ten  specimens  selected 
at  random  from  a  very  large  series  exhibit  the  following  sizes:  .80x.62,  .82x.66,  .84x 
.62,  .88X.66.  .89X.63,  .87x.65,  .82x.60,  .83x.64,  .89x.64,  .80X.62.  A  common  size  is 
.88X.64. 

495a.  DWABF  COWBIRD.  Molothrus  ater  obscurua  (Qmel.)  Oeog.  Dist.— 
Mexico,  and  southern  border  of  the  United  States  from  Texas  to  Arizona  and  I^wer 
California. 

This  is  a  smaller  form,  inhabiting  the  southern  border  of  the  United  States 
from  Texas  to  Arizona  and  southward.  Its  habits  are  identical  with  the  Cowbird  of 
the  East,  and  the  eggs  are  colored  the  same,  but  like  the  bird,  average  smaller. 
Five  specimens  measure:  .77x.60,  .80x.59,  .75x.59,  .70x.67,  .72x.58.  The  average  size 
of  ten  specimens  from  Arizona  is  .74x.59. 


486.  BED-EYED  COWBIBD.  Callothrua  robu8tu»  (Cab.)  Oeog.  Dist.— East- 
ern and  Southern  Mexico,  Yucatan,  and  south  to  Panama;  north  to  the  lower  Rio 
Grande  Valley  in  Texas. 

A  bronze-colored  Blackbird  with  blood-red  iris.  Common  on  the  Lower  Rio 
Grande  in  Texas.  Dr.  Merrill  took  specimens  at  Hidalgo,  but  they  were  not  so 
abundant  at  this  point  as  lower  down  the  river,  where  they  are  common  throughout 
the  year,  a  smaller  proportion  going  south  in  winter.    Those  that  remain  gather  in 


*  Besides  those  nbove  named  the  followinK  are  some  of  the  nests  in  which  the  Cow- 
bird's oKRs  have  been  found:  Blue-gray  Onatcatcher,  Black  and  White  Warbler,  Blue- 
yellow-backed  Wnrbler  (Pnruln),  Worm-«'atlnB  Warbler.  Prothonotary  Warbler.  Mary- 
land Yellow- throat.  Yellow  Warbler,  House  Wren,  WarbllnfC,  Yellow-throated  and  Rod- 
eyed  VIreos.  Indlffo  BuntinR,  ChlppinK  Sparro\/,  American  Qoldnnch,  Song  Sparrow, 
Swamp  Sparrow.  S'ate-colored  Juncn.  Oven  Bird,  Pewee,  Acadian  and  Traill's  Flycatchers, 
Black-throated  Bunting,  European  House  Sparrow  (Passer  domeslcus).  Yellow-breasted 
Ohat,  Bluebird,  Orchard.  Baltimore,  Bullock's  and  Hooded  Orioles,  Scarlet  Tanager,  Klng- 
blrd,  Towhee,  Prairie  Horned  Lark  (Octocorls  alpestrls  practlcola),  Wilson's  Thrush, 
W«94  TruBh,  Red-headed  Woodpecker.  Robin  and  Mourning  Dove. 


340 


NESTS  AND  EGOS  OF 


flocks  with  the  Long-tailed  Orackles,  commoa  Cowbirds,  Brewer's,  Red-winged  and 
Yellow-headed  Blackbirds.  He  found  its  eggs  in  the  nests  of  Bullock's,  Hooded  and 
the  Orchard  Orioles,  once  in  the  nest  of  the  Yellow-breasted  Chat,  and  Red-winged 
Blackbird,  Scissor-tailed  Flycatcher  and  Texan  Cardinal  il'iirrhuluTia  HimmUi).  The 
eggs  of  the  Red-eyed  Cowbird  are  plain  bluish-green,  similar  to  that  in  the  eggs  as 
.90X.70,  the  extremes  being  .96x.75  and  .82x.65. 


%    i    :1H 


i:    ',1 


497.      YELLOW-HEADED     BLACXBIBD.       Xanihnrrphaltis     mnthnrrphnUm 
(Bonp.)    Geog.  Dist.— Western  North  America  to  the  Pacific,  east  regularly  to  Wis- 
consin,   Illinois,    Kansas    and    Texas. 
Accidental  in  the  Atlantic  States. 

The  handsome  Yellow  -  headed 
Blackbird  is  found  generally  dis- 
tributed on  the  prairies  in  all  favorable 
localities  from  Texas  on  the  south  to 
Illinois  and  Wisconsin,  thence  to  the 
Pacific.  A  common  bird  in  the  West, 
nesting  in  May  and  June.  It  collects  in 
colonies  to  breed  in  marshy  places  any- 
where in  its  general  range,  often  in 
company  with  the  Red-winged  Black- 
bird. The  nests  are  usually  placed  in 
the  midst  «f  lai  ge  marshes,  attached  to 
the  tall  flags  and  grasses.  They  are 
generally  large,  light,  but  thick-brim- 
meu,  made  of  interwoven  grasses  and 
sedges  impacted  together.  The  eggs 
are  stated  to  range  from  two  to  six  in 
number,  but  the  usual  number  is  four. 
In  the  hundreds  of  sets  that  have  come 
into  my  hands  only  three  contained  five 
eggs  of  each.  Their  ground-color  is 
dull  g»^ayish-white,  in  some  grayish- 
green,  profusely  covered  with  small 
blotches  and  specks  of  drab,  purplish- 
brown  and  umber.  Their  average  size 
is  1.12X.75. 


408.      BED  -  WINGED  BLACK- 

BIBD.       Ai/vlaim*     pinniirrus     (Linn.) 

Geog.  Dlst.— North  America  in  general, 
497     Yrllow-hraded  blackbiud.  from  Great  Slave  Lake  south  to  Costa 

Rica,  excepting  Western  Mexico  and  Lower  Colorado  Valley,  Southern  Florida, 
the  Gulf  coast  and  the  Lower  Rio  Grande  Valley  in  Texas  during  the  breeding 
season. 

The  Red-winged  Starling  or  Swamp  Blackbird  is  found  from  the  Atlantic  to  the 
Pacific,  and  as  far  north  as  the  57th  parallel,  breeding  more  or  less  abundantly 
wherever  found,  from  Florida  and  Te:  as  to  the  Saskatchewan  country.  In  its  native 
marshes  during  the  breeding  season,  which  is  in  May  and  June,  a  loud  chorus  of 
discord  and  harmony  may  be  heard  from  the  Red-wings,  and  above  all  the  strange, 
reverberating  kumHiuvr-ree,  kmuj-qurr-rpc.    The  nest  is  usually  built  in  reeds  or 


TT 


NORTH  AilEKICAN  BIRDS. 


341 


bushes  near  the  ground,  often  In  a  tussock  of  grass,  sometimes  on  the  ground,  and 
once  In  a  while  at  a  considerable  elevation'  In  a  tree.  The  materials  are  usually  strips 
of  rushes  or  sedges,  lined  with  finer  grass  and  sometimes  with  a  few  horse  hairs, 
rt  is  rather  bulky,  and  not  at  all  artistic.  This  bird  nests  in  communities,  and  one 
Is  quite  as  likely  to  find  several  nests  near  each  other  as  a  single  one,  in  a  piece  of 


498.    Rbd-wimuro  Blackbird  (From  Brehm). 


swamp.  NestB  and  eggs  found  in  Texas  are  smaller  than  the  average  of  those  found 
In  the  more  northern  States.  The  eggs  are  light  blue,  marbled,  lined,  blotched  and 
clouded  with  markings  of  light  and  dark  purple  and  black,  almost  entirely  about 
the  larger  end,  but  vary  considerably  in  this  respect;  they  are  usually  four,  rarely 
five  In  number,  and  average  l.OOx.75.  Mr.  I.  E.  Hess,  of  Phllo,  111.,  makes  note  of  an 
unusual  Red-wing's  nest  in  "The  Osprey"*  for  September,  1897.  It  is  as  follows: 
"On  May  25  of  last  season,  I  climbed  to  the  top  of  a  wild  cherry  tree  for  what  I  sup- 
posed to  be  a  nest  of  the  Kingbird.  I  was  greatly  surprised  to  find  it  a  Red-winged 
Blackbird's  nest.  It  was  firmly  fastened  to  a  branch  twenty-one  feet  from  the 
ground.  In  construction  it  differed  very  materially  from  the  usual  Red-wing  style, 
being  composed  of  strings,  grasses  and  feathers,  much  after  the  Tyrannun  tyrannm 
mode  cf  architecture.  The  tree  stands  within  fifteen  feet  of  a  large  farm  residence, 
and  Is  fully  half  a  mile  from  open  water.  The  site  i«  one  where  I  should  never  have 
looked  for  a  nest  of  AyelaiuH  ph(riiirrvH." 


*The  Onprpy,  an  Tllnntrated  Mnnchly  Mairastne  of  OrnitholORy.  Edited  by  Walter  A 
Johnson.  nuBOclnted  with  Dr.  Elliott  CoueB.  Washinffton.  D.  C,  Vol.  VII.  No.  1,  p.  13.  Pub- 
lished by  the  Ouprey  Comnany,  Oaleaburfr,  III.  Official  Organ  of  the  Cooper  Ornlihologlca', 
Club  of  the  Paolflc  Cbast. 


542 


NESTl^  AMD  EOUH  OF 


rfl 


f 

:  I'i) 
;,  1  "! 


498.    RKD-waNOED  Blackbikd.    Upper,  male ;  lower,  femtJe  (After  Aadubon). 

498a.  SONORAN  BED-WINO.  Agelaitts-phwniceua  soiwrieusiit  Y{\As^.  Geog, 
DIst. — Northern  Mexico  and  contiguous  borders  of  the  United  States,  from  the  Lower 
Rio  Grande  Vailey  and  Southern  Arizona  north  to  the  Lower  Colorado  Valley.  Cali- 
fornia and  Chilliwacic,  British  Columbia. 

This  is  a  larger  race  than  the  Northern  Red-wing,  with  a  smaller  bill,  and  in  tha 
male  the  upper  parts  are  lighter  colored;  the  female  is  also  paler  in  color.  The  nest- 
ing habits,  eggs,  etc.,  are  identical  with  those  of  Ayelaiua  phoeniceua. 


Tri 


yoUTU  AMKRICAN  BIRDS. 


343 


408b.  BAHAMAN  BED-WING.  Ayilaius  phaniirus  bryantl  Ridgw.  Geog. 
Diet.— Bahamas  and  Southern  FlorMa,  west  to  the  Gulf  coast  of  Ix)u<siana  (Lake 
Borgne),  south  to  Yucatan  ari  Nicaragua. 

A  smaller  race  with  a  larger  bill  than  the  preceding  subspecies;  the  plumage  of 
the  upper  parts  is  darker, 

498c.  FLOBIDA  BED-WING.  Ayclaiua  phanlreua  floridlanuH  Maynard.  Geog. 
Diet.— Florida. 

The  Florida  Red-winged  Blackbird  has  in  all  respects  the  general  habits  and 
characteristics  of  the  Red-wing  of  the  Northern  States.  Tto  neaLI;:g  and  eggs  are 
identical. 

400.  BICOLOBED  BLACKBIBD.  Aitdaius  yuhcmator  (Wagl.)  Geog.  Dist.— 
Pacific  coast  districts,  from  Western  Washington,  south  to  Lower  California,  west  to 
the  Cascades  and  the  Sierra  Nevadai..  Casually  to  Western  Nevada  and  Southeast- 
ern California. 

The  Red-and-black-shouldered  Blackbird  occurs  along  the  Pacific  coast  from 
British  Columbia  south  throughout  California.  The  female  is  not  distinguishable 
from  the  female  Red-wing,  and  the  nesting  habits  are  exactly  the  same,  placing  the 
nests  in  watercress  or  rushes,  along  running  streams,  d'^^^nhes  and  swamps.  The 
eggs  are  light  blue  or  bluish-white,  marked  around  the  larger  end  with  waving  lines 
of  dark  brown,  lighter  in  shade  than  the  markings  on  the  eggs  of  the  common  Red- 
wine;;  four  or  five  in  number;  size  from  .90  to  1.05  in  length  by  .64  to  .74  in  breadth. 

500.  TBICOLOBED  BLACKBIBD.  Agelaius  tricolor  (Nutt.)  Geog.  Dist.— 
Valleys  of  the  Pacific  coast,  from  Southern  California  to  Western  Oregon. 

This  species  is  known  as  the  Red-and-white-shouldered  Blackbird,  and  belongs 
to  California  and  Oregon;  is  especially  abundant  in  the  swamps  and  marshes  of  the 
former  State.  Like  the  Swamp  Blackbird  of  the  Eastern  States,  it  nests  in  the  vi- 
cinity of  water,  in  colonies,  usually  placing  the  nest  in  alder  bushes,  willows  and  fiags. 
It  is  composed  of  mud,  straw  and  coarse  grass,  lined  with  finer  fibrous  material. 
The  eggs  are  of  a  light  blue,  slightly  deeper  than  the  ground-color  of  the  Red-wing's 
eggs,  marked  around  the  larger  end  with  a  circle  of  ashy-brown>,  sometimes  black, 
irregular  lines  and  blotches;  four  or  five  in  number;  size  1.00x.60. 

501.  MEADOWIiABX.  Sturnella  magna  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist. — Eastern  North 
America,  west  to  the  Plains,  north  to  Canada. 

The  Old  Field  Lark  is  a  well-known  bird  in  the  United  States  east  of  the  Missis- 
sippi, breeding  wherever  found,  from  Florida  and  Texas  northward.  West  of  the 
Mississippi  it  is  replaced  by  the  Western  form,  Sturnella  maffita  ndfflecta  <Aud.)  As  its 
r.r  me  implies,  the  meadows  and  fields  are  its  home.  In  almost  any  stretch  of  pasture- 
land  may  be  found  a  pair  or  colony  of  Meadowlarks,  and  the  sweet  sound  of  their 
wild,  ringlet. ;.  ..nd  rather  melancholy  notes  fill  the  air  at  short  intervals  from  sunrise 
till  the  glo  ..ning.  The  nesting  time  is  in  May,  usually  beginning  in  the  middle  or 
latter  part  of  the  month.  The  nest  is  built  on  the  ground,  in  a  thick  tuft  of  grass;  it 
Is  pretty  compactly  made  of  coarse,  dry,  wiry  grasses,  and  lined  with  finer  blades  of 
the  same.  It  is  usuaMy  formed  with  a  covered  entrance  in  the  surrounding  withered 
grase  through  which  a  hidden  and  sometimes  winding  path  is  made,  and  generally 
so  well  concealed  that  the  nest  is  only  to  be  found  when  the  bird  is  fiushed.  The  eggs 
are  crystal-white,  more  or  less  thickly  spotted  or  dotted  with  reddish-brown  and 
purplish,  four  to  six  in  number,  with  great  variation  in  size,  averaging  l.lOz.80. 


4 


i44 


NKHTti  ANU.  EOati  OF 


ML: 


(' 

-I  »  » ** 

fill. 


,  I,- 


6ul.    Meadowlark  (From  Brehm). 

501a.  MEXICAN  MEADOWLARK.  NtunuUa  magna  mrxirana  (Scl.)  Qeog. 
Dist. — Valley  of  the  Lower  Rio  Grande  and  Southerm  Arizona,  and  south  through 
eastern  and  central  Mexico  to  Panama. 

The  general  habits  of  this  Southern  race  are  counterparts  of  those  of  the  Old 
Field  Lark  of  Eastern  United  States.  A  typical  set  of  four  eggs  of  this  variety,  col- 
lected by  Mr.  Frank  B.  Armstrong  in  Tamaulipas  county,  Mexico,  on  May  3,  1895,  is 
in  Mr.  C.  W.  Crandall's  oological  collection.  He  states  that  on  comparing  them  with 
his  series  of  the  eggs  of  the  Eastern  and  Western  larks  he  can  find  no  appreciable  dif- 
ference from  the  general  type.  The  four  eggs  measure  1.16x.80,  1.14x.79,  1.14x.79, 
1.22X.80  inches,  respectively. 


SOlb.  WESTEBN  MEADOWLAB.K.  Sturnella  magna  neghcta  (Aud.)  Oeog. 
Dist — Western  United  States,  from  Wisconsin,  Illinois,  Iowa,  Texas,  etc.,  west  to  the 
Pacific  coast  and  north  to  British  Columbia  and  Manitoba  south  through  Central  and 
Western  Mexico  to  Guanajuato  and  Jalisco. 

Both  of  our  Meadow  larks,  8.  mdffna  and  R.  neglecta,  occur  in  portions  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi Valley,  overlapping  each  other  in  their  typical  styles  for  a  distance  of  several 
hundred  miles,  intermediate  specimens  being  extremely  rare.  For  this  reason, 
and  on  account  of  the  great  difference  of  its  notes  and  other  peculiarities,  >S'.  m. 
neglecta  should  doubtless  be  considered  a  distinct  species.  Its  song,  according  to 
those  who  have  heard  it,  is  remarkably  fine,  less  shrill,  more  plaintive  and  richer 
than  that  of  the  Eastern  Meadowlark.*  In  Los  Angeles  county,  California,  Mr. 
Shields  states  that  the  nesting  season  Is  from  April  15  to  the  last  of  June.  Colonel 
Goss  gives  it  as  a  common  bird  in  Western  and  Middle  Kansas,  where  it  begins  laying 
about  the  middle  of  May.  Nesting  habits  and  eggs  are  similar  to  those  of  >Sr.  mdffna. 
The  markings  on  a  large  series  of  the  eggs  of  the  Western  Meadowlark  before  me  are 
finer  than  on  the  eggs  of  S.  magna.    The  average  size  of  ten  specimens  is  1.08x.84. 


*  For  a  dencrtption  of  the  nongs  of  the  WeRtern  Meadowlark,  see  Charles  N.  Allen's 
article:    Bull.  Nutt.  OmJth.  Club.    Vol.  VI,  pp.  146-150. 


il      N 


NUKTU  AUEUIVAS  UlUUd. 


345 


[602.]  TBOUPIAL.  Utirus  icteruH  (Linn.)  Geog.  DlBt— Northern  South 
America;  West  Indies  (Introduced).    Accidental  at  Charleston,  S.  C.  (Audubon). 

This  splendid  Oriole  Is  admitted  as  North  American  on.  the  strength  of  a  single 
specimen,  fihot  in  Charleston^  S.  C,  by  John  W.  Audubon,  son  of  the  great  ornitholo- 
gist. Others  were  seen  at  the  same  place,  and  Audubon  was  Informed  that  small 
groups  of  four  and  five  subsequently  made  their  appearance  In  the  same  city  and 
among  the  islands.  Another  specimen  was  shot  which  fell  in  the  river,  and  was 
lost.  These  may  have  been  birds  that  escaped  from  cages,  but,  as  Dr.  Brewer  ob- 
serves: "If  his  information  was  correct,  it  precludes  the  supposition  that  those 
which  have  been  procured  are  caged  birds."  The  Troupial  is  a  very  popular  and  de- 
sirable cage  bird,  having  a  loud,  clear,  flute-like  whistle,  and  when  kept  in  confine- 
ment becomes  very  tame.  It  is  common  to  all  the  northern  countries  of  South 
America,  where  it  Is  said  to  a8Soc!x...e  in  large  flocks.  The  nest  is  described  as  a 
large,  massive,  pensile  fabric;  the  eggs  are  four  or  five  in  number,  with  a  ground- 
color varying  from  reddish-drab  to  deep  purple,  blotched  and  streaked  with  reddish- 
brown  and  blackish.    Size,  1.10x.90. 

503.  AUDUBON'S  OSIOLE.  Icterus  audubonii  Oiraud.  Geog.  Dist.— Central 
and  Northern  Mexico,  north  to  the  Lower  Rio  Grande  Valley  in  Texas. 

This  large  and  beautiful  Oriole  is  found  in  the  United  States  In  the  Lower  Rio 
Grande  Valley,  from  thence  southward.  Dr.  Merrill  found  it  in  moderate  abundance 
about  Fort  Brown,  where  It  Is  the  only  resident  species.  Its  usual  song  is  a  pro- 
longed and  repeated  whistle  of  extraordinary  mellowness  and  sweetness,  each  note 
varying  in  pitch  from  the  preceding.  It  Is  shy,  and  remains  In  the  deep  woods 
during  the  breeding  season.  At  Lomita,  on  the  Rio  Grande,  Mr.  George  B.  Sennett 
found  two  nests  with  incomplete  sets  of  eggs  early  in  May.  At  Hidalgu  a  set  of  four 
was  taken.  The  three  nests  were  found  in  heavy  timber,  some  ten  or  twelve  feet 
from  the  ground,  are  half-pensile,  something  like  those  of  the  Orchard  and  Bullock's 
Orioles,  and  attached  to  upright  terminal  branches.  They  are  composed  of  dried 
grasses  woven  among  the  growing  twigs  and  leaves  so  as  to  form  a  matting  light 
and  firm.  They  measure  on  the  inside  some  three  inches  in  depth  and  rather  more 
in  width.  The  eggs  Mr.  Sennett  describes  as  being  peculiar,  resembling  those  of  no 
other  found  in  that  region.  The  ground-color  is  white,  covered  with  fine  flecks  of 
brown,  giving  the  egg  the  appearance  of  being  covered  with  dust.  Over  these  flecks, 
and  principally  at  the  larger  end,  are  irregular  stains  and  splashes  of  deeper  brown, 
sometimes  mixed  with  lilac,  on  which  are  coarse  dark  brown  or  black  hieroglyphics. 
Some  have  more  and  larger  splashes  than  others,  but  none  are  free  from  the  dark, 
grotesque  lines  peculiar  to  the  eggs  of  this  family.  In  shape  they  are  less  pointed, 
and  in  size  smaller  to  size  of  bird,  than  those  of  other  Orioles.  The  shells  are  very 
tender.  Nine  specimens  average  in  size  .97x.71,  the  largest  being  l.OOx.72,  and  the 
smallest  .96x.67.* 


604.  SCOTT'S  OBIOLE.  JrUrus  parisorum  Bonap.  Geog.  Dist.— Central  Mexi- 
co, north  to  southern  border  of  the  United  States— Texas  to  Arizona.  Lower  Cali- 
fornia. 

Scott's,  Paris  or  Black-and-yellow  Oriole,  as  It  is  variously  called.  Is  found  more 
or  less  abundantly  In  all  suitable  localities  of  Southern  Texas,  New  Mexico  and 
Arizona.    On  May  4,  1885,  Mr.  W.  E.  D.  Scott  found  a  nest  of  this  species  containing 


•  Further  Nctes  on  thu  Ornithology  of  the  Lower  Rio  Grande  of  Texas. 


346 


XKNTtt  AND  KOnS  OF 


two  fresh  eggs,  in  Pinal  county,  Arizona.  During  the  summer  of  1884  he  found  flre 
nesta  in  the  Hamo  region,  between  May  24  and  July  1.  All  except  one  were  placed 
in  yucca  plants,  aljout  four  feet  from  the  ground,  and  situated  not  far  from  water. 
Several  were  sewed  to  the  edge  of  dead  leaves,  which,  hanging  down  parallel  to  the 
trunks  of  the  plant,  entirely  concealed  the  nest.  These  were  semi-pensile,  and  com- 
posed externally  of  flbres  of  the  yucca,  fine  grasses,  cotton-waste,  twine  and  batting, 
lined  with  fine  grasses  and  cotton^ waste  throughout.  A  fifth  nest,  taken  July  1, 
was  built  in  a  sycamore  tree  about  eighteen  feet  from  the  ground.  Pensile,  being  at- 
tached to  the  nds  of  the  twigs  very  much  like  that  of  a  Baltimore  Oriole.  The  nests 
contained  three  and  four  eggs  each.  The  sizes  of  one  set  of  four,  taken  May  27,  am 
given  as  follows:  .9Cx.68,  .98x.66,  .92x.68,  .96x.C8;  another  set  of  four,  taken  May 
30,  exhibit  the  following  respective  measurements:  1.01  x.72,  1.02x.70,  .97x.70,  1.02x 
.73.  The  eggs  are  usually  four  in  number,  of  a  dull  white,  with  a  bluish  tint  variously 
marked  with  small  blotches  and  fine  dottings  of  purplish-brown,  approaching  black; 
in  some  are  found  the  zigzag  markings  common  to  the  «  tkb  of  the  Orioles. 


r 


;  i  II 


f 


:  i!w!\.i  9.     Qeog.  Dist.— Valley 
i'i  rn  ii!  i  Southern  Mexico. 


of 


505.     HOODED  ORIOLE.     IrlrruH  rucullu 
the  Lower  Rio  Grande  in  Texas,  south  through  E 

Accordini:  to  Dr.  James  C.  Merrill  and  Mr.  George  B.  .  nett,  this  is  the  most 
abundant  of  all  the  Orioles  on  the  Ix)wer  Rio  Grande  in  Texab.  Its  home  is  in  the 
woods  or  the  edges  of  forests  and  grove.s,  where  the  trees  are  hung  with  pendant 
tresses  of  Spanish  moss,  in  which  the  nests  are  built.  These,  Dr.  Merrill  says,  are 
perfectly  characteristic,  being  most  frequently  built  in  a  bunch  of  the  hanging  moss, 
usually  at  no  great  distance  from  the  ground;  when  so  placed,  the  nests  are  formed 
almost  entire'y  by  hollowing  out  and  matting  together  the  mos3  with  a  few  filaments 
of  dark,  hair-like  moss  as  a  lining.  Another  situation  is  in  a  bush  growing  to  a 
height  of  about  six  feet,  with  bare  stems,  throwing  out  irregular  masses  of  leaves  at 
the  top  which  conceal  the  nest.  A  few  pairs  build  in  the  Spanish  bayonets  that 
grow  on  sand  ridges  in  the  salt  prairies;  here  he  nests  are  built  chiefly  of  the  dry, 
tough  fibres  of  the  plant,  with  a  little  wool  or  thistle-down  as  lining;  they  are  placed 
among  the  dead  and  depressed  leaves,  two  or  three  of  which  are  used  as  supports. 
The  eggs  are  three  to  five  in  number,  white,  with  a  bluish  tinge,  or  buff,  marked 
with  hieroglyphics  and  pencllings  common  to  the  eggs  of  this  family,  but  not  so 
abundant.  These  markings  are  usually  brown,  but  when  profuse,  blaclc  and  lilac 
shades  appear.  The  larger  end  is  never  free  from  markings,  and  is  frequently  cov- 
ered with  them,  but  more  commonly  displays  them  in  the  form  of  a  band.  Dr.  Mer- 
rill says  some  sets  are  precisely  like  large  Vireo's  egga.  Mr.  Bennett  gives  the 
average  size,  taken  from  a  large  series,  as  .86z.60. 


505a.  ABIZONA  HOODED  OBIOLE.  Ictcrm  nicullatun  nelsoni  Ridgw.  Geog. 
Dist. — Southern  Arizona  and  California,  south  into  Western  Mexico  and  Lower  Cali- 
fcrnia. 

This  variety  of  the  Hooded  Oriole  is  a  common'  breeding  bird  in  Southern  Ari- 
zona and  California.  Prof.  B.  W.  Everman  found  it  nestinfr  quite  numerously  as 
far  north  as  San  Buenventura,  California,  and  states  that  it  has  beem  found  breeding 
at  Santa  Barbara,  thirty  miles  farther  up  the  coast,  though  not  so  commonly  as  in 
Ventura  county.  The  first  full  set  of  eggs  was  taken  May  1 ;  the  average  number  to  a 
f>et  in  that  region  is  five.  The  nests  were  generally  suspended  in  sycamores,  often 
in  live-oaks,  ran<glng  from  five  to  fifteen  feet  from  the  ground.  They  are  composed 
of  grass  picked  while  yet  green,  so  that  the  nest  is  usually  of  a  bright  straw-color. 


SOUTH  ASIERIVAS  ItlHIiti. 


347 


Mr.  R.  B.  Herron  found  thlR  bird  breeding  at  San  Qorgonla  Pass,  California,  in  the 
months  of  May  and  June,  1883;  the  nests  were  placed  In  sycamores,  ranging  from  ten 
to  twenty  feet  above  the  ground.  In  Southern  Arizona  it  was  found  breeding 
abundantly  by  Mr.  W.  E.  D.  Scott,  In  May,  June  and  July,  rearing  two,  not  infre- 
quently three  broods  in  a  season;  a  new  home  is  built  for  each  brood.  The  nests 
were  built  in  cottonwood,  ash  and  sycamores,  from  twelve  to  forty-five  feet  above 
the  ground;  they  were  also  built  in  the  mistletoe  that  grows  plentifully  on  the 
mesquitp  trocs  in  the  region  about  Tucson.  The  nests  were  exceedingly  variable  in 
their  appearance,  composition  and  manner  of  attachment  to  the  trees — some  were 
truly  pensile,  like  those  of  the  Baltimore  Oriole,  others  were  more  like  those  of  the 
Orchard  Oriole,  and  one  rested  on  a  stout  twig  and  could  hardly  be  regarded  as  a 
banging  nest  at  all.  The  external  materials  were  coarse  dry  or  green  grasses  and 
yucca  fibres;  the  linings  were  the  same,  but  finer,  and  in  some  instances  horse-hairs 
and  cotton-waste.  In  these  nests  Mr.  Scott  found  three  or  four  eggs.  The  eggs 
vary  somewhat  in  shape,  some  being  obtuse  and  more  spherical,  others  more  pointed 
and  oblong.  They  have  a  beautifpl  white  ground,  sometimes  tinged  with  bluish, 
marbled,  blotched  and  dotted  with  large  dashes  and  irregular  zigzag  lines  of  purple, 
brown  and  black,  chiefly  at  the  larger  end.  A  complement  of  four  typical  eggs, 
collected  by  Professor  Evermann  near  Santa  Paula.  California,  April  13,  1881,  meas- 
ure as  follows:  .94x.66,  .94x.64,  .92x.63,  .89x.63.  Four  sets  of  four  eggs  each, 
lected  by  Mr.  Herron,  are  before  me.  A  set  taken  June  10, 1883,  exhibit  the  folio «  ag 
dimensions:  .79x.63,  .78x.63,  .80x.62,  .84x.62.  A  common  size  is  .84x.64,  ant'  tae 
average  of  sixteen  specimens  is  .88X.62. 


W 


506.  ORCHARD  ORIOLE.  Icterus  npuriua  (Linn.)  Oeog.  Dist.— Kao  m 
United  States,  west  to  the  Great  Plains,  south  in  winter  to  Panama. 

An  abundant  species  in  Eastern  United  States  during  the  breeding  seasi.  ;  aich 
is  in  May  and  June.  The  male  is  of  a  chocolate  and  black  color;  the  female  is  smaller 
than  the  male,  and  of  a  yellowish-olive.  Orchards  and  groves  are  its  favorite  re- 
sorts, and  two  broods  are  frequently  reared  in  a  season.  The  nest  is  rarely  found  in 
a  large  tree  or  in  dense  woods,  and  the  distance  from  the  ground  is  from  five  to 
twenty  feet,  usually  about  ten.  It  is  a  handsome,  substantial  basket,  or  purse-like 
structure,  woven  of  fresh  blades  of  grass  and  lined  with  feathers.  The  grasses  socn 
become  bleached,  and  long  retain  their  pea-green  color,  giving  to  the  nest  a  beautiful 
appearance.  Its  greenness  often  makes  it  diflficult  to  detect  in  the  foliage.  Doub!e 
nests  of  the  Orchard  Oriole  are  occasionally  met  with.  A  specimen  is  in  my  collec- 
tion, sent  me  from  Texas  by  Mr.  Slngley.  The  eggs  range  from  four  to  six,  usually 
five.  They  have  a  bluish  ground;  the  markings  consist  of  spots,  specks,  a  few  large 
blotches,  irregular  and  zigzag  lines  of  various  shades  of  brown,  chiefly  about  the 
crown;  there  are  also  deep  shell-marks  of  a  purplish.  In  a  large  series  of  eggs  the 
variation  in  size  is  considerable,  measuring  as  they  do  from  .70  to  .86  long  by  .50  to 
.62  broad. 


607.  BALTIMORE  ORIOLE.  Icterua  ffalhula  (Linn.)  Oeog.  Dist.— Eastern 
North  America,  north  to  New  England,  Ontario  and  the  Saskatchewr  .  country,  west 
nearly  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  south  through  Eastern  Mexico  and  Central  America 
to  Panama. 

Known  as  the  Golden  Robin,  Firebird  and  Hangnest.  A  common  species  In 
Eastern  United  States  where,  on  account  of  its  handsome  dress,  the  peculiarity  of 
its  nest  and  its  loud  and  rather  melancholy  whistle,  it  is  well  known.    Its  nest  is  a 


348 


XESTH  AM)  KUaS  OF 


5ue.    Orchard  Oriole  and  Nest  (After  Audubon). 

masterpiece  of  workmanship,  wliich,  with  its  bill,  it  weaves  and  suspends  like  a 
hammock  from  the  drooping  bough  of  an  elm  or  sycamore,  in  dense  foliage.  The 
nest  is  pensile  and  nearly  a  cylindrical  pouch,  suspended  from  the  extremity  of  a 
branch.  The  distance  from  the  ground  varies  from  four  to  seventy  feet.  Any  sub- 
stance combining  Ihe  proper  length,  thickness  and  strength  is  used  in  the  construc- 
tion of  its  nest,  consequently  the  materials  depend  tr:  a  great  extent  upon  the  locality 
— long  grasses,  strips  of  bark,  vegetable  fibres,  yarns,  wrapping  twine,  horse  and  cow 
hairs,  rags,  paper  and  other  substances  that  are  readily  accessible.  The  nest  repre- 
sented in  our  illustration  is  taken<  from  a  typical  specimen  which  I  took  from  the 
branches  of  a  sycamore  in  Franklin  county,  Ohio,  May  23,  1884;  other  specimens  In 
my  collection  are  not  so  elaborately  made.  The  number  of  eggs  laid  rangee  from 
four  to  six.  The  ground-color  is  white,  with  a  slight  roseate  tinge  when  fresh,  fad- 
ing into  a  bluish  tint  when  blown,  marked  with  blotches,  lines,  scrawls,  and  the 
usual  hieroglyphics  common  to  eggs  of  this  genus,  irregularly  distributed  over  the 
surface;  usually  thickest  about  the  larger  end,  forming  a  wreath.    A  set  of  five 


'V 


JfORTB  AMBRIOAN  BIRDS. 


349 


,  ) 


y 


V 


;,  I 


V 


fi07.     Baltimore  Oriolk  and  Nbbt  ()asper  del.) 


350 


NKHTH  AND  EOUS  OV 


measure,  reapectlTely,  .82x.b2,  .80x.ti2,  .78x.60,  .84x.64,  .87x.63;  another  let,  four  in 
number,  l.OOx.64, 1.04x.64,  .98x.64,  1.08x.67.  A  common  siie  of  the  Baltimore  Oriole's 
U  .92X.62. 


508.  StriXOOX'S  O&IOLE.  Irttrun  huUockt  (Swains.)  Oeog.  Diet.— Western 
United  States  east  to  and  including  the  Rocky  Mountains,  south  in  winter  to  Mexico. 

This  Is  the  western  counterpart  of  the  Ualtlmore  from  the  Central  Plalnn  to  the 
Pacific.  The  nests  and  eggs  of  the  two  species  are  hardly  distinguishable.  Mr. 
Shields  says  that  Bullock's  Oriole  is  not  a  common  summer  resident  of  Ims  Angeleu 
county,  California,  and  it  begins  building  about  May  1.  Twenty  sets,  consisting  of 
four  and  five  eggs  respectively,  collected  by  Mr.  R.  B.  Herron,  in  the  latter  part  of 
May  and  first  of  June,  at  San  Gorgonia  Pass,  California,  are  before  me.  In  comparing 
them  with  a  large  series  of  /.  yalbula,  the  only  difference,  apparently,  is  that  the 
ground-color  of  those  of  bullorki  is  of  a  paler  and  clearer  bluish  tint,  upon  which 
the  markings  stand  out  in  bolder  contrast.*  The  average  size  of  fifteen  specimens 
is  .94X.62.    The  sizes  of  an  average  set  of  four  are  .89x.64,  .93x.66,  .93x.66,  .89x.65. 

^  600.  BUSTT  BLAOXBIBD.  Hcolecopkagus  caroUnua  (&ijil.)  Geog.  Dist.— 
Eastern  and  Northern  North  America,  west  to  Alaska  and  the  Plains.  Breeds  from 
Northern  United  States  northward.    Accidental  in  Lower  California. 

The  Rusty  Grackle  or  Thrush  Blackbird  is  only  a  migratory  species  in  most  of 
the  United  States,  and  is  only  seen  in  small  flocks  in  the  spring  and  fall  during  its 
passages  north  and  south.  Breeds  froqa  the  northern  States  northward.  Mr.  Ernest 
E.  Thompson  states  that  it  is  an  abundant  migrant  in  Western  Manitoba,  and  breeds 
commonly  about  Big  Plain  and  Winnipeg,  building  the  nest  on  the  ground  of  hair 
and  fibres,  much  like  that  of  a  Savanna  Sparrow  on  a  large  scale,  and  not  necessarily 
near  water.  A  nest  was  found  June  24  near  St.  John,  N.  B.,  by  James  W.  Banks; 
It  contained  two  young  and  two  eggs.  The  nest  was  placed  in  the  upper  branches  of 
a  spruce,  twenty-eight  feet  from  the  ground.  It  was  bulky  and  large  for  the  size 
of  the  bird,  composed  chiefly  of  honeysuckle  vines  and  mixed  with  mud,  forming  a 
solid  mass.  The  smaller  of  the  two  eggs  measured  1.09x.76.  The  eggs  are  described 
as  varying  from  a  grayish  to  a  light  green,  very  thickly  covered  with  blotches  and 
dottings  of  purplish  and  reddish-brown,  without  streaks  and  lines;  usually  four  in 
number,  varying  moich  in  the  character  of  their  markings.  The  variations  are  as 
great  as  are  those  !n  the  eggs  of  the  next  species.  The  number  laid  is  said  to  range 
fiom  four  to  seven  with  an  average  size  of  l.OOx.76. 


i   Oi  ' 


510.  BBEWEB'S  BLACXBIBD.  Seolecophagus  eyanocephalua  (Wagl.)  Geog. 
Diet. — Western  North  America,  from  the  Great  Plains  to  the  Paciflc,  north  to  the 
Saskatchewan,  south  to  the  table-lands  of  Mexico. 

The  Blue-headed  Grackle  is  an  abundant  species  throughout  the  West,  breeding 
in  all  suitable  localities.  In  California  it  breeds  In  immense  colonies.  Mr.  Shields 
states  that  in  Los  Angeles  county  it  begins  nesting  about  May  1.  The  usual  number 
of  eggs  laid  is  five,  sometimes  six,  and  even  eight.  The  nest  is  built  In  any  suitable 
place — In  the  fork  of  a  large  bush  or  live-oak  tree  and  In  garden  evergreens,  at  a 


•  A  set  of  Ave  egfirs  In  this  series,  taken  June  8,  seems  )  be  unique  In  their  erround- 
color  and  markings.  They  are  yellowish-buff,  with  a  homoRoneous  mass  of  regular  and 
It  regular  concentric  rings  about  the  larger  ends,  mingled  with  a  few  spots,  blotches  and 
bold  streaks.  These  are  of  a  rich  reddish-brown,  varying  in  intensity,  even  approaching 
black.  There  are  alse  underlying  circles  and  spots  of  purple.  Their  sises  are  .87z.66.  ,88z.66, 
.mxM.  MxM.  .96X.68. 


NORTH  WIHltirAS  niifits. 


iSl 


height  of  twenty  or  thirty  feet.  It  \n  largo  uud  bulky  uikI  conitructed  oxternally  of  a 
rough  frame  of  twigs,  with  a  layer  of  mud,  lined  with  flne  rootletu,  graBsoH,  horse 
and  cow  hairs.  As  many  as  a  dozen  nestu  have  been  found  In  a  Ringic  cy:..  jhb  treo. 
All  the  neits  found  by  Mr.  Bryant  noar  Carson,  Nevada,  were  upon  the  jround, 
tsually  on  the  edge  of  a  bank  formed  by  an  Irrigating  ditch,  with  the  exception  of 
one,  which  was  built  two  feet  from  the  ground  uiran  dry  lulc  and  well  hidden  by  the 
growing  stems.  In  a  large  series  of  eggs  extreme  varlationn  will  l)o  found  in  the 
fhape.  color  and  size.  They  are  of  a  dull  greenlsh-whltc  or  gray,  with  numerous 
streaks  and  blotches  of  dark  brown;  In  some  the  markings  arc  very  large  and  of  a 
lighter  shade,  In  others  smaller,  but  bo  numerous  as  to  conceal  the  ground-color. 
Ten  eggs  measure:  .96x.71.  .93x.77,  1.02x.70,  l.Olx.76.  1.03x.68.  l.OOx.73.  1.05X.7G,  l.OGx 
:n.  1.07X.73.  l,09x.73. 


F* 


511.    PuRPLB  Cn^CKt.*  (After  Audubon). 


611.  PURPLE  OBACKLE.  Quisralus  qulm-uUi  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dlst.— Atlantic 
CkMUBt  of  the  United  States  (except  Southern  Florida),  north  to  Massachusetts. 

A  well-known  and  an  abundant  species  of  the  Atlantic  coast,  ar.d  commonly 
called  Crow  Blackbird.    Its  nest  Is  built  In  trees  of  almost  any  kind,  usually,  hov^- 


352 


N/'ISTH  AND  EOaS  OF 


ever,  those  of  thick  foliage,  and  by  preference  coniferous  trees.  It  is  generally 
placed  on  the  boughs,  but  sometimes  in  cavities,  and  quite  often  in  hollow  stubs  in 
low  trees  near  vater.  In  secluded  places  the  nest  is  not  infrequently  built  in  bushes. 
It  1h  a  loose,  bulky  affair  of  twigs,  hay  and  grasses  which  are  often  cemented  with 
mud.  The  eggs  are  four  to  six  in  number,  and  they  present  great  variations  in  size 
and  color.  They  are  light  greenish-white,  with  large  dashes  and  irregular  streaks 
of  black  and  brown,  in  some  chiefly  at  the  larger  end;  in  others  the  ground-color  is 
of  a  rusty-brown;  these  are  marked  chiefly  about  the  larger  end  with  cloudy  blotches 
of  the  same  color.    The  average  size  is  1.18x.84. 

611a.  FLORIDA  OBACXLE.  Qui8<alus  quiHcula  Of/lwuH  (B&lrd.)  Oeog.  E  St.— 
Chiefly  southern  portion  of  Florida,  west  along  the  Gulf  coast  to  Louisiana. 

This  is  a  slightly  smaller  race  of  the  Crow  Blackbird  than  the  preceding.  Eggs 
In  my  cabinet  collected  in  the  v'.cinlty  of  Charlotte  Harbor,  Florida,  do  not  differ  in 
size  or  coloration  from  those  of  ijuiscula  (cnrus.  The  nesting  season  is  in  April. 
May  and  June.  .<;  * 


I 


611b.  BRONZED  GBAOXLE.  Quiacaiua  quiscula  a-neun  (Ridgw.)  Oeog.  Dist.— 
Bastern  North  America,  from  the  Alleghanies  and  New  England  north  to  Hudson 
Bay.  west  to  the  Rocky  Mountains. 

The  Bronzed  Crow  Blackbird  i»  a  very  common  species  everywhere  in  its  range. 
It  begins  nesting  in  favorable  seasons  as  early  as  the  middle  of  March,  and  by  the 
latter  part  of  April  many  of  the  nests  are  finished  and  incubation  has  begun.  Other 
nests  may  not  be  completed  until  sometime  in  May.  It  nests  anywhere  in  trees  or 
bushes,  on  boughs  or  in  hollow  limbs  or  stumps  at  any  height.  A  clump  of  evergreen 
trees  in  a  lonely  spot  is  a  favorite  site;  often  large  colonies  will  nest  in  such  places; 
and  it  is  also  found  breeding  especially  abundant  in  sycamore  groves  along  streams 
and  in  oak  woodland.  A  number  of  pairs  will  often  And  suitable  nesting  places  in  the 
trees  of  qulit  orchards.  The  nest  is  a  coarse,  bulky  structure,  composed  of  grasses, 
knotty  roots  mixed  with  mud:  the  lining  is  fine,  dry  grass,  horse  hair  or  sheep's  wool. 
The  eggs  are  light  greenish  or  smoky-blue,  with  irregular  lines,  dots,  blotches  and 
scrawls  distributed  over  the  surface;  there  is  just  as  much  variation  in  the  eggs  of 
this  species  as  is  found  in  those  of  purpurnift,  of  the  Atlantic  coast.  The  number  laid 
ranges  from  four  to  six,  although  on  the  15th  of  May,  18S8,  I  found  two  nests  con- 
taining seven  each.    The  average  size  of  ten  specimens  is  1.20x.82. 


*' 


Oeog. 


612.    ORE  AT-T  AILED    ORACKLE.    Quitiralu^    mnrrniiruit    Swains. 
DlBt. — Southern  Texas,  south  through  Eastern  Mexico  to  Central  America. 

Called  the  Fan-tailed  Crow  Blackbird  or  Texan  Crackle.  It  Ih  an  abundant  bird 
In  Southern  Texas.  Concerning  Its  nesting  Dr.  Merrill  says:  "Enrly  in  April,  after 
faveral  weeks  of  noisy  courtship,  they  begin  to  build  In  irregular  colonies,  and  by 
the  middle  of  the  month  have  eggs.  The  nests  are  perhaps  most  frequently  placed 
near  the  top  of  one  of  the  main  upright  branches  of  a  young  mesquite  tree.  They 
are  strongly  built  of  straws,  leaves  and  grasses,  mud  being  used  freely.  Where 
Spanish  moss  is  plentiful,  the  nest^  are  sometimes  composed  entirely  of  It;  and  I 
have  found  them  among  tule-reeds,  where  several  species  of  Herons  were  breeding. 
:i  have  also  found  their  nests  either  supported  by  the  lower  part  of  the  nest  of  the 
Caracara  EJagle.  or  In  the  same  tree."  The  eggs  are  usually  three  in  number,  although 
Mr.  Benners  found  many  sets  in  Texas  of  four  and  five.  They  vary  greatly  in  ap- 
pearance; the  ground  color  is  usually  a  greenish-white  or  purplish-brown,  more  or 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


353 


less  heavily  spotted  and  dashed  with  several  shades  of  brown.  The  markings  are 
apt  to  be  heavier  at  the  smaller  end.  By  this  peculiarity  they  can  usually  be  dis- 
tinguished from  those  of  (J.  mafor.  The  average  size  of  forty-five  eggs  Is  1.26x.86; 
largest  1.44x.91:  smallest  1.16x.82. 

513.  BOAT-TAILED  GBACXLE.  Quiscalua  mafor  Vlelll.  Geog.  Dlst.— South 
Atlantic  and  Qulf  States,  north  to  Virginia,  west  to  Texas. 

Along  the  coast  of  the  States  that  border  on  the  Atlantic  and  the  Gulf  of  Mexico, 
from  the  Carollnas  to  the  Rio  Grande,  the  Boat-tailed  Crow  Blackbird  is  an  abundant 
species.  It  is  known  as  the  Jackdaw.  Breeds  in  colonies  in  reeds  and  rushes  In  the 
midst  of  swamps,  or  anywhere  in  trees,  often  a  considerable  distance  from  water, 
and  the  nests  are  also  placed  In  bushes  or  upon  trees  at  heights  varying  from  twenty 
to  forty  feet.  It  Is  large  and  clumsy,  made  of  coarse  materials:  sticks,  dry  grasses, 
w^eeds,  strips  of  bark,  lined  with  finer  stems,  fibrous  roots  and  grasses.  The  nesting 
time  is  in  April,  May,  and  in  June,  according  to  locality.  Three  or  four  eggs  are 
laid,  of  a  brownish-drab;  some  tinged  with  olive,  others  with  green;  they  are  marked 
with  irregular  blotches  of  brown  and  black.  Ten  eggs  measure:  1.20x.90;  1.21x.86, 
1.23X.87,  1.27X.89,  1.26x.89,  1.27x.81,  1.24X.84.  1.30X.91,  1.29X.84,  1.28X.90.  The  average 
size  Is  1.24X.81  Inches. 


514.  EVEMIirO  GBOBBEAK.  Coceoihrauaica  reapertinuit  (Coop.)  Geog.  Dist— 
Western  British  Provinces,  east  to  Lake  Superior,  and  casually  to  Michigan,  Ohio, 
Ontario,  New  York,  and  New  England. 

This  handsome  bird  is  not  uncommon  in  various  portions  of  western  North 
America,  from  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the  Pacific.  It  is  a  common  resident  of  the 
forests  of  the  States  of  Washington  and  Oregon.  A  specimen  of  this  bird,  a  male, 
was  killed  by  Mr.  George  Osbun  in  front  of  the  Academy  Hall  of  the  Dennlson  Uni- 
versity, Granville,  Ohio,  December  10,  1889.  It  was  prepared  by  Prof.  W.  G.  Tight, 
and  is  now  in  the  museum  collection  of  that  Institution.  In  Oregon  Dr.  Merrill  ob- 
served the  birds  carrying  building  material  to  a  huge  fir  tree,  but  was  unable  to  locate 
the  nest,  and  the  tree  was  practically  inaccessible.  Mr.  Walter  E.  Bryant  was  the 
first  to  record  an  authentic  nest  and  eggs  of  the  Evening  Grosbeak.  In  a  paper  read 
before  the  California  Academy  of  Sciences,  June  20,  1887,  he  describes  a  nest  of  this 
species  containing  four  eggs,  found  by  Mr.  E.  H.  Flske,  In  Yolo  county,  California. 
The  nest  was  taken  May  10,  1886,  but  the  eggs  could  not  be  preserved,  as  incubation 
was  so  far  advanced.  In  general  shap«>,  color,  and  markings,  they  were  similar  to 
the  eggs  of  the  Black-headed  Grosbeak,  but  In  size,  Mr.  Flske  thinks,  they  were 
somewhat  larger.  The  nest  was  built  In  a  small  live  oak,  at  a  height  of  ten  feet,  and 
waa  a  more  pretentious  structure  than  is  usually  built  by  the  Black-headed  Grosbeak, 
being  composed  of  small  twigs  supporting  a  thin  layer  of  fibrous  bark  and  a  lining 
of  horse  hair.  June  S.  1884,  Mr.  John  Swinburne  found  a  nest  of  the  Evening  Gros- 
beak In  a  thickly  wooded  canon,  about  fifteen  miles  west  of  Sprlngerville,  Apache 
county,  Arizona.  The  nest  was  placed  about  fifteen  feet  from  the  ground.  In  the 
top  of  a  small  willow  bush,  on  the  border  of  a  stream.  It  was  a  comparatively  slight 
structure,  rather  flat,  and  composed  of  small  sticks  and  roots,  lined  with  finer  por- 
tions of  the  latter.  This  nest  contained  three  fresh  eggs  of  a  clear  greenish-ground 
color,  blotched  with  a  pale  brown. 

« 

514a.  WBSTSBN  BTBHIirO  OBOflBBAX.  Coccothrauatea  veaitertlnua  moK- 
tanua  Rldgw.  Geog.  Dist.— Western  North  America,  from  the  Pacific  coast  eastward 
to  the  Rocky  Mountains;  southward  over  the  tablelands  of  Mexico  to  Orizaba. 


354 


NESTS  /12V/)  KOOa  OF 


Ib  geireral  the  Western  Bvening  Grosbeak  appears  to  be  very  different  from  that 
Inhr.bltlng  the  region  of  the  Great  Lakes  and  the  north-central  portion  of  North 
America.  This  has  been  shown  from  the  study  of  quite  extensive  material  by  Dr. 
fidgar  A.  Mearns,  U.  S.  A.*  The  reference  made  to  the  nests  and  eggs  in  the  last 
spei^es  refer«  to  this  variety. 

515.  PINE  0£08BEAX.  Plnlcola  enucleator  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist.— -Northern 
parts  of  the  Northern  Hemisph<?re.  Breeds  from  Northern  New  England,  Labrador, 
etc.,  to  Alaska  (except  the  coast  south  of  the  peninsula),  and  south  in  the  higher 
Rocky  Mountain  regions  to  Colorado  and  Utah;  in  winter  south  to  Northern  United 
States. 

This  large,  handsome.  Grosbeak  is  resident  in  Northern  New  England,  elsewhere 
in  the  Northern  and  Eastern  States  It  is  a  winter  migrant.  Mr.  Uoardman  found  a 
nest  with  two  eggs  in  it  at  Calais,  Maine,  supposed  to  belong  to  this  species.  Dr. 
Ooues  found  It  breeding  in  Colorado,  living  up  near  timber  line,  and  observed  young 
birds  fully  fledged  In  June.  Mr.  Mcllwraith  thinks  that  It  Is  hightly  probable  that 
this  specie^  n.ay  yet  be  found  breeding  in  Ontario.  The  bird,  according  to  Dr. 
Coues,  inhablffl  chiefly  coniferous  woods  In  flocks  when  not  breeding,  feeding  upon 
the  fruit  of  such  trees.  "A  Ane  musician,  of  amiable  'Jlripositlon  and  gentle  manners, 
often  oag3d.  Nest  composed  of  a  basement  of  twigs  and  rootlets,  within  which  Ih  a 
more  compact  fabric  of  finer  materials;  eggs  usually  four,  pale  greenish-blue,  spotted 
and  blotched  with  dark  brown  surface  markings  and  lilac  shell-spots;  1.06x.74." 


[516.]     CASSIN'B    BULLFINCH.     I'urrhula    catBini    (Balrd.) 
Eastern  Siberia.    Accidental  at  Nulato,  Alaska, 


Geog.    DisL— 


In 

"      Hi 


11  <  >1 
I''      t'<i 


>r;' 


Slfl.    Camih'b  BubkriNCN  :  Adall,  tonal*  (ProoiTuraar). 

This  bird  belongs  to  the  North  American  fauna  solely  upon  the  capture  of  a 
specimen  at  Nulato,  on  the  Middle  Yukon.  June  10,  1H67,  by  Mr.  W.  H.  Dall.  So  tar 
as  I  am  aware  Its  nesting  and  eggs  remain  to  be  described. 


•  <y.  Aek,  VII,  pp.  iM-iM. 


l!i: 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


I 


*  *  BuRopBAM  Bullfinch. 


S17.  PURPLE  FINCH.  Carpodarua  purpurcun  (Omel.)  Qeog.  Dial.— Battern 
North  America.    BreedB  from  northern  United  States  northward. 

Called  Purple  Groabeak,  Crimson  Finch  or  Linnet.  It  is  found  breeding  regu- 
larly in  the  nortborn  tier  of  States  -the  Dakotas,  Minnesota,  Wisconsin,  Mlchlgnn, etc.. 
northward,  and  is  said  to  have  been  found  nesting  in  northern  Illinois.  An  abundant 
bird  in  New  England,  where  its  sweet  song,  bright  colors  and  sociable  disposition 
have  m  it  a  favorite  bird.  It  nests  in  May  and  June.  The  Rev.  J.  H.  Langille 
states  that  he  has  found  it  nowhere  so  abundant  as  in  Nova  Scotia.  The  nest  is 
usually  placed  in  evergreens  or  orchard  trees,  at  a  moderate  distance  from  the 
ground.  It  is  composed  of  weed-stalks,  bark-strips,  rootlets,  grasses,  all  kinds  of 
vegotablc  fibres,  and  lined  with  hairs.  The  nests  and  eggs  remind  one  of  the  Chip- 
ping Sparrow'H  on  a  large  scale.  The  eggs  are  of  a  dull  green,  spotted  with  a  very 
dark  brown,  chiefly  about  the  greater  end;  four  or  flvo  in  number,  and  measure 
.852.66. 


517a.  CALIVOBNIA  PUBPLE  FINCH.  Carpodarua  purpuirna  raHfornivun 
Dalrf!.  Ueoff.  Dist.— Paciflc  coast  of  the  United  States,  from  BritlKh  Columbia  south 
to  Southern  California. 

The  Callfornlu  Purple  Finch  is  a  common  bird  throughout  its  range.  Mr.  Wil- 
liam A.  Cooper  notes  it  a»  abundant  around  Santa  Cruz,  California.  He  states  that 
It  is  a  most  destructive  bird,  visiting  orchards  and  destroying  young  buds,  blossoms, 
ond  fruit.  It  retires  to  the  wooded  river  bottoms  and  hills  to  breed;  the  favorite 
situations  for  the  nest  are  the  tops  of  tall  willows,  uldcrH.  trees  covered  with  climb- 
ing ivy,  and  horizontal  branches  of  redwoods.  The  nests  are  usually  placed  at  a  con- 
siderablo  distance  from  the  ground:  one  was  foutxl  placed  in  the  horizontal  branches 
of  an  apple  tree;  the  composition  of  the  nests  consist  of  stems  and  vegetable  fibres 
for  the  frame-work,  which  is  generally  loosely  put  together;  the  inner  portions  are 
of  finer  material  of  the  same,  lined  with  wool  or  u  few  halrH.  The  eggs  are  four  or 
five  In  number:  tbuy  are  of  a  blulsh-i^.^en  or  light  emerald,  marked  with  spots  of 
brown  and  dull  purple,  chiefly  around  the  larger  ond;  In  some  specimens  they  form 
n  confluent  ring:  otbars  are  si>otted  over  the  entire  surface,  but  less  abundantly 


356 


MJifl'H  AMi  rnjdS  OF 


than  at  the  end.  Mr.  Cooper  gives  the  siiies  of  a  set  ot  four  taken  May  2,  as  .83x.57, 
.81X.56,  .81X.56,  .81x.56,  .80x.54;  another  se:,  taken  May  3,  give  the  following  measure- 
aaents:    .75x.55.  .73x.56,  .72x.66,  ,71x.57*  ,;,,." 

618.  CASSIN'S  FUBBLE  FINCH.  Carpodacus  caesini  Baird.  Oeog.  Cist.— 
Western  United  States,  from  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the  Pacific  north  to  British  Co- 
lumbia, south  over  the  highlands  oC  Mexico. 

A  common  bird  in  Colorado,  DLah,  Nevada  and  Eastern  California.  Its  general 
habits,  nesting  and  eggs  are  very  similar  to  those  of  the  Purple  Finch  of  the  East. 
The  nest  is  found  in  various  situations,  box-aider  bushes,  the  topn  of  cottonwood, 
aspen  and  pine  trees.  It  is  composed  principally  of  roots  and  twigs,  lined  with 
softer  material  of  the  same,  together  with  moss  and  cotton.  The  eggs  are  usually 
four  in  number,  and  a  typical  specimen  is  oval  in  shape,  pointed  at  the  smaller  end. 
The  color  is  light  bluish-green,  dotted  around  the  larger  end  with  slate,  lilac  and 
blackish-brown.    The  average  size  is  .84x.62. 

519.  HOUSE  FINCH.  CarpodacuH  vicxiranus  froutalis  (Say.)  Geog.  Dist.— 
V/estern  United  States,  from  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  Pacific  coast  (chiefly  south  of 
40°  la  the  interior),  and  south  through  Western  and  Central  Mexico  to  Colima  uml 
Guanajuato,  Lower  California.    (Ridgw.) 

This  bird  is  known  ns  the  Red-headed  Linnet  or  Burion.  We  also  include  under 
this  head  the  supposed  race  C.  fronialtK  rhmUn'(tlpus  (Cab.)  It  is  a  very  common  bird 
in  the  interior  region  of  the  United  States,  from  Nevada,  Utah  and  Colorado  south- 
ward, and  is  also  abundant  on  the  Pacific  coast.  Mr.  Shields  mentions  this  as  one  of 
the  best  known  birds  of  Southern  California.  Prof.  Evermann  found  it  to  be  by  far 
the  most  common  bird  of  Ventura  county,  and  obtained  the  first  full  complement 
of  eggs  early  in  April.  The  bird  will  place  its  nest  anywhere,  from  the  limb  of  any 
tree  to  the  fjide  of  a  haystack  or  a  tin  can  on  a  porch.  It  is  made  of  anything  that 
the  bird  happens  to  find  handy— iRrrasses,  straws,  roots,  etc.,  and  the  nest  of  an 
Oriole  or  ClitT  Swallow  is  often  occupied.  Mr.  Shields  states  that  in  Los  Angeles 
county,  California,  this  species  begins  nesting  in  the  first  part  of  April,  and  eggs  may 
be  found  from  that  time  into  the  first  of  July.  Two,  and  somntlr;e;<  three  broods  are 
reared  in  a  season.  rh<»  eggs  are  four  or  five,  usually  five  in  num^'';  :  -jir  color  is 
of  a  pale  bluish  or,  as  some  would  call  it,  pale  greenish-h^ue,  spe:-;7(j$y  mai'ked  with 
spots,  specks  and  lines  of  very  dark  brown  or  black,  chibiiy  arour-t  :  ■;.  urger  end. 
bome  specimens  before  me  are  unmarked.  An  average  set  of  five  eggs  offer  tl  q  fol- 
lowing measurements:  .82x.G7,  .85x.54,  .84x.55,  .83x.64,  .82x.62.  The  average  of 
twenty  specimens  is  .82x.68. 


510a.  ST.  LUCAS  HOUSE  FINCH.  Carpodacus  mexicanua  ruberrimua  Ridgw. 
Geog.  Dist. — Lower  California  and  probably  adjacent  parts  of  Sonora. 

Mr.  Walter  E.  Bryant  found  this  variety  of  the  House  Finch  breeding  at  Comon- 
du,  Lower  California,  where  most  of  the  nests  were  placed  in  palm  trees.  A  nest 
containiog  two  fresh  egrt  was  collected  March  31  from  the  under  side  of  a  veranda 
awning  of  an  adobe  hr.  to  amongst  the  thick  vine  branches.  Mr.  Bryant  says:  "The 
nest  was  like  similar  on<tB  r*  ihS >  gen^s  adapted  to  the  space  wherein  it  was  built, 
and  composed  of  such  mater  ;m  as  wab  nearest  at  hand.  In  this  case  rootlets,  a  bit 
of  rag  and  con«iderabM  v  '!d  :'>ttor  enter  into  the  external  composition,  while  a  few 
shreds  from  plant  stalK^.  a  >v«ajtity  a*  wild  cotton,  ar.l  lastly,  some  horse  hairs  com- 


•  Bull.  Nutt.  Ornitb.  ifait,  III,  pp.  ^Vk 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 

plete  tbo  Interior.  Both  birds  were  about  while  the  nest  was  being  removed;  the 
jntiVj  was  intensely  bright  colored.  A  few  days  later  this  pair  began  another  nest 
un'ier  the  same  roof  near  the  old  site.  The  egg'i  are  not  distinguishable  from  eggs 
of  C.  frontalia  from  California.  They  are  sparsely  marked  with  black  in  an  irregular 
wreath  about  the  larger  end.    In  size  they  measure  18.i>xl5  and  19x15  millimetres."* 

520.  OUADALUFE  HOUSE  FINCH.  Carpodacut  amplua  Rldgw.  Oeog. 
DIst. — Guadalupe  Island.  Lower  California. 

This  darker  colored  House  Finch  was  found  to  be  quite  common  on  Guadalupe 
Island,  by  Mr.  Bryant,  when  he  visited  tliat  place  in  1885.  The  species  did  not  differ 
in  its  habits  or  song  from  frontalis.  February  22  two  nearly  completed  nests  were 
found  in  cypreas  trees,  and  one  with  five  eggs  was  taken  March  1.  The  last  nest 
taken  was  on  April  7,  and  contained  Ave  eggs  with  small  embryos  in  them.  Nearly 
all  the  nests  were  placed  on  the  branches  of  cypress  trees;  the  birds  seemed  to 
show  a  preference  for  the  leeward  side,  where  the  nest  would  be  protected  from  pre- 
vailing winds.  One  pair  built  in  a  clump  of  mistletoe  at  a  height  of  twenty  feet; 
others  built  in  the  tops  of  palms.  The  materials  used  were  the  finer  dead  stems  of 
weeds;  In  one  nent  the  foundation  and  sides  were  made  of  pine  needles.  The  lining 
was  invariably  of  goat's  hair.  The  eggs,  sometimes  four  in  number,  but  oftener 
f  ve,  during  ihe  early  part  of  the  season,  are  colored  precisely  like  the  average  sped 
men  of  C.  in.  frontalis,  the  spots  being  either  sparingly  applied  or  entirely  wanting. 
They  also  re^iemble  them  in  general  shape,  but  the  size  serves  to  distinguish  them. 
Five  eggs  n  one  set  measure  22x15,  22x15.5,  22.5x15.5,  23x15.5,  23x16.5  i  ra.f  The 
length  measurement  varies  from  19.5x24  mm.,  and  the  width  15x16.5  mm.  The 
average  size  of  thirty-two  specimens  is  21.3x15.5  mm.t 

521.  AMEBICAN  CBOSBBILL.  Loxia  curriroHtra  minor  (Brehm.)  Oeog. 
Dist. — Northern  North  America,  resident  sparingly  south  in  Eastern  United  States 
to  Maryland  and  Tennessee,  and  in  the  Alleghanies;  irregularly  abundant  in  winter. 
Casual  at  Charleston,  S.  C,  and  New  Orleans,  La. 

A  curious  bird,  whose  home  is  in  boreal  regions;  and  at  times,  even  during  the 
season  of  reproduction,  straggles  far  southward.    The  American  Red  Crossbill  Is 
known  to  breed  in  Northern  New  England,  and  from  thence  northward.    Breeds 
sporadically  in  mountainous  regions  south  as 
far   as    New    York,    Pennsylvania,    Central 
Maryland,  Virginia,  Northern  Georgia,  Ten- 
nessee and  Kentucky.    It  maybe  found  breed- 
ing where  least  expected.    The  nesting  time 
is  usually  in  February  and  March,  while  the 
snow  i3  yet  on  the  ground.    In  the  Lower 
Hudson  Valley,  Mr.  Ehigene  P.  Bicknell  found 
a  nest  of  this  vpecies  on  the  30th  of  April,  con- 
taining   three    eggs.    The    nest    was  placed 
in  a  cedar  of  rather  scanty  foliage,  about 
eighteen  feet  from  the  ground,  and  was  with- 
out any  main  support,  being  built  in  a  mass 
of  snail,  tangled  twigs.    The  composition  ex- 
ternally  was  of  spruce   twigs,    loosely    iir- 
ranged ;  the  main  body  of  the  structure  wsb  a 
mass  of  matted  shreds  of  cedar  bark,  while 


•  .74X.6&,  .75xS9  Inches. 

t  .87X.59,  .87X.61,  .K»x.61,  .91x.81,  .»lx.«. 

t  -Tl  to  M  in  lentrth  by  ,59  to  .05  In  breadth:  nverase  Mx.«\. 


HI.   Okouoill. 


Sil 


Mi 


358 


NEdTS  AND  EQQH  OF 


the  Inside  was  felted  ^y  finer  material,  and  lined  with  horse  'jalr.  tine  rootlets,  grau 
■terns,  pieces  of  string  and  two  or  three  feathers.  The  structk:)  '•  also  contained  small 
pieces  of  moss,  leaves,  grass,  string,  cottony  substances,  and  tbf.  green  foliage  of 
c«>dar,*  The  eggs  are  three  or  four  in  number,  usually  four.  Mr.  Blcknell  gives  the 
sites  of  the  three  eggs  which  this  nest  contained  as.74x.56,  .75x.58,.78x.59  respectively. 
The  color  of  the  eggs  is  pale  greenish,  spotted  and  dotted  about  the  larger  end  with 
various  shades  of  brown  and  lavender  shelNmarkings;  average  size  .7Cx.57. 

Si21a.  MEXICAN  CROSSBILL.  Luxia  vuriimstra  Htrivklandl  Rldgw.  Oeog. 
DIst. — Mountains  of  Wyoming  and  Colorado,  west  to  the  Sierra  Nevada,  and  south 
through  New  Mexico,  AHzona  and  the  tablelands  of  Mexico  to  Guatemala. 

The  nesting  and  eggs  of  this  subspecies  are  probably  Indistinguishable  from 
those  of  the  American  Crossbill. 

52S.  WHITE-WINOED  CROSSBILL.  Loxia  leucoptera  Qmel.  Geog.  Dlst.— 
Northern  North  America,  Houth  into  the  United  States  in'  winter  to  or  beyond  40*. 
Breeds  from  Northern  New  England  and  higher  Rocky  Mountains  northward. 

This  is  not  so  common  a  species  as  the  Red  Crossbill,  although  they  are  both  fre- 
quently found  associated  in  deep  evergreen  woods.  The  White-winged  Crossbill  la 
resident  In  Northern  New  England,  and  from  the  Rocky  Mountain  region  of  Colo- 
rado, Wyoming  and  Montana  northward.  It  is  pos&egBCd  of  the  same  uncertain  and 
erratic  disposition  as  /..  c  minor,  and  its  movements  are  not  to  be  relied  upon;  for 
this  reason,  It  is  likely  to  be  found  breeding  in  suitable  places  in  any  of  the  northern 
tier  of  States.  It  breeds  in  winter  or  early  sprirK,  und  the  nesting  is  said  to  be  like 
that  of  the  Red  Crossbill.  The  eggs  are  described  as  pale  blue;  the  larger  end  rather 
thickly  spattered  with  fine  dots  of  black  nnd  ashy-Illac;  tho  size  .80x.56.  They  are 
said  to  resemble  those  of  the  Purple  Pinch. 


ass.    Whitb-wimord  Crombill  (From  Turner). 

ttL  ALEUTIAN  LEUCO&TICTE.  Uucoittmc  ttrintonucba  (Brandt.)  Q«Of. 
Diat.— Aleutian  and  Fi-ybilof  Islands.  Alaska;  west  to  Commander  Islands,  Kam- 
rhatka,  <>aBt  to  Kadlek. 


•  For  fuli  account  of  thtt  ncRt  and  th«  eeti  ac-e  Hull.  Nutt.  Ornlth.  Club,  Vol.  V,  pp. 


7-11. 


NOKTU  AMERICAN  BIKttH. 


TlM  Aleutian  Rosy  Finch  Is  the  largest  of  the  rpeclee  of  tibia  genus  linown  to  ln> 
htbit  North  America.  It  is  found  In  abundance  on  the  Prybilof  and  other  Aleutian 
I||ands.  Dr.  Stejneger  states  that  on  Bering  Island  it  cannot  be  said  to  be  numerous, 
except  perhaps  In  a  few  places  where  the  localities  are  favorable.  Copper  Island, 
being  one  mass  of  rugged  and  cracked  rocks  and  cliirs,  with  steep,  often  quite  per- 
pendicular walls,  Jutting  up  straight  out  of  the  ocean,  is  the  favorite  haunt  of  these 
atone-lovlng  birds,  which  may  be  said  to  be  fairly  roromon  on  that  island,  occurring 
in  pairs  around  the  whole  isle  during  the  breeding  Heason.  In  the  latter  half  of 
June  he  found  parents  feeding  their  young,  and  full-fledged  young  were  taken  July 
7.  Many  pairs  produce  two  broods  In  a  year.  Turner  says:  "This  bird  prefers  the 
bold,  ragged  cliffs  along  the  sea  shore.  They  are  constantly  in  motion,  either  on 
the  wing,  flying  in  sweeping,  long  curves,  sometimes  near  the  earth,  to  mount  thirty 
or  forty  feet  at  a  single  effort,  alighting  on  some  projertit'g  ledge  of  a  bluff  to  search 
for  food,  and  away  again  to  alight  for  a  moment  on  a  weed  stalk.  Their  nest  is 
built  on  a  small  protected  ledge  of  a  bluff,  or  else  in  a  small  crevice.  A  nest  was 
obtained  by  me  from  a  small  cleft  of  a  rock  on  the  side  of  a  high  bluff.  It  was  com- 
posed of  small  pieces  of  wild  parsnip  stalks,  coarse  grass  stems,  and  flner  blades  of 
grass  to  form  the  lining.  The  nest  is  not  elaborate,  the  material  being  somewhat 
carelessly  arranged.  Four  (sometimes  flvv)  white  eggs  are  laid  in  the  early  part  of 
June.  The  young  are  able  to  fly  by  the  first  of  August."  The  nests  and  eggs  of 
others  of  this  genus  are  not  certainly  known,  but  probably  resemble  those  of 
yriseonurha.  The  eggs  are  described  os  being  pure  white  without  markings,  thre« 
toaiz  in  number,  usually  four;  size  .97x.67. 


i 


113     AtsuTUN  l^Riii-oiiricrK  (Prom  THrntrK 


084.  ORAT-OROWNID  LEUC08TICTE.  I.nimiitlrtt  trphrorotin  Swaiaa. 
Geog.  Dift.  Interior  uf  British  America,  Mouth  In  winter  thrb^ghout  the  entire 
Rocky  Mountain  region  of  the  United  States;  most  abundant  on  the  eastern  slope. 

This  is  Swainson'H  Rosy  Finch  which  Is  known  to  breed  only  in  the  Sierra 
Nevadas  in  California.  Its  general  habits,  nesting  and  eggn  are  identical  with  those 
of  the  Aleutian  Ixucosticte. 


360 


yESTS  AND  EOOft  OF 


684a.  HXPBURN'B  LEU0O8TI0TX.  Lcucoatiete  tephrttcotlB  HttoraHs  (Balrd.) 
0«oi.  Dlit.— In  Bummer.  probably  the  Interior  mountainous  reglona  of  British  Co- 
lumbia; In  winter,  northwest  coast,  from  Kadlak  southward,  and  eastward  In  the 
Rocky  Mountain  region  to  Colorado. 

Hepburn's  Leucostlcte  Is  of  the  same  else  as  the  last,  but  the  gray  of  the  head  is 
spread  more  or  less  extensively  below  the  upper  margin  of  the  ear-coverts,  aome- 
tlmea  covering  the  entire  head. 

585.  BLACK  LEUOOBTIOTE.  UuvmUrte  atiata  Rldgw.  Oeog.  DIsU— In 
winter,  mountains  of  Colorado  and  Utah. 

The  male  of  this  species  is  of  a  sooty  blackish  color,  the  female  sooty  slate;  the 
head  same  as  in  the  Oray-crowned  Leucostlcte.  Breeds  In  the  Salmon  River  Moun- 
tains, Idaho,  and  probably  other  northern  ranges. 

586.  BBOWN-OAPPED  LEUOOBTIOTE.  UucotlUte  anttranH  Rldgw.  Geog. 
Dist. — High  mountains  of  Colorado;  in  winter  descending  into  the  lower  valleys, 
New  Mexico,  etc. 

The  Brown-capped  L<  'rosticte  breeds  in  the  mountains  of  Colorado,  above 
timber  line.  The  general  color  of  the  bird  is  light  tawny  brown. 

587.  GREENLAND  REDPOLL.  AtanthlH  honiimaiinll  (Holb.)  Geog.  Dlst— 
Greenland  and  Elastern  Arctic  America. 

According  to  Hagerup  this  species  Is  a  resident  of  Gr'>«nland,  breeding  quite 
commonly  north  of  69°.  The  nest  is  placed  In  trees  or  bushes  and  is  composed  of 
moss,  grass,  lined  with  vegetable  down.  Seebohm  states  that  theeggsof  this  speciesare 
similar  to  th<^*4  of  the  Mealy  Redpoll,  .4.  Utiarla,  of  Llnneeus. 

587(1.  HOART  REDPOLL.  Acaiitliis  horncmannU  exUipes  (Coues.)  Oeog. 
Dlst.— Clrcumpolar  continental  regions;  Arctic  America. 

The  Hoary  Redpoll  Linnet  Inhabits  the  whole  of  boreal  America,  and  It  is  found 
in  abundance  from  Alaska  to  the  Atlantic  coast,  rarely  reaching  the  United  States, 
and  then  only  along  the  northern  tier  of  States  In  winter.  It  breeds  in  high  latitudes, 
nesting  in  trees  and  bushes.  The  r  :^t  is  described  as  rather  bulky,  composed  of 
small  twigs,  straws,  etc.,  mixed  and  t-ned  with  feathers.  The  eggs  are  two  to  five 
In  number,  of  pale  bluish-green,  speckled  chiefly  about  the  larger  end,  with  reddish- 
brown,  sometimes  mixed  with  a  few  black  specks  and  lines.  Ridgway  gives  the 
average  slie  of  the  eggs  as  .68x.51. 


:; 


i 


i 


i;i 


isi 


588.  REDPOLL.  Aranthin  Unaria  (Linn.)  Oeog.  Dltt.— Northern  portions  of 
Northern  Hemisphere;  in  North  America  migrating  south  in  winter  to  the  Middle 
United  States,  Virginia,  etc. 

The  Redpoll  Linnet  occurs  In  the  United  States  as  a  winter  migrant.  It  comes 
south  from  its  breeding  grounds  In  high  latitudes,  often  In  company  with  Pine 
Grosbeaks  and  Crossbills,  but  is  so  erratic  in  Its  movements  that  Its  appearance  can- 
not be  relied  upon.  It  breeds  occasionally  In  Northern  New  England;  also  in  Nova 
Scotia,  Newfoundland,  and  commonly  in  Labrador  and  all  the  Fur  Countries.  Dr. 
Stejneger  says  that  this  form  of  th  j  Redpoll  iieems  i(o  be  the  common  breeding  bird 
on  the  mainland  of  Kamchatka,  where  he  took  a  very  young  specimen  near 
Petropaulski  on  the  4th  of  July.  He  does  boI  tktnk  that  this  species  breeds  on  the 
Islands,  as  none  were  met  with  fro«i  the  end  of  May  until  the  beginning  of  November. 


NOltrU  AMUHICAV  BIHUB. 


361 


The  bird's  general  habits  are  very  similar  to  those  of  the  American  Qoldflncb.  The 
nest  Is  built  In  trees  and  bushes,  Is  bulky,  made  of  twigs  and  grasses,  with  generally 
a  warm  lining  of  feathers.  A  set  of  six  eggs  in  Mr.  Norrls'  cabinet  were  taken  May 
14,  1885,  near  Loughboro,  England.  Their  ground-color  Is  bluish-green,  speckled 
chiefly  at  the  larger  ends  with  burnt  umber;  slses  .62x.49,  .65x.47,  .60x.45,  .62x.49, 
.64X.48,  .64X.47.   The  average  else  is  .67x.48. 


6980.  HOLBCELL'8  REDPOLL.  Aconthii  linarla  holba-HH  (Brehm.)  Oeog. 
Dlst. — Northern  portions  of  Northern  Hemisphere,  near  sea  coast,  south  in  winter  to 
Northern  New  York  and  Massachusetts. 

An  intermediate  subspecies  between  .1.  liiiari  and  .1.  /.  rostrata.  It  approaches 
the  former  closely  and  is  with  difficulty  distinguished,  A  rare  bird  In  Eastern  North 
America. 


5886.  OBEATEB  BBDPOLL.  Acanthit  Ihiarta  rnntrata  (Coues.)  Oeog.  Dlst.— 
Greenland  and  Northeastern  North  America,  south  irregularly  In  winter  to  New 
England,  New  York  and  Northern  Illinois. 

This  is  a  similar  bird  to  A.  llnaria,  but  larger,  the  feathers  of  the  upper  parts 
averaging  darker,  bill  shorter  and  stouter.  Hagerup  states  that  in  Greenland  it  is  a 
summer  visitor,  but  is  found  occasionally  in  small  flocks  or  singly  in  winter.  It  is 
very  proliflc  In  South  Greenland,  but  less  so  In  the  northern  portion.  Eggs  are  laid 
from  May  20  to  June  27,  and  their  number  ranges  from  four  to  seven  in  a  set.  The 
eggs  are  described  as  being  not  distinguishable  from  those  of  the  Greenland  Redpoll. 
According  to  Hagerup  the  nests  are  placed  in  willow  bushes,  generally  in  the  lowest 
branches,  about  three  or  three  and  a  half  feet  from  the  ground. 


if 


580.  AXESIOAN  GOLDFINCH.  Spinua  trMttt  (Linn.)  Oeog.  Dlst.—Whole 
of  temperate  North  America,  resident;  wintering  mainly  within  the  United  States. 

Thistle-bird,  Yellow-bird,  Lettuce-bird  and  "Wild  Canary"  are  the  names  com- 
monly applied  to  this  species.  It  Is  distributed  throughout  North  America  generally, 
and  breeds  southward  to  the  middle  districts.  In  the  United  States  it  is  a  well 
known  bird;  Its  conspicuous  bright  colon,  peculiar,  undulating  flight,  and  Its 
plaintive,  lisping  notes  are  familiar  to  even  the  casual  observer.  It  nests  when 
most  other  birds  are  through  breeding — In  some  localities,  however,  as  early  as  June 
15.  but  usually  in  July,  or  when  the  thistle-down  begins  to  float  on  the  breeze,  in 
August  and  September.  Exceptionally,  nests  with  eggs  have  been  found  in  May. 
The  uMt  is  a  beautiful,  compact,  felted  mass  of  vegetable  flbres,  moss,  grasses, 
leaves,  flne  strips  of  bark,  lined  with  plant  down,  and  the  nests  that  are  built  late 
enough  in  the  season  usually  have  a  thick  lining  of  thistle-down.  It  is  placed  in  all 
kinds  of  trees  and  bushes,  ranging  from  three  to  forty  feet  above  the  ground.  WU- 
low8.  maples  and  orchard  trees  seems  to  be  favorite  nesting  sites,  and  not  Infre- 
quently it  Is  found  built  in  the  tops  of  thistle  plants.  Mr.  Walter  E.  Bryant  records 
the  following  unusual  nesting  place  of  the  American  Goldfinch  as  observed  by  Mr. 
A.  M.  Ingersoll,  in  California:  "In  1884  a  grove  of  young  willows  that  had  been  occu- 
pied the  previous  season  by  a  colony  of  tri-colored  blackbirds,  was  found  deserted 
by  them.  Many  of  the  blackbirds'  nests  still  remained  in  forks  of  the  willows  from 
four  to  ten  feet  above  the  marsh.  Six  of  these  old  nests  were  in  possession  of  Ameri- 
can Goldfinches.    The  present  tenants  had  loosely  filled  the  nests  about  one-half  full 


I 


362 


ySBTS  AND  EQQH  OF 


of  cat-tall  down,  and  had  formed  only  a  slight  hollow  for  the  nett  proper.  Some  were 
found  with  egga,  and  In  others  there  were  'birds  in  last  year's  nests.'  "  Some  writers 
state  that  the  eggs  of  the  Goldfinch  range  from  three  to  Ave  in  number.  This  is  not 
correct,  at  least  in  Ohio.  The  number  to  a  set  varies  from  three  to  six.  In  the  month 
of  August  and  during  the  flrst  two  weeks  of  September,  1888,  Mr.  Rudolph,  A.  L. 
Baker  and  myself  collected  twenty-nine  nests  with  eggs  of  the  Goldfinch.  Out  of  thiH 
number  eleven  contained  six  eggs,  ten  contained  five,  five  were  of  four,  and  tbr)< 
were  of  three  eggs  each.  Sets  of  five  and  six  are  common.  The  color  of  the  eggH 
la  plain,  pale  bluish  or  greenish-white,  unspotted.  Ten  eggs  measure  .62x.48,  .Clx.4'J, 
.61X.48,  .62X.61,  .63x.62,  .65x.62,  .67x.61,  .67x.62,  .66x.62,  .67x.62.  An  average  specimen 
measures  .66x.62. 


689a.     WESTEBN    GOLDFINOH.      Uptnus    irMU    palUduM    Mearns.      GeoK 
Dlst. — Arizona. 

This  appears  to  be  a  well-marked  geographical  race  from  Arizona;  its  general 
color  being  described  by  Dr.  Edgar  A.  Mearns  as  being  decidedly  paler  than  that  of 
•S'  trlHtlH.  Other  peculiarities  seem  to  be  distinctive  of  this  local  race.  Its  gener&l 
habits,  nesting  and  eggs  are  identical  with  those  of  H.  Irintis, 


n 


J 
'  fi 


t\ 


I 


S30.  ABXANSAS  GOLDFINCH,  ffpinuti  pnaltrla  (Say.)  Geog.  Dlst.— Western 
United  States  from  the  Great  Plains  to  the  Pacific,  north  on  the  coast  to  Oregon,  in 
the  Interior  north  to  Colorado  and  Utah,  southward  to  Sonora. 

This  species  is  alHo  called  the  Arkansaw  Green-backed  and  Rocky  Mountain 
Goldfinch.  It  is  an  abundant  bird  in  the  West,  nesting  like  its  Eastern  cousin,  the 
American  Goldfinch,  in  trees  and  bushes.  In  California  it  breeds  from  the  latter 
part  of  April  to  tha  middle  of  July;  May  and  Juno  being  the  most  general  breeding 
months.  Ten  nests  containing  four  eggs  each,  collected  by  Mr.  R.  B.  Hcrron,  at  San 
Gorgonia  Pass,  California,  in  May  and  Juno,  are  i.i  my  cablne^  The  eggs  are  of  the 
same  color  as  those  of  >S'.  IrMiH,  pale  greenish-blue,  but  are  much  smaller  The  nests 
arc  also  smaller — some  of  the  more  elaborately  built  nests  of  trhtin  are  almost 
double  the  size  of  those  of  S.  pHiiltrlu.  Ten  eggs  measure  .63x.46,  .60x.45,  .62x.4l. 
.62X.42,  .59X.46,  .63x.44,  .63x.47,  .63x.48,  .64x.47,  .63x.45;  comparatively  little  variation 
in  size.    Four  eggs  is  the  usual  number  laid,  rarely  five. 


530a.  ABIZONA  QOLDFINCH.  Flpinun  pmltria  ariznnw  (Coues.)  Geog. 
Dlst.— Southwestern  portion  of  the  United  States,  North  to  Arizona  and  Colorado. 
East  to  TexaH  nnd  Mexico. 

The  general  habits,  nesting  and  eggs  of  this  subspecies  are  exactly  the  same  as 
those  of  the  Arkansas  Goldfinch. 


S30A.  MEXICAN  GOLDFINCH.  Hpinun  pmltria  mrTicanuii  (Swains.)  Geog. 
Dlst.— Valley  of  tho  Lower  Hio  Grande  in  Texas,  southward  through  Mexico. 

The  general  habits,  nests  and  eggs  of  this  subspecies  are  identical  with  those 
of  the  Arkansa.;  or  the  Arizona  Goldfinch. 


aame  aH 


831-      LaWMKMCK'H  UOLUPINCIi 


NORril  /^MUHIVAS   UUdfH.  363 

631.  LAWBBNCE'8  GOLDFINCH.  SpUtua  lawrencti  (Cm«.)  OeoR.  Dlst.— 
riillfornia,  in  winter  southeastward  to  Arizona. 

Lawrence's  Qoldflnch  li  a  common  bird  in  Cali- 
fornia where  It  breeds  in  abundance,  placinx  the 
ni>8t  usually  near  the  extremity  of  the  limb  of  a  livo 
o;(|{,  where  it  Is  veil  concealed  and  hard  to  find. 
I  hey  nest  in  Ap  il,  May  and  June.  Professor  Ever- 
tiiann  says  he  found  the  flrst  full  set  of  eggs  in  Ven- 
tura county,  April  ti.  The  nest  is  composed  of  wool, 
tine  graBseB,  down  and  feathers,  closely  matted  to- 
gether and  lined  with  the  long  hair  of  the  larger 
animals.  They  are  often  made  entirely  of  grasses. 
The  latter  is  chiefly  the  composition  of  four  nests 
before  me  taken  by  Mr.  Herron  in  May  and  June. 
The  eggs  are  four  or  Ave  in  number,  and  are  pure 
white.  Four  typical  eggs  befor*-  me  measure  as 
follows:     .62X.47,   .64X.4&.  .G2x.44,  .62x.48;  a  set  of 

five  collected  at  San  Oorgonia  Pass,  by  Mr.  Herron,  June  22,  offers  the  following  sizes; 
.r>6x.46,  .68X.46,  .61x.46.  .62x.46,  .64x.44. 

[632.1  BLAOX-HEADED  GOLDFINCH.  SphniM  nutuluH  (Du  Bus.)  Uoog. 
DIst. — Mountains  of  Guatemala  and  Southern  Mexico,  north  at  least  to  Central  Vera 
Cruz;  accidental  iu  Kentucky  (Audubon). 

There  appears  to  be  no  authentic  written  history  concerulug  the  nidltkatlon 
of  this  species  There  is  no  doubt  that  its  general  habits  correspond  with  those  of 
others  of  this  genus. 

633.  PINE  SISKIN.  SpinuH  piiiun  (Wils.)  Qeog.  DIat.- Northern  North 
America,  breeding  from  Northern  United  States  northward;  South  in  winter  to 
Mexico. 

The  Pine  Linnet,  Pine  Finch,  or  American  Siskin,  breeds  throughout  the  nritlsh 
Provinces,  Northern  Maine,  New  Hampshire,  Vermont,  New  York,  Michigan,  thence 
to  Oregon  and  Washington,  in  evergreen  forests.  Its  breeding  within  the  United 
States,  however  is  by  no  means  of  common  occurrence.  It  has  been  found  nesting 
liy  Dr.  Merrlam  and  others  in  New  York  and  various  New  England  States.  Dr. 
J.  A.  Allen  obtained  a  set  of  four  eggs  of  this  species  ut  Cornwall-on-Hudson,  Orange 
county,  New  York,  May  12,  1887.  The  nest  which  contained  these  oggs  was  placetl 
in  the  extremity  of  an  upper  branch  of  a  Norway  pine,  about  thirty-flvo  feet  from 
the  ground.*  Another  nest  was  found  by  Dr.  A.  K.  Fisher,  nt  Sing  Sing,  New  York, 
on  May  25.  It  was  situated  in  the  top  of  a  red  cedar,  about  twonty-four  feet  from 
the  ground  and  contained  four  nearly  fresh  eggs.t  In  both  cases  the  birds  wero  ob- 
Hcrved  carrying  building  material  to  the  nests.  The  lato  Captain  D.  F.  Goss  had  a 
8f>t  of  four  eggs  which  was  taken  June  25,  1887,  in  Northern  New  York.  The  nest 
^vaB  placed  near  the  top  of  a  birch  tree,  and  was  made  of  dry  grasses  and  pine  needles, 
with  a  lining  of  feathers.  The  ground-color  uf  the  eggs  is  greenish  white,  spotted 
with  various  shades  of  brown;  one  of  the  eggs  of  this  set  is  quite  thickly  spotted  over 
the  whole  surface;  on  another  specimen  the  spots  are  mostly  confined  to  the  larger 
end.  The  other  two  are  faintly  marked,  and  one  of  them  Is  almost  immaculate. 
Their  sizes  are:    .67x.4R.  .68x.48.  .67x.48.  .69x.47. 


•  For  full  account  of  thiH  neut  and  the  egvs  see  The  Auk.  IV,  pp.  284-2U. 
t  Bull.  Nutt  Ornlth.  Club.    VIII,  pp.  180-181. 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


I.I 


1.25 


Hi  m   12.2 


2.0 


1.8 


^  1^ 


V 


v^ 


Photographic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14S80 

(716)  872-4503 


364 


NESTS  AND  EOaS  OF 


ML'\/..\  / 


Exotic  Sparrows. 


Lower  fitrure,  House  Sparrow  ;  next,  European  Tree  St^arrow  (Prom 
Brehm). 


•  •  GOLDFINCB.     Carduelis  carduelia  (Linn.)    Geog.  Dist.— Europe  and  W«»t- 
em  Asia;  introduced  and  naturalized  in  portions  of  Eastern  United  States. 

The  European  Goldfincli  has  heen  introduced  and  successfully  naturalized  in| 
various  portions  of  Eastern  United  States,  as  in  New  York,  Hoboken,  New  Jersey 
and  in  the  vicinity  of  Cambridge,  Mass.,  etc.  In  Central  Ftirk,  Kev/  York  city,  it  iai 
considered  a  common  resident.  April  20, 1886,  Mr.  E.  T.  Adney  discovered  two  nesta  j 
In  Central  Park,  one  of  which  contained  five  fresh  eggs.  The  nests  were  placed  inj 
pine  trees,  among  the  tufts  of  long  pine  needles,  near  the  end  of  a  slender  hori- 
zontal limb,  about  twelve  feet  from  the  ground.  The  nest  of  the  European  Goldfinch  j 
Is  a  handsome,  compact,  cup-shaped  structure,  made  of  fine,  soft  grasses,  vegetable] 
fibres  and  mosses.    It  is  thick-walled  and  substantial,  often  built  in  bushes  and} 


i 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


365 


various  kinds  of  trees.  The  eggs  are  four  to  six  in  number  of  greenisli-wliite,  or 
light  greenish-blue,  dotted  with  reddish-brown  around  the  larger  end.  Their  average 
size  is  .72X.50. 


■irrow  (Prom 


*  *  EUBOPEAN  HOUSE  SFABBOW  (ENGLISH  SPABBOW).  Passer  domesti' 
CU8  (Linn.)    Geog.  Dist. — Europe,  etc.;  introduced  into  the  United  States. 

It  is  a  matter  of  sincere  regret  that  these  rats  of  the  air  were  ever  introduced  into 
America.  The  English  Sparrow,*  by  which  name  it  is  so  widely  known,  was  first 
introduced  into  the  United  States  at  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  in  1851  and  1852;  at  Portland, 
Me.,  in  1854  and  1858;  Boston,  Mass.,  1858,  1864  and  1869;  in  New  York  city  1860, 1864 
and  1866;  Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  various  other  towns  throughout  the  state  between 
1869  and  1872.  As  far  West  as  Iowa  it  was  introduced  as  late  as  1881.  It  was  fully 
established  in  the  city  of  Quebec,  about  the  year  1866.  From  these  and  other 
points  its  numbers  have  spread  and  multiplied  over  vast  territories  east  and  west, 
north  and  south.  In  many  instances  the  first  birds  introduced  did  not  thrive,  and  it 
was  frequently  necessary  to  replenish  their  broken  numbers  with  new  recruits  before 
they  were  acclimatized.  There  are  ehiefiy  two  offences  with  which  this  pest  is 
charged:  The  destruction  of  grain  and  fruit,  and  the  molestation  of  many  of  our 
native  birds  whose  nesting  places  it  captures  through  sheer  force  of  its  numbers. 
Among  the  latter  I  may  name  the  Bluebird,  Martin,  Downy  Woodpecker,  Crested 
Titmouse,  White-breasted  Nuthatch  and  others  whose  nesting  places  are  in  holes  of 
trees  or  in  boxes  put  up  for  their  purpose.  Had  the  wise  men  who  first  introduced 
these  hoodlums  into  this  country  traveled  a  little  farther  east — to  Great  Britain  and 
Germany — for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  the  true  character  of  this  bird's  nature, 
they  doubtless  would  have  been  as  eager  to  hav«  spent  their  time  and  money  in  order 
to  keep  them  out  of  this  country  as  they  were  enthusiastic  to  introduce  them.  We 
believe,  however,  it  has  come  to  stay,  and  the  problem  now  is,  how  shall  we  get  rid 
of  it?  The  nest  of  this  Sparrow  is  built  in  all  conceivable  places,  in  the  branches  of 
trees,  vines  upon  walls,  in  bushes,  in  open  buildings,  in  all  manner  of  cracks  and 
crevices  about  buildings,  in  boxes  located  anywhere  and  in  holes  in  trees.  The  nest 
Is  composed  of  straw,  hay,  grass,  feathers,  and  any  rubbish  that  happens  to  be  near. 
A  nest,  which  was  composed  of  steel  turnings  of  a  lathe,  was  lodged  on  a  beam  in  the 
Panhandle  shops  at  Columbus.  Two  broods  had  been  reared  in  this  nest 
in  one  season.  The  House  Sparrow  may  bo  said  to  do  more  or  less  building  every 
month  of  the  year,  but  rarely  if  ever  raises  more  than  six  broods  in  a  year,  the  ma- 
jority probably  not  more  than  four.  The  eggs  in  a  set  range  from  four  to  seven, 
usually  five  or  six  in  number;  they  are  of  a  dull  whitish  color,  thickly  speckled  and 
dashed  with  dark  brown  and  purplish  gray;  size  about  .87x.64  inches. 


*  *  EUBOPEAN  TBEE  SPABBOW.  Passer  montanus  (Linn.)  Geog.  Diet. — 
Europe;  naturalized  about  St.  Louis  and  elsewhere. 

This  species  looks  very  much  like  the  European  House  Sparrow,  and  it  nests 
similarly — in  holes  of  trees,  nooks  and  corners  of  isolated  buildings,  etc.  The  eggs  are 
fcur  to  six  in  number,  similar  to  those  of  P.  domesticus,  but  averaging  "smaller  and 
usually  darker  and  redder."  The  bird  is  thoroughly  naturalized  in  the  vicinity  of 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 


*The  name  "EngHsh  Sparrow"  is  a  misnomer,  as  the  species  is  not  confined  to 
Bngland,  but  is  native  to  nearly  the  whole  of  Europe.  Most  of  the  birds  Imported  into 
this  country  came  from  England,  Iience  the  misleading  name. 


366 


NESTS  AND  EQQS  OF 


534.  SNOWFLAKE.  Plectrophenax  nivalis  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist.— Circumpolai 
regions,  except  islands  of  Bering  Sea;  south  in  winter  to  Northern  United  States;  ir- 
regular to  Georgia.  Southern  Illinois  and  Kansas. 

This  beautiful,  white  bird  breeds  in  the  high  Arctic  regions,  only  visiting  the! 
Northern  United  States  in  winter  in  large  flocks.    It  is  known  as  the  Snow  Bunting,] 
and  is  beautifully  called  a  "warm-blooded  Snowflake."    Many  a  dreary  winter  land- 
scape is  made  a  picturesque  scene  when  thousands  are  seen  in  their  flight  drifting! 
before  a  storm.    The  nest  of  this  bird  is  placed  on  the  ground,  and  is  often  hiddeu  ^ 
by  a  tussock  of  grass  or  rock;  it  is  built  of  grass  peculiar  to  the  Arctic  regions,  mixed 
with  moss,  is  very  substantial,  with  thick  wall^  and  a  small,  deep  cavity,  which  is 
warmly  lined  with  feathers.    Mr.  Norris  has  a  set  of  four  eggs  of  this  species,  which 
was  taken  in  Iceland,  May  30, 1882.    The  eggs  were  fresh,  and  are  of  a  pale  greenish- 
white,  speckled  and  spotted,  most  heavily  near  the  larger  ends,  with  russet  and 
lilac-gray.    Their  sizes  are  .84x.61,  .88x.67,  .88x.61,  .86x.64.     The  ground-color  in  a 
large  series  is  said  to  vary  considerably — from  whitish  to  dull  purplish  or  greenish 
tint,  and  the  average  size  is  .91x.64. 


534a.  FBYBILOF  SNOWFLAKE.  Plectrophenax  nivalis  townscndi  (Ridgw.) 
Geog.  Dist. — Prybilof  Islands,  Alaska,  and  Commander  Islands,  Kamchatka. 

This  new  subspecies  is  doubtless  the  bird  found  breeding  by  Dr.  Stejneger  on 
Bering  and  Copper  Islands,  in  June  and  July.  He  states  that  it  is  resident  on  the 
islands  during  the  whole  year.  If  the  season  is  open  and  otherwise  favorable,  the 
first  eggs  will  be  laid  shortly  after  the  middle  of  May;  the  young  will  be  out  in  the 
beginning  of  June.  In  July  he  found  fresh  eggs  of  a  second  brood.  The  smallest 
eggs  in  the  number  taken  measure  .94x.69,  .96x.67,  .93x.73;  the  largest  in  long 
tfiameter,  1.06  inches. 


535.  McKAY'S  SNOWFLAKE.  Plectrophenax  hyperboreus  (Ridgw.)  Geog. 
Dist. — Western  Alaska. 

McKay's  Snowflake  is  known  to  breed  on  Hall's  Island,  and  probably  St.  Mathew 
Island,  Bering  Sea.  Nothing  is  known,  however,  concerning  its  nest  and  eggs.  Mr. 
Charles  H.  Townsend,  during  the  cruise  of  the  steamer  Corwin  discovered  the  young 
and  those  in  breeding  plumage  while  the  vessel  was  anchored  off  Hall's  Island. 


536.  LAPLAND  LONGSPUIl.  Calcarius  lapponicus  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist.— 
Arctic  regions  of  both  hemispheres;  in  North  America  south  in  winter  to  Northern 
United  States,  sometimes  as  far  as  South  Carolina,  Kentucky,  Kansas,  Nevada,  etc. 

As  its  name  indicates,  this  is  a  boreal  bird,  and  in  North  America  its  summer 
home  is  in  the  regions  about  Great  Slave  Lake,  Mackenzie  River,  and  Alaska.  In 
these  places  it  breeds  abundantly  in  May,  June,  and  July.  In  the  United  States  it 
appears  as  a  winter  visitor,  in  flocks,  often  associating  with  the  Horned  Lark  and 
Snow  Bunting,  frequenting  the  same  fields.  Tht>  nest  of  this  species  is  described' by 
Dr.  Coues  as  placed  on  the  ground,  under  tussocks,  in  grassy  hummocks.  It  is  built 
of  mosses  and  fine,  soft,  dried  grasses,  and  lined  with  a  few  large  feathers  from  some 
water  fowl.  The  eggs,  four  to  six  in  number,  are  rather  pointed  at  the  smaller  end, 
and  are  very  dark  colored,  reminding  one  of  the  Titlark's;  the  color  is  a  heavy  cloud- 
ing or  thick  mottling  of  chocolate-brown,  through  which  the  greenish-gray  ground 
is  apparent;  average  size,  .80x.62  inches. 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


367 


1/J'a!^' 


.*'<ffW^- 


m 


f\'/!^i 


536.    Lapland  I^ongspur  (From  Brehm). 

537.  SMITH'S  LONGSPUB.  Calcarins  pictus  (Swains.)  Geog.  Dist.— Interior 
of  Arctic  America;  soutli  in  winter  over  the  Great  Plains  and  prairies  to  Illinois  and 
Texas. 

The  Painted  Longspur  inhabits  Arctic  America,  chiefly  the  Saskatchewan  and  the 
Mackenzie  River  Valleys,  breeding  as  far  north  as  the  Arctic  coast  and  Upper  Yukon 
Valley.  It  is  a  common  bird  on  the  prairies  of  Minnesota,  Dakota,  Montana,  etc., 
southward,  associating  in  the  fall  with  the  Chestnut-collared  Longspur,  but  breeds 
mostly  farther  north.  Its  nesting  is  like  that  of  C.  lapponicus.  The  eggs,  four  or  five 
in  number,  are  light  clay  color,  marked  with  obscure  blotches  and  lines,  dots  and 
blotches  of  dark  purplish-brown;  they  have  the  same  average  size  as  those  of 
lapponicus,  but  are  colored  more  like  the  eggs  of  the  next  species. 


&-3 


538.  CHESTNUT-COLLABED  LONGSPUB.  Calcarius  ornatus  (Towns.) 
Geog.  Dist. — Great  Plains  of  the  United  States,  north  to  the  Saskatchewan;  south  in 
winter  to  Arizona,  New  Mexico,  Texas  and  Mexico. 

This  bird  is  called  the  Black-shouldered  or  White-tailed  Longspur.  It  is  one  of 
the  most  abundant  birds  of  the  Western  plains — resident  in  Middle  and  Northwest- 
ern Kansas,  breeding  north  through  Nebraska,  Dakota,  Montana,  etc.,  to  high  lati- 
tudes. A  common  but  somewhat  local  breeder  in  Manitoba.  In  Kansas  it  begins 
laying  in  June.  The  nest  is  placed  on  the  ground  on  the  high,  open  prairie,  and  is 
composed  wholly  of  mosses  and  iflne  grasses.  A  set  of  four  eggs  is  in  my  cabinet, 
■which  was  taken  in  Becker  county,  Minnesota,  where  the  species  is  a  common  breed- 
er. These  eggs  have  a  reddish-clay  color,  marked  with  dark  reddish-brown  spots 
and  blotches,  even  approaching  black,  and  obscure  shell  markings  of  purple;  sizes 
.75X.54.  .74X.54.  .73x.54.  .73x.55  inches. 


368 


NESTfi  AND  EOOff  OF 


p.  ! 


'-J 


639.  McCOWN'S  LONGSFUB.  lihifchophancH  mccownii  (Lawr.)  Geog.  Dlst.— 
Interior  of  North  America,  breeding  f'om  the  northern  border  of  Kansas,  north  to 
the  Saskatchewan;  south  In  winter  to  Mexico. 

The  Black-breasted  or  Bay-winged  Longspur  breeds  In  abundance  throughout 
the  prairies  of  Colorado,  Wyoming  and  Montana.  In  the  latter  region  and  Dakota 
it  is  found  associated  with  the  Chestnut-collared  Longspur,  in  whose  general  habits 
It  is  an  exact  counterpart.    Dr.  Coues  says  it  has  the  same  soaring,  singing  flight. 


539.    McCown's  Longspur  (E.  S.  Cheney  del.) 

and  parachute-like  descent,  "sliding  down  on  the  scale  of  its  own  music."  Its  nest- 
ing habits  are  the  same  as  those  of  the  last  species,  and  the  eggs,  three  to  six  In  num- 
ber, are  similar,  but  their  ground-color  is  usually  more  olive;  average  size  .82x.60 
inches. 

540.  VESPER  SPARROW.  Pooctetes  fframineua  (Omel.)  Geog.  Dlst. — East- 
ern North  America,  west  to  the  plains,  north  to  Nova  Scotia  and  Ontario,  breeding 
southward  to  Virginia,  Kentucky  and  Missouri,  northward. 

The  Grass-Finch,  Bay-winged  Bunting,  or  "Gray  Bird,"  as  it  is  called,  is  an 
abundant  species  in  Eastern  United  States.  Its  favorite  lesorts  are  weedy  fields, 
roadsides  and  commons.  From  its  habit  of  singing  mostly  in  the  evening  and  in 
cloudy  weather,  it  is  called  Vesper  Bird.  The  bird's  song  alone  is  suffcient  to  dis- 
tinguish it  from  others  of  the  smaller  sparrows.  Its  song  is  a  clear,  sweet  trill,  finely 
modulated,  or  it  is  the  Song  Sparrow's  song  reversed.  The  breeding  season  is  in  May 
and  June.    I  have  found  the  nest  with  fresh  eggs  in  July.    This  is  placed  on  the 


ground, 
It  a  slii 
or  five, 
or  gray 
of  redd 

54< 

Geog.  1 

border 

Tt 

West. 

Ing  ah 

5^ 

Miller 
T 
The 
Orego 
havin 
genei 
Span 

lanti 

1 

NovJ 

toth 

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plac 

Dist 
ting 

Gee 
doi 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


369 


Dist.— 
north  to 

[roughout 
jtl  Dakota 
fal  habits 
^e  flight, 


ts  nest- 

n  num- 

.82Z.60 


-East- 
eeding 

is  an 
fields, 
md  in 

0  dis- 
flnely 

1  May 
a  the 


ground,  usually  in  an  exposed  position,  under  a  thistle,  small  bush,  or  weed-stalk;  it 
It  a  slight  structure,  composed  of  grasses,  with  a  lining  of  hair.  The  eggs  are  four 
or  five,  usually  four,  in  number;  they  are  of  a  pale  greenish-white,  sometimes  pinkish 
or  grayish-white,  marked  with  blotches,  mixed  with  dots  and  lines  of  various  shades 
of  reddish  or  rusty-brown.    The  average  size  is  .80x.60  inches. 

540a.  WESTERN  VESPER  SPARROW.  Poocatts  gramineus  confinia  Baird. 
Creog.  Dist. — Western  United  States,  north  into  British  America,  east  to  Manitoba  and 
border  of  the  Plains,  south  into  Mexico. 

This  form  of  the  Vesper  Sparrow  is  common  to  the  plains  and  prairies  of  the 
West.  It  possesses  the  same  characteristics  which  are  common  to  P.  gramineus,  nest- 
ing also  in  the  same  manner. 

540b.  OREGON  VESPER  SPARROW.  Poocwtes  fframtnem  a/flnis. 
Miller.     Geog.  Dist. — Northern  California  and  Western  Oregon. 

This  race  of  the  Vesper  Sparrow  was  first  described  by  Mr.  G.  S.  Miller,  jr.,  in 
The  Auk  for  October,  1888,  He  describes  it  from  the  type  specimen  taken  at  Salem, 
Oregon,  as  similar  to  that  of  P.  <j.  confinis  of  Baird,  but  differing  in  being  smaller  and 
having  the  ground  color  above  buffy-brown  rather  than  grayish-brown,  etc.  Its 
general  habits,  nesting  and  eggs  are  the  same  as  those  of  the  Western  Vesper 
Sparrow. 

541.  IPSWICH  SPARROW.  Ammodramns  princeps  (Mayn.)  Geog.  Dist. — At- 
lantic coast  from  Nova  Scotia,  south  in  winter  to  Virginia  and  coast  of  Texas. 

It  has  recently  been  discovered  that  the  Ipswich  Sparrow  breeds  on  Sable  Island, 
Nova  Scotia,  and  a  series  of  its  eggs  are  in  the  National  Museum.  These  are  similar 
to  the  eggs  of  the  Savannah  Sparrow,  and,  according  to  Ridgway,  they  are  uniformly 
larger;  size  .81x.62.  The  nest  is  placed  on  the  ground  in  meadows  and  other  grassy 
places. 

542,  SANDWICH  SPARROW.  Ammodramns  sandwichensis  (Gmei.)  Geog. 
Dist. — Northwest  coast,  from  the  Columbia  River  to  Unalaska. 

This  Sparrow  is  very  similar  to  the  next  subspecies.  Nests  and  eggs  indis- 
tinguishable. 

542«.  SAVANNAH  SPARROW.  Ammodramns  sandwichensis  savanna  (Wils.) 
Geog.  Dist. — Eastern  North  America,  breeding  from  Northern  United  States  to  Labra- 
dor, and  Hudson  Bay  Territory. 

A  rather  common,  and  in  some  places,  an  abundant  bird  in  Eastern  United 
States,  usually  breeding  from  about  latitude  40°  northward.  It  is  stated  as  breeding 
sparingly  throughout  Illinois  and  in  some  parts  of  Missouri.  In  Ohio  it  is  a  rare 
summer  resident.  Throughout  New 
England  the  Savannah  Sparrow  is 
abundant,  being  found  nearly  all  the 
year.      Its    favorite    resorts    are    salt 

marshes  along  the  coast,  and  wet, 
muddy,  open  ground,  overgrown  with 
grass  and  weeds  in  the  interior.  It  is 
a  terrestrial  bird,  and  is  known  as  the 
"Ground  Sparrow."  Its  song  is  weak, 
squeak}!  and  unmusical,  which  is  at 
times  uttered  from  the  ground,  or  from 
the  tops  of  bushes.  The  breeding  sea- 
son ii?  in  May  and  June.  The  nest  is 
suo^.f  n  in  the  ground,  and  generally  542^.   savannah  Spa.how 


25 


370 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


well  concealed  amonK  the  weeds  and  tall  grass.  It  is  usually  nothing  but  a  slight 
arrangement  of  grasses  in  concentric  rings,  the  brim  being  flush  with  the  surface. 
The  eggs  are  three  to  six  In  number,  usually  four  or  five,  and  there  exists  as  great  a 
variety  in  coloration  as  are  to  be  found  in  the  eggs  of  the  Song  Sparrow.  The 
ground-color  is  greenish  or  grayish-white,  spotted,  speckled  and  blotched  with  light 
brown  and  lilac,  particularly  about  the  larger  end,  and  the  markings  are  often  so 
numerous  that  they  almost  conceal  the  ground-color;  average  sisie  .76x.54  inches. 

5426.  WESTERN  SAVANNAH  SFABBOW.  Amnwdramns  mndwtihensis 
alaudintis  (Bonap.)  Geog.  Dist. — Western  North  America  (except  in  general  the  Pa- 
cific coast  regrion);  breeds  from  Rocky  Mountains  north  to  Alaska;  south  in  winter 
to  Mexico. 

The  general  habits,  nesting,  and  eggs  of  this  Western  form  of  the  Savannah 
Sparrow  are  in  no  wise  peculiar,  but  are  like  those  of  A.  s.  savanna.  Average  size  of 
the  eggs,  .75X.55  inches. 


:  I 


K'   % 


542e.  BRYANT'S  MABSH  SFABBOW.  Ammodramus  sandwichensitt  bryanti 
Ridgw.  •  Geog.  Dist. — Salt  marshes  of  San  Francisco  Bay,  and  south  along  the  coast, 
in  winter  to  Southern  California. 

This  subspecies  differs  from  P.  sandwichensis  alaudimis  in  being  decidedly  small- 
er and  darker  in  the  coloration  of  the  upper  parts,  which  are  similar  to  A.  beldingi 
but  not  so  heavily  streaked  with  black,  etc.  It  has  been  named  by  Mr.  Ridgway  in 
honor  of  the  well-known  ornithologist,  Walter  E.  Bryant,  of  Oakland,  Gala.,  who  has 
devoted  much  study  to  the  birds  of  San  Francisco  Bay  and  vicinity.  Mr.  Bryant 
has  kindly  furnished  me  with  an  account  of  this  bird's  nesting,  eggs,  etc.  He  states 
that  it  is  a  common  resident  about  Oakland,  particularly  during  the  winter,  when 
they  become  generally  distributed  over  fields  and  along  roadsides.  The  bird  ap- 
parently prefers  dry  ground  just  away  from  salt  marshes  for  nesting  sites,  although 
they  also  breed  amongst  the  marsh  grass  in  places  not  subject  to  overflow  during  ex- 
cessively high  tides.  The  fields  selected  are  usually  those  more  or  less  overgrown 
with  grass  and  weeds,  or  pasture  lands  where  considerable  cattle  are  grazing.  The 
nests  are  placed  on  the  ground,  usually  in  a  depression.  The  usual  number  of  eggs 
is  four,  rarely  five.  The  color  of  a  set  of  four  taken  by  Mr.  Bryant  on  May  22,  1880, 
is  grayish-white,  irregularly  blotched  with  light  brown  and  reddish-brown,  sparingly 
marked  with  light  purple,  which  is  more  noticeable  about  the  larger  end,  where  it 
appears  as  shell  markings  underlying  the  brown.  They  measure  20x14.5,  19.5x14.5, 
19.5x14.5,  20.5x14.5  mm.*  The  nest  from  which  these  were  taken  is  composed  out- 
wardly of  small,  dark  grass-stems,  and  lined  with  fine,  light-colored  grasses;  ex- 
ternal diameter  115  mm.  by  50  mm.  in  height;  the  cavity  is  58  mm.  in  diameter  by  24 
mm.  deep.t  Another  set  of  four  eggs  in  Mr.  Bryant's  collection  came  from  San 
Mateo  county,  California,  and  was  taken  May  12,  1878.  These  are  grayish-white, 
heavily  blotched  with  yellowish  and  reddish-brown,  and  an  under  color  of  pale 
lavender.    Their  sizes  are  18.5x14,  18.5x14.5,  19x14.5,  18.5x14.5  mm.$ 


i. 


543.  BELDINO'S  MABSH  SPABBOW.  Ammodramua  belditiffi  Ridgw.  Geog. 
Dist. — Salt  marshes  of  Southern  California,  from  Santa  Barbara  south  to  Todos 
Santos  Island,  Lower  California. 


•  .79X.57,  .77X.57,  .77x.57,  .81x.57. 

t  External  diameter  of  nest  4.53;  height,  1.97;  diameter  of  cavity,  2.28  by  .94  in  depth. 

t  .73X.55,  .73X.55.  .75x.57,  .73x.57. 


t     'w. 


•'      »  /  ' 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 

Mr.  B.  T,  Gault  found  this  sparrow  to  be  very  abundant  in  the  salt  marshes  la 
the  vicinity  of  National  City,  San  Diego  county,  California,  in  the  spring  of  1883.  A 
nest  containing  three  fresh  eggs  was  found  May  24;  it  wa£  situated  in  a  patch  of 
marsh  weed,  apparently  raised  a  little  above  the  ground — several  feet  above  tide- 
water mark,  and  was  completely  saturated  with  water;  notwithstanding  the  damp- 
ness of  the  nest  the  eggs  were  warm  to  the  touch,  as  the  female  had  Just  left  the  nest. 
The  structure  was  composed  almost  exclusively  of  weed  stalks,  with  a  little  grass  and 
a  few  feathers,  arranged  in  a  careless  manner.  The  ground-color  of  the  eggs  is  dirty- 
white,  of  a  brownish  tinge,  caused  by  minute  specks  of  brown  and  lavender.  The 
eggs  had  a  pinkish  tinge  before  they  were  emptied  of  their  contents.  The  spots  and 
specks  are  of  lavender,  and  the  blotches  of  amber-brown,  congregating  principally  to- 
ward the  larger  end,  with  an  occasional  streak  of  a  darker  brown  shade;  their  sizes 
are  .76x.58,  .77x.59,  .78x.58.* 

544.  LABQE-BILLED  SFABBOW.  Ammodramua  rostratua  Cass.  Geog. 
Dist. — Coast  of  Southern  California,  south  in  winter  to  Cape  St.  Lucas  and  North- 
western Mexico. 

The  summer  home  of  this  species  is  along  the  coast  of  Southern  California.  The 
general  habits  of  this  curious  bird  are  similar  to  those  of  Beldlng's  Marsh  Sparrow. 
It  inhabits  the  marshes  of  the  seashore,  and  its  nesting  and  eggs  are  similar  to  those 
of  A.  heldlHlti. 

644a.  ST.  LUCAS  SFABBOW.  Ammodramus  rostratua  guttatua  ( L>awr.)  Geog. 
Dist. — Southern  Lower  California. 

This  is  a  generally  darker  form  than  the  last  species,  with  characteristics  and 
habits  identical.    It  is  found  at  Cape  St.  Lucas. 

644.  1.  SAN  BENITO  SFABBOW.  Ammodramua  aanctorum  C'  ^s.  Geog. 
Dist. — San  Benito  Island,  Lower  California. 

This  is  a  larger  species  than  the  last   race  with  a  differently-shaped  bill,  etc. 


r 


645.  BAIBD'S  SFABBOW.  Ammodramua  bairdii  (Aud.)  Geog.  Dist. — Interior 
portions  of  North  America,  from  the  Plains  of  Dakota  and  Montana  to  the  Saskatch- 
ewan, south  in  winter  to  Texas,  New  Mexico  and  Arizona. 

In  the  summer  months  this  species  is  found  on  the  plains  and  prairies  of  the 
Dakotas  and  Montana,  north  to  the  Saskatchewan.  The  bird  remained  for  a  long 
time  almost  unknown,  until  Dr.  Coues  found  it  breeding  in  profusion  on  the  prairies 
of  the  Dakotas  in  some  places  outnumbering  all  the  other  birds  together.  In  general 
habits  and  appearance  in  life  it  is  quite  like  the  Savannah  Sparrows.  Dr.  Coues 
states  that  the  song  of  this  species  is  peculiar,  consisting  of  two  or  three  distinct 
syllables,  of  a  mellow,  tinkling  tone,  running  Into  an  indefinite  trill,  like  zip-sip- 
zip-zr-r-r-r.  The  nest  Is  a  slight  affair,  made  of  grasses  and  weed-stalks  on  the 
ground;  its  diameter  Is  about  four  Inches.  The  eggs  are  laid  In  June  and  July,  and 
they  range  from  three  to  five  in  number,  being  similar  to  those  of  the  Vesper  Spar- 
row. They  are  whitish  of  varying  tints,  irregularly  spotted,  speckled,  and  blotched, 
with  pak  and  dark  reddish-brown;  average  size  .80x.65  inches. 

646.  OBASSHOFFEB  SFABBOW.  Ammodramua  aavannarum  paaaerinua 
(Wils.)  Geog.  Dist. — Eastern  United  States  and  Southern  Canada  to  the  Great  Plains 
wintering  in  the  Gulf  States,  Bahamas.  Cuba  and  Porto  Rico. 


•  Bulletin  No.  2,  pp.  58-60,  Rldgway  Orn.  Club. 


372 


NEHTft  AND  EGOS  OF 


Perhaps  better  known  as  the  Yellow-wlnged  Sparrow.  Anyone  will  be  able  to 
Identify  this  lUtle  bird  In  hand.  The  edge  of  the  wing  Is  conspicuously  yellow;  the 
lesser  wing  covertL  and  line  over  eye  are  yellowish.  A  common  bird  In  the  meadows 
and  clover  fields  of  Eastern  United  States,  nesting  in  May  and  June.  It  Is  a  bird  of 
retiring  habits,  generally  keeping  in  the  tall  grass,  on  the  g^round,  and  not  usually 
seen  only  when  flushed.  Its  flight  is  zig-zsK-  Sometimes  it  will  mount  a  stump  or 
weed-stalk,  and  sing  at  short  intervals  for  hours  at  a  time  a  peculiar,  monotonous 
song,  which  has  been  aptly  compared  to  that  of  a  grasshopper — hence  its  common 
name.  The  nest  is  placed  on  or  rather  sunken  in  the  ground,  and  concealed  by  a 
thick  tussock  of  grass.  The  eggrs  are  four  or  five  in  number,  generally  four.  They 
Iiave  no  resemblance  to  the  eggs  of  the  Field  Sparrow,  Song  Sparrow,  Savannah 
Sparrow,  or  Grass  Finch,  having  a  clear,  white  ground-color,  with  a  moderate  polish, 
spotted  more  or  less  thickly  with  pale  reddish-brown,  chiefly  and  sometimes  wholly 
at  the  larger  end.  Mr.  Poling  says  he  has  found  fresh  eggs  In  Illinoii  as  early  as 
April  20,  and  as  late  as  August  12.  Two  broods  are  often  reared.  A  set  of  four  eggs 
in  my  cabinet,  taken  by  Mr.  J.  E.  Gould,  on  June  14,  in  Franklin  county,  Ohio,  ex- 
hibits the  following  respective  measurementn:  .77x.55,  .77x.56,  .79x.56,  .81x.55;  the 
sizes  of  a  set  of  five  taken  May  16  by  the  same  collector  are  ,80x.59,  .79x.59,  .79x.59, 
.78x.57,  .77X.57.  A  set  of  four  from  Marshall  county,  Kansas,  taken  May  30,  gives  the 
following  dimensions:    .70x.54,  .70x.56,  .71x.54,  .72x.55.    Average  size  .73x.56  inches. 


art 
gai 

wii 


546».  WESTEBN  OBASSHOFFEE.  SFABBOW.  Ammodranius  savannarum 
perpallidus  Ridgw.  Geog.  Dist. — Western  United  States  from  the  Great  Plains  to  the 
Pacific,  south  over  table-lands  of  Mexico. 

The  nesting  and  eggs  of  this  paler  and  grayer  form  of  the  Yellow-winged  Spar- 
row, which  Is  found  In  the  dry,  western  regions,  are  the  same  as  those  of  the  Eastern 
bird.    Average  size  of  the  eggs,  .75x.57  Inches. 


647.  HENSLOW'S  SFABBOW.  Ammodramus  henslowU  (Aud.)  Geog.  Dist.— 
Eastern  United  States,  north  to  Ontario  and  Southern  New  England,  west  to  the  edge 
of  the  Plains,  winters  in  the  Gulf  States. 

Henslow's  Grasshopper  Sparrow  or  Bunting  is  not,  on  the  whole,  an  abundant 
species  in  Eastern  United  States,  being  found  common  only  in  restricted  localities. 
It  is  given  as  a  rare  summer  resident  In  portions  of  Southern  New  England.  Breeds 
abundantly  in  the  meadows  about  Washington,  D.  C.  Mr.  Shlck  found  Henslow's 
Yellow-winged  Sparrow  breeding  In  the  vicinity  of  Sea  Isle  City,  New  Jersey. 
Farther  west  it  seems  to  be  common  in  various  sections.  It  may  be  found  breeding 
in  Southern  and  Western  Ohio,  as  it  is  stated  by  Dr.  Brayton  to  be  a  common  summer 
resident  on  the  prairies  of  Indiana.  Breeds  also  on  the  weedy  prairies  of  Illinois 
and  Missouri.  Messrs.  Keyes  and  Williams  record  It  as  a  common  summer  resident 
in  Iowa,  and  Colonel  Goss  mentions  it  as  a  summer  resident  of  Kansas.  Mr.  L.  Jones 
Informs  me  that  in  Iowa  the  favorite  resorts  of  this  Sparro'Y  during  the  breeding 
season  are  neglected  fields  and  pasture  lands.  Its  nest  is  placed  on  the  ground, 
sometimes  in  a  slight  depression,  beneath  a  tussock  of  grass;  the  composition  is  of 
fine  and  coarse  grasses,  with  a  few  cow  hairs.  The  eggs,  Mr.  Jones  says,  are  de- 
posited about  May  25.  The  bird's  habits,  nest,  and  eggs  are  described  as  being  sim- 
ilar to  those  of  the  Yellow-winged  Sparrow  (.4.  savannarvm  passer inus),  but  the  eggs 
are  not  pure  white  in  ground-color,  having  a  greenish  or  grayish-white  tint,  profusely 
dotted  and  blotched  with  several  shades  of  brown  and  lilac  shell  markings.  They 
are  four  or  five  in  number,  and  average  .75x.57  inches. 


NORTH  AML'KIVAN  BIRDS. 


647a.  WESTEBN  HENSLOW'S  SPARBOW.  Ammndramuif  hensloirli  occi- 
dentaliH  Brewst.    Oeog.  Diet.— South  Dakota. 

For  a  desTlptlon  of  this  comparatively  newly-known  race  gee  William  BrewBter'g 
article  In  "Tue  Auk"  for  April,  1891,  page  145.  I  have  no  reliable  Information  re- 
garding thenestlngand  eggaof  this  subspecleB,  but  In  all  probability  they  are  Identical 
with  those  of  the  eastern  .1.  hvnslowii. 

548.  LECONTE'S  SFABBOW.  Anmodramuii  hvontvli  (Aud.)  Geog.  Dlat.— 
From  the  Plains  eastward  to  Illinois  and  Indiana,  and  from  Manitoba  south  In  winter 
to  South  Carolina,  Florida  and  Texas. 

It  Is  now  certain  that  Mr.  Walter  Ralne  and  Mr.  O.  F.  Dlppie,  of  Toronto,  Ont., 
secured  an  authentic  nest  and  eggs  of  this  species  in  the  vicinity  of  Reaburn,  Mani- 
toba. Mr.  E.  Arnold,  of  Battle  Creek,  Michigan,  appears  to  have  taken  a  nest  con- 
taining four  eggs  in  the  same  regrion.  Mr.  Dipple  says:  "Leconte's  Sparrows  are 
fairly  numerous  in  the  vicinity  of  Reaburn,  Manitoba.  Their  peculiar  note  can  be 
heard  both  day  and  night  in  fine  weather;  the  only  sound  I  can  compare  it  to  is  the 
note  of  the  grasshopper.  It  is  one  of  the  most  difficult  small  birds  to  collect  that 
I  know  of.  They  are  great  skulkers;  I  have  often  followed  them  guided  by  their 
chirping  in  the  grass,  until  I  was  sure  the  bird  was  not  more  than  a  few  yards  away, 
then  he  would  suddenly  "crowd  on  all  sail"  and  dart  away  at  a  high  rate  of  speed, 
gyrating  from  side  to  side  in  a  manner  that  would  test  the  skill  of  any  collector.  On 
June  18th  Mr.  W.  Raine,  then  my  companion  at  Reaburn,  discovered  a  small  nest 
containing  five  small,  speckled  eggs,  which  we  felt  sure  were  the  eggs  of  the  Leconte's 
Sparrow,  as  the  birds  wei  in  the  vicinity  all  the  time.  The  locality  was  carefully 
noted  and  we  visited  it  four  or  five  times  a  day.  On  the  morning  of  the  2l8t  upon 
wakening  we  found  it  raining,  but  in  a  short  time  we  were  cautiously  approaching 
the  nest.  When  within  a  few  yards  the  bird  flushed  and  and  by  a  lucky  shot  I  knocked 
it  over  and  in  another  moment  I  had  in  my  hand  the  parent  bird,  Leconte's  Sparrow. 
On  the  19th,  while  walking  over  the  prairie  we  almost  tramped  upon  a  small  bird  as 
It  fluttered  from  under  our  feet  and  a  short  search  revealed  a  nest  containing  four 
young  birds  and  an  addled  egg.  The  egg  corresponded  exactly  with  the  others,  the 
nest  also  was  identical  and  the  glimpse  we  had  of  the  bird  made  it  doubtless  that  it 
was  another  nest  of  Leconte's  Sparrow.  The  nests  were  composed  of  fine  grass, 
cup-shaped  and  deep,  carefully  concealed  In  the  center  of  a  thick  tuft  of  grass.  The 
eggs  are  greenish  white  ground  color,  thickly  speckled  with  pale  ashy-brown  and  the 
average  size  is  .65x.50  Inches." 

549.  SHABP-TAILED  SFABBOW.  Ammodramus  caudarutus  (Gmel.)  Geog. 
Dist. — Salt  marshes  of  the  Atlantic  coast,  from  Prince  Edward  Island  and  Nova 
Scotia  to  North  Carolina. 

.  The  Sharp-tailed  Finch  breeds  abundantly  in  the  salt  marshes  of  the  Atlantic 
coast  from  North  Carolina  northward,  and  it  is  commonly  found  associated  in  the 
same  places  with  the  Seaside  Finch,  .1.  marititnus.  They  keep  closely  in  the  shelter 
of  the  rank  salt  reeds  and  herbage,  where  the  nest  is  built.  This  is  fastened  to  the 
sedges  and  composed  of  grasses,  lined  with  finer  material  of  the  same.  The  nesting 
season  is  in  May  and  June,  and  a  second  set  of  eggs  may  be  found  in  July.  While 
the  nidification  of  this  species  and  the  Seaside  Finch  is  essentially  the  same,  Mr. 
Shick  states  that  on  the  New  Jersey  coast,  the  nest  of  the  Sharp-tail  is  not  built  so 
bulky  as  that  of  the  former.  Both  species  are  common  in  the  salt  marshes  at  the 
mouths  of  creeks  and  rivers  along  the  Atlantic  coast.    Mr.  Norris  has  a  typical  set  of 


■^ 


m 


NEHTS  AND  KOfJS  OF 


four  eggB  of  the  Sbarp-tallod  Sparrow  taken  by  Hon.  John  N.  Clark,  near  Old  Say- 
brook,  Connecticut,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Connecticut  river.  The  nest  was  In  the  salt 
grass  of  a  wet  meadow;  tho  eggs  were  fresh,  brownlsh-whlte,  varying  to  greenish- 
white,  thickly  sprinkled  and  speckled  with  tawny-brown,  sizes:  .75x.r)8,  .7fix.r)7, 
.76X.58,  .80x.ri6.  The  eggs  aro  also  not  to  be  readily  distinguishable  from  some  ex- 
amples of  the  Savannah  Sparrow. 

540((.  NELSON'S  SPARROW.  Ammmlramun  caudncutna  nclsoni  Allen.  Oeog. 
Dist. — Fresh  marshes  of  the  Interior,  from  Northern  Illinoia  northward  to  North 
Dakota  and  Manitoba;  south  In  winter  to  Texas. 

This  subspecies  Is  dedicated  to  Mr.  E.  W.  Nelson,  the  ornithologist.  It  la  similar 
to  .1.  rniKUKiitiis,  but  smaller,  with  slenderer  and  longer  bill;  the  colors  arc  brighter 
and  the  markings  more  sharply  defined.  In  its  migrations  It  visits  the  Vtlantlc 
coast.  New  England  and  the  Lower  Hudson  Valley.  It  Is  accidental  in  California. 
According  to  Mr.  Walter  Ralne  and  Mr.  G.  F.  DIppie  the  nests  and  eggs  of  this  bird 
resemble  those  of  Leconte's  Sparrow  very  closely,  the  eggs  being  about  the  same  in 
size,  color  and  markings.  The  bird  was  found  breeding  by  them  in  the  marshes  of 
Long  Lake,  Manitoba. 

549h.  ACADIAN  SHARP-TAILED  SPARROW.  Ammodramus  ratidacutus 
suhvirt/atim  Dwlght.  Geog.  Dist. — Coast  of  Southern  New  Brunswick,  Prince  Edward 
Island  (and  probably  Nova  Scotia),  and  southward  In  migration  to  South  Carollna.t 

A  race  named  by  Mr.  Jonathan  Dwlght,  Jr.,  In  1887.  The  bird  is  similar  to  A. 
caudacittnK,  but  paler  and  much  less  conspicuously  streaked  beneath  with  pale 
greenish-gray  instead  of  black  or  deep  brown.  It  Inhabits  salt  water  marshes  where 
grasses  grow  luxuriantly.  According  to  Mr.  Dwlght  the  male  has  a  fine  song  which 
is  repeated  at  all  hours  of  the  dpy  from  a  tall  stalk  in  the  meadow,  from  a  fence, 
or  while  the  bird  Is  in  the  grass.  Occasionally  toward  nightfall  one  will  mount  into 
the  air  and,  with  net  wings,  float  down,  fairly  gushing  with  song,  a  habit  shared 
by  the  ordinary  Sharp-tail  and  by  the  Seaside  Sparrow  as  well. 

660.  SEASIDE  SPARROW.  Ammodramm  maritimns  (Wils.)  Geog.  Dist.— 
Salt  marshes  of  the  Atlantic  States,  from  Massachusetts  south  to  those  bordering 
Gulf  of  Mexico. 

The  Seaside  Finch  is  a  common  species  in  the  salt  marshes  of  the  Atlantic  coast 
from  Connecticut  southward.  Its  nest  and  eggs  are  Identical  with  those  of  the 
Sharp-tailed  Sparrow,  only,  as  already  stated,  in  speaking  of  the  Sharp-tailed  species 
the  nest  is  more  bulky.  It  is  carefully  concealed  in  clumps  of  salt  grass  and  quite 
neatly  built  of  grasses,  lined  with  fine  material.  In  exceptional  Instances  the  nests 
have  been  found  arched  over.  The  largest  set  of  eggs  Mr.  Shick  ever  found  on  the 
New  Jersey  coast  was  seven,  but  the  usual  numbers  are  four  or  five — Ave  being  the 
more  common.  Their  ground-color  is  greenish  or  brownish-white,  thickly  speckled 
with  umber-brown,  and  are  not  with  certainty  distinguishable  from  those  of  the  last 
species.  The  sizes  of  a  set  of  five  eggs  taken  by  Mr.  Shick  at  Sea  Isle  City,  New 
Jersey,  May  21, 1887,  are  as  follows:    .70x.56,  .75x.56,  .74x.55,  .73x.55,  .71x.54. 


550rt.  SCOTT'S  SEASIDE  SPARROW.  Ammodramus  maritimus  peninsulw 
Allen.  Geog.  Dist. — South  Carolina  to  Northern  Florida;  Gulf  coast  from  Florida  to 
Texas. 

This  Is  a  common  southern  representative  of  the  Seaside  Sparrow,  .4.  maritimus; 
it  is  similar,  but  its  general  plumage  is  much  darker. 


NORTfT  AMERICAN  HlRltH. 


375 


650b.  TEXAS  SEASIDE  SFABBOW.  Ammndramus  marUlmun  Henncttl  Allen. 
Oeog.  Dl»t. — Gulf  coast  of  Texas,  Corpus  Chrlstl  to  Galveston  Bay. 

In  color  this  subspeclcB  Is  similar  to  .t.  inaritliniiM,  but  all  the  colors  are  lighter 
and  painr,  the  nape  being  distinctly  streaked  with  blaclt.  Mr.  W.  E.  Grover  In  The 
061oi,  November,  1893,  describes  a  domed  nest  of  this  bird  containing  four  cj 

He  says:  "April  19,  1892  found  me  in  a  large  salt  marsh  looking  tor  Sparrow  nests. 
After  a  two  mile  tramp  one  nest  was  found,  containing  four  fresh  eggs.  The  ground 
color  is  white  showing  the  faintest  tinge  of  green;  the  markings  are  small  dots 
sprinkled  over  the  entire  egg,  mostly,  however,  at  the  larger  end,  of  a  red-brown 
color.  The  nest  was  loosely  made  of  dead  grass,  lined  with  finer,  and  v.au  very 
neatly  worked  in  the  heart  of  a  tussock  of  salt  grass,  eleven  inches  above  the  water, 
which  was  four  inches  deep.  Externally  the  nest  measured  four  and  one-half  Inches 
In  diameter  by  three  Inches  high;  walla  one  and  a  quarter  Inches  thick;  bottom  one 
and  three-quarter  inches  thick.  Inside  measured  two  inches  in  diameter  by  one  and 
a  quarter  Inches  deep.  Very  often  the  high  spring  tides  wash  the  nest  away,  but 
nothing  daunted  the  birds  build  a  new  nest,  weaving  it  in  the  tops  o^  rank  grass  or 
rushes,  and  if  in  the  latter,  uslr.g  the  'eaves  to  dome  the  nest,  or  rather  make  a 
rainproof  roof  for  it.  When  placed  in  this  position  the  nests  are  hard  to  find,  as  they 
are  woven  of  green  grass  In  the  shape  of  a  ball,  with  the  entrance  on  one  side  near 
the  top.  As  a  general  thing  they  prefer  thick  grass  growing  on  edge  of  a  small 
bayou." 

650c.  LOUISIANA  SEASIDE  SFABBOW.  Ammodramun  marltlmus  macgll- 
Uvrayl  Aud.    Geog.  Dlst. — Coast  of  Louisiana,  to  coast  of  Texas  In  winter. 

From  eggs  taken  on  the  coast  of  Louisiana  in  my  collection  there  appears  to  be 
no  distinction  whatever  from  those  of  .1.  maritimus. 

651.  DUSKY  SEASIDE  SFABBOW.  Ammodramu8  nigreacens  Ridgw.  Oeog. 
Dist. — Salt  Lake  aud  Merrltt  Island,  Eastern  Florida. 

Mr.  C.  J.  Maynard,  the  only  collector  who  has  ever  met  with  this  species,  found  a 
single  Individual,  March  17,  1872,  at  Salt  Lake,  near  Titusville,  while  in  April  it  was 
"quite  common  on  the  marshes  of  Indian  river  just  below  Dummett's  Grove"  and 
"very  abundant  on  the  upper  end  of  Merrltt's  Island."  A  very  distinct  species  and 
can  be  distinguished  from  A.  m.  peniiisuUr,  its  nearest  ally,  by  Its  much  darker  upper 
parts  and  conspicuously  streaked  under  parts.  Mr.  Frank  M.  Chapman  in  his  "Birds 
of  Eastern  North  America,"  says  that  this  Sparrow  apparently  has  a  more  restricted 
range  than  any  other  North  American  bird.  During  February  and  March  he  searched 
for  the  Dusky  Seaside  Sparrow  in  the  marshes  of  the  east  peninsula  of  Indian  river, 
opposite  Micco,  but  without  success.    The  nest  and  eggs  are  unknown. 


552.  LABK  SFABBOW.  Chondestes  grammacus  (Say.)  Geog.  Dist.— Missia- 
slppi  Valley,  west  to  the  Plains,  east  to  Ohio,  north  to  Michigan  and  south  to  Eastern 
Texas,  Louisiana,  etc.;  accidental  near  the  Atlantic  coast. 

Throughout  the  Mississippi  Valley  the  Lark  Finch  is  found  breeding  more  or 
less  abundantly  in  all  suitable  places,  from  Eastern  Texas  and  Louisiana  on  the 
south  to  Iowa  and  Southern  Michigan  on  the  north.  Its  favorite  summer  resorts  are 
prairie  lands,  clover  and  stubble-flelds,  neglected  and  sparsely  wooded  pastures  and 
fields  bordered  with  low  trees.  Breeds  in  May,  June  and  July  according  to  locality; 
sometimes  two  and  three  broods  are  reared.  It  is  one  of  the  sweetest  songsters 
among  our  Sparrows.    Its  song  is  uttered  in  a  hurried  manner,  "in  one  continuous 


376 


NEST8  AND  E008  OF 


:M  H 


"^1 


irush  of  ftllvery  notee,  and  accompanied  by  a  metallic  tremolo."  Several  birds  may 
be  seen  running  in  the  g^rass  with  lowered  heads  like  quails,  from  which  manner, 
in  some  places  they  receive  the  name  of  "Quail-heads,"  and  again  they  are  gi  /en  the 
nai^e  of  "Road-birds"  from  their  habit  of  running  along  road- sides  and  feeding  in 
roads.  Mr.  Singley  states  that  in  Texas  the  Lark  Finch  often  repairs  old  nests  of  the 
Mockingbii-d  and  Orchard  Oriole  with  a  lining  of  grass,  horse  hairs,  etc.,  and  Mr. 
Davis  informs  me  that  he  has  found  its  eggu  In  the  nest  of  the  Scissor-tailed  Fly- 
catcher. The  .est,  however,  is  usually  placed  on  the  ground,  sometimes  in  trees  or 
bushes,  y/hen  on  the  ground  it  is  generally  sunken  in  a  hollow,  concealed  by  tufts 
of  grass  or  clover  and  it  is  hard  to  find,  for  the  bird,  like  the  Bobolink,  has  the 
habit  of  running  some  distance  from  the  nest  before  taking  wing.  The  composition 
varies  according  to  the  vegetable  growth  of  the  locality  in  which  it  is  built;  usually 
grasses,  clover  and  weed  stems  make  up  the  structure.  The  eggs  are  three  to  five 
in  number,  commonly  four;  they  are  pure  white  or  they  have  a  faint  bluish  or 
brownish  tinge,  speckled  and  marked  with  zig-zag,  straight  lines,  of  very  dark  brown 
and  black,  chiefly  at  the  larger  end,  like  the  eggs  of  the  Baltimore  Oriole,  and  in 
exceptional  cases  it  is  impossible  to  differentiate  the  eggs  of  the  two  species.  The 
size  of  those  of  the  Lark  Sparrow  vary  from  .76  to  .89  in  length  by  .59  to  .68  in  breadth. 

552a.  WESTERN  LABK  SFABBOW.  Chondestes  grammacus  strigatus 
<Swains.)  Geog,  Dist. — Western  United  States  from  the  Great  Plains  and  Central 
Texas  south  into  Mexico. 

This  subspecies  is  common  in  Western  United  States,  from  the  Plains  and  West- 
ern Texas  (where  it  breeds  abundantly)  to  the  Pacific.  In  California  it  nests  on  the 
ground,  in  live  oaks,  sycamores,  orange  and  lemon  trees.    Eggs  .80x.60. 

•  653.  HABBIS'S  SFABBOW.  Zonotrichia  qtterula  (Nutt.)  Geog.  Dist. — Middle 
United  States,  from  Illinois.  Missouri  and  Iowa  west  to  middle  Kansas  and  the 
Dakotas,  and  from  Texas  north  to  Manitoba,  Accidental  on  Vancouver  Island  and 
in  British  Columbia  and  Oregon.    [Accidental  in  Ohio,  Davie.] 

The  late  Maj.  Charles  E.  Bendire  has  given  us  (Auk,  VI,  pp.  150-152)  an  account 
of  what  he  supposed  to  be  a  nest  and  eggs  of  Harris's  Sparrow.  He  says:  "For  the 
purpose  of  drawing  the  attention  of  ornithologists  located  along  the  northern  border 
of  Montana  and  the  Dakotas,  and  throughout  southern  British  North  America,  to  the 
fact  that  the  nest  of  eggs  of  this  interesting  species  remain  still  unknown,  and  to 
the  probability  of  its  breeding  in  these  regions,  instead  of  further  north,  I  will  state 
that  none  of  the  large  collections  of  birds,  nest  and  eggs  made  by  the  following  gen- 
tlemen of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  Robert  McFarlane,  Strachan  Jones,  T.  Mc- 
Dougall,  Donald  Gunn,  C.  P.  Gaudet  and  J.  Lo^knart,  and  which  were  donated  to  the 
Smithaonian  Institution  at  Washington,  D.  C,  contained  specimens  of  this  spetJes, 
although  representing  nearly  every  other  bird  to  be  found  breeding  throughput  the 
vast  interior  of  the  former  Hudson  Bay  territory.  The  explorations  maafe  by  these 
gentlemen  were  thorough  and  continued  through  several  seasons,  and,  chiefly 
through  the  good  efforts  of  Mr.  Robert  Kennicott,  all  their  valuable  fielo  notes  and  an 
immense  amount  of  material  were  brought  together.  From  the  fact  that  no  speci- 
mens of  Zonotrichia  querula  were  obtained  throughout  the  explorations,  which  ex- 
tended well  into  the  Arctic  Clrclo,  and  began  about  the  54th  parallel,  I  necessarily 
believed  that  the  summer  home  of  Harris's  Sparrow,  if  properly  looked  for,  will  be 
found  along  the  foothills  of  the  Bearpaw  and  Chief  Mountains  in  Montana,  along 
the  Turtle  Mountains  in  the  Dakotas,  ana  their  centre  of  abundance  probably  near 
Duck  Mountain,  Manitoba,  as  well  as  in  suitable  localities  in  the  territories  of  Al- 


c 


c 

.1 
I 
i 
1 
I 


i 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


377 


berta  and  Assinlboia,  south  of  Lat.  54°.  During,  the  summer  of  1885,  while  I  was  sta- 
tioned at  Fort  Custer,  Montana,  one  of  my  men,  who  was  well  posted  about  the  birds 
of  that  region,  and  helped  me  to  collect  a  goci  many,  while  out  hunting  one  day 
found  a  nest  and  four  eggs  of  some  sparrow,  without,  unfortunately,  securing  the 
parent,  and  brought  them  in  for  me.  I  saw  at  u  glance  that  these  eggs  were  new  to 
me,  and  visited  the  place  where  the  nest  was  found  next  day,  in  the  hope  of  possibly 
still  finding  the  owners  about  the  locality,  but  failed  in  this.  The  eggs  iu  question 
differ  materially  in  coloration  from  those  of  the  other  species  of  Zonotrichia,  as  well 
as  from  those  of  the  genera.  PassereUa,  M»;lositiza,  and  Pipilo,  all  of  which  are  rep- 
resented by  good  series  in  the  National  Museum  collection.  The  nest  was  found 
June  24,  1885,  in  a  dense  willow  thicket  close  to  the  banks  of  Little  Horn  River, 
about  one  and  a  half  miles  above  the  post.  It  was  placed  between  several  young 
willow  twigs,  about  eight  or  ten  inches  troTA  the  ground,  compactly  built  of  strips 
of  decayed  willow  bark,  coarse  grasses,  etc.,  and  lined  with  finer  materials  of  the 
same  kind.  Outwardly  the  nest  was  about  four  and  a  half  inches  wide  by  three 
deep;  the  inner  cavity  was  two  and  a  half  inches  wide  by  two  in  depth.  In  its  gen- 
eral make-up  it  resembled  the  average  nest  of  a  Passerella.  The  eggs  contained 
small  embryos.  They  resemble  certain  types  of  Cardinal's  eggs  (Cardinalia 
cardinalis)  more  than  anything  else,  but  are  considerably  smaller.  There  is  no  trace 
of  green  whatever  noticeable  in  their  ground  color.  This  green  tint  is  always  found 
to  a  greater  or  less  extent  in  all  the  eggs  of  the  genera  Zonotrichia  and  Passerella,  and 
with  rare  exceptions  in  Melositi.ra  as  well,  while  here,  it  is  a  creamy  or  huffy  white, 
and  the  shell  is  also  more  lustrous.  The  eggs  are  thickly  spotted  and  blotched  with 
dark  brown  and  burnt  umber,  and  more  or  less  mixed  with  pale  heliotrope  purple 
and  purplish  gray.  They  are  ovate  in  shape,  and  measure  .89x.70,  .88x.69,  .86x.69  and 
.85X.65  inches.  I  am  certain  that  these  eggs  are  not  those  of  the  Cardinal,  which  is 
not  found  as  far  north  as  Fort  Custer  and  would  surely  have  been  noticed  by  me,  if 
it  occurred  there,  and  unless  they  should  be  abnormally  colored  eggs  cf  Pipilo 
maculatus  arcticus,  which  is  barely  possible,  although  also  rather  small  for  this 
species,  they  will  certainly  prove  to  be  those  of  Harris's  Sparrow.  While  I  do  not 
believe  th^t  it  is  a  constant  and  common  summer  resident  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort 
Custer,  it  probably  breeds  there  as  a  straggler;  I  failed  to  meet  with  this  species 
during  the  summer,  but  found  it  not  at  all  uncommon  during  its  fall  migration. 
Specimens  shot  by  me  in  the  early  part  of  October  are  now  in  the  National  Museum 
collection.  I  found  them  associated  with  White-crowned  Sparrows  and  Arctic  Tow- 
hees  principally,  scattered  in  small  fiocks  through  the  undergrowth  along  the  Big 
and  Little  Horn  River  bottoms,  and  it  seems  to  confine  itself  to  the  shrubbery  found 
along  the  streams.  Specimens  were  shot  by  me  as  late  as  October  21,  1885."  On  the 
28th  of  April,  1889,  Mr.  J.  E.  Gould  shot  a  specimen  of  Harris's  Sparrow  two  miles 
north  of  Columbus,  Ohio.  Four  or  five  others  were  observed  feeding  in  a  thicket  in 
company  with  the  White-throated  Sparrow,  /.  olbicollis.  Mr.  Gould  generously  pre- 
sented me  with  the  specimen  of  Z.  quenila,  the  skin  of  which  is  now  in  my  collection. 
The  identification  of  this  specimen,  previously  considered  by  the  writer  to  be  Z. 
querula  was,  through  the  kind  assistance  of  Mr.  Chas.  F.  Batchelder  positively  de- 
termined. This,  I  believe  is  the  first  record  of  its  occurrence  in  Ohio.  The  bird  in 
this  case  has  wandered  a  long  way  out  of  its  ordinary  habitat.  Mr.  Rudolph  M. 
Anderson  in  his  Birds  of  Winnebago  and  Hancock  Counties,  Iowa,  says:  "Harris's 
(or  Black-hooded)  Sparrow  is  ra+her  a  common  migrant  in  September  an^  October. 
Have  seen  a  few  specimens  in  the  early  part  of  May.  Spring  and  fall  plumages  differ 
considerably."* 

•  An  Annotated  List  of  the  Birds  of  Winnebago  and  Hancock  Counties,  Iowa.  Belngf 
a  ilst  of  birds  observed  in  the  Counties  of  Winnebago  and  Hancock.  State  of  Iowa,  with 
brief  notes  on  the  same.    Forest  City,  Iowa.    Printed  by  the  Author,  1897. 


378 


NESTS  AND  EQG8  OF 


554.  WHITE-CBOWNED  SPABBOW.  Zonotrichia  leucophrya  (Forst.)  Geog. 
Dist. — North  America  at  large;  breeds  northward;  south  in  winter,  to  the  Southern 
United  States,  and  south  to  Mi  xico. 

This  is  probably  the  moat  beautiful  of  bur  Sparrows,  It  winters  in  the  Gulf 
States  and  southward,  migrating  northward  in  spring  to  its  breeding  grounds,  which 
are  in  the  higher  mountain  ranges  of  Western  United  States — Sierra  Nevada  and 
Rocky  Mountains,  and  eastward  north  of  the  Great  Lakes,  to  Newfoundland  and 
Labradoi.  In  Colorado  this  species  nests  in  June  and  July,  often  raising  two  broods 
in  a  season.  The  bird  is  chiefly  a  ground  builder,  but  nests  are  found  in  bushes  a 
few  feet  above  the  ground.  Mr.  Elmer  J.  Gillette  makes  record  of  a  nest  of  the 
White-crowned  Sparrow  which  he  found  in  Orleans  county,  New  York.  In  "The 
Ornithologist  and  Botanist"  he  notes  the  following:  "We  sometimes  think  this  little 
sparrow  will  spend  the  summer  with  us,  for  he  stays  until  many  of  the  small  birds 
have  built  their  nests  and  laid  their  eggs.  In  fact,  on  one  occasion,  I  found  a  nest 
of  this  sparrow,  which  contained  four  fresh  eggs.  The  nest  was  placed  in  a  berry 
bush  about  tv  :>  feet  from  the  ground.  It  was  composed  principally  of  the  stalks  of 
small  weeds,  roots,  coar&j  grass  and  other  coarse  material.  The  lining  consisted  al- 
rapst  entirely  of  fine  grass,  hair  and  strips  of  bark.  The  nest  resembles,  very  closely 
the  nest  of  the  Song  Sparrow,  but  somewhat  smaller.  The  eggs  also  were  smaller,  and 
about  the  same  color  as  the  Song  Sparrow's.  The  nest  was  not  more  than  20  rods  from 
my  house  and  the  birds  appeared  to  be  very  tame.  This  is  the  only  nest  of  this  species 
that  I  ever  founu,  and  I  never  knew  of  another  nest  being  iound  in  this  locality."  A 
sot  of  four  eggs  In  Mr.  Norris'  cabinet  v/as  taken  July  1, 1883,  near  Hancock,  Col.  The 
nest  was  on  the  ground  and  was  composed  of  grasses,  etc.  The  eg^s  are  pale 
greenish-blue,  speckled  and  spotted  with  bay;  the  markings  are  much  heavier  and 
thicker  near  the  larger  ends;  sizes,  .87x.64,  .89x.63,  .91x.65,  .937.58.  The  number  of 
eggs  is  stated  to  be  four  or  five,  and  are  said  to  resen»ble  those  of  the  Song  Sparrow, 
except  In  size,  some  being  heavily  and  distinctly  marked. 


554a.  INTEBMEI>IATE  SFABBOW.  Zonotrichia  leucophrya  intermedia 
Ridgw.  Geog.  Dist. — Western  North  America  from  the  Rocky  Mountain  region  to 
the  Pacific;  in  winter,  south  throughout  Western  United  States  'nto  Mexico. 

The  Intermediate  White-crowned  Sparrow  breeds  In  th''  far  north— throughout 
Alaska  (except  the  coast  east  and  south  of  the  peninsula)  and  eastward  through  the 
Mackenzie  River  region.  The  eggs  are  described  as  simll  ir  to  those  of  Z.  leucophrya, 
but  the  more  cinnamon  or  rusty  colored  s^yle  predominates. 


■  t  i 


554&.    GAMBEL'S  SFABBOW.    Zonotrichia  leucophrya  gambelii  (Nutt.)    Geog. 
Dist. — Pacific  coast  region  from  Southern  C'^lifornia  north  to  British  Columbia. 

In  California  Gamble's  White-crowned  Sparrow  breeds  n~ar  the  coaat,  building 
the  nest  in  trees,  bushes,  and  in  thick  clumps  of  weeds.  It  Is  quite  bulky,  and  com- 
posed externally  of  weed  stems,  and  fine  dry  grasses  on  the  Inside.  Three  to  five  eggs 
are  laid,  commonly  three  or  four.  Mr.  Norris  has  a  set  of  four  collected  by  A.  M. 
Ingersoll  near  Alameda,  California,  April  2,  1885.  Their  ground  color  is  pale  green- 
ish-blue, spotted  and  splashed  with  liver-brown;  sizes,  .88x.65,  .88x.64,  .88x.64,  .94x.68. 
A  set  of  four  taken  by  the  same  collector  exhibits  the  following  measurements:  .88x 
.63,  .90X.66,  .94X.67,  .88x.64. 


•  Manual  N.  A.  Birds,  p.  415. 


MOUTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


m 


557.  GOLDEN-CBOWNED  SFABBOW.  Zonotrlchia  coronata  (Pall.)  Geog. 
Dist. — Pacific  coast  region,  from  Southern  California  to  Alaska;  migrates  east  ir- 
regularly to  Rocky  Mountains,  casually  to  Wisconsin. 

The  Golden-crowned  Sparrow  is  stated  to  breed  in  Northern  California  and 
northward  to  Alaska.  Its  nesting  is  similar  to  that  of  yambcUi  and  the  eggs  are 
"colored  like  the  more  distinctly  spotted  of  Z,  leucophrys." 


558.  WHITE-THBOATED  SFABBOW.  Zonotrichia  alblcollis  (Gmel.)  Geog. 
Dist. — Eastern  North  America,  breeding  from  Nortnern  United  States  nortuward; 
west  to  the  Plains;  casually  to  Utah. 

A  large,  handsome  sparrow,  very  similar  to  the  White-crowned  species.  Breeds 
in  Northern  Michigan,  New  York,  and  Northern  New  England  northward;  winters 
from  the  Middle  States  southward.  In  the  greater  portion  of  Eastern  United  States 
it  is  seen  only  during  the  migrations,  or  in  the  winter.  In  suitable  places  through- 
out the  three  Northern  New  England  States  the  White-throated  Sparrow  is  a  rather 
common  breeder,  nesting  in  June.  The  nest  is  built  on  the  ground,  or,  in  exceptional 
cases,  in  bushes,  and  among  the  branches  of  fallen  trees.  It  may  be  built  in  a  clear- 
ing near  the  edge  of  woods,  and  frequently  in  damp  places,  often  under  a  fallen 
branch,  or  at  the  foot  of  a  sapling,  and  but  slightly  concealed.  It  is  more  bulky 
than  a  Song  Sparrow's  nest,  built  of  weed-stems,  grasses,  etc.  The  eggs  are  four  or 
five  in  number  and,  like  those  of  the  Song  Sparrow,  are  subject  to  great  variation  in 
size  and  coloration,  as  are  exhibited  by  a  large  series  of  specimens  in  Mr.  Norris' 
cabinet.  The  ground-color  is  of  a  pale  greenish-blue,  spotted,  sprinkled  and  clouded 
wit^  cinnamon-rufous  and  bay.  Some  eggs  are  of  a  pale  cinnamon,  sprinkled  and 
clouded  with  burnt  umber.  A  set  of  four,  containing  eggs  of  the  smallest  sizes,  ex- 
hibits the  following  dimensions:  .80x.63,  .79x.61,  .80x.61,  .81x.62;  another  containing 
the  largest  eggs  gives  the  following  measurements:    .88x.64,  .87x.63,  .86x.64,  .89x.64. 


\ :' 


559.  TBEE  SPABBOW.  Spizella  monticola  (Gmel.)  Geog.  Dist.— Eastern 
North  America,  west  to  the  Plains,  breeding  far  northward;  south  in  winter  through 
Eastern  United  States. 

This  bird  looks  very  much  like  the  Chipping  Sparrow  but  it  has  a  dusky  spot  in 
the  center  of  the  chest.  In  Eastern  United  States  it  is  found  only  in  winter — hence 
the  name.  Winter  Chip-bird,  by  which  it  is  known.  It  breeds  in  Labrador  and  the 
region  about  Hudson  Bay.  The  nest  is  described  as  being  placed  in  trees  or  bushes 
or  on  the  ground,  and  composed  of  grasses,  mud,  fine  rootlets  and  hair.  The  eggs 
have  no  similarity  to  those  of  the  Chipping  Sparrow.  They  are  light  green,  flecked 
with  minute  markings  of  reddish-brown,  distributed  with  great  regularity  over  the 
surface,  but  so  sparsely  as  to  leave  the  ground  distinctly  visible;  on  the  whole 
somewhat  resembling  the  eggs  of  the  Song  Spairow,  with  endless  variations;  four 
or  five  in  number:  size,  .SOx.CO  inches. 

559a.  WESTEBN  TBEE  SFABBOW.  Spizella  monticola  ochracea  Brewst. 
Geog.  Dist. — Western  North  America,  breeding  in  Alaska,  wintering  in  Western 
United  States,  south  to  Texas,  New  Mexico  and  Arizona. 

A  paler  colored  Tree  Sparrow  .  hich  breeds  in  Alaska  and  southward  to  an 
undetermined  latitude.    Nesting  and  eggs  in  nowise  peculiar.    Eggs,  .78x.55. 


560.  CHIFFING  SFABBOW.  Spizella  socialis  (Wils.)  Geog.  Dist.— Eastern 
North  America,  north  to  Great  Slave  Lake,  west  to  the  Plains,  south  into  Eastern 
Mexico. 


380 


NESTS  AND  EGOS  OF 


Nearly  eve>'ybody  knows  this  famllla-  little  bird  as  Chippy,  Chip-bird,  or  Hair- 
bird.  The  latter  name  is  given  it  from  the  fact  that  its  nest  is  for  the  most  part, 
composed  of  horse  hair,  with  a  slight  foundation  of  fine  grass  and  vegetable  fibres. 
The  breeding  season  is  usually  in  May  and  June.  The  nest  is  built  anywhere  in 
bushes,  hedges,  trees  of  any  size,  and  almost  in  any  situation.  In  exceptional  cases 
it  has  been  found  built  on  the  ground.  The  same  pair  of  birds  if  unmolested  will 
return  and  breed  in  the  vicinity  of  their  former  nest  year  after  year.  Three  or  four 
eggs  are  laid,  rarely  five,  bluish-green,  sparsely  spotted  with  blackish-brown  and 
purplish,  sometimes  in  a  circle  about  the  larger  end.  Ten  eggs  selected  on  account 
of  their  sizes  measure:  .60x.50,  .62x52,  .65x.52,  .69x.50,  .69x.53,  .71x.54,  .70x.50,  .72x.61, 
.67X.50,  .73X.52.    Average  size  .68x.51. 


560o.  WESTEBN  CHIPPING  SPABBOW.  Spizella  socialia  arizonw  Coues. 
Geog.  Dist. — Western  North  America,  east  to  Rocky  Mountains;  in  summer  north  to 
beyond  60° ;  south  in  winter  to  southern  Mexico. 

Eggs  in  my  collection  of  this  paler  Western  subspecies  do  not  seem  to  ditter  es- 
sentially from  those  of  socialis.    Nesting  the  same. 


markingf 
A  set  of 
.48,  .63x.i 

663. 

States  ai 
The 
may  be 
fields  an 
when  m 
The  nes 
bush  In 
but  the 


561.  CLAY-COLOBED  SPABBOW.  Spizella  pallida  (Swains.)  Geog.  Dist.— 
Interior  regions  of  North  America  from  Illinois,  Wisconsin  and  Iowa,  west  to  base 
of  Rocky  Mountains,  north  to  the  Sasl  atchewan,  south  to  Texas  and  New  Mexico; 
in  winter  to  Lower  California  and  Mexico. 

The  Clay-colored  Sparrow  breeds  from  Northern  Illinois  and  Central  Iowa 
northward.  Mr.  J.  W.  Preston  found  it  breeding  in  Winnebago  county,  Iowa,  in 
June,  1885,  and  in  the  summers  of  1885  and  1886  in  Becker  county,  Minnesota.  The 
bird  is  an  abundant  breeder  in  Western  Manitoba.  The  nesting  season  is  usually 
in  May  and  June.  Mr.  Preston  found  the  bird  frequenting  the  edges  of  brush  and  the 
borders  of  timber.  The  nests  were  placed  on  the  ground;  one,  however,  was  built  in 
the  branches  of  a  low  hazel.  The  materials  used  in  the  construction  of  the  nests  were 
fine,  round  grasses  and  blades,  with  a  lining  of  horse  hairs.  The  eggs  were  three 
to  five  in  number,  commonly  three  or  four,  the  latter  number  predominating.  They 
are  similar  in  color  to  those  of  the  Chipping  Sparrow,  8.  socialis,  and  average  about 
the  same  in  size,  .65x.50.  Mr.  Norris  has  a  set  of  four  taken  near  Detroit,  Minnesota, 
June  4,  1886;  their  sizes  are:  .64x.47,  .64x.47,  .62x.47,  .64x.48;  in  these  specimens  the 
markings  are  fainter  than  are  those  of  8.  socialis.  As  many  as  six  eggs  are  said  to 
be  laid  by  this  species. 

562.  BBEWEB'S  SPABBOW.  Spizella  breweri  Cass.  Geog.  Dist. — Western 
United  States,  from  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the  Pacific,  south  in  winter  to  North- 
western Mexico. 

This  bird  has  very  much  the  appearance  of  the  Clay-colored  Sparrow,  but  is 
paler  and  duller,  all  the  markings  being  indistinct.  It  is  found  from  the  Pacific 
coast  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  from  the  northern  portion  of  California  to  the 
Rio  Grande  and  Mexico,  and  is  especially  abundant  in  Arizona  and  New  Mexico.  It 
inhabits  almost  exclusively  open  fields  and  bushy  plains.  The  nests  are  placed  in 
bushes,  usually  the  sage,  a  few  feet  from  the  ground.  It  is  composed  of  dry  grasses, 
rootlets,  and  lined  with  hair.  The  eggs  are  generally  four  in  number.  A  series  of 
the  eggs  of  this  species  in  Mr.  Norris'  cabinet,  collected  near  Fort  Klamath,  Oregoa, 
resemble  in  size  and  coloration  the  eggs  of  the  Chipping  Sparrow,  but  as  a  rule  the 


them 

of  gi 

four, 

whit 

torn 

at  t 

mea 

the 

bell 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


381 


les. 
to 


■    ■■ 
. 


markings  are  larger,  and  of  a  more  reddish  tint  than  in  those  of  the  former  species. 
A  set  of  three  containing  the  smallest  eggs  exhibit  the  following  sizes:  .62x.48,  .63x 
.48,  .63X.49;  one  of  four  with  larger  eggs,  .69x.53,  .64x.52,  .67x.58,  .64x.52. 

563.  FIELD  SPARROW.  Spizclla  puaiUa  (Wils.)  Oeog.  Dist.— Eastern  United 
States  and  Southern  Canada,  west  to  the  edge  of  the  Great  Plains. 

The  Field  Sparrow  is  an  abundant  species  in  Eastern  United  States  where  it 
may  be  seen  during  the  summer  months  frequenting  the  borders  of  upland  woods, 
fields  and  edges  of  thickets.  It  sings  during  the  whole  day,  especially  at  mid-day 
when  most  birds  are  silent,  and  a  telegraph  wire  is  a  favorite  perch  while  singing. 
The  nest  is  placed  In  bushes  or  upon  the  ground  in  a  tussock  or  at  the  root  of  a 
bush  In  a  thicket,  frequently  in  briers  along  roadsides  or  upon  the  ground  in  pastures, 
but  the  birds  nearly  always  (in  Ohio  at  least)  during  the  breeding  season,  confine 


563.    Field  Sparrow  (From  Beal). 

themselves  to  the  outskirts  of  woods  with  thick  undergrowth.  The  nest  is  composed 
of  grasses  on  a  foundation  of  leaves;  the  lining  Is  of  hair.  The  eggs  are  commonly 
four,  sometimes  three  or  five.  The  predominating  ground  color  of  the  eggs  is  buffy- 
white,  or  clay,  while  others  have  a  greenish-white  ground;  the  markings  are  in  the 
form  of  specks  and  spots  of  various  shades  of  brown,  which  are  sometimes  so  dense 
at  the  larger  end  as  to  almost  wholly  obscure  the  ground  color.  The  eggs  rarely 
measure  less  than  .61  or  more  than  .73  in  length,  and  in  breadth  .49  or  more  than  .^5; 
the  average  is  .68x.52.  Two  or  three  broods  are  reared  in  a  season,  the  nesting  time 
being  in  May,  June  and  July. 


382 


NESTS  A^D  EOaS  OF 


663o.  WESTEBN  FIELD  SFABHOW.  Splzella  pustlla  arenacea  Ch&db.  Gedg. 
DIst.— Great  Plains,  from  Southern  Texas  north  to  Wyoming  Territory  and  Ne- 
braska. 

A  new  subspecies  Inhabiting  the  Great  Plains  of  Western  United  States.  Nesting 
and  eggs  indistinguishable  from  H.  pusilla. 

664.  WOBTHEN'S  SPABBOW.  Spizella  wortheni  Ridgyr.  Geog.  Dist.— New 
Mexico  (Silver  City)  and  Chalchicomula,  Puebla. 

This  is  apparently  a  good  species,  resembling  the  Black-chinned  Sparrow  in 
many  respects,  particularly  the  color  of  the  upper  parts.  The  type  specimen  was 
taken  at  Silver  City,  New  Mexico. 


Ores 

nest 

bull 

mai 

roa( 

last 

loot 

five 

je 

siz( 


665.  BLACK-CHINNED  SPABBOW.  Spizella  atrigularis  (CPb.)  Geog. 
Dist. — Mexico  and  southern  border  of  the  United  States  from  the  Lower  Rio  Grande 
Valley  to  Southern  California;  Lower  California. 

The  Black-chinned  Sparrow  is  a  rather  common  species  in  all  suitable  places 
from  the  southern  border  of  the  United  States  southward.  It  inhabits  the  border 
of  thickets,  grassy  fields  and  low  shrubbery.  The  nest  is  usually  placed  in  low 
bushes,  and  is  made  very  similar  to  that  of  the  Field  Sparrow.  The  eggs  are  light 
greenish-blue,  about  the  color  of  the  eggs  of  the  Bluebird.  The  average  measure- 
ment of  eight  specimens  is  .68x.50  inches. 

666.  WHITE-WINOED  JXJNCO.  J  unco  aikeni  Ridgw.  Geog.  Dist.— Colorado, 
north  to  the  Black  Hills. 

This  species  is  dedicated  to  C.  E.  Aiken,  of  Colorado.  It  is  like  the  Slate-colored 
Junco  except  that  the  wings  are  crossed  with  two  white  bars  formed  by  the  tips  of 
the  greater  and  middle  coverets.    Breeds  in  the  Black  Hills. 


567.  SLATE-COLOBED  JUNCO.  Junco  hyemalis  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist.— North 
America  at  large,  breeding  from  the  higher  portions  of  the  AUeghanies,  Northern 
New  York  and  Northern  New  England  to  Alaska  (except  the  Pacific  coast  district,  or 
south  and  east  of  the  peninsula),  south  in  winter  to  the  Gulf  States. 

Better  known  as  the  Black  Snowbird,  and  in  most  of  the  United  States  is  oftener 
seen  during  the  winter  months.  Breeds  in  the  mountains  of  Northern  Pennsylvania, 
New  York,  and  New  England;  is  resident  throughout  the  year  in  Northeastern  Ohio, 
and  in  Michigan.  Mr.  Mcllwraith  gives  it  as  a  fairly  common  resident  of  Ontario 
where,  in  the  southern  portion,  is  is  known  as  the  "White  Bill."  Mr.  William  L. 
Kells  states  that  in  Ontario,  the  Slate-colored  Junco  selects  various  places  for  nest- 
ing sites,  such  as  the  up-turned  roots  of  trees,  crevices  in  banks,  under  the  sides  of 
logs  and  stumps,  a  cavity  under  broken  sod,  or  in  the  shelter  of  grass  or  other 
vegetation.  The  nest  is  made  of  dry  grasses,  warmly  and  smoothly  lined  with  hair. 
Mr.  Kells  says  the  bird  generally  begins  to  nest  the  first  week  of  May,  and  nests 
with  eggs  are  found  as  late  as  August.  The  set  of  eggs  is  usually  four  or  five  in 
number,  of  a  whitish  color,  varying  to  a  greenish-white,  more  or  less  speckled  with 
reddish-brown,  with  an  average  size  of  .78x.57.  A  set  of  four  eggs  taken  by  J.  A. 
Dakin,  on  May  4,  in  Onondaga  county,  New  York,  measures  .75x.50,  .76x.56,  .78x.b7, 
.80X.58.    A  nest  of  this  species  was  found  on  the  rafters  of  a  barn  in  Connecticut. 

567a.  OBEGON  JUNCO.  Junco  hyemalis  oregonm  (Towns.)  Geog.  Dist.— West- 
ern North  America.  Breeds  along  the  Pacific  coast  region  from  California  north- 
ward to  Sitka. 


V 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


383 


Mr.  A.  W.  Anthony  notes  this  as  one  of  the  most  common  birds  of  Northwestern 
Oregon,  rearing  three  and  often  four  broods  in  a  season.  He  states  that  the  birds 
nest  in  various  locations;  in  hollows  of  the  ground  under  low  bushes,  the  nest  being 
built  flush  with  the  surface;  also  in  holes  among  the  roots  of  bushes  and  trees,  and 
many  nests  are  found  under  wood-piles.  Some  were  found  built  on  the  shelf  of  a  rail- 
road cut,  which  was  screened  by  a  thick  curtain  of  vines.  Nesting  begins  about  the 
last  of  March,  or  first  of  April.  The  materials  of  the  nests  are  dry  grasses  rather 
loosely  put  together  with  a  lining  of  cow-hair.  The  eggs  are  usually  four,  rarely 
five  in  number.  In  a  large  series  of  the  eggs  of  this  race  of  Junco  there  appears  to 
lie  no  distinguishable  difference  in  coloration  from  those  of  J.  hyemalia.  The  average 
size  of  ten  eggs  is  .77x.56  inches. 


567a.    Oregon  Junco. 

567b.  SHUFELDT'S  JUNCO.  Junco  hyemalia  shufeldti  Goale.  Geog.  Dist.— 
Rocky  Mountain  region,  w  si  in  the  mountains  of  the  Great  Basin  to  California;  in 
winter  south  to  Arizona,  New  Mexico,  Texas,  and  Northern  Mexico.  Accidental  in 
Michigan,  Illinois,  Massachusetts,  Maryland,  etc. 

Mr.  Henry  K.  Coale,  of  Highland  Park,  111.,  has  named  this  variety  of  Junco  in 
honor  of  Dr.  Robert  W.  Shufeldt,  U.  S.  A.,  who  collected  the  specimens  from  which 
the  descriptions  were  made  and  presented  them  to  U.  S.  National  Museum.*  The 
nesting  habits  and  eggs  of  this  bicd  are  identical  with  those  of  the  Oregon  Junco. 


567o.  THUBBEB'S  JUNCO.  Junco  hyetnalis  thurberi  Anthony.  Geog.  Dist.— 
Sierra  Nevada,  and  deserts  and  southern  coast  rangesiof  California. 

The  general  habits,  nests  and  eggs  of  this  subspecies  appear  to  be  precisely  the 
same  as  J.  h.  oregonus.  Mr.  C.  W.  Crandall  has  just  added  tc  his  extensive  oological 
collection  an  authentic  set  of  four  eggs  of  this  bird,  taken  by  Edmund  Heller,  in  the 
San  Bernardino  Mountains,  California,  on  June  8,  1897.  The  nest  was  placed  on  the 
ground  in  a  carpet  of  old  pine  needles  sunk  flush  with  the  surface,  and  hidden  by 
pine  brush.  The  nest  was  composed  of  dry  grass,  bits  of  moss  and  lined  with  finer 
material  of  the  same.  The  outside  diameter  of  the  nest  was  2.54,  inside  1.35  inches. 
The  eggs  are  bluish  white,  handsomely  ringed  around  the  larger  end  with  chestnut 
red  and  lavender  with  a  few  0cattering  spots  over  the  major  portion  of  the  eggs. 
Their  sizes  are  .71X.58,  .72X.57,  .71X.57,  .71X.57  inches. 


•  For  complete  description  of  bird  <y.  Coale,  Auk,  IV,  pp.  330-331. 


384 


NEHTf?  AND  EGOS  OF 


I  K 


567d.  POINT  FINOS  JUNCO.  Junco  hyemalis  pinosus  Looms.  Geog.  Dlst.— 
Vicinity  of  Monterey,  California. 

I  know  very  little  about  this  variety  of  the  Black  Snowbird,  but  from  the  quota- 
tions given  by  dealers  on  the  skins  and  eggs,  I  Imagine  that  It  Is  a  subspecies  of  lim- 
ited abundance.  Having  a  very  restricted  geographical  distribution  it  Is  not  probable 
that  many  skins  of  this  bird  are  In  private  collections  and  far  less  of  Its  eggs.  For 
a  description  of  the  bird  x'f.  L.  M.  Loomis,  Auk,  X,  p.  47. 

567c.  CAROLINA  JUNCO.  Jmwo  hycmalla  carolinenais  Brewst.  Oeog.  Dlst. — 
Higher  portions  of  the  Southern  Alleghanies. 

According  to  Mr.  Wm.  Brewster  this  new  variety  of  the  Black  Snowbird  differs 
from  J.  hyemalis  in  being  larger,  with  lighter,  bluer  and  more  uniform  coloration, 
and  a  horn-colored  instead  of  pinkish-white  or  yellowish  bill.  Mr.  Brewster  found 
this  bird  at  Highlands  and  on  the  Black  Mountains  of  Western  North  Carolina.  He 
states  that  it  is  probable  that  the  birds  represent  the  form  which  breeds  on  the 
mountains  of  Virginia  and  Pennsylvania.  Two  sets  of  eggs  are  in  Mr.  Brewster's 
collection  taken  by  Mr.  Boynton,  at  Highlands,  respectively  June  30  and  July  7,  1885. 
"The  eggs  are  larger  than  those  of  hyemalis  but  similar  in  color  and  markings."  The 
nesta  are  also  larger  and  composed  of  coarser  material,  although  both  are  neatly 
lined  with  horse-hair.  The  one  collected  July  7  was  placed  "in  a  bank  by  the  road- 
side," a  site  often  chosen  by  our  northern  birds,  but  the  other  was  built  in  a  berry 
bush,  four  feet  above  the  ground.  Both  sets  of  eggs  were  perfectly  fresh,  a  fact 
which  proves  that  the  bird  breeds  very  irregularly  and  probably  twice  at  least  in  the 
same  season.*  Mr.  George  B.  Sennett  found  this  subspecies  breeding  in  the  moun- 
tains of  Western  North  Carolina.  On  Roan  Mountain  the  birds  were  exceedingly 
abundant  at  an  altitude  of  6300  feet.  In  the  latter  half  of  April  they  were  paired 
and  building,  and  many  complete  nests  were  discovered.  Fresh-laid  eggs  and  young 
in  all  stages  were  found  in  July.  The  nests  were  found  in  all  sorts  of  places — in  the 
open  fields,  among  the  grass  hummocks,  along  the  edge  of  cow-paths,  myrtle  tus- 
socks, under  balsams  or  under  the  deciduous  trees  of  a  lower  altitude.  Two  nests 
were  found  in  balsam  trees  three  and  five  feet  respectively  from  the  ground. 

568.  FINK-SIDED  JUNCO.  Junco  annecteus  Baird.  Geog.  Dist.— Rocky 
Mountain  district,  from  Arizona  and  New  Mexico  north  to  Idaho  and  Montana. 

The  Pink-sided  Junco  is  found  in  the  Rocky  Mountain  region,  breeding  from 
Fort  Bridger  northward.  Dr.  Merrill  found  it  rather  common  in  the  mountains  of 
Montana,  at  considerable  height  and  among  the  pines.  A  nest  taken  June  13  was 
at  the  top  of  a  ridge  connecting  two  peaks,  at  an  elevation  of  8000  feet.  The  nest 
was  under  a  shelving  stone,  in  a  little  hollow  dug  out  by  the  parents;  It  was  rather 
large  and  compactly  built,  composed  of  coarse,  dry  grasses,  with  an  Inner  lining  of 
fine  yellow  straw  and  hair  of  the  mountain  sheep.  The  eggs,  five  in  number,  were 
far  advanced  in  incubation  and  one  was  broken  in  blowing.  The  four  remaining 
specimens  measure  .81x.60,  .80x.59,  .84x.60,  .83x.60.  They  are  described  as  dull  yel- 
lowish-whitish, spotted  and  blotched  with  light  reddish-brown  and  lavender.  The 
spots  are  scattered  over  the  entire  surface  of  the  eggs,  but  are  largest  and  more  nu- 
merous at  the  larger  end. 

568.  1.  BIDGWAY'S  JUNCO.  Junco  ridgwayi  Mearns.  Geog.  Dlst.— Wyom- 
ing, Colorado.  Arizona  and  New  Mexico. 

According  to  Dr.  Mearns  the  coloration  In  the  upper  parts  of  this  species  Is 
similar  to  that  of  the  Gray-headed  Junco  and  the  lower  portions  similar  to  that 

•  Auk,  III.  pp.  109-110. 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BUtltS. 


385 


in  the  Pink-Bided  Junco.    I  jave  nothing  authentic  concerning  its  nests  and  egga 
which  more  than  lilcely  do  not  differ  materially  from  those  of  other  Juncos. 

569.  OBAY-HEADED  JUNCO.  Junco  ranicepa  (Woodh).  Qeog.  Dist.— Rocky 
Mountain  district,  from  the  Black  Hills  to  the  Wasatch  and  other  Mountains  of  Utah, 
south  to  Mexico  and  Arizona. 

The  Oray-headed  Snowbird  is  a  common  breeder  in  the  mountainous  regions  of 
Central  Colorado  and  Utah  southward,  nesting  in  June,  July  and  August,  raising 
two,  perhaps  three  broods  in  a  season.  Its  nest  resembles  that  of  Juncn  annertcna, 
being  built  on  the  ground  in  sheltered  positions.  The  eggs  have  a  difference  in 
ground-color  varying  from  white  and  pinkish-white  to  bluish  or  greenish-white, 
very  faintly  dotted  (the  markings  being  very  minute)  over  the  whole  surface  but 
chiefly  at  the  larger  end  with  reddish-brown.  A  set  of  four  eggs  of  this  Junco  is 
in  the  collection  of  Mr.  C.  W.  Crandall,  of  Woodside,  N.  Y.  They  were  taken  June 
12,  1896,  near  Beulah,  Pueblo  county,  Colorado,  by  Mr.  D.  P.  Ingraham.  The  bird 
was  shot  and  perfectly  identified.  The  nest  was  placed  just  under  the  edge  of  a 
haystack.  The  situati  i  was  at  an  altitude  of  about  8500  feet.  The  eggs  measure 
as  follows:  .76x.61,  .77x.60,  .74x.61,  .76x.61,  .76x.60  inches  respectively. 

570.  ARIZONA  JUNCO.  Junco  phaonotus  palliatua  Ridgw.  Oeog.  Dist. — 
Southern  Arizona  and  adjacent  portions  of  Mexico. 

This  is  a  common  species  at  the  higher  altitudes  in  the  mountains  of  Southern 
A.rizona,  where  it  dwells  in  the  depths  of  the  pine  forests.  It  is  generally  mated 
in  April,  and  nests  may  be  found  in  May  and  June;  these  are  placed  on  the  ground 
under  bushes,  or  otherwise  sheltered.  The  eggs  are  described  as  being  plain  green- 
ish-white, unmarked,  size,  .78x.60. 

570o.  BED-BACKED  JUNCO.  Junco  ph(Bonotus  dormlis  Henry.  G«og.  Dlat.— • 
Mountains  of  New  Mexico  and  Eastern  Arizona. 

A  common  bird  in  the  high  mountains  of  New  Mexico,  and  in  the  eastern  por- 
tion of  Arizona.  July  16,  Mr.  F.  Stephens  found  a  nest  of  this  bird  in  New  Mexico, 
under  a  tuft  of  grass,  which  contained  three  perfectly  fresh  eggs.  When  blown,  they 
are  white,  with  a  slight  tinge  of  green,  speckled  sparsely  all  over,  except  at  the 
smaller  ends,  with  small  brownish  dots;  sizes,  .74x.58,  .76x.62,  .77x.63.  Some  eggs  are 
marked  in  the  form  of  a  ring  around  the  larger  end. 

571.  BAIBD'S  JUNCO.  Junco  bairdi  Belding.  Geog.  Dist.—Southern  Lower 
California. 

Baird's  Snow-bird  was  discovered  In  Lower  California.  It  is  described  as  re- 
sembling a  bright  colored  female  of  ./.  /*.  oreponus,  wUh  the  peculiar  combination  of 
pink  sides,  yellow  eyes  and  under  mandible.    Its  nest  and  eggs  are  unknown. 

571.  1.  TOWNSEND'S  JUNCO.  Junco  townaendi  Anthony.  Geog.  Dist.— Sau 
Pedro  Martir  Mountains.  Lower  California. 

This  new  species  from  the  San  Pedro  Mountains  was  described  by  Mr.  A.  W. 
Anthony  (Proc.  Cal.  Acad.  Sci.,  2d  Ser.,  II,  Oct.  11, 1889,  p.  76.)  Authentic  eggs  of  this 
bird  are  described  as  being  indistinguishable  from  those  of  J.  h.  oregonug. 


572.     GUADALUPE  JUNCO. 
Ipl""d.  Lower  California. 


Ju7ico  inaularis  Ridgw.    Geog.  Dist.— Guadalupe 


26 


386 


yiiSTti  Ai\h  ijaas  of 


Mr.  Bryant  found  this  Snowbird  common  on  Guadalupe  Island,  inhabiting  the 
palm,  pine  and  cypress  groves.  The  birds  mated  early,  soon  after  the  first  of  the 
year,  and  were  Incubating  by  the  26th  of  January.  A  nest  found  March  10,  contained 
four  young,  hatched  but  a  few  days  before.  It  was  placed  in  a  depression,  flush 
with  the  surface  of  the  ground,  and  concealed  by  a  covering  of  brush.  Tull  fledged 
young  were  taken  March  16;  also  a  nest  with  three  fresh  eggs.  This  nest  was  placed 
In  the  cleft  of  a  pine  tree,  which  grew  near  the  edge  of  a  precipice.  It  was  com- 
posed of  a  few  pieces  of  bark-moss,  light-colored  dry  grass  blades,  and 
a  tail  feather  of  a  petrel,  lined  within  with  goat-hair.  The  three  eggs 
whieh  the  nest  contained,  Mr.  Bryant  says,  weio  probably  the  second  setting,  judging 
from  the  ragged  appearance  of  the  female,  Ind  eating  previous  cares.  Their  color  is 
a  pale  greenish-white,  marked  with  fine  dot'"  of  reddish-brown  clustered  around  the 
larger  end.    They  measure  19.5x15,  20x15.5,  20x16  millimeters.* 


573.  BLACK-THROATED  SFABBOW.  Amphispiza  MHneata  (Cass.)  Geog. 
Dist. — Southwestern  United  States — Texas  to  Lower  California — south  Into  Mexico, 
north  In  the  interior  to  Nevada,  Utah  and  western  portions  of  Colorado. 

The  Black-throated  Sparrow  is  an  Inhabitant  of  the  southwestern  portion  of  the 
United  States  from  Western  Texas  to  the  Pacific.  Mr.  Wm.  Lloyd  found  it  breeding 
in  Western  Texas,  nesting  In  the  cat-claw  or  chapparal  bushes.  Nests  were  found 
May  6  and  13,  June  12,  and  July  13  containing  fresh  eggs.  Indicating  that  the  bird 
rears  at  least  two  broods  In  a  season.  Mr.  Scott  notes  this  species  as  a  common 
resident  in  the  foothill  region  of  the  Catalinas  and  also  about  Tucson,  breeding  com- 
monly at  both  points  generally  at  considerable  elevation.  At  an  altitude  of  4500  feet 
in  the  Catallna  region  the  breeding  season  begins  early  In  March  and  continues  well 
into  the  latter  part  of  the  summer.  The  nests  he  states  are  built  near  the  ground 
in  some  low  bush  or  cactus,  and  occasionally  on  the  ground.  The  eggs  are  three  to 
five,  three  or  four  being  the  general  complement.  Mr.  Sennett  secured  several  sets 
of  eggs  of  this  species  at  Lomita,  on  the  Lower  Rio  Grande,  in  April.  Mr.  Davis  In- 
forms me  that  he  took  two  sets  of  the  Black-throated  Sparrow's  eggs  In  Eastland 
county,  Texas,  i*n  June;  one  set  was  far  advanced  In  Incubation,  ♦he  other  on  the 
14th  was  fresh.  In  color  the  eggs  are  plain  bluish-white,  and  average  in  size, 
.70X.51. 

574.  BELL'S  SFABBOW.  Amphispiza  belli  (Cass.)  Geog.  Dist.— California, 
soaith  to  Cape  St.  Lucas. 

An  abundant  bird  in  all  the  thickets  throughout  Southern  California.  The 
nest?  are  built  In  bushes  and  composed  of  grass  stems  and  vegetable  fibres,  lined 
with  hair.  The  nesting  season  Is  in  May  and  June.  Eggs  three  or  four  In  number 
to  a  set,  pale  greenish-blue,  finely  dotted  and  speckled  chiefiy  at  the  larger  end  with 
cinnamon  and  dark  reddish-brown.  The  average  size  of  six  specimens  is  .74x.60 
inches. 


I 


574a.  SAOE  SFABBOW.  Amphispiza  belli  nevadensis  (Ridgw.)  Geog.  Dist. — 
Artemisia  Plains  of  Western  United  States,  north  to  Idaho,  Montana  and  Wyoming 
Territories,  east  to  Colorado  and  New  Mexico,  south  to  interior  of  Southern  Cali- 
fornia, and  Northern  Mexico. 

This  bird  abounds  in  the  sage-brush  deserts  of  Nevada,  Utah,  New  Mexico  and 
Arizona.    Nests  found  near  Carson  City,  Nevada,  are  described  as  being  artfully  con- 


•  .77X.59,  .79X.61,  .79X.63. 


SOUTH  .1.1/ a; ///CIV  itiunti. 


3H7 


eealed,  either  Bunkcn  in  the  grouiul  ur  u  lew  iuclieu  ujovc  it,  in  tlio  luwer  branches  of 
a  bush;  they  ixro  composeii  of  sage-brush  barlt.  dry  grasses,  etc.  The  eggs  are  light 
greenish,  marked  all  over  with  very  fine  dots  of  a  reddish-brown,  around  the  larger 
end  a  ring  of  confluent  blotches  of  dark  purple  and  lines  of  darker  brown;  almost 
black;  size  .80x.60.    Three  or  four  are  the  usual  number  deposited. 


» 


674/i.  QUAY  SAQE  SPARROW.  AmphlHpiza  hclH  chicrra  Townsend.  Geog. 
Dlst. — Lower  California. 

Little  Is  known  con'iernlng  the  habits  of  this  clnrrous  colored  Snge  Sparrow. 
They  no  doubt  are  identical  with  those  of  .1.  h.  neradcuHiM. 


676.  PINE-WOODS  SPARROW.  Pcucaa  astivalln  (Llcht.)  Geog.  Dlst.— 
Florida  and  southern  portion  of  Georgia. 

The  Pine-woods  Sparrow  is  common  in  some  localities  of  Florida,  where  it  breeds 
In  May  and  June.  In  Alachua  county,  Florida,  Mr.  Frank  M.  Chapman  states  that 
It  is  common  only  In  one  locality,  a  high,  open,  palmetto  pinery,  where,  May  21,  1887, 
a  nest  was  found  with  four  fresh  eggs.  In  a  letter  to  the  late  Major  Bendlre,  Mr. 
Chapman  states  that  this  nest  was  placed  beneath  a  scrub  palmetto,  and  was  con- 
structed aimost  entirely  of  fine,  dry  grasses.  It  was  firmly  made,  and  held  well 
together  when  lifted  from  the  ground.  It  was  not  arched  over  in  any  way,  which 
seems  to  be  the  peculiarity  in  the  nests  of  PtKcira  (rslUalis  barhmaiiii.  The  nest  was 
perfectly  round,  with  the  sides  of  rims  everywhere  of  equal  height,  and  was  a  sym- 
metrical and  well-proportioned  structure.  Three  of  the  eggs  taken  by  Mr.  Chapman 
are  in  the  National  Museum  collection,  and  are  described  by  Major  Bendlre  as  pure 
white,  slightly  glossy,  and  rounded-oval  in  shape;  sizes,  .71x.61,  .74x.61,  .71x.G1  inches. 


575fl.  BACHMAN'S  SPARROW.  I'viicua  (tiiliiurt.s  boihimiHli  (Aud.)  Geog. 
Dlst. — South  Atlantic  and  Gulf  SLatea,  and  Lower  Mississippi  Valley,  north  to  North 
Carolina,  Eastern  Tennessee,  Kentucky,  Southern  Illinois,  and  west  to  middle  North- 
ern Texas. 

Mr.  Arthur  T.  Wayne  Informs  me  that  in  the  region  about  Charleston,  South 
Carolina,  Dachman's  Finch  breeds  in  April,  May,  June  and  July,  making  its  nest 
upon  the  ground  in  pine  woods.  He  states  that  the  birds  breed  in  numbers  seven 
miles  north  of  Charleston,  but  the  nests  are  difficult  to  find,  only  a  single  one  having 
come  under  his  observation.  Mr,  William  Lloyd  notes  Dachman's  Sparrow  as  a  sum- 
mer visitor  in  eastern  Concho  county,  Texas,  where  nests  are  found  from  May  20  to 
June  1.  Major  Charles  E.  Bendire  describes  iive  nests,  and  several  full  sets  of  eggs 
of  Dachman's  Sparrow,  which  were  presented  to  the  National  Museum  collection  by 
Dr.  William  C.  Avery,  of  Greensboro,  Alabama,  in  which  vicinity  they  were  taken  in 
the  months  of  May  and  June.  Major  Bendlre  says:  "All  the  nests  of  this  bird 
vary  totally  In  structure  from  those  of  the  other  species  of  the  genus  Pcimra,  as  they 
are  known  to  me.  They  are  all  distinctly  roofed-over  or  domed,  a  feature  only  found 
In  the  nest  of  a  closely  allied  species,  Emhcrnayra  ruftv'iryaia,  the  Texas  Sparrow, 
which  constructs  a  somewhat  similar  nest.  They  are  cylindrical  in  shape,  about 
seven  or  eight  inches  long  by  three  inches  in  height  and  four  and  one-half  Inches 
wide.  The  inner  cavity  is  from  three  to  four  inches  in  length,  about  two  inches  wide, 
and  one  and  ^hree-quarters  inches  high.  The  rear  wall  of  the  nest  is  about  one  and 
three-quarters  ?nches  thick,  the  sides  about  an  Inch,  and  the  roof  a  little  over  half 
an  inch  In  thickness.  These  measurements  vary  somewhat  In  different  specimens. 
The  nests  are  all  constructed  out  of  dry  grasses  exclusively,  and  are  lined  with  fine 


388 


yERTFt  AND  Enaa  of 


grass  tops  only.  Some  are  much  more  artistically  and  compactly  built  than  others; 
the  roof  projects  somewhat  over  the  entrance  In  all  cases."  The  nest  Is  always  placed 
In  a  depression  of  the  ground,  and  the  entrance  is  Invariably  canted  upwards  at  an 
angle  of  about  15°.  The  entrance  to  the  majority  of  the  nests  faced  west.  The  nests 
were  found  in  growths  of  old-fleld  pines.  In  patches  of  pine  and  plum  bushes,  on 
slopes  of  hills.  In  open  spaces  under  fallen  branches.  The  birds  do  not  rise  off  the 
nest  as  other  birds  do  when  disturbed,  but  run  some  distance  before  taking  flight." 
Major  Dendlro  states  that  the  eggs  of  Bachman's  Sparrow  in  the  National  Museum, 
collected  by  Dr  Avery,  are  pure  white,  but  with  less  gloss  than  those  of  /'.  a'stlvalln, 
more  of  a  dead  white.  A  set  of  four  nearly  fresh  eggs  taken  May  8,  gives  the  tollow- 
Ing  sizes:  .72x.56,  .75x.55,  .72x.55,  .71x.55.  A  set  taken  June  23,  measures  .75x.;>7, 
.75X.60,  .77X.61,  .76x.61*  The  late  Captain  B.  F.  Goss  had  a  set  of  four  eggs  in  his 
collection,  taken  by  Mr.  Wayne.  These  measure  .79x.63,  .75z.63,  .75x.63,  .75x.63 
inches. 


676.  ARIZONA  SPARROW.  Peucar.a  arizonw  Rldgw.  Oeog.  Dist.— Southern 
Arizona  and  Sonora. 

The  general  habits,  nest  and  eggs  of  the  Arizona  Summer  Finch,  as  it  is  called, 
are  Identical  with  those  of  the  next  species. 

677.  MEXICAN  SPARROW.  Peucaa  mexicana  (Lawr.)  Geog.  Dist.— Valley 
of  the  Rio  Grande  in  Texas,  south  into  Central  and  Western  Mexico. 

Dr.  James  C.  Merrill,  met  with  this  species  on  the  Lower  Rio  Grand  >  in  Texas. 
He  says  the  bird  is  found  in  some  abundance  on  a  salt  prairie  about  nine  miles  from 
Fort  Brown,  and  it  was  obtained  with  difficulty,  as  it  could  rarely  be  flushed  from 
among  the  tall  grass.  "A  nest,  found  June  16, 1877,  was  placed  among  the  roots  of  a 
tussock  of  grass;  it  was  made  of  blades  and  stems  of  grasses,  and  was  rather  deep, 
but  so  frail  that  it  fell  to  pife,;es  on  removal.  The  eggs,  four  in  number,  were  quite 
fresh.  They  are  unspotted,  white,  strongly  tinged  with  greenish-blue,  and  meas- 
ure .82X.63."    Ridgway  describes  the  eggs  as  plain,  pure  white,  size,  .72x.58  Inches. 

678.  CASSIN'S  SPARROW.  Peucaa  cassini  (Woodh.)  Geog.  Dist.— South- 
western border  of  United  States.  Texas  to  Arizona,  and  Northern  Mexico;  north  in 
summer  to  the  Plains  of  Kansas. 

The  late  Colonel  N.  S.  Goss  states  that  this  species  is  a  not  an  uncommon  summer 
resident  in  Middle  and  Western  Kansas,  arriving  from  the  first  to  the  middle  of 
May.  Begins  laying  about  the  tenth  of  June.  Their  favorite  resorts  and  breeding 
grounds  are  on  the  barren  plains  that  are  dotted  over  with  low,  stunted  bushes.  Dr. 
Merrill  says  Cassin's  Sparrow  arrives  in  the  region  of  the  Lower  Rio  Grande  in 
Texas,  about  the  middle  of  March,  and  frequents  the  open  chapparal  and  thick 
bushes.  Nests  were  found  April  28,  and  May  4  and  22,  1877.  They  were  placed  at 
the  foot  of  small  bushes,  and  scarcely  raised  above  the  ground;  were  composed  of 
dried  grasses,  lined  with  finer  ones  and  a  few  hairs,  but  were  very  frail.  Thirteen 
eggs  taken  from  these  nests  are  pure  white,  and  average  .74x.57.  Mr.  Lloyd  found 
nests  of  this  species  in  Western  Texas  in  May,  that  were  placed  in  bushes  not  higher 
than  a  foot  from  the  ground,  or  in  tufts  of  grasses. 


679.     RUFOUS-WINGED  SPARROW. 

Arizona  and  Sonora. 


Peucrea  carpalia  Coues.    Geog.  Dist.— 


*  For  Major  Bendire's  detailed  account  of  the  nest  and  eggs  of  "Peucsea  sesUvalts 
backmanil  see  The  Auk,  October,  1888,  pp.  361-366. 


.!»' 


NOHTU  .iAH-JUli'AN  ttHihti. 


.1*1 


The  late  Major  Charles  E.  IJenUlre,  U.  S.  A.,  fuuiul  thiM  Hpnctt'H  tu  lit*  u  common 
resident  In  the  vicinity  of  Tucson.  Arizona.  The  birds  were  eHpocluIly  ubundunt  on 
the  ridges  bordering  Rlllitto  Creeli,  on  the  dry,  arid  cactuH-covered  plaliiH,  near  the 
present  Hitc  of  Camp  Ixjwell.  Here  ho  collected  many  nosts  with  eggs.  The  nest 
is  usually  placed  in  low  bushes,  preferably  small  mesquitcM,  from  hIx  Inches  to  Ave 
feet  from  the  ground,  most  frequently  about  eighteen  inches;  and  no  oHpocial  attempt 
is  made  at  concealment.  It  is  firmly  fixed  to  a  fork  or  crotch,  and  is  a  compact 
structure,  composed  externally  of  coarse  grasses  and  lined  with  the  fine  tops  of  the 
mesquite  grass,  and  not  unfrequently  a  few  horse  hairs,  when  such  are  obtainable. 
About  one-half  of  the  nests  found  contained  one  or  more  oggH  of  the  Dwarf  Cowbird. 
A  set  of  three  eggs  collected  by  Major  Bendire,  on  August  2.1,  1S72,  are  in  Mr. 
Norris'  collection;  they  are  plain  blulsh-whlle,  and  givo  tho  following  measurements: 
.75x.r)7,  .78x.r)9,  .TGx.ns.  The  first  eggs  were  found  by  Major  nendire.  .Tune  14,  but 
tht!  birds  were  believed  to  commence  breeding  even  a  month  earlier.  The  number 
to  a  set  is  commonly  four  or  five. 

680.  BUFOUS-CBOWNED  SPABBOW.  Prunra  ruflrrps  (Cass.)  Geog.  Dist.— 
California  coast  from  I.iat.  40°  south  to  Cape  St.  l^ucas. 

The  Rufous-crowned  Sparrow  breeds  in  various  mountainous  localities  of  Cali- 
fornia, where,  however,  it  is  somewhat  local  in  Its  distribution.  Rocky  hlll-sldes, 
with  a  sparse  growth  of  stunted  bushes,  are  its  favorite  resorts.  The  l)reedlng  sea- 
son Is  said  to  begin  as  early  as  April.  The  nest  is  placed  on  the  ground  In  a  slight 
hollow,  and  Is  exceedingly  hard  to  find,  as  the  sitting  female  steals  silently  away 
under  cover  of  the  surrounding  vegetation,  and  If  seen  at  all  is  likely  to  be  mistaken 
for  a  startled  mouse.  A  nest  collected  July  10,  by  Mr.  Charles  A.  Allen,  on  Dlack 
Mountain,  near  NIcasio,  California,  and  described  by  Mr.  ■William  Brewster,  is  out- 
wardly composed  of  coarse  grass  and  weed-stalks,  lined  somewhat  scantily  with 
horse  hair,  very  loosely  put  together.  The  locality  was  an  open  heathy  tract  on  the 
mountain-side,  and  the  nest  was  placed  on  the  ground  under  a  bush.  This  nest  con- 
tained three  pure  white  eggs;  size,  .89x.65.*  The  eggs  are  described  by  others  as 
plain  bluish-white. 


, 


680a.  BOTJCABD'S  SPABBOW.  Peucrra  ruflceps  bovrardt  (Scl.)  Oeog.  Dist.— 
Southern  New  Mexico  and  Southern  Arizona,  south  Into  Mexico  and  Puebla. 

Mr.  W.  E.  D.  Scott  found  this  species  a  resident  in  Southern  Arizona,  up  to  an 
altitude  of  1000  feet  in  winter  and  nearly  10,000  feet  during  the  warmer  months,  but 
is  much  more  common  from  the  first  of  February  until  the  middle  of  October.  He 
states  that  it  does  not  seek  cover  in  the  thick  grass  to  the  degree  or  in  the  manner 
BO  characteristic  of  Its  congeners.  A  nest  was  found  June  15, 1885,  well  up  on  a  hill- 
side, at  an  altitude  of  4500  feet,  on  the  bare  ground  near  a  tussock  of  grass.  The 
nest  was  bulky  for  so  small  a  bird,  and  loosely  put  together.  It  is  composed  of 
coarse,  dry  grasses  throughout  and  there  Is  no  attempt  at  lining  with  finer  material. 
Contained  In  this  nest  were  two  young  just  hatched  and  one  egg,  apparently  fresL, 
and  plain,  dead  white;  size,  .83x.62.  Three  partly  Incubated  eggs  taken  July  27  from 
a  similar  nest,  measure  .80x.58,  .82x.60,  .86x.61.  A  third  nest  found  by  Mr.  Scott 
late  In  July  contained  the  same  number  of  eggs,  which  were  almost  fresh. 


5806.    BOCK   SPABBOW.     Peuccea   ruflceps  eremoeca   Brown.     Oeog.   Dist. — 
Southwestern  Texas,  south  in  Eastern  Mexico  to  Orizaba. 


•  Bull.  NUtt.  Ornlth.  Club..  II,  p.  37.    See  also  Vol.  IV,  pp.  47-48. 


390 


NESTS  AND  EOOS  OF 


Mr.  Nathan  Clifford  Brown  describes  this  subspecies  from  specimens  taken  by 
him  at  Boerne,  Texas,  in  1879-80.  He  states  that  he  always  found  the  bird  in  rocky 
localities,  usually  in  close  proximity  to  a  creek,  but  occasionally  on  barren  hills  a 
mile  or  more  from  water.  It  has  the  same  shy,  skulking  habits  which  are  common 
to  other  species  of  the  genus,  rarely  taking  wing  on  the  approach  of  an  intruder  so 
long  as  rock,  bush  or  weed  affords  a  hiding  place.  Two  sets  of  the  eggs  of  this  bird 
are  in  Mr.  Norris'  collection.  One  was  collected  June  19,  1884,  in  Comal  county, 
Texas,  the  nest  being  on  the  ground  in  a  bunch  of  grass;  sizes,  .81x.61,  .85x.62,  .81x.62, 
.83X.62.  The  other  set  was  collected  April  4,  1882,  in  the  same  region,  and  the  nest 
-was  likewise  on  the  ground  in  a  bunch  of  grass.  These  eggs  measure,  .82x.64,  .78x.64, 
.73::.63,  .78x.64.    The  eggs  in  both  sets  are  plain  bluish-white. 


581.  SONG  SPASicOW.  Melosplza  fasciata  (Gmel.)  Geog.  Dist.— Eastern 
United  States  to  the  Plains,  breeding  from  Virginia  and  southern  portion  of  the 
Lake  States  northward  to  the  Fur  Countries. 

The  Song  Sparrow  in  its  diverse  geographical  forms — varying  in  size,  color, 
and  in  the  relative  size  of  the  bill,  etc.,  inhabits  the  greater  part  of  the  North 
American  continent.    The  present  species  is  one  of  the  sweetest  of  songsters  and  is 

a  familiar  bird  in  Eastern  United  States, 
where,  east  of  the  Alleghanies,  it  breeds 
from  South  Carolina  north  into  the  British 
Provinces.  West  of  the  Alleghanies  it 
breeds  chiefly  north  of  40°  latitude,  and 
is  resident  throughout  the  year  in  a  large 
portion  of  the  area  in  which  it  breeds.  Its 
nest  may  be  found  all  through  the  summer 
months,  two  or  three  broods  being  reared; 
if  the  nest  is  destroyed  or  robbed,  a  fourth 
or  fifth  is  frequently  built,  in  which  eggs 
are  deposited.  It  is  generally  placed  on 
the  ground  or  in  low  bushes.  The  mater- 
ials used  in  its  composition  are  grasses, 
weeds  and  leaves,  lined  with  fine  grsse 
stems,  roots,  and  in  some  cases  hair. 
Nests  of  this  bird  have  been  found  built  in 
holes  of  apple  trees,  and  on  the  branches 
six  or  eight  feet  from  the  ground.  Again 
they  have  been  placed  by  the  side  of  a  railroad  track  where  the  trains  are  continually 
passing.  It  is  very  frequently  built  in  honeysuckle  and  other  vines  against  the 
sides  of  houses.  Curious  places  are  often  selected  as  nesting  sites,  such  as  a  horse's 
skull  in  a  grassy  field,  or  under  an  old  tin  pan  which  has  a  hole  in  the  top.  The 
eggs  are  usually  four  or  five,  sometimes  six,  and  rarely  seven.  So  great  is  the 
diversity  in  their  coloration  and  size  that  they  generally  serve  to  represent  the  eggs 
of  several  different  species  of  "ground-birds"  in  the  small  boy's  collection.  They 
vary  from  greenish  or  pinkish-white  to  light  bluish-green,  more  or  less  thickly 
spotted  with  dark  reddish-brown;  the  ground  color  and  the  spots  have  a  diversity 
of  shades;  sizes  range  from  .75  to  .85  in  length  by  .55  to  .60  In  breadth. 

581a.  DESERT  SONG  SPARROW.  Melonpiza  fusviata  iallax  (Baird.)  Geog. 
Dist.— Parts  of  New  Mexico,  Arizona,  Southern  Nevada  and  Southwestern  Utah. 


SoNQ  Sparrow. 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


391 


A  common  bird  in  the  lower  regions  of  Arizona,  inhabiting  the  willow  thickets 
and  marsh  grass  near  water.  Its  general  habits,  nesting  and  eggs  on  the  whole  are 
said  to  be  indistinguishable  from  those  of  If.  fasciata;  three  or  four  eggs  being  the 
usual  numbers  laid. 

581b.  MOTTNTAIN  SONG  SFABB.OW.  Melospiza  faciata  moiitaiia  Hensh. 
Geog.  DIst. — Roclty  Mountain  district — Colorado,  Utah,  Nevada,  Eastern  Oregon. 

There  is  no  essential  difference  between  the  nesting  and  eggs  of  this  Song  Spar- 
row and  those  of  M.  fasHata. 

581c.  HEEBMANN'S  SONG  SFABBOW.  Melospiza  fasciata  hcermanni 
(Baird.)  Geog.  Dist. — California,  including  the  eastern  slope  of  the  Sierra  Nevada 
Mountains. 

The  California  Song  Sparrow  was  named  in  honor  of  Dr.  A.  L.  Heermann,  who 
first  obtained  it  in  the  Tejon  Valley.  It  has  been  found  in  California  as  far  north 
as  San  Francisco  and  to  the  south  and  southeast  to  San  Diego  and  the  Mohave  River. 
This  bird's  favorite  resorts  are  on  the  hillsides,  canons  and  along  the  banks  of 
streams.  The  nest  is  placed  in  bushes  from  two  to  six  feet  from  the  ground.  Mr. 
Emerson  states  that  the  complement  of  eggs  is  generally  four.  The  ground  color  in 
the  eggs  of  hcermanni  is  generally  more  bluish  than  in  those  of  mmiiviix  and  the 
markings  are  heavier  and  of  a  darker  brown  and  tend  to  be  more  confluent  at  the 
larger  end  than  in  the  eggs  of  the  latter.  The  egg  of  this  species  is  also  much  larger, 
averaging  .87x.64  inches. 

581rf.  SAMUEL'S  SONG  SPABBOW.  Melospiza  fasciata  sa.nnclis  (Baird.) 
Geog.  Dist. — Coast  regions  of  California. 

Wherever  there  are  salt  marshes  along  the  coast  of  California,  Samuel's  Song 
Sparrow  is  sure  to  be  found.  The  bird  is  especially  abundant  in  the  neighborhood 
of  San  Francisco.  Mr.  Emerson  informs  me  that  he  has  found  the  nest  placed  on  the 
ground  beneath  tussocks  of  grass  or  in  salt  weeds  and  more  often  in  'i  kind  of  low 
shrub  that  grows  on  the  old  sand  drifts.  Mr.  Walter  E.  Bryant  records  a  nest  con- 
taining three  eggs  taken  by  Mr.  Emerson  from  a  round  oyster  can,  v/hlch  had  lodged 
sideways  among  some  uriftwood,  in  a  willow  tree.  A  nest  before  me  taken  March 
26,  near  Haywards,  California,  is  composed  of  coarse,  dry  grasses  and  weed  stems 
externally,  the  inside  and  lining  being  made  of  finer  material  of  the  same.  Three 
or  four  eggs  are  deposited  by  this  bird;  their  color  is  of  a  bluish-gray,  spotted  and 
blotched  pretty  generally  over  the  surface  with  reddish-brown.  A  set  of  three  eggs 
collected  by  Mr.  Emerson,  May  1,  gives  the  following  respective  sizes:  .79x.63, 
.75X.59,  .83X..59;  another,  .75x.59,  .83x.59,  .75x.59  inches. 

581p.  busty  SONG  SPABBOW.  Melospiza  fasciata  (/uttata  (Nutt.)  Geog. 
Disv. — Coast  region  of  Washington  and  Oregon,  south  in  winter  to  San  Francisco, 
Cala. 

The  Oregon  or  Rusty  Song  Sparrow  is  restricted  to  the  Pacific  coast  district, 
breeding  from  Northern  California  northward.  The  eggs  are  described  as  being 
indistinguishable  from  those  of  M.  fasciata,  of  the  Eastern  States,  averaging  the 
pame  in  size. 


581  f.     SOOTY  SONG  SPABBOW.     Melospiza  fasciata  ruflna  (Bonap.) 
Dist. — Coast  region  of  British  Columbia,  north  to  Sitka. 


Geog. 


392 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


This  is  a  larger  and  darker  race  of  Song  Sparrow  Inhabiting  the  Pacific  coast 
region  from  British  Columbia  northward. 


SiSly.    BBOWN'S    SONO    SPABB.OW.     Mdunylza    imviata    rivularis    Bryant 
Geog.  Dist. — Lower  California       om  Comondu  northward. 

According  to  Mr.  Walter  ±.  Jryant  this  subspecies  begins  nest  building  in  the 
vicinity  of  Comondu,  Lower  California,  about  the  middle  of  March.  He  found  them 
bitting  on  eggs  March  12.  The  first  nest  found  was  on  March  27.  It  was  built  less 
than  one  metre  above  the  ground  in  a  thick  growth  of  cat-tails,  thr- 
situation  being  quite  similar  to  the  sites  chosen  by  Belding's  Yellov,- 
throat,  neotlili/pls  hcldinyi.  The  nest  is  composed  outwardly  of  narrow,  loojely  laid 
leaves  of  cat-tails.  The  interior  is  first  lined  with  a  thin  covering  of  fine  strips  of 
cat-tail  leaves  and  a  few  fibres;  over  this  is  a  thick  covering  of  hairs.  The  nest  is 
like  that  built  by  the  Pong  Sparrov.'s.  The  eggs  ,  four  in  number,  contained  large 
embryos.  They  are  pale,  greenish  whitfj,  thickly  speckled  and  blotched  with  reddish 
brown,  forming  a  dense  ring  about  the  larger  end.  Mr.  Bryant  says:  "On  April  21, 
1889, 1  found  a  set  of  three  in  a  nest  bu'lt  amongst  'cat-tails'  half  a  metre  above  a  pool 
of  water;  it  has  the  appearance  of  a  double  nest,  being  about  twice  the  usual  height. 
The  eggs  vary  so  much  that  they  look  like  a  composite  set.  Incubation  was  equally 
advanced  in  all.  They  measure  20x14.5;  19x14.5;  18.5x14  millimetres.  Five  other 
specimens,  two  from  Comondu  and  a  set  of  three  from  San  Ignacio,  have  _n  average 
size  of  19.5x15  millimetres. 


581 't.  SANTA  BABBABA  SONO  SFABBOW.  Melospiza  fasviaia  yraminm 
Townsend.  Geog.  Dist. — Santa  Barbara  Island,  and,  in  winter,  adjacent  mainland 
of  California. 

The  habits,  nesting  and  eggs  of  this  variety  of  Song  Sparrow  do  not  differ 
materially  from  those  of  its  allies.  A  set  oi  four  eggs  in  my  collection,  together  with 
the  skin  of  the  parent  bird,  exhibit  the  same  coloration  as  is  common  to  the  Song 
Sparrow  of  the  Eastern  States.    The  average  size  of  the  four  eggs  is  .76x.56  inches. 

581t.  SAN  CLEMENTE  SONG  SFABBOW.  Melonpizu  fastiutu  clcinaUw 
Townsend.     Geog.  Dist. — Sa;   Hlemente  and  Santa  Rosa  Islands,  California. 

This  bird  of  local  distribution  builds  a  nest  and  lays  eggs  which  are  indis- 
tinguishable from  the  last  subspecies. 

581;'.  DAF'OTA  SONG  SFABBOW.  Melospiza  fasciata  jmidi  Bidhop.  Geog. 
Dist. — Turtle  Mountain  and  vicinity.  North  Dakota. 

For  a  description  of  this  new  subspecies  Cf.  Bishop,  Auk,  XIII,  Jan.  1896,  p.  132. 


581A;.  MEBBILL'-;  SONG  SFABBOW.  Melospiza  fasciata  Brewster.  Geog. 
Dist. — Fort  Si*,  "man,  Idaho. 

Vhe  above  is  the  type  locality  of  this  new  subspecies.  Cf.  Brewster,  Auk,  Jan. 
1896,  p.  46.) 


581.  1.  BISCHOFE'S  SONG  SFABBOW.  Melospiza  insignia  Baird.  Geog. 
Dist. — Kadiak  Island,  Alaska. 

I  have  no  positive  knowledge  concerning  the  habits,  nests  or  eggs  of  this  spe- 
cies, which  is  known  as  the  Cinereous  or  Kadiak  Song  Sparrow. 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS.  393 

582.  ALEUTIAN  SONQ  SFABBOW.  Mvloxinsa  cincrea  (Gmel.)  Geog  Dist.— 
Aleutian  Islands,  east  to  Fort  Kenai,  Alaska. 

This  is  the  Cinereous  or  Kadiak  Song  Sparrow  of  peculiar  size,  shape  and  color, 
and  very  long,  slender  bill.  It  inhabits  the  Aleutian  Islands,  where  It  nests  among 
the  tall  grass  and  in  the  low  shrubbery.  Eggs  similar  to  those  of  M.  fasciata,  but 
averaging  larger,  .89x.65  inches. 

583.  LINCOLN'S  SPABBOW.  Melospiza  Uncolnii  (Aud.)  Geog.  Dist.— Entire 
North  America,  breeding  from  the  Northern  border  of  the  United  States  north- 
ward, and  south  in  higher  mountain  ranges. 

Lincoln's  Finch  is  found  throughout  North  America  at  large,  breeding  sparingly 
in  the  United  States  from  Wisconsin  and  Northern  New  York  northward,  and  in 
the  west  as  far  south  as  the  mountains  of  Southern  Colorado.  Breeds  not  uncom- 
monly In  the  valleys  of  Oregon.  From  its  h;.bits  of  skulking  through  the  under- 
brush and  shrubbery  of  marshes,  more  like  a  mouse  than  a  bird,  it  is  seldom  seen, 
and  consequently  it  seems  to  be  little  known.  Nests  on  the  ground  like  the  Song 
Sparrow.  Mr.  Norris  has  two  sets  of  the  eggs  of  Lincoln's  Sparrow  taken  In  Boulder 
county,  Colorado,  on  June  22,  and  July  18,  respectively.  One  of  the  nests  was  placrd 
in  a  mossy  bank  among  small  swamp  bushes,  and  composed  entirely  of  grasses;  the 
other  was  built  at  the  base  of  an  aspen  tree.  The  eggs  of  one  set,  three  In  number, 
are  light  greenish-white  heavily  marked,  principally  at  the  larger  end  with  chestnut 
and  lavender-gray;  sizes  .81x.58,  .81x.59,  .82x.60.  The  nest  taken  June  22  Is  of  four 
eggs;  these  are  light  pea-green  thickly  marked  with  chestnut  and  measure,  .79x.58, 
.76X.57.  .81X.58.  .79x.57  inches. 


2 


583a.  FOBBUSH'S  SFABBOW.  Melospiza  Uncolnii  striata  Brewst.  Geog. 
Dist.— British  Columbia. 

This  subspecies  is  very  similar  to  M.  Uncolnii  but  with  the  superciliary  stripe  and 
the  entire  upper  parts  more  strongly  olivaceous,  etc.  (Cf.  Brewster,  Auk  VI,  April, 
1889,  p.  89.) 

584.  SWAMF  SPABBOW.  Melospiza  georgiana  (Lath.)  Geog.  Dist.— Eastern 
North  America,  breeding  from  Northern  United  States  northward;  west  to  the  Plains, 
casually  to  Utah. 

The  Swamp  Sparrow  breeds  from  the  Northern  United  States  northward.  On 
account  of  its  secretive  and  retiring  habits,  the  bird,  its  nest  and  eggs  are  very  apt 
to  escape  notice  unless  perseverlngly  hunted  and  purposely  looked  for.  The  Swamp 
Sparrow  dwells  In  the  deep  recesses  of  marshy  thickets  environed  with  a  canopy  of 
tangled  foliage,  whose  treacherous  quagmire  abounds  in  a  luxuriant  growth  of  wild 
grasses.  In  these  retreats  the  bird  may  exist  in  abundance  and  still  be  considered 
rare  In  certain  localities  where  it  has  been  overlooked.  Its  neat,  trim  form  and  taste- 
ful colors  render  it  one  of  the  handsomest  of  our  smaller  sparrows.  The  Swamp 
Sparrow  builds  Is  nest  on  the  ground  in  low,  damp  places;  in  construction  and  com- 
position it  is  like  that  of  the  Scr.g  Sparrow  and  the  eggs  of  the  two  species  are  some- 
what similar.  The  eggs  of  M.  georgiana,  however,  may  generally  be  distinguished 
by  the  peculiarly  clouded  and  indistinct  appearance  of  the  markings.  The  eggs  of 
M.  fasciata  on  the  contrary,  »s  a  rule  have  smaller  markings  and  much  more  distinct 
ones,  while  the  clouded  effect  of  those  of  .1/.  georgiana  Is  entirely  wanting.  These  are 
four  or  five  in  number  and  the  average  size  Is  .82x.56  inches. 


394 


A'A'S7',S'  AND  EOaS  OF 


686.  POX  SPARROW.  Passcrella  Uiava  (Merr.)  Geog.  Dist. — Northern  North 
America,  breeding  north  of  the  United  States;  In  wihter  south  over  the  whole  of  the 
Eastern  United  States  to  the  Gulf  coast. 

The  Fox-colored  Sparrow  is  one  of  the  largest  and  finest  of  Its  tribe.  Breeds 
from  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence  and  Labrador  north  Into  Alaska.  It  Is  met  with  In 
Eastern  United  States  during  the  spring,  fall  and  In  winter.  The  Fox  Sparrow  in 
its  summer  home  is  said  to  be  a  charming  songster,  possessing  a  clear  thrush-like 
Bong  of  exquisite  melody,  fairly  rivaling  the  warblings  of  the  ablest  feathered  per- 
formers In  the  sweetness  and  purity  of  tone  and  beauty  of  expression.  Audubon  met 
with  It  breeding  in  Labrador,  and  found  Its  eggs  from  the  middle  of  June  to  the  5th 
of  July.  It  also  breecs  in  Newfoundland.  Nests  of  this  species  were,  according  to 
the  reports  of  Mr.  MacFarlane  and  Mr.  Kennicott,  found  in  trees  and  on  the  ground 
in  the  Arctic  regions.  Mr.  W.  H.  Dall  obtained  the  eggs  on  the  Yukon  river  in 
Alaska,  and  the  birds  were  very  abundant  at  the  mouth  of  this  river  in  July  and  also 
at  St.  Michael's.  Mr.  Maynard  found  this  species  nesting  on  the  Magdalen  Islands. 
According  to  these  observers  the  nests  are,  for  the  most  part,  placed  on  the  ground, 
usually  concealed  by  the  drooping  branches  of  evergreens.  They  are  composed  of 
grass  and  moss,  lined  with  fine  grass  and  feathers.  The  eggs  are  four  or  five,  pale 
bluish-green,  speckled,  spotted  and  blotched  with  reddish-brown,  or  uniform  choco- 
late-brown; size  .93X.65  inches. 


1 


685a.  TOWNSEND'S  SPARROW.  Passerella  iliaca  tmalaschcensis  (Gmel. 
Geog.  Dist. — Pacific  coast  region ,  from  Kadlak  south  in  winter  to  Southern  California. 

This  bird  breeds  north  of  the  United  States — from  British  Columbia  north  to 
Kadlak  and  coast  of  Alaska,  west  to  Unalaska  Islands.  It  has  been  found  breeding 
on  Vancouver  Island,  British  Columbia,  in  May  and  June,  and  at  St.  Michael's, 
Alaska.  In  its  habits  It  is  said  to  be  shy  and  retiring,  frequenting  the  tangled  thick- 
ets and  brush-piles.  In  these  its  nest  is  built,  commonly  a  few  Inches  above  the 
ground.  The  nest  is  described  as  being  made  of  grasses,  moss  and  vegetable  fibres 
compactly  woven  together.  The  eggs,  three  to  five  in  number,  are  described  as  of  a 
greenish  or  dull  brownish-white,  spotted  and  blotched  with  reddish-brown;  size 
.90X.66. 


585?).  THICK-BILLED  SPARROW.  Passerella  iliaca  meonrhyticha  (BaJrd.) 
Geog.  Dist. — Mountain  ranges  of  California  and  Oregon,  Including  eastern  slope  of 
the  Sierra  Nevada. 

This  species  is  confined  to  the  restricted  area  of  the  mountainous  regions  of  Cali- 
fornia and  Oregon.  Its  habits  are  much  the  sams  as  those  of  P.  unalaschceiisis, 
Inhabiting  the  shrubbei  y  of  the  mountain  ravines,  where  It  breeds.  It  is  said  to  be 
an  exquisite  songster,  its  song  resembling  In  richness  and  volume  that  of  the 
Louisiana  Water  Thrush.  The  Thick-billed  Sparrow  has  been  found  breeding  In 
several  places  In  California  and  Southeastern  Oregon.  Mr.  L  Belding  found  it  nest- 
ing in  Calaveras  county,  California,  in  June.  The  nest  is  said  to  be  built  just  above 
the  ground,  and  sometimes  at  a  height  of  five  feet,  and  always  In  bushes  amongst 
thickets.  The  eggs  are  like  those  of  P.  ttnalaschcensis,  or  those  of  schistacea,  and 
average  .86x.64  Inches. 


585c.  SLATE-COLORFB  SPARROW.  Passerella  iliaca  schistacea  (Baird.) 
Geog.  Dist.— Rocky  Mountain  region,  west  across  the  Great  Plains  Into  California 
and  Oregon;  east  in  winter  to  the  Great  Plains  (Kansas). 


XORTH  AMERICAN  lilRDH. 


395 


The  Slate-colored  Sparrow  was  met  with  by  Prof.  Ridgway  in  Parley's  Park 
among  the  Wasatch  Mountains,  nesting  plentifully  in  the  willows  and  other  shrub- 
bery along  the  streams  in  the  month  of  June.  It  was  always  found  In  company  with 
the  Mountain  Song  Sparrow,  M.  f.  inontana,  which,  in  song,  it  greatly  resembles.  The 
nests  of  the  two  species  were  also  much  alike  in  manner  of  construction  and  situa- 
tion and  the  eggs  so  similar  that  it  required  careful  observation  to  identify  a  nest 
when  one  was  found.  A  set  containing  three  eggs  of  this  species  is  in  Mr.  Norrls' 
cabinet  which  was  collected  by  Major  Charles  E.  Bendire,  at  Camp  Harney,  Oregon, 
on  June  21, 1875.  The  nest  was  in  a  rose  thicket,  two  and  a  half  feet  from  the  ground, 
close  to  Rattlesnake  Creek.  The  eggs  are  of  a  pale  bluish-green,  heavily  spotted  with 
burnt  umber,  and  measure  .83x.62,  .80x.62,  .87x.63  inches,  respectively. 

585d.  STEPHENS'  SPARROW.  PansercUa  iliaca  stephensi  Anthony.  Geog. 
Dist. — Mountains  of  Southern  California. 

The  type  locality  of  this  subspecies  is  the  San  Jacinto  Mountains. 

586.  TEXAS  SPARROW.  Embcrtioffra  niflriryata  Lawr.  Geog.  Dist. — Valley 
of  the  Lower  Rio  Grande  in  Texas  and  southward. 

Dr.  Merrill  and  Mr.  Sennett  both  note  this  spe<^ies  as  a  common  resident  on  the 
Lower  Rio  Grande,  in  Texas,  where  it  frequents  the  thickets,  brush-fences  and  low 
shrubbery.  Dr.  Merrill  says:  "I  have  found  the  nests  with  eggs  at  intervals  from 
May  9  to  September  7.  These  are  placed  in  low  bushes,  rarely  more  than  three  feet 
from  the  ground;  the  nests  are  rather  large,  composed  of  twigs  and  str  --,  and 
lined  with  finer  straws  and  hairs;  they  are  practically  domed,  the  nests  being  placed 
rather  obliquely,  and  the  part  above  the  entrance  being  built  out.  The  epgs  are  from 
two  to  four  in  number;  thirty-two  average  .88x.65,  the  extreme  being  .97x.67  and 
.81x.61;  they  are  pure  white.  Two,  and  probably  three  broods  are  raised  in  a  sea- 
son." Mr.  Sennett  obtained  on  April  10th  young  birds  and  a  nest  containing  two  eggs 
about  to  hatch. 


687.  TOWHEE.  Pipilo  erythrophthaliniis  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist. — Eastern  States, 
west  to  Eastern  Dakota,  Kansas,  Texas  and  Gulf  coast. 

The  Red-eyed  Towhee,  Chewink,  Ground  Robin,  or  Marsh  Robin,  as  It  is  various- 
ly called,  has  an  extended  distribution  throughout  Eastern  United  States,  from 
Florida  and  Eastern  Texas  on  the  south  to  the  Selkirk  Settlements  on  the  northwest, 
and  as  far  west  as  the  edge  of  the  Great  Plains,  where  it  is  replaced  by  other  closely 
allied  races.  Breeds  almost  wherever  found.  It  is  a  spirited  bird  and  spends  a 
great  deal  of  its  time  on  the  ground,  hopping  about  among  the  thick  underbrush, 
frequently  uttering  its  peculiar  notes,  tohec,  tolicc,  chciciiiJ:,  charhik,  in  quick  succeft- 
slon.  The  shady  retreats  of  woodlands  are  also  favorite  resorts  of  this  species. 
The  nest  is  generally  placed  on  the  ground,  at  the  foot  of  some  bush,  or  under  a  fallen 
log.  It  is  often  built  on  the  ground  in  the  midst  of  deep,  damp  woods,  well  hidden 
In  the  rank  grass.  Occasionally,  however,  this  Bunting  places  its  nest  in  a  bush 
or  sapling.  Mr.  Poling  states  that  he  has  taken  the  nest  from  trees  as  high  up  from 
the  ground  as  seven  and  a  half  feet.  It  is  a  rude  structure  of  grapevine  bark,  twigs, 
weed-stalks,  leaves  and  grasses,  lined  with  finer  grasses  and  rootlets.  The  eggs  of 
the  Towhee  are  three  or  four,  rarely  five  in  number.  Their  ^ound-color  is  white, 
pinkish,  or  of  a  faint  bluish-white.  There  is  a  wide  variation  in  the  shapes  and 
and  sizes  of  the  eggs,  likewise  In  the  style  and  distribution  of  their  markings.  In 
■hape  they  will  vary  all  the  way  from  oblong  oval  to  globular;  rounded-oval  however, 


IW 


NESTS  AND  EQGS  OF 


being  the  characteristic  type.  They  are  thiclily  sprinkled  or  speckled  with  light 
reddish-brown ;  in  some  the  markings  are  so  bold  and  sparsely  scattered  that  the  eggs 
resemble  very  closely  those  of  the  Cowbird,  Meadow-lark  or  Cardinal  Red-bird.  The 
markings  in  the  eggs  of  the  Towhee,  as  a  general  rule,  have  a  constant  pinkish  cast 
rarely  found  in  the  eggs  of  the  other  species.  We  have  already  stated  a  means  of  dis- 
tinguishing the  eggs  of  this  species  from  those  of  the  Cowbird — page  272.  Ten  eggs 
measure  .89x.66,  .89x.68,  .89x.68,  .90x.71,  .88x.75.  .90x.73,  .94x.75,  .96x.74,  .93x.72, 
.96X.73;  average  .95x.72  inches.  , 

587a.  WHITE-EYED  TOWHEE.  Plpilo  crythrophthOlinus  alleni  Coues.  Geog. 
Dist. — Florida,  Eastern  Georgia  and  Southern  South  Carolina. 

The  Florida  or  White-eyed  Towhee  has  been  found  breeding  as  far  north  as 
Beaufort  county,  South  Carolina,  by  Mr.  Walter  Hoxle  in  the  months  of  May  and 
June.  Mr.  G.  Noble,  of  Savannah,  Georgia,  informs  me  that  he  found  the  White- 
eyed  in  that  region  building  chiefly  in  young  pines  from  three  to  ten  feet  above  the 
ground,  and  that  the  nest  resembles  that  of  the  Yellow-breasted  Chat.  Mr.  Hoxie 
found  it  nesting  in  pine  trees  ranging  in  height  from  four  to  twenty  feet  above 
the  ground.  The  nests  were  made  of  coarse  weeds,  pine  needles  and 
grass,  lined  with  finer  grasses.  The  complement  of  eggs  varies  from  two  to  four, 
and  considerable  varir.tion  exists  in  their  size  and  markings.  Mr.  Norris  has  several 
sets  of  eggs  taken  near  Frogmore,  South  Carolina.  Their  ground  color  is  white, 
thickly  speckled  with  pinkish-vinaceous  and  pearl-gray.  A  set  of  three  has  one 
egg  which  is  covered  all  over  with  faint  yellow  specks,  giving  to  the  specimen  a 
light  yellow-brown  appearance;  the  other  two  are  bluish-white  unmarked;  sizes, 
.90X.69,  .85X.70,  .82x.68.  Another  set  of  two  are  of  the  same  light  bluish-white  tint, 
unmarked,  and  offers  the  following  sizes:  .85x.67.  .87x.62.  The  sizes  of  a  set  of 
three  are,  l.OOx.74,  .95x.72,  .87x.70  inches. 


588.  ARCTIC  TOWHEE.  Plpilo  maculctus  arcticus  (Swains.)  Geog.  Dist.— 
Plains  of  the  Platte,  Upper  Missouri,  Yellowstone  and  the  Saskatchewan  Rivers; 
west  to' the  base  of  the  Rocky  Mountains;  south  in  winter  to  Kansas,  Colorado  and 
Texas. 

The  Northern  or  Arctic  Towhee  Bunting  has  been  found  in  the  valley  of  the 
Saskatchewan,  where  it  breeds,  and  on  the  high  central  plains  of  the  Upper  Missouri 
and  the  Yellowstone  and  Platte  Riverc,  An  abundant  species  in  the  valley  of  the 
Great  Slave  Lake.  Dr.  Merrill  found  it  in  all  parts  of  Montana  wherever  a  stream 
with  bordering  underbrush  afforded  shelter.  There  is  great  diversity  in  the  time  of 
laying,  or  rather  in  the  contents  of  nests  found  on  about  the  same  dates  from  the 
middle  of  May  until  late  in  July,  which  was  attributed  more  to  the  great  number  of 
nests  that  must  be  destroyed  by  snakes,  birds  and  small  mammals,  and  to  the  at- 
tempt of  the  parents  to  raise  another  brood,  than  to  any  other  cause.  The  nests  are 
placed  on  the  ground  under  some  bush,  favorite  places  being  growths  of  cherry 
shrubbery.  The  rim  of  the  nest  is  flush  with  the  level  of  the  ground,  the 
birds  scratching  the  hollow  large  enough  to  contain  the  nest,  which  is  strongly  built 
of  bark  strips,  blades  of  dry  grass,  and  usually  lined  with  yellow  straw.  The  eggs 
are  four  or  five,  averaging  .94x.69  inches.  Their  ground  color  is  white,  slightly 
tinged  with  greenish  and  covei-ed  with  dots  and  small  spots  of  reddish-brown  and 
lavender,  most  numerous  at  the  large  en&.  Some  specimens  are  so  densely  covered 
with  the  markings  that  the  ground  color  is  harly  distinguishable. 


Di 
W 

re 
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bi 

80 

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i 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


397 


.72, 


30g. 


688a.  SPUBBED  TOWHEE.  Pipilo  maculatus  meyalonyx  (Balrd.)  G€Og. 
Dlst. — Rocky  Mountain  region  westward  to  Southern  California,  north  to  Eastern 
Washington  Territory,  south  Into  Northern  Mexico  and  Lower  California. 

The  '^nurred  Towhee  Bunting  is  the  prevailing  form  of  the  Rocky  Mountain 
region — Nevv  Mexico,  Arizona,  etc.  Its  habits,  nesting  and  eggs  are  substantially 
the  same  as  those  of  P.  crythrophthalinus.  Mr.  S.  C.  Evans  found  several  nests  of  this 
bird  near  Riverside,  California,  all  of  which  were  placed  In  low  bushes.  Mr.  Emer- 
son says  the  bird  Is  quite  common  in  the  vicinity  of  Haywards,  California,  where 
he  has  taken  many  of  its  nests.  The  nearest  he  has  ever  found  the  nest  to  the 
ground  was  about  ten  Inches.  In  other  localities,  however.  It  Is  known  to  nest  on  the 
ground  like  the  Eastern  Towhee.  The  eggs  have  a  light  pinkish-white  ground, 
thickly  sprinkled  and  speckled  with  vinaceous-clnnamon,  and  average  .88x.70  inches. 


5886.     OBEGON  TOWHEE.      Pipih)  maniUttiis  orvijnnuH  (Bell.) 
Pacific  coast  from  British  Columbia  south  to  Santa  Cruz,  California. 


Geog.  Dist — 


688^.    Oregon  Towhbb  (E.  S.  Cheney  del). 

The  Oregon  Ground  Robin  is  a  resident  In  the  western  portion  of  the  State  of 
Oregon  and  Washington  during  the  summer,  and  in  the  more  northern  portions  of 
Califci-uia.  The  nest  is  placed  on  the  ground  and  sometimes  in  bushes,  on  stumps, 
etc.,  like  the  Eastern  Towhee's.  It  is  composed  of  grasses  and  leaves,  with  a 
lining  of  fine  grass.  Mr.  Anthony  mentions  finding  an  egg  of  this  species  in  the 
nest  of  the  Rusty  Song  Sparrow.  In  color  and  general  appearance  the  eggs  resemble 
thoee  of  P.  erythrophthalmus.  A  set  of  four  eggs,  taken  May  12,  are  pinkish-white, 
thickly  speckled  with  vinaceous  and  vinaceous-cinnamon;  their  sizes:  .94x.70,  .92z 
.69,  .91X.71,  .95X.71  inches. 


398 


.VESTS  AND  EO(hS  OF 

Pipilu    ('otiiiobriiius    Ridgw. 


Oeog.    Dlat.— 


589.  OAUDALUPE    TOWHEE. 

Gaudalupe  Island.  I^wer  California. 

I  have  no  authentic  description  of  the  nesting  and  eggs  of  this  species,  but  they 
can  hardly  differ  from  those  of  /'.  m.  orryimiia, 

590.  GBEEN-TAILED  TOWHEE.  Pipilo  chlorurus  (Towns.)  Geog.  Dist.— 
Whole  of  Middle  Province,  including  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  eastern  slope  of  the 
Sierra  Nevada — Eastern  Oregon,  Idaho,  Montana,  etc.,  south  into  Mexico. 

Called  the  Chestnut-crowned  Towhee,  Green-tailed  Bunting  and  Blanding's 
Finch.  It  is  generally  distributed  in  all  bushy  places  throughout  the  fertile  moun- 
tain portions  of  the  interior.  It  is  a  characteristic  bird  of  the  eastern  slope  of  the 
Sierra  Nevada,  and  a  summer  resident  arriving  at  Virginia  City  about  the  middle  or 
latter  part  of  April.  Habits,  nesting,  eggs  and  song  generic.  The  late  Mr.  Snow- 
don  Rowland  informed  me  that  he  collected  a  set  of  four  eggs  of  this  species  In 
Wyoming  in  1871.  The  nest  was  placed  on  the  ground  in  the  usual  manner  of  that 
of  the  Eastern  Towhee,  and  was  composed  of  dry  grasses  and  shreds  of  bark.  It 
was  well  concealed  by  a  dense  growth  of  low  bushes.  The  eggs  are  white  with  a 
bluish  tint,  profusely  dotted  with  pinkish-drab,  sometimes  so  thickly  distributed  as 
to  give  the  egg  the  appearance  of  a  uniform  color,  or  as  an  unspotted  pinkish-drab, 
aud  again  more  sparsely  diffused;  their  average  size  Is,  .85x.65. 

591.  CANON  TOWHEE.  Pipilo  fuscua  mcsoleucus  (Baird.)  Geog.  DIst.— New 
Mexico  and  Arizona,  south  Into  Mexico. 

The  Canon  Bunting  or  Brown  Towhee  is  abundantly  distributed  throughout  the 
warmer  portions  of  New  Mexico  and  Arizona,  from  the  valley  of  the  Rio  Grande  to 
that  of  the  Colorado.  It  prefers  the  dense  bushes  of  the  valleys,  and  like  the  Eastern 
Red-eye,  passes  the  greater  part  of  Its  time  on  the  ground,  in  thickets,  generally  in 
company  with  the  Arctic  Towhee.  The  nest  is  usually  built  in  shrubs  and  low  mes- 
quite  t'-ees.  The  eggs  are  three  or  four  in  number  and  are  rounded  oval  in  shape, 
pale  blue,  spotted,  dotted  and  lined  with  purplish-brown  and  black;  sizes  range  from 
l.OOx.75  to  1.05X.78.  The  eggs  of  the  Brown  Towhee  resemble  those  of  the  Red- 
winged  Blackbirds,  but  are  larger  and  more  rounded  oval.* 

591o.  ST.  LUCAS  TOWHEE.  Pipilo  fuscus  albigula  (Baird.)  Geog.  DIst.— 
Lower  California. 

The  White-throated  Brown  Towhee  Is  a  common  species  at  Cape  St.  Lucas, 
where  it  breeds  abundantly,  placing  the  nest  usually  In  thickets,  a  few  feet  from 
tho  ground  and  often  on  the  ground,  in  a  slight  hollow.  It  is  composed  of  wiry 
grasses,  a  few  leaves,  and  flne,  slender  roots.  The  eggs  are  usually  four  In  number, 
pale  greenish-white  or  very  pale  greenish-blue,  with  markings,  dots,  dashes  and 
lines  about  the  larger  end,  of  a  deep  dark  shade  of  purplish-brown,  so  dark  as  some- 
times to  be  indistinguishable  from  black;  average  size  .91x.65  inches. 

59 lb.  CALIFOB.NIAN  TOWHEE.  Pipilo  fuscus  crissalis  (Vlg.)  Geog.  Dist.— 
Pacific  coast  region  west  of  the  Cascades  and  Sierra  Nevada,  from  the  Umpqua 
Valley,  Oregon,  south  to  Northern  Lower  California. 

An  abundant  bird  in  California  and  known  as  the  California  Brown  Towhee, 
Crissal  Towhee  Bunting  and  Canon  Pinch.     Mr.  A.  M.  Shields  states  that  in  Southern 


♦  Effgs   of  North   American  Birds,  by  C.   J.   Maynard,   Illustrated  with   ten  hand- 
colored  plates.    Boston:    DeWolfe,  Fiske  &  Co.    1890. 


NORTH  AMEUICAN  lilRDFi. 


399 


Califorcia  this  spijciea  is  a  constant  companion  of  the  California  Thrasher,  fr»- 
quenting  the  dense  beds  of  chapparal  and  the  scrub  bushes  which  line  the  raountaJa 
canons.     The  birds  nest  early  In  April,  and  fresh  eggs  may  bo  found  until  the  middle 
of  May.    The  nest  complement  is  generally  four,  often  five,  sometimes  only  three. 
The  situation  of  the  nest,  according  to  Mr.  Shields,  is  quite  variable,  sometimes  it 
is  placed  on  the  ground,  occasionally  In  crevices  of  vine-covered  rocks,  in  hollow 
trunks  of  trees,  etc.,  but  the  favorite  nesting  place  is  a  thick,  scrubby  bush  from 
three  to  five  feet  above  the  ground.     Prof,  Evermann  found  young  birds  as  early  as 
April  3  In  Ventura  county.    The  nest  in  that  region  is  u^iually  built  in  a  sage,  grease- 
wood,  or  cactus,  one  to  five  feet  from  the  ground.    Ocfasionaliy,  however.  It  Is  placed 
In  live  oaks,  ten  to  fifteen  feet  up,  and  composed  of  twigs,  bark  and  grass,  lined  with 
rootlets.     A  large  series  of  the  eggs  of  this  species  is  before  me.     In  their  general 
appearance  they  resemble  the  eggs  of  the  Red-winged  Blackbird,  being  of  a  blue, 
spotted  and  blotched  with  varying  shades  of  dark  and  light  purple,  in  some  the  color 
is  not  distinguishable  from   black,   except  in  a  strong  light.    The   markings  are 
chiefly  or  wholly  at  the  larger  ends  and  sometimes  in  the  shape  of  scrawls  and  daubs. 
Ten  eggs  measure  .87x.72,  ,90x.73,  ,92x.71,  .92x.73,  ,94x,74,  .95x.70,  .95x.73,  .97x.73, 
.99X.71,  .99x,73  inches. 

691r.  ANTHONY'S  TOWHEE.  Pipilo  fmcm  scniculn  Anthony,  Geog.  Dist.— 
Southern  California  and  Lower  California,  south  to  Lat.  29°, 

The  general  habits,  nesting  and  eggs  of  this  subspecies  are  identical  with  those 
of  the  California  Towhee.     The  average  size  of  eight  eggs  is  .87x,74  inches. 


592.  ABEBT'S  TOWHEE.  Piinlo  uberti  Baird,  Geog,  Dist,— Arizona  and 
New  Mexico  north  into  Southern  Utah  and  Colorado.  f 

This  very  large  and  long-tailed  species,  known  as  the  Gray  Towhee,  is  abundant 
In  all  suitable  localities  of  Arizona  and  New  Mexico.  One  of  the  most  abundant 
birds  throughout  the  valleys  of  the  Gila  and  Colorado  Rivers.  Its  favorite  resorts 
are  the  dense  chapparal  thickets  along  streams.  Said  to  be  a  very  shy  species  keep- 
ing close  within  its  retreats  upon  the  approach  of  an  intruder.  The  nest  is  rather 
loose  and  bulky,  usually  built  in  bushes  near  the  ground  and  again  in  trees,  Mr. 
Stephens  found  one  in  a  bunch  of  mistletoe  at  a  height  of  at  least  thirty  feet.  The 
nest  is  made  of  strips  of  bark,  twigs  and  leaves,  with  finer  lining  of  the  same  ma- 
terials. The  eggs  are  three  or  four  in  number  and  look  exaictly  like  those  of  the 
California  Towhee — pale  greenish-blue  or  bluish-white,  speckled,  spotted  and 
splotched  about  the  larger  end,  sometimes  sparsely  over  the  whole  surface  with 
dark  brown.  Average  size  l.OOx.74.  A  set  of  three  eggs  in  my  cabinet,  taken  by 
Dr.  Chas.  Carter,  U.  S.  A.,  in  Pinal  county,  Arizona,  on  April  21,  1885,  exhibits  the 
following  sizes;    l.Olx.75,  l,02x,75,  l,00x,74  inches, 

593.  CARDINAL.  Cardinalis  cardinalis  (Linn,)  Geog,  Dist.— Eastern  United 
States;  west  to  Kansas,  Nebraska;  south  to  Texas  and  Florida;  north  to  the  Middle 
States;  rare  in  New  York,  casual  in  Connecticut,  accidental  in  Massachusetts;  rep- 
resented by  varieties  in  the  Southwest.  .  f 

Commonly  called  Redbird  or  Cardinal  Grosbeak,  and  by  some  Virginia  Nightin- 
gale or  Virginia  Cardinal,  It  is  not  migratory  but  resident  nearly  wherever  found, 
and  is  distributed  throughout  the  eastern  part  of  the  United  States  from  the  latitude 
of  Ohio  southward.  The  nest  of  this  species  is  placed  in  a  variety  of  situations, 
usually  from  three  to  ten  feet  above  the  ground  in  a  dense  thicket,  which  is  its  fa- 
vorite nesting  site.    I  have  found  the  nest  placed  on  the  top  rail  of  a  fence  in  the 


400 


NKNTS  AM>  KddS  OF 


midst  of  a  clump  of  brambles.  The  late  Dr.  Wheaton  mentions  fnding  it  "on  the 
top  of  vine-covered  stumps,  In  wild-gooseberry  bushes  overhanging  water,  and  in 
brush-heaps,"  and  says:  "I  have  found  the  nest  ready  for  the  reception  of  eggs 
as  early  as  April  17."  Mr.  Davis  states  that  in  Cook  county,  Texas,  the  Redblrd 
begins  nesting  before  the  trees  put  forth  their  leaves.  The  nest  is  a  loose,  frail 
structure,  made  of  slender  twigs,  strips  of  grape-vine  bark,  stems,  grass,  and  u  few 
leaves,  lined  with  fine  rooUets  and  grasses,  sometimes  with  horse  hair.  There  Is  a 
great  diversity  in  the  coloration  and  general  appearance  in  a  largo  series  of  the 
eggs  of  this  species.  The  ground-color  in  the  various  specimens  runs  from  white 
through  bluish  or  greenish-white  to  that  of  a  brownish  tint.  The  markings  are 
reddish-brown,  lavender  and  gray  of  various  shades  and  are  pretty  generally  scat- 
tered over  the  entire  surface;  in  other  specimens  they  tend  to  cluster  more  thickly 
about  or  on  the  larger  ends;  some  are  so  thickly  marked  as  to  almost  conceal  the 
ground  color.  The  specimens  generally  considered  handsomest  are  those  with  a 
greenish-white  ground  heavily  and  distinctly  blotched  with  reddish-brown.  Some 
of  the  smaller  eggs  and  more  finely  dotted  ones  resemble  very  closely  those  of  the 
Cowblrd.  Mr.  Ragsdale  has  an  egg  of  this  specie^  with  a  large  chocolate  blotch 
covering  one-fourth  of  the  shell.  The  eggs  are  three  or  four  in  number.*  Eight 
eggs  (two  nests  of  four  each)  measure  respectively:  .98x.71,  .93x.73, 1.02x.74,  1.06x.74, 
.98X.77,  l.OOx.75,  l.Olx.76,  1.03x.78;  average  l.OOx.73. 

503o.  ARIZONA  CARDINAL.  CardinaUn  cnrdiualiH  xiipcrbus  RIdgw.  Geog. 
Dist. — Southern  and  Western  Mexico,  south  to  Mazattan. 

A  bird  very  similar  to  ('.  rardiiialin  but  larger,  and  the  female  more  richly 
colored.  Its  general  habits,  nest'ng  and  eggs  are  not  In  anywise  distinguishable 
from  those  of  the  Redblrd  of  the  Eastern  States. 

593h.  ST.  LUCAS  CARDINAL.  Cardinalis  i-iirdinalis  iyncus  (Baird.)  Geog. 
Dist.— Lower  California,  north  to  Lat.  29°. 

A  smaller  bird  than  nui)erhu.s  and  called  Fiery-red  Cardinal  as  its  specific  name 
implies,  but  i  not  any  more  so  than  cardinalis,  and  its  habits,  nests  and  eggs  are 
the  same. 

693r.  GRAY-TAILED  CARDINAL.  Cardinalis  cardinalis  ranicaudus  Chap- 
man.— Geog.  Dist. — Southwestern  Texas,  south  Into  Northeastern  Mexico. 

Mr.  Frank  M.  Chapman  describes  the  male  of  this  subspecies  as  being  similar  to 
Cardinalis  cardinalis,  but  with  a  less  black  frontlet;  the  female  averaging  grayer 
than  the  female  of  C.  cardinalis,  and  with  the  tail  feathers  broadly  margined  with 
gray  instead  of  being  narrowly  edged  with  olivaceous  brown.  The  type  specimens, 
a  male  and  female,  were  taken  by  Mr.  Chapman  thirty  miles  west  of  Corpus  Chrlstl, 
April  23, 1.891.t  Specimens  of  the  nests  and  eggs  of  this  bird  in  my  collection,  taken 
near  Corpus  Christi,  appear  to  be  identical  with  those  of  C.  cardinalis  of  the 
North.    Eight  eggs  average  in  size  .97x.74  inches. 


593d.    FLORIDA  CARDINAL. 

Dist.— Florida. 


Cardinalis  cardinalis  floridanus  Ridgw.    Geog. 


♦  There  are  a  number  of  sets  of  five  egrgs  of  the  Cardinal  on  record,  but  I  have  never 
seen  or  taken  that  number  from  a  single  nest  myself.  Sets  of  three  are  as  common  as 
those  of  four. 

t  For  complete  description  see  Bui:.  Am.  Mus.  Nat.  Hist.,  Vol.  Ill,  p.  324. 


NORTH  AMHUnWX  tilHns 


401 


'yitVA^^^w^^' 


C93.      GaRUINAL   (iKUSBKAK,   Upp    11    KuoK  Uivfe,A»...i< 


^oui'.AK,  ijotr.     .I'luiii  brchin.t 


The  general  habits,  nesting  and  eggs  of  this  subspecies  are  precisely  identical 
with  those  of  the  Cardinal  of  the  North. 


594.  TEXAN  CABDINAL.  PyrrhuUuia  nlnuutu  Bonap.  Geog.  Dist.— North- 
ern Mexico  and  Southern  border  of  the  United  States — Southern  Texas  to  Southern 
Arizona  and  Lower  California. 

This  species  inhabits  the  southern  border  of  the  United  States.  Dr.  Merrill 
fcund  it  abundant  at  times  at  Fort  Brown,  Texas,  particularly  in  the  Spring.  Mr. 
Sennett  records  it  as  tolerably  common  at  Lomita  and  a  probable  resident  in  that 
region  along  with  the  Virginia  Cardinal,  and  breeds  fully  as  early.  There  is,  he 
states,  little  difference  between  the  habits  of  the  two  Cardinals,  but  the  Texan 
is  more  confined  to  open  and  exposed  situations  near  settlements,  and  is  always 
shy  and  suspicious,  so  that  he  rarely  came  upon  it  unawares.  The  nest  is  built  in 
thickets,  sometimes  in  isolated  bushes,  from  three  to  eight  feet  above  the  ground, 
and  is  said  to  be  very  much  smaller  than  that  of  C.  cardinalis.  The  materials  are 
bark  strips,  twigs  and  dry  grasses.    The  eggs  are  usually  four  in  number  and  re- 

27 


402 


SKsrs  AM)  Kfjas  or 


aemble  those  of  ('.  vardinallH  except  In  their  Hmaller  alze,  averaging  .92x.73.  Mr.  O. 
D.  Benners  gtvcH  the  Hlzes  of  a  set  of  four  cggH  which  he  obtained  on  the  Rio  Orande, 
April  21,  as  follows:  .87x.69,  .87x.69.  .89x.69,  .86x.67. 


E 
C 


594a.     ARIZONA    PTRRHULOXIA.      I'unhuloj'la   ainuntn   hrrkhamt    Rldgw. 
Oeog.   Olst. — Southern  Arizona   to   Western   Texau,   and   Houth    into  Northwestern  « 
Mexico. 

This  form,  according  to  Mr.  RIdgway  differs  from  the  Texas  Cardinal.  /'. 
aUiuuta  In  being  of  a  decidedly  browner  and  somewhat  lighter  tone  of  gray  and  a 
greater  extent  of  dark  red  on  the  tall;  ndult  male  much  less  (often  not  any)  b'acklsh 
suffusion  In  the  lighter  carmine  red  of  the  oaplstrum,  and  the  red  of  the  crest  Is 
much  lighter,  etc.  The  nest  and  eggs  of  this  bird  cannot  be  differentiated  from  those 
of  the  Texas  Cardinal.  .    ,        . 


ai 

ai 


w 


)  I 


i 


594h.  ST.  LUCAS  FYBBHULOXIA.  Pyrrhulaxia  alnuata  peninHulii;  Rldgw. 
Oeog.  Dlst. — Lower  California. 

This  race  of  the  Cardinal  is  described  by  Mr.  RIdgway  oa  similar  to  P.  s.  heckhami 
in  color,  but  decidedly  smaller.  I  am  informed  that  the  eggs  are  similar  to  those  of 
the  Texas  Cardinal  and  measure  .8Ux.67  Inches. 


696.     RosE-BRRASTF.D  (JROSBRAK.    Upper,  feiiiale  ;  lower,  Riale.    (After  Audubon.) 


SOUTH  AMKItlVAS  BIRDS. 


40J 


Mr.  Q. 
rnnde, 


lldirw. 
estern  , 

al.  /'. 
and  a 
icklsh 
'est  la 
those 


tidgw. 

khami 
ose  of 


695.  B08E-BBEASTED  OBOSBEAK.  llahin  lndotiiiuHii  (lAnn.)  Geog.  Dlit. - 
FaRtern  United  BtateR,  north  to  Southern  Canada;  Routh  lu  winter  through  (^uba, 
Central  and  Into  Northern  South  America. 

The  rose-bud  of  our  North  American  o«f//i<«— overywhero  noted  for  Its  beauty 
and  musical  ability.  Breeds  from  the  Northern  States  northward,  but  it  is  nowhnrn 
an  abundant,  bird.  Trees  and  shrubbery  along  the  banks  of  streams  or  the  borders 
of  dense  woods  are  Its  favorite  resorts.  A  bird  with  a  plump,  round  form,  the  male 
with  head  and  neck  black,  bill  whitish,  wings  and  tall  white  and  black,  the  breast 
and  under  wing-coverts  rosy  or  carmine  red.  The  parts  which  in  the  male  are  black 
are  streaked  with  blackish  and  olive-brown  In  the  female,  and  the  under  wing- 
coverts  saffi  on-yellow,  and  though  not  so  striking  in  contrast,  makes  a  bird  of  hand- 
some appearance.  The  nest  is  placed  in  the  thick  foliage  of  trees  at  the  edges  of 
woods  or  on  the  banks  of  streams.  It  is  a  flat,  shallow  structure,  componed  of  small 
twigs,  vegetable  flbres  and  grass.  Breeds  in  May  and  June.  The  eggs  are  three  to 
five  in  number,  the  latter  being  uncommon.  They  are  greenish-blue  or  bluish- 
green,  more  or  less  spotted  over  the  entire  surface  with  blotches  of  reddish-brown; 
the  eggs  resemble  very  closely  those  of  the  Summer  Redblrd  or  Scarlet  Tanager; 
sizes  range  from  .96  to  1.08  in  length  by  .70  to  .76  in  breadth. 


506.  BLACK-HEADED  OBOSBEAK.  TTnhta  mrlannrrphaUi  (Swains.)  Qeog. 
Dlst. — Western  United  States,  east  to  the  Greet  Plains,  south  Into  Mexico. 

This  bird  occurs  from  the  high  Central  Plains  to  the  Pacific,  and  from  the 
northern  portions  of  Washington  Territory  to  the  table  lands  of  Mexico.  Breeds 
throughout  its  United  States  range.  Colonel  Goss  gives  it  as  a  quite  common  sum- 
mer resident  in  Middle  and  Western  Kansas;  begins  laying  the  last  of  May.  Quito 
common  In  California;  begins  nesting  about  the  first  of  April — nesting  abundantly 
In  the  willow  and  water-mootlc  copse  near  Santa  Clara  River  and  among  the  live- 
oaks  along  the  small  streams  and  creeks.  The  nests  are  placed  from  five  to  twenty 
feet  from  the  ground,  and  composed  of  a  few  slender  twigs,  weeds,  grasses  and 
rootlets.  Two  to  four  eggs  are  laid.  Sets  of  this  bird's  eggs  are  In  my  cabinet 
collected  at  San  Gorgonla  Pass,  California,  by  Mr.  Hcrron,  In  May  and  June.  These 
are  of  two  and  three  eggs  each.  They  are  bluish-green  sprinkled  and  blotched  with 
reddish  and  rusty-brown;  some  heavily  spotted  while  others  are  sparingly  marked, 
the  spots  in  all  cases  become  more  numerous  towards  the  larger  ends.  Eight  eggs 
measure  .84x.65,  .86x.67,  .87x.65,  .92x.69,  .94x.68.  .90x.67,  1.07x.72,  1.07x.73. 


;"*■     ■-■■■ 


597.  BLUE  OBOSBEAK.  Quiraca  ccerulea  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dlst.— Eastern 
United  States,  from  Southern  New  Jersey,  Southern  Illinois  and  Central  Nebraska 
south  to  Cuba  and  Mexico.    Casual  northward  to  New  England. 

The  Blue  Grosbeak  Is  nowhere  an  abundart  bird,  but  breeds  throughout  ita 
United  States  range,  occasionally  as  far  north  as  Southern  Pennsylvania.  In  the 
West  it  Is  found  in  New  Mexico,  Arizona,  Colorado  and  California.  Colonel  Gosa 
gives  it  as  a  summer  resident  of  Kansas,  being  quite  common  iu  the  Middle  and 
Western  portion;  begins  laying  the  last  of  May.  A  common  species  in  the  South 
Atlantic  and  Gulf  States.  Mr.  C.  S.  Brimley  says  that  In  the  vicinity  of  Raleigh, 
North  Carolina,  it  begins  nesting  about  the  first  part  of  June.  Mr.  G.  Noble,  of 
Savannah,  Georgia,  has  sent  me  a  typical  nest  which  he  collected  in  June.    In 


404 


NB8T8  AND  E0G8  OF 


697,    Blue  Grosbeak. 


Texas,  it  commences  to  build  about  the 
first  part  of  May.  Mr.  T.  D.  Perry  has 
found  eggs  as  early  as  May  10,  slightly 
incubated,  near  Savannah,  Georgia,  and 
fresh  eggs  as  late  as  July  7,  indicating 
that  at  least  two  broods  are  reared  in  a 
season.  The  nest  resembles  that  of  the 
Painted  Bunting,  being  invariably  lined 
with  fine  brown  rootlets,  and  occasion- 
ally it  contains  some  horse  hair.  A 
characteristic  of  the  Blue  Grosbeak's 
nest  is  that  it  almost  invariably  con- 
tains pieces  of  snakeskin  in  the  outer 
material  of  withered  leaves  and  plants. 
It  is  placed  in  blackberry  bushes  along 
road-sides  and  on  the  border  of  woods. 
Mr,  J.  A,  Singley,  of  Giddings,  Texas,  says  that  in  Lee  county  a  favorite  nesting  place 
is  in  the  vicinity  of  houses  where  the  first  growth  of  timber  has  been  cut  down  and 
a  growth  of  low  thick  bushes  replaces  it.  He  says  he  has  taken  the  nest  In  peach, 
apple,  hickory  and  post-oak  trees,  ranging  from  fifteen  to  thirty  feet.  Mr.  E.  C. 
Davis  states  that  in  Cooke  county,  Texas,  this  species  usually  nests  in  alder  bushes 
in  swcmpy  places.  The  eggs  are  three  or  four  in  number,  plain  light  blue,  and 
when  exposed  to  light  a  little  while,  fade  into  dull  white;  oval  in  shape  and  average 
.84X.66  inches.  On  the  24th  of  May,  1887,  Mr,  Perry  i'ound  a  nest  containing  four 
spotted  eggs  of  this  species.  They  were  distinctly  marked  with  dots  and  spots  of 
chestnut  and  subdued  lilac.  One  of  the  eggs  was  accidentally  broken;  the  remaining 
three  measure  ,87x.63,  ,82x,62,  ,82x.62  respectively. 

597o.  WESTEBN  BLUE  GROSBEAK.  Guiraca  cwrulea  eurhyncha  Couee. 
Geog.  Dist. — Southwestern  United  States,  from  South  Dakota,  Colorado,  Southern 
Utah,  Southern  Nevada  and  California  to  Lower  California  and  Southern  Mexico. 

There  is  absolutely  no  difference  in  the  general  habits,  nests  and  eggs  of  this 
subspecies  and  that  of  O.  ccentlea. 

598.  INDIGO  BUNTING.  Passerina  cyanea  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist. — United 
States  and  Southern  British  Provinces;  west  to  the  Great  Plains;  south  in  winter  to 
\'eraEua. 

The  Indigo  Bluebird  or  Indigo  Painted  Bunting  is  quite  an  abundant  bird  in 
various  parts  of  the  United  States  from  the  valley  of  the  Missouri  to  the  Atlantic, 
and  from  Florida  to  New  Brunswick.  The  male  of  this  species  is  of  an  intense  indi- 
go-blue color,  and  the  female  plain  grayish-brown.  Breeds  throughout  its  United 
States  range.  The  nest  is  built  in  a  bush  or  low  shrubby  tree,  generally  in  an  up- 
right crotch;  it  is  composed  of  weed  stalks,  twigs  and  coarse  grass,  and  lined  with 
finer  material  of  the  same.  It  is  on  the  whole  an  inartistic  nest  for  a  bird  of  gay 
plumage.  The  eggs  are  four  in  number,  white,  with  a  bluish  or  greenish  tinge,  un- 
spotted or  rarely  thinly  dotted  with  brown;  average  size  .75x.53.  Sometimes  the 
eggs  of  this  species  are  pure  white  unmarked. 

699.  LAZULI  BUNTING.  Passerina  amoena  (Say.)  Geog.  Dist.— Western 
United  States  from  the  Great  Plains  to  the  Pacific;  south  in  winter  to  Western  Mexico. 

The  Lazuli  Painted  Finch  is  common  in  Colorado,  Arizona,  and  very  abundant 
In  CaHfomlA;  in  fact  it  is  generally  distributed  throughout  the  west,  and  along  the 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


40S 


Pacific  coast  as  far  north  as  Puget  Sound  during  the  summer.  It  replaces  the  Indigo 
Bunting  from  the  Plains  to  the  Pacific  and  is  found  in  all  suitable  localities.  The 
nest  is  usually  built  in  a  bush  or  in  the  lower  limbs  of  trees,  a  few  feet  from  the 
ground.  It  Is  composed  of  fine  strips  of  bark,  small  twigs,  grasses,  and  is  lined  with 
hair.  The  eggs  are  usually  four  in  number,  light  bluish-green  which  readily  fades 
when  exposed  to  light;  they  resemble  very  closely  the  eggs  of  the  Bluebird;  some 
specimens  are  not  distinguishable  with  certainty;  average  size,  .75x.58.  Sets  of  these 
egg£.  are  in  my  cabinet  collected  by  Mr.  R.  B.  Herron  at  San  Gorgonia  Pass,  California, 
between  May  4  and  June  13, 1883.  The  sizes  of  two  sets,  four  eggs  each  are  .76x.55, 
.77X.55,  .74X.58,  .74x.56;  .74x.53,  .75x,59,  .78x.55,  .79x.56.  A  set  of  four  taken  June  10 
gives  the  following  dimensions:    .8lx.82,  .83x.64,  .79x.62,  .83x.64. 

600.  VABIED  BUNTING.  Passerina  versicolor  (Bonap.)  Geog.  Dist.— L.ower 
Ric  Grande  Valley  in  Texas,  southward  into  Eastern  Mexico. 

This  bird  is  called  Purple  Painted  Finch,  Western  Nonpareil,  Prusiano.  It  in- 
habits the  region  of  the  Lower  Rio  Grande  in  Texas  south  into  Eastern  Mexico. 
Habits  and  nesting  like  tho  e  of  P.  amrena.  Eggs  dull  bluish-white;  size  .75x.57 
inches. 

600a.  BEAUTIFUL  BUNTING.  Passerina  versicolor  pulchra  Ridgw.  Geog. 
r>ist. — Lower  California  and  Northwestern  Mexico. 

This  is  a  rather  smaller  race  of  the  Varied  Bunting.  Its  habits,  nests  and  eggs 
remain  to  be  described. 

601.  PAINTED  BUNTING.  Passerina  ciris  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist.— Southern 
Atlantic  and  Gulf  States,  north  to  North  Carolina  and  Southern  Illinois,  south  in 
winter  to  Panama. 

Called  Nonpareil,  Painted  Finch  and  "Mexican  Canary."  In  Mexico  and  in 
some  of  the  Southern  States  it  is  a  favorite  cage-bird.  The  male  is  a  bird  of  hand- 
some variegated  plumage — blue,  green,  vermilion-red,  yellowish-green,  etc.,  and  the 
female  plain  olive-green.  A  common  species  in  the  South  Atlantic  and  Gulf  States, 
nesting  in  May,  June  and  July,  often  rearing  two  broods  in  a  season.  In  Georgia, 
Mr.  Perry  states  that  he  has  found  nests  with  eggs  as  early  as  April  7  and  as  late  as 
July  20.  A  nest  before  me  collected  by  Mr.  G.  Noble,  of  Savannah,  Georgia,  is  composed 
of  leaves,  bark  strips,  twigs,  rootlets  and  fine  grasses.  It  is  on  the  whole  a  neat, 
compact  structure.  The  nest  is  sometimes  lined  with  horse  hairs.  It  is  built  in 
the  smallest  bushes,  in  saplings  and  also  in  the  tallest  trees.  Mr.  Perry  has  found 
two  or  three  nests  in  a  single  tree,  and  one  nest  built  upon  another,  with  eggs  in  the 
cavities  of  both.  The  eggs  are  four  or  five  in  number,  dull  pearly-white  or  bluish, 
speckled  and  blotched  with  reddish-brown  particularly  at  the  larger  end;  average 
size  .79X.60.    Four  eggs  measure  .76x.57,  .75x.55.  .80x.60,  .80x.57. 

602.  SHABFE'S  SEED-EATEB.  Sporophila  mnrrlleti  sharpei  Lawr.  Geog. 
Dist. — Lower  Rio  Grande  Valley  in  Texas,  and  adjacent  parts  of  Mexico. 

This  curious  little  Sparrow  is  found  in  the  Rio  Grande  Valley  in  Southern 
Texas  and  adjacent  portions  of  Mexico.  Dr.  Merrill  states  that  it  is  not  uncommon 
in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Brown.  The  birds  were  usually  seen  in  patches  of  briers  and 
low  bushes  at  no  great  distance  from  water,  and  were  very  tame.  During  the  breed- 
ing season  the  male  has  a  very  sprightly  song  much  resembling  that  of  the  Indigo 
Bunting,  but  sweeter.    At  least  two  pairs  built  within  the  fort  during  the  season 


406 


NESTS  AND  EO(fS  OF 


of  1877.  One  of  the  neats,  found  early  in  May,  was  In  a  bush  about  three  feet  from 
the  ground;  It  was  not  pensile;  placed  between  three  upright  twigs,  composed  en- 
tirely of  a  peculiar  yellow  root.  This  was  destroyed  by  a  violent  storm  before  the 
eggs  were  deposited.  A  second  nest  found  May  25,  placed  In  a  young  ebony-bush, 
four  feet  from  the  ground,  was  deserted  immediately  after  completion.  It  was  a 
delicate  structure  supported  at  the  rim  and  beneath  by  twigs,  and  built  of  very  fine, 
dry  grass,  with  a  few  horse  hairs.  Mr.  C.  W.  Crandall  has  a  nest  and  four  eggs  of 
this  subspecies  collected  by  Frank  B.  Armstrong  near  Brownsville,  Cameron  county, 
Texas,  May  7, 1892.  The  bird  was  shot  and  Identification  made  sure.  The  nest  was 
placed  In  a  small  tree,  six  feet  above  the  ground  In  open  woods.  It  Is  composed  of 
fine  fibres  of  wiry  grass,  loosely  interwoven,  the  material  for  the  lining  being  of  the 
same  kind,  but  finer.  The  eggs  have  a  ground  color  of  bluish  green  and  the  markings 
are  distributed  quite  evenly  over  tbp  catire  surface;  they  consist  of  spots  and  blotcaea 
of  brown  and  lavender  with  under  shell  markings  of  a  pale  shade,  and  numerous 
surface  spots  of  a  rich  dark  purplish  brown.  The  sizes  of  the  four  eggs  are  as  follows: 
.67X.48,  .63X.48,  .64x.49,  .68x.49  inches  respectively. 

[603.]  OB.ASSQUIT.  Euetheia  biclor  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist.— Cuba.  Accidental 
In  Southern  Florida  (Sombrero  Key). 

This  species  is  a  resident  of  the  Island  of  Cuba  and  has  been  found  on  Sombrero 
Key,  Florida.    Its  nests  and  eggs  are  described  as  being  similar  to  those  of  E.  bicolor, 

[603.  1.]  MELODIOUS  GBASSQUIT.  Euetheia  canora  (Gmel.)  Geog.  Dist.— 
Accidental  or  casual  In  Southern  Florida. 

This  is  the  Black-faced  Grassqult  which  is  common  In  various  islands  of  the 
Bahama  group.  It  appears  to  be  accidental  in  Florida.  Said  to  construct  a  large 
dome-shaped  nest  with  a  lateral  entrance.  It  is  built  in  bushes  and  low  shrubbery. 
Eggs  three  to  five,  white  or  greenish-white,  speckled  with  reddish-brown;  average 
size  .65x.50  inches. 


604.  DICKCISSEL.  Spima  americana  (Gmel.)  Geog.  Dist.— Eastern  United 
States  (chlefiy  west  of  the  Alleghanies)  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  north  to  Massa- 
chusetts, New  York,  Wisconsin,  Minnesota,  etc.,  south  in  winter  to  Northern  South 
America. 

Known  as  the  Black-throated  Bunting,  "Little  Field  Lark,"  and  "Judas-bird." 
In  general  appearance  It  loks  like  the  European  House  Sparrow,  P.  domesticus,  av- 
eraging a  trifle  larger.  The  favorite  resorts  of  the  B.ack-throated  Bunting  are 
pastures  with  a  sparse  growth  of  stunted  bushes,  and  clover  fields.  In  these  places 
Its  unmusical,  monotonous  song  may  be  heard  throughout  the  day  during  the  breed- 
ing season.  Its  song  Is  uttered  from  a  tall  weed,  stump  or  fence-stake  and  Is  a  very 
pleasing  ditty  when  its  sound  is  heard  coming  far  over  grain  fields  and  meadows  in 
the  blaze  of  the  noon-day  sun,  when  all  Is  hushed  and  most  other  birds  have  retired 
to  shadier  places.  The  nest  of  the  Black-throated  Bunting  is  built  on  the  ground, 
in  trees  and  In  bushes.  In  Central  Ohio  I  have  never  found  the  nest  In  any  other 
position  than  on  the  ground  under  the  shelter  of  a  tuft  of  grass  or  bush.  In  Western 
Illinois,  Mr.  Poling  states  that  they  are  placed  in  the  tall  grass  or  In  clover  fields. 
Mr.  L.  Jones  Informs  me  that  in  Iowa  the  nest  may  be  found  almost  anywhere,  not 
above  twenty  feet  In  trees  and  bushes,  or  on  the  ground  In  prairie  lands.  Nesting 
is  begun  in  May,  and  the  second  nests  are  built  In  July  or  August.  The  materials 
are  leaves,  grasses,  rootlets,  corn  husks  and  weed  stems;  the  lining  Is  of  fine  grasses^ 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


407 


and  often  horse  hair.  On  the  whole  the  nest  of  this  species  is  a  compact  structure. 
The  eggs  are  four  or  five  in  number,  almost  exactly  like  those  of  the  Bluebird;  av- 
erage size  .80X.60.  Ten  eggs  measure  .76x.60,  .76x.62,  .77x.60,  .79x.62,  .79x.59,  .80x.62, 
.81X.60,  .80X.59,  .75x.56,  .82x.59. 


605.  LABK  BTTNTING.  Calamospiza  tnelanocorys  Stejn.  Geog.  Dist. — Plains 
of  Dakota  and  Middle  Kansas  west  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  northward  to  or  beyond 
the  United  States,  south  in  winter  to  Texas,  New  Mexico,  Arizona,  Lower  California 
and  Northern  New  Mexico;  occasional  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  Accidental  in 
Massachusetts. 

A  bird  of  the  plainsr— a  summer  resident  in  Middle  and  "Western  Kansas,  breeding 
from  thence  northward  to  or  beyond  the  United  States  boundary.  The  bird  is  said 
to  utter  the  most  delightful  songs,  and  its  warbles  are  described  as  similar  to  those 
of  the  Bobolink  and  the  soft  cadence  of  the  Skylark.  The  nest  ir<  placed  on  the 
ground,  sometimes  sunken  even  with  the  surface,  and  beneath  the  shelter  of  a  bush 
or  tuft  of  grass.  It  is  composed  of  fine  stems,  grasses,  and  lined  with  finer  grasses 
and  vegetable  down.  The  eggs  are  four  or  five  in  number,  light  blue,  and  measure 
.85X.65  inches. 


[606.]  BLUE-HEADED  EUPHONIA.  Euphonla  elegantisaima  (Eonap.)  Q«og. 
Dist. — Eastern  Mexico,  Central  America,  south  to  Veragua,  Southern  Texas.  (Giraud.) 

This  Tanager  of  variegated  plumage  is  admitted  to  our  fauna  on  the  above  au- 
thority and  it  doubtless  does  occur  over  the  Mexican  boundary  Its  eggs  are  described 
as  creamy-white,  with  a  few  scattered  spots  and  blotches  of  two  shades  of  brown, 
principally  at  the  larger  end. 


607.  LOUISIANA  TANAGEB.  Piranga  ludovioiana  (Wils.)  Geog.  Dist.— 
Western  United  States,  from  the  Plains  to  the  Pacific,  north  to  British  Columbia, 
south  in  winter  to  Guatemala. 

Throughout  the  evergreen  forests  from  Oregon  and  Montana  southward  to  South- 
ern California  and  Arizona  this  Tanager  is  a  common  species,  breeding  in  suitable 
localities,  wherever  found.  It  Is  called  crimson-headed  and  Western  Tanager.  The 
nesting  season  is  in  April,  May,  June  and  July,  according  to  locality.  The  nest  is  a 
thin,  saucer-shaped  structure,  made  of  bark  strips  and  grass  stems,  placed  on  the 
horizontal  branches  of  trees,  preferedly  evergreens  and  usually  in  the  lower 
branches.  The  eggs  are  three  to  a\'e  in  number,  of  a  clear,  light  bluish-green,  finely 
and  rather  sparsely  sprinkled  chiefly  at  the  larger  end  with  clove-brown.  The  eggs 
are  of  a  brighter  bluish  tint  and  the  markings  are  more  speck-like  than  those  of 
the  Scarlet  Tanager  or  Summer  Tanager,    The  average  size  is  .96x.66  inches. 


[607. 1.]  OBAY'S  TANAOEB.  Piranga  rubriceps  Gray.  Geog.  Dist— Co- 
lumbia.   Accidental  in  California  (Dos  Pueblos,  Santa  Barbara  county). 

This  handsome  Tanager  has  in  every  respect  the  same  general  habits  of  the  Scar- 
let Tanager,  P.  erythromelas. 


408  NESTS  AND  EGOS  OF 

608.     SCiBLET    TANAQEB.      Plranga    crythromelas    VIelll       Geog.    Dist— 

Eastern  United  States  north  to  Southern 
Canada,  west  to  the  Great  Plains,  south 
in  winter  to  the  West  Indies,  Central  America 
and  Northern  South  America. 

The  male  Scarlet  Tanager  is  one  of  the  most 
brilliant  and  striking  of  all  our  birds.  From  its 
black  wings  resembling  pockets  it  is  frequently 
called  "Pocket-bird."  The  female  is  plain  olive- 
green.  Breeds  as  far  north  as  Southern  Canada 
and  west  to  Eastern  Kansas,  south  to  South 
Carolina  and  Texas.  It  inhabits  woodlands  and 
is  particularly  fond  of  swampy  places.  The 
breeding  season  begins  in  the  latter  part  of  May. 
The  nest  is  generally  found  in  low,  thick  woods, 
or  in  the  skirting  of  tangled  thickets;  very  often, 
also,  in  an  orchard,  on  the  horizontal  limb  of 
some  low  tree  or  sapling.  The  nest  is  usually 
very  flat,  loosely  constructed  of  twigs,  fine  bark 
strips,  iined  with  rootlets  and  fine  inner  bark. 
The  eggs  are  three  to  five  in  number,  commonly 
four,  and  of  a  greenish-blue,  speckled,  spotted 
and  blotched  with  rufous-brown,  more  or  less 
confluent,  in  some  chiefly  at  the  larger  end.  The 
markings  have  a  reddish  tint  while  those  of  the 
Summer  Redbird,  P.  ruhra,  are  more  of  a  brown- 
ish hue.  Ten  eggs  measure  respectively  .89x.60, 
89X.62,  .92X.64,  .94x.62,  1.00x,64,  .98x.65,  l.OOx.65, 
.95X.64,  .94X.62,  .97x.63;  average  size  .96x.65 
inches. 


«08. 


Scarlet  Tanager  ;  upper,  female 
lower,  male. 


609.  HEPATIC  TANAGEH.  Piranya  hei)atica  Swains.  Geog.  Dist.— Southern 
Arizona  and  New  Mexico,  southward. 

Mr.  W.  E.  D.  Scott  gives  this  species  as  a  summer  resident  in  the  oak  region  of 
the  Catalina  Mountains  of  Southern  Arizona,  at  an  altitude  of  5000  feet,  breeding 
late  in  the  season,  from  May  6  to  9.  A  nest  found  July  12  containing  three  young 
was  built  on  the  outer  Dranch  of  a  live  oak  and  was  entirely  similar  to  that  of  the 
Scarlet  Tanager.  No  reliable  description  of  the  eggs  is  at  hand.  The  male  of  this 
species  is  of  a  dull  red  color,  females  and  young  males  greenish-yellow. 


It ' 


610.  SUMMER  TANAGER.  Piranya  rubra  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist.— Eastern 
"United  States  west  to  the  edge  of  the  Plains:  north  regularly  to  about  40°— New 
Jersey,  Central  Ohio,  Illinois,  etc.,  casually  north  to  Connecticut  and  Ontario,  acci- 
dentally to  Nova  Scotia,  wintering  in  Cuba,  Central  America  and  Northern  South 
America. 

The  Summer  Redbird  or  Rose  Tanager  breeds  nearly  throughout  its  United 
States  range.  The  adult  male  is  a  plain  vermillion  red ;  the  plumage  of  the  female 
is  olive.  In  habits  this  species  resembles  the  Scarlet  Tanager  but  is  not  so  retiring, 
frequenting  open  groves  and  often  visiting  towns  and  cities.  According  to  Colonel 
N.  S.  Goss  it  is  a  common  resident  in  Eastern  Kansas,  where  it  begins  laying  about 
the  20th  of  May.    The  nesting  season  of  this  bird  extends  to  the  latter  part  of  July, 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


409 


but  v&r.es  with  the  degrees  of  latitude  and  season.  The  nest  is  composed  chiefly 
of  baric-strips  and  leaves  Interwoven  with  various  vegetable  substances.  The  struc- 
ture is  usually  built  on  a  horizontal  or  drooping  branch,  near  its  extremity,  and 
situated  at  the  edge  of  a  grove  near  the  roadside.  All  the  nests  of  this  species  which 
I  have  seen  collected  in  Ohio,  are  very  thin  and  frail  structures;  so  thin  that  the 
eggs  may  usually  be  seen  from  below.  A  nest  sent  me  from  Lee  county,  Texas,  by 
Mr.  J.  A.  Singley,  is  compactly  built  of  a  cottony  weed,  a  few  stems  of  Spanish  moss, 
and  lined  with  flne  grass  stems  and  a  few  catkins.  Mr.  L.  O.  Pindar  states  that  nests 
of  this  species  in  Kentucky  are  compactly  built  but  not  very  thickly  lined.  The  eggs  are 
bright,  light  emerald  green,  spotted,  dotted  and  blotched  with  various  shades  of 
lilac,  brownish-purple  and  dark  brown;  they  cannot,  with  certainty,  be  distinguished 
from  the  eggs  of  the  Scarlet  Tanager,  but  the  brown  tint  in  the  markings  pr^ 
dominate.  Ten  specimens  offer  as  great  variation  in  their  sizes  as  do  those  of  P. 
ervtlirnmrtoH,  and  average  about  the  same,  .94x.64  inches. 

610«.  COOFEB'S  TANAGEB.  Piranya  rubra  cooperi  Ridgw.  Geog.  Dist. — 
Arizona,  New  Mexico,  north  to  (Denver)  Colorado,  south  to  Western  Mexico. 

According  to  J  'r.  Scott  this  subspecies  is  a  common  migrant  and  summer  resident 
about  Tucson,  Riverside,  Florence,  and  at  Mineral  Creek  and  in  the  San  Pedro 
Valley  of  Southern  Arizona.  They  seem  to  be  more  rare  ihitk  either  of  the  other 
species  of  the  Tanager  in  the  oak  region  of  the  C".calinas,  where  a  few  breed.  The 
eggs  are  described  £.s  being  not  distinguishable  from  those  of  /*.  rubra. 

611.  PUBFIiE  MARTIN.  Progne  subis  (Unn.)  Geog.  Dist.— Temperate  North 
America,  north  to  Ontario  and  the  Saskatchewan,  south  to  the  higher  parts  of  Mexi- 
co, wintering  in  South  America.         • . . 

The  Martin,  conspicuous  for  its  striking  color  and  screaming,  cracking  noise, 
breeds  throughout  its  United  States  range.  It  originally  built  in  hollow  trees,  and 
some  of  the  "old  fogies"  do  yet,  but  those  who  find  suitable  nesting  places  in  eaves 
and  cornices  of  buildings  or  in  boxes  prepared  for  their  use,  are  thus  bred  to 
American  ideas  and  never  return  to  their  old  log  cabins  in  the  air.  This  jolly  fel- 
low who  puts  life  into  the  quiet  streets  of  country  towns,  and  large  cities  also,  by 
his  noise  and  activity,  constructs  a  nest  out  of  anything  that  is  handy— laaves,  twigs, 
straws,  bits  of  string,  rags  and  paper.  Commonly  four  or  five  eggs  are  laid,  rarely 
six.  They  are  pure,  glossy  white,  oval-oblong,  poinieti  at  one  end,  and  average  .08 
X.73.    Six  specimens  measure  .94x.69,  .95x.70,  .95x.69,  .98x.75,  l.OOx.75,  .99x.69  inches. 

611a.  WESTERN  MABTIN.  Prognc  subis  hesperia  Brewst.  Geog.  Dist.— 
California,  south  of  Lat.  40°,  and  southern  Arizona;  in  winter  south  to  Nicaragua. 

According  to  Mr.  William  Brewster  the  female  of  this  race  differs  from  the 
female  of  suMs  in  having  the  abdominal  region  and  under  tail-coverts  pure  white, 
etc.,  while  the  male  is  indistinguishable  from  the  male  of  subis.  The  nesting  habits 
and  eggs  are  identical  with  those  of  the  Purple  Martin  of  the  Eastern  States. 


611.  1.  CUBAN  MABTIN.  Prognc  cryptolcuca  Baird.  Geog.  Dist.— Cuba  and 
Southern  Florida. 

This  is  a  smaller  species  than  P.  subis  with  narrower  tail-feathers  and  relatively 
more  deeply-forked  tail.  It  is  also  characterized  by  a  difference  in  the  coloration  of 
its  plumage.  It  breeds  in  Cuba  and  in  Southern  Florida,  nesting  in  holes  of  trees. 
The  eg^s  are  indistinguishable  from  those  of  Prognc  subis,  averaging  a  trifle  smaller. 


410 


NESTS  AND  EQGS  01' 


612.  CLIFF  SWALLOW.  Pctrochelidon  lunlfrons  (Say.)  Geog.  DIst.— North 
America  in  general;  In  winter  south  to  Central  and  portions  of  South  America.  Not 
recorded  from  Florida  or  the  West  Indies. 

The  "Republicans,"  as  they  are  sometimes  called,  or  Eave  swallows,  are  known 
to  occur  and  breed  throughout  the  whole  of  North  America,  north  to  the  limit  of 
trees.  As  the  name  lir plies,  and  as  almost  every  one  knows,  this  bird  fixes  its  queer 
bottle-shaped  nest  to  the  perpendicular  faces  of  rocks  and  hard  embankments, 
also  en  the  walls  of  houses  and  under  shelter  of  eaves.  The  nests  are  not  always 
retort  or  flask-shaped,  some  have  no  necks,  and  the  degree  of  perfection  in  style  de- 
pends upon  circumstances.  They  are  made  entirely  of  mud,  tempered  by  the  bill  of 
the  bird  and  are  well  lined  with  straw,  wool  and  feathers.  The  birds  are  always 
found  in  colonies  during  the  breeding  seison,  which  extends  all  through  the  summer 
Kcths.  The  eggs  are  white,  marked  with  dots,  blotches  and  points  of  reddish- 
brown,  chiefly  about  the  larger  end;  they  are  less  elongated  than  those  of  the  Barn 
Swallow,  but  the  markings  of  the  two  are  hardly  distinguishable.  The  eggs  of  the 
Cliff  Swallow  average  a  trifle  larger;  they  are  four  to  five  and  sometimes  six  in  num- 
ber; the  average  size  is  .82x.56  inches. 


P.l\ 


of 
per 

its  I 
thi| 
rat 


613.     Barn  Swallow  (From  Beal). 


[612.  1.]  CUBAN  CLIFF  SWALLOW.  PetrocJielidon  fulva  (Vieill.)  Geog. 
Dist.  Greater  Antilles  and  the  coast  of  Central  America.  Accidental  on  the  dry 
Toiiugas,  Florida. 


SORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


411 


.—North 
ca.     Not 

e  known 
limit  of 
ts  queer 
ikments, 
t  always 
'tyle  de- 
e  bill  of 
always 
summer 
reddish- 
he  Barn 
8  of  the 
In  num- 


Jeog. 
1  dry 


The  same  general  habits  characterize  the  Cuban  Cliff  Swallow  as  are  common  to 
P.  lunif rolls. 

613.  BABN  SWALLOW.  Vhelidun  vrythroyaster  (Bodd.)  Geog.  Dlst.— Whole 
of  North  America;  south  In  winter  to  Central  America,  West  Indies,  and  various 
portions  of  South  America, 

Nearly  everyone  knows  this  beautiful,  deeply  forked-tailed  Swallow  which  builds 
its  nest  in  barns  and  under  the  eaves  of  other  outbuildings.  The  female  bird  of 
this  species,  however,  does  not  possess  as  deeply  a  forked  tail  as  is  common  in  the 
male  birds.     The  nest  is  a  bowl-shaped  structure,  entirely  open  above,  composed  of 


613.    Barm  Swallow  and  Nest  (E.  S.  Cheney  del). 


pellets  of  mud,  mixed  with  straws,  and  warmly  lined  with  soft  feathers.  It  is  at- 
tached by  one  side  to  the  rafters  within  barns,  on  the  sides  of  caves,  etc.  From 
three  to  five  or  six  eggs  are  deposited;  they  are  white,  marked  with  spots  and 
blotches  of  bright  reddish-brown,  chiefly  at  the  larger  end.  The  eggs  appear  rather 
narrow  for  their  length;  sizes  range  from  .68  to  .78  in  length  by  .50  to  .56  broad;  aver- 
age size,  .75X.55  inches. 

614.  TBEE  SWALLOW.  Tachycineta  bicolor  (Vieill.)  Geog.  Dist.— Whole  of 
North  America  in  summer;  wintering  from  Southern  Florida,  Cuba  and  Gulf  coast 
to  Guatemala. 


n2 


NESW  Ayp  EOaS  OF 


<14.    Trek  Swallow  (From  Audubon). 


This  is  the  Whlte-bellled  Swallow, 
which  breeds  in  all  suitable  localities 
throughout  its  North  American  range. 
The  nesting  season  is  in  May,  June  and 

fm^^^im  ^^^  July.     Its  favorite  resorts  are  In  the  vi- 

^^^HHMHH^^^  cinity  of  ponds,  marshes  and  rivers,  and 

fllHP^^^^>^^^^S^  ^^^^  '^  '^^  migrations  it  is  seldom  seen  far 

I^H^*^;^OBk  away  from  running  water.    In  these  places 

lofty,  leafless  tree-trunks  are  its  nesting 
sites — in  the  old  excavations  of  woodpeck- 
ers, natural  cavities,  etc.  Sometimes  It 
nests  in  cliffs  or  buildings.  In  the  East- 
ern States  this  bird  frequently  nests  in 
bird-boxes.  M.  C.  S.  Shick,  of  Sea  Isle  City, 
New  Jersey,  says  that  a  pair  had  taken 
possession  of  a  box  which  he  had  put  up 
In  his  yard.  The  materials  used  in  nest- 
building  are  grasses  and  straw,  thickly 
lined  with  feathers.  Mr.  Walter  E.  Bry- 
ant found  a  nest  of  this  bird  under  the  pro- 
jecting and  decayed  deck  of  a  lumber 
lighter,  moored  at  Oakland  (Cal.)  harbor. 
From  four  to  seven,  and  occasionally  nine, 
pure  white  eggs  are  laid.  The  average  size 
of  ten  eggs  is  .75x.53.  Mr.  Edson  A.  Mc- 
Millan informs  me  that  he  took  from  a 

single  nest  in  regular  succession  no  less  than  five  sets,  each  containing  five  eggs. 

This  was  in  the  Adirondack  Mountain  region,  beginning  with  set  No.  1  the  first 

part  of  June. 


615.  VIOLET-GREEN  SWALLOW.  Tachycincta  thalassina  (Swains.)  Geog. 
Dist. — ^Western  United  States,  from  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the  Pacific;  south  in 
winter  to  Guatemala. 

This  lovely  Swallow  is  common  from  tho  Central  Plains  of  the  United  States  to 
the  Pacific  coast.  It  breeds  abundantly  in  California,  Oregon  and  Washington  Ter- 
ritory. The  most  characteristic  Swallow  of  the  pine  regions  of  Arizona,  and  Is  also 
found  in  considerable  abundance  in  Colorado,  nesting  in  all  suitable  localities,  and, 
like  the  Eave  Swallow,  usually  in  colonies.  It  nests  in  knot-holes  of  oak  and  other 
deciduous  trees  and  in  the  deserted  excavations  of  woodpeckers,  and  more  recently 
it  has  been  found  breeding  under  the  eaves  of  houses,  like  the  Cliff  Swallow.  The 
nest  is  made  of  dry  grasses,  lined  with  a  thick  mass  of  feathers.  This  species  has 
also  been  found  nesting  in  holes  in  banks.  Four  or  five  pure  white  eggs  are  laid; 
average  size,  .74x.52  inches. 


[615.  1.]  BAHAMAN  SWALLOW.  Callichelidon  cyaneovirdis  Bryant.  Geog. 
Dist.— Bahamas.    Accidental  on  the  dry  Tortugas,  Florida.  t 

In  all  respects  the  habits,  nests  and  eggs  of  this  species  are  similar  to  those  of 
the  Violet-green  Swallow.  The  eggs,  however,  are  far  from  being  common  In  col- 
lections. 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


413 


wallow, 
•calities 
range, 
ne  and 
the  vl- 
rs,  and 
leen  far 
|e  places 
nesting 
lodpeck- 
imes  It 
le  East- 
lests  In 
lie  City, 
taken 
put  up 
n  nest- 
thickly 
2.  Bry- 
he  pro- 
lumber 
harbor. 
\y  nine, 
^ge  size 
I  A.  Mc- 
from  a 
e  eggs, 
le  first 


616.  BANK  SWALLOW.  CliiUola  riparia  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist,— Northern 
Hemisphere  in  general;  in  America,  south  in  winter  to  Northern  South  America. 

The  Bank  Swallow,  or  Sand  Martin,  found  throughout  Europe,  is  also  equally 
common  throughout  North  America,  and  breeds  in  the  greater  part  of  its  range.  The 
holes  in  which  this  bird  nests  are  excavated  by  thfe  bird  in  the  perpendicular  face 
of  sand  or  gravel  banks;  the  depth  ranges  from  two  to  four  feet.  T*"  *ormlnation  is 
usually  somewhat  enlarged  and  the.  bottom  is  thinly  covered  wiiu  a  few  twigs, 
grasses  and  feathers.  In  suitable  localities  immense  numbers  will  occupy  a  large 
bank  and  so  perforate  it  with  holes  as  to  present  the  appearance  of  a  huge  honey- 
comb alive  with  bees.  From  four  to  six,  rarely  seven,  pure  white  eggs  are  deposited, 
with  an  average  size  of  .72x.50;  five  specimens  measure  .68x.52,  .72x.49,  .73x.51, 
.72X.52.    Average  size  .71x.50  inches. 


r,:  ■< 


f.-li 


617.  BOUGH- WINGED  SWALLOW.  Htelffidopteryx  serripennts  (And.)  Geog. 
Dist. — ^United  States,  from  Atlantic  to  Pacific,  and  adjoining  British  Provinces  (rare). 
Rare  in  New  England,  except  in  Connecticut. 

This  species  and  the  Bank  Swallow  are  often  confounded.  The  Rough-winged, 
however,  is  larger,  has  a  more  laborr  '  Tight,  lacks  the  pure  white  of  under  parti, 
and  the  pectoral  collar  is  incomplf  ..d  obscured.  The  booklets  of  the  -Ings  of 
the  present  species  are  only  fully  developed  in  adult  birds.  The  Rough-winged  Swallow 
breeds  throughout  most  of  Its  United  States  range,  nesting  in  the  crevices  of  stone 
walls  and  arches  over  bridges,  sometimes  in  a  chink  in  the  boarding  of  a  building; 
almost  invariably  over  running  water.  The  nesting  season  is  in  May  and  June.  The 
nest  is  simply  constructed  of  grasses,  straws,  and  lined  with  a  few  feathers.  The 
eggs  are  four  to  seven  In  number,  pure  white,  and  closely  resemble  those  of  the  Bank 
Swallow,  but  the  shells  are  more  tender,  and  they  average  a  trifie  larger,  .75  x.53 
Inches. 


Geog. 
uth  in 

ites  to 
1  Ter- 
s  also 
,  and, 
other 
:ently 
The 
B  has 
laid; 


^og. 
t 

ie  of 
col- 


618.  BOHEMIAN  WAX-WING.  Ampelis  i/arrulus  Unn.  Geog.  Dist.— North- 
ern portions  of  the  Northern  Hemisphere.  In  America,  south  regularly  to  the 
Northern  tier  of  States,  and  in  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  Colorado;  irregularly  or 
casually  to  about  35°  (Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Kansas,  New  Mexico 
and  Arizona). 

The  Bohemian  Wax-wing  looks  like  the  Cedar-bird,  but  is  much  larger.  It  is  a 
restless,  roving  species,  and  its  visits  in  the  Northern  States  are  uncertain.  Breeds 
in  high  latitudes,  and  in  the  West  down  to  the  United  States  border  in  the  Rocky 
Mountains.  Its  nest  has  been  found  by  Mr.  Kennicott  on  the  Yukon,  and  by  Mr. 
McFarlane  In  the  Anderson  River  region.  Its  nesting  is  substantially  the  same  as 
that  of  the  Cedar  Wax-wing.  Captain  B.  F.  Goss  has  a  set  of  four  eggs  of  this  spe- 
cies which  was  taken  in  Labrador,  June  18,  1885.  Their  color  is  bluish-white, 
spotted  with  lilac,  and  very  dark  brown,  being  like  those  of  the  Cedar-bird,  but  are 
larger;  sizes,  .99x.70,  .98x.70,  1.05x.69,  1.06x.70.  Mr.  Norris  has  a  set  of  three  Bo- 
hemian Wax-wing's  eggs  taken  in  Lapland,  June  20,  1875.  These  are  exactly  like 
large  eggs  of  A.  cedrorum,  and  measure  .91x.69,  .93x.68,  .89x.68  Inches. 

619.  CEDAB  WAX-WING.  Ampelis  cedrorum  (Vieill.T  Geog.  Dist.— North 
America  in  general,  from  the  Fur  Countries  southward.  In  winter  south  to  Guate- 
mala and  West  Indies. 


414 


XESTS  AND  EOOS  OF 


V 


1 


I 


618.    Bohemian  Waxwinq  (From  Brebm). 


The  Cherry-bird,  Cedar-bird,  Southern  or  Carolina  Wax-wing,  is  found  through- 
out North  America,  as  far  as  the  wooded  country  extends,  and  breeds  from  Florida 

to  the  Red  River  country.  It  goes  iu  flocks  nearly  the 
entire  year.  The  usual  position  of  the  nest  of  these 
species  is  in  a  cedar  bush  or  orchard  tree,  and  it  is  often 
placed  In  a  sycamore,  the  distance  varying  from  four 
to  eighteen  feet  from  the  ground.  It  is  sometimes  a 
very  handsome  structure,  being  rather  bulky,  and 
made  of  bark,  leaves,  roots,  twigs,  weeds,  paper,  rags 
and  twine,  lined  with  finer  grasses,  hair  and  wool. 
The  nesting  time  is  late — June,  July  and  August.  The 
eggs  range  from  3  to  5  in  a  set,  average  .84x.61,  and 
are  from  a  light  slate  to  a  deep  shade  of  stone-color, 
tinged  with  olive,  marked  with  blotches  and  spots  of  a 
dark  brown  and  purple,  almost  black.  A  set  of  four 
eggs  taken  by  E.  H.  Huffman  in  Franklin  county,  Ohio, 
August  19,  1888,  is  before  me.  The  eggs  offer  the  following  dimensions:  .93x.63, 
,85x.65,  .92X.66,  .94x.65.  These  ^eem  to  be  uncommonly  large;  a  common  size  is 
.85x.60  inches. 


619.    Cedar  Wax-winq. 


}iOKTH  AMERICAS  BIKDS. 


415 


I 


F 


620.  PHAINOFEPLA.  riiaimprpla  hIUuh  (Swains.)  Oeog.  Diet.— South- 
western United  States,  from  Southwestern  Texas  westward;  north  to  Southern 
Utah,  Nevada,  Fort  Crook,  California  and  south  to  Cape  St.  Lucas  and  the  Valley 
of  Mexico. 

A  singular  bird,  known  as  the  Shining  Fly-snapper,  or  Black-crested  Fly-catcher. 
It  inhabits  the  southern  portion  of  Western  United  States — abundant  In  Western 
Texas,  Southern  New  Mexico,  Arizona  and  California.  Its  resorts  are  regions 
of  low  shrubbery  and  wooded  land  in  the  vicinity  of  water.  According  to 
Mr.  W.  E.  D.  Scott,  this  bird  has  a  peculiar,  bell-like,  whistling  note  that  is  very 
musical.  The  breeding  season  is  in  May  and  June.  The  nest  is  built  in  trees  of 
various  kinds,  oftener  perhaps  in  oaks  and  mesquites,  ranging  in  height  from  eight 
to  twenty-flve  feet  above  ground.  It  is  a  flat,  loosely  made  affair,  and  the  curious, 
light-colored  vegetable  substances — twigs,  stems,  mosses,  and  soft,  downy  or  cottony 
fibres — seem  to  harmonize  well  with  the  odd  coloration  of  the  eggs.  These  are  two 
or  three  in  number.  The  majority  of  the  nests  found  by  Mr.  Scott  in  Pima  county, 
Arizona,  contained  three  eggs,  while  a  large  series  of  nests,  with  eggs,  collected  at 
San  Gorgonia  Pass,  California,  by  Mr.  Herron,  during  the  months  of  May  and  June, 
1883,  were  of  two  eggs  each.  They  are  of  a  yellowish  or  light  or  dull  gray,  thickly 
speckled  (some  grotesquely  marked)  with  a  neutral  tint,  dark  brown  and  blackish. 
Ten  eggs  measure,  .84x.64,  .87x.63,  .88x.69,  .89x69,  .90x.70,  .90x.69,  ,91x.70,  .91x 
.67,  .90X.63,  .91X.69  inches. 

621.  NOBTHEKN  SHUIKE.  Laniiis  horealtn  (Vielll.)  Geog.  Diat.— Northern 
North  America;  south  In  winter  to  the  Potomac,  Ohio  Valley,  Kansas,  Colorado, 
Nevada,  California  and  Arizona. 

The  Shrikes  are  birds  of  a  cruel,  reckless,  quarrelsome  nature — rapacious  and 
carniverous,  feeding  on  grasshoppers  and  other  insects,  together  with  lizards,  small 
birds,  and  quadrupeds  which  they  are  able  to  overpower.  They  often  boldly  attack 
cage-birds,  even  in  the  presence  of  their  owners.  Their  most  noted  trait  Is  that 
of  impaling  small  birds,  mice,  and  other  prey  on  thorns  and  sharp  twigs.  In  the 
breeding  season  the  Great  Northern  Shrike,  or  Butcher-bird,  is  found  throughout 
the  whole  of  North  America,  north  of  United  States.  It  Is  said  to  breed  in  Maine 
and  it  probably  does  in  other  New  England  States.  It  inhabits  woodland  and  thick- 
et, and  is  often  found  in  upland  fields.  When  insect  food  becomes  scarce  this  spe- 
cies frequently  visits  cities  in  pursuit  of  the  Furor2an  House  Sparrow.  This  species 
breeds  north  of  the  United  States.  The  nest  is  a  rather  rude,  bulky  affair,  made  of 
twigs,  grass  and  stems,  matted  together  and  lined  with  down  and  feathers.  It  is  usu- 
ally built  in  thorny  trees,  bushes,  or  hedges,  and  often  no  attempt  is  made  at  con- 
cealment. The  eggs  are  four  to  six  in  number,  dull  whitish  or  greenish-gray,  marked 
and  spotted  with  obscure  purple,  light  brown,  or  olive;  average  size,  1.08x.79  inches. 

622.  LOOGEBHEAD  SHRIKE.  Lanius  Judovicianus  Linn.  Geog.  Dist. — 
Eastern  United  States,  west  to  the  Plains;  north  to  Northern  New  England.  Breeds 
from  the  Gulf  States  to  Virginia  and  casually  north,  on  the  Atlantic  coast,  to  South- 
ern New  Jersey;  in  the  interior  northward  to  the  Great  Lakes,  and  through  Western 
Pennsylvania  and  New  York  north  to  New  England. 

This  form  of  Shrike  inhabits  the  more  southeastern  portions  of  Eastern  United 
States.  Dr.  Coues  says,  in  Its  typical  manifestation  it  is  characteristic  of  the  South 
Atlantic  States;  but  specimens  more  like  ludovicianus  than  excuhitortdes  occur  north 
to  New  England  and  west  to  Ohio.*    It  Is  a  common  resident  in  Central  and  Southern 


•  Key  to  N.  A.  Birds,  p.  338. 


416 


VESTS  wn  KliUS  OF 


ill,    Phrikb  (Afffr  Audubon), 


tl 


; 


Ohio.  Its  habits  are  essentially  the  same  as  those  of  the  Northern  Shrike  and  are  not 
less  savage  and  blood-thirsty.  The  consti^ction  of  the  nest  is  begun  in  Ohio  as 
early  as  the  middle  of  April,  and  frequently  at  this  time  the  birds  are  sitting  on  the 
full  complement  of  eggs.  The  nesting  season,  however,  is  in  the  month  of  June, 
and  a  second  brood  Is  reared  some  weeks  later.  The  full  complement  of  eggs  is  six. 
The  nest  is  built  in  hedges,  scrubby,  isolated  little  trees  in  cultivated  fields,  thorn 
trees  growing  along  streams  or  roadsides;  thickets  along  railroads  are  favorite  re- 
sorts, and  the  telegraph  wire  is  their  favorite  perch.  The  nest  is  large,  loose  and 
bulky,  composed  of  weed-stems,  grasses,  corn-stalks,  rootlets,  paper,  wool,  and 
chicken  feathers  (the  latter  being  the  lining;  it  is  often  very  thick),  the  feathers 
concealing  the  eggs  from  view.  The  eggs  are  identical  with  those  of  borealls,  but 
average  smaller,  .97x.73.  Eleven  eggs  measure,  .91x.72,  .92x.70,  .92x.73,  .95x.76, 
.98X.79,  l.OOx.78,  .99x.77,  1.02X.80,  l.OOx.82,  .96x.79,  .98x.72. 

622a.  WHITE-RUMPED  SHRIKE.  Lanius  ludovicianua  excubitorides 
(Swains.)  Geog.  Dist. — Western  North  America,  from  the  eastern  border  of  the 
Plains  to  the  Pacific,  except  coast  of  California,  and  from  Manitoba  and  the  Plains  to 
the  Saskatchewan  south  over  the  table  lands  of  Mexico. 

More  recent  investigations  develop  the  fact  that  this  bird,  once  described  as  a 
western  form,  has  extended  its  range  eastward,  north  of  that  of  ludovicianus.  It 
breeds  nearly  throughout  its  entire  range.  In  Western  Manitoba,  according  to  Mr. 
Thompson,  it  is  abundant  all  over  from  May  to  September.  The  late  Colonel  N.  S. 
Gobs  records  it  as  a  common  summer  resident  of  Kansas;  begins  laying  early  in 


MUiTii  AMi:itii'AS  mints. 


41T 


May.  Mr.  Scott  nott'H  It  nu  rutlu'r  coniinou  throughout  the  your  about  TucHon, 
Arizona.  In  the  CntnllnnH.  nt  an  altitude  of  3700  feet,  he  found  a  nest  of  thiH  hppcIch 
containing  Ave  pggs  nlmo«t  ready  to  batch.  April  1,  1885.  fireedH  uh  far  north  as 
Northern  New  York  and  Northern  New  England.  This  Ih  (he  romnion  Itreeding 
form  In  the  northern  portion  of  Ohio,  where  also  occUHlonally  well-marked  Indi- 
viduals of  ImUtrlviattuH  are  taken.  I'rof.  Kvermann  bUUph  that  until  recently  this 
bird  was  a  very  rare  resident  of  Carroll  county,  Indiana,  becoming  more  common 
Bince  1882.*  This  bird  builds  a  nest  and  lays  eggs  in  every  particular  like  the 
Loggerhead,  and  Its  general  traits  are  the  same.  A  large  serieH  of  eggs  from  Cuya- 
hoga and  Huron  counties,  Ohio,  do  not  exhibit  any  difference  whatever. 


*  *  European  Shrike,  Laniut  minor,  (From  Brehm). 


e22b.  CALirORNIA  SHRIKE.  Laniua  ludoviciauus  yamhdi  Rldgw.  Geog. 
Dist.— Coast  of  California. 

Mr.  A.  M.  Shields  states  that  this  new  variety  of  Shrike  Is  well  known  In  Los 
Angeles  county,  from  Its  frequent  appearance  in  the  orchards  and  gardens,  and  from 
its  favorite  pastime  of  pulling  off  the  heads  of  canaries,  wherever  a  cage  is  hung  in 
the  open  air.  My  friend,  Mr.  Arnold  Boyle,  states  that  in  the  region  about  Banning, 
California,  this  bird  feeds  largely  on  lizards,  which  it  often  impales  on  thorns  and 
leaves  them  sticking  there.  The  nest  is  usuallv  built  in  some  scrubby  tree— this 
being  like  the  structure  made  by  ludoviciunus  or  excubitorides.    Five  sets  of  eggs  in 


♦  Birds  of  Carroll  county,   Indiana.    By  Barton  W  Evermann:    The  Auk,   Vol.   V, 
pp.  344-351:  VI,  pp.  22-30. 

28 


418 


NU^^TS  AND  A'WO'^  OF 


m 


f  ii 


my  cabinet,  from  Banning,  San  Qorgonia  Pass,  California,  do  not  differ  at  all  from 
those  of  the  Loggerhead  and  White-rumped  Shrikes.  They  exhibit  the  same  varia- 
tions in  size  and  coloration. 

[623.]  BLACK- WHISKERED  VIBEO.  Vireo  calidris  barbatulus  (Cab.) 
Geog.  Dist. — Cuba,  Bahamas,  and  casually  to  Southern  Florida. 

This  bird,  which  is  common  to  Cuba  and  the  Bahamas,  is  entitled  to  a  place  in 
our  avifauna  on  account  of  its  occasional  occurrence  in  Southern  Florida;  it  has 
several  times  been  taken  in  the  region  of  Charlotte  Harbor.  From  the  supposed  re- 
semblaLce  of  its  notes,  it  is  called  Whip-tom-kelly.  The  bird  looks  very  much  like 
the  Red-eyed  Vireo,  but  has  a  longer  bill  and  other  characteristics  which  distinguish 
It.  Like  other  Vireos,  the  Long-billed  Greenlet  builds  a  beautiful,  pensile,  cup-like 
nest,  which  is  attached  by  the  brim  and  suspended  from  forked  twigs  in  trees  and 
bushes,  ranging  in  height  from  five  to  twenty  feet.  The  materials  used  in  its  con- 
struction are  dry  grasses,  shreds  of  bark,  cotton,  lichens,  and  spider's  web;  the  lining 
being  soft  cotton-like  fibres.  The  walls  of  the  structure  are  not  only  very  thick, 
but  neatly  and  firmly  interwoven.  The  eggs  are  three  or  four  in  number,  white, 
with  a  pinkish  hue,  speckled  and  spotted,  chiefly  at  the  larger  end,  with  reddish- 
brown.    The  average  size  is  .78x.55  inches.       . .    ' 


ii! 


u 


■ 


624.  BED-EYED  VIBEO.  Vireo  olivaceus  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist.— Eastern 
Norih  America,  as  far  north  as  Hudson  Bay,  etc.;  west  to  the  Rocky  Mountain  region; 
south  in  winter  through  Eastern  Mexico  and  Central  America  to  Norths /n  South 
America. 

The  Red-eyed  Greenlet  is  a  common  species  in  Eastern  United  States,  where  it 
breeds  abundantly  in  the  months  of  May  and  June.  It  frequents  woodland  and  is 
especially  fond  of  sycamore  groves  along  streams.  A  tireless,  joyful  songster,  sing- 
ing throughout  the  day  nearly  all  summer 
long.  Its  voice  is  often  the  only  sound 
heard  in  the  woods  in  sultry  summer  days. 
Compared  with  the  song  of  the  Warbling 
Vireo,  it  is  shorter,  louder,  and  more  vigor- 
ous. The  nest  of  this  species  is  built  in 
the  horizontal  branches  of  trees,  usually 
from  five  to  twenty-five  feet  above  the 
ground,  sometimes  much  higher.  Like 
other  nests  of  the  birds  of  this  family,  it  is 
penstle — a  beautiful  little  well-woven, 
pendvilous  cup,  its  rim  being  attached  to  a 
h  irizontal  fork  of  a  branch  in  the  thick 
foliage.  It  is  made  of  vegetable  fibres, 
strips  of  pliable  bark,  etc.,  lined  with  fine, 
round  grasses,  sometimes  mingled  with 
horse  hairs  and  bits  of  newspapers.  On 
two  occasions  I  have  found  the  nest  con- 
taining two  or  three  eggs  before  the  frame- 
work was  nearly  completed— in  fact  the  nests  in  both  cases  were  not  ready  for  the 
reception  of  the  eggs,  and  were  finally  completed  by  the  temale  with  material  carried 
by  the  male  bird.  Three  or  four  eggs  are  generally  laid,  rarely  five,  pure,  white, 
sparsely  sprinkled  with  fine,  dark  reddish-brown  dots,  chiefly  at  the  larger  end. 


814.    Rbd-evko  Vireo  (After  Audubon). 


JL. 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


419 


all  from 
ne  varia- 


is    (Cab.) 

place  in 
a;  it  has 
posed  re- 
)uch  like 
Btlnguish 

cup-like 
rees  and 

Its  con- 
he  lining 
ry  thick, 
r,  white, 
reddish- 


Eastern 
II  region ; 
n  South 

where  it 
d  and  is 
;er,  sing- 
summer 
y  sound 
ler  days. 
S^arblinfe 
re  vigor- 
built  in 
usually 
ove   the 
Like 
lly,  it  is 
-woven, 
tied  to  a 
le  thick 
!   fibres, 
Ith  fine, 
(d   with 
rs.     On 
;st  con- 
frame- 
for  the 
carried 
f  white, 
er  end. 


Ten  eggs  measure  .S2x.56.  .80x.56,  .82x.58,  .84x.59,  .85x.58,  .87x.54,  .87z.56,  .86Z.53, 
.s6x.53  .88X.54.    The  average  size  of  these  ten  specimens  is  .85x.56  inches. 

626.  YELLOW-GREEN  VIRZO.  Vireo  flavoviridia  (Cass.)  Geog.  Dist.— 
Valley  of  the  Lower  Rio  Grande  in  Texas  southward  to  Panama,  Ecuador,  Peru  and 
Upper  Amazon.  Accidental  at  Godbout,  Province  of  Quebec,  and  at  Riverside,  Cali- 
fornia. 

This  Vireo  is  very  similar  to  Vireo  olivaceus.  Its  nest  and  eggs  are  described  as 
being  the  same  as  those  of  the  Red-eye. 

626.  PHILADELPHIA  VIREO.  Vireo  philadelphieits  (Cass.)  Geog.  Dist.— 
Eastern  portion  of  North  America,  north  to  Hudson  Bay;  south  in  winter  to  Guate- 
mala and  Costa  Rica,  etc. 

This  is  apparently  not  a  very  common  bird,  wherever  found  in  Eastern  United 
States.  'From  ts  close  resemblance  to  the  Warbling  Vireo  the  bird  is  doubtless 
often  confounded  with  that  species.  In  portions  of  the  Mississippi  Valley  it  appears 
to  be  more  common  than  in  the  Eastern  States,  occurring  regularly  and  in  con- 
siderable numbers  during  the  spring  and  fall  migrations.  In  Ohio  it  is  not  a  very 
common  spring  and  fall  migrant  in  May  and  September.  From  the  best  information 
at  hand,  the  Philadelphia  or  Brotherly-love  Vireo  breeds  chiefly  north  of  thi  United 
States.  Mr.  Ernest  E.  Thompson  found  a  nest  of  this  species  containing  four  eggs 
near  Duck  Mountain,  Manitoba,  June  9, 1884.  These  were  probably  the  first  authen- 
tic eggs  of  this  species  on  record.  The  nest  was  hung  from  a  forked  twig,  abodt 
eight  feet  from  the  ground,  in  a  willow  which  was  scant  of  foliage,  as  it  grew  in  the 
shade  of  a  poplar  grove.  The  nest  was  pensile,  as  usual  with  the  genus,  formed  of 
grass  and  birch  bark.  The  eggs  presented  no  obvious  difference  from  those  of  the 
Red-eyed  Vireo.    The  eggs  were  accidentally  destroyed  before  they  were  measured.* 

627.  WABBLING  VIBEO.  Virro  gilvus  (Vieill.)  Geog.  Dist.— North  America 
in  general,  from  the  Fur  Countries;  south  in  to  Mexico. 

The  Warbling  Vireo,,  in  its  two  forms,  inhabits  North  Amrica  in  general  and 
is  abundant.  The  form  V.  g.  swaiiisoni,  which  is  described  as  the  smaller,  with 
slenderer  bill,  etc.,  occurs  in  Western  United  States.  Every  collector  is  doubtless 
familiar  with  the  incessant,  mellow  warblings  of  this  Greenlet,  as  it  rambles  through 
the  foliage  of  trees  in  open  woodland,  in  parks,  and  in  those  along  the  banks  of 
streams.  In  these  places  it  dilligently  searches  the  under  sides  of  leaves  and 
branches  for  insect  life,  "in  that  near-sighted  way  peculiar  to  the  tribe."  It  is  one 
of  the  most  stoical  of  birds,  and  seems  never  surprised  at  anything;  even  at  the  loud 
report  of  a  gun,  with  the  shot  rattling  about  it  in  the  branches.  If  uninjured,  it  will 
stand  for  a  moment  unconcerned,  or  move  along,  peering  on  every  side  amongst  the 
foliage,  warbling  its  tender,  liquid  strains.  The  nest  of  this  species  is  like  that  of  the 
Red-eyed  Vireo — a  strong,  durable,  basket-like  fabric,  made  of  bark  strips,  and  fine 
grasses  on  the  inside.  It  is  suspended  by  the  brim  in  slender,  horizontal  forks  of 
branches,  usually  at  a  greater  height  than  the  nest  of  the  Red-eye.  The  nesting 
time  is  in  May  and  June.  The  eggs  are  spotted,  frequently  blotched  at  the  larger 
end  with  brown  and  reddish-brown  on  a  clear  white  ground — sometimes  over  the 
surface  will  be  found  small  specks  of  reddish-brown.  The  complement  of  eggs  is 
three  or  four;  size,  .70  to  .77  in  length  by  about  .55  in  breadth.  Seven  eggs,  taken  in 
Ohio,  measure  .70x.51,  .73x.50,  .74x.53,  .75x.52,  .72x.55,  .74x.55,  .77x.53;  four  from 
California,  .72x.50  .72x.53  .70x.53  .73x.51. 


*Auk,  II,  DP.  305-ao«. 


420 


NESTS  ANT)  EGOS  OF 


f      f 


N 


628.  TELLOW-THBOATED  VIREO.  Vireo  flavifrons  Vleill.  Geog.  Dlst  — 
Eastern  United  States  west  to  the  Great  Plains;  south  In  winter  to  Costa  Rica. 

The  Yellow-throated  Greenlet  Is  common  in  the  woodlands  of  Eastern  United 
States.  Mr.  McUwraith  gives  it  as  a  summer  resident  of  Southern  Ontario,  but  is 
by  no  means  common.  Colonel  N.  S.  Goss  records  it  as  a  quite  common  summer 
resident  of  Kansas;  begins  laying  about  the  20th  of  May.  He  states  that  the  bird 
inhabits  the  timber  away  from  settlements.  In  the  Eastern  states  it  is  found  fre- 
quenting and  nesting  in  the  orchards  and  gardens,  as  well  as  in  wooded  country. 
It  is  a  common  summer  resident  in  Ohio,  especially  the  northern  portion.  It  fre- 
quents secluded  woods  and  the  banks  of  ravines  and  streams,  and  appears  to  be 
partial  to  oak  forests.  The  nest  of  this  species  is  pensile,  like  those  of  other  Vireos, 
but  the  architectural  taste  and  skill  displayed  in  its  building  is  perhaps  superior  to 
any  of  the  family.  It  is  composed  of  strips  of  thin  bark,  grasses,  etc.  The  outside 
of  the  structure  is  beautifully  adorned  with  lichens,  which  are  held  in  place  by  cater- 
pillar's silk.  Its  size  is  between  three  and  three  and  a  half  inches  wide,  and  nearly 
as  deep.  It  is  bui..  in  the  fork  of  a  horizontal  branch,  from  five  to  fifteen  and  some- 
times thirty  feet  above  tne  ground.  The  eggs  vary  from  three  to  five  In  number, 
four  being  a  common  set.  They  are  easily  distinguished  from  those  of  the  Red-eye 
and  Warbling  Greenlets  by  their  roseate  hue,  and  are  generally  more  heavily  marked, 
having  the  same  family  resemblance,  speckled  and  spotted  with  rosy  and  chestnut- 
brown,  chiefly  at  the  larger  end.  A  set  of  four,  taken  in  Franklin  county,  Ohio, 
June  2,  1885,  measure  .8^x.60,  .80x.6l,  .83x.58,  .79x.58.  The  average  size  is  .83x.61 
inches. 

629.  BLUE-HEADED  VIBEO.  Vireo  solitarivs  (Wils.)  Geog.  Dist.— Eastern 
North  America,  north  to  Fort  Simpson  (on  the  Mackenzie  River)  and  Hudson  Bay; 
south  in  winter  to  Mexico  and  Guatemala. 

The  Blue-headed  or  Solitary  Vireo  breeds  chiefly  north  of  the  United  States; 
quite  common  in  Manitoba.  It  has  been  found  breeding  in  Connecticut  and  Massa- 
chusetts and  in  some  of  the  Middle  States.  It  is  probably  a  summer  resident  in 
Northern  Ohio.  C.  M.  Jones  found  it  breeding  near  Eastford,  Connecticut,  in  May 
and  June,  building  the  nests  from  flve  to  eight  feet  above  ground,  in  laurel  bushes 
and  hemlock  trees.  Mr.  F.  W.  Andros  records  a  nest  taken  by  F.  T.  Lincoln,  in 
Bristol  county,  Massachusetts,  May  30,  1887.  The  birds,  according  to  the  above  ob- 
servers, are  close  sitters — not  easily,  startled  from  the  nest,  frequently  permitting 
themselves  to  be  taken  with  the  hand.  The  nest  of  the  Blue-headed  Vireo  is  similar 
in  construction  to  others  of  the  family — a  handsome,  pendant,  cup-like  fabric,  which 
is  suspended  by  the  brim  from  the  forked  twigs  of  a  horizontal  branch.  The  ma- 
terials used  are  strips  of  fibrous  bark,  leaves,  fine  dry  grass,  plant-down,  the  outside 
being  covered  with  caterpillar's  silk,  and  sometimes  ornamented  with  mosses  and 
lichens.  The  eggs,  which  are  three  or  four  in  number,  resemble  those  of  some  of  the 
larger  Vireos.  They  are  white,  with  a  faint  creamy  tinge;  pointed  at  the  smaller 
ends;  sometimes  forming  wreaths  of  chestnut  specks  around  the  larger  portions. 
The  average  size  is  .81x.62. 

629fl.  CASSIN'S  VIBEO.  Vireo  solitorius  casshiii  (Xantus.)  Geog.  Dist.— 
Western  United  States,  from  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the  Pacific. 

During  the  breeding  season,  which  is  in  May,  June  and  July,  this  bird  is  con- 
fined chiefly  to  the  Pacific  coast  region.  Mr.  A.  W.  Anthony  gives  it  as  a  common 
summer  resid'^nt  of  Washington  county,  Oregon,  where  it  frequents  the  coniferous 


NORTH  AMERICAN  Bllin8. 


421 


growth,  and  is  often  found  in  the  alders  and  aspens.  le  states  that  it  is  more  com- 
mon than  the  Warbling  Vireo.  Nests  were  found  in  oaks  and  alders.  Abo.;t  Fort 
Klamath,  Oregon,  Dr.  Merrell,  says  that  the  bird  shows  a  marked  predilection  for 
pines  and  firs,  and  is  also  found,  but  much  less  frequently,  in  aspen  groves,  with 
Vireo  gilvtis  sicainsoui.  The  nests  and  eggs  of  this  species  resemble  those  of  the 
Warbling  Vireo.  The  eggs  measure  .80x.58.  Mr.  Norris  has  a  set  of  three  eggs  of  this 
species  in  his  cabinet  that  was  taken  June  10, 1888,  near  Ft.  Klamath,  Ore.  They  are 
white,  sparsely  speckled  with  burnt  umber;  sizes,  .77x.55,  .74x.55,  .8?x.60.  The  last 
egg  is  abnormally  large. 

6291).  PLUMBEOUS  VIBEO.  Vireo  solitariua  plumbeua  (Coues.)  Geog.  Dist.— 
Rocky  Mountain  region  of  the  United  States;  south  in  winter  into  Mexico. 

This  subspecies  is  abundant  in  the  Rocky  Mountain  region  of  the  United  States, 
especially  the  couthern  portion,  breeding  in  the  pine  districts  up  to  an  altitude  ol 
9000  feet.  In  suitable  localities  in  Colorado  this  Greenlot  is  a  common  summer  resi- 
dent; also  in  the  mountainous  regions  of  New  Mexico  and  Arizona.  Its  nest  is  built 
very  similar  to  that  of  the  Solitary  Vireo,  V.  solitarius,  of  the  Eastern  States,  but  is 
usually  placed  higher,  and  the  eggs  are  indistinguishable. 


6290.  MOUNTAIN  SOLITARY  VIBEO.  Vireo  solitarius  alticola  Brewst. 
Geog.  Dist. — Southern  Alleghanles  (Western  North  Carolina,  etc.). 

According  to  William  Brewster,  this  bird  differs  from  solitarius  proper,  in  being 
larger,  with  a  stouter  bill,  and  duller,  darker,  and  more  uniform  coloring  above. 
Throughout  the  elevated  plateau  in  the  southeastern  corner  of  Macon  county,  North 
Carolina,  he  found  this  new  Vireo  to  be  one  of  the  most  abundant  forest  birds,  fre- 
quenting <  xclusively  open  oak  and  chestnut  woods,  mingling  its  wild,  ringing  voice 
with  the  rich  music  of  the  equally  numerous  Rose-breasted  Grosbeaks  and  Scarlet 
Tanagers.  On  the  Black  Mountains  it  was  very  common,  ranging  from  about  4200 
feet  to  the  lower  edge  of  the  balsams  (5000  feet),  and  inhabiticg  woods  similar  to 
those  just  described.  Mr.  Brewster  and  Mr.  R.  B.  McLaughlin  simultaneously 
published  accounts  of  the  first  nests  and  eggs  of  this  bird  ever  taken.  The  nest  de- 
scribed by  Mr.  Brewster  contained  four  perfectly  fresh  eggs,  and  v/as  found  by  Mr. 
J.  S.  Cairns,  May  27,  1887,  on  Craggy  Mount,  Buncombe  county,  North  Carolina.  It 
was  in  a  chestnut,  ten  feet  out  from  the  main  trunk  and  about  twenty  feet  above  the 
ground.  The  nest  is  a  substantial  structure,  suspended  after  the  usual  Vireo  fashion 
in  the  forks  of  a  terminal  twig.  In  places  the  rim  is  nearly  an  inch  in  thickness. 
The  exterior  is  beautifully  diversified  with  white  and  purplish-brown  sheep's  wool, 
grayish  lichens,  small  strips  and  fragments  of  decayed  wood,  and  a  few  spider's 
cocoons,  bound  firmly  to  or  hanging  loosely  from  a  frame-work  proper,  which  Is  com- 
posed of  coarse  grass  stalks  and  strips  of  bark.  The  interior  lining  is  fine  bleached 
grasses,  stems,  and  moss.  Upon  comparing  this  nest  with  four  New  England  nests  of 
V.  solitarius,  Mr.  Brewster  states  that  it  is  much  larger,  with  thicker  walls  and  more 
elaborate  external  decorations.  The  eggs  are  also  larger  and  finer  spotted  than 
any  of  the  series  of  fifteen  eggs  of  solitarius  in  his  collection.  The  eggs  belonging  to 
this  nest  measure,  respectively,  .84x.49,  .78x.58,  .78x.58,  .80x.5S.  They  arc  cvnte  to 
elongate-ovate  in  shape;  in  color,  pure  white,  with  a  few  fine  spots,  and  rather 
numerous  minute  dots  of  brown  varyimg  in  tone  from  vandyke  to  seal  brown.  Mr. 
McLaughlin  found  the  Mountain  Solitary  Vireo  breeding  in  the  vicinity  of  States- 
vlUe,  Iredell  county.  North  Carolina,  in  June,  1888.  He  obtained  two  nests  contain- 
ing eggs  on  the  11th  end  15th,  respectively.    Mr.  McLaughlin's  observations  indicate 


422 


NESTS  AND  EOQS  OF 


f 


■I 


i  !■■ 


\n 


that  the  bird  in  that  region  confines  itself  to  the  pine  woods,  iLr  summer  home  of 
the  Pine  Warbler,  Dcndroica  vigorsii.  Both  nests  found  were  suspended  from  the 
limbs  of  pines  and  were  less  than  a  hundred  yards  apart.  One  contained  three,  the 
other  four  eggs.  The  nests  were  similar  in  composition  to  that  of  Mr.  Brewster's, 
except  that  they  lack  the  sheep's  wool  on  the  exterior. 

629(f.  ST.  LUCAS  SOLITARY  VIBEO.  Vireo  soUtarius  lucasanus  Brewst. 
Geog.  Dist. — Lower  California. 

I  have  no  authentic  record  regarding  the  nests  and  eggs  of  this  Southern 
variety  of  the  Solitary  Vireo,  but  I  believe  there  can  be  very  little  difference,  if  any, 
in  the  nidificatJon  of  this  and  that  of  V.  s.  alticola. 

630.  BLACK-CAFPED  VIBEO.  Vireo  atricapillus  Woodh.  Geog.  Dist.— 
Mexico,  and  Texas  north  to  Southwestern  Kansas. 

The  first  authentic  account  of  the  nests  and  eggs  of  this  species  was  that  given 
by  Mr.  Brewster,  from  specimens  collected  in  Comal  county,  Texas,  in  Mp",  1878,  by 
Mr.  W.  H.  Werner.  Other  Texas  records  of  this  species  are  those  of  Mr.  Ragsdale 
(who  considers  It  a  rare  summer  visitant  In  Cook  county,  on  the  northern  boundary,) 
and  Mr.  William  Lloyd,  who  notes  it  as  tolerably  common  in  Concho  county  during 


630.    Black-cappbd  Vireo  and  Nbst  (From  Bull.  Nutt.  Ornitli.  Club). 


;  1 


the  fall  migrations,  and  breeding  in  two  localities  in  Tom  Green  county.  There  he 
found  several  nests,  which  were  always  situated  in  some  low  tree  at  the  edge  of  thick 
shrubbery,  a. 'J  at  once  distinguishable  from  the  nests  of  Bell's  Vireo  (which  breeds 
in  the  same  vicinity),  in  that  the  latter  is  lined  with  wool,  while  the  Black-cap's  is 
not.  The  late  Colonel  N.  S.  Goss  gives  the  Black-capped  Vireo  as  a  summer  resident 
in  the  gypsum  hills  in  Southwestern  Kansas.  He  found  it  breeding  plentifully  in 
Comanche  county.    According  to  the  observations  of  those  who  have  found  this 


I 


home  of 
from  the 
hree,  the 
■ewster's. 


Brewst. 

Southern 
,  If  any. 


DIst.— 

at  given 
1878,  by 
lagsdale 
undary,) 
y  during 


lere  he 
f  thick 
breeds 
ap's  is 
isideot 
Illy  In 
d  this 


NOtiTH  AMEIflVAN  0IIW8. 


483 


species  breeding,  it  generally  frequents  brushwood  and  builds  the  nest  low  down, 
about  Ave  feet  from  the  ground,  in  elm,  oak,  and  mesquite  trees.  It  is  suspended 
from  a  forked  twig,  after  the  usual  type  of  Vireo  architecture,  is  hemispherical  in 
shape,  and  composed  of  broken  fragments  of  bleached  leaves,  strips  of  bark,  grasses, 
catkins,  spider's  or  caterpillar's  silk.  These  are  all  firmly  interwoven  and  form 
thick  walls,  making  a  nest  that  belongs  to  the  higher  order  of  bird  architecture. 
The  eggs  are  usually  four,  pure  white,  and  measure  .72x.52.  Mr.  Norris  has  three 
sets  of  eggs  of  this  species  in  his  cabinet.  One  set,  containing  four  eggs,  was  col- 
lected June  5,  1886,  In  Comal  county,  Texas.  The  nest  was  in  a  mesquite  tree,  very 
low  down.  The  eggs  are  pure  white,  entirely  unmarked.  They  measure:  .69x.51, 
.69x.51,  .68X.53,  .71x.52.  Another  set,  also  of  four  eggs,  was  collected  June  18,  1888, 
in  the  same  locality,  by  G.  B.  Benners.  The  nest  was  in  a  Spanish  oak  tree,  three 
feet  from  the  ground.  The  eggs  are  also  pure  white,  entirely  unmarked:  .69x.54, 
.70X.55,  .69X.53,  .70x.54.  The  third  set  was  taken  June  5,  1888,  by  Mr.  Benners,  In 
the  same  locality.  The  nest  was  in  a  Spanish  oak,  six  feet  from  the  ground.  The 
set  consists  of  three  eggs  and  two  of  the  Dwarf  Cowbird's.  The  Vireo's  eggs  are  pure 
white,  unmarked,  and  measure:    .72x.52,  .72x.51,  .69x.52  inches. 

631.  WHITE-EYED  VIREO.  Virat  iiovrbornrrnnis  (Gmel.)  Geog.  Dist.— East- 
ern United  States,  west  to  the  Rocky  Mountains;  south  in  winter  through  Eastern 
Mexico  to  Guatemala:  resident  in  the  Bermudas. 

The  White-eyed  Greenlet  is  a  common  species  in  Eastern  United  States  as  far 
north  as  Maine  and  west  to  Kansas,  and  occasionaly  to  Eastern  Colorado.  Breeds 
throughout  most  of  the  Mississippi  Valley  south  of  Minnesota.  Low  swampy  places, 
near  the  edges  of  woods,  covered  with  briers,  or  the  tangled  thickets  of  blackberry 
bushes  and  wild  vines,  are  its  favorite  nesting  places.  The  nest  is  usually  a  purse- 
shaped  structure,  swaying  from  a  forked  twig,  and  is  rather  large  for  the  size  of  the 
bird.  It  is  seldom  placed  more  than  three  or  four  feet  from  the  ground,  and  is 
composed  of  a  mass  of  odd  and  miscellaneous  materials,  such  as  straws,  bits  of  de- 
cayed wood,  blades  of  grass,  mosses,  lichens  and  various  vegetable  substances. 
Wilson  nicknamed  this  bird  "Politician,"  because  it  frequently  used  bits  of  news- 
paper in  the  construction  of  its  nest.  The  eggs  are  three  to  five  in  number,  speckled 
with  reddish-brown  and  dark  purple  on  a  clear  white  ground;  the  average  s'ze  Is 
.76X.56,  which  is  smaller  than  those  of  V.  oUiacvua. 

63 lo.  KEY  WEST  VIBEO.  riren  norehornrensia  maynardi  Brewst.  Geog. 
Dist— Southern  Florida. 

Mr.  William  Brewster  dedicated  this  bird  to  M.  C.  J.  Maynard,  the  ornithologist 
and  author.  It  is  very  similar  to  the  preceding  species,  but  the  coloration  is  generally 
grayer  above,  and  the  yellow  beneath  paler,  with  other  structural  characteristics, 
described  from  the  study  and  comparison  of  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  specimens.* 
The  bird  breeds  on  Key  West;  its  nesting  and  eggs  being  indistinguishable  from 
those  of  the  White-eyed  Vireo. 

632.  BUTTON'S  VIBEO.  Virco  huttoui  Cass.  Geog.  Dist.— California,  resi- 
dent. 

This  Vireo  which  resembles  the  White-eyed  Greenlet  is  found  in  various  por- 
tions of  California,  where  it  is  resident.  Concerning  its  nesting  and  eggs  Mr. 
William  Cooper  writes  as  follows:    "Hutton's  Vireo,  Viren  huttoni,  breeds  in  the  vi- 


•  or.    Brewster,  Auk,  IV,  pp.  148-149. 


424 


NESTS  AND  E0G8  OF 


I'i 


^l 


1 

! 


!! 


cinity  of  Santa  Cruz,  though  not  in  abundance.  Retiring  in  habits,  their  nests  and 
eggs  are  rarely  found.  April  7, 1874,  I  found  a  nest  placed  ten  feet  from  the  ground, 
suspended  from  a  dead  branch  of  a  Ncf/undo,  containing  three  eggs  incubated  about 
five  days.  March  30,  1875,  I  found  another  nest  placed  eight  feet  from  the  ground, 
suspended  from  the  small  twigR  of  a  Frangula.  The  nest — a  neat,  compact,  structure, 
composed  of  fine  vegetable  fibres,  bits  of  paper,  and  grasses  covered  on  the  outside 
ivith  green  and  gray  mosses,  lined  with  fine  grasses— measures  3.25  inches  in  diameter 
outside,  1.75  inside;  depth  2.25  outside,  1.50  inside.  The  eggs,  four  in  number,  are 
white  (a  delicate  blush-color  befoi'^  blown),  marked  with  minute  dots  of  reddish- 
brown,  more  numerous  towards  the  larger  end.  They  measure  respectively,  .70x.52, 
.70x.51,  .69x.51.  .68X.52.  Two  other  nests  were  found,  each  containing  four  eggs. 
They  were  placed,  one  in  a  'Scyttnda,  thirty  feet  high,  the  other  at  the  extremity  of  an 
oak  limb,  twenty-five  feet  from  the  ground."*  Mr.  Walter  B.  Bryant  notes  a  pair  of 
these  Vireos  (observed  by  C.  W.  Knox)  which  built  in  the  outer  branches  of  a  live 
oak,  only  a  few  feet  above  the  exhaust  pipe  from  a  steam  pump,  where  at  times  they 
were  compelled  to  suspend  work,  owing  to  the  dense  vapor  which  enveloped  them. 
Four  eggs  were  laid  in  this  nest. 


632a.  STEPHENS'S  VIBEO.  Vireo  huttoni  stephensi  Brewst.  Geog.  Dlst— • 
Arizona,  Western  Mexico  and  Lower  California. 

Thib  new  race  was  first  described  by  Mr.  William  Brewster,  from  specimens  col- 
lected by  Mr.  F.  Stephens  in  the  Chiricahua  and  Santa  Rita  Mountains,  Arizona.  It 
is  stated  that  he  also  took  its  ne^t  and  eggs  near  Fort  Bayard,  New  Mexico,  in  1876, 
but  there  appears  to  be  no  published  account  of  them.  The  late  Maj.  Chas.  E.  Bendire 
describes  a  nest  of  this  bird  containing  three  fresh  eggs,  taken  by  Lieutenant  Benson 
on  June  21,  1887,  near  Fort  Huachuca,  Arizona,  which  are  now  in  the  National 
Museum. t  The  nest  was  attached  to  the  fork  of  a  small  twig  of  some  species  of 
buttonwood,  growing  in  a  canon  of  the  Huachuca  Mountains,  and  was  well  con- 
cealed. It  is  very  peculiar  looking,  being  outward jv  exclusively  composed  of  a 
yellowish-buff  plant  down,  with  similarly  colored  grass-tops  incorporated,  giving  the 
nest  a  uniform  light  color,  not  unlike  a  very  fine  cup-shaped  sponge.  It  is  lined  with 
the  extreme  tops  of  grasses,  also  of  a  golden  tint,  and  measures  externally  two  and 
three-fourth  inches  in  width  by  two  and  one-half  inches  in  depth.  The  inner 
diameter  is  two  inches  by  one  and  three-fourth  inches.  The  three  eggs  are  ovate 
in  shape,  pure  white  in  color,  with  little  gloss,  sparsely  spotted  about  the  larger 
end,  with  fine  dots  of  dark  umber-brown  and  brownish-red;  sizes  .72x.53,  .70x.52, 
.69X.52  inches. 


632ft.  ANTHONY'S  VIBEO.  Tireo  huttoni  obacurm  Anthony.  Geog.  Dist.— 
Pacific  coast,  from  Oregon  to  Southern  British  Columbia,  south  in  winter  to  Cali- 
fornia. 

This  Vireo,  which  inhabits  the  Pacific  coast  region,  is  similar  to  Y.  h.  stephensi 
in  coloration.  I  have  nothing  pertaining  to  its  nests  and  kggs  which  I  can  consider 
authentic,  but  more  than  likely  they  do  not  differ  from  those  of  Stephens's  Vireo. 


•  Bull.  Nutt.  Ornlth.  Club.  Ill,  p.  68. 

t  Notos  on  a  Collection  of  Birds'  Nests  and  "Egga  from  Southern  Arizona  Territory. 
By  the  late  Major  Charles  E.  Bendire,  U.  S.  A.  Proceedings  of  the  National  Museum, 
1887,    op.   556-557. 


mtamafW^ 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


425 


633.  BELL'S  VIBEO.  Virco  bellii  Aud.  O'^og.  Dist— Middle  districts  of  the 
United  States,  from  Illinois  and  Iowa  west  to  the  vastern  slope  of  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains, south  in  winter  to  Southern  Mexico. 

Bell's  Vireo  is  a  common  bird  in  the  interior  districts  of  United  States,  as  far 
west  as  the  Rocky  Mountains.  It  breeds  in  a  great  portion  of  the  Mississippi  Valley, 
from  Dakota  and  Minnesota  southward.  Messrs.  Key^s  and  Williams  give  it  as  a 
common  summer  resident  of  Iowa,  where  it  is  perhaps  the  most  familiar  bird  of  its 
genus.  Here  Mr.  L.  Jones  informs  me,  it  frequents  the  brush  fringing  the  woods 
or  roadsides,  where  it  attaches  its  nest  to  the  twigs  of  the  hazel  bush.  The  height 
of  the  breeding  season  is  about  the  first  week  of  June.  The  bird  is  an  abundant 
summer  resident  from  Kansas  to  Southeastern  Texas.  In  Kansas  it  begins  l&ying 
the  last  of  May.  Mr.  Edwin  C.  Davis  states  that  the  favorite  nesting  places  of  this 
species  in  Northern  Texas  are  well  shaded  orchards  and  the  north  side  of  osage- 
orange  hedges.  The  nest  seems  to  be  the  favorite  receptacle  for  the  eggs  of  the 
Cowbird,  and  rarely  is  a  nest  found  without  one  or  more  eggs  of  this  parasite.  Mr. 
Davis  observes  that  he  has  never  found  a  young  Cowbird  in  the  Vireo's  nest,  which 
suggests  the  probability  that  the  eggs  are  disposed  of  by  the  parent  birds  in  some 
manner.  The  nest  is  a  neat,  cup-shaped  structure,  suspended  by  the  brim  in  slender, 
forked  twigs  of  a  bush  or  small  tree.  It  is  compact  and  smooth,  made  of  fine  bark 
strips  and  strong,  flax-like  fibres  of  different  plants,  lined  with  fine  grasses,  feathers 
and  down,  rootlets  and  hair.  The  usual  number  of  eggs  is  four.  According  to  Mr. 
William  Lloyd,  this  species  rears  two  broods  in  a  season  in  Western  Texas,  nestine 
from  May  1  to  July  3,  and  the  average  clutch  of  eggs  is  six.  He  has  taken  sets  of 
five,  six,  and  two  of  eight  eggs  each.  They  are  white,  sparingly  dotted  with  dark 
umber-brown  around  the  larger  end.  Six  eggs  measure  .69x.50,  70x.50,  .70x.50,  .72x 
.51.  .73X.50.  .68X.47  inches. 

633a.  LEAST  VIREO.  Virco  bellii  pusillus  (Coues.)  Geog.  Dist.— Southern  and 
Central  California.  Lower  California  and  Arizona. 

This  bird  occurs  in  Arizona,  chiefiy  its  lower  portion,  and  California,  from  Sac- 
ramento to  Cape  St.  Lucas.  Its  habits  correspond  closely  with  those  of  Bell's  Vireo. 
Mr.  Scott  found  it  common  in  the  Catalina  Mountains  of  Arizona,  arriving  about  the 
25th  of  March,  and  apparently  mated  at  that  time,  as  they  proceed  to  build  nests 
and  lay  eggs,  the  latter  commonly  three  in  number.  Nests  from  Arizona  are  de- 
scribed as  substantially  like  those  of  the  former  species.  The  eggs  measure  about 
.69X.48,  and  are  of  crystalline  whiteness,  speckled  with  red  and  reddish-brown,  the 
markings  being  very  minute  and  scarcely  discernible  in  some  cases,  in  others  larger 
and  more  distinct. 


634.  GRAY  VIREO.  Tiren  virinior  Coues,  Geog.  Dist.— Northwestern  Mexico, 
Western  Texas,  New  Mexico,  Arizona  and  Southern  California. 

A  very  limited  number  of  specimens  of  the  Arizona  or  Gray  Vireo  had  been 
procured  since  its  discovery  and  description  by  Dr.  Coues  in  1866,  and  the  species  was 
considered  rare  until  Mr.  W.  E.  D.  Scott,  in  1884,  found  it  to  be  fairly  abundant  on 
tho  mesas  and  foothills  of  the  San  Pedro  slope  of  the  Santa  Catalina  Mountains,  in 
Pinal  county,  Arizona.  The  limits  of  its  distribution  while  breeding,  were  between 
the  altitudes  of  2800  and  4000  feet,  and  the  locality  where  it  was  found  most  abundant 
is  where  the  mesquites  terminate  and  the  oaks  begin.  The  smooth,  flat  mesas,  and 
the  broad,  open  bottoms  of  the  wilder  canon  are  quite  as  much  frequented  by  it  as 
the    rough    and    broken    hillsides.    The    bird    is    exceedingly    active,     rapidly 


' 


426 


NESTN  AND  EGGS  OF 


searching  the  limbs  of  trees  and  bushes  for  food,  constantly  uttering  its  clear 
liquid  song.  It  is  rarely  found  higher  up  than  fifteen  feet  in  trees  and  bushes.  Two 
young  males  which  had  Just  left  the  nest  were  taken  by  Mr.  Scott  on  May  26,  and  a 
nest  was  discovered  the  same  day  and  others  we/e  found  at  different  dates  till  June 
11.  They  were  built  in  mesquites  and  thorn  bushes  ranging  from  four  to  seven 
feet  from  the  ground.  One  was  attached  at  the  rim  for  almost  the  entire  circum- 
ference, very  much  like  a  Red-eyed  Vireo's  nest,  but  here  the  resemblance  ceases,  for 
it  is  not  fastened  to  the  many  small  twigs,  on  which  it  nests,  that  pass  diagonally 
downward,  so  that  it  is  not  even  a  semi-pensile  structure.  Others  were  found  sit- 
uated in  upright  V-shaped  forks,  with  the  rims  partially  attached  to  small  twigs  and 
the  bottom  resting  in  the  crotch— a  Vireo's  nest  resting  in  a  crotch  and  in  no  degree 
pensile.  The  materials  used  in  the  composition  were  coarse  dry  grastes  «ind  shreds 
of  bark  externally,  while  the  inner  portion  is  composed  of  fine,  dry  grasses  arranged 
in  concentric  layers.  The  nests  found  by  Mr.  Scott  contained  three  and  four  eggs 
each  respectively.  The  one  discovered  on  May  26  did  not  contain  any  eggs  until 
the  30th.  This  habit  of  sitting  on  a  finished  nest  for  a  considerable  time  before 
any  eggs  are  laid  he  found  to  be  characteristic  of  the  Arizona  Jay,  Aphclocoma  skbcrii 
urizoucr,  (see  pages  262-263  of  this  work.)  The  eggs  are  rather  rounded  in  their  gen- 
eral shapo,  rosy  when  fresh,  dead  white  when  blown,  and  rather  sparsely  spotted 
with  reddish  and  umber-brown  spots,  some  chiefly  at  the  larger  end.  Mr.  Scott  gives 
the  sizes  of  three  eggs  from  a  set  of  four  as  .77x.69,  .78x.58.  .75x.57,  respectively; 
another  of  three,  .72x.53.  .70x.55.  .68x.63  iuchea* 


635.  BAHAMA  HONEY  CBEEPEB.  Doereha  bahamensis  Reich.  Qeog. 
Dist. — Bahamas,  Florida  Keys  and  adjacent  coart  of  Southern  Florida. 

This  littlo  bird  as  its  name  indicates  belongs  to  the  Bahamas.  It  occurs  in  the 
Florida  Keys  and  strays  to  the  adjacent  portions  of  the  southern  coast  of  Florida 
as  far  north  as  Charlotte  Harbor.  In  the  Bahamas  it  nests  in  April,  May  and  June. 
It  builds  in  small  trees  or  bushes,  constructing  a  globular  shaped  nest  with  an  en- 
trance in  one  side.  The  structure  is  very  large  for  so  small  a  bird.  Exteriorally  it 
is  built  of  weed  stems,  dry  grasses,  and  lined  with  finer  and  softer  vegetable  fibres. 
The  eggs  are  two  to  four  in  number,  commonly  four,  are  white,  finely  speckled  with 
reddish-brown,  chiefly  at  the  larger  end;  average  size  .60x.60  inches. 

636.  BLACK  AND  WHITE  WABBLEB.  MniotVta  raria  (Linn.)  Oeog. 
Dist — Eastern  North  America,  north  to  Fort  Simpson,  west  to  the  Great  Plains;  in 
winter  Gulf  States,  West  Indies,  Central  America  and  Northern  South  America. 

The  little  Black-and-white  Creeping  Warbler,  which  climbs  around  the  trunks 
of:  trees  and  among  their  branches  in  the  marner  of  a  true  Creeper,  breeds  through- 
out its  range,  and  winters  from  the  southern  border  of  the  United  States  southward. 
Nests  usually  in  the  latter  part  of  May  and  in  June,  constructing  a  neat,  compact 
domicile  of  leaves,  bark-strips,  grasses,  with  a  lining  of  hairs  and  hair-like  roots. 
The  nest  is  built  on  the  ground  in  woods,  usually  embedded  in  a  depression,  and  built 
on  a  foundation  of  decayed  wood  or  leaves.  It  is  generally  placed  under  the  shelter 
of  weeds,  by  the  side  of  a  stump,  fallen  log,  or  under  a  projecting  stone  on  a  hillside. 
The  eggs  are  usually  flve  in  number,  and  exhibit  considerable  variation  in  size  and 
markings,  yet  on  the  whole  the  eggs  have  an  individuality  of  their  own  which  en- 
ables one  to  distinguish  them  from  the  eggs  of  any  other  Warbler.    The  typical  egg 


*  For  A  detailed  account  of  the  habits,  nests  and  eggrs  of  this  species  see  Mr.  Scott's 
article:    Breeding  Habits  of  some  Arizona  Birds,  in  The  Auk,  II,  pp.  321-326. 


*     tamk 


AUUTH  AMEltlVAN  UlUbti. 


427 


**  HoNBV  Crbbper,  C.  flavtola.  ixxaWw 'vx  cyxwa  C.  bahamensis    (From  Brehm.) 

of  this  species  iswhite  or  creamy-white,  speckled  and  spotted  with  chestnut  and  hazel, 
generally  in  the  form  of  a  wreath  around  the  larger  end,  although  the  rest  of  the 
surface  is  not  unspotted.  A  typical  set  measures  .65x.51,  .63x.51,  .60x.50,  .65x.49, 
.64x.60;  the  average  is  .65x.55  inches. 


637.  PBOTHONOTABY  WABBLEB.  Protonotaria  citrea  (Bodd.)  Geog. 
Dist. — Mississippi  Valley  and  Gulf  States  north  regularly  as  far  as  Iowa,  Illinois, 
Indiana,  etc.,  casually  to  Wisconsin;  rare  or  casual  on  the  Atlantic  Coast,  north  of 
Georgia,  south  in  winter  to  Cuba,  Central  America  and  Northern  South  America. 

The  vicinity  of  willow  swamps,  the  borders  of  ponds  and  streams  in  the  bottom 
lands  of  the  Mississippi  Valley  and  Gulf  States  is  the  summer  home  of  the  Golden 
Swamp  Warbler.  Messrs.  Keyes  and  Williams  record  it  as  a  summer  resident  of 
Iowa  and  not  uncommon,  summer  resident  of  Kansas;  common  in  the  eastern  por- 
tion. It  is  abundant  in  portions  of  Indian  Territory  and  Texas.  Prof.  Evermann 
notes  thii  Prothonotary  Warbler  as  a  rare  summer  resident  of  Carroll  county,  Indiana. 
It  Is  a  summer  resident  in  Western  Ohio,  where  it  has  been  observed  breeding.  Mr. 
William  Brewster  found  this  species  to  be  one  of  the  most  abundant  and  character- 
istic birds  of  Southern  Illinois  and  Southwestern  Indiana.  In  his  charming  ac- 
count* ot  its  life-history  he  describes  its  song  as  resembling  the  note  of  the  Solitary 
Sandpiper,  and  its  alarm  note  that  of  the  Water  Thrush.  The  typical  nesting  site, 
lie  states,  was  the  deserted  hole  of  the  Downy  Woodpecker  or  Carolina  Chickadee. 
The  height  varied  from  two  to  fifteen  feet,  though  the  usual  elevation  was  about 


•  Bull.   Nutt.  Ornlth.  Club,   III,  pp.  163-162. 


!'ln 


428 


NEHTS  AND  EQCH  OF 


four.  If  the  cavity  was  old  and  broken  out,  or  otherwise  enlarged,  It  waB  far  more 
likely  to  be  chosen  than  a  neater  and  newer  one  close  at  hand.  The  stump  selected 
almost  Invariably  stood  In  or  projected  over  water.  When  the  hole  was  deep  It  was 
usually  filled  up  to  within  four  or  five  inches  of  the  entrance — the  material  being 
moss,  leaves  and  cypress  twigs.  Mr.  O.  C.  Poling  found  this  Warbler  breeding  In 
abundance  in  the  latter  half  of  May,  1887,  In  Western  Illinois,  about  twenty  miles 
above  Qulncy,  and  obtained  a  large  se'-ies  of  the  eggs.  These  are  four  to  seven  in 
number,  usually  six,  sometimes  Ave,  rarely  seven.  Their  shape  is  usually  rounded- 
oval  of  nearly  equal  size  at  both  ends,  some  being  nearly  spherical,  others  much 
elongated.  The  ground  color  <<-  ^^'lossy  creamy-white  or  buff,  spotted,  blotched  and 
dotted  with  rich  chestuut  re^,  in  some  the  ground  being  almost  obscured  by  the 
markings.  The  sizes  of  a  typical  set  taken  by  Mr.  Poling  are,  .73x.55,  .73x.52,  .73x52, 
.73X.52,  .72X.50:  another  set  of  si  c,  taken  May  21,  .72x.57,  .71x.56,  .70x.58,  .71x.54,  .70x.59, 
.72X.58. 


!l 


638.  SWAINSON'S  WABBLEB.  TlcUnnia  swalnsnnil  Aud.  Oeog.  Dlst.— 
Southeastern  portion  of  the  United  States— from  South  Carolina  to  Florida  and 
Eastern  Texas— nort?iward  in  the  Mississippi  Valley  to  Southern  Indiana'  (Knox 
county),  Jamaica  in  winter. 

Until  recently  this  was  one  of  our  rarest  North  American  birds.  Its  nests  and 
eggs  were  first  described  by  Mr.  William  B'-ewster  from  specimens  collected  by  Ar- 
thur T.  Wayne,  near  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  June  L  and  0,  1885.*  Since  that 
date  many  nests,  eggs  and  skins  of  the  bird  ha've  been  taken  by  various  collectors, 
chiefly,  however,  by  Mr.  Wayne,  T.  D.  Perry  and  George  Noble,  in  the  vicinity  of 
Charleston,  Soutli  Carolina,  and  Savannah,  Georgia.  From  these  collectors  I  gather 
that  the  birds  nests  in  wild  shrubbery  of  swamps  or  pools  of  stagnant  water,  along 
running  streams,  and  on  high,  dry  land  at  a  considerable  distance  from  water.  The 
nests  are  built  in  bushes,  canes,  palmettos,  and  clumps  of  vines  from  three  to  ten 
feet  above  the  ground  or  surface  of  the  water.  Mr.  Perry  observes  that  the  birds 
breed  in  small  colonies;  iwo  -■  r  more  pairs  are  usually  found  nesting  near  one  another. 
He  describes  their  song  as  being  exactly  like  that  of  the  Hooded  Warbler — a  low, 
sweet  call,  consisting  of  a  few  notes.  The  nests  are  all  essentially  the  same,  being 
made  outwardly  of  leaves,  placed  in  layers,  and  lined  with  pine  needles  and  fine, 
fibrous  roots.  Three,  rarely  four,  eggs  are  laid,  aud  their  color  is  a  plain  white, 
with  a  faint,  bluish  tinge — the  only  eggs  among  our  North  American 
Warbler  whijh  are  unmarked.  The  eggs  are  deposited  in  May  and  June.  Mr.  Perry 
has  found  nests  containing  eggs  slightly  incubated  as  late  as  July  13.  Two  eggs 
taken  May  IS,  1885,  measure  .80x.60;  two  taken  by  Mr.  Noble,  May  16,  1887,  .78x.57, 
.77X.58. 

639.  WORM-EATING  WABBLEB.  TleJmitherus  vermirorua  (Gmel.)  Eastern 
United  States,  north  to  Connecticut  Valley,  casually  to  Maine;  west  to  Missouri, 
Kansas,  and  Indian  Territory;  south  in  winter  to  Florida,  Cuba,  Jamaica,  Mexico, 
Central  America. 

The  Worm-eating  Warbler  bree'is  throughout  Its  United  States  range,  -which 
extends  as  far  west  as  Kansas  and  Nebraska.  In  some  sections,  however,  it  Is  only 
an  occasional  or  a  rare  summer  visitor,  while  in  others  it  breeds  abundantly.  It  has 
been  found  troeding  frequently  In  Southern  Connecticut  and  various  parts  of  South- 
ern New  England,  in  New  York  and  Pennsylvania.    This  bird  may  be  seen  scratch- 


•  In  "Forest  and  Stream."  July  9.  1885. 


■BB 


SORTII  AMERICAS   ItlUDS. 


more 
lected 
it  was 
being 
ng  In 
miles 
ven  In 
inded- 
much 

and 


ing  the  leaves  on  the  ground,  or  rustling  in  the  leaves  of  a  fallen  tree  in  search  of 
worms  and  spiders.  Sometimes  while  in  the  higher  branches  its  actiuiic  arc  much 
like  those  of  a  Vlreo.  In  Ohio  the  Worm-rating  Warbler  is  a  rare  summer  resident. 
It  has  been  found  breeding  abundantly  In  Chester  county,  i-ennsylvanla,  by  Mr. 
Thomas  H.  Jackson  and  Samuel  U.  Ladd,  in  the  months  of  May,  June  and  July.  The 
nest  is  usually  built  in  a  depression  of  the  ground  on  a  hllididt^  beneath  a  bush,  beside 
a  fallen  log,  at  the  foot  of  a  sapling  or  tree.  It  is,  according  to  the  observations  of 
Mr.  Ladd  and  Mr.  Jackson,  likewise  built  on  level  ground  ii.  rather  ope\i  places,  with 
little  shelter  from  the  sun.  It  is  composed  outwardly  of  leaves,  and  lined  with  hair- 
like  moss;  sometimes  fine  grass  and  horse  hair  is  part  of  the  lining.  The  eggs  are 
four  to  six  in  number,  usr.ally  five,  and  exhibit  a  great  variation  in  size,  shape  and 
markings,  some  being  faintly  marked  with  light  reddish  spots,  chiefly  about  the 
larger  end,  while  others  are  heavily  blotched  with  lavendpr  and  rich  chestnut.  The 
shape  varies  from  equal  ended  to  those  that  are  quite  pointed.  A  set  containing  the 
smallest  normal  specimen,  collected  June  30,  in  a  large  series  of  eggs  described 
by  Mr.  Ladd,  offers  the  following  dimensions:  .64x.49,  .64x.50,  .65x.48,  .64x.49;  a  set 
of  five  taken  June  6,  measure  .71x.57,  .72x.68,  .71x.58,  .76x.57,  .77x.55. 


640.  BACHMAN'S  WABBLEB.  nelminthophila  bachmanii  (Aud.)  Oeog. 
Dist. — Coast  of  South  Atlantic  and  Gulf  States,  from  South  Carolina  to  Louisiana. 
Cuba  In  winter. 

An  extremely  rare  bird.  Said  to  nest  in  low  trees.  Eggs  four.  One  of  a  set 
of  four,  taken  April  30,  and  found  in  the  collection  made  between  the  years  1853 
and  18C5  by  the  late  Dr.  S.  W.  Wilson  In  Qtcigla,  is  described  by  Mr.  H.  B.  Bailey  as 
dull  white;  around  the  larger  end  is  a  wreath  of  dark  brown,  covering  nearly  one- 
third  of  the  egg;  while  a  few  obscure  spots  of  lilac  are  scattered  over  the  rest  of  the 
surface.  It  has  no  resemblance  to  any  Warbler's  egg,  and  especially  none  of  any 
of  this  genuik*    Size  about  .74x.60:    RIdgw. 


641.  BLUE-WINGED  WABBLEB.  HelminthopMla  pinua  (Linn.)  Oeog. 
Dist. — Eastern  United  States  north  to  Connecticut  and  Southern  New  York,  the 
Great  Lakes  and  Minnesota;  south  in  winter  to  Eastern  Mexico,  Guatemala. 

The  Biue-wlnged  Yeli'~w  Warbler  breeds  throughout  its  United  States  range, 
chle"  however,  north  of  40-' latitude.  Apparently  It  Is  not  found  In  great  abundance 
wherb .  jr  observed  during  the  breeding  season.  Records  are  at  hand  of  Its  breeding 
in  Southern  Connecticut,  New  York,  Southeastern  Pennsylvania,  Central  Ohio,  In- 
diana and  Southeastern  Illinois.  Colonel  Goss  gives  it  as  a  rare  summer  resident  of 
Kansas.  It  has  probably  been  found  breeding  most  abundantly  in  Southeastern 
Pennsylvania  by  Isaac  S.  Reiff.  The  site  generally  selected  for  a  breeding  place  in 
that  locality  is  a  clump  of  blackberry  bushes  on  the  edge  of  a  wood,  and  high  ground 
a  short  distance  from  water  seems  to  be  preferable.  Nest  building  begins  as  early 
ns  May  10,  and  nests  were  found  containing  young  as  early  as  June  3.  The  nest  is 
built  on  the  ground  in  thickets;  sometimes  it  is  raised  two  or  three  inches  above 
the  ground  and  hidden  by  tall  grass  or  a  cluster  of  small  oak  sprouts  or  vines.  The 
materials  used  in  the  construction  of  the  nests  were  dry  leaves,  strips  of  wild  grape 
bark,  becoming  finer  towards  the  inner  part;  the  lining  is  of  very  fine  grass.  The 
eggs  are  four  or  five  in  number,  white,  faintly  and  sparsely  speckled  with  burnt 
umber  and  seal  brown.    The  average  size  is  .64x.51. 


•  Bull.  Nutt.  Ornlth.  Club.  VIII,  p.  38. 


i 


430 


SKSTS  ASli  KdHS  (tF 


642.  OOLDEN-WINOED  WARBLEB.  IlilmtnlhitithUti  rhryHnittna  (Linn.) 
Qeog.  DlBt.— Eastern  United  States  and  Dritlsb  Provinces;  in  winter  south  to  Cuba, 
Eastern  Mexico  and  Central  America. 

The  breeding  range  of  this  handsome  Warbler  is  about  the  same  as  that  of  the 
last,  but  it  seems  not  to  extend  its  range  so  far  west  in  the  summer  months.  It 
has  been  found  nesting  in  Oeorgia,  North  and  South  Carolina,  and  as  far  north  as 
Southern  New  England.  Breeds  In  Minnesota,  Wisconsin  and  Michigan  and  is  a 
rather  common  summer  resident  of  Ohio.  Mr.  O.  C.  Poling  found  the  Blue  Qolden- 
winged  Warbler  breeding  in  limited  numbers  in  the  bottom  lands  of  Western  Illinois, 
along  the  Mississippi  River.  The  birds  seem  to  prefer  low  land  covered  with  long 
grass  with  here  and  there  a  bush  or  grove  of  trees.  Swampy  lands  that  skirt  small 
woods  are  its  favorite  resorts  in  Central  Ohio.  The  nest  is  built  on  or  near  the 
ground  under  tussocks  of  grass  or  bushes.  All  the  nests  found  by  Mr.  Poling  were 
placed  above  the  ground.  The  composition  consists  of  leaves,  vegetable  roots, 
sedges,  and  fine  strips  of  bark,  lined  with  fine  grasses — on  the  whole  the  situation  and 
style  of  the  nest  is  like  that  of  the  Maryland  Yellow-throat.  The  eggs,  four  to  six 
In  number,  are  white,  speckled  with  burnt  umber,  chestnut  and  lilac-gray.  The 
average  size  is  .62x.48  inches. 


■  h 


I; 


t 


M 

r  e 


643.  LUCY'S  WABBLEB.  Ilclmiiithophila  liicUr  (Cooper.)  Oeog.  Dlst.— Val- 
leys of  the  Colorado  and  Gila  Rivers  in  Arizona  and  Southern  California,  south  into 
Sonora. 

Major  Bendire  discovered  the  nest  and  eggs  of  this  species  near  Tucson,  Ari- 
zona, May  19,  1872.  The  nest  was  built  between  the  loose  bark  and  the  trunk  of  a 
dead  tree,  a  few  feet  from  the  ground,  similar  to  that  of  the  Brown  Creeper.  Mr.  F. 
Stephens  found  It  abundant  In  the  vicinity  of  Tucson  In  1882.  The  birds  frequented 
the  willows  along  the  banks  of  streams,  and  like  the  Kinglets,  spent  much  of  their 
time  in  searching  for  insects  In  (he  outer  branches.  Many  nests  and  ^gs  were  ex- 
amined after  May  8.  These  were  variable,  the  characteristic  place  being  like  thai 
found  by  Major  Bendire,  but  the  nests  were  also  built  in  deserted  woodpecker's 
excavations,  knot-holes  and  all  sorts  of  crevices.  A  brood  of  young  was  actually 
taken  from  the  deserted  domicile  of  a  Yellow-headed  Titmouse.  The  eggs  are  three 
or  four  In  number,  white,  usually  sparsely  speckled  with  brown  and  black,  chiefly 
at  the  larger  end.  A  set  of  four  taken  by  Mr.  Stephens  Is  described  by  Mr.  Brewster 
as  being  handsomely  wreathed  about  the  larger  ends  with  reddish-brown  and  umber 
spots,  a  few  of  which  are  scattered  over  the  general  surface.  Their  sizes  are  .58x.46, 
.58X.46,  .62X.46,  .60x.47.* 

644.  VIBGINIA'S  WABBLEB.  UelminthophUa  Virginia'  (Balrd.)  Geog. 
Dlst. — Chiefly  the  Rocky  Mountain  districts,  north  to  Wyoming,  Colorado,  Utah  and 
Nevada;  south  Into  Central  Mexico. 

In  some  portions  of  the  Rocky  Mountain  region  this  Is  an  abundant  species,  as 
in  Colorado,  Wyoming  and  Utah.  It  frequents  the  shrubbery  along  creeks,  where  It 
breeds.  A  nest  with  eggs  obtained  by  Prof.  Rldgway,  near  Salt  Lake,  Utah,  Is  de- 
scribed as  being  embedoed  In  t^e  deposits  of  dead  or  decaying  leaves,  on  ground  cov- 
ered by  dense  oak-brush.  Its  rim  was  just  evei  with  the  surface.  It  was  built  on 
the  side  of  a  narrow  ravine,  at  the  bottom  of  which  was  a  small  stream.  It  consists 
of  a  loose  but  intricate  Interweaving  of  fine  strips  of  the  inner  bark  of  the  mountain 
mahogany,  fine  stems  of  grasses,  roots,  and  mosses,  and  is  lined  with  the  same  with 


•  Bull.  Nutt.  Ornith.  Club,  VII,  pp.  83-84. 


[Linn.) 
Cuba, 


soHTii  wiHuirw  mints. 


431 


the  addition  of  the  fur  and  hulr  of  the  Hmuller  nnlinalH.  The  vgga  were  four  In  num- 
ber, and  measured  .64x.47  of  an  Inch.  They  are  uf  a  roundcd-uvoid  shape,  have  a 
white  ground  with  a  Hlighlly  roseate  tinge,  and  are  profusely  spott^'d  with  numerous 
small  blotches  and  dots  of  purplish-brown  and  lilac,  forming  a  crown  around  the 
larger  end. 

646.  NASHVILLE  WABBLEB.  Ilrlmhtlhophllu  ni/lcaiiltla  (Wlls.)  Ueog. 
Dlst.— Eastern  North  America  to  the  Plains,  north  to  the  Fur  Countries,  south 
lu  winter  to  Eastern  Mexico  and  Uuatemala. 

The  Nashville  Warbler  breeds  from  the  Northern  United  States  northward  to 
Hudson  Hay  and  Interior  British  America.  Throughout  New  England  It  is  a  com- 
mon summer  resident,  breeding  In  any  sultuble  locality  In  the  latter  part  of  May  and 
In  June.  At  this  season  It  may  also  be  found  in  Michigan,  Wisconsin,  Northern 
Illinois,  etc.  The  nest  is  placed  on  the  ground  and  is  composed  of  leaves,  bark 
strips,  sometimes  almost  entirely  of  pine  needles,  the  lining  being  finer  material  uf 
the  samo  with  grasses  and  hair.  Often  the  nest  is  embedded  in  the  ground  flush 
with  the  surface,  and  it  is  usually  hidden  under  a  tussock  of  grass.  The  ground 
color  of  the  eggs  varies  from  white  to  creamy-white,  and  are  speckled  with  minute 
dots  over  the  surface,  but  chiefly  at  the  larger  end  with  reddlsn-brown,  hazel  and 
lilac.    They  are  three  or  four  in  number  and  have  an  average  size  of  .64x.45  inches. 


>                    f                                                              ^ 

■   . ^'                                                                ..1!  ,.    •*•—                        »           S 

'71     ■ 

'- 

> 

n'. 

-    >'^- 

- 

« 

• 

,-;    .        ''ft 

;.    ..  ■ 

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■■ 

f* 

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•* 

-f 

646.    Nest  OF  Orange-crowhed  Warbler.    Photo  by  Walter  Ralne. 

645o.  CALAVEBA'S  WABBLEB.  Ilelminthnphila  rnflcapiUa  yutturalis 
Ridgw.  Geog.  Dlst. — Pacific  coast  of  North  America,  eastward  during  migrations 
to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  northward  to  Kadlak,  Alaska,  and  southward  to  I^ower 
California  and  Wertern  Mexico. 

This  bird  Is  very  similar  to  the  Nashville  Warbler  and  Its  nests  and  eggs  are 
probably  identical. 


432 


NESTS  AND  EQQB  OF 


646.  OBANQE-CBOWNED  WABBLEB.  Helminthophila  celata  (Say.)  Geog. 
Dist.— Northern  North  America,  breeding  in  high  latitudes,  as  in  the  Yukon  and 
Mackenzie  River  regions,  southward  into  the  Rocky  Mountains.  Winters  In  the 
South  Atlantic  and  Gulf  States  and  Eastern  Mexico,  rare  in  the  Northeastern  States. 

As  mentioned  in  the  above  habitat  the  Orange-crowned  Warbler  breeds  north 
of  the  United  States.  Its  nests  and  eggs  were  found  by  Mr.  Kennicott,  in  the  middle 
of  June,  in  the  vicinity  of  Great  Slave  Lake.  They  were  generally  built  on  the 
ground  among  clumps  of  bushes,  often  in  the  side  of  a  bank,  and  usually  hidden  by 
the  dry  leaves  among  which  they  were  placed.  They  were  large  for  the  size  of  the 
bird,  and  were  composed  almost  entirely  of  long,  coarse  strips  of  bark,  loosely  in- 
terwoven with  a  few  dry  grasses  and  plant  stems.  They  were  warmly  lined  with 
hair  and  fur  of  small  animals.  The  birds  was  found  breeding  near  Fort  Resolution 
on  the  Yukon,  at  Fort  Rae,  and  at  Fort  Anderson.  The  eggs  are  white  or  creamy- 
white,  finely  speckled,  chiefly  on  the  larger  end,  with  reddish  or  chestnut-brown; 
average  size  .64x.46. 

646a.  LUTESCENT  WABBLEB.  Helminthophila  celata  luteacena  (Ridgw.) 
Geog.  Dist. — Pacific  coast  region  north  to  Kadiak,  Alaska,  south  in  winter  to  Lower 
California  and  Western  Mexico  and  eastward  during  the  migrations  to  Colorado, 
Arizona,  etc. 

The  Lutescent  Warbler  breeds  In  the  coast  ranges  of  Southern  California  and 
northward  to  Kadiak  Island,  Alaska.  Mr.  W.  O.  Emerson  states  that  It  may  be  seen 
during  the  entire  year  in  the  vicinity  of  Haywards,  California,  where  Dr.  J.  G.  Cooper 
took  the  first  known  nest.  Mr.  Emerson  also  informs  me  that  Mr.  A.  M.  Ingersoll  has 
collected  large  numbers  of  the  nests  and  eggs  of  this  bird  in  Alameda  county,  Cali- 
fornia. The  nest  Is  built  on  the  ground,  often  concealed  by  tall  grass  or  bushes. 
It  is  composed  of  dry  grass,  rootlets,  motie  and  lined  with  a  few  horse  hairs  and  fine 
vegetable  fibres.  The  eggs  range  from  three  to  five  in  number,  and  vary  from  white 
to  dull  creamy-white,  finely  speckled  with  lilac-gray  and  cinnamon-rufous,  chiefiy  at 
the  larger  ends.  They  are  Indistinguishable  from  those  of  the  Orange-crowned 
Warbler  with  an  average  size  of  .65x.46. 

646b.  DUSKY  WABBLEB.  Helminthophila  celata  aordida  Townsend.  Geog. 
Dist. — San  Clemente,  Santa  Cruz  and  Santa  Rosa  Islands,  California. 

Very  much  similar  to  the  preceding  species.  Its  nest  and  eggs  are  no  doubt 
identical. 


647.  TENNESSEE  WABBLEB.  Helminthophila  peregrina  (Wils.)  Geog. 
Ldsi. — Eastern  North  America,  breeding  from  Northern  New  England,  Northern 
New  York  and  Minnesota  northward  into  the  Fur  Countries;  migrating  through 
Eastern  United  States,  chiefiy  west  of  the  AUeghanles,  as  far  west  as  the  Rocky 
Mountains;  south  through  Mexico  and  Central  America. 

A  nest  of  this  bird  was  taken  by  Prof.  Horsford,  near  Springfield,  Massachusetts. 
It  Is  described  by  Dr.  Brewer  as  being  built  in  a  low  clump  of  bushes,  just  above  the 
ground,  and  made  of  fine,  vegetable  fibres,  grasses,  mosses,  etc.,  lined  with  hair. 
The  eggs  were  pearly  white,  wreathed  about  the  larger  end  with  brown  and  purplish 
markings,  size  .60x.60. 

648.  PABULA  WABBLEB.  Compsothlvins  amcricana  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist.— 
Eastern  United  States  and  Canada;  in  winter  Southern  Florida,  more  Northern  West 
Indies,  Eastern  Mexico  and  Northern  Central  America  (Guatemala). 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


433 


.)    Geog. 

kon  and 

s  in  the 

>n  States. 

da  north 

le  middle 

t  on  the 

idden  by 

ze  of  the 

osely  in- 

ned  with 

esolution 

creamy- 

it-brown; 


(Ridgw.) 
to  Lower 
Colorado, 

>rnia  and 
y  be  seen 
J.  Cooper 
irsoll  has 
ity,  Cali- 
r  bushes. 
I  and  fine 
om  white 
chiefly  at 
-crowned 


3.    Geog. 
no  doubt 


Geog. 

Northern 

through 

e  Roclcy 

Ehusetts. 
bove  the 
1th  hair, 
purplish 

Dist.— 
rn  West 


Better  known  as  the  Blue-yellow-backed  Warbler.  Breeds  in  suitable  localities 
throughout  its  United  States  range.  It  has  been  observed  rearing  its  young  in 
various  parts  of  Nebraska  and  Illinois,  and  its  nest  and  eggs  have  been  taken  in 
Missouri.  Mr.  Nehrling  saw  old  birds  feeding  their  young  in  July  and  August  in 
Southern  Texas,  and  Colonel  Goss  makes  note  of  the  same  fact  occurring  near 
Neosha  Falls,  Kansas,  in  July,  1879.  This  species  is  a  summer  resident  in  Northern 
Ohio,  but  not  common.  It  seems  to  be  more  abundant  during  the  breeding  season 
in  the  States  bordering  the  Atlantic  coast,  especially  from  New  Jersey  northward. 
The  Parula  Warbler  loves  to  make  its  summer  home  midst  swampy  groves,  whose 
trees  and  bushes  are  draped  in  festoons  of  a  long,  light  green  moss,  with  fine,  hair- 
like filaments — the  pendulous  tree  moss— the  usiica  of  the  botanists.  In  the  bunches 
of  this  thread-like  lichen  the  Parula  usually  makes  its  nest  with  an  entrance  at  one 
side.  "J.  M.  W.,"  (Mr.  C.  L.  Rawson),  who  is  well  acquainted  with  the  habits  of 
this  species  in  New  London  county,  Connecticut,  says  that  the  bird  simply  gathers 
together  the  lower  strands  of  the  uhucu,  felting  it  with  the  same  material,  and  the 
nest  is  done.  This  very  accurate  naturalist  and  charming  writer  also  observes  that 
at  first  sight  the  nest  might  indicate  a  greater  degree  of  skill  than  the  little  archi- 
tect possesses.  Such  is  doubtless  the  case  with  the  one  represented  in  our  illustra- 
tion, which  is  a  faithful  picture  of  a  specimen  selected  from  five  beautiful  nests, 
furnished  by  Mr.  W.  W.  Worthington,  of  Shelter  Island,  New  York,  where  the  birds 
breed  abundantly.  The  nests  are  situated  in  low  trees  and  bushes  at  heights  rang- 
ing from  three  to  forty  feet,  usually  from  six  to  twelve  feet.  Mr.  Worthington  and 
Mr.  Grifilng  both  found  nests  in  the  moss  attached  to  the  sides  of  the  trunks  of  large 
trees.  Sometimes  one  or  two  horse  hairs  are  woven  into  the  nest,  and  occasionally 
a  piece  of  fine  grass.  In  regions  destitute  of  tree  moss,  in  which  this  species  can 
make  its  nest,  it  frequently  adapts  itself  to  circumstances  by  nesting  in  the  bunches 
of  dead  leaves,  caught  on  branches  during  freshets.  Dr.  C.  Hart  Merriam  records 
a  nest  of  this  kind  taken  near  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  June  8,  1885.  Mr.  William 
Brewster  makes  note  of  an  unusual  nest  of  the  Parula  Warbler,  which  was  made  by 
the  birds  and  suspended  by  the  upper  edges  to  the  drooping  boughs  of  a  live  hem- 
lock. In  general  style  of  construction  it  closely  resembles  a  wide-mouthed  nest  of 
the  Baltimore  Oriole  open  at  the  top.  It  is  composed  entirely  of  ttanca,  closely 
woven  or  felted  with  a  scanty  lining  of  fine  grasses  and  pine  needles.  The  breeding 
season  is  in  May,  June  and  July.  The  usual  number  of  eggs  laid  by  this  species  is 
four,  sometimes  five.  Mr.  Rawson  and  Mr.  Worthington  have  both  taken  sets  con- 
taining seven,  and  one  of  that  number  taken  by  the  former  collector  is  in  Mr. 
Norris'  cabinet,  which  contains  thirty-nine  sets  of  the  eggs  of  this  species.  The 
ground-color  of  the  eggs  is  white  or  creamy-white,  more  or  less  glossy,  and  speckled 
with  reddish-brown,  cinnamon-rufoub,  chestnut  and  in  some  gray  tintings.  Many 
eggs  are  wreathed  near  the  larger  ends.  Ten  selected  specimens  before  me  rCiet  the 
following  sizes:  .62x.42.  .67x.46.  .64x.t6,  .65x.47,  .65x.45,  .69x.48,  .67x.47,  .69x.43,  .70x 
.45,  .66X.46. 

648a.  NORTHERN  PARULA  WARBLER.  CompHothljfpia  amerirana  umr<r 
Brewster.  Geog.  Dist.— New  England  New  York  and  westward  along  the  northern 
tier  of  States,  and  northward  into  the  Maritime  Provinces  and  Ontario,  migrating 
southward  beyond  the  United  States. 

So  far  as  the  nesting,  eggs  and  general  habits  of  this  subspecies  are  concerned 
they  are  substantially  the  same  as  those  described  under  C.  amerirana;  many  of  the 
references  in  the  text  refer  to  the  present  bird. 

29 


434 


NBBTB  AND  EOGB  OF 


'  ) 


h 


J 


H 


'j4a«.    Northern  Parula  or  Blub-tbllow-backrd  Warblbk  and  Nbbt. 


NORTH  AMERICAN  lilRDS. 


435 


649.    BENNETT'S  WJ»BBL£B.     t'trnprnthlypiit  nigrilora  KCo^xe^.)    Geog.  Dist.— 
Valley  of  the  Lower  Rio  Grande  in  Texas. 

This  is  a  common  species  at  various  localities  on  the  Lower  Rio  Grande  in  Texas. 
It  was  observed  by  Dr.  Merrill  to  be  auite  common  at  Brownsville,  and  also  by  Mi. 
George  B.  Sennett  at  Lomita.  Mr.  Sennett  states  that  it  is  truly  a  bird  of  the  forest, 
where  it  delights  to  flit  about  in  the  upper  branches  of  the  tallest  trees  continuously 
warbling  Its  clear  song,  which  is  readily  distinguished  from  that  of  all  other  birds. 
On  May  17  a  nest  containing  one  egg  was  found;  it  was  made  in  a  gray  mistletoe-like 
orchid,  an  air-plant  very  common  on  the  Rio  Grande,  which  establishes  itself  on 
the  small  branches  of  trees  and  varies  in  size  up  to  eight  or  ten  inches  in  diameter. 
This  one  is  six  inches  long  by  four  and  one-half  inches  wide,  quite  firm  in  texture, 
and  was  fastened  some  ten  feet  from  the  ground,  to  the  end  of  a  drooping  branch  of 
a  brazil  tree  in  open  woodland.  The  nest  is  constructed  by  simply  parting  the  gray 
leaves  of  the  orchid,  and  digging  into  its  center  from  the  side,  a  cavity  some  two 
inches  in  diameter  being  made  with  an  opening  one  and  one-quarter  inches.  The 
birds  evidently  build  also  in  the  hanging  trusses  of  Spanish  moss  so  abundant 
everywhere,  as  a  nest  was  found  by  Dr.  Merrill,  July  5,  1877,  in  a  small  bunch  of 
moss  about  eight  feet  from  the  ground.  The  single  egg  is  described  by  Mr.  Sennett 
as  similar  to  that  of  C.  americana;  its  spots  of  lilac  and  brown  forming  a  broad  in- 
compact band  near  the  larger  end,  and  the  entire  surface  is  sparingly  marked  with 
the  saue  colors  on  a  dull  white  ground;  size  .67z.46  inches. 


6&U.  OAPE  MAT  WABBLEB.  Dendroica  tigrina  (Gmel.)  Geog.  Dist.— East- 
ern North  America,  north  to  Hudson  Bay,  Lake  Winnipeg,  etc.  Breeds  from  North- 
ern New  England  northward,  also  in  Jamaica;  winters  in  Greater  Antilles. 

Not  a  common  bird  wherever  found  in  Eastern  North  America,  except  in  re- 
stricted areas  during  the  migrations,  when  great  numbers  are  seen  in  a  day.  Some 
years,  in  certain  localities  it  is  moie  frequently  observed  than  at  other  times. 
Forests  of  e^  ^rgreens  are  its  favorite  resorts.  It  is  known 
to  breed  in  Northern  New  England  and  northward.  A 
nest  with  eggs  taken  by  James  W.  Banks  near  St  John, 
N.  B.,  is  described  by  Mr.  Montague  Chamberlain.  The 
nest  was  hidden  in  a  cluster  of  low  cedars,  growing  in  an 
exposed  position  on  a  rather  open  hillside;  it  was  placed 
less  than  three  feet  from  the  ground,  and  within  six 
inches  of  the  tips  of  the  branches  amidst  the  densest  part 
of  the  foliage,  and  well  screened  from  observation.  June 
13  the  nest  was  completed  hnd  contained  two  eggs,  and  on  the  16th  four  eggs.  The 
nest  somewhat  resembles  that  of  the  Magnolia  Warbler,  D.  maculosa,  being  composed 
of  minute  twigs  of  dry  spruce,  grasses,  with  spider's  webs  interwoven.  The  lining 
is  composed  entirely  of  horse  hair  laid  with  precision,  and  shaped  into  a  prettily 
formed  cup,  the  brim  being  turned  with  exquisite  grace.  The  eggs  of  this  species  ar« 
described  as  dull  or  bufty-white,  or  grayish,  speckled  or  spotted  round  the  larger 
end  wi^h  dark  brown  or  reddish-brown  and  lilac-gray,  sometimes  a  few  specks  of 
blackish  are  scattered  over  the  greater  part  of  the  surface.  The  ground-color  of 
the  eggs  belonging  to  the  nest  Just  described,  is  dull  white  like  that  of  the  Mag- 
nolia's; their  sizes  .Q9x.49.  .65x.49,  .66x.49,  .66x.48.    The  average  is  .68x.49  inches. 


660.    Capk  May  Wabblbr 


h 


436 


661.     Olive  Warbler. 


NESTS  AND  EGOS  OF 

651.  OLIVE  WABBLEB.  Dendroica  olivacea  (Gi- 
raud.)  Geog.  DIst.— Highlands  of  Guatemala  and  Mexico, 
north  to  Southern  New  Mexico  and  Mt.  Graham,  Arizona. 

A  curious  Mexican  Warbler  Iinown  to  inhabit  Arizona 
and  as  far  north  e.s  southern  New  Mexico,  chiefly  in  the 
mountainous  portiun^.  Its  habits  are  described  as  being 
similar  to  those  of  the  Pine  Warbler,  D.  rigoroai.  Its 
nests  and  eggs  remain  undescribed. 


652.  YELLOW  WABBLEB.  Dendroica  (rativa  (Gmel.)  Geog.  Dist.— North 
America  at  large,  except  the  southwestern  part. 

Known  by  several  names,  such  as  Summer  V/arbler,  Summer  Yellow-bird,  Blue- 
eyed  Yellow  Warbler  and  Golden  Warbler.  An  abundant  bird  everywhere  through- 
out its  range,  in  woodland,  orchards,  parks  and  gardens.  Nests  in  fruit  or  shade 
trees,  low  shrubbery  and  brushwood.  Sometimes  the  nest  is  built  at  heights  rang- 
ing from  ten  to  forty  feet  in  large  trees,  but  their  favorite  nesting  places  are  hedges 
and  low  bushes.  The  nest  is  usually  skillfully  fastened  to  several  small  twigs,  and 
is  a  neat,  compact,  cup-shaped  structure,  made  of  grayish,  hempen  fibres,  slender 
stems  of  plai:ts  and  leaves,  lined  with  soft  plant  down  and  feathers.  The  Cowbird 
makes  the  nest  of  this  Warbler  a  favorite  receptacle  for  depositing  her  eggs.  In 
United  States  the  Yellow  Warbler  begins  nest  building  about  the  first  of  May.  The 
eggs  are  four  or  five  in  number.  They  have  a  greenish-white  or  even  a  decided  green 
ground-color,  spotted,  usually  in  a  wreath  around  the  larger  end,  witfi  umber- 
brown,  blackish  and  lilac-gray.  They  vary  in  size  from  .62  to  .70  long  by  .48  to  .53 
broad.    A  common  size  is  .67x.47  inches. 

652a.  SONOBA  YELLOW  WABBLEB.  Dendroica  a:8tiia  aonorana  Brewster. 
Geog.  Dist. — Southern  Arizona  to  Western  Texas  and  Northwestern  Mexico. 

Very  similar  to  D.  o'/ttira,  but  with  the  underparts  of  the  male  more  faintly  and 
sparsely  streaked,  etc.*    Nests  and  eggs  identical  with  those  of  the  preceding. 


ii\ 


652b.  ALASKAN  YELLOW  WABBLEB.  Dendroica  o'Stim  rubiginoaa  (Pall.) 
Geog.  Dist. — Alaska  and  British  Columbia,  southward  through  western  United  States 
in  migration. 

From  a  careful  examination  of  a  series  of  Yellow  Warblers  in  the  U.  S.  National 
Museum  by  Harry  C.  Oberholser,  the  existence  of  a  well-defined  geographical  race 
has  been  discovered.  Its  nesting  and  eggs  no  doubt,  and  its  general  habits  are 
similar  to  those  of  the  typical  D.  (rativa. 


653.  MANGBOVE  WABBLEB.  Dendroica  brynnti  raslanciccps  R\dgv.  Geog. 
Dist. — Western  Mexico  and  southern  part  of  Lower  California. 

This  race  breeds  in  Western  Mexico  and  on  Cape  St.  Lucas,  Lower  California, 
but  the  eggs  are  unknown.    They  are  probably  very  similar  to  those  of  D.  <Fstiva. 


f  •: 


)i>- 


654.  BLACX-THBOATED  BLT7£  WABBLEB.  Di'mlroica  cwrulchoCHH  (Gmel.) 
Dist. — Eastern  North  America  to  thfe  Great  Plains;  breeding  ftom  the  northern  and 
more  elevated  portions  of  Eastern  United  States  northward;  in  winter,  Florida  and 
West  Indies. 


•  C/,    Brewster,  Auk,  V,  p.  137. 


NORTH  AMERICATJ  BIRDS. 


437 


6C4. 


In  most  of  the  Eastern  United  States  this  beautiful  Warbler  is  known  only  as  a 
t^pring  and  fall  migrant.  It  has  been  observed  breeding  in  Northern  New  England, 
New  York  and  in  Ontario.  The  Rev.  C.  M.  Jones  found  It  breeding  at  Eastford, 
Connecticut,  in  deep,  swampy  woods,  which  the  birds  seem  to  make  their  favorite 
resorts.  Four  nests  were  discovered  placed  in  laurel  bushes,  from  five  to  about 
eighteen  inches  above  the  ground.  They  were  composed  of  dry  grape  vine  bark, 
twigs  and  roots,  and  partially  covered  on  the  outside  with 
the  woolly  substance  of  cocoons;  the  lining  was  of  fine 
black  roots  and  hair,  and  they  contained  four  eggs  re- 
spectively. These  nests  were  foimri  in  the  first  half  of 
June.  Mr.  William  L.  Kelis  found  the  Black-throated 
Blue  V\^arbler  breeding  In  the  thick  underbrush  of  the 
high  timber  land,  near  LIstowel,  Ontario,  In  June,  and  on 
the  5th  of  that  month,  188B,  discovered  a  compactly  built 
nest  of  this  species  In  a  small  maple.  On  the  9th  it  contained  three  eggs  of  the 
Warbler  and  one  of  the  Cowblrd.  Another  nest  found  placed  in  a  small  leafy 
shrub  at  the  edge  of  a  thicket  contained  three  young  of  /).  rariilrsrvnit  and  one 
young  Cowblrd.  Mr.  Egbert  Bagg  and  Dr.  William  M.  Ralph  found  this  Warbler 
nesting  In  swampy  and  heavily  timbered  woods,  thickly  overgrown  with  brush,  near 
Holland  Patent,  New  York.  Four  nests  were  taken  between  May  29  and  June  14, 
1886;  they  were  built  in  the  upright  'orks  of  little  maple  bushes,  from  nine  Inches 
to  two  feet  above  the  ground.  The  sizes  of  two  sets  of  four  eggs  each  are  given  as 
follows:  .66X.50,  MxM,  .64x.51,  .64x.51;  .75x.54,  .72x.55.  .76x.54,  .72x.52.  The  eggs 
are  buffy-white  or  greenish-white,  more  or  less  heavily  blotched  with  pinkish-brown, 
reddish-brown,  of  varying  shades;  some  specimens  in  general  shape  and  appearance 
resemble  the  eggs  of  the  American  Redstart,  being  marked  with  chestnut  and 
hazel,  chiefly  at  the  larger  ends. 


Black-throatp.i>  Hi.ub 
Warblkk. 


654a.  CAIBX'S  WABBLEB.  Dcndroica  cccrulc8ccns  cairnsi  Coues.  Geog. 
Dist. — Higher  parts  of  the  Alleghanies,  from  Virginia  to  Georgia. 

The  general  habits,  nesting  and  eggs  of  this  subspecies  are  Identical  with  those 
of  the  preceding  species. 


655.  MTBTLE  WABBLEB.  Dcndroica  roronata  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist.— Entire 
of  North  America,  rare  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  except  on  the  Pacific  coast, 
where  more  or  less  common.  Breeds  from  Northern  United  States  northward. 
Winters  from  the  Middle  States  and  Ohio  Valley  (40°)  southward  to  West  Indies  and 
Panama.   Breeds  also  In  Jamaica.  ,  .  . 

The  Yellow-crowned  or  Yellow-rumped  Warbler  Is  a  common  and  well-known 
species  In  Eastern  United  States,  breeding  from  the  northern  portions  northward  in 
May,  June  and  July.  Breeds  abundantly  in  the  coniferous  forests  of  Maine,  New 
Hampshire  and  Vermont.  In  Central  and  Northern  Ohio  It  is  a  rather  common 
breeder.  Dr.  Howard  E.  Jones  has  several  times  found  it  nesting  in  Pickaway 
county,  and  has  observed  It  In  the  extreme  southern  portions  cf  the  State  In  July. 
In  the  vicinity  of  LIstowel,  Ontario,  Mr.  W.  L.  Kells  met  with  this  species  breeding 
in  swampy  woodland,  in  company  with  the  American  Redstart,  Black-and-white 
Warbler,  Chestnut-sided  and  Bay-breasted  Warblers.  The  Myrtle  Warbler  spends 
most  of  its  time  in  the  higher  branches  of  trees  searching  for  food,  but  builds  Its 
nest  down  on  the  lower  branches,  preferedly  in  pine,  hemlock,  spruce  and  other 
coniferous  trees;  the  height  of  the  nest  from  the  ground  is  seldom  more  than  eight 


438 


NESTS  AND  EQGS  OF 


<^?^ 


n 


655.    Myrtlk  Warblbr  (E.  S.  Cheney  del). 

a. 

or  ten  feet,  usually  four  or  five.  The  locality  In  which  Mr.  Kells  found  this  species 
breeding  was  woods  of  black  ash,  intermingled  with  balsams  and  cedars.  The  nest 
is  composed  of  soft  vegetable  fibres,  with  a  few  grass  stems  for  a  lining;  in  some 
there  is  a  lining  of  feathers  when  they  are  obtainable.  The  eggs  are  four  or  five, 
usually  four,  in  number,  and  vary  from  creamy-white  to  dull  white,  speckled  and 
spotted,  and  frequently  blotched,  generally  in  wreaths  near  the  larger  ends,  with 
various  shades  of  reddish-brown  and  lilac  gray.  The  sizes  of  a  set  containing  the 
largest  eggs  in  a  series  in  Mr.  Norris'  collection  are  .70x.54,  .69x.54,  .72x.55;  these 
were  taken  at  Grand  Manan,  New  Brunswick,  June  24, 1878.  A  set  of  four  exhibiting 
the  smallest  sizes  was  taken  by  Mr.  William  Brewster  at  Lake  Umbagog,  Maine, 
June  11,  1876.    These  measure  .64x.51,  .64x.49,  .66x.50,  .66x.50,  respectively. 

656.  AUDUBON'S  WABBLEB.  Dendroica  auduboni  (Towns.)  Geog.  Dist.— 
Western  North  America,  east  to  the  eastern  slope  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  north  to 
British  Columbia;  south  in  winter  to  Guatemala.    Accidental  iu  Massachusetts. 

Audubon's  Warbler  looks  like  the  last  species  except  that  Its  throat  is  yellow 
Instead  of  white.  An  abundant  species  in  all  suitable  places  throughout  the  west 
Mr.  Scott  found  it  nesting  at  Twin  Lakes,  Colorado,  and  Mr.  D.  H.  Minot  notes  It  as 

a  summer  resident  In  the  region  about  Boulder,  where  the 
bird  prefers  high  willow  swamps  and  spruce  timber.    He 
found  nests  June  24,  at  Seven  Lakes.    Mr.  Frank  M.  Drew 
v.^  '^^^Fry  gives  it  as  an  abundant  resident  in  San  Juan  county,  Colo- 

^    ^^fy  rado.    Dr.  Merrill  states  that  it  breeds  rather  Abundantly 

y/^    j^Br  ^^  ^^^  ^'^  Horn  Mountains,  Montana.    Mr.  H.  W.  Henshaw 

^^^  states  that  Audubon's  Warbler  breeds  abundantly  through- 

out the  pine  woods  of  the  mountains  about  Santa  Fe,  New 

Mexico.    Mr.  A.  W.  Anthony  says  that  a  few  breed  in  the 
€^6.     Audubon's  Waiblbr 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


4m 


more  elevated  parts  of  Waahington  county,  Oregon.  The  nests  of  this  species  are 
situated  at  various  heights,  ranging  all  the  way  from  three  to  thirty  feet,  and  usu- 
ally on  the  outer  branches  of  pine  or  spruce  trees.  Their  composition  is  fine  strips 
of  bark,  grass,  small  stems  of  the  sage  bush,  pine  needles,  etc.,  lined  with  fine  roots, 
hairs  ana  feathers.  The  eggs  are  usually  four  in  number,  sometimes  Ave.  Some 
specimens  are  somewhat  like  the  common  type  of  the  Yellow  Warbler's,  being 
greenish-white,  marked  chiefly  about  the  crown  with  olive-brown.  The  ground 
color,  however,  varies  from  dull  olivaceous-white  to  pale  green  or  even  pale  blue, 
and  the  markings  are  usually  blackish-brown  and  lilac-gray;  average  size  .67x.52. 


657.  MAGNOLIA  WABBLEB.  DendroUu  inaculom  (Qmcl.)  Geog.  Dist.— 
Eastern  North  America  as  far  west  as  base  of  Rocky  Mountains.  Breeds  from  north- 
ern parts  r>'  New  England,  New  York,  and  Michigan  northward  to  about  Hudson  Bay. 
In  winter.  Bahamas,  Cuba  and  Central  America. 

An  elegant  little  bird,  and  perhaps  better  known  as  the  Black-and-yellow  Warb- 
ler. Breeds  commonly  In  Northern  New  England,  New  York,  Michigan  and  north- 
ward. Not  an  abundant  summer  resident  in  Northeastern  Ohio.  Accounts  of  this 
species  nesting  in  New  Hampshire  and  Maine  have  been  given  by  Mr.  William 
Brewster,  Ruthven  Deane,  C.  J.  Maynard  and  others.  It  was  found  breeding  quite 
abundantly  on  Grand  Manan  by  Mr.  Charles  H.  Andros. 
The  time  cf  laying  for  this  species  is  usually  in  the  first 
half  of  June.  According  to  Mr.  Brewster  It  is  found 
everywhere  common  throughout  the  White  Mountains  of 
New  Hampshire.*  Its  favorite  resorts  are  little  clumps  of 
fir  and  spruce  shrubs,  also  willow  thickets  near  streams 
and  'ponds  and  damf)  places.  Its  gay  colors  and 
sprightly  song  will  at  once  attract  the  attention  of  even 
the  casual  observer.  The  nest  is  usually  placed  In  the 
horizontal  twigs  of  a  fir  or  spruce  at  heights  ranging  from 

five  to  six  feet,  four  being  the  average  elevation,  and  the  favorite  localities  are  the 
edges  or  wood-paths,  clearings  or  roads  bordered  by  woods.  Sometimes  the  nests  are 
built  In  the  tops  of  young  hemlocks  ten  to  fifteen  feet  up,  or  in  the  heart  of  the  forest, 
thirty-five  feet  above  the  ground.  The  nest  Mr.  Brewster  states  Is  loosely  put  to- 
gether, of  fine  twigs,  preferedly  hemlock,  coarse  grasses,  dry  weed  stalks;  the  lining 
is  fine  black  roots  closely  resembling  horse  hair.  In  general  style  it  approaches 
more  nearly  the  nest  of  the  Chestnut-sided  Warbler.  The  eggs  are  four  in  number, 
very  rarely  five.  A  series  of  forty-three  sets  of  the  eggs  of  this  species  is  in  Mr. 
Norris'  cabinet.  The  ground  color  of  the  specimens  is  usually  creamy-white,  spotted 
and  blotched  with  various  shades  of  reddish-brown,  hazel  and  chestnut.  The  mark- 
ings are  generally  large  and  well  defined  and  often  form  wreaths  about  the  larger 
ends;  again  the  ground-color  of  the  eggs  will  be  almost  wholly  obscured  by  In- 
numerable fine  specks.  The  sizes  of  two  sets  containing  the  smallest  and  largest 
eggs  are  as  follows:    .56x.48,  .59x.48,  .59x.45,  .56x.47;  .70x.49,  .68x.47,  .70x.49,  .68x.49. 


057.     Magnolia  WARnLKR 


658.  CEBULEAN  WABBLEB.  Dcmlrnica  fwrulca  (Wils.)  Geog.  Dist.— East- 
ern United  States  (west  of  the  Alleghanies)  and  Southern  Canada,  east  to  Central  New 
York;  south  in  winter  to  Cuba  and  northern  portions  of  South  America. 

«A  beautiful  little  sky-blue  feathered  creature,  and  well  named  Azure  Warbler. 
Its  home  is  in  the  top  branches  of  trees  in  sylvan  groves,  where  it  may  be  seen 


•  Run.  Nutt.  Ornlth  flub.  II,  pp.  1-7. 


>) 


w 


440 


NESTS  AND  EQQS  OF 


sometimes  in  numbers,  flitting  about  in  search  of  insect  food,  and  uttering  its  pe- 
culiar syllables  which  sound  like  zvc,  zvr,  zee,  zv-cv-ai).  It  is  not  strange  that  the  neat 
of  this  species  has  been  so  seldom  discovered,  even  where  the  bird  is  very  abundant 
during  the  breeding  season.  The  nest  is  built  in  the  higher  horizontal  branches  of 
forest  trees,  always  at  some  distance  from  the  trunlc,  and  ranging  from  twenty  to 
flfty  feet  above  the  ground.  The  Blue  or  Cerulean  Warbler  is  an  abundant  summer 
resident  in  Central  Ohio,  where  it  prefers  damp  woods  for  nesting.  Mr.  J.  A.  Allen 
describes  a  nest  and  lour  eggs  which  were  taken  in  Monroe  county,  New  York,  .Tun': 
7,  1878.  The  nest  was  placed  in  the  forks  of  a  small  ash,  about  twenty-five  feet  from 
the  ground.  One  taken  near  Drummondsville,  Ontario,  near  Niagara  Falls,  and  de- 
scribed  by  Dr.  Brewer,  was  built  in  a  large  oak  tree,  fifty  feet  from  the  ground.  This 
and  another  nest  containing  four  eggs  taken  by  Mr.  Wm.  Bryant  at  Mount  Carmel, 
Illinois,  May  16,  1878,  are  in  the  Museum  of  Comparative  Zoology.  Mr.  Allen  states 
that  the  Mount  Carmel  nest  was  also  placed  at  an  elevation  of  twenty-five  feet.* 
Prof.  Evermann  give  the  Cf"  '.ean  Warbler  as  a  common  summer  resident  of  Car- 
roll county,  Indiana.  A^.',  .;i,  Davidson  secured  two  nests  of  this  species  with  eggs, 
in  Niagara  county,  N  v\  Y;«<,  on  June  8  and  23,  1888.  They  were  built  in  small 
basswood  trees,  about  t <''"')??■  iii<t  above  the  ground.  On  June  30  another  nest  was 
discovered,  but  was  too  high  am;  ">ccessible.  Two  broods  were  observed  in  July 
in  the  same  woods.  The  nests  are  ci/mpactly  made  of  fine,  dry  grasses,  bound  to- 
gether with  spiders'  silk  to  which  are  attached  pieces  cf  whitish  lichen;  the  lining  is 
strips  of  bark  and  fine  grass.  The  eggs  are  bluish-white  or  greenish-white,  speckled 
with  reddish-brown  and  lilac,  chiefly  at  the  larger  end,  and  often  in  the  form  of  a 
wreath.  Mr.  Davidson  gives  the  measurements  of  two  specimens  tha.  were  saved  out 
of  the  first  nest,  as  .70x.52,  .71x.52.  The  second  nest  contained  three  eggs  of  the 
Warbler  and  one  of  the  Cowbird:  sizes,  .64x.50,  .63x.49,  .64x.50. 

650.  CHESTNUT-SIDED  WARBLEH.  Dvndroira  pensylvanica  (Linn.)  Geog. 
Dist. — Eastern  United  States  and  Canada.  Breeds  north  of  40°  except  in  higher 
mountain  ranges.  In  winter,  south  to  Bahamas,  Eastern  Mexico,  and  Central 
America  to  Panama. 

This  well-known  Warbler  breeds  abundantly  in  the  Middle  and  Northern  States 
within  its  range.  Mr.  Mcllwraith  gives  it  as  a  common  resident  of  Ontario,  breeding 
In  suitable  places  near  Hamilton  and  throughout  the  country,  raising  two  broods  in 

a  season.  Breeds,  but  not  commonly,  in  Central  Ohio,  more 
abundant  in  the  northern  portion.  Nests  in  the  latter  part 
of  May  and  in  June.  The  nest  is  commonly  built  in  a  low 
bush,  shrub  or  sapling  from  two  to  eight  feet  above  the 
ground.  The  situations  chosen  are  the  "scrub-lands"  or 
open  woods  in  low  grounds,  with  a  growth  of  bushes,  vines, 
etc.  The  nest  is  generally  coarser  than  the  Yellow  Warb- 
ler's, and  contains  fewer  woolly  materials.  It  is  composed 
of  narrow  strips  of  thin  bark  or  dried  grasses,  mixed  with 
plant-down,  fine  bleached  grasses,  and  lined  with  hair.  The 
eggs  are  four,  rarely  five,  in  number,  and  vary  from  clear-white  to  creamy-white 
in  ground-color,  spijckled  with  rusty-brown  and  chestnut,  often  tinged  with  lilac- 
gray,  chiefly  at  the  larger  end,  where  they  frequently  form  wreaths.  A  set  of  four 
offers  the  following  sizes:  .68x.50,  .6.5x.47,  .67x.49,  .68x.49;  average  .68x.50.  Eggs 
of  the  Cowbird  are  commonly  found  in  nests  of  this  species. 


059.    ChrstnuT'SIDBD 
Warbler. 


•  Bull.  Nutt.  Ornlth.  Club,  IV,  pp.  26-27. 


V4.J 


NORTH  AMERICAS  BIRDS. 


m 


its  pe- 
he  neat 
undant 
ches  of 
enty  to 
ummer 
Allen 
k,  .Tun'; 
et  from 
and  de- 
Thls 
armel, 
states 
feet.* 
of  Car- 
th  eggs 
n  small 
est  was 
in  July 
>und  to- 
Ining  U 
speckled 
rm  of  a 
ived  out 
i  of  the 


660.  BAY-BBEASTED  WABBLER.  DciKlrolra  nititaiica  (Wils.)  Oeog. 
Dist. — Eastern  North  America.  Breeds  from  Northern  New  England  and  Northern 
Michigan  northward  to  Hudson  Bay;  south  in  winter  through  Eastern  Mexico  and 
Central  America. 

The  Bay-Breasted  Warbler  is  known  to  breed  from  Northern  New  England  and 
Northern  Michigan  northward.  Mr.  William  L.  Kells  found  it  breeding  in  the 
vicinity  of  Listowel,  Ontario,  in  low,  swampy  woods,  where  there  is  a  mixture  of 
evergreens,  ash,  birch,  elm  and  other  trees.  The  nests  are  compact,  cup-shaped 
structures,  usually  placed  in  coniferous  trees  from  five  to  fifteen  or  even  twe  ty 
feei  above  the  ground.  Mr.  Kells  found  a  nest  placed  between  a  slender  limb  >(I 
the  trunk  of  a  sma\l  cedar  about  Ave  feet  up;  another  was  found  in  a  hemlocK  x'  an 
elevation  of  fourteen  feet.  The  nest  is  composed  of  fine  shreds  of  bark,  small  .  'gs, 
fibrous  roots  and  pine  hair;  the  interior  is  a  little  more  than  two  inches  in  diameter 
by  one  in  depth.  The  eggs  are  deposited  in  the  latter  half  of  May  or  first  half  of 
June.  Four  is  the  usual  number  laid;  they  are  white,  with  a  bluish  tinge,  finely 
speckled  on  or  round  the  larger  end  with  reddish-brown;  average  size  .70x.50  inches. 

661.  BLACK-POLL  WABBLEB.  Demlnnvn  utriatn  (Forst.)  Geog.  Dist.— 
Eastern  and  Northern  North  America,  breeding  from  Northern  New  England,  Lab- 
rador, etc.,  to  coast  of  Alaska  (north  of  the  Alaskar  Peninsula)  and  to  the  Arctic 
Ocean;  accidental  in  Greenland.  In  winter,  south  t 
South  America. 

In  the  United  States  the  Black-poll  Warble- 
migrant,  except  in  Northern  New  England,  whe'  ^ 
breeding  grounds  are  from  thence  "northward  int. 
Arctic  regions.  The  nests  are  usually  built  in  t*-e  month 
of  June,  and  are  placed  in  low,  thick  spruce  t  »"  JUt 
eight  feet  from  the  ground.  They  are  made  of  sma}l 
twigs,  lichens,  slender  rootlets,  sedges,  and  lined  with 
feathers.  The  eggs  are  four  or  five  in  number  and  have 
an  average  size  of  .74x.52  inches.  In  shape  they  vary 
from  ovate  to  elongate-ovate,  and  the  ground-color  varies 
trovfi  white  to  creamy  and  buff,  and  occasionally  a  light 
shade  of  greenish-white  is  found.  They  are  speckled,  spotted  and  blotched  with 
various  shades  of  reddish-brown  and  frequently  lilac-gray.  Occasionally  a  set  shows 
such  small  specks  all  over  the  surface  as  to  almost  obscure  the  ground-color.  The 
markings  are  always  much  heavier  at  the  larger  ends,  but  they  rarely  form 
wreaths, 


iK    'mas,  Cuba  and  Northern 

hi...  n  as  a  spring  and  fall 
■•"'  pair  remain  to  breed.  Its 
ue 


661.    Black-Poll  Warbler. 


662.  BLACKBUBNIAN  WABBLEB.  nettdroira  blarkhuruifr  (Gmel.)  Geog. 
Dist. — Eastern  North  America  to  the  Great  Plains,  casually  to  Utah  and  New  Mexico. 
Breeds  from  Northern  United  States  northward.  South  in  winter  to  the  Bahamas, 
Central  America  and  Northern  South  America. 

A  lovely  Warbler,  with  throat  and  chest  of  intense  orange  yellow.  Breeds  from 
the  northern  States  northward,  occurring  as  it  does  in  most  of  the  United  States  as 
a  spring  and  fall  migrant.  Its  nests  and  eggs  have  been  taken  in  Massachusetts 
and  other  more  northern  New  England  States.  Dr.  C.  Hart  Merriam  found  a  pair  of 
these  birds  breeding  in  a  grove  of  large  white  pines  In  Lewis  county.  New  York. 
In  the  latter  part  of  May  the  female  was  observed  building,  and  on  June  2 
the  nest  contained  four  fresh  eggs  of  the  Warbler  and  one  of  the  Cowbird?   The  nest 


442 


i\KSTH  ANlt  KUUH  OF 


was  saddled  on  the  horizoutal  limb  about  eight  feet  from  the  ground  and  about  ten 
feet  from  the  trunk.  Blackburn's  Warbler  has  been  found  breeding  in  Southern 
Michigan,  where  nests  have  been  taken  in  pine  trees  at  an  elevation  of  forty  feet 
In  all  cases  the  nests  are  placed  high  In  hemlocks  or  pines,  which  are  the  bird's 
favorite  resorts.  Mr.  J.  W.  Preston  met  with  the  Blackburnian  Warbler  breeding  in 
the  hemlock  and  spruce  regions  of  Northern  Minnesota.  One  nest  was  found  placed 
against  the  trunk  and  upon  a  small  branch  which  grew  from  the  tree  at  a  height  of 
twenty  feet;  another  was  built  lu  the  fork  of  a  horizontal  branch  near  the  end,  Ave 
feet  from  the  trunk  and  thirty  feet  from  the  ground.  One  nest  contained  two,  the 
other  three  eggs,  and  in  each  was  a  Cowbird's  egg.  From  all  accounts  the  nests  of 
this  species  are  eldgantiy  and  compactly  made,  consisting  of  a  densely  woven  mass 
of  spruce  twigs,  soft  vegetable  down,  rootlets  and  fine  shreds  of  bark;  the  lining  is 
often  iitlerm)xed  with  horse  hairs  and  feathers.  The  full  complement  of  eggs  is 
four,  and  they  are  described  as  greenish-white  or  very  pale  bluish-green,  speckled 
or  spotted,  chiefly  around  the  larger  end,  with  brown  or  reddish-brown  and  lilac- 
gray;  average  size  .69x.50.  The  sizes  of  the  set  taken  by  Dr.  Merriam  are  .69x.B0, 
.70X.45,  .71X.49,  .69x.50,  respf^ctively. 

663.  YELLOW-THBOATED  WABBLEB.  Uemlrumt  dominiai  (Linn.)  Geog. 
Dist. — South  Atlantic  States  north  along  the  sea  coast  regularly  to  Maryland;  casu- 
ally to  New  York,  Massachusetts,  etc.,  south  to  the  West  Indies. 

The  Yellow-throated  Warbler  breeds  commonly  In  the  South  Atlantic  States,  In 
some  portions  of  which  it  is  resident  throughout  the  year.  The  nest  is  placed  on 
branches  of  pine  trees,  usually  at  a  considerable  elevation.    It  is  also  not  infrequently 

built  in  the  pendulous  tufts  of  Spanish  moss,  which 
grows  abundantly  on  the  live  oaks  and  other  trees.  Mr. 
William  Brewster  found  a  nest  of  this  species  in  Cam- 
den county,  Georgia,  May  2.  which  was  placed  at  a  height 
of  thirty-five  feet  from  tht  ground,  on  the  stout,  hori- 
zontal branch  of  a  Southern  pine,  in  a  thinly  scattered 
grove.  The  nest  was  set  flatly  on  the  limb — not  saddled 
to  It — nearly  midway  Ijetween  the  juncture  with  the  main 
trunk  and  the  extremity  of  the  twigs,  and  was  attached 
to  the  rough  bark  by  silky  flbres.  It  is  composed  of  short 
twigs,  strips  of  bark,  bound  together  with  Spanish  moss  and  silky  down;  the  lining 
is  ^oft,  hair-like  vegetable  down.  Mr.  Arthur  T.  Wayne  obtained  nests  and  eggs 
of  this  Warbler  in  the  mixed  woods  near  Charleston,  South  Carolina.  The  nests  were 
found  built  in  the  tufts  of  tree  moss,  and  lined  with  feathers.  The  heights  range 
from  thirty  to  about  forty  feet  above  the  ground.  Mr.  R.  B.  McLaughlin  found,  on 
June  4,  a  nest  of  this  species  built  close  to  the  main  body  of  a  small  pine  tree,  in 
woods  near  Statesville,  North  Carolina.  The  nest  rested  on  a  short,  dead  twig, 
nineteen  feet  from  the  ground.  It  contained  three  young  birds  and  one  egg.  The 
eggs  are  three  or  four  in  number,  rarely  Ave.  They  are  of  a  dull  greenish  or  grayish- 
white,  spotted  with  various  shades  of  brown  and  lavender-gray  almost  entirely  near 
the  larger  ends;  in  some  specimens  they  form  wreaths  about  the  crown.  This  bird 
deposits  Its  eggs  early,  usually  In  the  first  part  of  April.  The  average  size  of  ten 
eggs  is  .74x.53. 

663o.  SYCAMOBE  WABBLEB.  Dendroico  dominica  albalora  Ridgw.  Geog. 
Dist.— MisslBsippi  Valley,  west  to  the  Plains,  north  to  Lake  Erie  and  Southern  Michi- 
gan,, and  east  to  Western  North  Carolina;  in  winter  south  to  southern  Mexico,  Hon- 
duras, Guatemala  and  Nicaragua. 


663. 


Yellow-t  h  roatbd 
Warulbr 


NORTH  AUHHirAN  BIRDB. 


441 


ThiB  is  precisely  like  the  last  specleB,  but  the  gupercUlary  Btripe  Is  entirely 
white  and  the  chin  cut  off  from  the  bill  by  white.  This  subspecies  breeds  In  Ohio. 
It  is,  I  believe,  well  named,  for  the  majority  of  specimens  I  have  taken  were  In 
sycamore  trees.  A  nest  containing  four  eggs  was  found  by  Mr.  L.  C.  Horton  near 
Mt.  Vprnon,  Knox  county,  Ohio,  June  28, 1897.  The  female  was  shot  and  it,  with  the 
nest  and  eggs  are  in  Mr.  Horton's  collection,  '''be  nest  was  placed  on  a  horizontal 
branch  in  an  elm  tree  twenty  feet  from  the  ground,  a  short  distance  from  water. 
It  is  composed  of  flne  shreds  of  vegetable  material,  Intermingled  with  short,  slender 
twigs  as  the  base.  The  eggs  measure  respectively  as  follows:  .63x.52,  .63x.50,  .69x.53, 
.71X.53  Inches.  They  have  the  same  coloration  as  the  eggs  of  the  Yellow-throated 
species,  />.  dominkix. 

664.  OBACE'S  WARBLER,  nrnitrnlra  qrnrio'  Baird.  Qeog.  Dist.— Southern 
New  Mexico  and  Arizona,  and  southward  Into  Sonora. 

This  Warbler  was  dedicated  by  the  late  Prof.  Spenser  F.  Baird  in  honor  of  Miss 
Grace  D.  Coues,  sister  of  the  eminent  naturalist  and  scientist.  Dr.  Elliott  Coues. 
The  nesting  and  eggs  of  this  species  are  identical  with  those  of  />.  dotninica,  b*:t  its 
eggs  will  not  be  found  numerous  in  collections. 


665.  BLACK-THROATED  GRAY  WARBLER.  Dnidroiva  nigrcHCcns  (Towns.) 
Ueog.  Dist.— Western  United  States,  north  to  Colorado  and  Oregon,  and  British  Ck»- 
lun:bia,  west  to  the  Cascades;  south  in  winter  into  Mexico,  etc. 

Mr.  A.  W.  Anthony  gives  this  species  as  a  summer  resident  of  Washington 
county,  Oregon,  where  it  frequents  the  thick  firs.  In  the  breeding  season  it  is 
quite  shy  and  retired,  inhabiting  the  younger  growth  of  flrs 
and  dense  thickets  of  alder  and  willows.  The  eggs  are 
four  In  number.  The  extensive  cabinet  of  Mr.  J.  Parker 
Norrls  contains  a  set  of  four  eggs  of  this  Warbler,  which 
was  taken  in  Polk  county,  Oregon.  The  nest  was  situated 
in  a  fir  tree  twenty  feet  from  the  ground,  and  is  composed  of 
flne  grasses,  profusely  lined  with  feathers.  The  eggs  are 
pinkish-white,  spotted  with  cinnamon-rufous  e^ad  lilac-gray. 
The  markings  are  nearly  all  at  the  larger  ends.  They 
measure  .67x.51,  .71x.54,  .71x.54,  .68x.53  inches.  Mr.  C.  Barlow  has  kindly  sent  me 
for  inspection  a  nest  containing  four  eggs  of  this  Warbler  which  were  taken  near 
Lakeport,  Lake  county,  California,  by  Corydon  Chamberlain,  an  account  of  which 
was  read  in  a  paper  before  the  Cooper  Ornithological  Club.  A  description  was  pub- 
lished in  "The  Nidologist"  for  September,  189.'j.  On  the  5th  of  May  the  nest  was 
found  compactly  put  together,  symmetrically  lined  with  flne  hair  of  quadrupeds;  ex- 
ternal width  three  and  one-third  inches,  external  depth  two  inches.  The  nest  was 
found  in  a  small  clump  of  manzanltas,  about  four  feet  from  the  ground.  The  eggs 
are  white,  dotted  with  reddish-brown  and  purple,  chiefly  about  the  larger  end, 
where  the  dots  are  frequently  confluent,  and  also  form  small  blotches.  Their  sizes 
are  as  follows:    .65x.52.  .66x.52,  .65x.51.  .66x.51  inches. 


66S.  Black-throated 
Gkav  Warblbr. 


666.  GOLDEN-CHEEKED  WARBLER.  Dendrnica  (^hryanparia  Sd.  ft  SaW. 
Oeog.  Dist.— Central  Texas  and  southward  to  Guatemala. 

So  far  as  I  am  aware  all  the  nests  and  eggs  of  this  rare  Warbler  that  are  in 
various  cabinets  have  been  collected  in  Comal  county,  Texas.  Mr.  Wm.  Brewster 
describes  specimens  of  its  nests  and  eggs  taken  by  Mr.  W.  H.  Werner  in  that  region 


444 


JfKftTS  AS  It  Eaas  OF 


In  the  month  of  May,  1878.  The  birds  were  found  invariably  in  cedar  timber.  Four 
nestB  were  diBCOvcred,  all  of  which  were  similar  In  conatructlon,  being  biiiit  In  th<* 
forks  of  perpendicular  limbs  of  the  .finiii»rus  iiri/<M(H/i»i.  from  ten  to  eighteen  feot 
from  the  ground.  They  were  composed  of  the  inner  barl«  of  this  tree  interwov«Mi 
with  spider  webs,  in  color  resembling  the  barlt  of  (ho  tree  in  whicii  they  were  built, 
making  them  didlcuit  to  detect.  The  interior  Is  lined  with  hair  and  feathers.  Thf 
nest  resembles  the  average  nest  of  the  Dlack-throated  Green  Warbler,  but  is  larger. 
Mr.  G.  n.  Ucnners  met  with  this  species  breeding  in  Comal  county,  Texas,  In  April. 
1884.  The  nests  were  placed  in  cedars  from  five  to  ten  feet  above  the  ground  and 
similar  in  materials  and  construction  to  those  found  by  Mr.  Werner,  being  neatly 
and  compactly  built.  The  cavity  of  a  typical  nest  measures  about  1.50  to  1.60  acrosH 
by  1.50  to  2.00  inches  deep.  The  eggs  are  four,  rarely  five  In  number.  The  eggs  have  a 
ground-color  of  creamy-white,  with  a  slight  gloss,  speckled  and  spotted  with  shadew 
of  red  and  brown  that  vary  from  a  cinnamon-rufous  to  btirnt  umber.  Some  eggs 
have  specks  of  lilac-gray.  The  measurements  of  three  eggs  taken  by  Mr.  Werner 
are  given  as  .75x.67,  .77x.5G,  .76x.58  inches. 

667.  BLACK-THROATED  lilEEN  WARBLER,  hcndrnica  virens  (Gmel.) 
Geog.  Dist.— Eastern  North  America,  west  to  the  Great  Plains,  breeding  from  North- 
ern United  States  northward.  In  winter,  south  throuRli  Kastern  Mexico  and  Central 
America  to  Panama;  also  to  the  West  Indies.    Casual  in  Greenland. 

The  Black-throated  Green  Warbler  breeds  from  the  Northern  United  States 
northward — wherever  there  are  tracts  of  coniferous  trees  the  bird  is  almost  sure  to 
be  found  during  the  breeding  season,  which  is  generally  in  the  latter  part  of  May 
or  in  June.  Throughout  the  pine  regions  of  New  England  it  is  an  abundant  species. 
Breeds  in  New  York,  Michigan  and  it  is  also  stated  to  breed  in  Northern  Illinois. 
A  few  pairs  are  said  to  remain  during  the  summer  months  in  Northern  Ohio.  The 
nest  of  this  Warbler  is  placed  In  the  fork  of  a  horizontal  bough  of  a  coniferous  tree, 
usually  at  a  considerable  height— thirty  to  fifty  feet,  but  frequently  as  low  down  as 
fifteen  or  even  five  feet  above  the  ground.  Mr.  L.  C.  Holmes,  of  Standlsh,  Maine, 
states  that  all  the  nests  he  has  found  were  in  low,  scrubby  firs.  The  typical  nest  is  a 
compact,  well-woven  fabric  made  of  thin  bark  strips,  twigs,  dry  grasses,  wool  and 
feathers,  lined  with  hair  and  vegetable  down.  The  eggs  are  four  in  number,  and 
have  a  ground-color  which  ranges  from  white  to  buffy  or  crenmy-whlte.  The  mark- 
ings are  specks  and  spots  of  cinnamon-rufous,  chestnut,  and  lilac-gray,  forming  in- 
distinct wreaths  about  the  large  ends.  The  average  measurement  of  four  single 
eggs  is  .61X.50  Inches. 

668.  TOWNSEND'S  WARBLER.  DendrnUa  tmniHcndi  (Towns.)  Geog. 
Dist.— Western  North  America  (but  chiefly  near  the  Pacific  coast),  north  to  Sitka, 
east  during  the  migrations  to  the  Rocky  Mountain  region;  south  in  winter  to  North- 
ern Central  America. 

Townsend's  Warbler  Is  well  known  as  a  Pacific  coast  species.  It  Inhabits  the 
pine  regions,  nesting  similar  to  /).  rirnis  In  coniferous  trees.  The  eggs  are  described 
as  buffy-white,  speckled  and  spotted  with  reddish-brown,  blackish  and  Ulac-gray; 
average  size,  .64x.53  Inch*  s. 


660.  HERMIT  WARBLER.  Dcndroiva  ocvidciUaUx  (Towns.)  Geog.  Dlst.— 
Western  United  States  chiefly  near  the  Paclflc  coast,  east  during  migrations  to  the 
Rocky  Mountains;  south  In  winter  to  Northern  Central  America. 


JfORTll  AMERICAS  IllUUH. 


445 


)er.     Foui 

iillt  In  i\w 

titeen  fe<>t 

nterwovj'ii 

vere  built. 

era.     Tin- 

Ih  larger. 

in  April, 

round  and 

ng  neatly 

1.60  acroHH 

ggH  have  II 

th  shadeH 

ome  cggH 

".  Werner 


HH  (Omel.) 
oni  North- 
nd  Central 

ted  States 
oat  sure  to 
irt  of  May 
nt  species, 
rn  Illinois. 
Olilo.  Tlie 
erous  tree, 
w  down  as 
h1i,  Maine, 
\\  nest  is  a 
,  wool  and 
mber,  and 
The  mark- 
irming  in- 
cur single 


.)       Geog. 

to  Sitlta, 
to  North- 
habits  the 

described 
iilac-gray ; 


g.  Dist.— 
ms  to  the 


.t'?/'V, 


(i07.    Ulack-throatrd  Gkesn  Wakulkr  (From  Urehm.) 

Two  nests  of  the  Western  Warbler  were  found  by  C.  A.  Allen  during  the  season 
of  1886,  in  Blue  Canon,  California.  The  first  contained  two  eggs  June  4,  and  was 
left  (or  a  full  set.  Three  days  after  it  was  found  in  a  dilapidated  condition  and  the 
eggs  destroyed,  evidently  the  work  of  squirrels.  The  eggs,  however,  are  described  as 
resembling  those  of  the  Yellow  Warbler,  />.  (mliva,  but  were  more  heavily  marked. 
Another  nest  was  found  .Tune  7,  containing  three  young  birds  and  one  was  found  seven 
or  eight  years  previous  also  containing  three  young.  These  nests  were  all  simila.iy 
placed  and  well  concealed  in  "pitch  pines"  from  twenty-flve  to  forty  feet  above  the 
ground  on  thick,  scraggy  limbs,  and  very  difllcuit  to  And.  The  cavity  of  the  nest 
taken  June  7,  1886,  measures  1.25  deep  by  2.50  across;  external  diameter  4.50  by  2.00 
in  depth.  It  was  composed  of  flbrous  stalks  of  plants,  flne  dead  twigs,  lichens,  a  little 
cotton  twine,  and  is  lined  with  soft  inner  bark  and  hair.  Major  Bendire  had  what  he 
believed  to  be  a  set  of  the  eggs  of  this  Warbler  taken  ut  Big  Meadows,  Oregon,  on  the 
banks  of  the  Des  Chutes  River  near  its  head  waters,  June  12,  1882.  The  nest  was 
placed  in  the  crotch  of  a  willow  overhanging  the  water,  and  the  parent  was  shot  but 
fell  into  the  water  and  was  carried  away.  The  eggs  are  described  as  being  about  the 
size  of  those  of  /).  astiva,  and  resemble  the  eggs  of  D.  hUickUurnUv,  with  the  exception 
of  the  ground-color,  the  green  of  which  is  not  as  perceptible  as  In  the  eggs  of  btack- 
burnin  They  have  a  faint  srayish-green  ground,  two  of  them  heavily  spotted  with 
lilac  ano  dark  umber-brown.* 

670.  KIBTLAND'S  WABBLEB.  nendrnirn  kirllandi  Baird.  Oeog.  Dist.— 
Eastern  United  States,  South  Carolina.  Virginia,  Ohio,  Indiana,  Hlinois,  Missouri, 
Michigan,  Wisconsin,  Minnesota,  and  the  Bahamas  in  winter. 

Outside  of  the  description  of  the  plumage  here  is  about  all  we  know  .','^ncerning 


•  r/,    Brewster.  The  Auk,  IV,  pp.  166-167. 


w 


44o 


HEHTS  /IND  EGUH  OF 


Klrtland'B  Warbler:  Mr.  H.  A.  Purdle  (Bull.  Nutt.  Orn.  Club,  IV,  1879,  p.  185),  records 
the  last  capture  of  a  specimen,  and  rnumerates  the  examples  previously  known,  as 
follows:  Mr.  Adolphe  B.  Covert,  of  Ann  Arbor,  Michigan,  shot  a  female  of  this  much 
desired  warbler,  his  second  capture  of  the  species.  This  recent  specimen  I  make  to 
be  the  ninth  known  to  science,  viz.:  1.  Male,  caught  on  a  vessel  at  sea  oft  Abaco, 
Bahamas,  by  Dr.  Samuel  Cabot,  of  Boston,  the  second  week  in  October.  1841.  Not 
Identified  until  several  years  \fter  the  type  specimen  was  described.  2.  Male,  taken 
by  Dr.  J.  P.  Kirtland  near  Cleveland,  Ohio,  May  13,  1851.    Type  of  the  speciea. 

3.  Male,  obtained  by  R.  K.  Winslow  near  Cleveland,  Ohio,  in  June  (May?),  1860. 

4.  Male,  shot  by  Charles  Dury  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  the  first  week  in  May,  1872.  5. 
Female,  collected  by  A.  B.  Covert,  at  Ann  Arbor,  Michigan,  May  15,  1875.  6  and  7. 
Male  and  female,  taken  by  Messrs.  William  and  John  Hall,  at  Rockport,  Cuyahogm 
county,  Ohio,  May,  1878.  8.  Female,  collected  by  Charles  B.  Corey,  on  Andros  Island, 
Bahamas,  January  9, 1879.  Several  others  have  been  taken;  about  a  dozen  in  all,  but 
Its  summer  residence  is  unknown,  and  its  nest  and  eggs  have  never  been  described. 


{•\ 


i 


671.  PINE  WABBLEB.  Dendroica  vigoraii  (Aud.)  Oeog.  Dlst— Bastem 
United  States,  north  to  Ontario  and  New  Brunswick;  wintering  in  more  Southern 
States  and  Bahamas;  Bermudas. 

The  Pine-creeping  Warbler  breeds  in  various  localities  throughout  its  United 
States  range  and  apparently  only  in  regions  where  there  are  tracts  of  coniferous 
trees.  Its  nest  is  always  placed  on  the  horizontal  boughs  iu  pines  or  cedars,  ranging 
all  the  way  from  eight  to  eighty  feet  above  the  ground,  usually  at  an  elevation  of  from 
thirty  to  forty  feet.  In  the  pine  districts  of  the  States  along  the  Atlantic  coast  from 
the  Carol inas  northward  the  bird  Is  a  common  breeder,  nesting  In  March.  Mr.  R.  B. 
McLaughlin  took  nests  containing  eggs  in  Iredell  county.  North  Carolina,  March  25. 
Mr.  C.  S.  Brimley  found  the  birds  building  nests  in  Wake  county,  of  the  same  State, 
in  the  latter  part  of  March.  The  nest,  according  to  these  observers,  is  hard  to  dis- 
cover, and  in  most  cases  it  is  found  by  watching  the  birds  carry  building  material 
which  consists  of  bark-strips,  bits  of  weed  and  oak  leaves,  caterpillar's  silk  and 
vegetable  sedges.  It  Is  compactly  built  and  warmly  lined  with  horse  hair  and 
feathers.  The  eggs  are  four,  rarely  five  in  number.  The  ground-color  varies  from  a 
dull  whitish  to  gray  or  purplish-white,  and  the  markings  are  in  the  form  of  spots  and 
8p«>cks  of  lilac-gray  and  burnt  umber,  more  dense  near  the  larger  ends,  and  generally 
form  wreaths. 


672.  PALM  WABBLEB.  liendroira  palmarum  (Omei.)  Geog.  Dlst.— Northern 
interior  to  Great  Slave  Lake;  in  winter  South  Atlantic  and  Gulf  States,  the  West 
Indies  and  Mexico.  Of  rare  but  regular  occurrence  in  the  Atlantic  States  in  mi- 
grations. 

This  V.'arbler  breeds  in  the  northern  Interior,  to  the  Great  Slave  Lake,  nesting  in 
June.  Jts  nests  and  eggs  are  not  common  in  collections.  Its  nest  is  placed  on  the 
ground,  is  very  compactly  built  of  fine  grasses,  shreds  of  bark  ond  moss;  it  is 
usually  hidden  in  a  tuft  of  grass  or  under  the  shelter  of  some  plant.  No  more  than 
four  eggs  have,  I  believe,  ever  been  found  In  a  nest.  They  are  creamy  white,  spotted 
and  blotched,  usually  about  the  larger  end  with  purple,  lilac  and  reddish-brown. 
The  reddish  and  purplish  markings  are  permanent  characteristics.  The  average 
aise  is  .70x  52  Inches.    This  average  size  is  taken  from  eight  authentic  eggs: 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


447 


5),  recorda 
known,  as 
this  much 
I  make  to 
off  Abaco. 
1841.  Not 
ale,  taken 
le  speciea 
ly?),  1860. 
,  1872.  5. 
6  and  7. 
Cuyahoga 
'OB  Island, 
In  all.  but 
iBcrlbed. 


— Eastern 
Southern 

ts  United 
coniferous 
B,  ranging 
in  of  from 
:oast  from 
Mr.  R.  a 
March  26. 
ime  State, 
ird  to  dis- 
l  material 
silk  and 
hair  and 
les  from  a 
spots  and 
generally 


-Northern 
the  West 
es  In  mt- 

aestlng  in 
ed  on  the 
osb;  it  is 
nore  than 
e,  spotted 
ih-brown. 
)  average 

8; 


678a.  TELLOW  PALM  WABBLEB.  Dendroica  palmnrum  hypochry$ea  Ridgw. 
Oeog.  Dist— Atlantic  coast  of  North  America.  Breeds  from  New  Brunswick  and 
Nova  Scotia  to  Hudson  Bay.    Winters  in  the  South  Atlantic  and  Oulf  States. 

There  are  two  forms  of  the  Palm  Warbler,  D.  palmarvn  (Omel.)  being  the  form 
of  the  interior  region  north  in  summer  to  Great  Slave  Lake,  migrating  south  through 
the  Mississippi  Valley  to  the  Gulf  States,  Florida,  Bahamas,  etc.,  and  casually  during 
migrations  east  of  the  Alleghanies.  The  present  form,  hypftchryaea,  breeds  from  Nova 
Scotia  and  New  Brunswick  northward.  Its  nest  is  placed  on  the  ground  In  open 
situations,  usually  on  the  edge  of  a  swampy  thicket  and  it  is  composed  of  weed-stalks, 
grasses,  rootlets  and  pine  leaves,  lined  with  fine  grasses  and  hair.  The  eggs,  usually 
four  in  number,  are  yellowish  or  buffy-white,  with  a  roseate  tinge,  speckled  with 
brown  anfl  lilac.    Average  size  .65x.51  inches. 

673.  FBAIBIE  WABBLEB.  Dendroica  discolor  (Vielll.)  Geog.  Dist.— Eastern 
United  States,  north  to  Michigan  and  Southern  New  England;  south  in  winter  to 
Florida,  Bahamas  and  West  Indies. 

The  Prairie  Warb'ior  is  a  rather  common  breeding  bird  in  many  localities  east 
of  the  Alleghanies  from  the  latitude  of  Massachusetts  southward ;  west  of  this  region 
It  appears  to  be  rare  during  the  summer  months.  It  is  known,  however,  to  breed  in 
Michigan  and  regularly  (?)  in  Northern  Ohio,  but  I  have  no  late  authentic  records  to 
that  effect  from  the  latter  region.  Mr.  H.  K.  Jamison 
found  the  Prairie  Warbler  breeding  abundantly  on  the 
13th  of  May,  In  a  scrubby  oak  thicket  in  Fairfax  county, 
Virginia.  The  nests  were  placed  from  two  to  seven  feet 
above  the  ground.  Dr.  Coues  found  it  nesting  in  aston- 
ishing numbers  within  a  small  area,  near  Washington, 
D.  C,  in  the  latter  part  of  May.  The  nests  were  only  a 
few  feet  from  the  ground,  and  were  placed  preferably  in 
hickory  and  dogwood  bushes.    Mr.  Worthington  found  it 

nesting  in  low  bushes  and  also  in  small  birch  and  oak  saplings  on  Shelter  Island. 
New  York,  in  the  latter  part  of  May  and  first  half  of  June.  The  nest  is  a  very  pretty, 
deeply  cup-shaped  fabric,  composed  of  vegetable  fibres  and  fine  grasses,  closely 
felted  and  lined  with  hair.  Four,  rarely  five,  eggs  are  laid.  Twelve  sets  of  these 
eggs  are  in  Mr.  Norris'  cabinet,  many  of  which  were  taken  by  C.  L.  Rawson,  in  New 
London  county,  Connecticut.  Their  ground-color  apears  white  until  they  are  com- 
pared with  pure  white  eggs,  when  h  very  faint  tinge  of  greenish  is  perceptible.  The 
markings  are  speckd  of  chestnut  and  burnt-umber,  and  usually  in  the  form  of 
wreaths  about  the  large  end.  Two  sets  taken,  respectively,  May  31,  1S80,  and  June 
14,  1888,  near  Norwich,  Connecticut,  exhibit  the  following  sizes:  .59x.47.  .64x.48, 
.60X.45,  .63X.47:  .68x.60,  .66x.&0,  .67x.47,  .67x.47  Inches. 

674.  OVEN-BIBD.  Sciurun  aunH-apilluK  (I^inn.)  Geog.  Dist.— Eastern  North 
America,  breeding  from  about  38°  northward,  west  to  eastern  base  of  Rocky  Moun- 
tains.   In  winter,  south  to  Southern  Florida,  West  Indies  and  Central  America. 

Called  Oven-bird  on  account  of  the  lemarkablc  nest  which  It  usually  builds. 
This,  In  its  typical  form,  is  roofed  over,  arched  or  domed,  with  an  entrance  more  or 
less  to  one  side  like  the  mouth  of  an  oven.  It  Is  placed  on  the  ground,  or  rather 
embedded  in  a  depression  in  the  earth  amongst  leaves,  at  the  foot  of  a  tree  or  bush 
near  a  fallen  log,  or  under  the  shelter  of  tall  grass  in  woods.  On  the  whole,  it  is 
loosely  constructed  of  skeleton  leaves,  grasses,  strips  of  wild  grape  vine  bark,  slender 
weed  stalks,  with  a  lining  of  finer  grasses  and  often  horse  hair.    The  bird  Is  known 


673.    Praibib  Wabblbk. 


4, 


¥» 


XEST8  AND  EOaS  OF 


6T4.     OVRN-BIRD. 


Dy  other  names,  such  as  Golden-crowned  Thrush,  Golden- 
crowned  Wag-tail  Warbler,  and  Golden-crowned  Accentor. 
,\n  abundant  species  in  the  woods  of  Eastern  North  Amer- 
ica, where  it  is  found  breeding  from  Kansas,  the  Ohio  Val- 
ley and  Virginia  northward  into  the  Arctic  regions  in  the 
months  of  May,  June  and  July,  according  to  latitude  and  sea- 
son. In  the  United  States  the  nesting  time  is  chiefly  in  the 
latter  half  of  May  and  June.  The  birds  inhabit  dry  and  wet 
leafy  woods,  and  seem  to  be  partial  to  those  through  which  a 
email  stream  flows,  and  where  wild  vines  climb  to  the  upper  branches  of  trees  whose 
foliage  throws  darkened  shadows  beneath.  In  these  retreats,  during  the  mating 
season,  the  bird's  incessant,  emphatic  nrxcciKlu  chant  may  be  heard.  It  is  repeated 
with  such  vehemence  that  it  is  really  startling  in  solitary  woods.  The  eggs  of  the 
Oven-bird  are  four  or  Ave  in  number,  rarely  six.  Their  color  is  white  or  creamy- 
white,  more  or  less  glossy,  and  the  markings  are  in  the  form  of  specks  ai}d  spots, 
often  spfirsely  scattered  over  the  entire  surface,  but  usually  more  heavily  marked 
at  the  larger  ends,  and  frequently  wreathed.  The  color  of  the  markings  is  reddish- 
brown  of  various  shades  and  lilac-gray.  Ten  specimens  measure  .70x.59,  .74x.57, 
.72X.59,  .76X.58,  .79x.60,  .79v.C3,  .80x.62,  .82x.62,  .84x,fi3,  .82x.61.  A  common  Bl?:e  in  a 
large  series  is  .78x.58.  Though  well  concealed  and  hard  to  find  by  the  collector,  the 
nest  of  this  species  often  contains  the  eggs  of  the  notorious  Cowbird.  Mr.  Lynds 
Jones  found  a  nest  near  Qrinnell,  Iowa,  containing  no  less  than  Ave  eggs  of  the 
Cowbird. 


676.  WATEB-THBUSH.  Sriuruii  umxborarensiH  (Gmel.)  Geog.  Dlst.— East- 
ern North  America  as  far  west  as  the  Mississippi  Valley.  Breeds  from  the  Northern 
United  States  northward;  south  in  winter  to  the  Gulf  States,  West  Indies,  Northern 
South  America. 

The  small-billed  Water- thrush,  New  York  Accentor,  or  Wag-tail  Warbler  breeds 
from  Northern  United  States  northward.  It  frequents  swampy  wooiis  and  open, 
wet  placcfl,  nesting  on  the  ground  or  in  the  roots  of  overturned  trees  at  the  border  of 
uwamps.  It  is  more  or  less  abundant  in  all  suitable  places  in  the  New  England  States 
and  New  York.  It  has  been  found  breeding  in  Northern  Illinois  and  in  Iowa,  near 
Des  Moines,  according  to  Messrs.  Keyes  and  WilliamH,  a  female  was  seen  feeding  its 
young  in  Jane,  1884.  A  common  summer  lesident  In  Manitoba.  Mr.  M.  K.  Barnum, 
of  Syracuse,  New  York,  found  a  nest  of  this  species  in  the  roots  of  a  tree  at  the  edge 
of  a  swamp,  on  May  30.  It  was  well  concealed  by  the  overhanging  roots,  and  the 
cavity  was  nearly  filled  with  moss,  leaves  and  fine  rootlets.  The  nest  at  this  date 
contained  three  young  and  one  egg.  The  egi.s  at  this  Hpecies  are  four  or  five  in 
number.  Two  sets  are  in  Mr.  Norrls'  cabinet;  one  taken  near  Llstowel,  Ontario, 
from  a  nest  under  a  stump  in  a  swamp,  on  June  7,  1888;  the  other  set  is  from  New 
Canada,  Nova  Scotia,  and  was  taken  July  30,  13&6.  The  nest  was  built  in  moss 
on  the  side  of  a  fallen  tree.  They  are  creamy-white.  Hj)prUled  and  spotted,  most 
heavily  at  the  larger  ends,  with  hazel  and  lilac,  and  cinnamon-rufous;  in  the  last 
mentioned  set  forming  wreaths  near  the  larger  ends.  Their  si?  ate  .78x.G4,  .78x.G6, 
.77X.55,  .77X.54:  .78x.61,  .78x.63,  .77x.60,  .77x.59  inches. 

e76n.  OBINNELL'S  WATEB-THBUSH.  f^eiiirux  »orchnrarnialn  Hotablliit 
Ridgw.  Geog.  Dlst.— Western  United  States,  from  Indiana  and  Illinois  westward  to 
Califorola,  and  north  into  British  America.    Casual  in  migrations  eastward  to  the 


yourn  .wiEitivxy  niitnti. 


449 


Atlantic  coast.    Winters  from  the  southern  border  of  the  United  States  southward 
to  Lower  California,  Mexico  and  Northern  South  America. 

This  bird  is  lilce  the  last  species  in  coloration,  but  it  is  larger  and  its  general 
habits  are  identical.  A  set  of  four  eggs  of  this  bird  are  in  the  collection  of  Mr.  Jameb 
B.  Fornift,  of  St,  Louis.  They  were  taken  near  Denver,  Colorado  June  15.  1897.  The 
nest  was  placed  in  the  exposed  roots  of  a  tree  growing  on  the  bank  of  a  small  stream. 
The  eggs  are  the  same  in  color  as  those  of  H.  uovcboramtsln  and  measure  as  follows: 
.7iix.55,  .78X.56,  .74x.59,  .76x.59  inches.  The  well-known  oologist,  Mr.  \\  m.  L.  Kells. 
of  Listowel,  Ontario,  states  that  the  nesting  period  of  Orinnell's  Water-Thrush  in 
that  region  is  from  the  middle  of  May  to  that  of  July.  He  found  the  nests  more  fre- 
quently in  the  under  side  of  an  up-turned  root  over  a  pool  of  water  and  states  that  the 
usual  set  of  eggs  is  more  frequently  four  than  Ave  eggs. 


676.  LOUISIANA  WATER-THRUSH.  Sciunm  nwtacUla  (Vieiil.)  Qeog. 
Diet. — Eastern  United  States,  north  to  the  Ureat  Lakes  and  Southern  New  England, 
west  to  the  piainn.  In  winter,  Gulf  States,  West  Indies,  Eastern  Mexico  and  Middle 
America. 

Tho  Large-billed  Water-Thrush  or  largt-billed  Wag-tail  Warbler  breeds  moro 
or  less  commonly  in  suitable  places  throughout  its  United  States  range  south  of  about 
latitude  42".  It  is  found  during  the  summer  months  as  far  west  as  Kansas,  where 
Colonel  Goss  notes  it  as  a  common  summer  resident,  and  begins  laying  about  the  8th 
of  May.  It  is  rare  in  Nebraska,  and  a  few  remain  to  breed  in  Iowa,  but  it  does  not 
appear  to  occur  in  Minnesota.  It  is  a  common  summer  resident  in  Ohio,  but  of  ir- 
regular distribution.  Mr.  William  Brewster  found  this  species  breeding  in  Knox 
county,  Indiana,  and  gives  an  excellent  account  of  Its  nest  and  eggs.*  Hon.  J.  N. 
Clark  met  with  it  breeding  quite  commonly  in  Middlesex  county,  Connecticut,  where 
he  took  complete  sets  of  eggs  as  early  as  May  7.t  In  the  northwestern  portion  of 
North  Carolina  (Iredell  county),  Mr.  R.  B.  McI.AUghlin  took  eggs  of  this  species  In 
April  and  May.  The  nest,  according  to  all  observers,  ie  built  and  carefully  hidden 
in  the  cavities  among  the  roots  of  fallen  trees,  old  logs,  stumps,  or  mossy  banks — 
always  in  swampy  places.  They  are  usually  bulky,  and  made  of  partially  decayed 
leaves,  whl- h  the  female  extracts  from  the  bog  with  mud  adhering  to  them.  These 
are  laid  together,  and  when  dry  make  a  solid  and  compact  structure.  The  Inner  nest 
is  formed  of  grape-grass,  and  sometimes  haJr.  Th.-  great  similarity  of  the  materials 
In  the  nest  to  the  external  surroundings  makes  it  difllcult  to  detect.  Mr.  McLaughlin 
says  that  this  bird  in  North  Carolina  prefers  the  smaller  streams  as  breeding  places— 
nesting  In  the  exposed  roots  of  trees  along  the  banks.  The  eggs  are  four  or  five, 
sometimes  six  In  number,  the  usual  number  being  five.  The  ground  color  of  the 
eggs  varies  from  a  pure  white  to  a  deep  creamy-white,  thlekh  speckled  with  cinna- 
mon-rufous or  ehestntit  (more  heavily  near  the  larger  ends)  and  lilac-gray.  Some 
specimens  have  very  bold  spots  of  chestnut,  and  the  specks  are  entirely  wanting. 
Mr.  Brewster  gives  the  size  of  six  eggs  as  follows:  .75x.S3,  .78x.64.  75x.()3,  .76x.62, 
.76X.62.  .75X.61. 


677.  KENTUCKY  WARBLER,  (hnlhlnnix  formomi  (Wils.)  Geog.  Bist.— 
Eastern  United  States,  chiefly  west  of  the  Alleghanles  to  the  I'lains,  north  to  the 
Great  Lakes  and  Houtliern  New  ICngland;  in  winter,  south  through  Eastern  Mexico 
and  Central  America  to  Panama;  Cuba. 


•  nil'!.  Nv't.  Ornlth.  t'luh.  III.  di,    KU-nn. 

t  For  Mr.  t'lurk'H  cxtendtd  account,  sec  OrnltholofflHt  and  OolORlflt.  VH,  pp.  146-147. 


30 


I    M 


450 


A£;/9r.Sf  AND  Eoas  OF 


•^ 


The  Kentucky  Warbler  is  particularly  an  abundant  species  in  the  Lower  Missis- 
sippi  Valley— Southern  Indiana  and  Illinois,  and  southward  to  Texas.  Colonel  Ooss 
gives  it  as  a  common  summer  resident  of  Kansas;  begins  laying  about  May  20.  Its 
nests  and  eggs  have  been  take::  a  Southern  Illinois  and  Indiana  in  *he  middle  of 
May.  It  is  a  rare  summer  resident  in  particular  localities  in  Ohio;  more  common  in 
the  southwestern  portion.  Mr.  Frank  W.  Langdon  found  a  nest  containing  four  eggs 
of  the  Warbler  and  one  of  the  Cow-bird  near  Madisonvillc  Hamilton  county,  Ohio, 
on  May  ?,5.  The  eggs  were  far  advanced  in  incubation.  In  .lones'  magnificent  work, 
"Nests  and  Eggs  of  Birds  of  Ohio,"  there  is  a  beautiful  illustration  of  a  nest  which  was 
found  on  the  20th  of  May,  1880,  in  Kentucky,  near  the  Ohio  line.  The  bird  has  been 
discovered  nesting  necr  Sing  Sing,  New  York,  in  June;  at  Fort  Lee,  New  Jersey.  Its 
nests  have  also  been  taken  in  the  District  of  Columbia  in  May.  John  S.  Cairns  found 
a  nest  of  the  Kentucky  Warbler  in  Buncombe  county,  North  Carolina.  June  15,  io2S. 
Mr.  C.  J.  Fennock  in  "Birds  of  Chester  county,  Pennsylvania"*  gives  it  as  a  rathtr 
common  summer  resident.  It  has  been  ^ound  nesting  in  that  region  by  Mr.  Pennoc'c, 
Mr.  Ladd,  Thomas  H.  Jackson  and  others.  The  nest  of  this  species  is  placed  on  the 
ground  in  woods;  it  is  usually  very  bulky,  composed  of  leaves,  grasses,  and  lined 
with  rootlets  or  horse  hair.  It  is  generally  situated  at  the  foot  of  a  bush  or  weed 
stalk.  Mr.  Pennock  informs  me  that  he  found  the  nest  deeply  imbedded  in  leaves 
with  weeds  growing  around  thtm;  others  were  discovered  among  leave-  at  a  con- 
siderable distance  from  grass  or  veeds.  The  eggs  are  four  or  five,  rarely  six,  In 
number.  They  are  white,  variously  s.ieckled  or  spotted  with  burnt  umbor,  cinnamon- 
rufous  and  lilao-gray,  chiefl>  and  mo.*e  heavily  at  the  larger  ends.  TL»  aveirage  size 
of  tiie  eggs  is  .73X.57  IncheB. 


678.  CONNECTICUT  WABBLEB.  Oeothlyptti  affilUt  (WHa.)  Gbog.  Diat— 
Eastern  North  America,  breeding  north  of  the  United  States 

This  is  one  of  the  rarest  of  North  American  Warblers,  seen  Ui  tito  United  States 
only  durfng  the  spring  and  fall  migrations;  in  the  latter  season  abvinilant  in  pome 
localities.  The  first  authentic  nest  and  eggs  of  this  species  >iowiJ  \  .\  thopo  taken 
by  Mr.  Ernest  E.  Thompson,  who  found  a  nest  June  21,  ISSi  h  mom  raourul  i.i  a 
tamarack  swamp  near  Carberry,  Mnniir  ba.  It  was  composed  entirely  irf  dry  grass, 
sunken  level  with  the  surface.  The  egjr'  !-.  >  four  in  number  and  measured  .75x 
.56  inches.  Before  blown  they  T-ere  of  ;<  lUiLU-ai  >  creamy-white,  with  u  few  spots  of 
lilac,  brown,  and  black,  inclining  to  fo:?>i  j  iiug  at  the  large  end.  Tl\e  nest  with 
eggs  and  parent  birds  is  now  in  the  National  Musi  im.  Another  set  of  these  eggs 
has,  I  believe,  been  taken,  but  I  have  no  record  of  it.  Mr.  C.  W.  Crandall,  of  Wood- 
side,  N.  Y.,  has  what  is  undoubtedly  the  second  or  third  authentic  set  of  the  Con- 
necticut Warbler's  eggs  known  to  science.  They  were  taken  by  the  veteran  collector 
and  ornithological  writer,  Wm.  L.  Kells,  on  Wlblwood  Farm.  Listowei.  Ontario, 
June  7,1895.  The  nest  was  placed  In  a  cluster  of  raspberry  vines,  in  hardwoo' .  timber. 
The  nest  is  composed  of  shreds  of  leaves,  fibres  of  bark,  grass,  rootlets  and  hair. 
The  eggs,  four  in  number,  measure  as  follows:  .79x.r)6,  .81x.57,  .81x.56,  .83x.r)7  Inches, 
respectively.  Mr.  Crandall  writes  me:  "Your  description  of  the  coloration  of  Mr. 
Thor-pson's  set  of  this  species  fits  my  eggs  exactly  with  the  exception  that  the 
m.u-v;i  igs  n\'  not  all  confined  to  the  large  ends,  but  are  also,  efipeoially  In  two  of  thf 
■poi.imens,  sparingly  distributed  over  the  entire  egg,  and  in  ono  specimen  the  fine 
tyWix'/m  aro  pretty  evenly  dl(  tributed  over  the  entire  surface.  The  surface  markings 
tk^f^  "er  ^tv»,t^vl  majority  being  shell  spots." 


^^ 


}iORTU  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


451 


670.  MOXTBNINO  WABBLEB.  Gcothlypin  pliUadelithln  (Wlls.)  Oeog.  Dlst.— 
Eastern  North  America,  breeding  from  the  Northern  United  States  northward;  in 
winter,  south  to  Central  and  Northern  South  America. 

The  Mourning  Warbler  is  known  to  breed  in  the  mountainous  portions  of  Penn- 
sylvania, New  England,  New  York,  Michigan,  Minnesota  and  Eastern  Nebraska 
northward.  It  has  been  found  nesting  in  Illinois,  south  of  latitude  39°.  Its  nest  is 
built  on  or  near  th:;  ground  in  woods.  One  discovered  by  Mr.  .John  Burroughs  in 
the  State  of  New  York  was  built  in  ferns  about  a  foot  from  the  ground,  on  the  edge 
of  a  hemlock  wood.  It  contained  three  eggs.  Mr.  Wm.  L.  Kells  found  what  doubt- 
less was  the  nest  of  this  species  in  a  swampy  woods  near  Listowel,  Ontario,  early  in 
June,  1877.  The  nest  was  placed  in  the  horizontal  branch  of  a  small  cedar  a  little 
more  than  a  foot  above  the  ground.  It  was  composed  of  fine  strips  of  bark  and 
other  fibrous  material,  lined  with  fine  hair.  This  nest  contained  four  eggs  which  are 
white  with  a  sprinkling  of  reddish  dots  near  the  larger  ends.  The  eggs  are  described 
as  being  colored  like  those  of  (J.  formoaa  or  G.  ayilin;  size  .71x.54  inches. 

680.  MACGILLIVBAY'S  WABBLEB.  Oeothlypis  nuK^llhrayi  (Aud.)  Geog. 
Dist. — Western  United  States,  north  to  British  Columbia;  in  winter,  south  through 
Mexico,  and  Central  America  to  Panama. 

Macgillivray's  Warbler  breedscthroughoul  its  United  States  range — in  Colorado, 
Utah,  Montana,  Idaho,  Washington  Territory,  Oregon,  and  in  the  mountains  of  Cali- 
fornia. Mr.  A.  W.  Anthony  gives  it  as  a  comn  ou  summer  resident  of  Washington 
county,  Oregon,  where  it  frequents  the  low,  tangled  shrubbery,  and  is  found  much  oil 
the  time  on  the  ground.  A  nest  was  discovered  placed  in  a  hazel  at  an  elevation  of 
one  foot.  Mr.  H.  D.  Minot  obtained  a  nest  at  Manitou,  Colorado,  June  21,  which  was 
placed  in  a  scruh-oak  five  feet  above  the  ground  and  three  feet  from  a  traveled  ruad. 
Mr.  Charles  F.  Morrison  states  that  this  species  is  one  of  the  most  common  birdd  of 
La  Plata  county,  Colorado,  where  it  nests  in  juniper  bushes,  four  *t  six  feet  up.  A 
set  of  three  eggs  in  Mr.  Norris'  cabinet  was  taken  May  18,  1884.  near  Riverside, 
California.  The  nest  v.'as  situated  in  a  small  bush  near  the  grouna,  and  wbp  m.  <le  of 
dry  tules,  lined  with  horse  hair.  Incubation  had  begun.  The  eggs  are  creamy- white, 
marked  near  the  larger  ends  with  spots  and  pen  lines  (somewhat  li?-?  an  Oriole's 
egg)  of  clove  brown.  Their  sizes  are  .74x.54,  .73x.53,  .71x.51.  The  eggs  of  tSia  f>c'Cle» 
are  three  to  five  In  number,  usually  four,  and  average  .72x.62  inches. 


681.  MABYLAND  YELLOW-THBOAT.  Grnthlyititt  trirhaa  ^Llnn.)  Geog. 
DlBt.— Eastern  I  nited  States,  north  to  Canada  and  Nova  Scotia;  in  winter,  iJouth 
Atlantic  and  Gulf  States  and  the  West  Indies. 

This  active  little  Warbler  breeds  throughout  s  United  Sta:ea  rangir.  Begins 
building  about  the  middle  of  May.  The  nest  is  nc  ^a  easy  one  to  find,  bciag  built  on 
the  ground,  snugly  tucked  under  the  fort  of  In  nh  or  tussnck  of  rank  grnss,  and 
sometimes  partly  roofed  over  like  the  Oven-b  >.s.  The  favorite  resorts  of  this 
Warbler  are  in  low,  swampy  piaces  or  In  thp  -hadowy  undergrowth  of  w^oodland. 
It  resembles  a  wren  In  its  fondness  for  bush  at  ;  brier.  On  approaching  such  places 
early  in  spring  one  is  almost  sure  to  be  saluted  with  Its  sprightly  song,  full  of 
energy.  My  friend,  Mr.  Thomas  M.  Earl,  has  given  me  the  best  description  of  this 
bird'H  song  that  I  know  of.  One  evening  In  May,  1884,  he  was  returnln^^  from  a  day's 
hunt,  and  after  h  rest  on  nn  old  log.  he  was  about  to  start  on  his  Journey  homeward. 
At  this  Instant  a  little  Yellow-throat  mounted  a  small  bush,  and  In  quick  succession 
said,    tackle    me!    taikh     mv!    ituklr    me!     The    eggs    of    this    species    aro    four 


■IM 


I';h 


4sa 


SESTS  AX  It  EOOff  OF 


or  five,  rarely  six  in  number,  clear  'j;-yptalliao  white  but  often  creamy-white  speck- 
led, chiefly  at  the  larger  end  with  r?i!ii8h  brown,  dark  umber  and  black;  in  some, 
occasional  lines  or  scrawls  appear.  Two  seta  of  four  eggs  each  measure,  respectively, 
.71X.&3,  .UxZO,  .69X.50,  .69x.61;  .67x.48,  .G9x.50.  .66x.48,  .68x.49;  the  average  is  .69X.62 
inches. 

081a.  WESTEBN  YELLOW-THBOAT.  (ImthlyfiiH  trlrhOH  orriUenlaUs  Brewst. 
Geog.  Dist. — United  States  west  of  the  Mississippi  Valley.  In  winter,  the  more 
southern  portion  of  the  United  States  chiefly  west  of  the  Mississippi,  and  south 
through  Western  and  Central  Mexico. 

The  same  general  habits  which  are  common  to  the  Eastern  Yellow-throat  are 
also  characteristic  of  this  subspecies  in  the  West.  Dr.  Merrill  states  that  its  fa- 
vorite haunt,  and  one  in  which  it  is  very  common  in  the  region  of  Fort  Klamath, 
Oregon,  is  among  the  tales  in  company  with  Marsh  Wrens  and  Yellow-headed  Black- 
birds. The  eggs  average  a  trifle  smaller  than  those  of  (S.  trirhaK;  and  are  less  heavily 
marked;  .67x.50  inches. 

681b.  FLORIDA  TELLOW-THBOAT.  OrollilypiH  UHhih  ii/iwtu  Chapman. 
Oeog.  Dist. —  l<'!ori(ia,  north  to  southern  Georgia. 

This  is  called  Palmetto  bird,  very  similar  to  the  Maryland  Yellow-throat,  but 
with  longer  tarsus,  tail  and  bill,  etc.*    Nesting  and  eggs  Identical  with  H.  trlrhaa. 

682.     BELDINO'S    YELLOW-THBOAT.     (lvnlhlm>ix    hrhliiif/i     Rldgw.     Geog. 

l^lst.— South*  in  norfion  of  Lower  C;  'ifornia.  north  to  Siiu  Ignucio  (Lat.  27°). 

Mr.  Waiter  E.  Bryant  writes  an  follows  on  Beldlng's  Veliow-Throat:  "Thlu 
Warbler  was  first  known  from  specimens  taken  at  San  Jose  del  Cabo  in  April,  1882,  by 
Mr.  L.  Bclding,  bi'.t  the  eggs  liavo  uincc  remained  unknown  so  far  as  the  obtaininn 
of  an  authentic  nest  Is  concerned.  In  the  ProceedlngK  of  the  U.  S.  National  Museur.) 
(Vol.  y,  p.  'AG),  ?4r.  Beldlng  says:  'Their  halii'  •  arc  quite  like  those  of  (J.  Irlrlnn^, 
and  the  eggs  not  ma  >  lially  different,  if  a  nest  found  by  my  guide  on  the  MIraflores 
and  Todos  Santos  trail  May  (i,  bt'huiged  to  this  species,  as  1  supposed  It  did,  hav!.ig 
seen  a  fine  male  near  the  spot  from  which  it  was  taken.'  As  these  eggs  were  not 
preserved,  the  eleven  herein  dCRrTlbed  are  presumably  the  first  and  only  ones  known. 
In  Mar*,h  and  April,  1888,  I  found  tliis  speciea  breediig  at  Comondu,  Lower  Cali- 
fornia, the  only  locality  i,  which  I  fotind  It  that  year,  and  the  most  northern  point 
(at  that  time)  from  which  It  liad  been  obtained.  No  uestt  were  found  during  March. 
1888,  and  by  April  the  young  were  (lying.  I  was  fortunate  In  visiting  Comondu  dur- 
ing the  latter  part  of  March  of  this  year,  and  made  a  special  effort  to  collect  the  eggs 
of  this  species,  and  by  offering  a  cash  reward  Interested  some  Mexican  boys  In  the 
search.  This  resulted  In  five  nests  being  found,  from  four  of  which  eggs  wore  taken, 
eleven  speclmeng  In  all.  To  Mr.  T.  S.  Brandegee,  the  well  known  botanist,  who 
orconipauiod  me,  is  due  the  credit  of  finding  the  first  nest,  March  2.j,  1889  (set  No. 
881,  coll.  W.  R.  !>.).  This  w.'^s  discreetly  loft  undisturbed  until  1  could  be  Hhown 
to  the  spot  a  few  hours  later.  The  nest  was  loosely  woven  »u  a  clump  of  'cat -tails' 
C/'lUiIni)  one  metre  above  running  water.     It  Is  comi)08ed  outwardly  entirely  of  dry 

lined  with  fine  fibre  and  a  few  liorse  hair 


ly 


It 


measures,  nearly  as  can  be  dctcrnilncd,  not  less  than  150  mm.  In  heighi  by  about  115 
mm.  In  diumetei-.     The  receptacle  is  about  r.r>mm.  in  depth,  with  e  diameter  at  the 


•  cy.  Chapman,    "HlrdB  of  Kactirtj  North  America,  "  \t.  371. 


N(»iRTn  AitHKH.\X  BIRDS. 


top  of  60  mm.  The  general  appearance  la  almost  identical  with  some  song  sparrows' 
nests.  When  taken  the  eggs  were  cold  and  the  birds  absent,  although  the  female 
was  seen  when  il  wan  flrst  Cuund.  In  size  the  eggs  are  larger  than  any  other  North 
American  Yellow-Throat  measuring  19x15,  19.5x15.  19.5x14.5,  19.5x14.5  millimetres. 
They  are  white,  with  shell  spots  and  dots  of  lilac-gray  and  a  few  surface  spots  and 
pendlllngs  of  black.  There  is  but  little  variation  from  this  pattern  in  the  markings 
of  the  other  sets  mentioned  later.  The  Mexican  boys  were  emphatically  instructed 
that  whatever  nests  were  found  they  were  to  be  left  until  I  could  be  shown  to  the 
place.  The  same  day  that  Mr.  Brandegee  found  the  set  i.f  four,  a  bright  little  fellow 
came  to  camp  with  the  information  that  he  had  found  a  nest  containing  three  eggs. 
This  was  In  quite  similar  situation  to  the  other,  but  placed  not  more  than  half  a 
metre  high.  On  March  27  the  nest  and  eggs  were  taken,  Incubation  having  com- 
menced. The  nest  is  of  the  same  material  as  used  in  the  other,  but  is  smaller  ex- 
teriorly. This  set  (No.  880,  coll.  W.  E.  B.)  measures  19.5x15.5  mm.  with  each  egg. 
On  March  28  I  found  a  third  nest  in  a  heavy  growth  of  'cat-tails'  near  the  outer  edge 
of  the  clump,  and  placed  one  and  one-half  metres  high.  This  nest,  like  the  others, 
Is  composed  of  'cat-tail'  leaves,  but  is  lined  almost  exclusively  with  black  horse- 
hairs, BO  few  being  used  that  they  do  not  even  hide  the  structural  material.  The 
two  eggs  which  were  in  the  nest  found  wers  not  taken  until  March  31,  when  they 
contained  small  embryos.  Although  these  two  eggs  constituted  a  set,  I  do  not  con- 
sider it  a  normal  one,  but  lacking  in  number  from  some  cause  unknown.  The 
diameter  of  each  specimen  la  19.5x15  mm.  The  female  was  sitting  at  the  time  I  went 
to  take  the  nest,  but  quietly  retreated  amongst  the  rushes  and  made  no  demonstra- 
tion, further  than  a  coarse  'tchep'  note.  Two  other  nests,  one  containing  two  fresh 
eggs  and  the  other  new,  were  shown  to  me  by  Mexican  boys  April  3;  my  departure 
from  Comondu  on  that  day  prevented  me  from  securing  more  than  these  two  ad- 
ditional eggs,  which  measure  19.5x14.5  and  19.5x15  millimetres." 


682.  1.  BIO  O&ANDE  TELLOW-THBOAT.  nrnthlupix  iniUorci}haln  mlithi 
Ridgw.    Qeog.  Dist.— Lower  Rio  Grande  Valley. 

I  have  no  knowledge  concerning  the  habits,  nests  or  eggs  of  this  race  of  the 
Yellow-throat.    They  are,  in  all  probability  similar  to  (L  trUhan. 


683.  YELLOW-BREABTED  CHAT.  Ictrrht  rlniiH  (Unn.)  Oeog.  Dist.— East- 
ern United  States  to  the  Ureat  Plains,  north  to  Ontario  and  Southern  New  England; 
south  in  winter  through  Eastern  Mexico  to  Northern  Central  America. 

The  Yellow  Breasted  Chat  may  be  found  breeding  in  all  suitable  places  through- 
out its  range.  It  Inhabits  the  thickets  and  brambles  of  low  undergrowth,  preforredly 
In  the  vicinity  of  a  marsh,  and  the  bird  is  oftener  heard  than  seen.  In  the  mating 
season  it  is  the  noisiest  bird  in  the  woods,  at  which  timt  it  may  be  observed  in  its 
wonderful  sriIhI  evolutions,  uttering  its  medley  of  sputtering,  cackling,  whispering 
and  scolding  notes.  Interluded  with  loud  whistles.  The  nest  Is  built  In  brier  thickets 
from  two  to  five  feet  above  the  ground,  and  is  composed  of  withered  leaves,  dry 
grasses,  strips  of  bark  and  lined  v<th  finer  grasses.  Ij^rge  colonies  of  these  birds 
are  often  found  nesting  in  a  single  icoality.  A  strangf  nesting  place  of  a  pair  of 
Chats  Is  recorded  by  Mr.  Charles  F.  Batebelder  us  observed  by  Mr.  C  W.  Beckham 
in  Howard  county.  Maryland,  where  a  pair  built  in  a  Wren  box  attached  to  one  of 
the  pillars  of  a  piaxxa  which  partially  fronts  a  small  ravine.  The  birds  seemed 
lUt.l«  disturbed  by  the  occasional  visits  of  members  of  the  family.  The  eggs  of  the 
Cluil  are  three  or  four  In  number,  usually  four.    They  arc  white  with  a  glossy 


454 


SEST8  AND  EQOS  Oy 


■urface;  some  Hpeclmens  have  a  plnkiih  tinge,  others  greenish.  The  markings  are 
light  reddish,  cinnamon-rufous,  or  chestnut,  In  the  shape  of  specks  and  spots,  which 
are  heavier  and  bolder  at  the  larger  ends;  again  specimenB  aro  found  with  the 
markings  evenly  distributed  over  the  entire  surface  or  in  a  well  defined  wreath 
around  the  larger  end,  with  the  rest  of  the  egg  unmarked.  They  vary  from  .84  to 
1.02  in  length  by  .62  to  .70  in  breadth.    The  average  size  of  ten  specimens  Is  .92x.71. 

683(1.  LONG-TAILED  CHAT.  Irteria  vimiH  lonfficauda  (Lawr.)  Qeog.  Dlst— 
Western  United  States  from  the  Great  Plains  to  the  Pacific;  south  into  Mexico. 

The  general  habits,  nests  and  eggs  of  this  Western  subspecies  are  the  same  as 
those  of  If'trrhi  rirnix.  Colonel  Ross  says  it  is  not  an  uncommon  summer  resident 
of  Western  Kan<]as  and  Mr.  Lloyd  gives  it  as  an  abundant  breeder  in  Tom  Oreen 
and  Concho  counties,  Texas. 


I!  .' 

I 


fM^a.    LoNC-TAiLBD  Chat. 


I 


684.  HOODED  WABBLEB.  si/lniiild  viitruln  (Gmpl.)  Goor.  Diet. —Eastern 
United  States,  west  to  the  edge  of  the  Great  IMuIiih,  north  to  Southern  portions  of 
Micnigan,  New  York  and  New  England;  south  in  winter  to  I'uba,  .Jamaica;  through 
Eastern  Mexico  and  Central  Amerlci. 

The  Hroded  l-Mycatching  Warbler  breeds  throughout  Us  United  States  range. 
Colonel  Oo88  mentions  It  as  a  rare  summer  resident  of  KaHitiu  Ivansas  where  it 
begins  laying  the  last  of  Mav.  It  Is  a  coninion  reaidpnt  in  I  Ik-  carit-brakes  and  low 
shrubbery  along  the  Lower  Wabash  in  Southern  Illinois.     In  Georgia  the  Hooded 

Warbler  deposits  Its  eggs  about  tho  middle  of  May.  Mr. 
Arthur  T.  Wayne  has  taken  fresh  oRgs  neai  Charleston. 
South  Carolina,  In  the  first  week  of  .June.  The  bird  la  a  rare 
summer  resident  of  Ohio.  Dr.  Kirtland  notices  Its  breeding 
in  the  vicinity  of  Cleveland.  Mr.  (]o\iU\  found  it  nesting 
n«»«r  Sugar  Grove,  May  29.  1889.  A  nest  was  found  contaiL- 
lug  four  young.  Many  of  the  birds  were  observed,  and  some 
secured.  For  a  number  of  years  the  Hon.  .lohn  N.  CMark  has 
observed  lhli«  Warbler  breeding  In  .Middlesex  county.  Con- 
necticut, usually  In  the  latter  part  of  May  or  first  half  of 
6H4     HooDsn  wamlib.      June.    The  bird  is  one  of  the  liveliest  of  Its  tribe  and  is  very 


as 

In 

Ev« 

abo 

tha 

Wo 

con 

fln< 

Is 

nui 

sonB 


yOKTH  AMKKICIS  lilltDS. 


455 


active  in  catching  Insects  on  the  wing  In  the  manner  of  the  true  Flycatchers.  It 
frcyuents  thickets  and  undergrowth  of  high  and  iow  lands,  where  it  skillfully 
conceals  Itself  when  pursued.  It  has  a  peculiarly  graceful  manner  of  closing  and 
spreading  its  broad  tail,  like  the  Redstart.  The  nest  of  the  Hooded  Warbler  is  built 
in  the  low  bushes  of  undergrowth  usually  within  a  few  inches  or  foot  of  the  ground. 
It  is  composed  of  leaves,  shreds  of  bark,  and  scales  of  beech  buds,  all  compactly 
woven  and  secured  together  with  spider  webs;  the  lining  in  some  nests  is  entirely 
horse  or  cattle  hair,  others  are  found  lined  with  fibres  of  grape-vine  bark,  or  mixed 
with  both.  The  eggs  are  four  in  number,  rarely  Ave.  The  usual  ground-color  is 
white,  or  creamy-white,  and  the  markings  are  generally  specks  ond  spota  of  chest- 
nut or  burnt  umber  and  lilac-gray,  principally  near  the  larger  end,  and  often  forming 
wreaths.    The  average  sise  of  twenty  specimens  is  .71x.52  inches. 

685.  WILSON'S  WABBLEB.  SylniHia  inmiUa  (Wils.)  Qeog.  Dist.— Eastern 
North  America,  west  to  and  including  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  to  the  coast  of 
Bering  Sea.  Breeds  from  northern  border  of  United  States  and  higher  Rocky 
Mountains  northward.  South  in  winter  through  Eastern  Mexico  and  Central 
America. 

The  Green  Black-capped  Flycatching  Warbler,  or  Wilson's  Black-capped  Warb- 
ler, breeds  from  the  northern  border  of  the  United  States  northward,  chiefly,  however, 
in  the  higher  latitudes.  Mr.  H.  D.  Minot  found  a  nest  of  this  bird  containing  Ave 
fresh  eggs,  on  June  22,  at  Seven  Lakes,  on  Pike's  Peak.  Colorado.  The  nest  was 
found  on  the  ground,  under  a  low,  spreading  branch  of  a  dwarf  willow,  at  the  edge  of 
a  swamp.*  The  eggs  of  this  species  are  four  or  Ave,  sometimes  six  in  number.  .\ 
set  of  five  in  Mr.  Norris'  cabinet  was  taken  June  15,  1887,  in  Boulder  county.  Col- 
orado. The  nest  was  well  imbedded  in  the  ground  among  some  willow  twign,  and 
was  composed  of  leaves  and  swamp  grass  externally,  lined  with  fine  grasses  and  a  few 
nairs.  The  eggs  are  white,  speckled  with  cinnamon-rufous  and  lavender-gray. 
Nearly  all  the  markings  are  near  the  larger  ends,  where  they  form  wreaths.  Their 
respective  measurements  are  .69x.49,  .60x.49,  .(iOx.48,  ,58x.48,  .OOx.48. 


685r/.  FILEOLATED  WABBLEB.  Svlvaiiia  puHiUa  pilrnlata  (Pall.)  Gecg. 
Dist.— Western  North  America  chiefly  along  or  near  Pacific  coast,  north  to  Kadiak 
Island,  Alaska,  south  in  winter  through  Western  Mexico  to  Costa  Rica. 

The  Western  Black-capped  P'lycatching  Warbler  is  a  common  breeding  bird  in 
various  sect  Ions  on  the  Pacific  coast  from  Southern  California  northward.  Mr.  W. 
Otto  Emerson  states  that  in  the  vicinity  of  Ilaywards,  California,  he  has  taken  eggs 
as  parly  "s  April  22,  and  full-fledged  young  wore  observed  by  May  17.  The  birds  nest 
in  the  thlrkcts  along  water  courses,  and  rear  at  least  two  broods  in  a  season.  Prof. 
Evorniann  found  a  nest  nonr  San  Buenaventura,  California,  on  May  23,  1881,  placed 
about  a  foot  from  the  ground.  In  a  clump  of  blackberry  bushes.  Dr.  Merrill  notes 
that  the  bird  breeds  in  considerable  numbers  in  the  swampy  willow  thickets  along 
Wood  River  and  Fort  Creek,  in  the  region  of  Fort  Klamath,  Oregon.  The  nest  is 
composed  of  leaves,  bark  strips,  weed  stems,  vegetable  fibres,  rootlets,  lined  with 
finer  grasses.  Often  it  is  made  entirely  of  leaves  and  lined  with  fibrous  roots.  It 
is  placed  in  bushes  from  one  to  four  feet  above  (ho  ground.  The  eggs  ore  four  In 
number,  white  or  creamy-wnlte,  speckled  with  reddish-brown  and  lilac-gray;  In 
some  specimens  these  markings  are  in  the  form  of  a  wreath  near  the  larger  ends. 


•  8«'«'  foot  notf  In  Npw  HnKlimd  Bird  Life,  Vol.  I.  pp.  172-173. 


m 


NKHTf^  ASH  tJUas  Of 


A  set  in  Mr.  Norria'  collection,  taken  at  WatervlUe,  California,  May  6.  1875,  givea 
the  following  meaBurements:  .6ax.48,  .60x.49,  .«J0x.48,  .60x.48;  another,  collected  at 
Alameda,  California.  April  11,  1885:  .57x.49,  .68x.49,  .58x.50.  Average  size,  .60z.48 
Inches. 


I 


686.  CANADIAN  WABBLEH.  Sytvania  ranadmHiK  (Linn.)  Ueog.  DlsU— 
Eastern  North  America,  west  tu  the  Ureat  Plains,  north  to  Newfoundland,  Southern 
Labrador  and  Lake  Winnipeg,  south  in  winter  through  Eastern  Mexico  and  Central 
America  to  Ecuador. 

The  Canada  Flycatching  Warbler  breeds  occasionally  from  the  Middle 
States,  and  regularly  from  New  England  northward.  In  other  Northern  States  It 
breeds  sparingly.  Mr.  Robert  B.  Lawrence  found  a  nest  of  the  Canadian  Warbler 
in  the  mountains  of  PiKe  county,  Pennsylvania,  on  June  9,  1887.  The  nest  was 
placed  in  the  roots  of  an  old  stump,  and  contained  four  young  birds  and  one  un- 
hatched  egg.  It  has  been  known  to  nest  in  Northern  Illinois.  In  some  portions 
of  Canada  it  Is  a  common  breeder.  Thomas  Mcllwralth  says  that  a  few  remain  to 
spend  tho  summer  in  Southern  Ontario,  while  the  majority  go  farther  north.  Mr. 
William  L.  Kells  found  it  nesting  in  the  low,  swampy  woodlands  near  Listowel,  and 
obtained  sets  of  its  eggs  in  the  latter  part  of  May  and  first  week  of  June.  The  nests 
were  found  in  the  cavities  of  upturned  roots  of  trees,  and  in  the  depressions  in  banks 
near  pools  of  water.  They  are  generally  well  hidden  by  weeds  or  grass,  and  are 
commonly  placed  on  the  ground,  in  underbrush,  by  the  side  of  a  log  or  at  the  foot  of 
a  bush.  Their  composition  is  dry  weeds,  fine  roots,  with  a  lining  of  hair.  The  eggs 
are  four  or  five,  white  or  huffy,  speckled  or  spotted,  chiefly  round  the  larger  end, 
with  reddish-brown  and  lilac-gray.    Their  average  size  is  .68x.51  inches. 


^ 


687.  AMEBICAN  BEDSTABT.  i<ctoi>l,ai/a  nilicUlu  (Linn.)  Qeog.  DIst— 
Eastern  North  America,  north  to  Fort  Simpson,  west  to  and  including  the  Rocky 
Mountains.  In  winter.  West  Indies,  Eastern  Mexico,  Central  America  and  south  to 
Northern  South  America. 

The  richly-colored  Redstart  breeds  in  most  of  its  United  States  range  and  where- 
ever  found  in  British  America.  It  is  an  abundant  breeding  species  from  the  Northern 
States  northward.  Nests  in  May  and  June.  In  Ohio  I  have  invariably  found  it  in 
the  woods  which  are  the  favorite  haunts  of  the  Oven-bird,  ScniniH  aurorapillutt. 
About  four  miles  east  of  Columbus,  In  a  thick  damp  woods  of  about  fifteen  acres  In 
extent,  I  counted  no  less  than  twenty-seven  nests  in  a  single  day.  In  many  sections 
the  birds  are  really  more  common  than  the  Yellow  Warbler,  I>.  tiHtlva.  The  nest 
built  by  the  Redstart  Is  a  beautiful,  compact,  cup-shaped  structure,  made  of  shreds 
of  plants  and  hempen  fibres,  4ield  together  with  spiders'  webs;  the  lining  Is  of  flne 
grasses  and  hair.  It  Is  either  saddled  on  a  branch  or  placed  in  the  forked  twigs  of  a 
small  tree  or  sapling,  usually  from  six  to  twelve  feet  above  the  ground,  but  often 
as  high  as  thirty.  A  curious  habit  of  the  Redstart  is  that  of  opening  and  closing  its 
fan-like  tail  while  flitting  about  in  the  trees  and  bushcR.  The  eggs  are  four,  rarely 
five,  In  number  and  they  are  subj  ct  to  a  remarkable  variation  In  size  and  color.  In  a 
large  series  the  ground  color  will  vary  from  white  to  greenish-white  or  grayish- 
white.  The  markings  are  specks  or  spots  of  cinnamon-brown  and  lilac-gray, 
chiefly  round  the  larger  end.  Ten  specimens  selected  on  account  of  their  sizes  give 
the  following  measurements:  .57x.47,  .60x.45,  .61x.47,  .62x.48,  .64x.52,  .66x.51,  .67x.48, 
.G8X.49.  .(;9x.48,  .70x.5O  inches. 


I        \ 


SOUTH  AUKHilAN  BIRhH.  0§ 

688.  PAINTED  BED8TART.  tietuithayu  pUUt  SwaiDB.  Qeog.  Dtst.— South- 
ern Arizona  and  New  Mexico,  south  to  highlands  of  ^!exlco. 

Thia  is  the  Painted  Flycatchlng  Warbler  of  ao  atrlking  coIofb.  It  is  found  In 
Southern  Arizona  and  New  Mexico  southward  Into  Mexico.  It  frequents  shrubbery 
near  water  and  in  some  localities  is  abundant.  Mr.  Walter  E.  Bryant  gives  the  first 
description  of  the  nest  and  eggs  of  this  species  from  specimens  obtained  by  Mr. 
Herbert  Brown  in  the  Santa  Rita  Mountains,  Arizona,  June  G.  1880.*  The  nests  and 
eggs  do  not  resemble  those  of  >S'.  ruttctUn.  The  nesting  site  Is  within  cavities  In 
banks  or  under  projecting  stones.  A  nest  as  taken  by  Mr.  Brown  from  a  hole  in  a 
road  bank  in  the  mountains;  this  Mr.  Bryant  describes  us  being  loosely  constructed 
of  dry  gray  grassec  and  flne  shreds  of  vegetable  bark,  nnd  lined  with  black  and  white 
horse  huirs.  It  contained  four  Incubated  eggs  of  a  light  pearl-white  thickly  dotted 
with  brownish-red  and  traces  of  lilac  on  the  larger  end.  They  measure  .[)7x.48, 
.60X.60,  .64X.50,  .58x.49.  Another  set  of  four  was  taken  from  a  similar  nest  beneath 
a  small  bush.  The  eggs  are  somewhat  larger  and  spotted  over  the  entire  egg,  the 
markings  clustering  about  the  larger  end.  The  sizes  of  three  of  them  are  .69x.52. 
.65X.51,  .6GX.G0;  the  fourth  was  broken.  Mr.  William  Brewster  describes  :i  nest  and 
eggs  of  the  Painted  Redstart  obtained  by  Mr.  F.  Stephens  in  the  Santa  Rita  Moun- 
tains. The  nest  was  under  a  projecting  stone  In  a  bank  near  a  small  stream. 
The  three  eggs  which  this  nest  contained  were  clear,  dead  white,  delicately  spotted 
with  light  reddish-brown,  the  markings  being  spni  '^oly  distributed  over  the  surface 
and  handsomely  wreathed  abotit  the  larger  cud.  They  measure  .64x.51,  .64x.50, 
.66X.49.    The  average  size  is  .65x.48  inches. 

[680.]  BED-BELLIED  BEDSTABT.  Setophaya  minlata  Swains.  Oeog. 
Dlst.— Highlands  of  Mexico.    Texas  (Oiraud). 

The  white  of  the  tail  feathers  of  this  species  is  more  restricted,  reduced  to  a 
narrow  terminal  spot  (sometimes  wanting  altogether)  on  the  third  feather  and  never 
found  on  the  fourth.  Breast  and  belly  usually  more  orange-red.  Nests  and  eggs 
undescribed.    Tho  bird  breeds  in  Mexico. 


600.  BED-FACED  WABBLEB.  CardelUnn  rubrifrnnn  (Oiraud.)  Oeog.  Dlst.— 
Highlands  of  Northern  Central  America  (Guatemala)  and  Mexico,  north  to  Southern 
Arizona. 

The  first  knowledge  we  have  concerning  tho  nests  and  eggs  of  this  handsome 
Warbler  Is  from  specimens  taken  by  Mr.  W.  W.  Price  on  May  31,  1888,  in  the  pine 
regions  of  Southern  Arizona— the  Huachuca  Mountains.  The  nest  was  placed  on 
sloping  ground,  in  a  slight  hollow,  and  contained  four  fresh  eggs,  and  dlsaectlon  of 
the  female  showed  that  the  full  clutch  had  been  laid.  The  nest  was  so  well  hidden 
by  a  few  sprays  of  columbine  that  it  would  have  been  overlooked  had  the  bird  not 
been  started  directly  from  it.  It  was  so  loosely  built  that  It  crumbled  to  fragments 
on  being  removed.  The  chief  substance  was  fine,  fibrous  weed  stalkx,  while  the 
lining  consisted  of  flne  grass,  rootlets,  plant  fibres  and  a  few  hairs.  Sk  leton  leaves 
and  bits  of  flne  bark  were  Intermingled  throughout  (he  nest,  and  thr  ground  on 
which  It  was  placed  was  so  damp  that  the  bottom  part  was  badly  decayed.  The 
eggs  from  this  nest  were  presented  by  Mr.  Price  to  the  National  Museum  Collection, 
at  Washington,  D.  C.  and  are  described  by  the  late  MaJ.  Chas.  E.  Bendire  as  ovate  In 
shape;  their  ground  color,  "a  delicate  creamy-white,  spotted  with  small  blotches  of 


■  I 


•  Bull.  Nutt.  Ornlth.  Club.  VI.  pp.  176-177. 
t  Bull.  Nutt.  Ornlth.  Club.  VII,  pp.  1-10-141. 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
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cinnamon-rufous  and  a  few  dots  of  heliotrope-purple  anc'  pale  lavender.  These  form 
a  wreath  around  the  larger  end.  They  resemble  the  eggs  of  Helminthophila  IucUb 
and  H.  vinjiniw  to  a  certain  extent."* 

691.  RED  WARBLEB.  Ergaticua  ruber  (Swains.)  Geog.  Dist.— Highlands  of 
Mexico.    Texas  (Giraud). 

This  dusky  red  warbler  is  an  inhabitant  of  Mexico  and  is  recorded  as  far  north 
as  southern  Texas  by  Giraud.    Its  nests  and  eggs  are  unknown. 

[692.]  BBASHEB'S  WABBLEB.  Basileuterus  nilicivorus  (Licht.)  Geog. 
Dist. — Central  America,  from  Panama  north  to  Eastern  Mexico.     Texas  (Giraud). 

This  is  a  Central  American  species  recorded  by  Giraud  as  occurring  as  far  north 
as  Southern  Texas.    Its  nesting  and  eggs  remain  to  be  described. 

[693.]  BELL'S  WABBLEB.  Basileuterus  belli  (Giraud.)  Geog.  Dist.— Guate- 
mala and  Mexico,  north  to  the  temperate  regions  of  Vera  Cruz.     Texas  (Giraud). 

There  appears  to  be  little  known  concerning  the  general  habits  of  this  warbler, 
which  are  recorded  with  a  colored  illustration  by  Giraud  in  his  work  entitled  "Sixteen 
Species  of  Texas  Birds,"  in  1841. 


494.     Whitb  Wautail  (f  roin  Urehui.> 

LS94.]  WHITE  WAGTAIL.  Motacilla  alba  Linn.  Geog.  Dist.— Europe  and 
Northern  Asia;  in  winter,  Northeastern  and  Southern  Asia.  Accidental  in  Green- 
land. 

The  common  White  Wagtail  of  Europe  claims  a  place  in  the  North  American 
avifauna  as  an  accidental  visitant  oi'  Greenland.    It  is  found  in  all  portions  of  Europe, 

*  The  Auk.  V.  pp.  385-386. 


and 

It 

bull 

nesi 

lini 

cet 

gra; 

gra 

bro 

.77x 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


4S9 


and  its  favorite  haunts  are  meadows  in  the  vicinity  of  water,  villages  and  old  bouses. 
It  nests  on  the  ground  among  the  grass  of  the  meadows,  in  crevices  of  rocks  or  old 
buildings;  in  the  roots  of  trees  along  the  banks  of  streams;  under  bridges.  The 
nests  are  constructed  of  small  stems,  twigs,  grass,  straws,  leaves  and  rootlets,  the 
lining  being  of  wool  and  hair.  The  eggs  are  four,  five,  six  or  even  seven  in  number.  A 
cet  of  six  eggs  in  my  cabinet,  taken  May  10,  1880,  in  Staffordshire,  England,  have  a 
grayish-white  ground-color,  and  are  speckled  all  over  the  surface  with  minute  ash- 
gray  specks.  Several  single  specimens  have  markings  that  are  of  a  decided  dark 
brown  color.  The  set  of  six  measure:  .77x.58,  .79x.56.  .76x.55,  .79x.59,  .78x.56, 
.77X.57.    The  average  size  is  .75x.55  inches. 

[695.]  SWINHOE'S  WAGTAIL.  Montacilla  ocularis  Swinh.  Geog.  DIst.— 
Eastern  Asia.    Accidental  in  Lower  California  and  Aleutian  Islands. 

Mr.  Nelson  says:  "Although  this  bird  has  been  taken  repeatedly  at  Plover  Bay, 
Siberia,  and  thence  throughout  a  large  portion  of  Northeastern  Asia,  including  China 
and  Formosa,  to  the  Lake  Baikal  region,  it  appears  to  be  almost  unknown  in 
Alaska.  In  fact  its  claim  as  a  bird  of  the  territory  rests  upon  the  capture  of  a  single 
specimen,  a  young  bird  in  summer  plumage,  by  Captain  Kellett  and  Lieutenant 
Wood  in  "Northwest  America,"  as  recorded  in  the  Brit.  Mus.  Cat.  Birds,  X,  473.  The 
Wagtail  seen  by  Mr.  Turner  on  Attu  Island,  on  the  western  extreme  of  the  Aleutian 
chain,  may  possibly  have  been  of  this  species,  but  it  is  far  more  probable  that  it  was 
the  .If.  hnjais  which  Dr.  Stejneger  found  common  upon  the  Commander  Islands.  A 
single  specimen  of  ocularis  was  taken  by  Mr.  Balding  at  La  Paz,  Lower  California, 
during  the  winter  of  1881-82.  It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  add  that  its  occurrence  at 
this  point,  so  far  from  its  home,  is  entirely  accidental.    The  western  limit  of  thia 


(J'Jij.     SwiNHot's  Wagtail  (From  Turner.) 


bird  in  Siberia  is  given  by  Seebohm  as  the  water-shed  between  the  Yenesei  and  the 
Lfina  Rivers;  thence  east  it  has  been  taken  in  many  portions  of  the  continent,  in- 
cluding Mongolia,  Chukchi  land,  and  the  localities  previously  mentioned." 

696.  SIBERIAN  YELLOW  WAGTAIL.  Budytes  flavus  leucostriatns  (Horn.) 
Geog.  Dist. — Alaska,  north  of  the  Peninsula;  Eastern  Siberia  and  Kamchatka,  winter- 
ing in  Eastern  China. 


460 


NESrS  AND  EGOS  OF 


This  Wagtail  occurs  abundantly  in  Alaska.  Dr.  Stejneger  states  that  B. 
leucostriatus  is  a  common  breeding  bird  in  the  environs  of  Petropaulski,  Kam- 
chatka, being  found  during  the  months  of  June  and  July  everywhere  on  the  low 
marshy  grounds  surrounding  the  lakes,  fresh-water  ponds  and  brackish  lagoons  of 
the  vicinity.  On  Bering  Island  single  individuals  were  seen  until  June  10.  The 
nest  of  this  bird  is  placed  on  the  ground  and  usually  concealed  by  a  tussock  of  grass, 
projecting  stone,  etc.  The  eggs  are  dull  white,  yellowish  or  brownish-white,  pro- 
fusely covered  with  fine  dots  of  reddteh-gray,  dark  brown  or  black;  average  size, 
.76X.66. 

697.  AMERICAN  PIPIT.  Anthus  petmlvanicua  (Lath.,  Geog.  Dist.— Whole 
of  North  America,  breeding  from  the  high  mountains  of  Colorado  and  from  Labrador 
northward  to  the  Arctic  coast.  Winters  in  the  Gulf  States,  Mexico  and  Central 
America. 

Known  as  the  American  Titlark,  Brown  Lark,  Louisiana  Lark  and  Wagtail.  An 
abundant  and  a  well-known  bird  everywhere  in  fields  and  plains  throughout  North 
America.  In  the  United  States  it  is  seen  chiefly  in  flocks  in  fall,  winter  and  spring. 
Breeds  in  the  mountains  of  Colorado  (above  timber  line),  and  from  Labrador  north- 
ward to  the  Arctic  regions.  The  nest  Is  placed  on  the  ground,  and  is  large  and  bulky, 
made  of  coarse,  dry  grasses  and  moss  loosely  put  together.  From  four  to  six  dark 
chocolate-colored  eggs  are  laid,  the  surface  of  which  is  marked  or  overlaid  with 
numerous  specks  and  streaks  of  grayish-brown.  The  average  size  of  the  eggs  in 
five  sets  in  Mr.  C.  H.  Cole's  collection  is  ."^Gx.BS  inches. 


1   r 


[698.]  MEADOW  PIPIT.  Anthus  pratensis  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist.— Europe; 
northern  portions  of  Africa  in  winter;  occasional  in  Southern  Greenland. 

The  European  Titlark  very  closely  resembles  the  American  bird,  .4.  pensilranieus, 
in  appearance  and  all  its  general  characteristics.  An  occasional  visitant  in  Southern 
Greenland.  It  inhabits  the  whole  continent  of  Europe,  where  it  is  the  most  common 
and  best  known  of  its  tribe.  In  Great  Britain  the  Titlark  is  found  throughout  the 
year.  It  frequents  all  kinds  of  localities — hill  or  valley,  marsh  or  mooVland,  shady 
woods  and  flowery  meadows,  the  neighborhood  of  busy  towns,  or  the  sandy  sea-shore. 
The  nest  is  built  on  the  ground,  and  is  composed  of  dried  grasses,  lined  with  finer 
grass,  moss  and  a  few  hairs.  The  eggs  are  four  to  six  in  number,  and  scarcely  any 
two  sets  are  exactly  alike  in  color;  the  grround  tint  may  be  blue-gray,  reddish-brown 
or  yellow-brown;  In  all  cases  the  eggs  are  spotted  and  mottled  with  darker  brown 
or  mouse-gray,  giving  to  the  surface  a  uniform  dark  appearance.  A  set  of  five  eggs 
collected  by  Mr.  W.  Wells  Bladen,  June  2,  1879,  In  Staffordshire,  England,  exhibits 
the  following  sizes:  .79x.59,  .80x.59,  .83x.58,  .84x.59,  .8f)X.60.  A  set  of  four  from 
Suffolk  measure  respectively,  .78x.58,  .75x.54,  .74x.57,  77x.56.  The  av«rage  size  Is 
.T8X.67  inches. 


[699.]  BED-THBOATBD  PIPIT.  Anthus  ctrviitM  (Pallas.)  Geog.  Dist— 
Northern  parts  of  the  Old  World.  Accidental  In  Lower  California,  St.  Michael  and 
Aleutian  Islands.  Alaska. 

Seebohm  states  that  in  Northern  Europe  the  Red-throated  Pipit  breeds  on  the 
iundra  above  the  limit  of  forest  growth,  from  the  Atlantic  to  the 
Pacific,  but  becomes  rarer  west  of  the  Ural  Mountains.  The  nest  Is 
made  entirely  of  dry  grass,  the  foundation  being  made  of  the  coarser  pieces.  It  is 
generally  placed  on  the  ground  under  the  shelter  of  vegetation.    The  eggs  vary  from 


MORTU  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


461 


i  that  B. 
ki,  Kam- 
1  the  low 
agoons  of 
10.  The 
:  of  grass, 
hite,  pro- 
rage  size, 


t.— Whole 
Labrador 
i  Central 

?tall.  An 
)ut  North 
id  spring, 
lor  north- 
nd  bulky, 
>  six  dark 
laid  with 
B  eggs  in 


—Europe; 

Hlranicus, 
Southern 
:  common 
fhout  the 
id,  shady 
lea-shore. 
<flth  finer 
rcely  any 
sh-brown 
er  brown 
five  eggs 
exhibits 
Jur  from 
e  size  is 


.    Dist— 
hael  and 

s  on  the 
to  the 
nest  is 
iB.  It  is 
iry  from 


bUU.     KGD-THKUATiiD  PiriT.     Adult,  Winter  plumage. 

four  to  six  in  number  and  are  usually  of  a  pale  grayish  color  with  a  faint  tinge  of 
purple,  dotted  with  purplish  browu  or  red,  but  the  markings  vary  greatly  as  do  the 
eggs  in  size.  In  length  they  vary  from  .68  to  .82  and  in  breadth  irom  .55  to  .62  inches. 
A  specimen  of  this  bird  was  taken  in  Greenland  in  1845,  and  since  then  Dall  has  taken 
it  at  St.  Michael's,  Alaska. 

700.  SPBAGUE'S  PIPIT.  Anthus  spragueii  (Aud.)  Geog.  Dist.— Interior 
plains  of  North  America.  Breeds  from  Central  Dakota  northward  to  the  Sas- 
katchewan country;  south  in  winter  over  southern  plains  to  Southern  Mexico. 

The  Missouri  Skylark  has  the  same  general  habits  common  to  the  Titlark,  but 
soaring  like  the  European  Skylark  when  singing,  and  according  to  those  who  have 
heard  it,  its  vocal  powers  are  not  less  inferior  than  those  of  that  celebrated  bird. 
It  breeds  abundantly  in  Dakota  and  Montana  northward  to  the  Saskatchewan  dis- 
tricts, where  Captain  Blakiston  found  them  common  on  the  prairies  during  the 
breeding  season.  Sprague's  Pipit  can  also  be  found  in  summer  in  Western  Minnesota 
and  in  Nebraska.  Its  nest  is  built  on  the  ground  in  a  depression,  and  is  made  of  fine 
grasses,  interwoven  in  a  circular  form  and  without  lining.  The  surrounding  grasses 
are  sometimes  formed  into  an  arch  like  the  arch-way  of  the  Meadow  Lark's  nest. 
The  eggs  are  four  or  five,  of  grayish-white,  minutely  speckled  with  purplish-gray; 
size  .87X.67  inches. 

701.  AMEB.ICAN  DIPPER.  Cinclus  mexicannH  Swains.  Geog.  Dist. — Moun- 
tainous portions  of  Western  North  America,  from  the  Yukon  Valley  south  to  North- 
ern Central  America  (Guatemala). 

The  American  Water  Ouzel,  a  grayish-colored  bird,  which  has  the  aquatic  habits 
of  a  duck  and  the  tilting  movements  of  a  sandpiper,  inhabits  exclusively  the  moun- 
tainous portions  of  Western  North  America.  It  is  resident  as  far  north  as  the  valley 
of  the  Yukon  River.  It  is  never  found  near  still  water,  frequenting  only  wild,  forcible 
mountain  streams,  cascades,  eddies  and  swift  currents.  Mr.  Frank  M.  Drew  beau- 
tifully says  that  the  birds  "are  the  very  embodiment  of  a  mountain  torrent — bustling 
and  energetic;  and  their  song  is  like  crystallized  spray.  Sweet,  sparkling  and 
vivacious,  taken  with  its  surroundings,  I  do  not  know  of  any  bird-song  which  sur- 
passes it."  The  nest  is  variously  situated,  but  always  near  water  in  a  nook  or  crevice, 
on  shelving  rocks,  among  roots  of  trees,  often  where  the  water  sprays  keep  the  out- 
side damp.    It  is  a  beautiful  ball  of  soft  green  moss,  measuring  about  seven  inches 


'ii;^ 


462 


NEtiTS  AND  KUaS  OF 


by  ten,  and  is  usually  dome-shaped,  with  a  small,  round  hole  in  one  side  for  an 
entrance;  within  it  is  strongly  arched  over  with  leaves  and  grasses  and  supported  by 
twigs,  and  all  cemented  with  mud.  The  eggs  are  three  to  five  in  number,  plain,  pure 
white,  and  average  1.00x.70.  The  eggs  are  usually  deposited  in  the  latter  part  of 
May  or  ir  June,  ^v  set  of  four  eggs  in  my  cabinet  taken  June  10,  1880,  in  San  Juan 
county,  Colorado,  offers  the  following  measurements:  l.Olx.73,  .99x.72,  1.00x.70, 
l.Olx.72. 


702.  SAGE  THBASHEB.  Oroscoptcs  motitantis  (Towns.)  Geog.  Dist.— Sage- 
brush regions  of  Western  United  States,  from  the  western  part  of  the  Great  Plains 
to  the  Pacific;  in  winter  south  into  Mexico. 

Erroneously  called  Mountain  Mocking  Bird,  for  it  Is  exclusively  an  inhabitant 
of  the  sage-brush  region  of  the  West,  and  is  partial  to  the  lower  portions  of  the 
country,  though  not  Infrequently  met  with  in  the  open  mountains.  It  nests  in  low 
bushes,  especially  the  sage  and  cactus,  from  ten  inches  to  three  feet  above  the  ground. 
The  nest  is  a  loose,  bulky  structure,  made  of  bark-strips,  small  twigs,  coarse  grasses 
lined  with  fine  stems  and  rootlets.  The  eggs  are  three  or  four,  rarely  five,  in 
number,  and  they  are  deposited  variously  in  the  latter  half  of  May,  in  June,  and  as 
late  as  the  first  or  second  week  in  July.  Their  ground-color  is  of  a  rich  greenish- 
blue,  spotted  with  bright  reddish-brown,  and  a  few  plumbeous  markings.  In  shape 
they  vary  from  an  ovate  to  a  short  ovate.    Average  size  .95x.70. 


o 

m 


iri 


703.  MGCKINGBIBI).  Mimus  polyulnttos  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist.— United  States, 
south  into  Mexico;  rare  or  local  north  of  38°. 

The  true  home  of  this  inimitable  vocalist  is  in  the  Southern  States,  where  it  is 
very  abundant.  It  has  occasionally  been  detected  breeding  in  the  more  northern 
States  and  above  latitude  38°— as,  near  Springfield  and  Arlington,  Massachusetts, 
and  in  the  Connecticut  Valley.  There  are  records  of  the  bird's  residing  in  summer 
in  Central  and  Southern  Iowa.  We  must  consider  the  Mockingbird  as  a  rather  ir- 
regular breeding  bird  in  suitable  localities  of  Ohio,  being  a  more  common  summer 
resident  in  the  southern  portions  than  elsewhere.  It  may  be  looked  for  along  the 
beautiful  valley  of  the  Muskingum  and  other  streams  in  that  neighborhood.  Mr. 
C.  H.  Morris  and  Mr.  E.  G.  Arrick,  of  McConnelsville,  Morgan  county,  found  the 
Mockingbird  breeding  in  that  region  in  the  summer  of  1896.  Along  Meig's  Creek, 
about  eight  miles  north  of  McConnelsville  several  nests  were  found.  One  was  dis- 
covered June  26,  situated  on  a  rail  fence  along  a  roadway;  it  contained  three  young 
and  one  unhatched  egg.  One  of  the  young  is  now  in  captivity.  Four  days  afterward 
the  birds  built  another  nest  a  short  distance  from  the  first,  in  the  same  position. 
About  the  middle  of  July  a  nest  containing  four  young  ready  to  fly  was  found.  The 
same  pair  of  birds  again  built  in  a  small  sycamore  tree  about  five  feet  from  the 
ground,  an  illustration  of  which  we  herewith  copy  from  a  photograph.  About 
twenty  birds  were  gathered  together  when  they  left  Morgan  county  for  their  winter 
lome.  The  birds  again  returned  this  Spring  (1897),  but  owing  to  the  extremely  cold 
weather  in  May  and  June,  they  disappeared.  I  have  several  times  taken  them  in 
June,  and  my  friend,  J.  E.  Gould,  observed  a  pair  that  lingered  about  the  grounds  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  Ohio  State  University  during  the  summer  months  of  1887.  but 
■was  unable  to  discover  their  nest,  which  was  doubtless  in  the  neighborhood.  A  pair 
built  their  nest  and  reared  their  young  for  several  years  near  the  residence  of  Dr. 
Kirtland,  at  Rockport,  and  the  bird  has  been  found  breeding  frequently  In  Southern 
Ohio.    Goss  gives  the  Mockingbird  as  a  summer  resident  of  Kansas;  begins  laying 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


463 


li 


ion.    A  Mockingbird's  nest  in  Morgan  County,  Ohio.     (Prom  photo  )    (See  page  462  ) 

about  the  20th  of  May.  Mr.  Shields  informs  me  that  in  Los  Angeles  county,  Cali- 
fornia, where  it  is  an  abundant  resident,  nest-building  is  begun  early  in  May,  and 
fresh  eggs  may  be  found  as  late  as  the  last  of  June.  He  states  that  when  deprived 
of  the  first  set  of  eggs,  a  second  nest  is  invariably  built  and  another  set  deposited. 
The  nest  is  composed  of  small  twigs  and  weeds,  lined  with  roots  and  sometimes 
with  horse  hair  and  cotton.  Various  situations  are  selected  for  the  nest;  an  almost 
impenetrable  thicket  of  brambles,  a  hedge,  an  orange  tree  or  holly  bush  seem  to  be 
favorite  localities.  Often  the  nest  is  built  in  a  bush  a  few  feet  from  a  door  or 
window  of  a  dwelling.  Generally  two  or  three  broods  are  reared  in  a  season.  Mr. 
J.  A.  Slngley,  of  Giddings,  Lee  county,  Texas,  informs  me  that  he  finds  the  nests  In 
that  locality  built  mostly  in  clumps  of  live  oaks  scattered  over  the  prairies,  also  in 
brush-piles,  corners  of  rail  fences,  and  in  fact  everywhere  except  on  the  ground. 
He  has  found  them  as  low  as  six  inches  from  the  ground  in  a  low  bush,  and  as  high 


H 


464 


M'JSTfi  AND  PGOS  OP 


as  fifty  feet  in  trees.  A  set  of  five  eggs  was  talcen  from  the  hollow  of  a  live  oak  in 
May,  1886.  The  eggs  are  usually  four  or  five,  seldom  six.  The  ground-color  varies 
from  pale  greenish-blue  to  dull  buffy,  marlted  with  spots  and  blotches  of  yellowish- 
brown,  russet  or  chestnut.  A  great  variation  exists  in  the  sizes.  Specimens  in  a 
large  series  measure  as  small  as  .87x.68,  and  as  large  as  1.05x.80.  A  common  size  is 
.94x.71  inches. 

704.  CATBIRD.  GaleoHcoptrs  cnroUnenHiH  (Linn.)  Qeog.  Dlst.— Eastern 
United  States  and  British  Provinces,  north  to  about  54°  in  the  interior;  west  to  and 
including  the  Rocky  Mountains.  Winters  In  the  Southern  States,  Cuba  and  Central 
America  to  Panama. 

This  well-known  bird  breeds  throughout  its  range,  nesting  in  bushes,  low  trees, 
or  clusters  of  vines,  generally  in  retired  places.  It  is  seldom  placed  more  than  ten 
feet  above  the  ground.  Thickets  or  orchards  are  its  favorite  haunts.  The  nest  is 
bulky  and  inartistic,  made  of  dry  leaves,  twigs,  dry  grass,  and  lined  with  black 
fibrous  roots  and  grass.  The  eggs  are  usually  four,  frequently  five,  and  rarely  six. 
They  are  plain,  deep  bluish-green;  average  size  .95x.71. 


Is    |i 


705.     BROWN  THRASHER.     Harporhifiicliun  rufiis  (Linn.)     Geog.  Dist.— East- 
ern United  States,  west  to  the  base  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  north  to  Southern 

Maine,  Ontario  and  Manitoba.    Winters   in 
more  Southern  States,  north  to  about  37°. 

The  Brown  Thrasher  breeds  in  all  suit- 
able localities  throughout  its  range,  building 
its  nest  in  low  bushes,  or  on  stumps,  in  clus- 
ters of  wild  vines  and  briers,  in  heaps  of 
brush-wood,  and  often  on  the  ground.  It  may 
be  frequently  found  nesting  in  the  fruit  trees 
of  quiet  orchards,  and  in  trees  situated  in  un- 
frequented places.  When  the  nest  is  placed 
on  the  ground  where  the  soil  is  wet  and 
clayey  the  eggs  become  addled;  three  in- 
stances of  this  kind  have  come  under  my  no- 
tice, and  the  eggs  have  failed  to  hatch.  The 
same  observations  have  been  made  by  a 
number  of  my  correspondents.  The  nests 
are  rather  flat,  loosely  and  rudely  constructed 
of  twigs,  strips  of  bark,  withered  leaves,  and 
black,  fibrous  roots,  lined  with  horse  hair  and 
a  few  feathers.  In  some  seciions  the  Brown 
Thrasher  begins  to  build  in  the  latter  part  of 
April,  but  more  generally  in  the  first  half  of 
May.  The  eggs  are  three  or  four,  sometimes  five  in  number.  Their  ground  color 
varies  from  white  through  pale-buff  to  pale-greenish,  and,  very  rarely,  quite  a 
distinct  green;  the  markings  are  minute  specks  of  reddish-brown,  thickly  sprinkled 
over  the  entire  surface,  frequently  forming  distinct  wreaths  near  the  larger  ends. 
The  average  size  is  l.OSx.SO,  with  considerable  variation. 


7C5.    Brown  Thrasher  (After  Wilson  ) 


706.     BENNETT'S  THRASHER.     Harpurhynchm  lougirostris  «•  inetti  (Ridgw.) 
Geog.  Dist.— Lower  Rio  Grande  Valley.  v 


NORTH  AMEItlC.W  UIIiDS. 


465 


Mr.  Sennett  says  that  the  Texas  Thrasher  Is  a  very  abundant  species  through- 
out the  whole  Lower  Rio  Grande  country.  It  freqijents  shady  thickets, 
and  is  rarely  seen  In  the  open  plains.  Dr.  Merrill  pronounces  It  a  fine  songster,  and 
states  that  in  habits  it  scarcely  differs  from  the  Eastern  bird,  nifiiM.  The  pggs,  as 
Mr.  Sennett  found  them,  are  usually  four  in  the  first  clutch  in  April,  while  second 
fcets,  late  In  May,  contain  generally  three.  They  are  hardly  distinguishable  from 
those  of  n.  rufus.  Dr.  Merrill  gives  the  average  size  of  fifty-two  eggs  as  1.08x.82,  the 
extremes  beiuK  1.13x.86  and  .97x.75. 


i  |}l 


707.  CURVE-BILLED  THRASHER.  Harporhynchiis  currirostris  (Swains.) 
Geog.  Dist. — Mexico,  north  to  Southern  Texas  and  New  Mexico  (east  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains). 

According  to  Dr.  J.  C.  Merrill  and  Mr.  George  B.  Sennett,  this  species  is  about 
as  common  as  the  Mockingbird  or  U.  lomjiroMiriH  scniirtti  on  the  Lower  Rio  Grande. 
It  inhabits  tangled  thickets  as  well  as  prickly-pear  cactuses  and  mesquite 
trees,  which  afford  breeding  resorts.  In  two  instances  Mr.  Sennett  found  nests  in 
ebony  trees  near  much  frequented  pathways,  and  the  birds  were  as  tame  as  Robins. 
The  usual  height  of  nests  from  the  ground  is  about  four  feet.  Mr.  G.  B.  Benners 
found  a  nest  of  this  bird  in  a  Woodpecker's  hole  in  a  live  oak  on  the  banks  of  the 
Rio  Grande.  It  contained  four  eggs.  Dr.  Merrill  says:  "They  are,  as  a  rule,  readily 
distinguishable  from  those  of  the  Texas  Thrasher  and  Mockingbird  by  the  almost 
invariable  lining  of  yellow  straws,  giving  a  peculiar  appearance  to  the  nest.  They 
are  also  more  compactly  built,  are  well  cupped,  and  often  have  the  edges  well 
guarded  by  thorny  twigs."  Mr.  Sennett  states  that  the  bird  commences  to  breed 
in  March  on  the  Rio  Grande,  and  rears  several  broods.  The  first  eggs  are  laid  in 
April,  and  generally  number  four;  by  the  middle  or  latter  part  of  May  the  second 
sets  consist  nearly  always  of  three.  A  few  sets  of  four  were  found  of  the  second  lay- 
ing. Five  sets  of  these  eggs  are  in  my  cabinet,  taken  near  Camargo,  Mexico,  in  March, 
April  and  May.  They  vary  from  oval-oblong  to  almost  pyriform  In  shape,  and  their 
ground-color  is  almost  invariably  light  bluish-green,  minutely  speckled  with  reddish- 
brown.  The  sizes  of  two  sets  as  as  follows:  l.Olx.73,  l.OOx.75,  1.02x.79,  l.lOx.75;  1.10 
x.79,  l.lOx.81,  1.15X.83,  1.13x.81.     The  average  size  is  1.08x.78. 

707a.  PALMER'S  THRASHER.  Harporliynchus  curvirostris  palmeri  Ridgw. 
Geog.  Dist. — Southern  Arizona,  southward  into  Sonora  (Guaymas). 

One  of  the  most  common  birds  on  the  cactus-covered  plains  of  Arizona.  The 
breeding  season  in  some  sections  begins  in  February,  in  other  localities  early  In 
March,  and  generally  two  broods  are  reared  in  a  season.  The  nests  are  usually  built 
in  the  cholla,  a  kind  of  prickly  cactus,  at  a  height  of  about  three  to  six  feet.  It  is 
composed  of  twigs  and  lined  with  dry  grass;  sometimes  the  lining  is  mixed  with  hair 
or  feathers  when  procurable.  According  to  the  observations  of  Mr.  W.  E.  D.  Scott 
and  Mr.  Herbert  Brown,  the  usual  number  of  eggs  laid  by  Palmer's  Thrasher  is  three, 
sometimes  four,  not  infrequently  two  and  rarely  one.  The  eggs  cannot  with  cer- 
tainty be  distinguished  from  those  of  the  Curve-billed  Thrasher.  The  sizes  of  a  set 
of  eggs  containing  the  smallest  specimens  in  a  series  of  twenty-one  sets  in  Mr. 
Norris'  collection  are,  l.lOx.78,  i.C3x.78, 1  i3x.V8;  the  largest  1.24x.81,  1.20x.79,  1.16x.79. 


708.     BENDIRE'S  THRASHER.     Harporliynchus  bendirei  Coues.    Geog.  Diat.— 
Southern  Arizona,  south  into  Sonora  (Guaymas),  casually  northeastward  to  Colorado. 

31 


466 


NKSTS  AND  EGOS  OF 


The  late  Major  Charles  E.  Dendire,  U.  S.  A.,  discovered  this  species  In  the 
vicinity  of  Tucson,  Arizona,  in  1872.  The  bird  inhabits  the  same  regions  fre- 
quented by  //.  pnlmvrl  and  nis,iallH,  with  whom  it  associates.  Mr.  Scott  states  that 
the  song  of  the  male  of  this  species  is  particularly  beautiful,  and  is  to  be  compared 
with  the  best  efforts  of  the  Mockingbird.  The  nests  are  placed  in  mesqultes  and 
cactuses,  usually  at  a  height  of  three  or  four  feet  aLove  the  ground.  The  coUa 
cactus  is  their  favorite  nesting-site.  The  breeding  season  begins  early  in  March, 
and  two  broods  are  generally  reared  in  a  season.  The  eggs  are  three  or  four,  rarely 
two,  in  number.  The  eggs  are  greenlsh-whlte,  spotted  with  lavender-gray  and  drab. 
The  average  size  is  1.02x.74  Inches. 


709.     ST.  LUCAS  THRASHER. 


709.    St.  Lucas  Thrabhkr. 


Uarporhynchus  ciiiereiix  Xa,nt\iB.    Geog.  Diet. — 
Lower  California. 

This  Thrasher  Is  confined  to  the 
peninsula  of  Lower  California.  Its  gen- 
eral habits  arc  described  as  being  similar 
to  those  of  //.  inhncri  or  rriasaltr.  Its  nest 
is  a  flat  structure,  with  a  slight  hollow,  and 
usually  built  In  low  trees,  shrubs  and 
cactus  plants  about  four  feet  from  the 
ground.  The  eggs  are  two  or  three  in 
number,  and  are  described  as  greenish- 
white,  spotted  with  pale  reddish-brown. 
Average  size  1.06x.75. 


709a.  MEARN'S  THRASHER.  Harporhynrhus  rinereus  mearnsi  Anthony. 
Geog.  Dist. — Northern  Lower  California. 

Mr.  Anthony  has  named  this  bird  in  honor  of  the  well-known  ornithologist  and 
scientist,  Dr.  Edgar  A.  Mearns.  For  a  description  of  the  bird  see  Auk,  Vol.  XII, 
January,  1895,  page  53.  The  price  of  the  egg  of  this  Thrasher  is  quoted  at  |4.00,  but 
I  have  never  seen  one. 


710.    California  Thrashbr. 

710.  CALIFORNIA  THRASHER.  Harporhynchm  redivivus  (Gamb.)  Geog. 
Dist. — Coast  region  of  California,  southward  along  the  Pacific  coast  to  Lower  Cali- 
fornia. 

This  Thrasher  is  an  abundant  resident  of  the  coast  region  of  California.  Mr. 
A.  M.  Shields  informs  me  that  its  favorite  haunts  in  Los  Angeles  county  are  the 


NORTH  AMEUIVAN  lilUUH. 


467 


scrub  oakB  and  grease-wood  brush  that  fringe  deep  mountain  gorges.  It  begins  to 
build  toward  the  last  of  April,  and  by  the  last  of  May  it  is  difllcult  to  procure  a  per- 
fectly fresh  set  of  eggs.  The  bird,  he  says,  is  a  close  sitter,  often  allowing  one's  hand 
to  touch  it  before  leaving  f  a  nest.  The  general  character  of  the  nest  is  n  coarse, 
rudely  constructed  platform  of  sticky,  coarse  grass  and  mosses,  with  but  a  very  slight 
depression.  Occasionally,  however,  nests  of  this  bird  are  more  carefully  and  elabor- 
ately made.  It  is  always  well  hid  in  the  low  scrub  bushes.  The  usual  complement 
of  eggs  is  three,  sometimes  four  and  occasionally  only  two.  They  are  lifeht  greenish- 
blue,  with  russet-brown  and  chestnut  spots;  average  size  l.lSx.Sf).  Ten  specimens 
measure  l.OSx.SO,  1.05x.82,  1.02x.79,  1.04x.77,  1.08x.80,  1.22x.84,  1.21x.85,  1.27x.82,  1.28x 
.79.  1.30X.84  inches. 

711.     LECONTE'S  THBASHEB.     HarporliynchuH  IcroiitcHLeLy/r.)    Oeog.  Oist.— 
Valleys  of  the  Gila  and  Lower  Colorado  Rivers,  south  into  Sonora. 

This  is  the  least  common  of  all  the  Thrashers  in  the  region  which  it  inhabits, 
and  from  all  accounts  It  is  a  very  shy  and  difficult  bird  to  obtain.  Comparatively 
few  of  Its  eggs  have  yet  appeared  in  collections.  Mr.  E.  Holterhoff,  Jr.,  discovered 
its  nest  and  eggs  at  Flowing  Wells,  a  station  in  the  middle  of  the  Colorado  Desert, 
In  California.*  In  the  same  region  a  number  of  the  nests  and  eggs  have  been  taken 
by  Mr.  F.  Stephens  and  R.  B.  Herron.  Dr.  Edgar  A.  Mearns,  IT.  S.  A.,  met  with 
this  bird  in  the  desert  country,  between  PhcQUlx  and  Casa  Grande,  Arizona.f  He 
states  that  the  song  of  this  species  ia 
remarkable  for  its  loud,  rich  tone,  and 
is  at  least  as  fine  as  any  of  the  genus. 
Deserts  of  sand,  "covered  in  places  with 
patches  of  sage-brush  and  groves  of 
cholla  cactuses,  with  a  few  mesquites 
and  shrubs  scattered  along  the  dry  ar- 
royOs,"  are  the  favorite  haunts  of  Le- 
conte's  Thrasher.  A  glance  at  these 
bushes  will  usually  suffice  to  detect  the 
nest,  as  it  is  large  and  conspicuous,  ex- 
cept when  the  shrub  is  bushy.  The 
nest  is  usually  built  near  the  center  of 
a  cholla  cactus,  from  one  to  seven  feet 
above  the  ground;  it  is  likewise  fre- 
quently placed  in  mesquites.  The  birds  are  close  sitters  and  one  can  approach  with- 
in a  few  yards  before  they  slip  off — which  they  usually  do  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
bush — dropping  to  the  ground  they  run  briskly  and  seek  the  cover  of  the  surrounding 
Vegetation,  and  so  adroitly  conceal  themselves  that  it  is  almost  impossible  to  detect 
them.  The  nest  is  composed  of  twigs,  grasses  and  weeds  and  is  lined  with  feathers. 
The  breeding  season  begins  in  March,  and,  according  to  Mr.  Herron's  observations, 
some  at  least  very  likely  begin  laying  in  February.  The  eggs  are  three  or  four  in 
number,  greenish-blue,  faintly  speckled,  chiefly  at  the  larger  end,  with  cinnamon- 
rufous  or  yellowish-brown.  Some  specimens  have  large  blotcjies  on  the  surface. 
The  general  shape  of  the  eggs  is  elongated-oval.    The  sizes  of  a  set  containing  four 


m.    Lbconte's  Thrashk*. 


C/. 


•  Described  In   the  American   Naturalist,    XV,   March,   1881;    for   fuller   account 
Bull.  Nutt.  Ornith.  Club,  VIII,  48-49. 

t  For  an  extended  historical  account,  together  with  full  details  of  the  habits  of 
"ff  hcontfi  and  crissnlfs."  see  Dr.  Mearns'  article,  "Some  ArlEona  Birds,"  In  The  Auk, 
III,  pp.  289-307. 


1 


46N 


NKHTS  AND  KiKlH  OF 


II 


QggB  collected  on  May  24,  1883,  In  San  OorRonIa  Vam,  Culifornia,  by  Mr.  Ilerron, 
are  t.l3x.7B.  1.07x.77,  1.08x.77,  1.14x.75.     The  average  Ih  1.07x.76  Inches. 

712.  CBISBAL  THBASHEB.  HaiiHtrhynrliyH  rr\ftnulin  (Henry.)  Geog.  Dlflt.— 
New  Mexico,  Arizona,  Southern  Utah,  Southeastern  California  and  northern  portion 
of  Lower  California. 

This  Is  a  common  species  in  suitable  locnlitios  throughout  New  Mexico,  Arizona 
and  Southeastern  California.  Dr.  Mearns  statos  that  It  Is  abundant  all  over  the 
Verde  River  bottom  lands,  preferring  mcsquite  thloltets  and  the  vicinity  of  streams. 
He  says  it  is  one  of  the  few  birds  that  truly  sing;  and  it  shares.  In  Arizona,  this  rare 
gift  with  its  congeners — Bendlre's,  Palmer's  and  I^oconte's  Thrashers.  Its  song  is 
remarkable  for  its  scope  and  sweetness,  having  ail  the  power  of  the  Mocldngbird, 
singing  from  the  tops  of  the  tallest  bushes  in  the  same  attitude  as  the  Brown 
Thrasher  of  the  East.  Lll<e  the  rest  of  the  Thrashers  It  is  highly  terrestrial,  and  runs 
Bwlftly  on  the  ground  from  bush  to  bush,  often  Jetting  Its  long  tail  upward,  more  or 
less  above  the  horizontal.  They  breed  about  the  same  time  as  Bendlre's  Thrashers. 
Mr.  Scott  found  eggs  In  the  Catalina  Mountains  of  Arizona  during  the  first  wceli  In 
>prll  that  were  about  ready  to  be  hatched,  and  young  birds  fully  fledged  were  ob- 
served as  early  as  May  1.  Dr.  Mearns  saw  young  birds  that  were  strong  on  the  wing 
by  the  end  of  April.  Two  broods  are  reared,  and  the  number  of  eggs  laid,  so  far  as  I 
am  able  to  ascertain,  is  usually  threo,  sometimes  four.  Dr.  Mearns  discovered,  on 
two  eggs,  and  two  days  later  It  contained  four  eggs.  The  proprietors  of  this 
two  eggs,  and  in  two  days  later  It  contained  four  eggs.  The  proprietO'*s  of  this 
nest  divided  their  attention  between  the  care  of  their  nest  and  a  family  of  young  not 
yet  able  to  shift  for  themselves.  The  nests,  placed  in  bushes,  are  large  conspicuous 
objects,  rudely  constructed  of  coarse  twigs;  the  inner  nest  is  made  of  finer  vegetable 
materials.  The  eggs  are  pale  greenish-blue,  unmarked.  The  average  size  is  l.OSx 
.75  Inches. 

713.  CACTUS  WREN.  Urkodylcs  hruinici<ai»illus  (Lafr.)  Geog.  DIst.— South- 
western border  of  the  United  States,  from  Southern  Texas  to  the  coast  of  Southern 
California;  south  Into  Northern  and  Central  Mexico. 

A  common  bird  in  the  cactus  and  chaparral  regions  of  Texas,  New  Mexico,  Ari- 
zona, Southern  Utah,  Nevada,  and  Southern  California.  As  its  name  implies,  cactus 
groves  are  its  favorite  haunts.  In  these,  and  other  thorny  shrubs,  its  nest  is  placed, 
which  is  a  very  large  and  purse-shaped  affair  with  an  entrance  at  one  end.  It  is 
composed  of  little  thorns  and  grasses,  and  lined  with  feathers.  Mr.  Shields  states 
that  in  Los  Angeles  county,  California,  there  is  no  grove  of  cactus  along  the  foothillr^ 
without  these  Wrens.  He  has  often  found  from  four  to  ten  nests  in  a  bed  of  cacti 
not  more  than  a  dozen  yards  square.  Three  broods  are  probably  reared,  as  fresh 
eggs  may  be  found  from  the  middle  of  April  to  the  last  of  July.  The  eggs  are  gener- 
ally five,  sometimes  four,  and  occasionally  only  three.  They  are  white  or  creamy 
in  ground-color,  which  is  thickly  covered  with  rich,  reddish-brown  spots  or  specks, 
giving  to  the  entire  egg  a  beautiful  rich  salmon-colored  hue.  Ten  eggs  selected  out 
of  fifteen  sets  give  the  following  measurements:  .86x.C2.  .89x.62,  .93x.63,  .90x.60,  .94x 
.67,  .96X.67,  .95X.66,  .94x.69,  .95x.67,  .98x.69.  The  average  size  is  .97x.65.  Their  gen- 
eral shape  is  oblong-oval. 

713a.  BRYANT'S  CACTUS  WREN.  Udcodytcs  hruumicapillua  bryanti  An- 
thony.   Geog.  Dist.— Northern  Lower  Calffornia,  north  into  Southern  California. 


SOUTH  ^.ul•:^^lt'^^  uihus. 


469 


Tbo  noBtlnfr,  ami  vhhh  or  (Ihh  Mnl,  wlilrh  Ih  iian\o(l  tn  Itoiiur  iif  Mr.  VVallcr  !•]. 
BryuDt.  uro  In  every  r'^apecl  the  Hame  as  thow  of  tlio  CaotiiB  Wren,  //.  hnintifiraitillua 

713'>.  &T.  LUCAS  CACTUS  WREN.  Htlnnliihtt  hniiiniieuitillHs  nfftinn  Xaiitnt. 
GeOR.  DlBt— Sou!  I  o\v»i- ("aliloi  i:iii. 

TLe  habits,  nettiu;  <  and  fggH  of  thtH  Bpecles  are  Identical  with  thoBe  of  the  laitt. 

:     '  .        ■  '>     .        • 

715.  BOOK  WREN,  saliiitirfis  „li>ii,lriiin  (Say.)  CJeoK.  Dlst.— Arid  rtglonH  of 
Western  United  StaU-H  from  The  Great  I'laina  to  the  i'aciflc,  Huuth  through  Mexico  to 
Northern  Central  America. 

This  is  a  more  or  less  common  species  in  the  dry,  rocky  regions  of  Western 
United  States.  Mr.  Scott  says  that  in  the  Catalina  Mountains  of  Arizona  they  be- 
gin to  breed  about  tho  middle  of  J.larch;  six  or  eight  young  are  the  common  inmates 
of  the  nest,  and  two  broods  are  reared.  Mr.  Emerson  found  this  specie;;  to  l)c  quite 
common  on  tho  Farullonc  Islands,  and  it  Is  the  only  land  bird  which  Is  resident.  They 
were  found  all  over  the  South  Farallone,  building  in  suitable  crevices  a  nest  of 
Farallone  weed,  lining  it  with  chicken  feathers  and  hair  shed  from  the  Island  mule. 
The  nest  is  usually  built  in  a  rift  of  rocks,  or  on  the  ground  l;oneath  some  shelving 
rock.  It  is  composed  of  a  mass  of  material,  very  miscellaneous  in  character,  some- 
times a  single  substance,  but  a  variety  of  materials  are  more  generally  used,  such  as 
sticks,  bark-strips,  weeds,  grasses,  moss,  hair,  wool,  etc.  A  curious  habit  of  the  Rock 
Wren  is  that  of  paving  the  ground  about  the  entrance  of  the  nest  with  ppbl)les,  or  bits 
of  rock  and  glass.  On  the  Farallones  small  pieces  of  coal,  mussel  shells,  and  small 
bones  of  sea-birds  and  rabbits  are  used  for  this  purpose.  Mr.  F'red  Corey,  of  Santa 
Paula,  California,  informs  me  that  he  found  a  nest  with  four  eggs  of  lliis  bird  under 
the  rafters  of  a  house.  Five  and  six  eggs  constitute  an  average  set,  and  seven,  eight, 
or  nine  are  sometimes  deposited.  Mr.  Emerson  found  one  nest  with  ten  cgns,  two 
of  which  were  fresh  and  the  other.s  in  various  stages  of  incubation.  The  eggs  are 
pure  glossy  white,  finely  and  sparsely  speckled  with  reddish-brown,  chiefly  at  the 
larger  end.    The  average  size  is  .72x.54  inches. 


716.  OtJADALUFE  ROCK  WREN.  Salpinvtot  iniadelnupinsls  Ridgw.  Geog. 
Dist.— Guadalupe  Island,  Lower  California. 

Mr.  Walter  E.  Bryant  states  that  this  is  undoubtedly  the  most  common  of  the 
birds  on  Guadalupe  Islana,  distributed  from  the  beach  to  the  summit,  but  found  most 
numerous  on  the  upper  and  central  portions.  They  are  first  to  ijtgin  nesting.  A  few 
birds  began  the  construction  of  their  nests  in  December,  and  one  had  her  work  nearly 
completed  on  the  25th  of  December,  188.').  Four  fresh  eggs  were  found  in  It  on  Janu- 
ary 17.  The  breeding  season,  strictly  speaking,  Mr.  Bryant  says,  extends  from  the 
middle  of  January  through  the  month  of  March.  "Nests  were  found  in  cavities  of 
Immense  boulders,  under  rocks,  in  fallen  and  decayed  trunks  of  cypress  trees,  the 
latter  location  being  apparently  a  favorit-  one.  But  wherever  the  nests  were  located 
the  passages  leading  to  them  were,  with  one  or  two  exceptions,  paved  with  flat  peb- 
bles ranging  in  size  from  a  Lima  bean  to  a  half  dollar.  Fully  a  quart  of  these  pebbles 
were  removed  from  the  entrance  to  a  nest  built  in  a  boulder  at  a  height  of  four  feet, 
where,  at  some  previous  time,  other  birds  had  evidently  built'  and  accumulated 
their  share  of  the  pavement.  As  a  rule,  scarcely  an  ordinary  handful  of  stones  is 
used."  The  nest  is  built  to  conform  to  the  size  and  shape  of  the  cavity  which  it 
occupies;  it  is  made  of  fine  dry  grasses  and  lined  with  goat  hair.  The  eggs  are  usually 
four,  though  sqmetlmes  five  In  number,  and  resemble,  both  In  color  and  shape,  those 


fi 


)' ' 


i« 


470 


NESTS  AND  EQGS  OF 


715.  Nest  and  Eggs  of  thb  Rock  Wren.  (From  The  Nidologist.) 
of  the  common  Rock  Wren,  S.  obsoktus.  Set  No.  781  iii  Mr.  Bryant's  collection  meas- 
ures 17x14,  17x14.5,  18x14.5,  18.5x14.5  millime';ers  *  Set  No.  782  measures  in  milli- 
meters, 19x14,  19x14, 19.5x14.5, 19.5x14.5, 19. 5x15. f  The  two  largest  eggs  in  a  series  of 
Sfty-two  specimens  measure  21x15  mm.  and  20x16  mm.  respectively;  the  two  smallest 
17x14  mm.;  average  19x14  mm. J 

[717.]  WHITE-THROATED  WREN.  Catcrpes  mcxicanus  (Swains.)  Geog. 
Dist. — Mexico,  from  Oaxaca  and  Orizaba  northward  on  the  tablelands.  Texas 
(Giraud). 

This  bird  is  similar  to  the  next  form,  but  is  darker  colored  above  and  below,  with 
a  sharper  contrast  of  the  white  throat;  the  white  speckling  mostly  confined  to  the 
back  and  wings.  It  is  common  to  Mexico  and  its  range  extends  to  the  Texan  border. 
In  all  respects  its  habits,  nests  and  eggs  are  indistin^'uishable  from  those  of  C.  m. 
conspcrsus. 

717a.  CANON  WREN.  Cathcrpes  mexicanus  couspcrms  Ridgw.  Geog.  Dist. — 
Great  Basin  and  Rocky  Mountain  region,  from  the  Sierra  Nevada  and  Cascades  eastward 
to  Southern  Idaho,  Wyoming,  Colorado  and  Western  Texas;  south  on  the  tablelands 
of  Mexico  to  Aguas  Calientes.  Breeds  nearly  throughout  its  range;  resident  in  south- 
ern parts  of  its  range  in  U.  S. 

The  rocky  canons  of  the  mountain  regions  throughout  its  range  are  the  home  of 
this  species.  It  is  easily  recognized  by  its  white  throat  and  rich  yellowish-brown 
tail,  and  by  its  notes,— a  peculiar  insect-like  chirp,  and  a  delightful  clear  whistling 


•  .67X.55,    .67X.57.    .71x.57,    .73x.57. 

t  .75X.55,  .;5x.55,  .77x.57,  .77x.65.  .77x.59. 

t  Largest  .83x.59  and  .79x.63;  smallest  .67x.55;  average 


75X.55. 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


471 


8ong.  The  nest  of  the  Canon  Wren  is  generally  built  In  some  deserted  tunnel  or  cave, 
in  holes  in  bluffs,  and  at  times  in  unused  buildings.  It  is  frequently  placed  on  some 
projecting  ledge  or  shelf.  Mr.  H.  D.  Minot  found  a  nest  of  this  bird  containing  five 
fresh  eggs  near  Manitou,  Colorado,  on  June  8,  1880.  It  was  placed  in  the  roof  of  a 
cave,  about  ten  feet  from  the  ground  in  a  niche  or  pocket  with  a  narrow  vertical 
opening.  The  stones  being  broken  away  revealed  the  nest  v/hich  rested  on  the  bottom 
slab.  In  appearance  the  structure  resembled  that  of  the  Eastern  Wood  Pewee,  being 
composed  of  twigs,  stalks,  bits  of  leaves,  thickly  felted  with  down  silk  and  feathers. 
Mr.  Scott  says  that  in  Southern  Arizona  three  broods  are  generally  reared  each  sea- 
son. The  eggs  are  from  four  to  six  in  number.  Mr.  C.  L .  Benners  found  this  species 
nesting  on  the  rocky  side  of  a  dry  river  bed  in  Comal  county,  Texas,  and  on  April  10 
took  a  set  of  Ave  eggs.  The  eggs  are  white,  speckled  wiih  lavender-gray  and  vinace- 
ous-rufous;  in  some  specimens  the  markings  are  chief  y  at  the  larger  ends,  where 
they  oftjn  form  indistinct  wreaths.    The  average  size  is  .72x.53  inches. 

717h.  DOTTED  CANON  WREN.  Catherpcs  mcricatuis  punctulatus  Ridgw. 
Geog.  Dist.— Oregon  and  California,  west  of  the  Cascades  and  Sierra  Nevada,  and 
LiOwer  California. 

The  Dotted  Canon  Wren  is  resident  from  middle  California  southward.  Its 
nests  and  eggs  and  general  habits  are  the  same  as  those  of  C.  m.  conspcrsus. 

718.  CAROLINA  WREN.  Thry'tthorvs  ludoririanus  (hath.)  Geog.  Dist.— East- 
ern United  States  except  Southeastern  Florida  (rare  toward  the  northern  border), 
west  to  the  edge  of  the  Great  Plains;  south  to  gulf  coast,  including  Northeastern 
Mexico.    Rare  in  Southern  New  England. 

A  common  and  well  known  bird  in  the  more  southern  portion  of  its  range,  being 
rare  or  local  north  of  latitude  40°.  It  may  be  found  almost  everywhere,  but  shady 
ravines,  wooded  and  rocky  banks  of  streams,  piles  of  logs  and  brush-heaps  are  its 
favorite  haunts.  The  Carolina  Wren  has  a  loud,  rich  song,  which  it  pours  forth  while 
mounted  on  the  end  of  a  fence  rail,  top  of  a  stump,  or  the  topmost  branch  of  a  tree. 
The  song  is  repeated  most  frequently,  and  with  more  vehemence  during  the  mf.ting 
season,  which  is  early  in  spring.  Breeding  begius  in  the  latter  part  of  March  or 
early  in  April,  and  two,  sometimes  three,  broods  are  roared  in  a  season.  The  typical 
nest  of  this  bird  in  Central  Ohio,  where  it  is  a  common  resident,  is  a  massive,  coarse 
structure,  made  of  strips  of  corn-stalks,  grasses,  hay  and  leaves,  with  an  intermixture 
of  the  silk  of  corn;  the  lining  is  of  chicken  feathers,  fine,  dry  grasses  and  horse  hair. 
The  bird  is  not  particular  as  to  the  situation  of  its  nest.  It  is  found  in  holes  of  trees. 
In  wood-piles,  and  in  low  bushes;  sometimes  in  the  nook  or  corner  of  a  barn;  occasion- 
ally in  a  box,  placed  in  the  verandas  of  dwellings  in  retired  places;  often  under  an  ac- 
cumulation of  brush-wood.  Sometimes  the  nestp  are  arched  over  or  dome-shapedy 
the  opening  being  only  large  enough  to  admit  the  bird.  The  number  of  eggs  lafd 
ranges  from  four  to  six,  and  the  average  size  of  twenty  specimens  is  .74x.61;  a  common 
size  is  .72X.56.  The  ground-color  of  the  eggs  varies  from  a  whitish  to  creamy-white 
or  salmon-buff;  this  is  thickly  sprinkled  with  a  brownish-pink,  and  so  heavily  laid  on 
in  some  specimens  that  the  surface  has  this  same  appearance.  Some,  however  axe 
marked  more  heavily  at  the  larger  end. 

718a.  FLORIDA  WREN.  Thryothoruo  ludovicianus  miamensia  Ridgw.  Geog. 
DIat.— Southern  Florida. 

This  i-ace  of  the  Carolina  Wren  belongs  to  Southern  Florida.  It  is  a  larger  bird 
and  generally  more  deeply  colored  than  T.  ludovManua.  Nesting  and  eggs  indis- 
tinguishable. 


9i 
t 


" 


472 


NESTS  AND  EGOS  OF 


716b.  LOMITA  WREN.  Thryothorus  liidovicianun  lomitensis  Senn.  G«og. 
Dlst— Southeastern  Texas, 

This  is  a  lighter  colored  subspecies  than  the  typical  hidovicianus.  It  inhabits  the 
thickly  timbered  regions  along  the  Rio  Grande  in  Texas.  Mr.  C.  W.  Crandall  has  a 
set  of  flvo  eggs  of  this  bird  collected  by  Mr.  Frank  B.  Armstrong  near  Brownsville, 
Cameron  county,  April  IC,  1893.  The  nest  was  placed  in  the  hole  of  a  tree  about  ten 
feet  from  the  ground.  It  was  composed  of  dry  leaves,  hay  and  feathers.  The  ground- 
color cf  the  er^s  is  similar  to  thai  of  the  eggs  of  T.  hidovicianus;  one  of  the  eggs  being 
whitish,  sprinkled  with  brownish-pink  and  lavender,  forming  a  distinct  ring  around 
the  large  end.  Their  sizes  are  .68y.55,  .74x.57,  .66x.55,  .72x.57,  .73x.55  inches  re- 
spectively. 

719.  BEWICK'S  WBEN.  Thryothorus  bewivkil  (Aud.)  Geog.  Dist.— Eastern 
United  States,  rare  or  local  east  of  the  Alleghanies  and  north  of  40°;  west  to  the  border 
of  the  Great  Plains.     Winters  in  the  more  Southern  States. 

Bewick's  or  the  Long-tailed  House  Wren  is  a  common  species  in  Eastern  United 
States,  particularly  "outherly;  breeding  from  latitude  40°  southward.  In  some  places 
In  the  interior  it  replaces  the  c  mmon  House  Wren.  It  is  not  common  on  the  Atlantic 
coast.  Nests  of  this  bird  are  placed  anywhere — in  boxes,  holes,  fence-posts,  brush- 
heaps,  stumps,  hollow  trees,  barns,  sheds,  etc.  Dr.  Howard  E.  Jones,  who  obtained 
the  first  specimens  of  nests  and  eggs  of  this  species  ever  taken  in  Ohio,  has  the  fol- 
lowing in  his  text  of  the  magnificent  work,  "Illustrations  of  the  Nests  and  Eggs  of  the 
Birds  of  Ohio":  "The  nest  and  eggs  of  Bewick's  Wren  resemble  very  closely  some 
specimens  of  the  House  Wren's  in  size  and  shape,  and,  except  in  size,  approach  even 
closer  to  those  of  the  Great  Carolina  Wren.  The  nest  alone  would  be  difficult  to  dis- 
tinguish from  uncovered  nests  of  T.  wdoii,  but  the  eggs  are  not  nearly  so  <.hickly 
marked.  Normal  specimens  of  each  can  be  always  differentiated.  The  House  Wren, 
however,  sometimes  lays  eggs  very  similar  to  typical  eggs  of  Bewick's  Wrea.  The 
complement  of  eggs  varies  from  four  to  six  or  seven.  They  measure  in  long  ciameter 
from  .60  to  .68,  and  in  short  diameter  from  .48  to  .54.  A  common  size  is  49x.61.  They 
are  spotted  and  spackled  with  reddish-brown,  sparingly  about  the  point,  but  plentiful 
toward  the  crow?),  where  the  marks  are  often  confiuect,  forming  a  wreath  The  deep 
shell-marks  are  purplish." 

719a.  VIGORS'S  WREN.  Thryothorus  bcwickii  spilurus  (Vi,?.)  CTCOg.  Dist.— 
Pacific  coast  region  of  North  America,  southward  to  Lower  CaJturnia  and  Western 
Mexico.     Breeds  nearly  throughout  its  range. 

The  general  habits  and  nests  of  this  subspecies  are  identical  with  those  of 
Bewick's  Wren.  The  eggs  are  white,  finely  speckled  with  chestnut  and  lavender- 
gray.  In  remote  regions  it  frequently  nests  in  crevices  of  ro<;ks.  The  eggs  average 
In  size  .64x.50  inches. 

7196.  BAIRD'S  WREN.  Thryothiinis  heuivlcii  bairdi  (Sal v.  &  Godm.)  Geog. 
Dist. — Southern  Texas,  New  Mexico,  Arizona,  sou.h  to  Southern  Utah,  CoiOi-^do  atid 
Middle  Kansas,  south  into  Mexico.  Breeds  throughout  its  rangj.  Resident  from 
Arizona  and  Kansas  southward. 

This  is  a  common  bird  in  various  parts  of  Southwestern  United  States,  as  in 
Western  and  Southern  Texas,  New  Mexico,  Arizona,  etc.  According  to  the  late  Col. 
Goss,  it  is  not  uncommon  in  Southwestern  Kansas.  It  was  found  common  on  the 
Lower  Rio  Grande  by  Dr.  Merrill  and  Mr.  Sennett.  Mr.  Scott  met  with  it  in  Southern 
Arizona.  The  only  nests  he  found  were  built  in  natural  hollows,  or  deserted  Wood- 
peckers' holes  in  live  oak  trees.    Dr.  Merrill  states  that  this  bird  has  a  great 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


473 


G€Og. 


variety  of  notes,  the  principal  song  being  much  like  that  of  the  Song  Sparrow, 
but  sweeter.  The  nest  of  this  Wren,  besides  being  built  in  Woodpeckers' 
excavations  and  natural  cavities  of  trees,  is  likewise  placed  in  hollow  logs, 
under  brush-heaps,  or  in  any  nook  or  corner  about  a  deserted  building,  and,  when  In 
a  cavity,  the  space  which  it  occupies  is  generally  well  filled  with  roots,  straws  and 
grasses,  lined  with  fur  or  feathers.  The  nest  is  also  frequently  built  among  the  twigs 
of  dense  thorny  bushes.  Two  or  three  broods  are  reared  in  a  season.  The  egirs  are 
usually  five  to  seven  in  number,  white,  speckled  with  chestnut  or  reddish-urown 
and  lavender-gray,  heavier  at  the  larger  ends,  and  massed  there  in  distinct,  broad 
bands.  Three  sets  of  these  eggs  from  Comal  county,  Texas,  are  in  Mr.  Norris' 
cabinet;  two  of  seven  eggs  each  were  taken  April  4  and  25,  respectively;  the  third, 
containing  five  eggs,  was  collected  June  21.  The  sizes  by  sets  in  their  order  are  as 
follows:  .65X.50,  .64x.49,  .64x.49,  .68x.50,  .65x.49,  .63x.48,  .65x.50;  .71x.51,  .71x.50, 
.69X.51,  .71X.51,  .70X.52,  .72x.52,  .71x.52;  .65x.50,  .66x.51,  ,64x.52,  .66x.53,  .67x.52;  average 
.64X.46  inches. 


i  ij 


719.  1.  SAN  CLEMENTE  WBEN.  Thryothorus  leucophrys  Anthony.  Geog. 
Dist. — San  Clemente  Island,  California. 

This  species  is  found  on  San  Clemente  Island,  California.  In  its  habits  it  is 
similar  to  Balrd's  "Wren,  and  its  eggs,  I  am  informed,  are  also  "very  much  the  same 
in  color  and  size."  For  a  description  of  the  bird  Cf.  Anthony,  Auk,  January,  1895, 
p.  52. 


720.     GUADALUPE  WHEN.     Thryothorus  brevuauda  Ridgw, 
Guadalupe  Island,  Lovv'er  California. 

I  believe  the  nests  and  eggs  of  this  bird  remain  undescribed. 


Geog.     Dist. — 


721.  HOUSE  WBEN.  Troglodytes  frdoit  Vieill.  Geog.  Dist.— Eastern  United 
States  and  Southern  Canada,  west  to  the  Mississippi  Valley  (Michigan  to  Louisiana); 
winters  in  southern  portions. 

A  common  and  well-known  bird  in  Eastern  United  States.  It  builds  its  nest 
under  the  eaves  of  houses,  in  corners  of  the  barn,  martin-boxes,  hollows  in  trees,  and, 
in  fact,  they  are  found  nesting  in  every  conceivable  cavity  or  crevice.  The  nest  is 
composed  of  a  mass  of  miscellaneous  rubbish,  sticks,  grasses,  hay  and  other  con- 
venient materials.  If  a  box  or  cavity  holds  a  peck  the  little  birds  will  fill  it  full. 
The  nesting  season  begins  early  in  May,  and  two  or  three  broods  are  generally  reared. 
Mr.  L.  O.  Pindar,  of  Hickman,  Kentucky,  Informs  me  that  he  saw  a  pair  of  these 
birds  nesting  ©n  the  ground  under  the  floor  of  a  barn,  which  was  elevated  four  or  five 
inches,  and  another  pair  had  their  nest  in  a  paper  bag  full  of  hops,  hanging  in  a 
neighbor's  porch.  It  has  been  found  nesting  in  the  skulls  of  horses  and  oxen  lying 
in  grassy  fields.  Mr.  George  B.  Sennett  and  Dr.  B.  H.  Warren  found  a  pair  breeding 
in  a  Kingfisher's  hole  in  a  sand-bank,  near  Erie,  Pennsylvania.  August  1,  1888.  The 
eggs  are  white,  with  a  light  tinge  of  purple,  so  thickly  dotted  with  reddish-brown  as 
to  nearly  conceal  the  groun'd-color;  they  are  nearly  spherical  to  oblong-oval  in  shape. 
The  eggs  are  usually  seven,  sometimes  nine,  measuring  .64x.52,  with  great  variations 
in  this  respect. 

721a.  FABKMAN'S  WBEN.  Troglodytes  wdoii  parknmnii  (Arid.)  Geog.  Dist.— 
Pacific  coast  region  of  British  Columbia,  Washington,  Oregon  and  Northern  Cali- 
fornia, 


if 


f 


474 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


721.    HousB  Wren  (From  Beal.) 

The  nesting,  eggs  and  entire  general  liabits  of  T.  o.  parkmanii  correspond  exactly 
with  those  of  the  House  Wren  of  the  East.  Mr.  Walter  E.  Bryant  states  that  Park- 
man's  Wren  has  been  known  to  build  in  the  skull  of  a  horse,  which  had  been  placed 
in  a  fruit  tree,  in  the  nests  of  Cliff  Swallows,  and  within  an  old  shoe  lodged  in  a  tree. 


7216.  WESTERN  HOUSE  WREN.  Troglodytes  wdon  parkmanii  Baird.  Geog. 
Dist. — Western  United  States,  except  the  Pacific  coast,  east  to  Manitoba,  south  into 
Mexico. 

A  smaller  and  paler  form  than  the  last;  habits  and  eggs  indistinguishable. 

722.  WINTER  WREN.  Troglodytes  hicmalis  Vieill.  Geog.  Dist.— Eastern 
North  America,  breeding  from  northern  border  of  the  United  States  northward;  win- 
tering from  its  southern  breeding  limit  southward. 

The  Winter  Wren  breeds  from  Northern  United  States  northward.  A  number 
of  records  are  at  hand  of  its  breeding  in  Southern  New  York,  in  Maine,  New  Hamp- 
shire and  Vermont.  The  late  Dr.  Wheaton  took  young  birds  of  this  species  in 
Central  Ohio  whose  plumage  indicated  they  had  shortly  left  the  nest.  He  was  of  the 
opinion  that  the  bird  breeds  in  Northern  Ohio.  Mr.  Mcllwraith  states  that  a  few  re- 
main to  breed  in  suitable  places  throughout  Ontario.  Mr.  Wm.  L.  Kells  found  it 
breeding  in  wet  woods  of  Central  Ontario,  nesting  in  cavities  in.  the  roots  of  upturned 
trees.  .While  the  general  habits  of  this  bird  are  much  like  those  of  the  House  Wren, 
Its  song,  from  all  accounts,  during  the  breeding  season,  is  entirely  different— "a  soul 
vibrating,  gushing  melody,  which  calls  forth  the  sweetest  woodland  echoes."  The 
nest  of  this  diminutive  Wren  is  placed  in  hollows  of  low  stumps  in  wet  places,  in 
crevices  of  unoccupied  buildings,  in  the  tangled  piles  of  fallen  trees  and  branches.  It 
is  composed  of  small  twigs  with  moss  and  leaves  interwoven,  nnd  warmly  lined  with 
feathers  of  hawks,  crows,  grouse,  or  any  that  are  at  hand.  The  eggs  are  laid  as  early 
as  the  middle  of  May  or  in  June,  and  two  broods  are  reared.  Mr.  Kells  saysi  that  the 
birds  will  at  once  forsake  a  nest  ihat  has  been  touched  by  human  hand.  The  eggs 
are  four,  five,  or  six  in  number,  clear  white  in  ground  coloi ,  spotted  with  reddish- 
brown  and  purple,  chiefly  at  the  larger  ends.    Average  size  .69x.49. 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDIE. 


475 


722a.  WESTERN  WINTER  WREN.  Troglndytrs  hinnalis  paciftcus  Balrd. 
Geog.  DIst. — Pacific  coast  region  from  Sitka  to  Southern  California;  south  in  winter 
to  Western  Mexico;  east  to  Eastern  Oregon,  Nevada,  etc. 

This  subspecies  breeds  from  the  southern  coast  ranges  of  California  north  to 
Sitka.    Habits,  nesting  and  eggs  like  those  of  T.  hicmaUs  of  the  East.     Eggs  .60x.48. 

723.  ALASKAN  WREN.  Troglodyten  alnscensls  Balrd.  Geog.  DIst.— Aleutian 
and  Prlbilof  Islands,  Alaska. 

"In  a  small  collection  of  birds'  skins,  nests  and 
eggs  recently  acquired  by  the  Museum  of  Comparative 
Zoology,  collected  at  the  Prlbilof  Islands,  Alaska,  is 
the  nest  and  two  eggs  of  the  Alaskan  Wren  (Troglo- 
dytes porviihiB  var.  alas(;v)isis),  which  are  believed  to 
be  the  first  ever  seen  by  Naturalists.  The  nest  Is 
quite  large  and  very  compactly  built,  being  composed 
externally  of  fine  moss  of  a  bright  green  color,  inter- 
woven with  fine  roots,  and  lined  heavily  with  hair  and 
feathers.  Conspicuous  among  the  latter  are  the  rosy- 
tipped  feathers  of  the  Leucosticte  grtseiuucha.  The 
hairs  are  rather  coarse  and  white,  three  to  four  inches 
in  length,  and  appear  to  be  hairs  of  the  Polar  bear. 
The  nest  was  obtained  in  June,  1876,  on  St.  Georgo 
Island,  by  Axr.  W.  J.  Mclntyre,  to  whom  It  was  brought  723.  Alaskan  Wren  (From  Turner.) 
by  a  native.  It  Is  said  to  have  been  placed  deep  down  in  the  crevices  of  large  rocks, 
And  to  have  originally  contained  twelve  eggs,  all  but  two  of  which  were  broken  be- 
fore they  came  into  Mr.  Mclntyre's  possession.  These  measure,  respectively,  .68  by 
.51  and  .60  by  .50.  Their  general  color  is  dull  white,  with  a  very  few  minute  dots  of 
reddish,  so  few  and  small  as  to  be  easily  overlooked."— J.  A.  Allen,  Bull.  Nutt.  Orn. 
Club,  July,  1877,  p.  82. 

724.  SHORT-BILLED  MARSH  WREN.  Cistotltoriis  stellaris  (LIcht.)  Geog. 
DIst. — Eastern  United  States  and  Southern  British  Provinces,  west  to  the  Great 
Plains.  Winters  In  the  Gulf  States  and 
southward. 

The  reedy  swamps,  fresh  water 
marshes  and  meadows  of  Eastern 
United  States  are  the  summer  home  of 
the  Short-billed  Marsh  Wren.  Breeds 
abundantly  In  Western  Manitoba,  and 
occasionally  in  the  southern  portions  of 
its  range,  but  chiefly  north  of  latitude 
40°.  The  late  Colonel  Goss  states  that 
t  possibly  breeds  in  Kansas  and  Messrs. 
Keyes  and  Williams  give  it  as  a  rather 
common  summer  resident  of  Iowa.  Dr. 
Agersborg  has  recorded  It  as  a  rare 
breeder  in  Southeastern  Dakota.  The 
Short-billed  Marsh  Wren  Is  a  summer 
•esident  of  Ohio,  but  here,  as  is  the  case 
elsewhere,  it  ^2  not  so  abundant  as  the 
Long-billed  species.  The  nest  cor- 
•esponds  to  that  of  the  Long-billed,  but 
no  mud  is  used  in  its  construction.  It 
Is  built  in  the  midst  of  a  tussock  of 
^arse,  high  grass,  the  tops  of  which  are 
ingeniously  interwoven  into  a  coarse 
•nd  strong  covering,  spherical  in  shape, 
and  closed  on  every  side,  except  one 
small  aperture  left  for  entrance.  The 
itrong,  wiry  grass  of  the  tussock  is  also  m.  SHORT-Biti.«o  Marsh  Wren  and  Nest  (Cheney  del.; 


476 


.v/;n7'.s'  .IA7>  /vY/r;.s'  of 


*i 


V. 


Interwoven  with  fUier  materiab,  making  tiie  wliole  impervious  to  the  weather.  Tho 
inner  nest  is  composed  cf  grasses  and  fine  sedges,  lined  with  soft  vegetable  down. 
Several  nests  are  frequenUy  built  by  a  single  pair  of  birds,  but  not  more  than  one  in 
used.  The  eggs  are  si:c  to  eight  in  number,  are  pure  white,  unmarked  and  average 
.64X.50. 

723.     LONG-BILLED  MABSH  WHEN.     Cistothorus  palustris  (Wlls.)     Geo^. 
Dist. — Eastern  United  States  and  British  Provinces,  wintering  in  the  Gulf  States. 

'■mmhr^mmm  ^^^  Long-bllled  Marsh  Wren 

^-  ^  t  is  a  common  species  in  swampy 
places  and  salt  marshes  through- 
out Eastern  United  States,  where 
it  breeds  in  colonies  of  greater  or 
less  extent.  The  nest  is  globular, 
or  somewhat  the  shape  of  a  co- 
coanut,  very  conspicuous  by  its 
bulk  and  its  exposed  position.  It 
is  built  of  grasses  and  reels 
closely  interwoven  and  of t' n 
plastered  with  mud,  securely  ias- 
tened  to  the  upright swayingreeds 
or  cat-tails;  it  is  lined  with  fine 
grasses,  has  a  hole  on  one  side, 
sometimes  nearer  the  bottom  than 
thetop.  Asinglepairofthesebirds 
will  often  build  several^  nests, 
only  one  of  which  is  ever  used. 
The  eggs  range  from  five  to  nine 
in  number,  usually  five  or  six; 
they  are  very  dark  colored,  being 
so  thickly  marked  with  brown  as 
to  appear  of  a  uniform  chocolate 
color;  average  size  .64x.45,  with 
considerable  variation. 

725a.  TULE  WBEN.  Cis- 
tothorus paltistris  paludicolaBsiird. 
Geog.  Dist.  —  Western  United 
States,  east  to  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains, south  to  Northern  Central 
America  (Guatemala). 

The  nesting  and  eggs  of  this 
Western  form  of  the  Long-billed 
Marsh  Wren  are  the  same  as 
those  of  C.  palustris  of  the  East- 
ern States.  It  nests  more  gen- 
erally among  the  tules,  more 
rarely  among  the  flags.  Mr.  Bry- 
ant makes  note  of  a  nest  found 
in    California    which    contained 

725.     Long-billed  Maksh   Wren  (From  The  Osprey  )  eggS   and    was    WOVen   among   the 

almost  leafless  branches  of  a  young  willow,  five  feet  above  a  fresh  water  marsh. 
The  false  nests  were  built  as  usual,  but  in  the  coarse  grass  near  by. 

725.       WORTHINOTON'S   MARSH  WHEN.       Cistothorus  palustris  griseus 
Brewst.     Geog.  Dist.— Coast  region  of  South  Carolina  and  Georgia. 


ris  griseus 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


477 


I  have  no  positive  knowledge  concerning  the  nests  and  eggs  ot  this  n^m  variety 
of  Marsh  Wren,  but  they  probably  do  not  differ  essentially  from  those  of  C.  palustris. 

725.  1.  MABIAN'S  MABSH  WBEX.  Cistotliorus  niiirianw  Scott.  Geog. 
Dlst.— Western  Florida. 

This  species  Is  named  in  honor  of  Mrs.  Marian  J.  Scott,  wife  of  the  eminent 
ornithologist  and  naturalist,  Dr.  W.  E.  D.  Scott,  so  frequently  quoted  in  this  work. 
A  series  of  fourteen  specimens  from  which  the  types  were  selected  were  taken  at 
Tarpon  Springs,  Florida,  in  ISSS.*  These  are  now  in  the  American  Museum  of 
Natural  History,  New  York  City. 

726.  BBOWN  CBEEPEB.  Ccrthia  familiaria  americana  (Bonap.)  Geog.  Dist.— 
Eastern  North  America,  breeding  from  northern  border  of  United  States  northward, 
and  in  higher  mountain  districts. 


The  Little  Brown  Creeper  breeds  from  the  northern  border  of  the  United  States 
northward,  and  is  seen  in  most  of  its  United  States  range  during  the  fall,  winter,  and 
early  spring.  A  resident  throughout  New  England,  but  more  abundant  in  the  north- 
ern portion.  Mr.  Wm.  Brewster  has  given  us  the  best  account  of  the  breeding  habits 
of  this  bird  in  the  heavy  timbered  region  bordering  on  Lake  Umbagog,  Western 
Maine.f  The  nest  of  the  Brown  Creeper  is  built  behind  loose  bark  of  dead  tree- 
trunks  or  stumps.    All  of  the  nests  examined  by  Mr.  Brewster  were  similar  in  con-- 


♦  For  a  description  of  this  bird  C/.    Auk,  V.  April,  1888,  p.  188. 
t  C/.    Bull.  Nutt.  Ornlth.  Club,  IV,  pp.  199-209. 


;|i 

1 

1 

478 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


■truction,  and  the  sites  chosen  were  of  a  uniform  character.  la  every  Instance  the 
nest  was  placed  in  a  balsam  fir,  though  spruce,  birch,  or  elm  stubs  were  more 
numerous.  Within  the  loose  scale  of  bark  was  crammed  a  mass  of  twigs  and  other 
rubbish;  upon  this  was  the  finer  bark  of  various  trees,  with  an  intermixture  of  a 
little  uanea  moss  and  a  number  of  spiders'  cocoons.  Mr.  Brewster  obtained  eggs  from 
the  31st  of  May  to  Juno  23.  The  eggs  are  five  to  eight  in  number,  white  or  creamy- 
white,  speckled  or  spotted  with  hazel  or  reddish-brown,  chiefly  at  or  around  the  larger 
end,  often  in  the  form  of  wreatLj.  A  set  of  six  eggs  in  Mr.  Norris'  cabinet  collected 
by  Mr.  Brewster  in  Oxford  county,  Maine,  June  5,  1879,  exhibits  the  following  sizes: 
.58x.46,.58x.45,  .57x.45,  .57x.45,.58x.46,  .57x.46.  A  set  of  six  taken  in  Buncombe  county, 
North  Carolina,  May  2,  1888,  measures  .59x.45,  .58x.46,  .57x.44,  .56x.45,  .58x.45.  Sev- 
eral other  sets  in  the  same  cabinet  show  great  variation.  The  average  size  la 
,59x.47. 

7260.  MEXICAN  CREEPER.  Certhia  familiar  Is  mexicana  (Glog.)  Oeog. 
Dist. — Northern  Central  America  (Guatemala),  Mexico,  and  Southern  Arizona. 

No  reliable  information  is  at  hand  regarding  the  nidiflcation  of  this  Mexican 
form  of  the  Creeper  which  is,  doubtless,  similar  to  that  of  C.  f.  americana. 

726b.  ROCKY  MOUNTAIN  CREEPER.  Certhia  familiaris  montana  Ridgw. 
Geog.  Dlst. — Rocky  Mountain  district,  north  to  Alaska;  west  to  Nevada,  etc.    Rldgw. 

The  nesting  and  eggs  of  this  form  are  like  those  of  the  Brown  Creeper  of  the 
Eastern  States.    Prof.  Ridgway  gives  the  average  size  of  the  eggo  as  .59x.46. 


bif 


726c.  CALIFORNIA  CREEPER.  Certhia  familiaris  occidentalis  Rldgw.  Geog. 
Dist. — Pacific  coast  region  of  North  America  from  California  to  Southern  Alaska. 

This  race  of  the  Creeper  is  confined  to  the  Pacific  coast  region.  Dr.  Merrill  met 
with  It  In  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Klamath,  Oregon,  and  states  that  in  no  part  of  the 
West  did  he  find  it  so  abundant  as  there.  Several  pairs  bred  in  the  immediate  vl- 
elclnlty  of  the  Fort,  and  during  the  winter  several  of  their  characteristic  nests  were 
found  hidden  by  loosened  scales  of  bark,  usually  on  pines,  but  once  or  twice  on 
aspens.     The  eggs,  according  to  Mr.  Ridgway,  average  .61x.48  inches. 

727.  WHITE-BREASTED  NUTHATCH.  Sitta  carolinensis  Lath.  Geog. 
Dist. — Eastern  United  States  and  British  Provinces. 

The  White-breasted  Nuthatch  is  often  Improperly  called  "Sapsucker,"  a  name 
commonly  applied  to  the  Downy  Woodpecker  and  others.  Nearly  every  person  read- 
ily recognizes  this  black-capped  species  as  it  runs  up  and  down  and  around  the 
branches  and  trunks  of  trees  in  search  of  insect  food,  now  and  then  uttering  its 
curious  quajtk,  quavk,  quank.  It  is  a  common  breeding  bird  throughout  its  range 
and  usually  begins  nesting  early  in  April.  Two  broods  are  not  infrequently 
reared  in  a  season.  This  species  usually  selects  for  its  nesting  place  the  decayed 
trunk  of  a  tree  or  stub,  ranging  all  the  way  from  two  to  sixty  feet  above  the  ground. 
The  entrance  may  be  a  knot-hole,  a  small  opening,  or  a  round  perforation  Is  con- 
Scructed  and  a  cavity  within  in  which  the  nest  is  made.  Often  the  old  excavation  of 
the  Downy  Woodpecker  is  made  use  or.  The  nest  is  composed  of  chicken  feathers, 
hair,  and  a  few  dry  leaves  loosely  thrown  together.  The  eggs  are  five  to  eight  In 
number,  rarely  nine  and  ten;  their  usual  shape  is  somewhat  long  and  pointed.  They 
are  white  with  a  roseate  tinge,  speckled  or  spotted  with  reddish-brown  and  a  slight 
tinge  of  purple.  The  markings  as  a  rule  are  thickest  near  the  larger  ends.  Tht 
average  size  of  ten  specimens  is  .77x.56. 


NORTH  AMEUIVAN  lilHDS. 


479 


727a.  SLENDEB-BILLED  NUTHATCH.  .S///M  caroUnenala  aculeata  (CasB.) 
O«og.  Dist.— Western  United  States  east  to  and  including  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
south  into  Mexico. 

This  bird  is  similar  to  the  last  but  has  a  longer  and  slenderer  bill.  It  is  abundant 
in  the  wooded  and  mountainous  regions  of  the  West,  replacing  .S'.  caroliucnsia.  It 
possesses  the  same  characteristic  habits  of  the  White-breasted  Nuthatch  of  the 
Eastern  States,  nesting  also  in  a  like  manner.  Mr.  W.  O.  Emerson  states  that  it 
breeds  in  all  the  coast  range  valleys  of  California,  wherever  there  is  plenty  of  white 
and  black  oak  timber,  and  also  high  up  in  the  Sierras.  The  nests  are  built  in 
cavities  or  knot-holes  of  trees  and  stumps,  composed  of  feathers  and  sometimes 
mostly  of  rabbit's  fur.  Six  or  seven  eggs  are  usually  laid;  they  are  creamy-white 
speckled  with  reddish-brown  and  hazel.  The  late  Col.  B.  F.  Goss  had  a  set  of  seven 
eggs  in  his  extensive  collection  which  he  took  from  a  hole  in  a  tree  seven  feet  from  the 
ground,  in  Southern  California,  May  7,  1884.  These  measure  respectively,  .75x.57, 
.76X.53,  .74X.53,  .74x.53.  .73x.57.  .78x.54.  .71x.57,  .72x.56. 

7276.  FLOBIDA  WHITE-BREA<'TED  NUTHATCH.  8iUa  carolinenais  at- 
kinsi  Scott.  Geog.  Dist. — Florida,  and  northward  along  the  coast  to  South  Caro- 
lina. 

The  habits,  nests  and  eggs  of  this  race  are  identical  with  those  of  8.  carolinenais. 

728.  BED-BBEASTED  NUTHATCH.     Sitla  canadeuais  Linn.     Geog.  Dist.- 
Whole  of  North  America,  breeding  chiefly  north  of  the  United  States,  except  in  west- 
ern mountainous  regions;  Eastern  United  States  chiefly  in  winter. 

This  is  a  common  bird  throughout  North  America,  breeding  from  Northern 
United  States  northward.  Its  habits  are  essentially  the  same  as  those  of  S.  caro- 
linenais. Mr.  Manly  Hardy  has  written  a  good  account  of  this  bird's  breeding  habits 
in  Maine.*  He  found  them  nesting  in  white  birch  and  poplar  stubs,  usually  from 
ten  to  fifteen  feet,  and  sometimes  as  low  down  as  four  feet  above  the  ground.  In 
making  the  entrance  to  the  nest  cavity  proper,  the  birds  perforate  the  bark  in  a 
circle  with  smaller  holes,  and  then  take  out  the  center  piece.  A  strange  fact  con- 
cerning the  nests  found  by  Mr.  Hardy  and  others,  is  that  the  bark  at  their  entrance 
is  coated  with  fir  balsam  or  pitch  from  an  inch  to  three  or  four  inches  around  the 
hole.  In  one  instance  the  pitch  extended  down  for  twenty-one  inches,  and  was 
stuck  full  of  the  red  breast-feathers  of  the  Nuthatches.  The  cavities  are  about  four 
inches  deep,  in  which  the  nest  is  made  of  fine  grass.  The  eggs,  four  to  six  in  num- 
ber, are  very  thickly  spotted  with  reddis'a-brown.    Average  size  .60x.50. 

729.  BBOWN-HEADED  NUTHATCH.  Sitta  puaiHa  Lath.  Geog.  Dist.— 
South  Atlantic  and  Gulf  States,  north  regularly  to  Southern  Maryland  and  Virginia, 
casually  to  Ohio,  Michigan,  Missouri,  etc. 

The  home  of  the  Brown-headed  Nuthatch  is  in  the  South  Atlantic  and  Gulf 
States,  where  it  is  a  common  breeder.  Its  habits  are  generic.  Mr.  Arthur  T.  Wayne 
states  that  in  South  Carolina  the  Brown-headed  Nuthatch  pairs  in  the  latter  part  of 
January,  and  the  birds  begin  to  excavate  a  hole  in  a  dead  stump  or  limb  of  a  tree, 
usually  not  more  than  a  few  feet  or  inches  from  the  ground,  and,  again,  as  higlx  as 
forty  or  fifty  feet.  Eggs  may  be  obtained  in  March  as  four  or  five  weeks  are  required 
to  complete  the  excavation.    Mr.  George  Noble  informs  me  that  he  found  a  nest  of 


•  Bull.  Nutt.  Ornith.  Club.  Ill,  D.  106. 


480 


NESra  AND  Eoas  OF 


4  «  European  Nuthatch,  Sittacieia;  in  cut  resembling  our  Brown-headed  Nut'iiatcb.    (Prom  Brebm.) 


this  species  in  the  cavity  of  a  stump  in  a  pond.  It  was  two  feet  from  the  surface  of 
the  waten  Mr.  C.  S.  Brimley  found  eggs  of  this  species  near  Raleigli,  North  Carolina, 
in  the  month  of  April.  Mr.  Wayne  says  that  the  birds  dig  several  holes  before  a 
satisfactory  one  is  completed  for  the  nest.  The  cavity  extends  downward  from  eight 
to  twelv?  inches,  and  is  filled  with  short  pieces  of  grass,  bits  of  cotton,  wool,  feathers, 
and  the  leaf-like  substance  of  "pine  seed  leaves."  The  eggs  are  five  or  six  in  num- 
ber. The  ground-color  varies  from  white  through  creamy-white,  to  a  dull  white,  and 
the  markings  are  several  shades  of  reddish-brown  and  lavender-gray.  The  average 
size  is  .62X.49. 


^ 


i 
1 


730.  PYGMY  NUTHATCH.  Sitta  pygmtra  Vig.  Geog.  Dist.— Western  United 
States  east  to  and  including  the  Rocky  Mountains;  from  the  northern  boundary 
aouth  into  mountainous  districts  of  Mexico. 

This  diminutive  Nuthatch  is  found  throughout  Western  United  States  from  the 
Rocky  Mountains  to  the  Pacific.  It  is  abundant,  chiefly  in  pine  woods  in  mountain- 
ous districts,  nesting  like  the  rest  of  the  genus  in  holes  of  trees.  Mr.  Charles  F. 
Morrison  gives  it  as  a  common  species  of  La  Plata  county,  Colorado,  and  is  resident 
up  to  10,000  feet;  breeds  abundantly,  but  the  nest  is  hard  to  find.  The  eggs  are  from 
six  to  nine  in  number.  They  are  crystalline  white,  speckled  more  or  less  thickly 
with  brick-red,  varying  in  intensity  in  different  specimens.  The  average  size  of 
eighteen  specimens  is  .54x.44  inches. 


NORTH  AMElilVAN  UIKDS. 


48t 


730(i.    WHITB-NAPED    NUTHATCH.     SItta   pyomtpa    leneomtclm   Anthony. 
Oeog.  Dist. — San  Pedro  Mountains,  Lower  Cnllfornia. 

^''     The  nesting  habits  and  eggs  of  this  race  are  the  same  as  those  of  the  last 
species. 


731.  TUFTED  TITMOUSE.  Parus  bicolor  Linn.  Oeog.  Dist.— Eastern  United 
States  to  the  Plains,  north  to  Northern  New  Jersey  and  Southern  Iowa;  casual  in 
Southern  New  England.    Resident  throughout  its  breeding  range. 

The  Tufted  Titmouse  is  an  abundant  resident  in  Eastern  United  States,  as  far 
west  as  Eastern  Kansas,  and,  chiefly,  howe  ;er,  south  of  40°.  Its  clear,  loud  whistling 
song  may  occasionally  be  heard  in  sunny  days  through  the  winter  months,  but  par- 
ticularly in  the  early  spring— in  March,  the  mating  season,  for  nesting  usually  be- 
gins early  in  April.    Deserted  Woodpecker  excavations,  natural  cavities  of  trees,  or 


.      .  731.    Tufted  Titmouse  (E.  S.Cheney  del.)  '^ 

those  in  stubs  in  deep  or  open  woods  are  the  favorite  nesting  sites  of  the  Tufted 
Titmouse.  In  these  cavities  the  nest  is  formed  of  a  mass  of  leaves,  moss,  corn- 
stalks, soft,  fibrous  bark-strips,  and  the  hair  of  cattle;  this  Is  all  carried  to  the  nesting 
place  in  great  mouthsful  by  the  female  bird.  She  has  often  been  accused  of  picking 
to  pieces  and  carrying  away  the  moss  from  hanging  baskets  suspended  on  porches. 
Mr.  O.  C.  Poling  found  a  neat  of  this  bird  containing  five  eggs  In  a  box  near  a  ruined 
building,  in  the  vicinity  of  Quincy,  Illinois.  From  five  to  eight  eggs  are  deposited, 
five  or  six  being  the  usual  numbers.  I  have  taken  three  sets  in  Central  Ohio,  all 
containing  six  eggs.  They  are  of  a  pure  white  or  light  cream  ground-color,  which 
is  profusely  speckled  and  spotted  with  different  shades  of  reddish-brown.  Eight 
specimens,  selected  on  account  of  their  sizes,  measure  .67x.52,  .67x.51,  .69x.52,  .71x.51, 

32 


432 


NESTS  AND  EUtIS  OF 


I 


f 


.74X.53,  .76X.54,  .78x.54,  .80x.56;  a  common  size  iu  .74x.62  Inches.  The  Tufted  Tlt- 
mouBo  will  frequently  nest  in  bones  that  are  put  up  In  the  woods  for  that  purpose. 
The  blrdn  {.re  close  sitters,  and  often  have  to  be  lifted  from  the  nest  before  the  eggH 
can  be  secured. 


73 In.  TEXAN  TUFTED  TITMOUSE.  Parus  blcolor  trxcnsis  Senn.  Oeog. 
Dlst.— Southeaatern  Texas  (Bee  and  Cameron  counties). 

This  race  of  the  Tufted  Titmouse  was  first  described  by  Mr.  George  B.  Sennett 
from  specimens  taken  In  Bee  county,  Texas.  Its  general  color  Is  paler  than  that  of 
/'.  blcolor.  Its  nesting  end  eggs  are  Indistinguishable  from  those  cf  the  northern 
bird. 


732.  BLACK-CBfiSTED  TITMOUSE.  Parua  atrlcrlatatus  Cass.  Oeog.  Dlst.— 
Eastern  Mexico,  north  into  Southern  Texas. 

An  Inhabitant  oi  Southern  Texas  and  southward  into  Eastern  Mexico.  Mr. 
William  Lloyd  states  that  this  species  Is  a  tolerably  common  resident  in  Concho 
and  Tom  Green  counties,  Texas,  and  from  thence  to  El  Paso  Is  the  prevailing  spe- 
cies. Nests  were  found  In  old  Woodpecker  holes  April  15,  18  and  20.  On  the  Lower 
Rio  Grande  the  Black-crested  Titmouse  was  found  to  be  common  by  Dr.  James  C. 
Merrill  and  Mr.  George  B.  Sennett,  where  nests  containing  eggs  were  found  In  April. 
Besides  old  Woodpeckers'  excavations,  the  nesting  sites  chosen  are  hollows  or 
deep  cracks  In  tree  trunks.  The  nest  Is  composed  of  grasses,  inner  bark,  feathers, 
moss  and  wool,  and,  like  the  nest  of  the  Blue  Grosbeak,  It  almost  Invariably  contain  t 
pieces  of  snakeskln.  The  eggs  are  usually  five  or  six  In  number,  with  a  clear, 
white  ground-color,  and  small  spots  of  chestnut  sparsely  scattered  over  the  surface; 
In  other  specimens  the  markings  are  larger  and  more  closely  disposed  over  the  shell. 
They  can  be  distinguished  at  a  glance  from  those  of  L.  hirolor.  The  spots  on  the 
eggs  of  L.  atrkristatiis  are  fewer  and  i  jre  scattered  than  on  those  of  blcolor.  The 
average  size  of  a  set  of  six  eggs  Is  .67x.54  Inches. 


733.  PLAIN  TITMOUSE.  Paru8  inornatus  Gamb.  Oeog.  Dlst.— Pacific  coast 
of  ^;allfornla  to  Oregon. 

The  Plain  or  Western  Tufted  Titmouse  Is  resident  along  the  coast  of  California. 
In  some  localities  It  Is  common,  and  In  others,  apparently  as  well  suited  to  Its  mode 
of  living,  It  Is  scarce  or  wanting.  The  nesting  sites  are  the  hollows  of  limbs,  usually 
In  oaks.  Mr.  Walter  E.  Bryant,  of  Oakland,  California,  found  a  nest  of  this  species 
placed  In  the  ventilator  of  an  outbuilding.  The  shape  of  the  nest  conforms  to  the 
character  of  the  cavity  in  which  It  Is  built;  this  Is  filled  with  fine  grasses,  feathers, 
cow's  hair,  rabbit's  fur,  moss,  and  almost  any  soft  substance  that  Is  available.  Mr. 
H.  R,  Taylor,  of  Alameda,  California,  observes  that  the  birds  begin  to  construct 
their  nests  as  early  as  March  7,  and  the  selection  of  a  hole  well  sheltered  from  the 
rain  Is  a  very  necessary  precaution.  From  all  accounts  the  bird  Is  a  close  sitter; 
•e>  sn  when  a  stick  Is  thrust  Into  the  nest  cavity  It  Is  met  with  a  vigorous  resistance; 
ana  the  bird,  if  taken  from  the  jiest  and  tossed  into  the  air,  will  often  return  im- 
mediately and  settle  down  on  tke  eggs  in  presence  6t  the  collector.  Under  these 
circumstances  ono  or  more  of  the  «ggs  are  frequently  broken  or  injured  by  the  bird's 
claws  as  she  Is  being  removed  from  the  nest.  The  eggs  are  five  or  eight  in  number, 
and  may  be  plain  white  or  spotted.    Mr.  Frank  B.  Webster  has  kindly  sent  me  six 


NORTH  .{.MKItlCiS  lilRltS. 


483 


eggs  of  this  speclcB,  showing  their  extreme  variations.  Three  of  these  are  pure 
white,  unmarked;  the  fourth  la  very  obscurely  marked  witii  rcildiHh  Hpocks  at  the 
larger  end,  while  the  fifth  is  dlHtlnctly  speckled  over  the  entire  nurface  with  vinace- 
ous  cinnamon,  but  chiefly  at  tho  larger  end;  the  sixth  Is  marked  generally  over  the 
entire  shell.  These  variations  may  exist  in  the  eggs  of  u  single  set,  but  usually  the 
specimens  In  sets  ore  of  one  type  or  the  other — plain  white  or  speckled.  The  sizes 
of  the  six  eggs  Just  described  are  .68x.49.  .69x.53.  .71x.Gl,  .72x.54,  .73x.53,  .74x.53. 


733«.  ORAT  TITMOUSE.  I'aruit  innniatuH  tti'lMnin  Ridgw.  Oeog.  Dist.— New 
Mexico  and  Colorado  to  Arizona,  Nevada  and  California  east  of  the  Sierra  Nevada. 

I  have  no  information  regarding  the  nidiflcation  of  this  variety  of  Parua  In- 
onmtiiB.    Their  nesting  habits,  however,  can  differ  but  little  if  any. 

733h.  ASHY  TITMOUSE.  Pnriis  (nornatus  viurrareus  Ridgw.  Oeog.  Dist.— 
Lower  California. 

There  appears  to  be  nothing  published  regarding  the  nidiflcation  of  this  Tit- 
mouse of  Lower  California. 


734.  BBIDLED  TITMOUSE.  Parua  uollirehni  (Bonap.)  Oeog.  Dist.— West- 
ern Texas,  Southern  New  Mexico  and  Sotithern  Arizona,  south  into  Mexico. 

Mr.  W.  E.  D.  Scott  found  this  Titmouse  to  be  a  rather  common  resident  in  the 
evergreen  oak  region  of  both  the  Pinal  and  Santa  Catalina  Mountolna  of  Arizona. 
It  is  gregarious,  except  during  the  breeding  season,  going  about  in  small  companies. 
It  was  frequently  found,  especially  in  the  fall  and  winter  months,  associated  with 
flocks  of  the  Plumbeous  Bush-tit  (Psaltrlpani})  phimhifs)  and  a  pair  or  more  of  Ari- 
zona Woodpeckers  (Drynhatcs  Arizona)  are  generally  found  in  the  band.  He  observes 
that  the  Bridlea  Titmouse  is  as  unsuspicious  and  as  fond  of  the  society  of  man  as  the 
Black-capped  Titmouse  (Parun  atrirapllhi/<).  On  two  occasions  he  discovered  it 
breeding,  the  nests  being  located  in  natural  cavities  of  live  oaks,  close  to  his  house. 
The  first  was  found  May  9,  1884,  which  was  in  a  cavity  termed  by  decay,  in  an  oak 
stump;  the  opening,  which  was  a  small  knot  hole  where  the  branch  had  been  broken 
off,  was  about  three  and  a  half  feet  from  the  ground.  The  hollow  was  lined  with 
Cottonwood  down,  the  fronds  cf  some  small  rock-ferns,  and  bits  of  cotton-waste  that 
had  been  used  to  clean  the  machinery  of  a  mill  near  by.  The  nest  contained  three 
pure  white,  unspotted  eggs,  with  a  pinkish  tinge  before  being  blown.  Two  of  these 
were  accidentally  broken;  the  unbroken  one  measures  .63x.48.  Another  nest  was 
found  May  9, 1885,  in  a  similar  location,  some  six  feet  from  the  ground.  In  addition 
to  the  material  of  the  nest  already  mentioned,  there  were  decayed  grasses  and 
rabbit's  fur.  This  nect  contained  four  young  just  hatched  and  two  eggs,  similar  to 
the  last  in  color — plain,  dead  white,  and  measure  .65x.51,  .67x.53.  The  eggs  are  said 
to  range  from  five  to  seven  in  number. 


736.  CHICKADEE.  Parus  atricapiUus  Linn.  Oeog.  Dist.— Eastern  North 
America,  chiefly  north  of  40°,  west  to  the  Plains. 

The  little  Black-capped  Chickadee  or  Titmouse  is  an  abundant  species  in  East- 
ern United  States,  north  of  the  Potomac  and  Ohio  Valleys.  The  usual  nesting  time 
is  about  the  middle  of  April.    The  late  Colonel  Goss  gives  it  as  a  common  resident 


i 


m 


s 


i 


m 


NE8TS  AND  EQQFi  OF 


of  kahsas,  begins  laying  early  In  April.  The  nest  is  constructed  in  deserted  Wooq- 
pecker  holes,  natural  cavities  in  trees,  decayed  stumps,  hollow  fence  posts,  etc. 
•f  hese  places  are  filled  with  a  mass  of  leaves,  moss,  dry  grasses  and  warmly  lined 
with  downy  feathers,  hair  from  cattle,  and  often  of  the  fur  of  the  smaller  quadrupeds. 
The  eggs  are  five  to  eight  In  number,  white,  speckled  all  over,  but  most  thickly  at  or 
around  the  larger  ends  with  light  reddish-brown.  The  average  size  is  .57x.47.  Of 
this  species  Wilson  says:  "They  traverse  the  woods  in  regular  progression  from 
tree  to  tree,  tumbling,  chattering  and  hanging  from  the  extremities  of  the  branches, 
examining  about  the  roots  of  the  leaves,  buds,  and  crevices  of  the  bark  for  insects  and 
their  larvee.  They  also  frequently  visit  the  orchards,  particularly  in  fall,  the  sides 
of  the  bam  and  barn-yard  in  the  same  pursuit,  trees  in  such  situations  being  gen- 
erally muc>.  infested  with  insects.  We,  therefore,  with  pleasure,  rank  this  little  bird 
among  the  farmers'  friends,  and  trust  our  rural  citizens  will  always  recognize  him 
as  such."* 


735a.  LONG-TAILED  CHICKADEE.  Parus  atricapilliis  septentrtonalis 
(Harris.)  Geog.  Dist. — Rocky  Mountain  district  (New  Mexico  to  Alaska),  west  to  the 
edge  of  the  Great  Basin,  east  nearly  across  the  Plains. 

This  is  the  Western  form  of  P.  atricapillus,  and  identical  with  it  in  general 
habits.  It  is  found  a.s  far  east  as  Missouri,  Eastern  Nebraska  and  Western  Minne- 
sota along  the  Red  River,  thus  slightly  overlapping  the  home  of  Pi  -  atricapillus 
proper.  Dr.  Agersborg  states  that  it  is  the  only  Chickadee  found  in  Southeastern 
Dakota,  anC.  the  late  Colonel  Goss  said  it  was  common  in  Western  Kansas.  In  the 
South  it  has  been  found  in  Teocas,  where  it  was  found  mixed  with  the  Southern 
Chickadee.  Prof.  Lantz  took  a  fine  set  of  the  eggs  of  the  Eastern  form.t  The  eggs 
of  the  Long-tailed  Chickadee  are  dull  white,  and  very  uniformly  speckled  with 
reddish-brown;  their  average  size  is  .60x.47. 


735b.  0IIj}:O0N  CHICKADEE.  Parus  atricapillus  occidentaUs  (Baird.)  Geog. 
Dist. — Northwestern  coast  district  of  United  States,  from  Northern  California  north- 
ward (to  Southern  Alaska?). 

A  common  bird  along  the  coast  region  of  Northern  California,  Oregon  and  Wash- 
ington, possessing  all  the  habits  of  the  Eastern  atricapillus,  and  nesting  in  a  like 
manner.  The  eggs  of  the  two  birds  are  indistinguishable.  The  .average  size^  c^f  the 
eggs  in  a  series  of  ten  sets  is  .60x.48  inches.  ,._^  . 


736.  CAROLINA  CHICKADEE.  Parus  carolinensis  Aud.  Geog.  Dist— East- 
ern United  States,  chiefly  south  of  40°,  west  to  Missouri,  Indian  Territory  and  East- 
ern Texas.         .  ^  •-!     -■    :.,,-      >     •   •    .     .  ...       .      ,  , 

The  Carolina  or  Southern  Chickadee  is  a  common  bird  in  Eastern  United  States, 
chiefly  south  of  40°.  It  is  supposed  to  be  resident  throughout  its  range,  and  is  par- 
ti.cularly  abundant  in  the  Southern  States.  This  bird,  like  the  Black-capped  Chicka- 
dee, nests  in  old  Woodpeckers'  excavations,  natural  cavities  of  trees,  hollow  fence 
rails,  etc.,  not  at  a  great  elevation.     The  material  used  in  these"  cavities  consists  of 


♦American  Ornithology,  or  the  Natural  History  of  the  Birds  of  the  United  States, 
llfiistrate'd  With  Plates  engraved  from  drawings  from  Nature.  By  Alexander  Wilson  and 
Charles  Luclen  Bonaparte.  Popular  edition.  Pour  volumes  in  one.  Philadelphia:  Porter 
&  Goatea.    Vol.  II,  ^>.  214. 

f  Cf.  Report  on  Bird  Migration  in  the  Mississippi  Valley  in  the  years  1884  and  1886,  by 
W.  w;  Cooke.  Edited  and  revised  by  Dr.  "C.  Hart  Merriam,  Washington.  Government 
prlnttrig  Office.    1888.    P.  278. 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


m 


flnpi  dry  grasses,  shreds  of  fibrous  bark,,wit^  a  warm  lining  of  featliers,  cattle  hair 
and  fur  of  thp  smaller  quadrupeds.  The  eggs  are  five  to  eight  In  number,  white, 
sprinkled  wi|h  specks  and  small  blotches  of  reddish-brown.  In  a  large  series,  how- 
ever, there  is  considerable  variation,  both  io  color  and  size.  Ten  specim^ps 
average  .60X.50.    The  eggs  are  not  distinguishable  from  thos^  of  PoniH  atricapillus. 

7360.  PLUMBEOUS  CHICKADEE.  I'ariis  caroUnaim  agilis  Senn.  Geog. 
Dist. — Eastern  and  Central  Texas  (Bee,  Victoria,  Cook  and  Concho  counties,  etc.). 

Mr.  George  B.  Sennett,  who  describes  this  new  Chickadee*  says  that  it  can  be  dis- 
tinguished from  its  nearest  ally,  P.  carolincusis,  by  its  whiter  underparts;  by  its  i^eing 
almost  entirely  free  from  buff  washings  on  sides,  and  from  olive  and  brown  washings 
on  upper  parts;  and  its  very  pale  lead  colopwfi  ^tck,  Mr.  J.  A.  Singley  has  sent  me 
five  eggs  of  this  bird  which  he  collected  in  LAe  couht^K,  Texaj^  with  full  details  oJKhe 
bird's  nidiflcation.  The  nest  is  usually  Excavated  In  an  pak  stub  at  elevations  rang- 
ing from  two  ta  fifteen  feet.  Deserted  Woodi^cker  holls,  imturtl  cavities  in  trees 
arecommonly  chosen,  and  occasionally  Martin  boxes  %re  used.  The  breeding  season 
is  from  the  last  of  February  to  the  first  of  May.  The  foundation  of  the  nest  is  made 
of  short,  green  moss,  mixed  with  animal  hair,  and  the  lining,  as  a  rule,  is  of  rabbit 
fut  The  bird  sits  so  closely  that  it  usually  has  to  be  lifted  from  the  nest.  The  eggs 
are  five  to  eight  in  nutaber,  white,  variously  speckled,  spotted  and  blotched  with 
cinnamon-rufous.  They  cannot  be  distinguished  trom  the  eggs  of  7*.  atricapillus 
or  caroVDicnsis,  and  vary  in  as  great  a  degree,  both  in  size  and  coloration,  as  eggs 
of  the  same  species  are  found  to  differ.  The  sizes  of  five  eggs  just  mentioned  are 
.56X.43,  .61X.47,  .62x.50,  .63x.47,  .6ox.50.  This  plumbeous  colcied  Chickadee  is  very 
likely  the  prevailing  form  of  Texas. 


737.  MEXICAN  CHICKADEE.  Farm  meridionalis  Scl.  Geog.  Dist.— Moun- 
tains of  Mexico,  from  Orizaba  north  to  Southern  Arizona. 

The  Mexican  Chickadee  differs  from  P.  atricapillus  in  having  the  under  parts  of 
a  paler  shade  of  the  ashy  of  the  upper,  instead  of  white.  Nesting  and  eggs  indis- 
tinguishable from  atricapillus,  ...-;■ 


Dist. — Moun- 


K 


a 


738.     MOUNTAIN  CHICKADEE.     Parus  gambcli  Ridgw. 
taiilous  regions  of  Western  United  States. 

The  Mountain  Chickadee  inhabits  the  mountainous  regions  of  ■yestern  United 
States,  chiefly  the  alpine  districts.  It  nests  in  old  Woodpeckerji'  excavations  and 
natural  cavities  of  trees  and  stumps,  from  two  to  twenty  feet  above'  the 
ground.  Fibrous  roots,  grasses,  sheep's  wool,  cattle's  hair,  or  fur  of  the  smaller 
(jaudrupeds  constitute  the  materials  of  the  nest;  these  will  vary  with  the  locality.  A 
nest  of  this  bird  was  found  in  a  rotten  stump,  two  feet  from  the  ground, Iby  M^,  L. 
Belding,  near  Marysville,  California,  containing  seven  white .  eggs.f  Dr.  ;^ewer 
describes  a  nest  which  was  discovered  by  Mr.  Charles  A.  Allen,  June  U,  1879,  in  the 
mountains  of  Placer  bounty,  California.  It  was  constructed  in  an'  old  hole  of  the 
"White-headed  Woodpecker,  Xcnopicus  alholartatus,  and  contained  seven  eggs,  six  of 
which  were  pure  white,  unspotted,  and  the  seventh  marked  over  the  entire  surface 
with  dots  of  reddish-brown. J  Dr.  James  C.  Merrill  found  a  nest  of  this  species  ifv 
Montana,  on  June  18.    It  was  in  a  cavity  of  a  pine,  about  sixteen  feet  above  the 


•  The  Auk,  V,  n.  46.     ■  ,- ,;    'nv.txi 

t  <7.    Bull.  Nutt.  Orqith.  Club,  III,  pp.  102-103. 


•c;.. 


|_ib,.y.  r- 4'- 


\'4i- 


■  ^*3 


■.;    1 

:t2    I'^-.fis 

II 

n:    r: 

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,'i 

ll 


486 


NESTS  AND  EGGS  OF 


I 


ground,  and  contained  five  or  six  young  and  one  acidled  egg,  which  was  dull,  un- 
spotted, chalky-white.  Dr.  Elliott  Coues  makes  note  of  two  white  unmarked  eggs 
of  this  species,  taken  by  William  G.  Smith,  in  Colorado.  Dr.  Merrill  says  that  this 
species  is  perhaps  the  most  common  resident  species  at  Ft.  Klamath,  Ore.,  and  in  winter 
is  seldom  out  of  sight  or  hearing.  Between  May  25  and  July  4,  five  nests  containing 
eggs  were  discovered  in  Woodpeckers'  hnles  i:;  aspen  or  pine  stubs.  The  eggs  were 
five  to  eight  lu  number,  and  of  the  five  s  wo  are  entirely  unspotted;  in  two,  one  or 
two  eggs  are  pure  white,  the  others  having  faint,  light  brown  spots,  mostly  at 

the  larger  end;  in  the  other  set  two  of 
the  eggs  are  quite  unmarked,  but  the 
others  have  distinct  reddish  spots.  He 
states  that  the  female  birds  sit  very 
close,  and  when  disturbed  keep  up  a 
constant  hissing,  so  much  like  that  of 
some  snakes  that  no  prudent  squirrel 
would  venture  to  enter  the  hole.  The 
eggs  have  an  average  size  of  .60x.41 
inches. 


739.    Siberian  Cuickadbb  (Fruni  Turner.) 


739.     SIBEBIAN  CHIC:EADEE. 

Punis    ciiirtus    obtectus    (Cab.)      Geog. 
Dist. — Eastern    Siberia  and   Northern 
Alaska. 
An  inhabitant  of  Eastern  Siberia  and  northern  portions  of  Alaska.    Its  habits, 
nesting  and  eggs  are  similar  to  those  of  P.  yamhcli.     Eggs,  .65x.50. 


740.    HUDSONIAN    CHICKADEE.     Varus    hudsonicus   Forst.    Geog.    Dist.— 
Northern  North  America  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  south  to  the  more  ele- 
vated portions  of  the  United  States — New  England,  New 
York,  Northern  Michigan,  t+c. 

The  Hudscnian  Chickarlee  is  resident  in  Labrador 
and  the  Hudson  Bay  regiou.  It  is  given  as  a  resident  of 
Northern  New  England,  and  breeds  on  the  Island  of 
Grand  Manan,  New  Brunswick.  Audubon  found  a  nest 
of  this  Chio  -adee  in  Labrador,  built  in  a  decayed  stump 
about  three  ieet  from  the  ground  and  composed  entirely 
of  the  finest  of  fur  of  various  quadrupeds,  chiefly  of  the 
northern  hare,  and  all  so  thickly  and  ingeniously  matted 
throughout  as  to  seem  as  if  felted  by  the  hand  of  man. 
Mr.  Montague  Chamberlain  mentions  several  nests  that 
were  found  in  New  Brunswick,  one  of  which  was  built  in 
a  cavity  of  a  telegraph  pole  and  others  built  in  decayed 
stumps.  He  says  that  when  this  species  is  excavating  foi- 
its  nest  It  sometimes  enters  from  the  side  of  a  tree  and 
jot  invariably  from  the  top  of  a  stump.  Mr.  James  W. 
Banks,  during  the  seasons  of  1885  and  1886,  discovered 
three  nests,  the  entrances  of  which  were  at  the  side  of  a 
decayed  stump.  One  of  these  nests  is  about  two  inches 
deep  and  is  set  on  a  cushion  of  dried  moss,  and  besides  the  felted  fur  there  Is  con- 
siderable dry  moss  mixed  throughout.  The  entrance  was  abcut  six  inches  from  the 
top  of  the  ncst.    The  eggs  are  usimlly  six  or  seven  in  number.    The  ground-color 


74».    FiUDSONIAN  CUICKADEE 

(From  Turner.) 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


487 


of  the  eggs  Is  of  a  creamy-white  tint,  sprinkled  with  hazel  and  blackish;  average  size, 
.60X.46  inches. 

740a.  KOWAK  CHICKADEE.  Paws  hudsonicua  stoncyi  (Ridgw.)  Geog. 
Dist. — Valley  of  the  Kowak  River,  Northwestern  Alaska. 

According  to  Mr.  Ridgway  this  variety  of  Chickadee  is  similar  to  P.  hndsonicus, 
but  in  color  much  grayer  above,  sides  of  neck  purer  ash  gray,  etc.  Its  nesting  and 
eggs  are  doubtless    similar  to  hudsoiiicus, 

740b.  COLUMBIAN  CHICKADEE.  Parus  hndsonicus  columbianus  Rhoads. 
Geog.  Dist.— Rocky  Mountains,  from  Liard  River  south  into  Montana. 

The  nesting  and  general  habits  of  this  Chickadee  are  not  known,  but  are  prob- 
ably similar  to  those  of  P.  hudsonicus. 

741.  CHESTNUT-BACKED  CHICKADEE.  Parus  rufescens  Towns.  Geog. 
Dist. — Northwestern  coast — Oregon,  Washington,  British  Columbia  and  Southern 
Alaska. 

The  Chestnut-backed  Chickadee  is  an  inhabitant  of  the  Northwest  coast  where. 
In  some  regions,  it  is  rather  common.  Mr.  A.  W.  Anthony  gives  it  as  a  common 
winter  resident  of  Washington  county,  Oregon.  It  was  first  seen  by  him  in  Decem- 
ber, 1884,  in  company  with  the  Oregon  Chickadee,  Parus  atricapiiUts  occidcntalis. 
A  few  lingered  to  breed,  but  disappeared  as  soon  as  the  first  brood  was  raised.  A  nest 
was  found  April  28,  In  a  large  fir  stub  three  feet  four  inches  in  diameter,  running 
horizontally  three  inches  then  turning  downward  for  six  Inches  before  opening  into 
the  nest,  which  v/as  of  cow  hair  and  rabbit  fur.  It  contained  seven  eggs  with  large 
embryos.  The  eggs  of  this  species  are  five  to  seven  in  number;  their  ground  color  is 
white,  sprinkled  over  with  distinct  spots  of  redish,  especially  at  the  largo  end  where, 
in  most  specimens,  they  tend  to  form  a  ring.  Their  average  size  is  .64x.47  inches. 
The  eggs  of  this  species  and  those  of  the  next  form  are  not  distinguishable. 

741a.  CALIFOBNIA  CHICKADEE.  Parus  rufescens  neglectus  Ridgw.  G«og. 
Dist. — Coast  district  of  California. 

This  bird  is  confined  to  the  coast  regions  of  California  where  Mr.  W.  O.  Emerson 
informs  me  it  can  always  be  found  in  the  redwood  belts.  He  has  only  seen  two  birds 
of  this  species  in  the  vicinity  of  Haywards,  which  is  doubtless  on  account  of  there 
being  no  redwood  timber.  It  nests  in  cavities  of  trees  and  stumps,  and  in  old  Wood- 
peckers' excavations,  making  the  nest  of  quadrupeds'  hair.  Six  or  seven  eggs  are 
usually  deposited.  A  set  of  six  eggs  in  Mr.  Emerson's  collection  was  taken  by  Mr, 
George  H.  Ready,  April  13, 1885,  in  Santa  Cruz  county,  California.  They  were  take^ 
from  an  old  cavity  of  a  Galrdner's  Woodpecker  in  a  maple  stub,  eight  feet  from  t^^ 
ground.  The  eggs  are  similar  to  some  specimens  of  the  Black-capped  Chickadee 
Parus  atricapillus,  being  white,  sparsely  marked  over  the  entire  surface  with  red 
spots,  and  tending  to  form  a  ring  at  the  larger  end;  average  size  is  .63x.47. 


': 

I'.' '  ' 
?'  i 

In 


742.  WREN-TIT.  Chamwa  fasciata  Gamb.  Geog.  Dist. — Coast  region  of  Cali- 
fornia, from  Monterey  county  northward. 

The  Ground-Tit  or  Wren-Tit,  which  partakes  of  the  features  of  a  wren  and  a 
titmouse,  may  not  be  considered  a  common  species  In  the  Pacific  Coast  region  of 


m 


I 


Y!. 


4S». 


NEHTfi  AND  EdUfi  OF     - 


i% 


Ml 


CfiklUorfiia.  On  account  of  its  retired  habits  it  is  seldom  seen.  It  frequents  tlie 
shrubbery  of  out-of-the-way  ravines  and  solitary  canons,  often  where  there  is  no 
water.  The  nest  's  built  in  low  bushes  from  two  to  four  feet  above  the  ground,  is 
cup-shape  in  form,  with  thick  walls,  and  compactly,  made,  of  bark-strips,  grasses, 
fibrous  roots,  lined  with  cattle  hair.  The  cavity  measures  about  three  inches  in 
width  and  three-fourths  deep.  The  breeding  season  begins  in  May,  and  two  broods 
are  usually  reared  in  a  season.  From  three  to  five  eggs  are  laid,  four  belhg  the 
usual  complement;  they  are  of  a  plain  pale  blue,  a  shade  darker  than  those  of  the 
Black-throated  Bunting  or  Dlckcissol,  H^lza  amcricana.  Seven  eggs  of  this  species", 
collected  by  Mr.  R.  B.  Herron  in  San  Gorgonia  Pass  give  the  following  respective 
measurements:  .68x.54,  .6Cx.54,  .69x.58,  .77x.56,  .75x.55,  .76x.56,  .75X.55.  The  average 
size  is  .73X.56.  Mr.  Emerson  informs  me  that  the  birds  sit  very  close  on  the  nest, 
and'  when  flushed  immediately  set  up  a  hissing  or  cricket-like  sound. 


;j 


1 


III 
III 


742a.  PALID  WREN-TIT.  Chamara  fasciata  hcnshaici  Ridgw.  Geog.  Dist.— 
Interior  of  California,  including  the  western  slope  of  the  Sierra  Nevada,  from  the 
head  of  the  Sacramento  Valley  south  to  Noi  ;hern  Lower  California. 

The  habits,  nesting,  etc.,  of  this  paler  subspecies  are  the  same  as  those  that  are 

characteristic  of  the  last  species;  the  eggs  are  indistinguishable. 

?" 

743.  BUSH-TIT.  Psaltriparus  minimus  (Towns.)  Geog.  Dist. — Northwestern 
coast,  from  Northern  California  to  Washington. 

,  This  is  a  darker-colored  species  than  the  California  Bush-Tit.  It  is  a  common 
resident  of  Oregon  and  northward  into  Washington.  Breeds  preferredly  in  thicliets 
of  ash  and  willow,  building  a  beautiful  peneile  nest  like  that  represented  in  our 
illustration  of  P.  m.  californicus.  The  eggs  of  the  two  birds  are  likewise  indis- 
tinguishable. ,  .    .  ,,    .  .  ,       .,, 

743a.  CALIFO'ENIA  BUSH-TIT.  Psaltriparus  minimus  californicus  Ridgw. 
Geog.  Di&t. — California,  except  northern  coast,  district. 

This  lighter  colored  Bush-Tit  is  a  common  bird  in  Oalifornia.  It  frequents 
bushes  and  low  shrubbery,  and  very  actively  hops  among  the  branches,  hanging 
from  them  in  the  manner  of  other  Titmice.  The  beautiful  and  bulky  purse-shaped 
nest  built  by  this  species  seems  out  of  all  proportions  to  the  diminutive  size  of  the 
bird.  The  one  shown  in  our  illustration  is  drawn  from  a  typical  specimen  collected 
near  Santa  Paula,  California,  by  Dr..  S.  P.  Guiberson,  April  11,  1885.  It  was  sus- 
pended from  a  small,  forked  twig,  eight  feet  from  the  ground.  It  is  six  incb  .;s  long. 
Prof.  Evermann  says  that  the  nests  vary  all  the  way  from  four  to  twenty-two  inches 
in  length.  From  five  to  nine  pure  white,  unmarked  eggs  are  laid,  commonly  six  or 
seven.  Ten  eggs  out  of  a  number  collected  by  Mr.  R.  B.  Herron  in  San. Gorgonia 
Pass  in  May,  measure  .51x.40,  .53x.40,  .51x.39,  .54x.40.  .55x.41,  .56x.41,  .54x.'il,  .55x.43, 
.54X.44,  .54X.42.  .,...•.  -    • 


74:3b.  GKINDA'S  BUSH-TIT.  Psaltriparus  minimus  grindw  (Belding.)  Geog. 
Dist. — Lower  California. 

There  is,  apparently  at  the  present  time,  no  description  concerning  the  nidifica- 
tion  of  the  variety  of  Bush-Tit  inhabiting  Lower  California.  Its  breeding  habits', 
however,  can  differ  but  little,  if  any,  from  /*.  miui.nnis  or  caUfornicus. 


744.  LEAD-COLORED  BUSH-TIT.  Psaltriparus  plumbcus  Baird.  Geog. 
Dist.—rRocky  Mountain  district,  from  Western  Colorado  and  Wyoming  .to  Eastern 
Oregon  and  Western  Nevada,  south  to  buuthern  New  Mexico  and  Arizona,     ,.,      --■■* 


NORTH  AMBRtOAN  BIRDS. 


489» 


Hl'm    '  '-^    ■-■  '•'•''* 


743«.      NflST  Olf'CALIVORNIA   BUSH-TIT. 


.'-        lit 


i. 


490 


NESTS  AND  EOOS  OF 


The  following  is  MaJ.  Charles  E.  Bendire's  account  of  the  nesting  and  eggs 
of  this  species:  "Although  this  little  Bush-Tit  is  a  widely  distributed  speciea 
throughout  the  West,  and  has  been  known  to  naturalists  for  more  than  thirty  years, 
nothing  whatever  has  been  placed  on  record  respecting  its  nesting  habits.  The 
credit  for  the  discovery  of  their  nests  and  eggs  belongs  to  Lieutenant  Benson,  who 
found  them  breeding  abundantly  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Huachuca  during  the  month, 
of  April,  1887.  Their  favorite  abiding  places  seemed  to  be  along  dry  water-courses, 
up  narrow  ravines,  running  into  the  mountains  and  on  flats,  covered  with  scrub- 
oak,  between  the  hill-sides;  he  says  that  they  are  exceedingly  tame,  perfectly  un- 
conscious of  danger,  and  will  work  on  their  nests  with  a  person  not  ten  feet  away 
from  them.  They  are  one  of  the  first  birds  to  arrive  in  the  spring,  but  are  not  resi- 
dent throughout  the  yeah  The  nests,  of  which  a  number  are  before  me,  are  all  more 
or  less  gourd-like  in  form;  that  is,  considerably  narrofwer  near  the  top  than  around 
the  bottom.  They  are  not  strictly  pensile,  but  are  woven  into  and  supported  by 
small  twigs  and  branches  of  the  oak  bushes  (Quercus  undulataf)  in  Which  they  are 
built.  Several  nests  were  placed  in  bunches  of  a  species  of  mistletoe  (probably 
Phoredendron  flavcscciis),  and  in  these  cases  the  nests  are  suported  and  placed  directly 
in  the  forks  of  this  plant.  They  vary  in  length  from  seven  to  nine  and  a  half  inches 
and  from  four  to  five  inches  in  diameter.  The  entrance  to  the  nest  is  on  the  side, 
near  the  top  of  the  structure,  about  three-quarters  of  an  inch  in  diameter.  The  inner 
cavity  is  from  four  to  five  inches  deep,  and  about  one  and  a  half  inches  in  diameter. 
The  nests  are  outwardly  composed  of  the  dried,  curled-up  leaves  of  the  white  sage, 
plant-down  of  a  pinkish  tint,  spfder  webs,  small  bits  of  mosses  and  lichens,  and  are 
thickly  lined  inside  with  soft,  small  feathers.  The  walls  of  the  nest  increase  in 
thickness  from  top  to  bottom,  so  that  while  near  the  top  they  are  not  over  three- 
eights  of  an  inch  through,  near  the  bottom  they  are  fully  one  and  a  half  inches  thick. 
The  nests  are  placed  in  about  equal  proportions  in  lov/  oak  brshes,  from  five  to  seven 
feet  from  the  ground,  generally  well  concealed  by  the  foliage,  or  in  bunches  of 
mistletoe  in  oak  or  mesquite  trees,  from  fifteen  to  twenty  feet  high.  Some  of  these 
birds  commenced  building  in  the  first  week  of  March,  but  no  eggs  were  discovered  in 
any  of  the  nests  till  fully  a  month  later,  the  first  ones  being  taken  April  8,  1887. 
The  number  of  eggs  to  a  set  varies  from  four  to  six,  five  being  the  most  common 
number  found.  Probably  two  or  more  broods  are  raised  during  the  season.  The 
eggs  are  pure  white  in  color,  ovate  in  shape,  and  measure  .56x.42  inches  for  the 
largest  to  .49x.40  for  the  smallest.  Their  average  size  is  .53x.40  inches."*  The  late 
Captain  B.  F.  Goss  had  a  set  of  four  eggs  of  the  Lead-colored  Bush-Tit,  taken  near 
Fort  HuachLca,  Arizona,  April  10,  1887.  These  measure  .55x.45,  .55x.44,  .56x.45,  .58x 
.44  inches. 


744.  1.  SANTA  RITA  BUSH-TIT.  Psaltriparus  santo  rit(B  Ridgw.  (Jeog. 
Dist. — Santa  Rita  Mountains,  Southern  Arizona. 

This  Bush-Tit,  inhabiting  the  Santa  ^ata  Mountains,  has,  in  all  probability,  the 
same  general  habits  which  characterize  P.  plumbeus. 


745.    LLOYD'S  BTJSH-TIT.  "Psaltriparus  lloydi  Sennett.    Qeog.  Dist.— West- 
ern Texas  (mountains  between  Pecos  River  and  Rio  Grande),  and  west  to  Sonora. 


♦  Notes  on  a  collection  of  Birds'  Nests  and  Eggs  from  Southern  Arizona  Territory. 
By  the  late  Major  Chas.  E.  Bendire,  U.  S.  A.  Proceedings  of  U.  S.  Nattonal  Museum,  1887, 
pp.    557-558. 


XORTn  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


491 


Mr.  George  B.  Sennett  describes  a  nest  of  this  species  as  being  pensile,  purse-like, 
composed  of  mosses,  flower  stems  and  lichens,  having  a  lining  of  feathers.  Eggs  pure 
white.  Breeds  in  pineries  of  high  altitudes.  An  egg  in  the  collection  of  Mr.  Sen- 
nett measures  .58  inches  in  length  by  .42  in  breadth.  The  nest  with  this  egg  was 
taken  In  Llmpia,  Camei  i  county,  June  21,  1887,  at  an  altitude  of  6200  feet.  It  was 
fastened  to  twigs  of  a  cedar  reven  feet  from  the  ground.  The  tree  was  twenty-flve 
feet  In  height,  situated  on  a  divide  between  two  ravines. 


.58z 


746.  VEBDIN.  Auriparus  ftavlceits  (Sund.)  Geog.  Dist.— Northern  regions 
of  Mexico  and  contiguous  portions  of  the  United  States,  from  Southern  Texps  to 
Arizona  and  Lower  California. 

The  little  Yellow-headed  Bush-Tit  or  Verdln  is  a  common  blrf*  In  suitable  lo- 
calities throughout  the  arid  regions  of  Northern  Mexico,  the  southern  portions  of 
Texas,  Arizona,  New  Mexico,  and  In  Lower  California.  It  Is  smaller  than  the  largest 
North  American  Hummingbird,  Eugenes  fuhjcns,  which  inhabits  Southern  Arizona 
and  southward.  This  species  measures  about  5.00  in  length,  while  the  length  of  th« 
Verdln  varies  from  4.00  to  4.60  inches.  Notwithstanding  the  diminutive  size  of  the 
bird.  It  builds  a  remarkable  structure  for  a  nest— large,  and  bulky,  and  a  marvel  of 
bird  architecture.  It  is  comparatrVely  easy  to  find,  being  built  near  the  ends  of  the 
branches  of  some  low,  thorny  tree  qr  shrub — in  the  numerous  v^trleties  of  cacti  and 
thorny  bushes  which  grow  in  the  regions  of  its  home.  The  nest  is  globular,  flask- 
shape  in  form,  the  outside  being  one  mass  of  thorny  twigs  and  stems  Interwoven, 
while  the  middle  is  composed  of  flower  stems  and  the  lining  of  feathers.  The  en- 
trance is  a  small  circular  opening.  Mr.  Sennett  took  a  number  of  the  birds,  nests 
and  eggs  at  Lomita,  on  the  Lower  Rio  Grande.  Dr.  Merrill  did  not  observe  this 
species  In  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Fort  Brown,  Texas,  but  it  was  rather  common 
at  Edinburgh  in  April  and  May,  frequenting  mostly  amargosa  chapparal.  Mr.  H.  P. 
Atwater  found  it  a  resident  and  quite  common  at  San  Antonio,  Bexar  county,  Texas, 
where  a  number  of  skins,  nests  and  eggs  were  taken  in  1884;  the  first  nest  was 
found  March  31,  and  contained  four  fresh  eggs.  Mr.  Atwater  says  that  the  birds 
occupy  the  nest  during  the  winter  months,  and  the  inside  is  made  much  warmer 
by  the  addition  of  feathers.  The  birds  are  generally  found  nesting  in  the  high,  dry 
parts  of  the  country,  away  from  tall  timber,  where  the  thorns  are  the  thickest. 
From  three  to  six  eggs  are  deposited,  of  a  bluish  or  greenish-white  or  pale  blue, 
speckled,  chiefly  round  the  larger  end,  with  reddish-brown.  Their  average  size  is 
.59x,43  inches. 

747.  KENNICOTT'S  WILLOW  WARBLER.  Phyllopseustcs  borealis  (Bias.) 
Geog.  Dist. — Northeastern  Asia  and  Alaska. 

The  first  American  record  of  the  capture  of  this  bird  was  a  single  specimen 
taken  at  St.  Michael's,  Alaska,  August  16,  1866,  and  later  another  was  taken.  Dur- 
ing the  summer  of  1877,  II.  July,  Nelson  secured  two  specimens  at  St.  Michael's,  and 
others  have  been  taken  since.  The  bird  Is  known  to  be  a  great  wanderer,  migrating 
through  Japan,  China  and  Formosa,  and  reaching  the  Malayan  Peninsula  and  Archi- 
pelago. In  summer  it  seeks  the  high  latitudes  of  Asia,  to  northern  Russia,  and 
thence  even  to  Alaska.  We  must  depend  upon  those  who  have  visited  its  haunts 
In  Northern  Europe  and  Asia  for  an  account  of  Its  nesting  and  eggs.  Seebohm's  ac- 
count (Ibis,  Vol.  Ill,  p.  9,  1879),  Is  as  follows:  "When  I  left  the  Arctic  Circle  It  had 
probably  not  commenced  to  breed;  but  on  the  6th  of  July  I  had  the  good  fortune  to 
shoot  a  bird  from  its  nest  at  Egaska,  in  latitude  67°.    The  eggs  are  larger  than  those 


I 


492 


NKSTS  AXrf  EQa^.  OF 


1 


of  our  Willow  WarblerSj  pure  while,  and  profusely  gpotted  all  over  with  very  small 
and  very  pale  pink  spots.  They  were  five  In  number.  The  nest  was  built  on  the 
ground  In  a  wood  thinly  scattered  with  trees,  and  was  placed  In  a  recess  on  the  side 
of  a  tussock  or  little  mound  of  grass  and  other  plants.  It  was  semi-domed,  the 
outside  being  composed  of  moss,  and  the  inside  of  fine  dry  grass.  There  was  neither 
feather  nor  hair  used  in  the  construction.  I  did  not  see  this  bird  farther  north  than 
latitude  69°."  ...m;    r  "■-•    •.:••••■.•■.••..   :   i';    >•..;/;■:•     .  <  fr 

748.  OOLDEN-CBOWNED  KINGLET.  Iteyulus  satrapa 'L'iChX.  Qqoz.  mBi.— 
North  Americ£L  generally,  breeding  in  the  northern  and  elevated  pafts  of  the  United 
States  and  northward,  migrating  south  in  winter  to  Guatemala. 

Although  a  dainty  little  creature,  the  Golden-crowned  Kinglet  appears  to  be  of  a 
hardy  nature,  being  found  during  the  winter  months  nearly  throughout  the  East- 
ern States.  Breeds  from  the  northern  portions  of  the  United  States  northward,  mov- 
ing south  in  the  fall,  returning  northward  In  spring,  and  retiring  to  its  breeding 
grounds.  It  Is  resident  in  Northern  New  England.  Mr.  H.  D.  Minot  found  a  nest  of 
this  species  containing  young,  in  the  White  Mountains  of  New  Hampshire,  July  16, 
1876.*  The  late  Dr.  T.  M.  Brewer  describes  a  nest  which  doubtless  belonged  to  this 
bird,  and  which  was  found  In  the  neighborhood  of  Bangor,  Maine.  It  contained  ten 
eggs  and  was  built  in  a  fir  tree,  at  an  altitude  of  six  feet.  It  consisted  of  a  large  ball 
of  green  moss,  about  four  and  a  half  Inches  in  diameter.  A  nest  was  found  by  Dr. 
North  up  at  Caribou,  Maine,  containing  an  incomplete  set  (five  eggs).  It  was  placed 
partly  pendant  from  a  horizontal  branch  of  a  small  hemlock  at  the  edge  of  a  forest. 
Mr.  Chas.  II.  Andros  records  a  nest  containing  ten  eggs,  taken  "on  or  at  out  June  1," 
at  Grand  Manan,  New  Brunswick.  This  nest  was  saddled  on  a  spruce  limb  and  was 
similar  In  shape  to  the  nest  of  the  Blue-Gray  Gnatcatcher,  but  much  larger  and 
deeper,  and  was  externally  covered  with  green  moss,  cobwebs  and  lichens,  Intern- 
ally lined  with  soft  down  and  sheep's  wool.f  By  far  the  best  account  we  have  of 
the  nidification  of  the  Golden-crested  Kinglet  Is  that  recently  given  by  Mr.  William 
Brewster,  who  found  It  nesting  in  a  dense  woods  of  mixed  pines  and  spruce,  on  low, 
rather  swampy  ground.  In  the  neighborhood  of  WInchendon,  Worcester  county, 
Mass.t  With  the  assistance  of  Messrs.  C.  E.  Bailey,  S.  W.  Denton  and  H.  M.  Spel- 
man,  three  nests  were  secured,  two  with  sets  of  nine  eggs  each.  They  were  found 
June  13,  16  and  17  (1888),  respectively,  and  were  all  taken  on  the  29th.  The  first 
was  placed  in  a  tall,  slender  spruce,  within  about  two  feet  of  the  top  of  the  tree,  and 
at  least  sixty  feet  above  the  ground;  suspended  among  the  fine  pendant  twigs,  about 
two  inches  below  a  short  horizontal  branch,  some  twelve  inches  out  from  the  main 
stem;  the  second  was  in  a  heavily-limbed  spruce,  about  fifty  feet  above  the  grc  and, 
twenty  feet  below  the  top  of  the  tree,  six  feet  out  from  the  branch,  in  a  dense  cluster 
Qf  stiff  radiating  twigs;  the  third  was  also  in  a  spruce,  thirty  feet  from  the  ground, 
twelve  feet  out  from  the  main  stem  and  five  feet  from  the  end  of  the  branch.  This 
nent  on  the  29th  contaii^ed  no  eggs,  and  was  evidently  deserted;  it  was  found  In  a 
dilapidated  condition.  In  position  the  first  nest  resembles  that  of  the  Baltimore 
Oriole,  being  near  the  ends  of  long,  drooping  twigs.  The  second  is  built  more  like 
a  Vireo's,  but  with  this  difference,  that  instead  of  being  suspended  by  its  upper  edges 
only,  and  between  the  forks  of  a  single  stem,  it;  is  suported  on  every  side,  and  from  the 
top  nearly  to  the  bottom,  by  numerous  stiff,  radiating  tv/igs.    It  is  nevertheless  a 


>K, 


•  Mlnot's  Land  and  Game  Birds  of  New  England. 

t  Ornithologist  and  Oologlst.  X7f.  pp.  C03-204. 

t  The  Auk,  V,  pp.  337r344.  '.'  •    ,   .    ,   :      i:;* 


P.  50. 


•iv. 


I 


SOUTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


4m 


distinctly  pensile  nest.  The  third  is  different  from  either  of  the  others  in  position. 
Pl{  .ed  nearly  midway  between  two  stout  branches,  which  in  reality  are  forks  of  the 
same  branch,  ooe  above  the  other,  and  attached  by  the  sides  and  upper  edges  to  the 
twigs  which  depend  from  the  branch  above,  while  its  bottom  rests  firmly  on  a  brist- 
ling platform  of  stems  which  rise  from  the  branch  below.  Thus  it  is  at  once  pensile 
and  non^penslle.  The  material  used  in  the  construction  of  these  nests  on  the  exterior 
is  chiefly  green  mosses,  diversified  with  grayish  lichens  and  usnca,  the  whole  re- 
sembling the  general  color  of  the  surrounding  foliage.  The  Interior  at  the  bottom 
Is  lined  with  delicate  strips  of  soft  inner  bark  and  fine  black  rootlets.  Near  the  top 
are  rather  numerous  feathers  of  the  Ruffed  Grouse,  Red  Crossbill,  Hermit  Thrush, 
and  Ovenbird,  arranged  with  the  points  of  the  quills  down,  the  tips  rising  to  or 
slightly  above  the  rim,  and  arching  inward  over  the  cavity,  forming  a  screen  that 
partially  concealed  the  eggs.  In  both  nests,  the  space  being  too  small  for  the  accom- 
modation of  the  numerous  eggs,  they  were  piled  in  two  layers,  one  above  the  other. 
In  the  first  nest  the  number  in  each  layer  was  equal,  but  in  the  second  five  eggs  were 
in  the  lower  layer  and  four  in  the  upper.  All  of  these  nests  were  found  by  watching 
the  birds  building;  and,  taking  into  consideration  the  dim  light  of  dense  spruce 
woods,  the  torture  one  must  endure  from  mosquitoes  while  watching  the  erratic  and 
puzzling  movements  of  the  birds  flying  from  branch  to  branch  with  their  bills  filled 
with  material,  the  rapidity  and  unaccountable  way  in  which  the  substance  was  often 
deposited  in  the  clusters  of  dense  foliage,  made  it  a  very  difiScuIt  and  tedious  task  to 
locate  the  nest  In  the  many  similar  dark  clusters  In  the  spruces.*  The  eggs  vary  from 
creamy-white  to  exceedingly  deep,  often  somewhat  muddy,  cream  color,  sprinkled 
with  numerous  markings  of  pale  wood-brown,  varying  from  small  dots  to  blotches. 
Three  specimens  are  described  by  Mr.  Brewster  as  having  spots  and  blotches  of  faint 
lavender.  The  markings  of  most  of  the  specimens  are  distributed  pretty  thickly 
over  the  entire  shell,  but  in  nearly  all  they  are  most  numerous  about  the  larger 
ends,  where  they  form  a  more  or  less  distinct  wreath.  The  sizes  of  Set  A,  nine  eggs, 
are  .56x.44,  .57x.44,  .55x.42,  .57x.43,  .57x.44,  .56x.45,  .57x.44.  .57x.44.    •  ..       .      : 

748a.  WESTEBN  OOLDEN-CBOWNED  KINGLET.  Reyulus  aatrapa  olivaceui 
Baird.    Geog.  DIst. — Pacific  coast  region  from  California  to  Sitka,  .        : 

The  nesting  and  eggs  of  this  Pacific  coast  form  of  Golden-crowned  Kinglet  are 
similar  to  those  of  R.  satraoa. 


■'■■  749.  BUBY-CROWNED  KINGLET.  Regulus  calendula  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist.— 
Entire  North  America,  breeding  from  the  northern  border  and  higher  mountains  of 
the  United  States  northward.  "Winters  In  more  Southern  United  States  and  south- 
ward to  Northern  Central  America. 

'  The  Ruby-crowned  Kinglet  breeds  from  the  extreme  northern  border  and  higher 
mountains  of  the  United  States  northward.  Mr.  W.  E.  D.  Scott  took  a  nest  contaln- 
itig  five  eggs  on  June  25,  at  Twin  Lakes,  Colorado.  The  nest  was  suspended  to  the 
leaves  of  the  uttermost  twigs  of  a  pine  tree,  much  like  a  Vireo's  nest,  and  about 
twelve  feet  from  the  ground.    Mr.  Frank  M.  Drew  states  that  in  San  Juan  county, 


*  Mr.  Brewster  says  that  in  her  flights  after  building  material  the  female  went  a 
distance  oi  a  hundred  yards  or  more,  but  oftener  she  confined  her  quest  to  the  trees  within 
a  radius  of  fifty  yards  or  less  of  the  one  which  concealed  the  nest.  She  was  invariably 
followed  closely  by  the  male,  who,  however,  did  not  assist  her  in  any  way  other  than  by 
singing:  almost  Incessantly  In,  an  undertone.  In  the  case  of  the  nests  discovered,  the 
males'  singing  was  the  characteristic  performance  which  attracted  attention  to  the  spot 
where  the  female  was  at  work.  -:  ••   • 


494 


NKfiTS  AND  EGG  ft  OF 


Colorado,  this  bird  breeds  from  7000  to  10,000  feet  altitude.  A  nest  taken  July  B 
was  placed  In  the  uppermost  branches  of  a  spruce  thirty  feet  from  the  ground — In 
one  of  those  dark  masses  where  the  cones  grow  thickest.  It  contained  four  fresh 
and  one  addled  egg.  Dr.  Merrill  found  a  nest  of  this  rpecles  containing  eight  eggs, 
in  Montana,  on  the  18th  of  June,  nt  an  elevation  of  7700  feet.  It  was  In  a  ftr  tree 
about  eighteen  feet  from  the  ground,  and  placed  directly  against  the  trunk,  supported 
by  a  single  branch  beneath,  and  by  several  twigs  to  which  the  sides  were  firmly  at- 
tached. Dr.  Merrill  also  found  these  birds  common  about  Fort  Klamath,  Oregon, 
apparently  placing  their  nests  In  dense  firs.  Mr.  Montague  Chamberlain  records  a 
nest  which  was  taken  at  Lennoxvllle,  Quebec,  May  15,  1882.  This  was  pensile,  and 
was  attached  to  a  branch  of  a  small  tree.  It  contained  nine  eggs,  one  of  them  a 
Cowblrd's.  The  nests  of  the  Ruby-crown  vary  somewhat  In  their  general  style  of 
structure  and  In  composition.  They  are  usually  seml-penslle,  neatly  and  well'  made 
with  soft,  thick  walls,  composed  of  moss,  fine  strips  of  bark,  and  well  lined  with 
feathers  of  various  birds,  which  are  woven  Into  the  sides  and  bottom  of  the  structure. 
The  eggs  arc  five  to  nine  In  number,  and  are  dull  whitish  or  pale  buffy,  faintly 
speckled  or  spotted  with  light  brown,  chiefly  at  the  larger  ends.  Their  average  size 
Is  .55X.43.    Occasionally  some  of  the  eggs  of  this  bird  are  very  nearly  plain  in  color. 

750.  DUSKY  KINGLET.  Regulus  ob/tcurus  Rldgw.  Geog.  Dlst.— Guadalupe 
Island,  Lower  California. 

Mr.  Walter  E.  Bryant  found  the  Dusky  Kinglet  frequenting  more  numerously  the 
large  cypress  grove  on  Guadalupe  Island;  they  were  also  found  in  the  smaller  groves 
and  among  the  pines.  As  early  as  the  middle  of  February,  nest-buildlng  was  In 
order,  the  birds  selecting  the  topmost  foliage  c(  a  cypress,  and  sometimes  the  very 
outer  extremity  of  a  horizontal  branch.  After  many  days'  diligent  search,  three 
nests  were  observed,  and  these  were  detected  by  watching  the  birds  collect  building 
material,  or  by  tracing  to  Its  source  a  peculiar,  low  song  which  the  male  sometimes 
sings  when  close  to  the  nest.  These  nests  were  all  found  over  twenty  feet  high,  and 
only  one  could  be  seen  from  the  ground,  and  that  merely  during  the  intervals  when 
the  wind  parted  the  branr  es.  They  were  placed  In  the  midst  of  a  thick  bunch  of 
foliage  and  but  lightly  secured  to  the  twigs.  Compact,  though  not  very  smooth  In 
structure,  they  were  composed  of  soft  bark-strips  Intermingled  with  feathers,  bits 
of  moss,  fine  grass  and  cocoons.  Additional  warmth  Is  secured  by  a  quantity  either 
of  goat's  hair  or  feathers,  and,  lastly,  a  thin  lining  of  goat's  hair.  Their  external 
measurement  is  about  70  mm.  in  height  by  90  mm.  in  diameter,  while  the  internal 
depth  is  about  45  mm.,  and  diameter  35  to  45  mm."*  A  nest  containing  two  Iresh  eggs 
was  found  March  24,  in  the  top  of  a  slender  cypress  twenty-five  feet  high.  It  could 
not  be  seen  from  the  ground,  but  was  located  by  the  subdued  song  of  the  male  bird. 
In  color  the  eggs  are  white,  with  a  dense  wreath  of  pale  yellowish-brown  spots  en- 
circling the  larger  end.  In  some  places  these  spots  appear  to  te  laid  over  a  pale 
lavender  washing,  and  in  one  specimen,  these  fine,  almost  indistinct  dots  extend 
sparingly  over  the  entire  surface.    They  measure  in  millimeters,  14x11  and  15x11. f 


j;  !^ 


751.  BLUE-GRAY  QNATCATCHER.  PnUnpiila  rrrriilm  (Linn.)  Geog. 
Dlst. — Middle  and  southern  portions  of  the  Eastern  United  States,  south,  in  winter 
to  Guatemala,  Cuba,  and  the  Bahamas;  rare  north  toward  the  Great  Lakes,  Southern 


♦  External  height  ^bout  2.76,  diameter  3.54;  Internal  depth  1.77,  and  diameter  1.38  to  1.77 
inches. 

t  .55x43,  .59x43  inches. 


M 


NOKTII    \Mi:ifl(.\\  HI  If  Its. 


495 


J 


V' 


751.    Blue-gray  Gnatcatcher  and  Nest  (Jasper  del.) 


fl 


*i;iii;    I 


W 


•IM 


Ms^HTS  AND  EUUH  Of 


New  York  and  Botttbem  N«ir  England;  accidentat  nortb  to  fitsBBachusettB  and  Maine. 
Breeds  throughout  ita  United  States  range,  and  winters  from  South  Atlantic  and 
Gulf  States  couthwnrd. 

The  Blue-Gray  Gnatcatcher  is  an  abundant  bird  throughout  most  of  the  woodod 
districts  of  the  United  States,  breeding  In  r.ultable  places,  south  of  42°.  As  a  work 
of  beauty  and  ingenious  architectural  design  the  nest  of  this  bird  has  few  equals  in 
this  country.  On  tho  whole  it  is  a  rather  fran  structure,  usually  built  In  the  small 
upright  twigs  or  saddled  on  the  horizontal  limW  Of  trees  at  belchts  ranging  from  ten 
to  fifty  feet,  but  generally  at  an  elevation  o(  about  flftetn  Of  twenty  feet.  The  typical 
nest  has  high,  comi^acL  walls,  cbntri^cted  at  th^brlxn  and  grao^fully  turned;  the  in- 
terior Is  deeply  cupped,  and  the  exterior  is  beaut Ifuiljr  orotaicntcd  with  lichens. 
The  nest  shown  In  our  Illustration  is  selected  from  eight  specimens  which  I  t6ok  on 
a  little  island  in  tho  Scioto  river,  Franklin  county,'Ohio,  May  27,  18S5.  Ten  nests  of 
this  species  collected  by  Mr.  R.  B.  tierfon  in  San  Qorgonia  Pasa,  California,  are  en- 
tirely deflcient  of  the  lichens  which  characterize  the  Ohio  nests.^  The  interior  Is  com- 
posed of  soft  downy  materials— cofton-Iike  substances  of  withered  blossoms  and  tho 
silky  down  of  the  milkweed — fine  wiry  grasses,  stemd  of  old  leaves,  horse  hair  and 
an  occasional  feather  from  the  breast  of  the  bird  Is  intermingled.  The  cavity  meas- 
ures from  one  to  one  and  a  half  inches  deep,  and  about  the  saro^  in  diameter.  At  a 
short  distance  the  nest  often  lopks  like  a  r^und  knot  protruding  from  the  limb.  The 
eggs  ore  four  or  five  In  number;  their  ground-color  Is  prdenish  or  bluish-white, 
speckled  with  chestnut,  and  in  some  t^e  markingi  are  oC  a  darker  brownish  tinge. 
Ten 


specimens  measure.   .55X.42,  .66z.43,  .57x.45,   .68x.45,   .57x.42.;  .56x.41. 
.59X.44,   58X.44.  .59x.45  inches.  ....  i 


.58X.47, 


Geog. 


76 1«.    WESTERN  GNATCATOHEB.    Polloptila  cwrulea  ohacura  Ridgw. 
Dist. — Arizona,  California,  Lower  California  and  Western  Mexico. 

The  general  habits,  nesting  and  eggs  of  this  western  form  are  Identical  with 
those  of  /*  carulea.  The  nests  of  this  variety,  as  will  be  seen  in  the  description  of  the 
eastern  species,  lack  the  abundance  of  artistically  arranged  lichens  on  the  outside. 

752.       PLUMBEOUS  GNATCATCHBB.       Polioptiht  plutnbia  Baird.       Geog. 

DIst.— Southwestern  border  of  the  United  States — Southern  Texas  to  Lower  Rio 
Grande  Valley;  Northern  Mexico  and  Lower  California  to  Cape  St,  Lucas. 

A  nest  of  the  Plumbeous  Cnaicatcher  was  taken  at  Tumi .  Arizona,  by  Mr.  F. 
Stephens,  July  15,  1881.  It  was  placed  in  a  bunch  of  mistletoe,  '*  a  height  of  about 
eight  feet  from  the  ground,  and  contained  one  egg  of  its  owner  and  one  of  the  Dwarf 
Cowbird.  Mr.  William  Brewster  saJjnB  that  although  a  delicate  structure  tbe  nest  will 
not  compare  with  that  of  the  Blue-gray  Gnatcatcber,  entirely  lacking  the  exterior 
coating  of  lichens,  but  In  Its  general  appearance  closejiy  resembles  the  Redstart's, 
being  felted  with  soft  bark-strips  and  hemp-like  vegetable  fibres.  It  was  lined 
with  plant  down,  a  few  feathers  and  the  hkiv  of  some  small  quadruped.  Mr.  Brewster 
describes  the  eggs  as  pale  greenish-blue,  coarsely  and  very  evenly  spotted  with  red- 
dish-brown; size  .53X.42.*  Mr.  Stephens  found  two  nests  of  the  Black-capped  Gnat- 
catcher  at  Yuma,  Arizona,  in  May,  1886,  containing  four  eygs  each;  one  of  these 
containing  an  egg  of  Molothrus  ater  obacurus.f 


753.    BLACK-TAILED  GNATCATCHER.    Polloptila  californica  BTewst. 
Plst,— Southexn  California  and  Paciflc  coast  of  Lower  California. 


Geog. 


•  Bull.  Nutt.  Ornith.  Club,  VII,  p.  77. 

t  Bull.  No.  2,  Rldgway  Ornithological  Club;  April,  1887,  pp.  56-67. 


yORTH  AMKRKWS  BIKU8. 


497 


Qeog. 


"This  Gnatcatcher  was  first  described  by  Mr.  William  Brewster,  from  specimens 
collected  by  Mr.  F.  Stephens,  near  Riverside,  San  Bernardino  county,  California, 
March  28,  1878.  "A  nest  and  fotir  egRs  of  this  species  have  recently  been  obtained 
from  Mr.  Stephens,  to  whom  the  credit  belongs  for  the  discovery  of  the  first  speci- 
mens. These  were  taken  near  the  town  of  San  Bernardino,  CPllfornla,  on  May  2, 
1887,  and  are  now  in  the  National  Museum  collection  (Catalogue  No.  23,294).  The 
nest  of  P.  ralifiinifra,  like  iliat  of  /'.  plumhra  Baird,  from  Arizona  Territory,  differs 
radically  In  Its  structure  from  that  of  Us  Eastern  relative,  /'  rarulra  (Mnn.),  which 
Is  too  well  known  to  ornithologists  to  require  description.  It  larkn  entirely  the 
artistic  finish  of  the  lichen-covered  structure  of  the  former,  and  resembles  mbre  In 
shape  certain  forms  of  the  nest  of  the  Summer  Yellow  Warbler,  Drmlrolca  WHtlrn 
(OmI.),  and  the  American  Iledstart,  SrtnpUapa  rutUiUa  (Linn.).  The  nest  Is  cone- 
shaped,  built  in  the  forkF  of  a  small  shrub,  a  species  of  mahogany,  Cnteogynt: 
ramose/mlnin  (Torr.),  I  think,  only  two  feet  from  the  ground,  and  it  is  securely  fas- 
tened to  several  of  the  twigs  among  which  It  is  placed.  Its  walls  are  about  half  an 
inch  in  thickness.  The  material  of  which  the  nest  is  composed,  is  well  quiltod  to- 
gether and  makes  a  compact  and  solid  structure.  Externally  the  nest  is  composed 
principally  of  hemp-like  vegetable  fiber  mixed  with  small  curled-up  leaves  of  the 
white  sage,  hUimiUx  Iniiata,  plant-down,  and  fragments  of  spiders'  webs.  Inside  the 
nest  is  lined  with  the  same  hemp-like  fiber,  only  much  finer,  and  a  few  feathers.  The 
cavity  of  the  nest  Is  cup-shaped  and  rather  deep.  Externally  the  nest  measures  two 
and  a  half  Inches  in  diameter  by  three  and  one-fourth  inches  in  depth.  Compared 
with  a  nest  of  I'oUoplUa  plumbcn  Baird,  now  before  me,  from  Arizona  Territory,  it 
seems  much  better  constructed  and  also  somewhat  larger.  I  took  three  nests  of  the 
latter  species  near  Tucson,  Arizona,  during  the  months  of  May  and  June,  1872.  Two 
of  these  were  placed  In  bunches  of  mistletoe,  probably  Phorrdnidrnn  flmrsrens,  grow- 
ing on  mesquite  trees  from  twelve  to  twenty  feet  from  the  ground;  and  one  of  them 
is  described  In  the  'History  of  North  American  Birds,'  by  Baird,  Brewer  and  Ridg- 
way.  Volume  III,  page  502.  The  third  nest  was  placed  In  a  crotch  of  a  choUa  cactus. 
The  ground-color  of  the  eggs  of  the  PolloptUa  calif  arnica  Brewster  Is  bright  light 
green,  much  more  pronounced  than  in  the  eggs  of  either  P.  rwrulva  and  P.  piumhca, 
now  before  me.  They  are  covered  with  minute  spots  of  a  brownish-red  color  dis- 
tributed irregularly  over  the  entire  surface  of  the  egg,  but  nowhere  so  thick  as  to 
hide  the  ground-color.  These  eggs  measure  .50x.45,  .58x.45,  .67x.45  and  .57x.44 
inches."* 


.    Geog. 


754.  TOWNSEND'S  SOLITAIRE.  Myadestes  townsendii  (Aud.)  Geog.  Dist.— 
Western  United  States,  from  the  Plains  to  the  Pacific. 

So  far  as  I  am  aware,  Mr.  Wilbur  F.  Lamb  took  the  first  known  eggs  of  Town- 
send's  Fly-catching  Thrush.  This  was  in  Summit  county,  Colorado,  July,  1876,  at 
an  altitude  of  about  ten  thousand  feet.  The  nest  was  placed  in  the  upper  bank  of  a 
miner's  ditch  near  Blue  River;  It  was  partly  concealed  by  overhanging  roots,  yet 
rendered  conspicuous  by  the  loose,  swaying  material  of  which  it  was  composed.  Mr. 
T.  M.  Trippe  found  a  nest  of  this  species  in  San  Juan  county,  Colorado,  July  9,  at 
an  altitude  of  10,500  feet;  it  was  built  in  a  little  cranny  in  a  bank,  and  contained  four 
eggs  in  which  incubation  had  Just  begun.  Dr.  Coues  describes  a  nest  taken  by  Mr. 
G.  Smith,  of  Buffalo  Creek,  Jefferson  county,  Colorado.  This  was  found  June  18, 
1883,  and  was  built  in  the  end  of  a  hollow  log:  it  was  about  three  feet  off  tha  ground 

•  Major  Chaa,  E.  Bendire,  U.  S.  A.    Proc.  U.  8.  Nat.  Mua.,  1887,  pp.  549-B50. 

33 


!i 


PI 


11 


11 
,1  if 


498 


NESTS    iND  EQQS  OF 


and  about  one  foot  from  he  end  of  the  log.  The  foundation  of  the  nest  was  a  great 
quantity  of  trash,  bits  of  sticks,  etc.,  the  nest  proper  being  constructed  chiefly  cf 
pine  needles,  grasses,  and  disintegrated  weed-stalks— the  whole,  loose  and  slovenly, 
could  hardly  be  handled  without  coming  apart.  Mr.  Walter  E.  Bryant  describes  the 
location  of  three  nests  taken  by  Mr.  L.  Belding,  at  Big  Trees,  California,  in  various 
years,  in  June.  They  were  placed  on  the  ground  in  a  slight  depression,  and  con- 
cealment v.'^3  attempted  by  the  aid  of  weeds,  a  stone,  or  a  large  piece  of  bark.  One 
nest  was  built  on  the  ground,  within  the  semi-circular  cavity  of  a  standing  tree.  The 
nests  were  composed  mostly  of  pine  needles.  Mr.  Lamb  describes  the  eggs  which  he 
obtained  as  resembling  those  of  the  Shrikes,  and  gives  the  sizes  of  three  specimens 
preserved  out  of  the  set  of  four  as  l.Olx.66,  .94x.68,  .88x.66.  The  usual  number  laid 
is  four,  with  an  average  size  of  .93x.67. 

765.  WOOD  THRUSH.  Turdus  mustelitius  Gmel.  Geog.  Dist.— Eastern  United 
States,  in  summer  north  to  Southern  Michigan,  Ontario,  Massachusetts,  etc.;  south 
in  winter  to  Northern  Central  America  and  Cuba. 

A  common  bird  in  the  woodland  of  Eastern  United  States  and  as  far  West  as 
Eastern  Kansas,  where  Colonel  Goss  gives  it  as  an  abundant  summer  resident. 
Its  favorite  resorts  are  low,  damp  woods  and  thickets,  where  it  spends  much  of  its 
time  (m  the  ground  scratching  among  the  leaves.  The  bird  has  a  sweet  song,  which 
It  sings  from  the  higher  branches  of  trees,  generally  towards  the  close  of  summer 
afternoons.  The  nest  is  usually  saddled  upon  the  horizontal  limbs  of  saplings  and 
low  trees,  six  to  ten  feet  from  the  ground;  on  the  outside  it  is  composed  of  leaves, 
grasses  and  stems  of  weeds,  which  are  gathered  when  wet,  and  become  solid  and 
firm ;  and  between  these  are  tracings  of  mud;  the  lining  is  of  small  fibrous  roots.  The 
breeding  season  is  in  May.  Usually  four  eggs  are  laid,  often  only  three.  Their 
color  is  a  plain  greenish-blue,  and  their  average  size  is  1.02x.74,  with  considerable 
•  yaria  tion. 


756.  WILSON'S  THRUSH.  Turdus  fusccsceus  Steph.  Geog.  Dist.— Eastern 
United  States  and  British  Provinces  to  the  Plains,  north  to  Manitoba,  Ontario,  Anti- 
costi  and  Newfoundland. 

Wilson's,  the  Tawny  Thrush,  or  Veery,  is  an  abundant  species  in  the  wooded 
regionf,  of  Eastern  United  States.  It  is  rather  partial  to  low,  wet  woods.  Breeds 
from  F.bout  latitude  40°  north  to  Manitoba,  Ontario,  Anticosti  and  Newfoundland.  It 
has  been  considered  a  doubtful  breeding  bird  in  Central  Ohio;  has  lately  provei^  *o  be 
quite  common  during  the  summer  months.  I  took  a  nest  May  27,  1885,  in  the  char- 
acteristic position — at  the  base  of  a  sapling  in  swampy  woods.  The  nest  is  of  the 
usual  type,  composed  of  leaves,  strips  of  grapevine  bark,  weed  stems,  and  lined  with 
Dlack  rootlets.  This  nest  contained  three  eggs  of  its  owner  and  one  of  the  Cowblrd. 
An  Illustration  of  a  Wilson's  Thrush's  nest  appears  in  Jones'  magnificent  work, 
"Nests  and  Eggs  of  Birds  of  Ohio,"  which  was  taken  May  21,  1884.  Dr.  Jones  took 
another  nest  which  was  placed  at  the  base  of  the  leaf  of  the  skunk-cabbage  plant, 
<>Ighteen  Inches  from  the  ground,  at  the  °dge  of  swampy  woods.  Nests  of  this  bird 
fiave  benn  found  in  hollow  trunks  of  trees,  fifteen  feet  from  the  ground,  and  in  old 
tin  cans  lying  on  the  ground  in  the  woods.  The  eggs  are  four  or  five  in  number,  and 
are  plain,  pale  greenish-blue;  average  size,  .87x.64. 

756n.  WILLOW  THRUSH.  Turdus  fusrrscens  salirlcola  (Ridgw.)  Geog. 
Dist. — Rocky  Mountain  region  of  the  United  States,  east  casually  during  the  migration 
to  Dakota,  Minnesota,  Illinois,  etc. 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


499 


The  Willow  Tawny  Thrush  inhabits  the  lower  willowy  portions  of  the  Rocky 
Mountain  region  in  United.  States.  Habits,  nests  and  eggs  are  similar  to  those  of 
Wilson's  Thrush.    Eggs,  .85x.66. 


757.  ORAY-CHEEKED  THRUSH.  Turdua  aUriw  Baird.  Geog.  Dist.— East- 
ern North  America,  west  to  the  Great  Plains,  Alaska,  Eastern  Siberia  north  to  the 
Arctic  coast.    In  winter  south  to  Costa  Rica. 

The  Gray-cheeked  Thrush  breeds  from  Labrador  and  Hudson  Bay  north  to  the 
Arctic  coast  and  the  coast  of  Bering  Sea.  It  has  been  found  breeding  abundantly 
In  the  Mackenzie  River  region,  and  on  the  Anderson  River.  The  nests  were  found, 
with  all  but  few  exceptions,  on  the  branches  of  low  trees,  from  two  to  seven  feet 
from  the  ground.  In  a  few  exceptional  cases  they  were  built  on  the  ground.  They 
are  usually  compact,  and  composed  of  an  elaborate  interweaving  of  fine  sedges, 
leaves,  stems,  dry  grasses,  strips  of  fine  bark  and  lined  with  fine  grasses.  Occasion- 
ally nests  are  found  constructed,  with  mud,  like  those  of  the  common  Robin.  The 
eggs  are  usually  four  in  number,  and  are  greenish-blue,  marked  with  spots  of  russet 
and  yellowish-brown.  Captain  B.  F.  Goss  has  two  eggs  of  this  species,  taken  by  Mr. 
R.  R.  MacFarlane,  at  Fort  Anderson,  Arctic  Ameiica.  The  nest  from  which  these 
were  taken  was  placed  in  a  low  tree.  The  eggs  are  greenish-blue,  faintly  marked 
over  the  entire  surface  with  reddish-brown.    Their  sizes  are  .91x.71,  .91x.72. 

757a.  BICKNELL'S  THRUSH.  Turdus  aliciw  bicknelli  (Ridgw.)  Geog.  Dist.~ 
In  summer,  higher  mountains  of  Northeastern  United  States  (Catskills,  White  Moun- 
tains, etc.),  and  Nova  Scotia.    Winter  home  unknown. 

This  Thrush,  recently  identified  in  the  Catskill  and  White  Mountains,  and  named 
In  honor  of  its  discoverer,  Mr.  Eugene  P.  Bicknell,  was  found  breeding  by  the  Rev. 
J.  H.  Langille,  on  Mud  and  Seal  Iblands,  out  at  sea  off  the  coast  of  Nova  Scotia  and 
westward  from  the  city  of  Yarmouth.  These  are  almost  entirely  covered  with  a  low 
growth  of  evergreens — black  spruce  and  balsam  fir.  Except  the  Robin,  Song  Sparrow, 
Snowbird,  a  few  Redstarts  and  Winter  Wrens,  almost  the  only  small  land-birds 
breeding  here  are  the  Black-poll  Warbler  and  Bicknell's  Thrush — the  last  two  being 
very  abundant.  Mr.  Langille  says  that  Its  song  is  similar  in  tone  to  that  of  Wilson's 
Thrush,  but  more  slender  and  wiry,  and  therefore  not  nearly  so  grand  and  musical. 
The  birds  were  found  nesting  In  almost  impenetrable  evergreen  thickets,  beneath 
which  there  is  a  dense  carpet  of  moss.  The  nests  were  all  nearly  alike  in  location, 
structure  and  materials;  placed  a  few  feet  from  the  ground,  against  the  trunk  of  an 
evergreen  tree.  They  were  composed  of  various  kinds  of  mosses,  a  few  fine  sticks, 
weed-stems  and  rootlets,  and  were  lined  with  fine  bleached  grasses.  The  nest  on  the 
outside  was  as  green  as  a  bunch  of  fresh  moss.  The  eggs  were  of  a  light  bluish- 
green  speckled  with  brown;  size,  .STx.GS.* 


758.  RUSSET-BACKED  THRUSH.  Turdus  ustulatua  (Nutt.)  Geog.  Dist.— 
Pacific  coast  region,  north  to  Sitka;  south,  in  winter,  through  Western  Mexico,  to 
Northern  Central  America. 

The  Russet-backed  Thrush  is  a  common  species  In  suitable  localities  along  the 
Pacific  coast  of  California  and  northward  .Mr.  A.  W.  Anthony  states  that  it  is  not 
an  uncommon  summer  resident  of  Washington  county,  Oregon.    The  bird  frequents 


•  Our  Birds  in  Their  Haunts:    A  Popular  Treatise  on  the  Birds  of  Eastern  North 
America.    By  Rev.  Hibbert  Langille,  M.  A.    Boston:    S.  E.  Casslno  &  Co.    1884.    Pp.  511-513. 


500 


NESTS  AND  EOOS  OF 


758.    Russet-backed  Thrush  and  Nest  (G.  S.  Cheney  del.) 

the  deepest  thickets,  and  when  disturbed  utters  an  alarm  note  like  that  of  the  Brown 
Thrasher,  chuck,  chuck.  It  is  also  a  fine  songster,  and  may  be  heard  at  dusk  and 
early  morning.  The  nest  is  built  in  thickets  or  bushes,  a  few  feet  above  the  ground. 
It  is  composed  of  twigs,  grasses,  roots  and  leaves,  and  in  some  cases  mosses  are  used. 
A  set  of  four  eggs  taken  near  San  Jose,  California,  May  18,  1885,  gives  the  following 
dimensions:  .92x.65,  .95x.66,  .97x.68.  They  are  greenish-blue  spotted  with  yellowish- 
brown,  chiefly  about  the  larger  end.    The  average  size  of  ten  specimens  is  .94x.65. 


758fl.  OLIVE-BACKED  THRUSH.  Tardus  ustulatus  siminsouU  (Cab.)  Qeog. 
Dist.— Eastern  North  America,  west  to  and  including  Rocky  Mounta^ns,  and  as  far 
as  East  Humboldt  ranges  and  the  Upper  Columbia.  Breeds  chirifly  north  of  the 
United  States,  v/intering  from  the  Gulf  States  and  Mississippi  Valley  southward  to 
Northern  South  America. 

The  Olive-backed  Thrush  breeds  chiefly  north  of  the  United  States.  It  is  given 
as  a  common  breeding  bird  in  the  Wasatch  Mountains,  Utah.  Mr.  Kennicot  found  It 
nesting  in  the  Arctic  regions,  frequently  placing  the  nest  not  more  than  two  feet  from 
the  ground.  In  his  Catalogue  of  the  Birds  of  New  Brunswick,*  Mr.  M.  Chamberlain 
gives  it  as  a  summer  resident,  breeding  in  abundance.  Breeds  abundantly  in  Nova 
Scotia.  In  some  parts  of  Maijie  and  New  Hampshire  it  is  the  commonest  Thrush, 
except  the  Robin,  during  the  breeding  season. t    Mr.  Frank  H.  Lattin  has  for  two 


♦  Birds  of  New  Brunswick.    Bulletin  of  the  Natural  History  Society  of  New  Brus- 
Wlck.    No.  1.    Published  by  the  Society.    St.  John,  N.  B.,  1882.    Pp.  29-68. 
t  New  England  Bird  Life,  Part  I,  p.  58. 


.^.^ 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


501 


BUCceBslve  years  found  nests  and  eggs  of  the  Olive-backed  Thrush  at  Gaines,  Orleans 
county,  New  York,  within  a  short  distance  of  his  residence.  Dr.  Morris  Gibbs  has 
taken  its  nests  and  eggs  in  Kalamazoo  county,  Michigan.  It  may  be  found,  breeding 
in  Northern  Ohio.  This  species,  like  the  Hermit  Thrush,  frequents  retired  wood- 
land, but  its  mode  of  nesting  (except  the  structure  of  the  nest),  as  well  as  iti;  eggs, 
are  quite  different.  The  nest  is  built  in  a  bush  or  small  forest  tree,  a  few  feot  from 
the  ground — usually  from  five  to  eight  feet.  It  is  composed  of  a  mass  of  leaves,  twigs, 
shreds  of  bark,  and,  in  the  Arctic  regions,  moss  is  one  of  the  principal  substances 
which  enter  into  its  composition.  The  nests  average  about  four  inches  in  diameter 
by  two  in  height,  the  cavity  being  three  wide  by  one  and  a  half  deep.  The  eggs  are 
usually  deposited  in  the  first  part  of  June,  these  being  three  or  four  in  number,  of 
greenish-blue  (some  much  duller  than  others),  speckled  with  reddish-brown  and  other 
tints.    Their  average  size  is  .92x.66. 

759.  DWARF  HEBMIT  THRUSH.  Turdtis  aonalasehkw  Gmel.  Geog.  Dist.— 
Pacific  coast  region,  breeding  from  California  northward;  south  in  winter  to  Lower 
California  and  Western  Mexico;  during  the  migrations  east  to  Nevada  and  Arizona. 

The  Dwarf  Hermit  Thrush  breeds  from  the  mountains  of  California  northward 
as  far  as  Kadiak.  Very  few  of  the  eggs  of  this  species  appear  in  the  numerous  col- 
lections, and  from  the  meagre  accounts  we  have  concerning  them,  they  must  be  con- 
sidered rare.  Mr.  Chas.  N.  Comstock,  of  Oakland,  California,  found  a  nest  of  this 
species  containing  two  eggs,  in  June,  1883,  while  on  a  collecting  trip  to  the  Calaveras 
group  of  big  trees.  The  nest  was  placed  in  a  bush  about  two  feet  from  the  ground. 
The  eggs  are  described  by  Mr.  Comstock  as  being  a  little  lighter  than  a  Robin's,  and 
all  one  color.*    The  sizes  of  these  two  specimens  are  21x16  mm.,  21.5x16.5  mra.f 


given 

und  it 

t  from 

erlain 

Nova 

rush, 

r  two 

BruB- 


759a.  AUDUBON'S  HEBMIT  THBUSH.  Tardus  aonalasehkw  auduhoni 
(Baird.)  Geog.  Dist. — Rocky  Mountain  region  of  the  United  States,  south  to  North- 
ern Central  America. 

Known  as  the  Rocky  Mountain  Hermit  Thrush  from  the  region  which  it  inhabits. 
In  some  parts  of  Colorado  it  is  very  common.  Mr.  Frank  M.  Drew  states  that  it  is 
common  and  breeds  in  San  Juan  county,  Colorado.  Its  clear,  sweet  notes  can  be 
heard  from  nearly  every  dark  glen  or  secluded  part  of  the  woods.  A  nest  was  found 
in  the  latter  part  of  June,  placed  in  a  spruce  oush,  about  three  feet  froln  the  ground. 
It  contained  three  eggs.  Mr.  Chas.  F.  Morrison  records  this  bird  as  tolerably  common 
in  La  Plata  county,  Colorado.  The  nest  he  says  is  generally,  if  not  always,  placed 
in  bushes  where  the  undergrowth  is  thick  and  heavy.  The  bird  prefers  hillsides 
near  sluggish  water,  as  old  beaver  dams  and  swamps,  nesting  in  their  vicinity,  and 
breeding  before  the  last  of  May  or  first  of  June,  and  later  at  a  higher  altitude. 
The  nest  is  composed  of  twigs,  straws,  rootlets,  co.i'^e  grass  and  moss;  it  is  often 
compact,  with  thick  walls.  The  average  diameter  is  about  five  inches,  with  a 
cavity  two  arid  a  half  by  two  deep.  The  eggs  are  usually  four,  and  of  a  plain 
greenish-blue.  A  set  of  four  in  my  cabinet,  taken  at  Canon  City,  Colorado,  July  A', 
1885,  offers  the  following  sizes:     .85x.65,  .84x.66,  88x.66,  .86x.64. 

759&.  HEBMIT  THBUSH.  Turdus  ammlaschkw  pallasii  (Cab.)  Geog.  Dist.— 
Eastern  North  America,  breeding  from  the  Northern  United  States  northward,  winter- 
ing from  about  latitude  40°  to  the  Gulf  coast. 


•  Young  Oologlst,  I,  p. 

t  .83X.63,  .S5X.65  inches. 


149. 


502 


NESTS  AND  E008  OF 


The  Hermit  Thrush  or  "Cround  Swamp  Robin,"  breeds  from  the  NoFthern  United 
States  northward.  It  is  common  in  the  northern  portions  of  New  England  in  sum- 
mer, and  in  Maine,  where  it  is  abundant,  it  begins  to  breed  uarlr.?  the  last  week  ot 
May.  It  is  common  in  Nova  Scotia  and  in  New  Brunswick,  and  begins  to  build 
about  the  middle  of  May,  Dr.  Frank  W.  Langdon  states  on  the  authority  of  Mr. 
Chas.  Dury,  that  the  nest  and  eggs  of  the  Hermit  Thrush  have  been  taken  near  Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio,  May  10,  1877.  The  bird  probably  breeds  in  Northern  Ohio  and  other 
parts  of  the  State.  It  has  been  observed  nesting  in  Michigan,  a  nest  being  recorded 
by  Dr.  Morris  Gibbs  as  taken  by  W.  A.  Gunn  in  Montcalm  county,  May  15,  1879. 
Nuttall  says  that  the  song  of  the  Hermit  Thrush  "seems  to  be  unusually  lively  and 
varied,  warbling  almost  like  the  Yellow  Bird,  and  then  chanting  like  the  Robin." 
This  charming  writer,  in  speaking  of  the  marshy  places  which  this  bird  inhabits, 
beautifully  says:  "In  these  almost  Stygian  regions  which,  besides  being  corl,  abound 
probably  with  its  favorite  insect  food,  we  are  nearly  sure  to  meet  our  sweetly  vocal 
hermit  flitting  through  the  settled  gloom,  which  the  brightest  rays  of  noon  scarcely 
illumine  with  more  than  twilight.  The  nest,  like  that  of  Wilson's  Thrusti,  is  built 
on  the  ground  or  very  near  it,  in  some  low,  secluded  spot,  generally  beneath  the 
shelter  of  dense  shrubbery.  It  is  rather  bulky,  and  loosely  made  of  leaves,  shreds 
of  bark,  grasses,  mosses,  and  lined  with  similar  but  finer  material.  The  eggs  are 
usually  four,  often  only  three,  of  greenish-blue,  unspotted,  and  average  .86x.65. 

[760.]  BED- WINGED  THRUSH.  Turdns  illacus  Linn.  Geog.  Dist.— North- 
ern portions  of  Europe  and  Asia;  accidental  in  Greenland. 

The  Red-winged  Thrush  of  Europe  claims  a  place  in  the  avifauna  of  North 
America  from  its  accidental  occurrence  in  Greenland.  During  the  breeding  season 
it  is  found  in  the  more  northern  portions  of  Europe,  only  occasionally  breeding  as  far 
south  as  England.  Breeds  in  the  wooded  districts  of  Norway  and  Sweden.  It  has 
been  found  nesting  in  the  Faroe  Islands,  Iceland  and  Northern  Russia.  In  the  winter 
the  Redwing  extends  its  migrations  to  the  more  southern  portions  of  Europe — Sicily, 
Malta,  and  even  Smyrna.  The  nest  of  this  species  is  usually  placed  in  the  center  of 
a  thorn  bush  or  small  tree,  and  is  made  of  moss,  roots,  and  dry  grasses  outwardly, 
cemented  together  with  clay,  and  lined  inwardly  with  finer  grass.  The  external 
diameter  averages  about  five  inches  by  three  deep;  the  cavity  is  three  in  diameter 
by  about  two  deep.  The  eggs  range  from  four  to  six  in  number,  pale  bluish-green 
or  olive-greenish,  speckled  and  spotted  with  reddish-brown.  Their  average  size  is 
1.04X.75. 


761.  AMEBICAN  BOBIN.  Merula  migratoria  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist. — Eastern 
and  Northern  North  America  (Hudson  Bay  region  to  Alaska);  west  to  the  Great 
Plains,  of  occasional  occurrence  in  Eastern  Mexico. 

During  the  summer  months  this  familiar  bird  has  an  extensive  range,  breeding^ 
as  it  does  from  near  the  southern  border  of  the  United  States  northward  to  the 
Arctic  coast.  The  nest  is  saddled  on  a  horizontal  branch  or  built  In  the  crotch  of 
trees  of  almost  any  kind,  and  it  is  commonly  placed  on  the  top  rail  of  a  fence,  often  on 
stumps,  and,  in  fact,  in  all  sorts  of  curious  places,  even  in  bird  boxes.  Orchards  and 
the  shade  trees  along  streets  are  favorite  nesting  sites.  The  nest  is  a  large,  coarse 
structure,  made  of  twigs,  roots,  stems,  grasses,  dry  leaves,  hair  and  wool.  It  is 
strengthened  by  a  neatly-made  cup  of  clay  or  mud,  which  is  surrounded  by  these 
materials.  The  typical  set  of  eggs  is  four,  rarely  five.  They  are  greenish-blue,  un- 
spotted.    Very  rarely,  however,  speckled  with  brown.    Average  size,  1.16x.80i 


VORTB  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


SOS 


-  I^^^a  — _- 


761.    Robin  (From  Beal.) 

761a.    WESTEHN  BOBIN.     Mcrula  mi(/ratoria  propinquaRiAgVf.     Geog.  Dlst. — 
Western  United  States  east  to  and  including  Rocky  Mountains,  south  into  Mexico. 

The  general  habits,  nesting  and  eggs  of  this  Western  form  of  the  Robin  are  like 
those  of  the  Eastern  species.     Mr.  Walter  E.  Bryant  notes  a  pair  of  these  birds  that 
nested  and  reared  a  brood  in  a  hanging  basket  suspended  from  the  edge  of  a  veranda, 
at  the  residence  of  Mr.  H.  G.  Parker  at  Carson,  Nevada, 

762.  ST.  LUCAS  ROBIN.  Meruhi  coiiflnis  Baird.  Geog.  Dist.— Cape  region  o^ 
Lower  California;  accidental  at  Hay  ward,  California. 

This  is  a  distinct  species  inhabiting  the  cape  region  of  Lower  California.  The 
adult  bird  resembles  a  young  robin.     The  eggs  are  unknown. 


763.  VABIED  THRUSH.  Hesperocichla  nccvia  (Gmel.)  Geog.  Cist. — Western:. 
North  America,  chiefly  near  the  Pacific  coast,  from  California  to  Bering  Strait- 
Breeds  chiefly  north  of  the  United  States;  east  casually  to  New  Jersey,  Long  Island 
and  Massachusetts. 

In  various  parts  of  Alaska  this  is  a  common  breeding  bird.    A  few  are  known  to ' 
breed  in  the  spruce  forests  of  Washington,  but  their  breeding  grounds  are  chiefly 
north  of  the  United  States.     According  to  Dr.  Brewer,  Mr.  W.  H.  Dall  furnished  the 
first  authentic  knowledge  concerning  the  nest  and  eggs  of  the  Varied  Robin  as  he 
found  them  in  Alaska.     The  nest  found  by  him  was  built  in  a  willow  bush,  about" 
two  feet  from  the  ground,  and  upon  the  top  of  a  large  mass  of  rubbish  lodged  there  by 
some  previous  inundation.     It  measures  six  Inches  in  diameter  with  a  depth  of  two  - 
and  one-half  inches.     It  has  but  a  very  slight  depression,  apparently  not  more  than, 
half  an  inch  in  depth.     The  original  shape  of  the  nest  had,  howaver,  been  somewhat 
flattened  in  transportation.     The  materials  of  which  it  was  composed  were  fine  dry 
mosses  and  lichens  impacted  together,  intermingled  with  fragments  of  dry  stems  of 
grasses.     Other  nests  of  the  same  species  were  met  with  in  several  places  between 
Fort  Yukon  and  Nulato,  always  on  or  near  a  riv^r  bank  and  in.  law  secluded  localities- 


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504 


NESTS  AND  EQGS  OF 


T«4 


A  nest  of  this  thrush  obtained  by  Dr. 
Minor,  in  Alaska,  is  a  much  more  fin- 
ished structure.  Its  base  and  periphery 
aie  composed  of  an  elaborate  basket- 
work  of  slender  .twigs.  Within  these  is 
an  inner  nest  consisting  of  an  inter- 
w  saving  of  fine  dry  grascts  and  long 
Stay  lichens.  The  eggs  are  described 
as  pale  greenish-blue,  sparingly  but 
distinctly  sprinkled  and  spotted  with 
dark  umber-brown,  size  1.13x.80. 

[764]  BED -SPOTTED  BLUE- 
THBOA'f.  Vyancvula  succica  (Lynn.) 
Geog.  Dist. — Northern  Europe  and  Asia; 
casual  in  Alaska. 

This  beautiful  and  interesting  bird, 
known  as  the  Blue-throated  Redstart,  is 
widely  distributed  in  the  Old  World, 
breeding  in  the  more  northern  portions 
— Norway,  Sweden,  Russia  and  Siberia. 
In  June,  1851,  Dr.  Adams  found  a  flock 
of  these  birds  feeding  about  some  wil- 
lows in  the  vicinity  of  St.  Michael's, 
Alaska.  The  nest  is  placed  on  the 
ground,  midst  the  larger  herbage,  in  the 
caviiies  of  banks  and  under  low  brush- 
Rer-spotted  bluethroat  (From  Brehm.)         ^^j.  :j^   usually   well   concealed.     It  is 

composed  oi!  dry  grass,  moss,  withered  leaves,  roots,  and  Is  lined  with  finer  mosses, 
hair  and  the  down  of  cotton-grass.  The  eggs  are  four  to  six  in  number,  generally 
a  greenish-blue,  but  varying  to  grayish-green  or  olive;  they  are  spotted  with  reddish- 
orown,  whifh  is  usually  thickest  and  deeper  at  the  larger  end.    The  average  size  is 

.75X.53  inches.       . 

765  WHEATEAB.  Saxicola  wnan- 
the  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist. — Europe,  Northern 
Africa,  Asia,  Greenland  and  Labrador, 
straggling  south  to  Nova  Scotia,  Maine, 
Long  Island  and  the  Bermudas. 

The  well-known  Wheatear  of  the  Old 
World  is  common  in  Greenland  and  prob- 
ibly  also  breeds  in  Labrador.  Dr.  C.  Hart 
Merriam  makes  note  of  its  probable  breed- 
ing on  the  north  shore  of  the  Gulf  of  St. 
Lawrence — at  Godbout.  A  female  was  shot 
by  Mr.  Napoleon  A.  Comeau,  June  9,  1885, 
in  which  the  eggs  were  pretty  well  de- 
veloped. Its  mate  was  also  seen  and  it  is 
presumed  that  the  birds  would,  in  all  prob- 
ability, have  bred  in  the  vicinity.  The 
Wheatear  breeds  throughout  the  British 
Islands,  and  in  all  of  Northern  Europe  and 
Asia.  In  the  British  Islands  it  begins  to 
make  its  nest  in  May.  This  is  usually  well 
hidden  in  the  innermost  recess  of  some 
crevice  among  rocks,  in  an  old  wall,  stone- 
quarry,  gravel-pit,  and  frequently  in  a  de- 
serted rabbit  burrow.  Mr.  Hewiston  has 
766.   Wheatear  /Pxom  Brehm.)  known  a  pair  to  make  their  nest  in  the  de- 


NORTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS. 


SOS 


serted  hole  of  a  Sand  Martin  in  a  river  bank.  The  nest  is  rudely  constructed  of 
grass,  moss,  hair,  wool,  rabbits'  fur,  or  any  rubbish  obtainable.  The  eggs  usually 
range  from  four  to  six  in  number  and  are  of  a  pale,  plain  greenish-blue.  A  set  of 
four  eggs  collected  near  Lame,  Ireland,  May  30,  1882,  is  in  my  collection.  Their 
sizes  are  .88x.60.  .88x.59.  .94x.60.  .99x.61  inches. 

766.  BLUEBIBD.  Sialia  sialia  (Linn.)  Geog.  Dist.— Eastern  United  States, 
north  to  Nova  Scotia,  Ontario,  Manitoba,  etc.,  west  to  the  Rocky  Mountains.  Resi- 
dent in  the  Bermudas. 

In  its  several  forms  the  Bluebird  is  an  inhabitant  of  the  entire  temperate  North 
America,  and  especially  the -eastern  bird  and  also  the  western  variety,  occidentaliH, 
are  familiar  to  all  who  study  bird  life  in  the  regions  in  which  they  are  to  be  fcund. 
Dr.  J.  G.  Cooper  has  aptly  said  that  the  Bluebird  always  bears  the  national  colors, 
red,  white  and  blue,  and  that  it  is  one  of  the  most  strikingly  peculiar  of  American 
singing  birds,  and  in  its  habits  a  model  of  civilized  bird  life.  Its  natural  nesting 
places  are  in  the  deserted  excavations  of  Woodpeckers,  hollows  of  trees,  and  even 
in  the  crevices  of  rocky  cliffs.  With  the  progress  of  civilization  the  Bluebird  has 
taken  advantage  of  modern  surroundings,  adopting  the  boxes  that  are  put  up  for  its 
use,  nesting  also  in  every  conceivable  nook  and  corner  in  houses  and  barns.  Very 
frequpntly  letter  boxes  upon  fences  are  taken  possession  of.  I  found  a  Bluebird's 
nest  Ij  the  interior  of  a  wheel  of  a  railroad  car  during  the  strike  a  few  years  since, 
and  0  1  another  occasion,  in  Morrow  county,  Ohio,  I  discovered  a  brood  of  young  Blue- 
bird ,  in  a  Cliff  Swallow's  nest  under  the  eaves  of  an  old  barn.  The  normal  color  of 
thf  eggs  of  the  Bluebird  is  uniform  pale  blue,  unspotted.  They  are  four,  five,  and 
so  netimes  six  in  number,  and  their  average  size  is  .84x.62.  The  eggs  of  this  bird  are 
frequently  very  light  bluish-white,  and  rarely  pure  white.  All  found  in  one  nest  are 
of  one  tint;  that  is  to  say,  a  white  egg  is  never  found  in  a  set  with  the  blue  ones. 

736a:  '  AZURE  BLUEBIBB.  Sialta  slalis  a::urea  (Swains.)  Geog.  Dist.— 
Southern  Arizona  and  Eastern  Mexico. 

This  bird  has  the  same  habits  of  S.  sialis  and  the  eggs  are  indistinguishable. 
Breeds  in  Southern  Arizona  and  southward. 

767.  WESTERN  BLUEBIBD.  Sialic  mexicani  occidentalis  Swains.  Geog. 
Dist. — Western  United  States,  from  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the  Pacific,  south  to 
Southern  Mexico. 

An  inhabitant  of  Western  United  States  nprth  to  British  Columbia.  Its  habits 
are  exactly  similar  to  those  of  the  Eastern  Bluebird.  It  nests  in  holes  and  cavities  of 
decayed  trees,  between  their  trunks  and  the  loose  bark,  making  the  nest  of  sticks, 
grasses,  straws,  and  almost  any  rubbish  procurable.  Mr.  Walter  E.  Bryant  states 
that  Dr.  Cooper  Informs  him  tb^t  he  has  known  a  Bluebird  to  build  in  a  Chit  Swal- 
low's nest.  The  eggs  of  this  species  are  four  or  five  in  number,  uniform  pale  blue, 
o^  a  slightly  deeper  shade  than  those  pf  the  preceding  species,  and  average  .81x.62 
inches. 

767a.  CHESTNUT-BACKED  BLUEBIBD.  Sialia ,  mcxicana  bairdi  Ridgw. 
Geog.  Dist.— Rocky  Mountain  district,  south  to  Northern  Mexico. 

The  habits  and  characteristics  of  this  subspecies  are  identical  with  those  of  S. 
sialis. 


406 


NEdTS  AND  EOOS  OF 


767b.  SAN  FEDBO  BLUEBIRD.  Sialia  mcxicuna  aiiahehv  Anthony.  Geog. 
Diet. — San  Pedro  Martir  Mountains,  Lower  California. 

I  have  no  positive  information  regarding  the  nidiflcation  or  habits  of  this  sub- 
species, but  they  probably  do  not  differ  materially  from  those  of  the  next  species. 


H 


i? 


( 


768.  MOUNTAIN  BLUEBIRD.  maUa  arctica  (Swains.)  Geog.  Di&t— Rocky 
Mountain  region,  north  to  Great  Slave  Lake,  south  to  Mexico,  west  to  the  higher 
mountain  ranges  along  the  Pacific. 

Known  as  the  Rocky  Mountain  and  Arctic  Bluebird.  It  is  very  common  in  the 
Rocky  Mountain  region  and  is  also  abundant  as  far  west  as  the  mountain  ranges 
along  the  Pacific.  Breeds  in  deserted  Woodpecker  holes,  natural  cavities  of  trees, 
etc.  In  settled  portions  of  the  West  it  nests  in  the  cornice  of  buildings,  under  the 
eaves  of  porches,  in  the  nooks  and  corners  of  barns  and  out-houses,  and  in  boxes  pro- 
vided for  its  accommodation.  Mr.  Walter  E.  Bryant  says  that  three  incubated  eggs 
of  this  species  were  taken  from  the  nest  of  a  Barn  Swallow,  at  Lake  Tahoe,  Cali- 
fornia, by  Walter  Bliss.  Prof.  Ridgway  found  the  Rocky  Mountain  Bluebird  breed- 
ing in  Virginia  City,  Nevada,  in  June.  Its  nests  were  built  about  old  buildings  and 
occasionally  in  the  unused  excavations  about  mines,  Mr.  Wilbur  F.  Lamb  informs 
me  that  in  Summit  county,  (  olorado,  he  found  this  species  nesting  generally  in  old 
Woodpeckers'  excavations.  One  nest  was  found  placed  under  the  projecting  roof- 
pales  of  a  miner's  cabin.  The  nests  were  composed  almost  entirely  of  dry  grass. 
In  some  sections,  however,  the  inner  bark  of  the  cedar  enters  largely  into  their 
composition.  In  most  cases  Mr.  Lamb  found  the  nests  to  contain  five  eggs,  though 
seven  perfectly  fresh  eggs  were  taken  from  one  nest,  while  another  contained  only 
three  In  an  advanced  stage  of  Incubation.  So  that  taking  the  reports  of  other  col- 
lectors into  consideration  with  Mr.  Lamb's  experience,  the  bird  lays  from  three  to 
seven  eggs,  rarely  the  latter  number,  and  more  commonly  five.  They  are  pale,  plain 
greenish-blue  and  average  .85x.63  inches. 


(I  f 


n  I 


APPENDIX. 


Since  the  foregoing  pages  have  been  put  into  metal  I  have  received  notes  on 
the  nesting  habits  of  the  following  species.  In  some  cases  their  nidification  has 
hitherto  been  unknown^  and  is  not  mentioned  under  their  respective  titles  in  the 
body  of  this  work: 


26.    ZAXTTUS'S     MUBBELET.    Brachyramphtta     kypoleucus    Xantus. 

Here  is  probably  the  first  knowledge  we  have  regarding  the  nesting  and  eggs 
of  Xantus's  Murrelet.  Two  sets  of  two  eggs  each  are  in  the  extensive  oological 
collection  of  Mr.  C.  W.  Crandall,  Woodside.  N.  T..  and  to  this  collection  I  shall 
b  ve  occasion  to  refer  several  times  in  this  Appe^  on  account  of  the  new 
material  recently  acquired  of  especial  interest  t  ulthologlsts  and  odloglsts. 
The  eggs  of  this  species  were  collected  by  the  well-known  ornithologist,  A.  W. 
/nthony,  on  San  Benito  Island,  Lower  California,  March  28th,  1897.  The  nests 
were  in  clefts  of  rocks  and  the  birds  had  to  be  lifted  from  the  nest  before  the 
eggs  could  be  secured.  The  ground  color  is  almost  an  exact  raw  umber,  over  which 
are  spots  and  blotches  of  walnut  brown  and  umber  with  under  shell  markings  of 
a  much  lighter  shade.  These  are  sparingly  distributed  at  the  large  end,  where 
they  form  somewhat  of  a  wreath,  though  not  massed  together  so  as  to  lose  their 
distinctness.  Set  No.  1  measures  2.10x1.39,  2.13x1.39;  No.  2,  2.12x1.47.  x2.06xl.43 
inches  respectively. 


il 


79a.    BIDGWAY'S    TEBK.    Anous    stolidua    ridffuxtyi. 

This  new  species  of  Tern  was  found  breeding  on  Socorro  Island,  Mexico,  about 
the  middle  of  May,  1897,  depositing  its  single  egg  on  the  bare  rocks.  The  eggs  are 
hardly  distinguishable  from  those  of  the  Noddy  Tern.  Five  eggs  in  Mr.  Crandall's 
collection  measure  respectively  as  follows:  2.00x1.43,  2.00x1.46.  1.96x1.36,  1.99x1.40, 
2.15x1.47  inches. 

83.  BLACK-VENTED  SHEABWATEB.  Pufflnus  gavia  (Forst.) 
A.  W.  Anthony  collected  eggs  of  this  species  on  Nativadad  Island  in  April,  1897. 
The  nests  were  in  burrows  In  the  sand  five  or  six  feet  deep,  and  the  birds  were 
taken  on  their  nests.  A  single  egg  is  laid;  it  is  of  a  clear,  pure  white  texture, 
elongate  ovate  in  shape  and  quite  pointed.  Three  sets  of  one  egg  each  are  in  Mr. 
Crandall's  collection  and  measure  as  follows:  2.36x1.57;  2.33x1.59;  2.54x1.69  inches, 
respectively. 

206.    SANDHILL   CBANE.    Oru8   tnexicana    (Mull.) 

W.  C.  Mills,  of  Chicago  Junction,  Huron  Co.,  O.,  took  near  that  place  on  May  16, 
1897,  two  sets  of  two  eggs  each  of  the  Sandhill  Crane,  and  on  the  18th  another  set  of 
two.   This  establishes  the  fact  that  the  bird  very  likely  breeds  regularly  in  Northern 

507 


( 


Mt 


APPENDIX. 


-U 


Ohio.  A  few  years  ago  I  mounted  a  specimen  which  was  killed  out  of  a  flock  of 
eight  or  ten  near  Springfield,  Ohio.  In  1882  the  late  Dr.  Wheaton  wrote  us  follow^ 
concerning  this  bird:  "Rare  migrant;  probably  occasional  summer  resident.  Mr. 
Winslow  includes  It  in  his  list  of  birds  of  Northern  Ohio,  and  it  has  been  reported 
to  me  as  breeding  within  a  few  years  in  the  vicinity  of  Toledo.  Mr.  Langdon 
mentions  two  specimens  taken  in  the  vicinity  of  Cincinnati.  I  have  never  seen 
the  bird  in  this  vicinity,  and  though  I  have  frequently  heard  of  its  occurrence, 
the  identification  has  never  been  unquestionable.  Both  this  bird  and  the  Blue 
Heron  are  sometimes  confounded  under  the  common  name  of  Blue  Crane." 


♦  ♦    REDSHANK.     Totamis   totanus    (Linn.)  '       » 

The  European  Redshank  has  been  recorded  as  North  American  on  the  ground 
that  a  specimen  was  taken  in  the  Hudson  Bay  region  and  was  formerly  in  British 
Museum  iCf.  Faun.  Bor. — Am.  aI,  1831,  p.  391). .  The  bird  breeds  noaiiy  throughout 
the  whole  of  Europe,  placing  its  nest  in  a  mere  hollow  of  the  ground.  A  set  of  four 
eggs  taken  In  North  Britain  May  7,  1891,  exhibit  the  following  dimensions:  1.71z 
1.22,  1.75x1.27,  1,72x1.24,  1.76x1.26  Inches.  They  are  pyrlform  in  shape;  the  ground- 
color being  of  a  pale  buff;  this  is  spotted  and  blotched  with  a  rich  seal  brown, 
mingled  with  under  shell  markings  of  gray  and  lavender,  these  tending  to  form  a 
ring  about  the  large  ends. 


286.  1.      FBAZAB'S  OYSTEB-CATCHEB.    HoBmatopus  frazari  Brewst. 

This  species  was  found  breeding  by  A.  W.Anthony  on  San  Roque  Island  in  June, 
1897.  Mr.  Crandall  has  a  set  of  two  eggs,  taken  by  Mr.  Anthony  June  21.  The 
nest  from  which  these  were  taken  was  a  simple  hollow  on  top  of  a  bluff;  It  was 
lined  with  pebbles.  The  color  of  one  egg  is  creamy  buff,  the  other  more  of  an 
olive  buff.  Both  specimens  are  spotted  and  blotched  with  brownish-black  and 
purplish-gray  shell  markings.  Their  sizes  are  2.33x1.52,  2.35x1.52  inches,  respect- 
ively. Mr.  Crandall  says:  "In  comparing  these  eggs  with  sets  of  the  American 
and  European  Oyster-catchers  in  my  collection,  I  find  the  shade  of  ground-color 
is  exactly  midway  between  the  two  species,  darker  than  the  American  and  lighter 
than  the  European.    In  shape  they  are  elongate  ovate." 


352a.    ALASKAN   BALD  EAQLE.    Haliceetus   leucocephalahia  alascanua. 

Mr.  C.  H.  Townsend  says  of  this  new  subspecies  as  follows:  (Proc.  Biological 
Society,  Wash.,  Vol.  XI,  pp.  145-146,  June  9,  1897.)  "In  forty  specimens  examined 
from  localities  between  Florida  and  Alaska  there  is  a  regular  increase  in  size  north- 
ward. Eagles  from  Northern  States  are  larger  than  those  from  Florida  and 
Louisiana.  In  addition  to  the  other  differences  in  size,  the  bill  of  the  Alaskan  bird 
is  wider,  while  the  edging  to  the  feathers,  especially  on  the  wing  coverts,  is  both 
lighter  and  broader.  The  egg  of  the  northern  bird  is  distinctly  larger,  the  average 
of  sixteen  specimens  being  73.5x57.5  mm.,  while  that  of  forty-five  Florida  specimens 
is  69x53.5  mm."  Mr.  Crandall  has  a  set  of  two  eggs  of  this  variety,  taken  by  Mr. 
Geo.  G.  Cantwell  at  Houcan,  Alaska,  May  19,  1897.  The  nest  was  placed  in  a  dead 
spruce  seventy  feet  from  the  ground.  It  was  made  of  coarse  sticks  and  lined  with 
moss.  The  eggs  measure  2.94x2.37;  2.88x2.35  inches,  respectively.  In  shape  and 
color  they  are  the  same  as  those  of  the  Bald  Ekigle  of  the  South,  but  the  shell  ap- 
pears to  be  thicker.  , 


Al'PKNDFX. 


S0*> 


365.     AMEBICAN  BARN  OWL.     Strix  prntimula  Bonap. 

The  Monkey-faced  Owl,  as  It  is  commonly  called,  was  formerly  considered  a 
rare  visitor  in  Ohio.  It  is  now  a  very  common  resident  and  breeds.  Dr.  How- 
ard Jones  inforn!f  me  that  in  May,  1897,  he  found  a  set  of  eight  eggs  in  the 
hollow  of  a  sycamore  tree  near  Circleville,  Ohio,  and  also  secured  the  parent  bird. ' 
I  know  a  farmer  not  far  from  Columbus  who  raises  these  birds  in  confinement 
and  they  thrive  well.  As  a  taxidermist  I  mounted  no  less  than  twenty  speci- 
mens in  1897,  from  various  localities  in  Ohio. 

373flr.    AIKEN'S  SCBEECH  OWL.     MCf/ascopa  aslo  aikeni  Brewst. 

Mr.  D.  P.  Ingraham  found  a  nest  containing  three  eggs  of  this  subspecies  in 
Pueblo  county,  Colorado,  April  28,  1896.  The  parent  bird  was  captured  and  was 
identified  by  Dr.  J.  A.  Allen.  The  nest  was  in  an  old  hole  In  a  cedar  tree  about 
eight  feet  from  the  ground.  The  eggs  in  shape  and  color  are  like  others  of  the 
genus  and  measure  1.45x1.23,  1.44x1.24,  1.44x1.23  inches.  These  eggs  are  in  Mr. 
Crandall's  collection  and  are  probably  the  first  authentic  specimens  that  have 
been  taken 


374.  FLAMULATED  SCBEECH  OWL.  Meyascops  flammcola  (Kaup.) 
Two  sets  of  this  species  were  taken  in  Pueblo  county,  Colorado,  In  May,  1897, 
by  D.  P.  Ingraham.  One  of  three  nests  taken  on  the  29th  contained  three  eggs. 
The  nest  was  in  an  old  excavation  of  a  woodpecker,  about  twenty  feet  from  the 
ground  in  a  quaking  aspen  tree.  The  altitude  was  7800  feet.  The  three  eggs 
measure  1.25x1.03,  1.22x1.01.  1.21x1.02  inches  A  nest  was  found  on  the  27th  in  a 
pine  stub,  about  eighteen  feet  from  the  ground  in  an  old  woodpecker's  excavation, 
at  an  altitude  of  7200  feet  This  nest  contained  two  eggs  and  measure  as  follows: 
1.28x1.03,  1.25x1.05  Inches.  The  eggs  are  white  with  a  faint  cream  color,  oval  in 
shape,  shell  finely  granulated  and  only  slightly  glossy. 


401  &.  ALPINE  THBEE-TOED  WOODPECKEB.  Picoides  americatia  doraalis 
Baird. 

In  Custer  county,  Colorado,  Mr.  Ingraham  took  a  set  of  three  eggs  of  this  bird 
June  9,  .1897.  The  nest  was  in  an  aspen  tree  about  sixteen  fc«t  f  om  the  ground, 
at  an  altitude  of  8000  feet.  The  eggs  are  pure  shining  white  in  color,  almost  ovate 
in  shape  and  offer  the  following  dimensions:  1.03x.72,  1.00x.71  and  1.00x.71  inches. 
These  are  in  Mr.  Crandall's  oological  collection,  and  are  doubtless  the  first  gen- 
uine eggs  of  this  bird  known  to  science. 


5,  »■ 


OI 


PART  11. 


ORNITHOLOGICAL    ■  OOLOGICAL 


COLLECTING. 


noth 

a  ne 

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The 

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the  s 

these 

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Is  ex 

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body, 

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birds, 

E 

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blowi] 

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an  en 

By  so 

and  ct 


CHAPTER  I. 


OOLOGICAL.  COLLECTING. 


An  egg  collected  without  being  authentically  identified  is  worth  absolutely 
nothing.  My  younger  readers  should  pay  particular  attention  to  this  remark.  When 
a  nest  containing  eggs  which  are  unknown  is  discovered,  the  bird  should  be  shot, 
skinned  and  preserved.  Its  identification  should  be  determined  by  a  competent 
Judge.  I  shall  treat  of  the  skinning  and  preparation  of  skins  in  the  following  chapter. 
The  novice,  of  course,  will  destroy  more  animal  life  than  the  experienced.  He  will 
probably  kill  a  Song  Sparrow  for  a  Swamp  Sparrow — a  Crow  for  a  Raven,  etc. 
Therefore  I  shall  not  urge  the  new  beginner  to  kill  a  bird  of  which  he  is  ignorant  In 
order  to  identify  the  oological  specimens  belonging  to  its  nest.  The  old  student 
Will  take  as  few  lives  as  possible,  for  he  is  better  acquainted  ornithologically  with 
the  avifauna  which  he  is  studying.  In  order  to  study  oology  we,  must  take  care  of 
these  objects  existing  around  us,  and  if  the  naturalist  does  not  call  a  halt  on  their 
extermination,  who  will?  Animal  life  wims*  be  protected  by  the  naturalist  for,  if  it 
Is  exterminated,  where  has  his  delightful  study  gone?  Experienced  taxidermists, 
ornithologists  and  oologists  will  make  better  game  wardens  than  politicians!  Why? 
Because  we  cannot  afford  to  kill  the  goose  which  lays  the  golden  egg!  She  may  lay 
another. 

Who  on  earth  could  be  more  desirous  of  preserving  animal  life  than  we?  No- 
body, not  a  single  person.  These  side  remarks  are  intended  fcr  no  other  purpose 
than  to  show  who  are  the  best  able  and  capable  to  take  care  of  those  things  which 
they  love  the  most. 

These  directions  for  collecting  and  preserving  birds,  nests  and  eggs,  and  the 
whole  contents  of  this  work  are  intended  to  assist  the  true  naturalist  in  the  delight- 
ful subject  herein  treated.  For  those  who  idly  roam  the  woodlands  and  pebbly 
shores,  collecting  everything  in  reach  with  aimless  intent,  this  book  was  never  cal- 
culated. 

To  every  person  who  loves  to  study  in  the  great  field  of  Nature;  to  those  espe- 
cially who  are  deeply  interested  in  the  habits  of  the  feathere^^  tribe,  the  protection 
of  bird  life  is  of  the  utmost  importance. 

Surely  none  of  the  readers  of  the  foregoing  pages  are  engaged  in  the  wholesale 
collecting  of  eggs  for  purely  mercenary  purposes,  sacrificing  and  depopulating  our 
birds,  and  screening  their  fiendish  acts  under  the  gauzy  lace  of  firienre! 

Empty  the  contents  of  an  egg  through  one  smoothly  drilled  hole  in  the  side,  and 
drill  it  as  small  as  can  be  got  along  with.  Force  the  contents  out  by  blowing  into  the 
hole  with  a  blow-pipe.  Do  not  make  holes  at  the  ends  of  an  egg  for  the  purpose  of 
blowing  the  contents  out.  If  the  embryo  is  partially  developed,  the  hole  must  neces- 
sarily be  made  larger,  and  the  embryo  should  be  extracted  a  little  at  a  time  with 
an  embryo  hook  or  forceps,  and  cut  In  pieces  with  a  fine,  narrow-bladed  scissors. 
By  soaking  the  egg  in  water  over  night  the  embryo  will  often  become  very  tender 
and  can  be  taken  out  with  ease. 


ORMTUOLOaiCAL  AND  OOLOOICAL    (JOLLEVTIMS. 


I  f 


•'  i 


After  the  egg  is  blown  it  should  be  thoroughly  rinsed  by  taking  water  into  the 
mouth  and  spirting  it  through  the  blow-pipe. 

Eggs,  as  a  rule,  should  be  kept  in  sets;  a  "set"  being  those  taken  from  any  one 
nest;  and  each  one  of  a  set  should  bear  a  number  referring  to  a  corresponding  one  in 
a  note-book  where  full  particulars  of  the  nest  and  eggs  should  be  given.  A  printed 
label  or  data  blank  similar  to  the  following  diagram  is  also  necessary. 


Collector's  No. 

Name   

Collected  by   ., 

Locality   

Date    


A.  O.  U.  No. 


Set 

Nest    

Measurements  of  Eggs 


Identity. 


Incubation. 


For  illustration,  the  blank  lines  of  the  label  should  be  filled  in  the  following 
manner:  Collector's  No.  126.  A.  O.  U.  No.  447.  Name,  Arkansas  Flycatcher.  Col- 
lected by  J.  L.  Clemmons.  Locality,  San  Diego,  California.  Dated,  June  2,  1881. 
Set,  Vi  (indicating  that  the  number  of  eggs  in  this  set  is  four).  Identity,  bird  shot. 
Incubation,  begun.  Nest,  made  of  coarse  sticks  and  twigs,  lined  with  hair  and  cotton, 
placed  in  an  "Australian  Gum  Tree,"  twenty  feet  from  the  ground.  All  these  data 
should  be  carefully  written,  and  the  label  placed  in  the  cabinet  with  the  eggs.  If 
there  are  several  sets  of  the  same  species,  the  collector  should  have  his  own  number 
to  distinguish  the  sets.  The  label  with  full  data  should  ahrnys  accompany  the  set  In 
making  exchanges.  Besides  the  above  particulars  the  note-book  should  be  filled 
with  memoranda  devoted  to  the  records  of  nests  found  and  examined;  the  general 
nature  of  the  surroundings,  the  precise  color  and  condition  of  the  eggs  when  found, 
as  all  these  fade  quickly  from  the  memory. 

Nests  that  can  be  collected  require  a  wrapping  of  thread  for  their  safe  keeping, 
as  shown  in  Fig.  10,  Plate  1. 

In  climbing  high  trees,  climbing  irons  are  often  used.  A  wooden  or  tin  box,  filled 
with  cotton,  should  be  taken  up  with  you;  in  this,  securely  place  the  eggs  before  de- 
scending the  tree. 

When  eggs  are  to  be  shipped  by  mail  or  t:;xpress  they  should  never  be  packed  in 
anything  but  wooden  or  tin  boxes.  Each  egg  should  be  wrapped  in  cotton  and  bound 
tightly  with  thread  and  then  wrapped  in  tissue  paper.  Place  them  in  layers  in  the 
box  with  bits  of  cotton  between  each  egg  The  bottom,  sides  and  end  of  the  boxes 
are  often  lined  with  sheet  cotton  which  is  still  better  protection. 

In  all  ordinary  cases  collections  of  eggs  are  preserved  in  the  drawers  of  a 
cabinet.  These  are  divided  by  partitions,  and  each  section  partly  filled  with  grated 
cork  or  box-wood  sawdust,  in  which  the  eggs  are  placed.  The  choice  of  a  cabinet 
must  depend  largely  upon  the  collector's  means,  if  not  also  upon  his  individuai 
preference. 

The  very  best  trays  or  boxea  ever  designed  for  keeping  eggs  in  the  drawers  of  a 
cabinet  or  for  exhibition  purposes  are  those  manufactured  by  E.  J.  Schaefer,  No.  338 
Second  street,  New  Orleans,  Louisiana.  They  are  neatly  made  of  paste-board,  the 
sides  and  bottom  are  ingeniously  cushioned  with  strips  of  sheet  cotton.  Each  box 
has  a  lid  on  which  the  label  can  be  pasted.  These  boxes  are  made  to  suit  all  sizes 
of  eggs,  and  range  in  pvlce  from  |2.50  to  |8.00  per  hundred,  according  to  size. 


r  into  the 


ORNIT/WLOaiVAL  AND  OOLOOWAL   COLLECTINn.  S 

PLATE  I. 


! 


-r 


1 


i  i 


"      ■         '11 


oolouical  instruments. 


6  ORNITHOLOOICAL  AND  OOLOOICAL   COLLECTING. 

In  our  Plate  are  figured  the  various  instruments  used  in  the  collecting  auJ  pre- 
paration of  birds'  eggs.  The  egg  drills  are  made  with  octagon  handles  six  inches 
long,  as  represented  by  Fig.  1,  in  Plate  1,  The  sizes  of  the  burrs,  as  will  be  seen  In 
Pigs.  1  to  6,  range  from  3-32  inch  to  16-32  inch.  The  following  is  a  list  of  the  es- 
sential oologlcal  instruments,  with  their  prices: 


EgrgrdrlllNo.      1.    3-32lnchburr $0  25 


2,  5-32 

3,  6-32 

4,  8-32 

5,  12-32 

6,  16-32 


036 
060 

0  76 

1  00 
1  50 


"      "    1016,  common,  short 0  20 

Blow-pipe 0  26 

Climbing  irons 3  50 

Embryo  hook 0  26 

Embryo  scissors |0  25  to  1  50 

Spring:  forceps,  fme 0  75  to  1  26 


'II 


If  you  are  just  beginning  to  make  a  collection  of  eggs,  two  or  three  drills  are  all 
that  are  necessary  for  ordinary  purposes,  Nos.  1,  3  and  5  being  the  most  desirable 
sizes.  If  you  are  to  make  an  extensive  collecting  trip  to  remote  regions,  the  entire 
outfit  enu-uerated  above  should  be  taken  with  you. 

The  style  of  arrani^ement  for  mounting  birds'  nests  by  the  late  MaJ.  Bendire  is 
illustrated  in  Fig.  9  of  our  Plate. 


I 


'^ 


/< 


CHAPTER  II. 


^^  

THE  SKINNING  AND  MAKING  UP  OF  BIRD  SKINS. 


■'  J* 


The  following  is  taken  almost  entirely  from  the  writer's  "Methods  in  the  Art 
of  Taxidermy." 

In  this  chapter  I  propose  to  tell  you  how  to  skin  birds  and  to  make  them  into  a 
shapely  form.  With  the  assistance  of  the  illustrations  each  procedure  will  be  so 
clearly  depicted  that  the  student  will,  I  believe,  about  as  readily  understand  the 
system  of  work  as  though  he  were  to  see  the  actual  operations  performed  on  the 
bench.  For  our  first  attempt  we  shall  try  the  American  Robin  Merula  migratoria 
(Linn.),  and  I  care  not  if  it  be  Mr.  Ridgway's  Western  representative,  Merula  mi- 
propinqua— it's  a  robin  just  the  same.  All  the  principles  of  skinning  th« 
robin  will  be  given,  while  all  the  variations  and  exceptions  in  the  skinning  of  other 
birds  form  the  size  of  a  hummingbird  and  upwards  will  be  found  chiefly  in  foot-notes. 
It  will,  therefore,  make  ^ery  little  difference  what  kind  of  a  bird  you  may  have  in 
hand  to  work  upon. 

Bt^ore  we  begin  operations  however,  you  will  doubtless  want  to  know  how  to 
"cure"  or  preserve  the  skin  of  a  bird— the  materials  used.    They  are,  io  fact,  very 


J  tiu^.  pre- 

six  inches 

be  seen  in 

of  the  es- 

10  26 

035 

060 

0  76 

100 

150 

0  20 

0  26 

350 

026 

1  60 

126 

lis  are  all 

desirable 

the  entire 

iendire  is 

ORNITHOLOOICAL  AND  OOLOOICAL   COLLEVTISQ.  7 

simple.  Some  taxidermists  use  nothing  but  the  common  pulverized  arsenic,  which 
they  sprinkle  over  the  inside  of  the  skin.  Others  prefer  the  old-time  arsenical  soap, 
which  is  very  good  and  can  be  bought  from  any  dealer  in  natural  history  materials, 
or  you  can  make  it  yourself,  and  I  herewith  give  the  formula: 

ARSENICAL,   SOAP. 

White  soap  2  pounds. 

Powdered   arsenic , 2  pounds. 

Camphor    5  ounces. 

Bub.  carbonate  of  potash Bounces. 

Alcohol   8  ounces. 

lAxai     2  ounces. 

Directions. — Slice  the  soap  and  melt  it  in  a  small  quantity  of  water  over  a  slow 
lire,  stirring  it  sufficiently  to  prevent  its  burning.  When  melted,  add  the  potash 
and  lime,  and  boil  until  it  becomes  quite  thick.  Now  stir  in  the  powdered  arsenic, 
after  which  add  the  camphor,  previously  dissolved  in  the  alcohol.  When  the  mass 
has  been  boiled  down  to  the  consistency  of  thick  molasses,  pour  it  into  an  earthen 
Jar  to  cool  and  harden.  Stir  it  frequently  while  cooling  to  prevent  the  arsenic 
settling  to  the  bottom.  When  cold  it  should  be  like  lard  or  butter.  For  use,  mix  a 
small  quantity  with  water  until  it  resembles  buttermilk,  and  apply  with  a  common 
paint  brush. 

The  preservative  which  I  have  always  used  is  the  following: 

ARSENICAL    SOLUTION    AND   ARSENICAL    PASTE. 

Crystallized   Arsenic     1  pound. 

Bicarbonate  of  Soda  ''■/»  pound. 


<l 


iff 


^ 


Place  these  two  ingredients  in  a  vessel  containing  Ave  pints  of  water  and  boil 
the  whole  down  to  three  pints,  or  until  the  arsenic  and  soda  have  disappeared,  stir- 
ring frequently  to  keep  them  from  settling  to  the  bottom.  Crush  the  large  pieces 
of  arsenic  in  order  that  they  may  more  quickly  dissolve.  When  cold  it  is  ready  for 
use.  Put  the  liquid  in  a  large  bottle,  properly  labeled,  "Poison."  When  a  quantity 
of  this  solution  is  mixed  with  common  whiting  to  the  consistency  of  cream  it  is 
ready  to  be  applied  to  the  inside  of  skins  with  a  brush,  and  is  called  Arsenical  Paste. 
For  the  purpose  of  mixing  the  solution  and  whiting  take  a  wide-mouthed  bottle  or 
a  shallow  dish  and  keep  a  large  and  a  small  brush  in  it  for  use  on  the  various  sizes  of 
skins.  The  beauties  of  the  Arsenical  paste  are,  that  it  is  quickly  and  easily  made, 
is  cheap,  makes  a  most  substantial  coating  and  its  poisonous  effect  on  skins  is  equal 
to  anything  of  the  kind  made,  not  excepting  the  time-tried  Arsenical  Soap. 

INSTRUMENTS. 

A  dissecting  cane  which  can  be  purchased  for  |3.50  will  be  found  serviceable  at 
home  and  in  the  field.    It  contains: 
1  cartilage  knife. 
1  scalpel. 
1  pair  of  scissors. 
1  dissecting  point. 
1  pair  of  forceps. 
1  hooks  and  chain. 
1  blow-pipe  and  drill. 


ORNITBOLOaiCAL  AND  OOLOaWAL   COLLECTING. 


h'ti 


It'  i 


GUNS  AND  AMUNITION. 
Tho  choice  of  a  gun  for  the  purpose  of  shooting  sepclmens  must  depend  largely 
upon  individual  preference  or  the  means  of  the  collector.  The  most  Imoroved 
double-barreled,  hammerless  shotgun  is  of  course  desirable;  Nos.  10  or  12  gauges 
being  at  the  present  time  preferred.  A  No.  IG  or  20  gauge  will  be  found  to  serve 
bbout  as  well  in  most  cases  for  ornithological  -ollecting  purposes.  Auxiliary 
barrels,  No.  32  gauge,  are  now  made  to  fit  in  the  10  or  12  gauge  guns;  these  are  very 
handy,  and  the  brass  shells  made  for  them  can  be  loaded  at  a  trifling  cost. 

A  five-shot  No.  38  taxidermist's  gun  with  brass  shells  is  also  manufactured  and 
sold  by  dealers  in  naturalists*  supplies.  This  makes  an  excellent  collecting  gun  for 
small  birds,  from  the  size  of  warblers  and  upwards  to  that  of  a  blackbird.  In  this 
gun  and  in  the  shells  for  the  auxiliary  barrels  the  smallest  size  shot  are  used,  called 
"mustard  seed."  In  shooting  birds  with  the  larger  guns  the  size  of  the  shot  and 
weight  of  charge  must  be  duly  considered.  For  any  North  American  bird  Nos.  8 
or  5  shot  will  usually  prove  effective,  even  upon  the  largest  species  within  gun  range. 

The  chief  object  in  shooting  a  bird  is  to  shoot  to  kill,  not  to  mangle.  A  bird 
well  shot  for  the  ornithologist  Is  as  good  as  a  "stitch  in  time."  The  minute  a  dead 
birds  falls  into  your  hands  plug  the  mouth,  nose-holes,  vent  and  shot-holes  with 
cotton  in  order  to  prevent  the  blood  or  liquids  from  further  soiling  the  plumage. 
Put  the  dead  bird  in  a  paper  cone,  head  first,  and  place  it  in  your  collecting  satchel. 
The  large  birds  you  must  treat  in  the  same  manner  and  carry  them  home  the  best 
way  to  suit  your  convenience. 

With  the  above  knowledge  of  what  is  necessary  for  the  preservation  of  the  skins 
of  birds  and  the  instruments  required  for  the  work  we  shall  prwjeed  to  skin  the 
robin.  Perhaps  you  have  carried  the  bird  wrapped  in  a  paper  cone  in  your  satchel 
or  collecting  box  for  a  half  day  or  more  and  the  rigor  mortis  has  passed  off.  The 
cotton  in  all  the  shot-holes,  mouth,  nose-holes,  ear  cavities  and  vent  should  be  taken 
out  and  carefully  renewed,  as  this  will  prevent  the  blood  and  liquids  from  soiling 
the  feathers  during  the  process  of  skinning.'  A  strict  observance  of  this  rule  in  all 
cases  will  often  save  a  great  amount  of  labor  in  cleaning  the  feathers  after  the  bird 
is  skinned.  Have  a  box  of  corn  meal  or  plaster  of  Paris  at  hand;  this  should  be  fre- 
quently and  profusely  sprinkled  on  the  carcass,  if  very  fat,  to  absorb  any  blood  or 
grease  which  is  liable  to  soil  the  feathers."  The  first  thing  to  do  before  you  proceed 
to  skin  the  bird  is  to  take  full  measurements  of  the  specimen  and  record  them  in 


1.  FILLING  EAR  CAVITIES— As  a  rule  It  Is  not  necessary  to  fill  the  ear  cavities 
with  cotto  1,  except  in  the  case  of  owls  and  other  birds  which  have  very  large  ear  orifices. 

2.  FASTENING  THE  REAKS  OF  BIRDS  TOGETHER  WHILE  SKINNING.— In 
large  bird,  their  beaks  should  be  held  together  while  skinning  with  a  piece  of  cord  run 
through  the  nose-hole,  and  under  the  lower  mandible  and  tied  fast.  A  small  piece  of 
bee's  wax  will  hold  together  the  beaks  of  the  majority  of  small  birds.  To  the  beginner  this 
precaution  may  seem  superfluous  after  having  plugged  the  mouth,  nose-holes,  vent,  etc., 
with  cotton;  but  It  frequently  will  save  him  a  vast  amount  of  labor  In  cleaning  blood  and 
liquids  from  specimens  that  might  otherwise  cor^e  through  and  stain  the  feathers. 


OKMTUOLOGICAL  ANh  OO/JtOICAL    COLI.huTtNa. 


your  note-book.'  You  may  now  br'ak  the  hurierus  or  upprr  arm  bone  of  each  wing 
with  your  Angers  in  order  that  the  wings  will  hang  down  out  of  ti.  way.'  Lay  the 
bird  on  its  back  and  separate  the  feathers  along  the  breast,  and  with  a  scalpel  or 
sharp  pen-knife  make  an  incision,  beginning  high  up  on  the  breastbone  and  down 


1.  DIRECTIONS  FOR  MEASURKMENT  OF  KIRDS.-I  ennnot  recominpnd  any  other 
system  of  measurement  thun  that  given  by  Dr.  Elliott  Coues  in  his  matchles'  worl<:  Key 
to  North  American  Birds.    His  directions  are  as  follows: 

For  large  birds,  a  tape-line  showing  fourtlis  will  do;  for  smaller  ones,  a  foot-rule 
graduated  for  inches  and  eighths,  or  hotter,  decimals  to  hundredths,  must  be  used;  and 
for  all  nice  measurements  the  dividers  are  indispensable. 

Length.— Distance  between  the  tip  cI  the  bill  and  end  of  the  longest  tall-feather. 
Lay  the  bird  on  its  back  on  the  ruler  on  a  table;  take  hold  of  the  bill  with  one  hand  and 
of  both  legs  with  the  other;  pull  with  reasonable  force  to  get  the  curve  all  out  of  the  neck; 
hold  the  bird  thus  with  the  tip  of  the  bill  flush  with  one  end  of  the  ruler  and  see  where  the 
end  of  the  tail  points. 

Put  the  tape-line  in  place  of  the  ruler,  in  Ihe  same  way  for  larger  birds. 

Extent.— Distance-between  the  tips  of  the  outspread  wings. 

They  must  be  fully  outstretched,  with  the  bird  on  Its  back,  crosswise  on  the  ruler. 
Its  bill  pointing  to  your  breast. 

Take  hold  of  right  and  left  metacarpus  with  the  thumb  nvid  forefinger  of  your  left 
and  right  hand,  respectively,  stretch  with  reasonable  force,  getting  one  wing-tip  flush  with 
one  end  of  the  ruler,  and  see  how  much  the  other  wlng-tlp  reaches.  With  large  birds  pull 
away  as  hard  as  you  please,  and  use  the  table,  .floor  or  wide  of  the  room;  murk  the  points 
and  apply  tape-line. 

Length  of  Wing.— Distance  from  the  nrpal  angle  formed  at  the  bend  of  the  wing  to 
the  end  of  the  longest  primary. 

Get  it  with  compasses  for  small  blrd.s.  In  birds  with  a  convex  wing,  do  not  lay  the 
tape-Une  over  the  curve,  but  under  the  wing  In  a  straight  line.  This  measurement  is  the 
one  called  for  short  "the  wing." 

Length  of  Tail. — Distance  from  the  roots  of  the  rectrlces  to  the  end  of  the  longest  one. 
Feel  for  the  pope's  nose;  in  either  a  fresh  or  dried  specimen  there  Is  more  or  less  of  a  pal- 
pable lump  into  which  the  tail  feathers  stick.  Guess  as  near  us  you  cai.  to  the  middle 
of  this  lump:  i)lace  the  end  of  the  ruler  opposite  thisi  p'^int,  and  sec  where  the  tip  of  the 
longest  tail-feather  comes. 

Length  of  Bill.— Some  take  the  curve  of  the  upper  mandible;  others  the  side  of  the 
upper  mandible  from  the  feathers;  others  the  gape,  etc.  I  take  the  chord  of  the  culmen. 
Place  one  foot  of  the  dividers  on  the  culmen  just  where  the  featheis  end;  no  matter 
whether  the  culmen  runs  up  on  the  forehead,  or  the  frontal  feathers  run  out  on  the 
culmen,  and  no  matter  whether  the  culmen  is  straight  or  curved.  Then  with  me  the  length 
of  the  bill  is  the  shortest  distance  from  the  point  just  Indicated  to  the  tip  of  the  upper 
mandible;  measure  it  with  the  dividers.  In  a  straight  bl.l  of  course  it  is  the  length  of  the 
culmen  Itself;  In  a  curved  bill,  however,  it  Is  quite  another  thing. 

Length  of  Tarsus.— Distance  between  the  joint  of  the  tarsus  with  the  leg  above,  and 
that  with  the  first  phalanx  of  the  middle  toe  below.  Measure  it  always  with  dividers, 
and  in  front  of  the  leg. 

Length  of  Toes.- Distance  lii  a  straight  line  u'ong  the  upper  surface  of  a  toe  from  the 
point  last  Indicated  to  the  root  of  the  claw  on  top.  T^ength  of  toe  is  taken  without  the  claw, 
unless  otherwise  specified. 

Length  of  the  Claws.— Distance  la  a  straight  line  from  the  point  last  Indicated  to  the 
tip  of  the  claw. 

Length  of  Head.— Is  often  a  convenient  dimension  for  comparison  with  the  bill.  Set 
one  foot  of  the  dividers  over  the  base  of  the  culmen  (determined  us  above)  and  allow  the 
other  to  slip  snuglj  down  over  the  arch  of  the  occiput. 

2.  BREAKING  THE  HUMERUS  IN  BIRDS'  WINGS.— This  Is  of  little  Importance 
and  entirely  a  matter  of  habit.  As  for  myself  I  prefer  never  to  break  the  upper  arm  bone 
of  any  bird,  even  if  the  wings  do  come  constantly  in  the  way  during  the  process  of  skin- 
ning. It  Is  easier  to  skin  a  bird  after  the  rigor  mortis  has  passtA<  off  than  while  it  remains 
In  its  death  8tlflr..css.  This  comes  on  more  or  less  speedily  according  to  temperature  and 
climate,  and  a  freshly  killed  bird  at  all  times  bleeds  too  freely  to  skin.  It  should  be  given 
time  for  the  blood  to  coagulate  and  the  muscles  to  relax.     (Continued  on  next  page.> 


I' 


".  '1 


10 


OKNirrioLoaicAL  and  oological  collectino. 


to  th«?  vent'  (Plate  2,  Fig.  1  a  to  ft).  Do  not  cut  through  the  wall  of  the  abdomen,  for 
the  intestines,  blood,  etc.,  will  come  out  and  give  you  trouble.  Now  raise  the  skin 
carefully  along  the  cut  until  the  muscles  of  the  leg  are  visible;  push  gently,  but 
with  sufRcient  force  until  the  knee-joint  protrudes,  and  cut  it  oft  here  (Plate  2,  Fig. 
2  d),  leaving  the  thigh  attached  to  the  body.'  Most  of  the  cutting  from  this  point 
until  the  bird  is  finished  may  be  done  with  the  scissors.  Skin  the  leg  down  to  the 
heel,  strip  the  flesh  off  perfectly  clean  (Plate  2,  Fig.  3  f)  and  poison  thoroughly 
with  arsenical  paste  or  arsenical  soap  (see  formulas,  page  1)."  Proceed  in  the  same 
manner  with  the  other  leg,  then  loosen  the  skin  down  on  the  back  as  far  as  possible, 
stand  the  bird  on  its  breast,  bend  the  tail  and  cut  carefully  through  the  tail  Joint 
or  pope's  nose  (Plate  2,  Fig.  4  g).  In  doing  this  you  will  find  it  necessary  to  work 
slowly  and  carefully  in  order  to  avoid  cutting  the  skin.  You  may  now  hang  tie 
specimen  up  on  one  of  the  hooks  suspended  from  the  ceiling.  Be  sure,  however,  to 
leave  enough  of  the  pope's  nose  to  hold  the  feathers  fast.  Skin  down  the  body,  cut 
off  one  of  the  wings  at  the  shoulder  Joint,  as  indicated  by  the  dotted  lines  in  Fig.  5  h, 
Plate  2.  Strip  off  the  flesh  from  the  humerus  or  upper  arm  bone  and  also  the  fore- 
arm (ulna  and  radius)  or  double  bones,  detaching  the  secondaries  of  the  wing  down 
to  the  carpus  or  wrist  joint  (Fig.  6  /,  Plate  2).  In  the  smaller  birds,  like  the  robin 
tor  example,  you  may  cut  the  wing-bones  off  at  the  dotted  line«  in  Fig.  6,  Plate  2, 


With  a  little  care  and  j^entle  force,  after  hanging  the  bird  on  the  hook  you  can  peel 
the  skin  down  to  the  shoulder  Joint  and  there  disjoint  It  without  dlsturblngr  the  feathers 
to  any  ^reat  extent. 

The  best  bird  artist  I  ever  knew  never  broke  the  humerus  In  ai  y  wln^  In  order  to 
facilitate  the  skinning  of  the  bird.  He  skinned  down  the  body  cumpleiely  as  represented 
in  Flgr.  5,  Plate  2,  and  exposed  both  upper  arm  bones;  these  r'ere  cu*  off,  skinned  and 
cleaned  as  seen  In  Fig.  6,  Plate  2,  leaving  the  other  wing  attached  to  th^  body,  skinning  it 
down  with  the  assistance  of  a  second  hook. 

In  the  smaller  birds  It  Is  well  enough  to  cut  the  wing  off  at  the  end  of  the  humerus, 
where  the  dotted  lines  show  In  the  upper  portion  of  Fig.  6,  Plate  2.  In  all  of  the  larger 
birds,  however,  the  humerus  should  be  allowed  to  remain  attached  to  the  ulna  and  radius 
as  seen  In  Fig.  6,  Plate  2. 

In  ail  of  the  larger  birds,  the  eagles,  the  hawks,  owls,  herons,  pelicans,  ducks,  etc., 
be  sure  and  leave  all  the  wing-bones  remain  attached  to  one  another  and  skin  the  wing 
from  the  outside  leaving  the  secondary  feathers  attached  to  the  ulna  of  the  forearm 
as  Illustrated  In  Plate  4,  Fig.  7.  The  reason  of  this  will  be  further  discussed  when  we  are 
ready  to  skin  the  wing  of  the  subject  we  have  on  hand. 


1.  OPENING  CUT  IN  THE  BACKS  OF  BIRDS.-In  the  grebes,  loons,  gulls  and 
many  of  the  ducks  I  shall  recommend  making  th''  opening  cut  along  the  back,  as  this 
will  enable  you  to  preserve  with  more  certainty  tne  beauty  of  the  underparts. 

2.  SKINNING  THE  LEGS  OF  BIRDS.-In  skinning  the  legs  of  birds  the  rule  is  to 
skin  down  as  far  as  feathers  grow  or  In  all  cases  to  the  heel.The  legs  of  many  of  the  owls 
should  be  skinned  down  as  far  as  the  base  of  the  toes  which  Is  as  far  as  we  can  reach 
from  the  Inside.    The  legs  In  all  hawks  and  eagles  should  be  skinned  to  below  the  heel. 

3.  RE  OVING  TENDONS  FROM  LEGS  OF  BIRDS.-The  tendons  In  the  legs  of 
eagles,  larg„  hawks,  pelicans,  flamingoes  and  large  herons,  down  to  the  size  of  the  Ameri- 
can Bittern  Botaurus  Untiginosus  (Montag.),  should  be  taken  out.  To  do  this  make  a  cut 
In  the  ball  of  the  foot  and  draw  the  tendons  out  by  means  of  a  hook  turned  on  the  end  of 
a  piece  of  hard  wire.  If  you  choose  to  do  so  you  may  put  a  wooden  handle  on  the  wire  and 
make  It  a  permanent  tool  for  your  outfit.  After  making  the  silt  In  the  ball  of  the  foot  I 
sometimes  cut  the  tendons  where  they  branch  to  the  toes,  take  hold  of  them  with  pliers 
and  draw  them  out.  It  requires  much  longer  time  to  remove  the  tendons  from  a  dry 
V'.ln  which  you  have  relaxed  than  from  a  fresh  bird. 

In  making  up  large  birds  In  the  form  of  skins  the  tendons  should,  by  all  means  be 
faken  out  and  the  legs  thoroughly  poisoned,  both  to  cure  them  and  protect  them  against 
the  attacks  of  Insects.     (Contlned  on  page  12.) 


ORNITaOLOOICAL  AND  OOLOOICAL    COLLECTINO.  || 

PLATE  2 


From  Methods  in  the  Art  if  Taxidermy. 
TH£  PROCEDURES  IN  SKINNING  A  BIRD. 


I 


12 


nliMTIIOlAKIlVM.  AM)  1H)l.<Klli'M     CitLLEtTISd. 


and  leave  the  double  bones  of  the  wln>;  remain  intact.'  Skin  thoroughly; 
anoint  them  with  poison  and  let  them  drop  hack  in  their  place.  Both  wings 
being  detached  and  skinned  we  now  proceed  down  the  neck  until  the  base  of  the  skull 
is  reached. "  For  goo<l  reasons  do  not  pull  or  stretch  the  neck  skin  in  this  operation. 
In  order  to  keep  back  nay  blood  oi  liquid  which  is  often  rcad>  to  flow,  before  severing 
the  head  from  the  neck  tie  a  cord  firmly  about  the  r.cck  Just  above  the  skull,  as 
shown  in  Plato  2.  Fig.  6  i.  Before  severing  the  h'.Md  from  the  body  we  will  carefully 
detach  the  membrane  of  the  ear  by  Inst'rting  un  <twl  or  other  pointed  instrument 
under  it,  and  by  pulling  upward  and  outward  quickly  the  membrane  will  come  out 
(Plate  2,  Fig.  6  k).  The  eyes  come  next  and  can  be  observed  through  the  thin  mem- 
brane; cut  very  slowly  through  this  until  (hr  eye  is  exposed,  and  be  careful  not  to 
cut  through  the  cye-Uds  (Fig.  7  in,  PJale  T./  Now  loosen  the  skin  from  the  skull 
until  you  come  down  to  the  base  of  the  mandibles.     Scoop  out  the  eye-balls,  sever 


After  the  tendon  hiiH  been  removed  run  ii  Hharp-poinK'd  wire  In  ai  Ihi'  sole  all  tlu-  way 
up  and  throuKh  the  hffl  u;<  seen  In  our  Illustration.  On  this  wire,  at  the  sole  and  at  the 
hei^I  i)lac.t»  with  a  bru.sh,  ."''  the  arsenical  paste  or  iirsi-nlcal  soap  that  the  wire  will  hold, 
and  then  draw  the  wlic  up  and  down  until  the  tarsi  has  been  thoroughly  poisoned.  1  have 
frcciiuntly  repeated  this  operation  two  and  th.ee  times,  and  then  <oated  the  outs',<le  of  the 
tarsi  ani    toes  with  the  clear  aisenlcal  solution. 

1.  LEAVING  ALL  TlIK  BONKS  IN  WIN(iS  OF  HIUDS.-Never  take  any  of  the 
wlng'-ljones  out  of  any  of  the  larper  hirds.  such  ms  ca^?le^•,  hawks,  owls,  loons,  pelicans, 
Ket'S<<,  ducks.  Iarf?e  «julls,  h.erons  etc.  You  can  hardly  estimate  tht^  value  there  Is  In 
kavlnp  all  the  wlnK-hones  In  the  larger  blrd.s  at)d  I  may  Hiiy,  even  In  the  smaller  ones. 
Skin  down  to  the  double  bones  of  the  winjf  (ulna  and  radius)  or  elbow,  clean  the  flesh 
thoroUKhly  frutn  the  sltitvle  bone  (luinuTU.-^)  ;,nd  stop  thi'i'c;  If  It  has  been  done  prop- 
erly the  humerus  will  be  seen  as  It  is  In  Plate  4.  FlK-  "•  After  treating  both  wings  alike, 
and,  after  you  h.-ivt*  skinned  the  bird  completely  jis  directed,  and  It  is  l\inR  before  you, 
separate  the  feathers  alonff  the  under  side  of  the  winK,  make  an  Incision,  take  out  all 
the  flesh,  but  leave  the  s.e<ondarles  of  the  win>f  iittached  to  the  ulna.  This  ).■*  clearly 
Illustrated  In  Plate  4,  Flp.  7.  In  order  to  thoroughly  clean  the  entire  wlnp  of  the  flesh 
an  openinj?  between  the  metacarpal  bones  should  be  made.  This  Is  also  seen  In  the  Fig. 
just  r»>ferred  to.  While  M  Is  of  great  Importance  to  make  this  cut  In  order  to  take  out  all 
the  flesh  and  poison  the  skin  and  bones  thoroughly  to  the  end  of  the  wing,  many  taxi- 
dermists overlook  this  Important  point.  Li  e  der  to  skin  the  wing  In  this  manner,  make 
the  Incision  along  the  under  side  of  the  wing  as  Indicated  In  our  drawing,  and  after  having 
th.e  skin  lifted  up  along  both  sides  of  the  cut  drive  pins  along  its  edge  Into  your  bench 
to  hold  the  skin  back  out  of  the  way  while  you  are  removing  the  flesh.  Poison  the  bones 
and  skin  thoroughly,  take  the  pln.s  out  and  the  wings  are  completely  prepared.  If  the 
wings  are  to  be  spread  you  should  sew  this  opening  up  very  nicely.  In  mounting  a  bird 
with  the  wings  spread  never  detach  the  feathers  from  the  ulna  of  the  wing,  for  you  cannot 
replace  them  as  nature  has  dene;  nor  can  you  spread  them  so  regularly  if  you  detach  them. 
In  skinning  the  wings  as  I  have  described  there  are  many  advantages  to  be  gained.  The 
wlngti  fold  up  or  spread  out  perfectly;  you  can  also  always  depend  upon  getting  the  proper 
length  of  them.  There  Is  another  point  In  the  philosophy  of  leaving  all  the  wing-bones  In 
birds.  They  assist  materially  In  obtaining  the  proper  shape  of  the  back,  and  It  is  ab.so- 
lutely  Impossible  to  And  any  artlflclal  structure  which  will  fill  their  place  In  this  regard, 
while  their  solidity  Is  beyond  question. 

2.  EXCEPTIONS  IN  SKINNING  THE  HEADS  OF  CER'rAlN  BIRDS.— The  heads 
of  some  birds  are  too  large  to  pass  through  tho  neck-skin,  and  thry  must  be  skinned  and 
treated  differently.  To  skin  the  heads  of  woodpeckers,  ducks,  geese,  swans,  flamingoes, 
cranes,  ostriches,  peacocks,  etc.,  an  ojtenlng  cut  must  bo  made  from  the  outside  as  seen  In 
Fig.  5,  Plate  4.  Skin  down  to  the  base  of  the  bill  as  usual,  oji  away  the  .flesh,  take  out  the 
eyes  and  brain,  poison  thoroughly,  flll  the  eye-sockets  with  cotton  and  sew  up  the  silt  as 
seen  In  F-,-.  6  of  the  time  plate.  This  Is  done,  of  course,  after  skinning  down  as  far  as 
possible  on  the  inside.  Make  a  hole  in  your  bench  to  flt  the  shape  of  your  bird's  bill  and 
rest  It  in  there  while  si  Inning  the  head  (Plate  4,  Fig.  5). 

3.  OWLS'  EY'ES.— Never  remove  the  bony  eye-cup  in  owls.  If  you  take  these  out 
your  owls  will  lose  their  characteristic  expression.    Dig  the  eye-ball  out  with  your  scalpel 


ORMTIliiUHIlCXL  \SD  OOLOOIVAL    COLLKVTINQ. 


13 
PLATE  3. 


From  Methods  in  the  Art  of  Taxidermy. 
RETURNING  THE  NECK  SKIN  OVER  THE  SKULL. 


1 

I 


il! 


14 


(UtSITIKII.iKUfWL  Wn  (UtiJiilK'M.    ('(il.l.FJ'TISn. 


the  head  from  the  neck  at  the  base  of  the  skull,  as  In  Fig.  7  n,  Plate  2,  taking  out  with 
the  neck  the  tonRUc.  The  muacleH  of  the  lower  mandible  and  around  the  nkull  must 
be  cut  away.  Now  take  out  the  brain.  Do  not  cut  the  whole  l>ack  of  the  nkull  off 
in  order  to  get  nt  the  brain,  as  I  have  seen  some  taxidermlHtH  do;  but  make  an  opening 
at  the  base  of  tiie  skull  extending  over  Into  the  roof  of  the  mouth,  exactly  as  we  have 
it  pictured  in  Figs.  8  and  9,  Plate  2.  Scoop  out  the  brain  with  your  brain-spoon  or 
knife,  and  clean  the  head  all  over  in  a  thorough  and  genera!  manner.  Give  it  a  heavy 
coat  all  over  with  arsenical  paste  or  arsenical  soap;  fill  the  eye-sockets  loosely  with 
balls  of  clean,  white  cotton,  and  the  skin  Vi  ready  to  be  returned.  Before  you  do  this, 
however,  while  the  skin  is  lying  before  you,  wrong  side  out,  clean  all  particles  of 
flesh  and  fat  from  it  and  poiBon  the  skin  all  over  In  the  most  thorough  manner. 
The  returning  of  the  skin  back  over  the  skull  is  well  illustrated  In  Plate  3.  Let  me 
caution  the  beginner  that  he  will  find  some  dlfflrulty  In  performing  this  operation 
the  first  two  or  three  times,  especially  If  he  is  in  haste  to  do  it  Take  your  time  bjr 
all  means  with  the  flrst  birds,  and  you  will  soon  learn  the  knack  of  returning  the 
skin  over  the  skull.  Do  not  imagine  that  you  can  poke  the  skull  straight  through 
the  neck-skin  without  some  careful  manipulation.  Work  the  skin  over  gradually, 
and  whenever  it  becomes  rolled  up  on  top  of  tho  skull  or  elsewhere  work  on  the  op- 
posite side  until  the  folded  portion  will  clear  Itself,  and  suddenly  it  will  pass  through 
and  the  skin  will  once  more  be  right  side  out.  The  arsenical  paste  or  soap  will  here 
be  of  great  assistance  iu  aiding  the  skin  to  slip  easily  over  the  skull.  The  skin  now 
being  turned  right  side  out,  the  feathers  may  be  very  much  disarranged.  Take 
hold  of  the  bill,  adjust  the  feathers  with  your  Angers  and  spring  forceps,  and  assist 
them  to  fall  back  in  their  natural  position.  Insert  the  blunt  end  of  a  darning  needle 
in  the  eye-hole  and  rub  it  along  under  the  skin  above  the  skull  and  the  skin  and 
feathers  will  fall  back  to  their  natural  places.  This  little  procedure  is  of  the  greatest 
importance  in  adjusting  the  skin  and  feathers  of  a  bird's  head.  You  must  now  with 
a  needle  poln*  pluck  out  the  cotton  in  the  eye-sockets  to  the  natural  fullness  of  the 
eyes,  but  do  not  make  them  bulge  out.  Make  the  circle  of  the  eyelids  perfectly 
round,  adjust  the  feathers  of  the  neck  carefully,  and  if  all  has  been  done  according 
to  directions  our  robin  skin  is  ready  to  be  filled  with  tow  or  cotton  to  the  natural 
fullness,  which  I  shall  describe  in  the  next  chapter. 


CHAPTER  III. 


THE  MAKING  UP  OF  BIRDS'  SKINS. 


What  is  technically  known  to  ornithologists  and  taxidermists  as  a  "bird  skin" 
is  one  constructed  more  or  less  artiflcially  to  conform  to  the  general  shape  of  the 
actual  dead  bird.  It  is  intended  for  scUntiflr  study,  because  a  mvounted  bird  is  not  so 
easily  handled,  and  a  collection  of  them  ordinarily  occupies  too  much  space.  The 
shapes  into  which  these  skins  ai-e  made  all  depend  upon  the  structural  peculiarities 
o.'  the  specimens. 


and  scissors.  If  you  desire  to  do  so  you  can  lake  the  eye-cup  out  and  clean  It  of  its  con- 
tents, but  you  must  put  it  back  in  its  place.  It  is  far  better  to  leav«  tlie  eye-cups  in 
place  and  clean  the  contents  out  without  disturbing  them. 


OKSITHOLOOICAL  AND  OOLOOICAL   COLLECTING. 


15 

PLATE  4. 


From  Methods  in  the  Art  of  Taxidertnv, 
ILLUSTRATING  EXCEPTIONS  TO  THE  GENERAL  RULE  IN  SKINNING  BIRDS. 


/  ! 


r 


11 


16 


ORMTIIOUKIICAL  AND  OOLOfUt  AL    ((tLLHCTI  \<i. 


To  make  up  a  clean,  shapely,  well-prepared  bird  skin  requires  considerable  ex- 
perience and  practice.  Facility  and  speed  will  come  with  both.  I  have  already  de- 
scribed in  detail  the  manner  In  which  a  bird  should  be  skinned. 

In  these  directions  we  shall  again  take  up  the  robin  as  our  example  and  skin  it 
exactly  as  I  have  directed  in  Chapter  II,  and,  if  it  be  any  other  species  much  larger, 
you  will,  as  before,  refer  to  the  foot-notes  in  case  there  be  any  variations  or  ex- 
ceptions to  the  general  rule,  as  for  instance,  skinning  the  heads  of  woodpeckers, 
ducks,  skinning  the  wing  by  an  opening  cut  along  the  underside  of  the  wing  in  large 
birds,  etc.  Do  not  fall  to  take  full  measurements,  ascertain  the  sex,  etc.,  before 
beginning  as  before  recommended. 

Having  skinned  the  specimen  it  lies  before  you  exactly  as  you  see  it  in  Plate  4, 
Fig.  4,  ready  for  the  filling.  Some  taxidermists  fill  the  neck-skin  with  tow  (Plate 
4,  Figs.  1  and  2)  before  turning  the  skin  back.  I  prefer  always  to  fill  the  neck  after 
the  skin  has  been  returned  over  the  skull.  Poison  the  entire  skin  thoroughly.  Make 
a  roll  of  fine  tow  the  thickness  of  the  natural  neck  and  longer  than  the  entire  neck 
and  body;  insert  one  end  of  this  into  the  cavity  of  the  skull  and  let  the  other  extend 
as  far  as  the  tall.  Many  do  not  allow  the  neck  roll  to  extend  farther  down  than 
shown  in  Figs.  3  and  4,  Plate  4.  The  wing-bones  in  very  small  birds  need  not  be 
wrapped  with  cotton.  In  all  cases  the  leg-bones  should  have  a  wrapping  of  cotton 
or  fine  tow;  for  the  small  ones  cotton  will  do;  but  tow  should  be  used  in  the  large 
ones.  Cotton  will  answer  for  the  body-filling  in  the  small  birds,  but  tow  is  the  thing 
to  use  in  the  larger  ones.  This  should  be  made  in  one  mass,  rather  firmly  moulded 
into  something  like  the  shape  of  the  bird's  body  or  trunk,  but  rather  less  in  bulk. 
Insert  this  into  the  skin  until  it  fits  nicely,  bring  the  edges  of  the  incision  together 
and  the  skin  is  about  completed.  In  some  cases  the  opening  is  held  together  by 
taking  one  or  two  stitches  with  a  needle  and  thread. 

The  usual  fault  of  beginners  is  in  using  too  much  stuffing,  thus  making  the  skin 
to  "bulge  out"  in  the  wrong  places,  eepecially  between  the  shoulders  and  along 
the  neck.     Never  make  the  neck  of  a  skin  t'^"  '  '^-      ,  ocimen  is  usually  meant 

to  Up  or.  Its  back  with  tne  hea^^.^^;^^-^^^^  ^^^^  tVetody.^he  neck  being  ot  na.u.... 
'ienglh"  it'^onlyViiiains  to  "set"  the  specimen  in  a  shapely  manner  by  folding  the 
wings  neatly,  adjusting  the  head  and  neck,  bringing  the  legs  together  and  crossing 
Them.  The  throat  of  the  bird  should  be  filled  with  cotton  and  the  skin  can  now  be 
labeled  and  placed  In  a  drying-board. 

These  are  found  very  useful  in  forming  or  moulding  the  shape  of  the  skin. 
They  are  made  by  gluing  or  tacking  pieces  of  thin  wood  of  the  same  size  on  a  board 
equal  distances  anart.  Pieces  of  Urary  paper  are  fitted  between  the  cross-boa  d 
and  glued  or  tacked  in  position,  so  as  to  form  semi-cylindrical  grooves.  Tin  or  zinc 
can  be  used  for  making  drying-boards  for  large  birds.  The  "''^"f-Ji-;^ J^^^^^^^^,^; 
In  which  you  thrust  the  bird  head  foremost,  pinning  the  cone  on  the  wall  while  the 
LI  is  drying.  Is  an  excellent  method  In  some  cases.  All  birds  with  crests  should 
have  the  head  turned  slightly  to  one  side  and  their  crests  raised.    This  Is  illustrated 

*"  '''Ducks.'llerons' g'ee'se  and  all  other  long-necked  birds  should,  ^^«"  Pj^V^f'^ 
rest  upon  the  breast  with  the  head  and  neck  resting  upon  the  back.  The  feet  of  the 
onp-legged  waders  should  be  placed  underneath  the  breast.  This  Is  beautifully 
lU  straUd  m  Plate  5.  Figs.  3,  5  and  6,  in  skins  of  the  Great  Blue  Heron  Avocet  and 
Marb'ed  Godwit.  In  Fig.  4  of  the  same  plate  we  have  an  11  ustratlon  of  the  skin  of 
the  Hooded  Merganser,  which  has  as  long  a  neck  as  some  of  the  ducks.  When  pre- 
paring a  long-recked  skin  In  this  manner  always  wrap  tow  to  the  natural  thickness 


ORNITHOLOaiCAL  AND  OiiLOOUAL   COLLEi'TISG. 


17 

PLATE  5. 


P^'^^Wj^'^T 


From  M*th»di  in  the  Art  of  Taxiiiermy. 
THE  FORMS  OF  BIRD  SKINS. 


I' 
,1  |i- 


18 


ORNITHOLOOWAL  AND  OOLOGICAL   COLLECTING. 


of  the  neck  around  a  piece  of  wire,  anchor  it  in  the  skull  cavity  and  form  the  body- 
fllling  around  it.  All  long-necked  birds  should  be  treated  in  this  manner,  no  matter 
how  you  place  the  neck.  It  will  often  prevent  them  from  becoming  broken  off. 
The  opening  in  all  large  skins  should  be  neatly  sewn  up.  All  skins  prepared  for  the 
cabinet  and  all  specimens  mounted  should  have  a  label  attached  to  the  legs  giving 
the  species,  sex,  locality,  date  of  collection,  etc.  In  many  adult  birds  the  sex  can  be 
determined  by  the  color  of  the  plumage.  In  most  oases  the  body  should  be  examined 
to  make  sure  of  the  sex  of  the  specimen.  The  testes  of  the  male  and  the  ovaries  of 
the  female  lie  in  the  same  position  in  the  small  of  the  back,  close  to  the  kidneys,  and 
may  easily  be  reached  by  cutting  through  the  wall  of  the  abdomen  on  one  side  and 
pushing  the  intestines  out  of  the  way.  The  testes  of  the  male  are  a  pair  of  yellowish 
bodies  lying  close  together.  The  ovary  is  a  mass  of  small  spheres.  In  the  breeding 
set  son  both  these  organs  are  subject  to  such  enlargement  that  they  become  very 
conspicuous,  and  differ  so  much  in  appearance  that  they  cannot  be  mistaken.  At 
other  seasons  of  the  year  they  can  only  be  recognized  upon  close  examination.  The 
male  is  denoted  by  the  sign  of  Mars,  the  female  by  the  sign  of  Venus,  or  the  Ight 
leg  is  crossed  over  the  left  to  indicate  the  male,  and  the  left  over  the  right  to  denote 
th»'  female. 

The  best  method  in  the  world  for  laying  skins  away  in  the  cabinet  is  to  wrap 
them  in  sheet  cotton  batting,  allowing  the  label  to  be  seen  when  placed  in  the  cabinet 
drawer.  When  collecting  in  the  field  in  remote  regions  you  may  fill  the  body  of  the 
skin  with  leaves,  dry  gra^s  or  paper,  when  tow  or  cotton  cannot  be  obtained,  but 
never  with  wool  or  hair. 

It  is  essential  for  the  pre«)ervation  of  skins  to  ^^se  nothing  for  the  filling  that 
can  be  attacked  by  insects. 

•  Some^years  ago"  I  veVy  nearly  ruined  my  reputa^op  as  a  taxidermist  by  attempt- 
ing to  mount  five  hundred  bird  skins,  from  the  Holy  Land,  which  were  filled  with 
old  woolen  clothing  of  the  Arabs  and  the  hair  of  quadrupeds.  Upon  these  the  moths 
had  feasted  and  become  fat  and  robust.  The  skins  and  feathers  had  next  received 
their  attention.    The  havoc  they  vrought  is  indescribable. 

One  evening  after  a  desperate  struggle  with  the  hundredth  specimen  of  these 
bunches  of  hides  and  feathers  I  was  indulging  in  reveries  of  stern  realities— how 
patience  will  sometimes  pause-how  ingenuity  will  stagger  when  invention  failsr- 
how  time  as      11  as  love's  labor  is  sometime^  lost. 

I  sat  In  my  study  till  the  last  slanting  sunbeams  were  gilding  the  walls— till 
the  objects  before  me  became  indistinct  In  the  twilight,  and  In  fancy  saw  Job  in 
one  corner  of  my  workshop  smiling  at  my  impatience,  and  heard  Shakespeare  by  his 
Bide  whispering,  "What  fools  these  mortals  be!" 


'i-\(^, 


INDBX. 


ACANTHIS. 

hornemannli,  360. 

hornemannii  ezilipeB.  300. 

linaria,  360. 

linaria  holboelUt,  861. 

linaria  rostrata,  361. 
Accipiter. 

atrlcapillus,  206. 

atricapUlus  atriatulus.  206. 

cooperi,  204. 

veioz,  202. 
Actltls. 

macularia.  150. 
^chmophorus. 

occidentalis,  1. 
uGgialitis, 

dubia.  156. 

hiaticula.  156. 

meloda,  166. 

meloda  circumcincta.  1S7. 

mongola,  157. 

montana,  158. 

nivosa,  157. 

flemlpalmata,  ISS. 

vocifera,  155. 

wilsonla,  157. 
Aeronautes. 

melanoleucus,  290. 
/Gstrelata. 

flsheri,  53. 

hasitata,  53. 

scalaris,  53. 
Agelaius. 

gubernator,  343. 

phoeniceus,  340. 

phoeniceus  bryanti,  843. 

phcenlceus  floridanus,  343. 

phceniceus  sonoriensis,  34L 

tricolor,  343. 
Alz  sponsa,  84. 
AJaJa. 

ajaja,  107. 
Alauda. 

arvensis,  314. 
AlbatroBS,  Black-footed.  46. 

Short-tailed,   47. 

Sooty,  47. 

Wandoring,  46. 

Yellow-nosed,  47. 
Alca. 

torda,  21. 
AHe. 

alle,  24. 


Amazilia. 

cervinlventrig,  296. 
fuscicaudata,  295. 

Ammodramus. 
bairdii,  371. 
beldingi.  370. 
caudacutus,  373. 
caudacutUB  nelsoni,  374. 
caudacutus  aubvirgatua,  374. 
henslowii,  372. 
henslowii  occidentalla,  373. 
leconteii,  373. 
maritimuB,  374. 

maritimua  macglllivrayi,  375. 
marittmus  peninsulee,  374. 
maritimuB  sennetti,  375. 
nigrescens,  375. 
prlnceps,  369. 
rostratus,  371. 
rostratus  guttatus,   371. 
sanctorum,  371. 
sandwichensis,  369. 
sandwlchensls  alaudlnus,  370. 
sandwichensis  bryanti,  370. 
sandwichensis  savanna,  369. 
savannarum  passerinus,  371. 
savannarum  perpallidus,  372. 

Ampells. 

cedrorum,  413. 
garru'.   i,  413. 

Amphispiza. 
belli,  386. 
belli  cinerea,  387. 
belli  nevadensis,  386. 
bilineata,  386. 

Anas. 

americana,  80. 
boschas,  78. 
carolinensis,  81. 
crecca,  80. 
cyanoptera,  81. 
dlscors,  81. 
fulvlgula,  79. 
fulvigula  maculosa,  79. 
obscura,  79. 
penelope,  80. 
strepera,  79. 

Anhlnga,  63. 

anhinga,  63. 

Ant,  252. 

Groove-billed,  25S. 

AnouB. 

stolidus,  44. 


t 


ii 


INDEX. 


Anser. 

albifrona,  97. 

albifrons  eranbell,  97. 

fabalis,  97. 
AnthuB. 

cervinus,  4W). 

pensilvan'cus,  460. 

pratenRis,  -MO. 

spraguell,  461. 
AntrostomuB. 

carollnenBlB,  282. 

vociferus,  283. 

voclferus  macromystax,  28.1. 
Aphelocoma  californica,  826. 

californica  hypoleuca,  326. 

californica  obBcura,  326. 

cyanotis,  326. 

floridana,  196. 

inauIariB    326. 

sieberii  arlzonse,  327. 

woodhousei,  325. 
Aphriza. 

virgata,  158. 
Aquila. 

chrysaetoB,  216. 
Aram  us. 

griganteus,  12^2. 
Archibuteo. 

f«rrugineus,  216. 

lagopus,  215. 

lagopus  sancti-Johannis,  216. 
Arctonetta. 

flscherl,  91.   ' 
Ardea. 

candldiBBima,  115. 

cinerea,  114. 

ceerulea,  118. 

egretta,  115. 

herodias,  114. 

occidentalis,  113. 

rufescens,  117. 

tricolor  ruflcoUiB,  118. 

virescens  anthonyi,  119. 

virescens,  118. 

virescens  frazari,  119. 

wardi,  113. 
Ardetta. 

exilis,  112. 

neoxena,  113. 
Arenaria. 

interpres,  168. 

melanocephala,  159. 
Aslo. 

accipitrlnuB,  235. 

wilBonlnnuB,  234. 
ABturina. 

plugiata,  214. 
Auk,  Great,  21. 

Raxor-billed.  21. 
Auklet,  CasBin'B.  13. 

Created,  14. 

LeaBt,  16. 

Paroquet,  13. 

RhinoceroB,  13. 

WhlBkered,  16. 


Auriparus. 

flaviceps,  491. 
Avocet.  American,  132. 
Aythya. 

afflnis,  87. 

americana,  86. 

collaris,  87. 

marila  nearctica,  87. 

valllsneria,  86. 

BAL.DPATE,  80. 
Bartramla. 

longicauda.  149. 
Basileuterus. 

belli,  458. 

culicivorus,  458. 
Baailinna. 

leucotis,  296. 

xantusi,  296. 
Becard,  Rose-throated,  297. 

Xantus's,  297. 
Bird,  Man-of-War,  74. 

Red-billed  Tropic,  59. 

Surf,  158. 

Tellow-billed  Tropic,  59. 
Bittern,  American,  111. 

Cory's  Least,  113. 

Least,  112. 
Blackbird,  Bicolored,  343. 

Brewer's,  350. 

Red-winged,  MO. 

Rusty,  350. 

Tricolored,  343. 

Yellow-headed,  340. 
Bluebird,  505. 

Azure,  506. 

Chestnut-backed,  506. 

Mountain,  506. 

San  Pedro,  506. 

Western,  505. 
Bluethroat,  Red-spotted,  504. 
Bobolink,  337. 
Bob-white,  163. 

Cuban,  164. 

Florida,  164. 

Masked,  164. 

Texan,,  1«H. 
Bonasa. 

unf^if^aus,  169. 

Umbel  lus  sabini,  170. 

unibeklUB  togatn,  170. 

umbellus  umbelloides,  170. 
Booby.  61. 

Blue-faced,  60. 

Blue-footed,  61. 

Brewster's,  61. 

Red-footed,  62. 
Botaurus. 

lentiginosus.  111. 
Brachyramphus. 

craverl,  17. 

hypoleucus,  17. 

klttlitzii,  17. 

marmoratus,  16. 


lynsx. 


HI 


Brant.  101. 

Black,  101. 
Branta. 

bemicla.  101. 

canadensis,  9S. 

canadensis  hutchlnsil,  100. 

canadensis  minima,  100. 

canadensis  occidentalis,  100. 

leucopsls,  101. 

nierricans,  lOL 
Bubo. 

virginianus,  241. 

virerinianus  arcticus,  243. 

virginianus  paciflcus,   243. 

virginianus  subarcticus,  243. 
Budytes. 

flavus  leucostriatus,  46S>. 
Buffle-head,  88 
Bullfinch    Cassin'8,  364. 
Bulwerla. 

bulweri,  63. 
Bunting,  Beautiful,  406. 

Indigo,  404. 

Lark,  407. 

Lazuli,  404. 

Painted,  406. 

Varied,  406. 
Bush-Tit,  488. 

Californlan,  488. 

Orinda's,  488. 

Lead-colored,  488. 

Lloyd's,  490. 

Santa  Rita,  480. 
Buteo. 

abbreviatus,  210. 

alblcaudatus  sennetti,  210. 

borealis,  206. 

borealis  calurus,  208. 

borealis  harlani,  208. 

borealis  kriderii,  208. 

borealis  lucasanus,  20^. 

brachyurus,  213. 

buteo,  206. 

lallssimus,  212. 

llneatus,  209. 

llneatUB  allenl,  210. 

llneatus  elegans,  210. 

swainsoni,  211. 
Duiszard,  European,  206. 

CALAM08PIZA. 

melanocorys,  407. 
C  T'orluB. 

lapponlcus,  366. 

ornatus,  367. 

plctus,  367. 
Calidris. 

arenaria.  142. 
Callichelido.n. 

cyaneoviridis,  412. 
Callipepla. 

callfornica,  166. 

californica  vallicola,  167. 

gambelii,  167. 

squamata,  166. 

squamata  castanogastris,  IM. 


Callothrus. 

robustus,  339. 
Calothorax. 

lucifer,  296. 
Calypte. 

anna,  293. 

coBtae,  292. 
Campephilus. 

principalis,  261. 
Camptolalmus. 

labradorlus,  91. 
Cap'-io  Lccl'.  80. 
Caracara,  Audubon's,  230. 

Guadalupe,  231. 
Cardelllna  nibrlfrons,  467. 
Cardinal,  399. 

Arizona,  400. 

Florida,  400. 

Oray-talled,  400. 

Saint  Lucas,  400. 

Texas,  401. 
Cardinalls. 

cardinalls,  899. 

cardinalls  canicaudus,  400. 

cardinalls  fioridanus,  400. 

cardinalls  igneus,  400. 

cardinalls  superbus,  400. 
Carduelis  carduells,  864. 
Carpodacus. 

amplus,  367. 

casslnl,  366. 

mexicanua  frontalis,  366. 

mexicanus  ruberrimus,  366. 

purpureus,   866. 

purpureus  californicus,  356. 
Cascarca  cascarca,  82. 
Catbird,  464. 
Catharista. 

atrata,  196. 
Cathartes. 

aura,  194. 
Catherpes. 

mexicanus,  470. 

mexicanus  conspersus,  470. 

mexicanus  punctulatus,  471. 
Centrocercus. 

urophasianus,  178. 
Ceophloeus. 

pileatus,  272. 
Cepphus,  10. 

columba,  18. 

grylle,  17. 

mandtii,  18. 
Cerorhlnca. 

monocerata,  18. 
Certhia. 

familiaris  alticola,  478. 

familiarls  americana,  477. 
familiaris  montana,  478. 

familiarls   occidentalis,   478. 
Ceryle. 

olcyon,  290. 

americana  septentrionaliu,  260. 
torquata,  260. 


iv 


INDEX. 


I'l'lf! 


Chachalaca.  183. 
Chntura. 

peluglca.  288. 

vauxil,  288. 
Chamsea. 

fasciata,  487. 

fasciata  henshawi,  488. 
Charadrius. 

apricariua,  164. 

dotnU..vuZ.  164. 

domlnicus  fulvus,  156. 

squatarola,  164. 
Charitonetta. 

albeola,  88. 
Chat.  Long-talleo,  454. 

Yellow-breasted,  ^63. 
Chelldon. 

eiythrogaster,  411. 
Chen. 

ceerulescens,  96. 

hyperborea,  96. 

hyperborea  nivalis,  96. 

rossil,  97. 
Chickadee,  483. 

California,  487. 

Carolina,  484. 

Chestnut-backed,  487. 

Columbian,  487. 

Hudsonlan,  486. 

Kowak,  487. 

Longr-tailed,   484. 

Mexican,  486. 

Mountain,  485. 

Oregon,  484. 

Plumbeous,  485. 

Siberian,  486. 
Chondestes. 

grammacus,  376. 

grammacus  strlgatus,  376. 

Chordeiles. 

acutipennis  texensls,  287. 

virginianus,  286. 

virglnlanuB  chapmani,  287. 

virginianus  henryi,  286. 

virginianus  sennetti,  287. 
Chuck-wlll's-wldow,  282. 

CInclua. 

mexicanus,  461. 
Circus  hudsonlus,  201. 
Cistothorus. 

marlanse,  477. 

palustrls,  476. 

palustrls  griseus,  476. 

palustrls  pnludicola,  476. 

stellarls,  475. 

Clangula. 

hyemalls,  89. 

Cllvicola. 

riparla.  413. 
Coccothraustes. 

vespertinus,  353. 

vespertinus  montanus.  853. 


Coccyzus. 

americanus,  266. 
amerlcanus  occidentalis,  256. 
orythro»';iialn«;'H,  266. 
i'.nlnr>.,  254. 

ml'ior  maynardi,  256. 
Coelirena. 

cletr.encise,  291. 
Coercja. 

bahamensis,  426. 
Colaptes. 

auratus,  276. 
cafer,  281. 

cafer  saturatfor,  281. 
chrysoldes,  2&i. 
chrysoides  brunnescens,  28t 
ruflpileuB,  282. 
ColinuB. 

rldirwajl.  164. 
vireinianus,  163. 
virginianus  cubanensls,  164. 
virginianus  floridanus,  164. 
virginianus  texanus,  164. 
Columba. 

fasciata,  184. 
fasciata  vloscse,  184. 
flavirostrls,  184. 
leucocephala,  185. 
Columbigallina. 

passerlna  pallescens,  189. 
passerina  terrestrls,  189. 
Colymbus. 

auritus,  3. 
domlnicus,  4. 
holbnellli,  2. 
Colymbus  nigricoUis  callfornlcus,   I. 
Compsothlypis. 

amerlcana,  432. 
americana  usneee,  433. 
nigri'.ora,  435. 
Contopus. 

borealls,  306. 
pertlnax,  807. 
richardsonil,  807. 
rlchardsonii  peninsulse,  30S 
virens,  306. 
Conurus. 

carolinensis,  250. 
Coot,  American,  129. 
European,  128. 
Cormorant,  64. 
Balrd's,  69. 
Brandt's.  68. 
Double-crested,  6S. 
Farallone,  67. 
Florida,  66. 
Mexican,  68. 
Pelagic,  69. 
Red-faced,  70. 
Violet-green,  69. 
White-crested,  86. 
CorvuB. 

amerlcanus,  S8S. 
americanus  florldanuB,  SIS. 


INDEX. 


CorvuB  caurinuB,  334. 

corax  principalis,  381. 

corax  slnuatUB,  330. 

cryptoleucus,  332. 

osslfragua,  334. 
Coturnix  coturnix,  163. 
Cowblrd,  338. 

Dwarf,  339. 

Red-eyed,  339. 
Crake,  Corn,  127. 

Spotted,  126. 
Crane,  Little  Brown,  121. 

Sandhill,  122. 

Whooping,  120. 
Creeper,  Bahama  Honey,  i26. 

Brown,  477. 

California,  478. 

Mexican,  478. 

Rocky  Mountain,  478. 
Crex. 

crex,  127. 
Crossbill,  American,  357. 

Mexican,  368. 

Whlte-winired.  358. 
Crotophaga. 

anl,  262. 

sulclrostris,  253. 
Crow,  American,  332. 

Fish,  334. 

Florida,  333. 

Northwest.    334. 
Crymophllus. 

fullcarlus,  130. 
Cuckoo,  Bluck-bllled,  266. 

California,  256. 

Kamchatkan,  267. 

Mangrove,  254. 

Maynard's,  256. 

Tellow-bllled,  265. 
Cuculus. 

canorus  telephonus.  267. 
Curlew,  Brlstle-thlghed,  152. 

Eskimo.  151. 

Hudsonian,  151. 

Long-billed,  160. 
Cyanecula. 

sueclca.  504. 
Cyanocephalus. 

cyanocephaiUB,  336. 
Cyanocltta. 

cristata,  320. 

crifttata  florlncola,  323. 

stellerl,  323. 

stellerl  annectens,  326. 

stellerl  frontalis,  324. 

stellerl  macrolopha,  324. 
Cyclorrhynchus. 

psittaculus,  13. 
Cymodroma. 

grallarla,  58. 
Cypseloides. 

niger.  287. 


.  Cyrtonyx. 

montezumae,  167. 

DAFILA.  • 

acuta.  83. 
Daption. 

capensia,  63. 
Dendragupus. 

canadensis,  169. 

franklinii,  169. 

obBcurus,  168. 

obscurus  fullginosus,  168. 

obscurus  rlchardsonli,  169. 
Dendrocygna. 

autumnallB,  103. 

fulva,  103. 
Dendrotca. 

eeatlva,  436. 

aestlva  rublginosa,  436. 

eestiva  sonorana,  436. 

auduboni,  438. 

blackburniee,  441. 

bryantl  castaneiceps,  436. 

ceerulea,  439. 

ceerulescens,  436. 

cserulescens  calrnsl,  487. 

castanea,  441. 

chrysoparia,  448. 

coronata,  437. 

discolor,  447. 

dominlca,  442. 

dorntnlca  albllora,  442. 

graclee,  443. 

klrtlandl,  446. 

maculosa,  439. 

nlgrescens,  443. 

occldentalls,  444. 

olivacea,  436. 

palmurum,  446. 

palmarum  hypochrysea,  447. 

pensylvanlca,  440. 

striata,  441. 

tlgrlna,  436. 

townsendl,  444. 

vigorsii,  446. 

vlrens.  444. 
Dlckcissel,  406. 
Dlomedea. 

albatruB,  47. 

exulans,  45. 

nigrlpes,  46. 
Dipper,  American,  461. 
Dollchonyx. 

oryzivorus,  337. 

Dove,   Ground,    189. 
Inca,  190. 

Mexican  Ground,  189. 
Mourning,  187. 
White-fronted,  188. 
White-winged,  189. 
Zenalda,  188. 

Dovekle,  24. 


vl 


INDEX. 


f 


Dowttcher,  IM. 

L«nff-bllled,  186. 
Dryohatea  arlionn,  267. 

boreallB,  264. 

nuttalUI,  266. 

pubescena,  263. 

pubesceng  galrdnerii,  264. 

pubescena  medianus,  264. 

pubeacens  nelaoni,  264. 

~  ubeacens  oreoecus,  264. 

acalarla  bairdi,  265. 

Bcalarls  lucasanua,  265. 

vllloauB,  262. 

vlllosua  audubonll,  26.*). 

vlllosus  harriail,  263. 

vlllosua  hyloacopua,  2G3. 

vllloaus  leucomelaa.  263. 
Duck,  American  Scaup,  87. 

Black,  -\ 

Florida.  79. 

Harlequin,  90. 

Labrador,  91. 

Lesser  Scaup,  87. 

Masked,  96. 

Mottled,  79. 

Ring-necked,  87. 

Ruddy,  96. 

Rufous-crested,  K5. 

Steller's,  91. 

Wood.  84. 
Dunlin,  140. 

EAGLE,  Bald,  218. 

Golden,  216. 
*         Gray  Sea,  218. 

Harpy,  218. 
Ectoplates. 

mlgrratorius,  185. 
Egret,  American,  llfi. 

Reddish,  117. 

Elder,  American,  92. 

King,  93. 

Northern,  91. 

Paciflc,  93. 

Spectacled,  91. 
Elanoldes. 

forficatus,  196. 
Elanus. 

leucurus,  198. 
Embernagra. 

ruflvlrgata,  396. 
Empldonax. 

clnerltlus,  309. 

dlffldlls,  309. 

flavlventrla,  806. 

fulvifrona,  313. 

fulvlfrona  pygmteus,  313. 

grlseus,  313. 

hammondl,    312. 

minimus,  312. 

traillll,  810. 

trallUl  alnorum,  310. 

vtreacena,  809. 

wrlghtU.  813. 


Enlconetta. 

atellerl,  91. 
Ereunetea. 

occldentalts,  142. 

pusillus,  141. 
Ergatlcus. 

ruber,  458. 
Erlamatura. 

rubida,  96. 
Euetheia. 

blcolor,  406. 

canora,  406. 
Eugenes. 

fulgens,  290. 
Euphonla. 

elegantissima,  407. 
R'jphonia,  Blue-headed.  407. 
■^  '.rynorhynchus. 

p^gmeeus,  141. 

''  lumbnrlus,  2H. 
c.K  -nbarlus  suckleyi,  225. 
dominlcensls,  230. 
fusco-coerulescens,  226. 
Islandua,  220. 
mexlcanus,  222. 
peregrinus  anatum,  223; 
peregrinus  pealel,  223. 
regulud,  226. 
rlchardsonli,  226. 
rusticolus,  221. 
rustlcolus  gyrfalco,  221. 
rusticolus  obaoletus,  221. 
sparverius,  228. 
sparverlus  desertlcolua,  230. 
sparverius  penlnsularls,  230. 
tinnunculus,  227. 
Falcon,  Aplomado,  226. 
Peale's,  223. 
Prairie,  222. 

Finch,  California  Purple,  366. 

Cassin's  Purple,  356. 

Gaudalupe  House,  367. 

House,  366. 

Purple,  356. 

St.  Lucas  House,  366. 
Flamingo,  American,  106. 
Flicker.  276. 

Brown,  282. 

Glided.   281. 

Guadalupe,  282. 

Northwestern,  281. 

Red-shafted,  281. 
Flycatcher,  Alder,  310. 

Arizona  Crested,  802. 

Ash-throated,  302. 

Beardless,  314. 

Buff-breasted,   313. 

Coues's,  306. 

Crested.  801. 

Derby.  300. 

Fork-tailed.  297. 


INDEX. 


vu 


Flycatcher,  Fulvrm,  318. 

Oiraud'8,  ZM. 

Gray.  313. 

Qreen-crested,  309. 

Hammond's,  312. 

Lawrencn's,  303. 

Least,  312. 

Mexican  Crested,  301. 

Nuttlng'8,  303. 

Olivaceous,  308. 

Olive-sided,  306. 

Ridgway'p,  314. 

St.  Lucas,  309. 

Sclssor-tailed,  297. 

Sulphur-bellied,  301. 

Traill's,  310. 

Vermilion,  314. 

Western.  309. 

Wright's.  313. 

Yellow-bellied,  308. 
Fratercula. 

arctica,  11. 

arctica  glacialis,  11. 

corniculata,  IL 
Fregata. 

aquila,  74. 
Fulica. 

americana,  129. 

atra,  128. 
Fulmar,  48. 

Giant,  48. 

Lesser,  49. 

Paclflc,  BO. 

Rodgers's,  60. 

Slenaer-bllled,  61. 
Fulmarus. 

glacialis,  48. 

glacialis  gluplscha,  60. 

glacialis  minor,  49. 

glacialis  rodgersll,  60. 

glaclaloides,  61. 

GADWALL,  79. 
Oaleoscoptes. 

carolinensis,  464. 
Gallinago. 

delicata,  136. 

gallinago,  136. 
Gallinula. 

galeata,  128. 
Gallinule,  Florida,  128. 

Purple,  128. 
Gannet,  62. 
Gavia. 

alba,  27. 
Gelochelldon. 

nllotioa.  38. 
Geococcyx. 

californianuB,  263. 
Geothlypis. 

agilts,  460. 

beldingl,  452. 

formosa,  449. 

macglllivrayl,  461. 


Geothlypitt,    Philadelphia,  461. 

trichas,   461. 

trichas  Ignota,  452. 
trichas  occidentalis,  452. 

pollocephala  ralphl,   453. 
Geotrygon. 

martinlca,  190. 

montana.  190. 
Glaucldlum. 

gnoma,  247. 

gnoma  callfornlcum,  248. 

hosklnsli,  243. 

phalaenoides,  249. 
Glauclonetta. 

clangula  americana,  88. 

islandlca,  88. 
Gnatcatcher,  Black-tailed,  496. 

Blue-gray,  494. 

Plumbeous,  496. 

Western,  496. 
Godwlt,  Black-tailed,  144. 

Hudsonian,  143. 

Marbled,  143. 

Paclfl?,  143. 
Golden-eye,  American,  Sf 

Barrow's,  88. 
Goldflnch.  364. 

American,  361. 

Arizona,  362. 

Arkansas,  362. 

Black-headed,  8v.3. 

Lawrence's,  3b? 

Mexican,  382. 

Western,  362. 
Goose,  American  White-fronted.  97. 

Barnacle,  101. 

Bean,  97. 

Blue,  96. 

Cackling,  100. 

Canada,  98. 

EJmperor,  102. 

Greater  Snow,  96. 

Hutchlns's,  100. 

Lesser  Snow,  96. 

Ross's  Snow.  97. 

White-cheeked,  100. 

White-fronted,  97. 
Goshawk,  American,  205. 

Mexican,  214. 

Western,  206. 
Crackle,   Boat-tailed,  363. 

Bronzed,  362. 

Florida,  352. 

Great-tailed,  362. 

Purple,  361. 

Grassqult,  408. 

Melodlus,  406. 

Grebe,  American  Eared,  3. 
Holboell's,  2. 
Horned,  3. 
Pled-bllled,  4. 
St.  Domingo,  4. 
Western,  1. 


f    t 


r\n 


IVDEX. 


Qreen-Hhnnk.  H4. 
QronhPRk,  Klnck-heaAea,  403. 

niue.  403. 

ICveninK,  353. 

Pine.  ?.54. 

KoHe-breusted,  403. 

Western  Hlue,  404. 

\tc>8tern  ICvenlng,  36.1 

Qroutie,  Canada,  160. 

Canadian  Ruffed,  170. 

Columbian  Sharp-tailed,  177. 

Du«ky,   1«8. 

Franklln'8,  169. 

Gray  Ruffed,  170. 

Oregon  Ruffed,  170. 

Prairie  Sharp-tailed,   178. 

RlchardHon's,  269. 

Huffed,  169. 

Sago,  178. 

Sharp-tailed,   177. 

Sooty,  168. 
Orus. 

amerlcana.  120. 

canadennlH,  121. 

mexlcana.  122. 
Quara. 

alba,  107. 

rubra,  108. 
Guillemot,  Black,  17. 

Mandt's,  18. 

Pigeon,  18. 
Gulroca. 

cterulea,  40H. 

ca.'rulea  euryucha,  404. 

Gull,  American  Herring,  32. 

Bonaparte's,   36. 

California,  33. 

Franklin's,   35. 

Glaucous,  28. 

Glaucous-winged,  29. 

Great  Black-backed,  30. 

Herring,  32. 

Heermann'B,  36. 

Iceland.  29. 

Ivory.  27.  _  "* 

Kumllcn's,  30. 

Laiit^hing,  35. 

Little,  36. 

Mew,  34. 

Nelson'r^,  30. 

Point  Harrow.  29. 

Ring-blHed,  34. 

Ross's,  36. 

Sabine's,  37. 

Short-billed,  34. 

Siberian,  31. 

Slaty-backed,  31. 

Vega,  33. 

Western,  81. 
Gyrfalcon,  221. 

Black,  221. 

Gray,  221.  _      • 

White,  220. 


HABIA. 

ludovlriana,  403. 

raelanocephala.  40& 
HcematopuB. 

bachmani,  161. 

frazarl,  161. 

ostralegus,  169. 

palllatus,   160. 
Halocyptena. 

mlcroBoma,  54. 
Halleeetus. 

alblcilla,  218. 

leucoecphalus,  218. 
Harporhynchus. 

bendlrel,  466. 

clnereuB,  466. 

clnereus  mearnsi,  466. 

crisBalis,  468. 

curvlroBtris,  465. 

curvirostria  palmerl,  466. 

lecontel,  467. 

longlrostris  sennettl,  464. 

redlvlvua,  466. 

rufUB,  404. 

Hawk,  American  Rough-legged,  216. 
American  Sparrow,  228. 
Desert  Sparrow.  230. 
Broad-winged.  212. 
Cooper'H,  204. 
.    Cuban  Sparrow,  230. 
Duck,  223. 

Florida  Red-shouldered.  210 
Harlan's,  208. 
Harris's,  206. 
Krider's,  208. 
Marsh,  201. 
Mexican  Black,  213. 
Pigeon,  224. 
Red-bellied.  210. 
Red-shouldtred,  209. 
Red-tailed,  206. 
Rough-legged,  215. 
Bennett's  White-tailed,  210. 
Sharp-shinned,  202. 
Short-tailed,  213. 
St.  Lucas  Sparrow,  230. 
Swainson's,  211. 
Zone-tailed,   210. 

Heleodytes  brunnelcapiUus,  468. 

brunnelcaplllus  afflnls,  469. 

brunnelcapiUus  bryanti,  46& 
Hellnaia. 

swainsonil,  428. 
Helminthophlla. 

bachmani,  429. 

celata,  432. 

celata  lutescens,  432. 

celata  sordlda,  432. 

chrysoptera,  430. 

lucite,  430. 

peregrlna,  482. 

plnuB,  429. 

ruflcapilla,  431. 


INDEX. 


\x 


Uelntlnthophlla,  ruflcapllla  gutturallfl,  431. 
virfflnln,   430. 

HelmitheruB. 

vermtvorui,  428. 

Hen,  Attwater'B  Prairie,  176. 
Heath,  175. 
I^sRer  Prairie,  177. 
Prairie.  176. 

Heron,  Anthony's  Green,  119. 
Black-crowned  Night,  119. 
European  Blue,  114. 
Frazar'H  Qreen,  119. 
Great  Blue,  114.  ' 

Great  White,  113. 
Green,  118. 
Little  Blue,  118. 
Lioulatana,  118. 
Snowy,  115. 
Wards,  113. 
Yellow-crowned  Night,  120. 

Hesperoclchla. 
nievla,  503. 

Heteractltis. 

incana,  147. 

HlmantopuB. 

mexicanus.  132. 

Hlstrlonicua. 

hlstrionlcus,  90. 

Hummingbird.  Allen's,  294. 
Anna's,    293. 
Black-chlnned,  292. 
Blue-throated,  291. 
Broad-billed,  29C. 
Brond-talled,  293. 
Bufr-bellied,  295. 
Calliope,  294. 
Costa's.  292. 
Floresl's.  293. 
RietTer's,  296. 
Rivoll.  290. 
Ruby-throated,  291. 
Rufous,  293. 
Violet-throated,  292. 
White-eared,  296. 
XantuB's,  296. 

Hydrochelidon. 

leucoptera,  44. 

nigra  surinamensls,  43. 


lACHE. 

latlrostrls.  296. 

Ibis,  Glossy,  109. 
Scarlet,  108. 
White,  107. 

White-faced  Glossy,  110 
Wood,  110. 

Icteria. 

vlrens,  453. 

vlrens  longlcauda,  464. 


Icterus. 

audubonll,  846. 
bullocki,  J60. 
cucullatus,  346. 
cucullatus  nelsonl,  346. 
galbula,  347 
Icterus,  846. 
parisorum,  346. 
spurius,  347. 

Ictlnla. 

misslssippiensis,  199. 

lonornifl. 

martinlca.  128. 

JABIRU,  110. 

Jacana. 

spinosa,  161. 

Jacana,  Mexican,  161. 

Jaeger,  Parasitic,  26. 
Pomarine,  25. 
Long-tailed,  26. 

Jay,  Alaskan,  328. 
Arizona,  327. 
Belding's,  326. 
Black-headed,  825. 
Blue,  320. 
Blue-eared,  326. 
Blue-fronted,  SU. 
California,  326. 
Canada,  328. 
Florida,  325. 
Florida  Blue,  323. 
Green,  327. 
Labrador,  329. 
Long-crested,  324. 
Oregon,  3b'',  i     , 

Pinon,  336. 

Rocky  Mountain,  328. 
Banta  Cruz,  326. 
Steller's,  323. 
Woodhouse's,  325. 
Xantus's,  326. 

Junco. 

aikeni    382. 
annectons.  384. 
balrdi,   385. 
canicepr,  385. 
pha?onotus  dorsalis,  386. 
phseonotus  palliatus,  385. 
hyemalis,  382. 
hyemalis  carollnensis,  384. 
hyemalis  oregonus,  382. 
hyemalis  plnosus,  384. 
hyemalis  shufeldtl,  388. 
hyemalis  thurberi,  383. 
insularis,  385. 
ridgwayi,  384. 
townsendi,  386. 

Junco,  Arizona,  885. 
Balrd's,  386. 
Carolina,  384. 


ISDBX. 


Junco,   vray-hondnd,   MS. 
QuHdalupe,  3W. 
OreRon.  382. 
Ptnk-alded,  3K4. 
Point  PlnoB.  384. 
Ited-backfd,  38C. 
HIdvway'B.  384. 
Blatfi-rolnred.  Xtt, 
Hhiifpldfii.  383. 
Thurbcr'H.  383. 
TowriHcnd'a,  386. 
White- winged.  88S. 

KESTRKI..  227. 
Killdeer.   155. 
KInRblrd.  298. 

ArkHnnnn,  290. 

raMln'H,  300. 

Couch's,   299. 

Orny.  298. 
Klnffflflhor,   lielted,  260. 

RlnRcd,  2M. 

Toxnn.   2fiO. 
KlHRlet. 

DuHky,  494. 

Golden-rrowned,   492. 

Ruhy-rrownod.   493. 

WPHtern  Ooldon -crowned.  493. 
Kite.    KvcrRlade.   201. 

MlHslHHippl.  199. 

Swnllcw-talJPd.  196. 

White-tnlled.  198. 
KIttlWHke.  27. 

PhcIMc.  28. 

Red-lcRKed.  28. 
Knot,  1.16. 

LAQOPUS. 

evermnnnl,  174. 

loKopuB.  171. 
lafTopus  uUenl,  172. 

leucuruH,  174. 

rupestris.  173. 

rupeatrls  atkhensls.  173. 

rupeHtrlH  nelHunI,  173. 
•     rupeatrlH  relnhardl.  173. 

rupe^strls  townacndl,  174. 

wolchl,  174. 
Lnniua. 

bort'ullH,  415. 

ludoviftunus,  416. 

ludnvifinnun  Rumbeli,  417. 

ludovlolanuH  oxcubitorldca,  416. 
LapwInK,  152. 
Lark,  Desert  Horned,  317. 

Dusky  Horned,  318. 

Horned,  315. 

Mexican  Horned,  317. 

Pallid  Horned,  316. 

Prairie  Horned,  316. 

Ruddy   Horned.  317. 

Scorched  Horned,  318. 

Sonoran  Horned,  319. 

Streaked  Horned,  318. 

Texan  Horned,  317. 


T<aruH. 

KfTlnlM,  3t. 

arKt-ntatuH,  .12. 

ar««'ritiituM  NmlthannlanuH,   32 

atric-llln.  36. 

barrovliinua,  29. 

brachyrhynt-hua,  34, 

rnchlnnanH,  33. 

calirornicuH,  33. 

canuH,  34. 

delawarrnala,  84. 

frankllnii,  36. 

Vlauceacena,  29. 

fflauoua,  28. 

he«rmarini,  36. 
LaruM  Philadelphia,  96. 

kumlleni,  30. 

leucopterua,  29. 

marlnua,  30. 

mlnutua,  .10. 

nelaoni,  30. 

occlder.ttilis,  SI. 

Philadelphia,  36. 
achiatlHaRua,  31. 

vefra-,  33. 
Leptotlla. 

fulvlventrla  brachypt«ra,  188. 
Leucoaticte. 

atrata,  360. 
auattalia,  360. 
ffrlaeonucha,  3C8. 
tephrocotia,  359. 
tephrocotia  littoralia,  360. 
Leucoaticte,  Aleutian,  368. 
Black,  360. 
Brown-capped,  360. 
Qray-crowned,  369. 
Hepburn'a,  360. 
Limoaa. 

fedoa,  143. 
htemastica,  143. 
lapponlca  bauerl,  143. 
limoaa,  144. 
Limpkin,  122. 

Longapur,    Chcatnut-collared,   867. 
Lapland,  366. 
McCown'a,  369. 
Smith's,  367. 
Loon,  6. 

Black-throated,  7. 
Pacific,  8. 
Red-throated,  8. 
Yellow-billed.  7. 
Lophodytea. 

cucullatUB,  77. 
Loxifi. 

urvlroatra  minor,  867. 
t;urvirostra.  atricklandl.  888. 
leucoptera,  3C8. 
Lunda. 

cirrhata,  9. 

MACRORHAMPHUS. 
griaeua.  136. 
acolopaceua,  136. 


INDEX. 


Magpie,  Amf>rlrnn.  319. 

Y«llow-biUed,  saO. 
Mallard,  78. 
Man-o'-War  Klrd,  74. 
Mareca,  40. 
Martin,  CMiban,  409. 

Purple,  409. 

Weatern,  409. 
Meadowlark,  34.1. 

Mexican,  344. 

Weatorn,  844. 
Mi-salcatrlfi. 

akua,  24. 
Mogaacopa. 

nalo,  239. 

aalo  alkenl,  241. 
Mt>raaco|>8  nalo  mnxwellln,  240. 

aalo  cineraceua,  240. 

aalo  (lorldanua.  240. 

aalo  kennlcottll,  240 

aalo  ma<-fHrlanel.  241. 

aalo  mnxwelllip,  240. 

aalo  trlc'hopala,  240. 

flammeola,  241. 

•flammeola  Idahoenala,  241. 
Mflanerpea,  l&i. 

aurlfrona,  276. 

cnrollnuB,  275. 

erythrocephalua.  273. 

formlclvorua,  274. 

fortnlclvorua  ansuatirrona,  27B. 

formlclvorua  balrdi,  274. 

torquatun,  27S. 

uropyfflalla,  276. 
Meleaffrla. 

Kallopavo,  180. 
'  gallopavo  pllioti,  183. 

irallopavo  mexicana,  18S. 

gallopavo  oaceola,  188. 
Molopella. 

leucoptera,  189. 
Meloaplsa. 

cinerea,  393. 

faaclata.  390. 

faaclata  clementee,  392. 

fasclata  fallax,  390. 

faaclata  gramlnea,  392. 

faaclata  guttata,  391. 

faaclata  heermanni,  391. 

faaclata  Juddl,  392. 

faaclata  montana,  391. 

faaclata  rlvularla.  3t>2. 

faaclata  ruflna,  391 

faaclata  aamuella,  aM. 

georerlana,  393. 

Inalgnia,  392. 

Uncolnl.   39.3. 

Uncolnl  atrlata,  393. 
Merganaer. 

amerlcanua,  76. 

aerrator,  77. 
Merganaer,  American,  76. 

Hooded,  77. 

Red-breaated,  77. 


Merrinir. 

MetKUn  albeilua,  78. 

Meilln,  226. 

Illack,  228. 

KIchardaon'a,  2V. 
Merula. 

ronflnla.  608. 

migratoria,  602. 

migratoria  proplnqua,  603. 
MIcropalnma. 

himantopua.  136. 
Mlcropiillaa. 

whitneyl,  149. 
MUvulua. 

forllcatua,  297. 

tyrannua,  297. 
MImua. 

polyglottoa,  461. 
Mnlotlltn. 

varin,  426. 
Mockingbird,  46S. 
MolothruH. 

ator,  338. 

atpr  obacuruM,  339. 
Motacllla. 

alba.  468. 

ocularlH,  469. 
Motmot,  blue-crowned,  269. 
Momotua  ccerullcepa,  269. 

Murre,   IK. 

Brunnlch'B,  20. 

Collfornla.  10. 

Pallaa'a,  20. 
Murrelet.  Ancient,  16. 

Cravorra.  17. 

KIttlltx'a,   17. 

Marbled.  16. 

Temmlck'a,   16. 

XnntuH'B.  17. 

Myadoatef*. 

townaendll,  497. 

Mycterla. 

umerlcana,  110. 

MylnrohUH. 

clneraacena,  302. 

clneraacena  nuttlngl,  803. 

crinitua,  301. 

lawrencp-ll,  303. 

lawrenccll  ollvaacena.  303. 

mexicanua,  301. 

mexlcanua  maglater,  302. 
MyloteteteH. 

texenaia.  300. 
Mylodynaatea. 

lutelventrla,  901. 

NETTA. 

ruflna,  88. 
NIghthawk.  286. 

Florida,  287. 

Sennett'a,  287. 

Texan,  287. 

Weatem.  t86. 


' 


I   I 


Zll 


INDEX. 


Noddy.  44. 
Nomonyx. 

dointnicuB,  05. 
yumeriUB  arquatus. 

borealis,  161. 

hudsonlcuB,  161. 

longlrostrlH,   160. 

phfTopiiH,  152. 

tahltlenHlB,  162. 
Nutcracker,  Clarke'B,  336. 
Nuthatch,  Brown-headed,  479. 

Florida  White-breasted,  479. 

Pygmy.  480. 

Red-breasted,    479. 

SlondGr-bllled,    479. 

White-breasted,  478 

White-naped,  481. 
Nyctala. 

acadica,  238. 

tengmalmi  richardBoni,  238. 
Nyctea. 

nyctea,  244. 
Nyctlcorax. 

nyctlcorax  nsevius,  119. 

violaceus,  120. 
NyctldromuB. 

albicollis  merriUl.  286. 

OCEAN1TE8. 

C'leanicuB,  68, 
Oceanodroma. 

furcata,  66. 

homochroa,  67. 

Icucorhoa,  56. 

macrodt'ctyla,  66. 

melaniu,  C6. 

aocorroenslB,  68. 
Oldemla. 

amorlcnna.  93. 

deglandi.  94. 

fUHca,  94. 

persplcillata,  95. 
Old-squnw,  89. 
Olor. 

buoclnntor,  106. 

columblanus,  104. 

cyngus,  104. 
Oroortyx. 

plotus.  164. 

pIctuB  connniB,  166. 

pIciUH  plumlferua,  16b. 
Oriole,  Arizona  Hooded,  346. 

Audubon's,  346. 

Baltimore,  347. 

Bullock's,   360. 

Hooded,  346. 

Orchard.  347. 

Scott'B,  346. 
Ornithlun. 

imberbe,  314. 

imberbe  ridgwayi,  314. 
OroBcoptes. 

montimuH.  462. 


OrtaliB. 

vetula  maccalt,  183. 
Osprey,  Ar.icrican,  231. 
Ossifragu. 

gigantea.  48. 
Otocorls. 

alpostrls,  316. 

alpestrlH  adusta,  318. 

alpestrls   urenlcola,  317. 

alpestrls  chrysoleema,  317. 

alpestris  giraudi,  317. 

alpostrls  leueoltvma,  316. 

alpestris  merrllli,  318. 

r.lpostrls  pallida,  319. 

alpestriii  pratlcola,  316. 

alpesttls  rubea,  317. 

alpestris  strigata,  318. 
Oven-bird.  447. 
Owl,  American  Barn,  233. 

Aiken's  Screech,   241. 

American  Hawk,  2-J5. 

Ami-rlcan  Long-eared,  234. 

Arctic  Horned,  243. 

Barred.  2.'55. 

Burrowing,  246. 

California  Pygmy,  243. 

California  Screech.  240. 

Dwnrf  Screech,  241. 

Klf.  243. 

Ferruginous  Pygmy,  249. 

Flammulated  Screech,  241. 

Florida  Barred,  236. 

Florida  Burrowing,  247. 

Florida  Screech,  240. 

Great  Gray,  237. 

Greal  Horned.  241. 

Flawk.  246. 

Ilosklns'  Pygmy,  243. 

Kcnnlcotl's  Screech,  240. 

Lapp,  2.'!7. 

MacFarlane's  Screech,  241. 

Mexican  Screech,  240. 

Paclllc  Horned,  243. 

Pygmy.  247. 

Richardson's,  238. 

Rocky  Mountain  Screech,  240. 

Saw-whet.  238. 

Screech,  239. 

Short -eared,  236. 

Snowy.  ;.M4. 

Spotted.  236. 

Texas  Screech,  240. 

Western  Horned,  243. 
Oyster-catcher,  159. 

American,  100. 

Black.  161. 

Fraxar's,  161. 

PANDION. 

hallaetus  carolinenslB,  231. 
Parabuteo. 

unlclnctUB  harrlal,  206. 
Parauoi'f,  MerrlU's,  288. 
Paroquet,  Carolina,  250. 


INDEX. 


xiii 


Partridge,  California.  166. 

Chestnut-bellied  Scaled,  166. 
Gambel's,  1G7. 

Maasena,  167. 

Mountain,  1G4. 

Plumed,  166. 

San  Pedro,  166. 

Scaled,  165. 

Valley.  167. 
ParuB. 

atrlcapilluB,  m. 

atrlcaplUua  orcldentalla,  484. 

atrlcapllluB  septentrlonalia.  4SA. 

atrlcrlstutua,  482. 

blcolor,  4S1. 

blcolor  texenalB,  482. 

carollncnHis,  484. 

carolinensis  agllls,  486. 

clnctUB  obtectUB,  486. 

gambeli,  4S5. 

hudBonlcus,   486. 

hudaonlcuB  columblanua,  487. 

hudaonlcuB  stoneyl,  487. 

Inornutus,  482. 

inornatUH  clneraceua,  483. 

inornatua  grlseua,  483. 

mt-rldlonullB,  485. 

rufeHcena.  487. 

rufeaccna  neglectua,  487. 

woUweberl.  483. 
Paaaer  domeatlcus,  366. 

montnnuH,  366. 
Paaaerella. 

lllaca,  394. 

Illaca  mergarbyncha,  394. 

lllaca  achlHtucea,  394. 

lllaca  atephenMl,  395. 

lllaca  unulaBchcnalB,  394. 
I'liaaerlna. 

anm.'nn.  404. 

uirla,  40t>. 

cyanea,  404. 

versicolor,  406. 

veralcolor  pulehra,  406. 
I'avonci-lln. 

pugnax,  148. 
IN'dloco'toa, 

phnxInnellUB,  177. 

phHHlanellua  campestrls.  178. 

phaBlanellus  columblanuB,  177. 
l'<-!agodromn. 

marina,  50. 
I'i'lecanuB. 

callfornU'UR,  73. 

erythrorhynchOB,  70. 

fUBCUB,  73. 

Hftllcan,  American  White,  70. 

lirown,  73. 

California  Brown,  78. 
P«rlsorciiB. 

canadcnHlH,  .'!2M. 

canadonals  cnpltallH,  328. 

canadcnBJH  fiimlfronB,  328. 

canadenHla  nlgrlcaplllus,  329. 

obacuruB,  330. 


Petrel,  Ashy,  57. 
Black,  66. 
Black-capped,  53. 
Bulwer'a,  63. 
Fisher's.  63. 
Fork-tailed.  56. 
Guadalupe,  66. 
Leach's,  66. 
Least,  54. 
Pintado,  53. 
Scaled,  63. 
Socorro,  58. 
Stormy,  54. 
White-bellied,  58. 
White-faced,  69. 
Wilson's.  68. 
Petrochelldon. 
fulva,  410. 
lunlfrons,  410. 
Peucsea. 

aestivalis,  387. 
■estivalls  bachznanll,  387. 
arlzon(T>.  388. 
carpalls,  388. 
caasini,  388. 
mexicana,  388. 
ruflcepB,  389. 
ruflcepB  boucardl,  389. 
ruflceps  eremceca.  389. 
Peucedramus,  274. 
Pewee,  I^rge-bllled  Wood.  808. 
Westorn  Wood.  307. 
Wood.  307. 
Phaethon. 

a>thc>rcuB,  69. 
flavlroBtrlB,  69. 
Phainopoplii,  416. 

nlti^nn,  415. 
Phalacrocorax. 
carbo.  64. 
dllophuB,  65. 

dllnphuB  alboclllatus,  67. 
dllnphUH  cInclnatUB,  66. 
dllophuH  tluridanuB,  66. 
moxIcanuB,  68. 
pclagli-us,  60. 

pelaKi<'UM  rt'Bplendcna,  60. 
poliiKlciiH  robUBtua,  09. 
pinlrlllatuB,  68. 
urilo.  70. 
PhaliPiioptilUH. 
nuttallll.  284. 

nuttallll  oillfornlciiH.  286. 
nuttallll  nitldus,  286. 
PhaliiropG,  Northern,  131. 
Hi«d.  i;«). 
WIlHon'H,  131. 
PhalaropUH. 

lobatiiB,  1.11. 
tricolor.  131. 
PhaHlanUK  colchicus.  179. 

torquatUB,  179. 
PheaHunt,  i'i. 

Rlng-nocUed,  179. 


I 


XIV 


INDEX. 


Philacte. 

canagica,  102. 
Phllohela. 

minor,  134. 
Ph'Bbe.  303. 

Tilack,  306. 

Hay'8,  306. 
Phoebetrla. 

t'uUffinosa,  47. 

PhceicopteruB. 
ruber,  106. 

PhyllopBeustea. 

boreaila,  491. 
Pica. 

nuttalll,  320. 

pica  hudsonica,  319. 
PlRoldes. 

umericanuB,  268. 

amerlcanuB  alaFcenslH,  2PA, 

amerlcanus  dorsalis,  26fi. 

arcticuB,  268. 
PIclcorvuB. 

cohimbianus,  386. 
Plgoftn,  na.id'tatled,  184. 

PaHscnKer,  185. 

Red-blllcd,  184. 

ViOBca's,  i84.  • 

White-crowned,  185. 
PIntcola. 

enucteator,  364. 
Pintail.  83. 
Pipdo. 

alberti,  309. 

chloruruR,  308. 

conHobrinuH,  398. 

(trythrophthulmua,  396. 

erythrnplithalmua  nllenl.  396. 

fU8CU8  albifiTuIa,  39K. 

fuacuH  crisaalla,  MOh. 

fUNcuH  mesoleucuB,  39K. 

fuscuH  penicula,  899. 

maculatua  urcticua,  396. 

maculatUB  megalonyx,  397. 

maculatua  orearonua,  397. 
Pipit,  Amertcan,  460. 

Moadow,    160. 

Red-thrmted.  460. 

SpnisuG's,  461. 
Plrangn. 

iTythromelaa,  40«. 

hepatlcH,  406. 

ludovlclana,  407. 

rubra,  408. 

rubra  cooper  I,   409. 

rubrlccpa,  407. 
PItanKua. 

dcrblanuH,  300. 
Platypanria 

alaliP,  291. 

albivcntria,  297. 
Plautua. 

imppnnla,  21. 


Plectrophenax. 

hyperboreua,  366. 

nivalla,  366. 

nivallB  townaendl,  366. 
FlARadiB. 

autumnalia,  109. 

guarauna,  110. 
Plover,  American  Qolden,  154. 

Belted  Piping,  157. 

Blaclc-bellied,  164. 

Golden,  154. 

Little  Ring,  166. 

Mongolian,  167. 

Mountain,  168. 

Pacinc  Golden.  155. 

Piping,  166. 
'       Ring,  165. 

Semipalmated,  153. 

Snowy,  167. 

Snowy,  157. 

Wllaon  a,  167. 
PodllymbuB. 

podlcepa,  4. 
Jt'olioptila. 

caerulea,  494. 

cterulea  obacura,  496. 

colifornlca,  496. 

plumbea,  496. 
Polyborua. 

cherlway,  230. 

lutOBUs,  231. 
Poocsetea. 

gramlneua,  369. 

gramineua  afflnlH,  369. 

gramlneua  conliniH,  369. 
Poor-will,  284. 

Dusky,  285. 

Froated,  285. 
Porcana. 

Carolina,  126. 

coturnlculuB,  127. 

Jamaicensia,  127. 

noveboracenala,  126. 

porzana,  126. 
ProceMarlo. 

pelaglca,  54. 
Progne. 

crypto.'euca,  409. 

aubia,  409. 

aubis  beaperia,  409. 
Protonotarla. 

citrea,  427. 
Psaltrlpnrua. 

Iloydl.  490. 

minimua,  488. 

minlmua  callfornirua,  488. 

minimua  grlndu  ,  488. 

plumbeua,  488 
aanltarltie.  49U. 
Paeudogryphufl. 

calif  ornlanuH,   191. 
Ptarmigan,  Allen's,  172. 

Evermaji'H.  174. 

Nelaon'a.  173. 


i\nt:.\. 


XV 


Ptarmigan,  Relnhardt'x,  173. 

Rock.  173. 

Tnwnsend'B,  174. 

Turner's,  174. 

Wflrh'H,  174. 

Whlte-tnlled,  174. 

Willow,  171. 
PtychoramphUB. 

uleutlcuB,  13. 
Puffin.  11. 

Horned.  11. 

LarKo-btlled.  11. 

Tufted,  9. 
Pufflnus. 

auduboni,  51. 

borealis.  61. 

cinereus.  52. 

creatppua.  51. 

gavia,  52. 

grlHeua.  62. 

kuhlii,  52. 

major.  51. 

puIflnuB.  51. 

Htricklandl,  62. 

tenutroBtris,  52. 
Pyrocephalus. 

rubineuB  mexU-anuH.  314. 
Pyrrhula. 

caBHini.  354. 
Pyrrhuloxla. 

Binuata,  401. 

Binuata  beckhami.  402. 

Blnuata  peninsuln-,  402, 
Pyrrhuloxla,  Arizona,  402. 

Saint  Lucas.  402. 

QUAIL.  Kuropean.  1G3. 
Quail-Dove,  DIue-headed,  191. 

Key  West.  190. 

Ruddy.  190. 
QuiBcalUB. 

macrourus,  352. 

major,  353. 

quiBcula,  361. 

(luiBoula  ipneus.  352. 

qulBcula  aRlrouB,  362. 

RAIL.  BeldlnK's.  123. 

lilack,  127. 

California   Clapper,   124. 
.     Caribbean  Clapper,  125. 

Clapper,  124. 

Farallone,  127. 

Florida  Clapper,  126. 

KinK.  123. 

LoulHtana  Clapper.  121. 

VIrKlnla.  126. 

Yellow.  126. 
RalluH, 

beldlnRl,  123. 

eleKanB,  123. 

crt  pItanB,  i24. 

crepitans  BaturatUB,  124. 

loniriroBtriB  rarlluruB,  125. 


RallUH,  ubHoletUH,  121. 

Bcottli.  126. 

virgrlnlanus,  125. 
Raven,  Amerlean,  3.10. 

Northern,  331. 

White-necked.  332. 
Recurvlroslra. 

amerlcana,  132. 
Redhead.  86. 
Redpoll.  360. 

Oreenland,  ;)60. 

Greater,  Jul. 

Hoary.  360. 

Holbonirs.  361. 
RedBtart,  -.merlran,  466. 

Painted.  457. 

Red-bellied,  457. 
Red-taJl.  St.  Lucas,  208. 

Western,  20S. 
Red-wlnr    Uahnma,  343. 

Florida,  343. 

Sonoran,  M\\. 
ReguiUH. 

calendula,  493. 

obscuruB,  494. 

satrapa,   492. 

Hiilrapa  ollvaceuB,  493. 
Rhodostethla. 

rosea,  36. 
Rynchophanes. 

mccownll,  369. 
Rlsaa. 

brevlrofitrls,  2.S. 

trldactyla,  27. 

tridactyla  polllcarifl.  28. 
Road-runner.  263. 
Robin,  American.  502. 

St.  Lucas,  503. 

Western.  503. 
RostrhamuB. 

soclablllB,  201. 
Rough-leg.  FerruKlnoiis.  216. 
Ruff.  148. 
Rynchops. 

nigra.  44. 

SALIMNCTKS. 

guadeloupensls,  4t>9. 

oliHoletus,  469. 
Sanderllng.  142. 
Sandpiper.  Aleutian,  1.17. 

nalrd's.  139. 

Knrtramlan,  149. 

Kufr-breaBted,  149. 

Curlew,  141. 

Orecn,  146. 

Least,  1.39. 

Pectoral,  138. 

Pribllof.  137. 

Purple.  i:r7. 

H.^d-backed.  140. 

Semipalmated,  141. 

Sharp-tailed,  138. 


H'l 


XVI 


INDEX. 


Sandpipflr,  HolltHry,  14S. 

Spoon-bill,  141. 

Spotted,  160. 

Stilt,  136. 

Weatern.  142. 

Western  Solitary,  14«. 

"Whlte-rumped.  139. 
Sapsuckor,  Red-breasted,  271. 

Red-naped,  270. 

'Williamson's,  272. 

Yellow-bellied,  269. 
Saxiooln. 

(pnanthc,  G04. 
SayornlH.  > 

nigricans,  306. 

plia?be,  303. 

naya,  306. 
ScardHfella. 

Ii!f<a,  190. 
ScolocophaRus. 

carollnus,  360. 

cynnocephalus,  360. 
Scolopax. 

ruHtlcola.  1.33. 
Scoter,  American,  93. 

Surf.  96. 

Velvet,  94. 

White-winKed,  94. 
Scotiaptcx. 

cinerea,  237. 

cinerea  lapponlca,  237. 
8<M»d-eater.  Sharpe's,  406. 
Selurus. 

nurocaplllus,  447. 

mntnciiln,  440. 

novehornrensls,  448. 

novcboracensis  notabllls,  448. 
SelasplioruH. 

allenl.  294. 

(ioresii.  293. 

pIntyoercUB.  293. 

rufus.  293. 

SetophnKo. 

mininta,   467. 

pirta.  457. 

r\itlrilla.  466. 
Shearwnter.   Audubon's,  61. 

Placlc-talled.  62. 

niark-ventod.  62. 

rinereouH.  02. 

Cory's,  61. 

Dnrk-bodled,  62. 

Orenter,  61. 

Manx,  61. 

rink-footed,  6'. 

Slendor-bllled.  62. 

Sooty,  62. 
Sheldrake,  Rudijy,  ii2. 
Shovi'ller,  S2. 
Shrike,  ralifornla.  417. 

I.rf)RKerhead,  i'\ 

Northern,    ;'5 

Whlte-rump«tV  4i*. 


Slalla. 

Piciira,  606. 

.nnexicana  anabeloe,  606. 

mexicana  balrdi,  MS. 

mcxicana,  occidentalls,  (>0&. 

slalla,  606. 

slalla  axurea,  606. 
Slmorhynchus. 

crIstatelluH,  14. 

PU8illU4,   16. 

pyRmiRUs,  16. 
Siskin,  Pine,  3G3. 
SItta. 

canademils,  479, 

carolinenHia,  478. 

carolinensis  aculeata,  479. 

carolinensis  atkinsl,  479. 

pusilla,  479. 

pyRmtci,  480. 

P>Km'i!a  I  iioonucha,  481. 
Skimmer,  Black  44. 
Skua,  24. 
Skylark,  .'t'4. 
Smew,  "S. 
Snipe,  lOuroiican,  i;J6. 

Wilson' I,  1,16. 
Snowliak<>.  :'ifi. 

Mc-K(i>'.s,  :1B6. 

Prlbljof.  3fi0. 
Solitaire,  TownHt-nd's,  497. 
Somateria. 

dri'HHeri,  92. 

molllHAlma  horealls,  91. 

Hpen'talillls,  93. 

v-nJKra,  '.».I. 
Bora,  125. 
Sparrow,  Ac-adlan  Sharp-tailed,  374. 

Aleutian  Hong,  3*3. 

Arizona,  :is«. 

Hacliman'H,  387. 

Halrd'a,  371. 

HeldlPi;'     Marnh,  370, 

Holl'H,  :m. 

ni»<'hoff*'  iU>oif.  I'M. 
■!iai'k-t!li  ;jn-s1.   Jji'' :. 

»lark-thi     .Ud,  386. 

Iloucard'M,  :tR9. 

Hrewt'r'.s,  :i)>0. 

Urown's  HonK.  392. 

Hryant'H  Marsh,  370. 

J'aHHln'B,  .388. 

C'hipplriK,  379. 

Clay-rolnred,  380. 

Dakota  flnnK,  392. 

DoHcrt  Bonn.  390. 

lUiHky  Beiiflldi',  .376. 

Kuropoiin  HouHe,  366. 

European  Tree,  .366. 

Field,   .181. 

ForhiiHh'H,  .39.3, 

Fox,  .394. 

<Ssmbel'H,  378. 

nolden-orowned,  879. 

Oraashopper.  371. 


Hparr 


ii^DEX. 


xvH 


Mpiirrow,  (Iruy  Hmk<'.  !W7. 
Harris's.  376. 
Heermnnn'8,  891. 
HonHlow'B,  372.  < 

Intornu'dlate.  378. 
IpBwIrh.  369. 
Large-billed,  371. 
bark.  37r». 
Leconte'8,  373. 
Lincoln' 4.  303. 
Loulslnnu  St-anlde,  375. 
Mrxlc.m,  388. 
Morr'H's  Song.  392. 
Moi'tUiiin  Hong,  391. 
NelHon'H.  374. 
OroKon  Vt'spur,  369. 
PIne-wooilH.  387. 
Bork.  3X9. 

Rufoux-ciowncd,  389. 
RiifoiiM-wlnKL'd,  388. 
Rusty  3unK,  391. 
Sage,  386. 

dumuels'H  Song.  391. 
Sail  ISfnlto,  371. 
San  (  lemon tu  Sung,  892. 
FHntlwUh.  369. 
San  til  llarliara  Song,  392. 
Savanna,  369. 
Scott's  Seaside,  874. 
Seaside,  37t. 
Sharp-tallid,  373. 
Slate-colored,  394. 
Song,  390. 
Sooty  Song.  391. 
Stephens's,  396. 
St.  LiK-iiH,  .171.  % 

Swamp.  :ui:i. 

Texas,  '195. 
Texas  Seaside,  375. 
Thlck-bried.  :t94. 
TownseiidH,  .•!»4. 
Tree,  379, 
Veaper,  369. 

Western  Chipping,  380. 
WeBtern  Field,  'M'i. 
Western  Grasshopper,  372. 
Western  lienslow'a,  373. 
Western  Lark,  376. 
Western  Savanna.  370. 
Western  Tree,  3';9. 
Western    Vesper,   ;169. 
WhUe-crowned.  878. 
White-throated,  37». 
Worthen's,  382. 
Spatula. 

dypeata,  82, 

rtpeotyto. 

ounlcularia  llurldana,  'M7. 

cunleularia  hypugwa,  248 
HphyraplcUM. 

ruber,  271. 

thyroldeUK,  272. 

varluK,  26!i. 

variUK  nuchttllM,  270. 


SpinuK. 

lawrencel,  3(&l 

notatus,  .16.*;. 

pin  us,  im. 

psaltria,  :<62. 

psaltrla  arlzon.-i',  3G2. 

psaltria  mexicanuH,  362. 

trlstlH,  ,'<r>l. 

trlstls  pailidiis,  362. 

montlcola  ochracca,  379. 
Splza. 

amerlcana.  406. 
Splzellii. 

atrlguiaris,  382. 

breweri.   380. 

montlcola,  .'179. 

pallida,  riKU. 

pusllla,  :m.  < 

pusllla  arcnaoea,  382. 

Bocialls,   .179. 

soclallfl  arlzona>,  380. 

wortheni,  3«2. 

Spoonbill.  HuHcalc,  107, 

B|)orophila. 

morelletl  Mharpel,  4*". 

Starling.  3.17. 
Stanuenas. 

cyaniicephala,  191. 

Stelgldopteryx. 

serrlpt'nnis,  4r,{. 

Stelluta. 

calliope,  294. 

Stereorarlus. 

longlcaudus,  26. 
parasiticus,  'J5. 
poma.iiius,   2^1. 

Sttrna. 

alciitlca,  42. 

aiurthetus,  48. 

aiitillaruni,  42. 

(lougalll,  41. 

elegauH,  40, 

forMterl,  40. 

futlglnusa,  42. 

Iilriindo,   II. 

ina.xiniii,  :i'.t. 

paradisuMt,  41. 

Mandvici-nHlH  ai  utiuvl         40. 

trudcaiii.  4(1 

(scliegr.iva.  :<8. 

Stilt,   lilack-iK't  k<d,   i;!2 

Stint,  Long-toed,  140. 

Strlx. 

pratliu'ola,  2:t3. 

StuiiK  ila. 

magna,  343. 

ntagnii  iiuxlcanM,  Mi. 

magna  neglect  a,  .144 

Siurnus. 

vulgaris,  ;i37 


I 


I 

!  i 


zviii 


INDEX. 


Aula. 

bassana,  62. 

brewBterl,  61,  . 

cyanops,  60.  ' 

Kossi,  61. 

placator,  62. 

aula,  61. 
Burnia. 

ulula,  215. 

ulula  caparoch,  245. 
Swallow,  Bahaman,  412. 

Bank,  41'^, 

Barn,  411. 

Cliff.  410. 

Cuban  Cliff,  410. 

RouKh-winered,  418. 

Tree.  411. 

Violet-green,  412. 
Swan,  Trumpeter,  106. 

WhistllnK.  104. 

WhoopinR,  104. 
Sv  ift.  Black.  287. 

Chimney.  288. 

Vaux'B,  290. 

White-throated,  290. 
Sylvanla. 

canadenrlt?.  466. 

mitrata,  454. 

puBllla.  4o&. 

puBllla  ptieolata.  456. 

Symphemla. 

Hemlpalmata,  147. 
Bemlpalmata  Inornata.  147. 

Bynthllborumphus. 
antiquiif).  ii'. 
wiimUu8ume,  16. 

Syviilum. 

nehulOBum,  235. 

,>)<:  buloBum  alleni,  236. 

occldentale.  236. 

TACHYCINETA. 
bh'olor,  411. 
thntasBina,  412. 

TanHK*'r.  ("ooppr's,  409. 

Gray'H.  407. 

Hepatic.  408. 

'rj\  ulBiana,  407. 

bcarlet.  408. 

SumnuT,  408. 
TnntaluB. 

looulator.  110. 
Tatlcr,  \Vand«»rlng,  147. 
jt  Teal,  Klue-wlnged,  8'.. 

Cinnamon,  81. 

Kuropean,  80. 

Oreen-wlnsrcd,  81. 

Tern,  Aleutian.  42. 
Arctic.  41. 
niack.  43. 
Bridled.  43.  . 


T -r  n.  n-ibot's,  40. 
OaBi^lan.  38. 
Common.  41. 
Elegant,  40. 
Porster'B,  40.  • 

Oull-bllled.  38. 
Least,  42. 
Roseate,  41. 
Royal,  39. 
Sooty,  42. 
Trudeau'B.  40. 
Whlte-wlnged  Black,  44. 

Thalassogeron.  *' 

culmtnatus,  47. 

ThrasaetOB. 

harpyla,  218. 

Thrasher,  Bendlre'B,  466. 
Brown.  464. 
California,  466. 
CrlBsal,  468. 
Curve-billed,    466. 
Leconte'B,  467. 
Mearns'B,   466. 
Palmer's,  466. 
Sage,  462. 
St.  Lucas,  466. 
Bennett's.  464. 

Thrush,  Audubon's  Hermit,  601. 
BIcknell's,  499. 
Dwarf  Hermit.  501. 
Oray-cheeked,  499. 
Hermit.  501. 
Olive-backed.  GOO. 
Red-winged,    502. 
RuBflet-bacl  ^d,  499. 
Vnrlt'd,   503. 
Willow.  498. 
Wllson'B,  498. 
Wood.  498. 

ThryothoruB. 

btwlckll,  472. 
bewickll  bulrdi,  472. 
bewlckli  splluruB,  472. 
brevloauda,  473. 
leucophrya,  473. 
ludovlolanuB,  471. 
ludovlcianuB  lomitensis.  472. 
ludovlclanus  mlamensis,  471. 

TItmouHe.  Auhy.  483. 

Black-created.  482. 

Bridled.  483. 

Gray.  483. 

Plain.  482. 

Texas  Tufted,  4^, 

Tufted.  481. 
TotanuH. 

(lavipes.  145. 

melHroleucus.  144. 

nebutarluH,  144. 

ochropUB,  146. 

solltarhiB,  145. 

BuliturliiH  ciitnaniuQ)«us,  146. 


INDSJ. 


xix 


Towhee,  S96. 

Abert'B,  899. 
Anthony's,  899. 
Arctic.  396. 
California,  898. 
Canon,  398. 
Qreen-tailed.  898. 
Quadalupe,  898. 
Oregon,  397. 
Saint  Ltucas,  398. 
Spurred,  397. 
White-eyod,  898. 

TTce-duck,  Black-belli«d,  IM. 
Fulvous,  108. 

IVinga. 

acuminata,  188. 
alpina,  140. 
al|>ina  paelflca,  140. 
balrdll,  139. 
canutufl,  136. 
couesi,  137. 
damacensls,  140. 
ferniflrinea,  141. 
fUBcicolUs,  139. 
maculata,  138. 
marltima,  137. 
mlnutilla,  139. 
ptilocnemla,  187. 

Trochilus. 

alexandrl,  292. 
coiubris,  291. 
violajugulum,  292. 

Troglodytes. 

aedon,  473. 

aedon  astecus,  474. 

aedon  parkmanll,  478. 

alajicensis,  476. 

hlemallB,  474. 

hiemalls  paclflcus,  475. 
Trogon. 

ambiguuB,  267. 

Coppery-tailed,  287. 

Troupial,  346. 

Tryngttes. 

subruflcollls,  149. 

TurduB. 

allclie,  499. 

aliclo:  bicknelll.  499. 

aonalm  '.-hka',  SOI. 

aonnlnH«'lik(»  riudubunl,  801. 

Aonalaschkn*  pallaat,  SOI. 

fUBcescenB,  408. 

fUHcMcena  Ballclcolua,  411. 

lllacuB,    602. 

mustellnUB,  4M. 

UBtulatus,  499. 

ustulatUB  Bwainsonl,  600. 
Turkey,  Florida  Wild.  188. 

Mexican.  182. 

Rio  Grande  Wild.  183. 

Wild.   180. 


Turnstone. 

Black,  169. 
TympanuchuB. 

amerlcanuB,  175. 
.     amerlcanuB  attwaterl,  17S, 

cupido,  175. 

pallidlcinctus,  177. 
TyrannuB. 

domlnlcenalB,  296. 

melancbolicuB  couchll,  I9#. 

tyrannuB,  298. 

verticallB,  299. 

voclferans,  300. 

URIA. 

lomvla,  20. 

lomvla  arra,  20. 

trotle,  18. 

trolle  califomioa,  18. 
Urinator, 

adamsll.  7. 

arctlcuB,  7. 

Imber,  6. 

lumme,  8. 

paciflcuB,  8. 
Urubitlnga. 

anthraclna,  213. 

VANELLUS. 

vanelluB,  152. 
Verdin,  491. 
Vlreo. 

atrlcapilluB.  421 

bellll,  425. 

bellll  pusillUB,  486. 

calldrlB  barbatulua,  418. 

flavlfrons,  420. 

flavovlrldlB,  419. 

gllvus,  419. 

hiittoni,  423. 

huttoni  obscuruB,  484. 

huttoni  BtephenBl,  424. 

noveboracenals,  428. 

noveboracenaia  maynardl.  428. 

olivaceua,  418. 

phliadelphlciis,  419. 

soIltarluH  altlcola,  421. 

BolUarlua  caaalnll,  480. 

solltariua  lucasanua,  422. 

■olltarlus  plufflbeua,  421. 

viclnlor.  425. 

Vlreo,  Anthony's,  424. 
Bella,  425. 
Blark-capped,  422. 
H'ack-whlflkered,  418. 
Biuc-headed,  420. 
Caaalu's,  420. 
Gray,  426. 
Hutton'B,  428. 
Key  West,  428. 
I.<caBt,  426. 
•    Mountain  Solitary,  m. 
Philadelphia,  419. 
Plumbeoua,  421. 


:i 


XX 


INDEX. 


Vlreo,  Rod-oyo(t,  iW. 

St.  Lucaa  8ollttir\,  US. 

Btephena'B,  424. 

WarbllnR.  419. 

White-eyed,  428. 

Tellow-green,  419. 

Tellow-throated,  4M. 
Vulture,  Blajk,  196. 

California,  191. 

Turkey,  :94. 

WAGTAIL,  Siberian  Yellow,  469. 
Swinhoe'a,  469. 
White,  468. 

Warbler,  Alaakan  Yellow,  436. 
Audubon'i,  438. 
Bachman'R,  429. 
Bay-breaated,  441. 
Bell'a,  468. 

Black  and  Wb'**   4M. 
Blackbtirnlan,  •.    . 
Black-throated  blue,  436. 
Black-throated  Qray,  443. 
Black-throated  Qreen,  444. 
Blue-winged,  419. 
Braaher'a,  468. 
Calrn'B,  431. 
Calaveraa,  431. 
Canadian,  466. 
Cape  May,  436. 
''.'orulean,  439. 
ciii«atnut-aided,  440. 
Connecticut,  480. 
Duaky,  432. 
Golden-cheeked,  443. 
Golden-winged,  430. 
Grace'a,  443, 
Hormlt,  444. 
Hooded,  4U. 
Kennlcott'a  Willow,  491. 
Kentucky,  449. 
Klrtland'8,   446. 
Lucy 'a,  430. 
Lateacent,  432. 
MacgllHvray'a,  461. 
Magnolia,  439. 
Mangrove,  436. 
Mourning,  461. 
Myrtle,  437. 
Naahvllle,  431. 
Northern  Parula,  468. 
Olive,  436. 

Orange-crownod,  432. 
Palm.  446. 
Parula,  43:i. 
Plleolated,  466. 
Pine,  446. 
Prairie.  447. 
Prothonotary,  417. 
Red.  458. 
Red-faced,  467. 
Sennftt'a,  435. 
Sonora  Yellow.  496^    . 


Warblor,  HwnlnNon'M,  4SM. 

Sycamore,  442. 

Tenneaiiee,  432. 

Townaijnd'a.  444. 

VIrglnla'R,  430. 

Wllaon'a,  466. 

Worm-eating   428. 

Yellow,  436. 

Yellow  Palm.  447. 

Yellow-throated,  442. 
Water-Thruah,  448. 

Grlnnella,  448. 

Loulalana,  440. 
Waxwing,  Bohemian,  418. 

Cedar,  413. 
Wheatear.  604. 
Whimbrel,  162. 
Whip-poor-will,  283.  ,  . 

Stephena'a.  383. 
Widgeon,  80. 
Wlllet,  147. 

Weatern,  147. 
Woodcock,  American,  131. 

European,  133. 
Woodpecker,  Alaakan  Three-totfd.  268. 

Alpine  Three-loed,  288. 

American  Three-toed,  168. 

Ant-eatIng,  274. 

Arctic  Three-toed,  MS. 

Ariiona.  267. 

Batchelder'a,  264. 
'         Cabanla'a,  263. 

Callfornlan.  274. 

Downy,  264. 

Qalrdner'a,  264. 

Olla.  276. 

Golden-fronted,  276. 

Hairy,  262. 

Harrla'a,  263. 

Ivory-billed,  261. 

Lewla'a,  276. 

Narrow-fronted,  276. 

Nelaon'a  Downy,  264. 

Northern  Hairy,  28S. 

Nuttall'a,  266. 

Plleated,  272. 

Red-belllcd,  275. 

R<>d-cockaded,  264. 

Red-headed,  273. 

Saint  Lucas,  266. 

Southern  Hairy,  263. 

Downy,  263. 

Texan,  266. 

White-headed.  367. 
Wren,  Alaskan,  476. 

Balrd'a,  472. 

Bewlck'a,  472. 

Bryant's  Cactus,  468. 

Cactus,  468. 

Canon,  470. 

Carolina.  471. 

Dotted  Canon.  471. 

Florida.  4«1. 


11 


INDEX. 


zxl 


Wron,  Oim(lnliip«<,  4TO. 

Guadalupe  Rock,  469. 

House,  473. 

Lomlta,  472. 

Long-billed  Mnrah,  476. 

Marlnn'B  Marsh,  477. 

Parkmnn's,  473. 

Rock,  469. 

St.  Lucai  Cactus,  469. 

San  Clemente,  473. 

Short-btlled  Marsh,  475. 

Tule,  476. 

Vigors'B,  472. 

Western  House.  474. 

Western  Winter,  475. 

White-throated,  470. 

Winter.  474. 

Worthlnrton's  Marsh,  476. 
Wren-Tit,  487. 

Pallid,  488. 

XANTHOCEPHALUS. 

zanthocephalus,  340. 
Xanthoura. 

luxuosa,  227. 


Xema. 

sabinli,  37. 
Xcnoplcus. 

albolarvatus,  267. 

YELLOW-LEOS,  146. 

Greater,  144. 
Tellow-throat.  Beldlng's,  461 

Florida,  462. 

Maryland.  461. 

Rio  Grande,  463. 

Western,  462. 

ZBNAIDA. 

senalda,  188. 
Zenaldura. 

macroura,  187. 
Zonotrlchla. 

alblcollls.  879. 

coronata,  879. 

leucophrys.  878. 

leucophrys  gambell,  878. 

leucophrys  tntennedla.  878. 

querula,   !76. 


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nests  of  many.  .^  Our 

prices  are  as  low  as  any,  and  on  large 

orders  we  will  give 

wholesale  rates.  Send 

stamps  for  Price  List. 


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< BEST    THAT    CAN    BE    MADE. 

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^  Blowpipes,  \5f  25,  35,  50*  j^  Hand  Blower,  (works  fine  for 
«8f8fs)  $J.60  postpaid.  ^  Embryo  Hook,  J5.  ^  Embryo  Scis- 
sors, 25,  50,  $(.00*  <^  Calipers,  25^  35.  J'  Sliding  caliper,  grad- 
uated to  hundredths,  $(.00.  J'  Egg  cases,  (glass  tops)  $1.50  by 
express  «^  Climbing  irons  of  best  make,  $1.50,  with  straps, 
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TAXIDERMISTS     and    NATURALISTS. 

)Ve  make  a  specialty  of  handling  excess  work  for  other  Taxidermists. 


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We  carry  a  large  stock  of  all  Supplies  and  Tools  that  are  required  by  TAXIDERMISTS  and 
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senical Soap.  Arsenic,  Cops,  Thread,  Leaves,  Litchens,  Paints.  Moss.  Smalts,  Wax,  Clay, 
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GLASS  ^  EYES  ^  A  ^  SPECIALTY,^  ^ 

We  handle  only  the  Imported  Eyes.       «9~Artlficial  HUHAN  BYES.  BEST  QUALITY,  ONLY  $3. 

TANNINE,^  ^  jt 

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FORMALINE^  ^  ^ 

BOOKS,  all  kinds  that  relate  to  subjects  of  interest  to  the  Naturalist.  CYCLONE  and 
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Bore  Gun.  With  outfit  complete,  $3.50.  PHOTOGRAPHS  of  Taxidermist  Work.  Over 
aoo  subjects.  The  result  of  several  years.  List  Ready.  ARTIFICIAL  STANDS,  New 
Style  for  Taxidermists  use.  PAPIER  MACHE  HEADS— We  positively  manufacture  all 
kinds  and  sizes  of  the  HALF  HEADS  such  as  are  used  in  Fur  Ru  Work.  BIRDS'  EGGS, 
STUFFED  BIRDS'  HEADS.  &c.,  &c. 
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•  •  f 


BIRDS'  EGGS.** 

We  carry  on  hand  a  large  and  well  assorted  stock  of  Birds'  Eggs  and  at  the  lowest  prices 
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stock;  also  of  single  eggs..^TOOLS  and  SUPPLIES  for  the  Egg  collectors..^  J»  Jt  J^ 

BIRDS'  SKINS.ae 

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East^^Our  prices  are  LOW  and  the  quality  G0OD.i^ 

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"Wt  have  a  stock  of  Buffalo*  Moose.  Deer.  Gu-ifoou  Seal*  Fox*  Wolf.  Bear.  &c..  &c.>  CON- 
STANTLY ON  HAND.^ 

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Special  lists  issued  from  time  to  time. JtTo  those  sending  us  10  cents^  we  miail  LISTS  that  are 
ready  and  enter  their  names  on  our  TRADE  LIST.J(Whenever  we  issue  any  new 
Lists  they  are  sent  to  those  on  this  Trade  List.J*The  last  List  was  started  July»  1895.J( 
Those  on  the  List  are  still  ENTITLED  to  CIRCULARS..^  .^J*Jljl>t.MJtJt 

CRuseum  and/ Supply  Depot, 

FRANK  BLAKE  WEBSTER  CO.       HYDE  PARK,  MASS.,  U.  S.  a! 


! 


WANTED  FOR  CASH! 


Any  number  of  first  class  sets  of  the  following-  species :  All 
Loons,  all  Albatrosses,  all  Cranes,  all  Kites,  Sharp  Shined  Hawk,  Broad- 
winged  Hawk,  all  Rough  Legs,  all  Eagles,  especially  Golden;  all  Falcons 
excepting  Nos.  358.1  and  359.1;  many  species  of  Owl,  Chuck-Wills- 
Widow,  Whip-Poor-Will,  Merrill's  Parauque,  and  many  Special  species 
among  the  Warblers,  Flycatchers,  Woodpeckers,  Jays,  Sparrows, 
Wrens,  Hawks,  Gulls,  Petrels,  Waders,  &c.,  &c.,  &c. 

I  collect  in  extensive  series,  so  can  use  any  number  of  one  kind, 
and  will  be  glad  to  purchase  la/ge  lots  of  the  above  named  species. 
Parties  having  choice  eggs  for  disposal,  will  do  well  to  communicate 
with  me.  ,^     .' ,    -.  •      ,  ,  i    • 

,  To  any  one  preferring  exchange  to  cash,  I  will  be  glad  to  offer  an 
exceptionally  fine  list  of  A.  O.  U.  species,  together  with  a  very  full  list 
of  foreign  species  from  Europe,  Asia,  Africa,  &c.,  &c.,  and  exchangers 
are  invited  to  send  lists  at  all  times. 

Everything  must  be  first-class  and  thoroughly  authentic  in  all 
respects,  full  data  and  choice  preparation.  ... 

Can  also  use  back  numbers  of  Auk,  O.  &  O.,  &c. 

C.  W.  ORANDALL. 

QUEEN'S  COUNTY.  1";«'    ,'.     WOODSIDE,   NEW   YORK. 


"THE  STORY  OF  THE  FARALLONES!" 


Text  by  Chester  Barlow.    Arranged 
and  Published  by  H.  R.  Taylor. 


A  dainty  brochure  full  of  interesting  descripti'' '>  matter  and  lavish  in  half- 
tone illustrations  of  the  great  bird  rookeries  on  the  famous  Islands  ;  32  pages 
on  enamel  paper  besides  a  handsome  cover  in  translucent  board.  It  is  a 
booklet  wonderfully  fascinating  to  the  Oologist  and  a  rich  addition  to  any  Li- 
brary. The  photographs  are  unique ;  there  are  in  all  three  hundred  and 
seventy  square  inches  of  costly  half-tone  illustrations,  showing  the  varied 
bird  life  in  its  picturesque  surroundings,  the  great  sea  lions,  the  eggers,  etc. 
The  remaining  edition  will  be  sold  by  mail,  prepaid,  for 

Ooly  30  C^Qts  Per  Qopy 


Or  Two  to  One  Address.  50  Cer)ts. 


Dr*   Elliott  CoUeS  Saysof  the  work: 

"It  is  very  handsomely  gotten  up,  a  credit  to  all  concerned,  either  in  the  text 
or  illustrations,  and  gives  a  great  deal  of  information  in  an  entertaining  man- 
ner. For  my  part,  I  have  a  clearer  idea  of  the  Ornithology  of  the  Islands 
than  I  ever  derived  from  any  previous  publication  on  the  subject.  The  ap- 
pearance of  the  Brochure  is  also  timely,  now  that  the  egging  has  just  been 
made  the  subject  of  legislation." 

Hundreds  of  other  press  notices  and  letters  of  commendation  have  been 
received. 


Hemlt    In    Any    form    to 


H.    R.  TAVLrOR,    Publisher, 


ALAMEDA 


OAUFORNIA, 


ANOTHER     dOOK 

BY    THE    SAME    AUTHOR 


MRTTHODS 


IN    THE   ART  OP 


TAXIDERMY 


*y 


OLilVRR  DAVIR. 


NINETY  FULL-FAGE  ILLUSTRATIONS 


CHIEFLY    DRAWN    BY 


THBODORB  JASPER,  A.  M.,  M.  D. 

THE  WHOLE  CONTAININQ  FIVE  HUNDRED  PiaURE5  CLEARLY  ILLUSTRATINQ  THE  MODES 
OP  PROCEDURE  IN  THE  ART.   TOGETHER  WITH  EXAMPLES  OP  CHAR* 
ACTERISTIC  PORHS  AND  ATTITUDES  OP  VARIOUS  SPE- 
CIES OP  THE  ANinAL  KINGDOM. 


INCLUDING  REPRODUCTIONS    FROH    PHOTOORAPHS    OF  ACTUAL   WORK 

BY  AMERICAN  TAXIDERHISTS. 


In  one  Quarto  Volume,  Silk  Cloth,  Gilt  Top,  Untrimmed  Ed^fes,  $10. 


FOR  SALE  BY 


Booksellers  and  Dealers  in  Naturalists'  Supplies. 


A  F^^  Comroents  on  tf)is  Bool^. 


■  ■  .  ''l  ,  J  , 

The  work  h  admirable.  It  is  incomparable.  It  will  instruct  the  youngest  as  well 
as  the  oldest ;  the  professional,  and  amateur  as  well  as  the  beginner  who  is  totally  de- 
pendent on  book  instruction.  Enough  cannot  be  said  in  favor  of  tliis  remarkable  publi- 
cation, which  will  hardly  be  approached,  surely  never  excelled  within  the  age  of  living 
man. —  Dr.  Murkis  Gibbs,  in  The  Oologist. 

It  is  the  best  of  its  kind,  and  it  is  of  a  kind  which  I  think  should  be  in  every 
school  library. —  Iames  G.  Nkedham,  John  Hopkins  University,  in  "Elementary  Les- 
sons in  Zoology. ' 

An  unique  and  invaluable  work  to  all  working  naturalists.  The  plates  are  very 
fine  and  will  give  great  satisfaction  to  all  seeking  information  on  the  sul  i;ct,  and  the 
text  is  complete. — John  Young,  F.  R.  S.  E.,  of  the  Scottish  Association  of  Technical 
Education,  Dundee,  Scotland. 

One  of  the  most  valuable  works  extant,  for  the  use  of  the  taxidermist,  naturalist 
and  oologist,  is  "Methods  in  the  Art  of  Taxidermy,"  by  Oliver  Davie,  the  author  of 
"  Nests  and  Eggs  of  North  American  Birds."  The  book  is  an  exhaustive  and  systematic 
treatise  upon  the  art  of  taxidermy,  showing  so  simply  what  tools  to  use  and  what  meth- 
ods to  pursue  in  mounting  specimens  that  a  tyro  in  the  art  will  find  it  a  most  valuable 
assistant  to  his  labors.  It  is  profusely  illustrated  with  numerous  plates  depicting  the  pro- 
cesses, the  positions  and  the  completed  specimens. —  American  Field. 

No  mere  notice  or  editorial  review  withouc  a  sight  of  the  exquisite  drawings  and  a 
suggestion  to  the  eye  of  what  this  vast  work  contains,  will  give  any  adequate  conception 
of  its  completeness  and  scope. —  Farm  and  Fircblde. 

Never  before  has  the  art  of  taxidermy  had  its  practical  methods  and  beauties  por- 
trayed as  we  find  them  Interpreted  in  this  work.  It  is  indeed  a  work  of  art  from  cover 
to  cover. —  Thomas  M.  Earl,  Taxidermist;  author  of  "  Pets  of  the  Household." 

You  have  certainly  given  us  a  book  which  -o  regards  paper,  typography  and  gen- 
eral appearance  you  have  every  reason  to  be  pro..-  of.  Fortunately,  the  good  qualities 
of  the  book  did  not  stop  here,  and  Its  practical  qualities  equal  its  good  looks.  One 
might  almost  learn  how  to  mount  all  manner  of  animals  from  the  plates  alone,  and  If 
any  one  cannot  become  a  taxidermist  from  a  careful  study  of  your  text  with  cross  refer- 
ences to  the  plates  he  had  better  give  it  up  as  something  he  was  not  intended  for. — 
Frederick  A.  Lucas,  U.  S.  National  Museum,  Washington,  D.  C. 

An  admirable  work  on  the  subject,  the  Illustrations  making  every  point  so  clear 
that  a  young  taxidermist  must  be  stupid  indeed  who  cannot  mount  his  specimens  suc- 
cessfully after  the  models  you  have  given  him, — J.  Rowley,  Taxidermist,  American 
Museum  of  Natural  History,  Central  Park,  N.  Y. 

In  addition  to  the  value  as  a  guide  to  the  study  of  taxidermy,  we  consider  that  the 
book  is  a  work  of  art.  We  congratulate  you  on  the  successful  completion  of  your  long 
and  wearisome  task,  and  believe  that  the  American  taxidermists  will  appreciate  your 
efforts.  Had  we  of  the  older  school  had  access  to  a  work  of  its  character,  many  long 
hours  of  experimental  toil  would  have  been  saved. —  Frank  B.  Webster  Co.,  Museum 
and  Naturalists'  Supply  Depot ;  Publishers  of  The  Ornithologist  and  Oologist,  Hyde 
Park,  Mass. 

We  are  pleased  to  recommend  this  fine  work  to  the  notice  of  everyone  interested  in 
taxidermy,  both  amateur  and  professional ;  It  deals  exhaustively  with  every  branch  of  this 
art,  and  cannot  fall  to  be  of  some  assistance  even  to  the  hardened  professional.  The 
plates,  of  which  there  are  90,  are  exceptionally  high  class,  most  of  them  engraved  from 
photos,  and  they  ably  illustrate  every  method  adopted  by  the  leading  taxidermists,  us 
well  as  the  natural  attitudes  of  the  birds,  mammals,  reptiles,  etc.  The  whole  work  is  got 
up  in  first  class  style,  and  is  printed  on  extra  thick  paper,  and  is  undoubtedly  the  best 
and  most  comprehensive,  up-to-date  work  that  has  yet  appeared  on  the  subject.  Samuel 
L.  Mosley,  F,  E.  S.,  In  "The  Naturalists  Journal,"  London. 


No.  1 1  South  High  St., 

0pp.  state  House. 

■    CObUlVIBUS,--OHlO. 


GUNS. 


Dust  Shot 
Hand 
Loaded 
Shell  for 
Taxider- 
mists. ^ 


Any  speci- 
men of 
Taxidermy 
sold  on 
commis- 
sion of  ten 
per  cent. 
Carefully 
kept  and 
properly 
exhibited. 


WHOLESALE  AND  RETAIL 


Pocket  Cutlery, 

Razors,  Scissors, 

Boxing  Gloves, 

Striking  Bags. 


Our  J.  C.  HAND  LOADED  SHOT  SHELLS  are  without  a  rival. 

We  are  prepared  to  re-stock,  clioke  bore  or  take  tlie  clioke  out, 
and  polisli  sliot  guns,  change  rifles  from  22  to  25  calibre.  All  work 
guaranteed.  '  * 


No.  1 1  South  High  St., 

I  0pp.  state  House. 

CObU|VI13US,--OHlO. 


WHOLESALE  AND  RETAIL 


Quns,  Ammunition, 

Bicycles  and  Sundries. 


f|»  nSHING  TACKLE,  ,  «f» 

^  BASE  BALL, 

^|»       f^,  FOOT  BALL, 

^       r|»  LAWN  TENNIS. 


^B' 


f^ 


Expert  Qun  Repairing  a  Specialty. 


FRANK     H.    UATTIN, 


AUBIOIN,  IN.  v.,  U.  S.  A. 


MUSEUM  BUILDER! 


NATURALISTS' AGENii 


PUBLISHER  OF  THE  OOLOGIST ! 

Can  furnish  anything  obtainable  from  a  Diatom  to  a  Mastodon,  quickly  and  at  lowest  living 

rates.     New  and  Second-hand  Books  and  Publications  on    subjects  relating  to 

Natural  History  always  in  stock.    Write  Your  NeedA  and  Wants. 


"  LATTIN 


tf 


makes  a  specialty  of  Old  (and  New)  Books,  Publications  and 
Pamphlets  relating  to   Ornithology,  Oology  and  Taxidermy. 

Complete  files  and  odd  numbers  of  Bird  Magazines  published  during  the  past  twenty-five  years 

can  usually  be  furnished  at  RIGHT  PRICES. 


THE   OOLOQIST 


J^ 


1 
is  a  monthly  magazine  established  by  "  Lat- 
tin"  in  1884,  devoted  to  Birds,  their  nests 
and  eg-g-s ;  and  is  of  special  interest  to  all 
Teachers,  Sportsmen,  Naturalists  and  Curio 
Collectors.  It  is  recognized  everywhere  as 
the  leading  medium  through  which  to  reach 
the  class  for  whom  it  is  published.  Over  SO 
new  ads.  appear  in  each  issue  and  its  pat- 
rons, with  rarely  an  exception,  say  "it  pays." 
Subscription,  SO  cents  per  annum.  Sample 
free.     Copy  of  latest  issue,  S  cents 


Lattin^s  Standard  Catalogue  of 
North  American  Birds^  Eggs, 


«^       «£$• 


Enlarged,  (contains  72  pages),  revised,  corrected  and  brought  up  to  date  of  going  to 
press,  (March,  '98.)  Giving  all  the  new  A.  O.  U.  changes  and  additions.  Also  divided  and 
sub-divided  into  orders,  sub-orders,  families,  and  sub-families. 

Values  are  based  on  the  1893  ones  which  were  determined  by  the  compiler,  from  in- 
valuable notes,  suggestions  and  assistance  from  Major  Chas.  E.  Bendire,  J.  Parker  Norris, 
Esq.,  and  Captain  B.  F.  Goss.  In  addition  to  these  notes,  which  have  been  carefully  re- 
worked, the  compiler  has  had  suggestions  from  over  Forty  Leading  American  Oologists, 
all  of  which  were  carefully  considered  and  when  advisable,  adopted.  Lattin's  Catalogue 
has  long  been  recognized  by  leading  Oologists  as  the  standard.  Price,  postpaid,  25  cents 
per  copy.    Address, 

FRANK     H.     LATTIN,     ALBION,     N.     Y. 


Rapid  Taxidermy  ^iS°^/; 

M  ^f  ^^*  ^w  ^^B  ^^P  ^^B  ^^  ^^P  ^^P 


Satiafac* '  <n  Guaranteed 
or  Money  Refunded 


NO  TOOLS  REQUIRED! 


V 


NO  EXTRA  EXPENSE! 


After  many  years  of  unvarying  success, 
and  a  continually  increasing-  sale  in  every 
State  and  Territory  in  the  Union,  and  with 
thousands  of  testimonials  attesting-  to  the 
merits  of  my  Simplified  Method  of  Taxi- 
dermy, from  boys,  g-irls,  parents,  doctors,  ministers,  lawyers,  school 
teachers,  merchdnts,  farmers,  mechanics,  hunters,  outers  and  sports- 
men, as  well  as  from  curators  of  leading  university  museums,  and  pro- 
fessional taxidermists,  I  feel  that  I  can  safely  make  this  offer.     Send  me 

St.OO... 

Cash  or  Stamps  and  receive  complete 
instructions  for  mountino^  birds  in 
cases,  plaques,  hanging-  g-ame,  deer 
heads,  etc.,  etc.,  with  packag'e  of  pre- 
pared compound  ready  for  use,  enough 
to  mount  25  birds;  with  glass  eyes, 
black  and  enameled,  worth  40  cents, 
and  sufficient  for  mounting  your  birds 
and  mammals  ;  together  with  full  di- 
rections for  dressing  skins  with  the 
hair  on  for  rugs,  robes  and  hangings. 
Boys,  girls  and  all  others  can  make 
money  at  home  by  learning  this  pro- 
cess and  by  learning  together  can  re- 
duce the  cost  to  next  to  nothing.  Be- 
ware of  imitations.  Mention  Davie's 
"  JVests  and  'Eggs  of  North  American 
Birds,"'  and  address 

MORRIS      GIBBS,      M.      D.,    KALAMAZOO.    MIOHIQAN.