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AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY.
PRINTED BY BALLANTYNE AND COMPANY
EDINBURGH AND LONDON
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Learetina Cuckoo. 2.Black-billed Co FAL
AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY:
OR,
TAGE ISA TINOTERAIL, | IE STOWE YO
OF THE
Bis. OF Bae) UNITED, Sires:
BY
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ALEXANDER WILSON
AND
PRINCE CHARLES LUCIEN BONAPARTE.
Che Illustrative Motes ano Life of ILilson
BY SIR WILLIAM JARDINE, Barr, F.R.S.E., F.LS.
IN THREE VOLUMES.—VOL. II.
GuSSh Lil ab Tl ieee ws GAL et Ne
LONDON, PARIS & NEW VORK.
CONTENTS OF THE SECOND VOLUME.
The names printed in italics are species not contained in the original, which have
been introduced into the notes.
Ammodramus, Henslow’s
Avoset, American
Avoset, Long-legged ,
Bittern, American
Bittern, Least
Bunting, Bay-winged .
Bunting, Towhe, Female
Bunting, White-crowned
Buzzard, American
Crane, Blue
Crane, Canadian
Crane, Sandhill
Crane, Whooping
Chuck-will’s-widow
Crossbill, American
Crossbill, Parrot-billed
Crossbill, White-winged
Crow . : :
Crow, Fish 3 ;
Cuckoo, Yellow-billed
Cuckoo, Black-billed .
Curlew, Common
Curlew, Esquimaux
Curlew, Long-billed
Death-bird .
Dove, Ground
Dove, Turtle ,
Duck, Black or Surf .
Duck, Buffel-headed .
Duck, Golden-eye
Duck, Pintail
Duck, Shoveller
Duck, Tufted
Eagle, Bald
| Eagle, Ring-tailed
Eagle, Sea .
Eagle, Washington's.
Eagle, White-headed .
Egret, Blue
Falcon, Harlan’s ,
Falcon, Rough-legged .
| Falcon, Winter ,
| Finch, Purple
Finch, Savannah
Finch, Seaside
Finch, Sharp-tailed
Flamingo, Red
| Flycatcher, Small-headed
Flycatcher, Warbling ,
Garrot, Rocky Mountain
90
9
vi
Godwit, Great Marbled
Godwit, Tell-tale
Goosander
Goosander, Female
Goose, Canada
Goose, Snow
Grouse, Ruffed
Grouse, Sabine’s .
Hawk, American Sparrow .
Hawk, Ash-coloured
Hawk, Black
Hawk, Black-cap
Hawk, Broad-winged .
Hawk, Fish
Hawk, Gos
Hawk, Marsh
Hawk, Mexican .
Hawk, Night
Hawk, Red-shouldered
Hawk, Red-tailed
Hawk, Sharp-shinned
Hawk, Slate-coloured
Hawk, Swallow-tailed
Heron, Exile
Heron, Great
Heron, Great White
Heron, Green
Heron, Little
Heron, Louisiana
Heron, Night
Heron, Peale’s
Heron, Scapulary
Heron, Snowy :
Heron, Yellow-crowned
Ibis, Glossy
Ibis, Scarlet
Ibis, White
Ibis, Wood
CONTENTS.
PAGE
326 | Kestrel
302 | Lark, Brown ‘
483 | Linnet, Gray-crowned . :
488 | Linnet, Mountain
468 | Magpie > :
493 | Magpie, Hudsonia
251 | Martin, Purple
256 | Martin,Sand . : :
52 | Oriole, Baltimore, Female .
287 | Ortyx, Californian
290, 292 | Ortyx, Douglas's
287 | Ortyx, Painted
298 | Osprey
104 | Owl, Barn .
289 | Owl, Barred
275 | Owl, Great Horned
216 | Owl, Hawk
. 161 | Owl, Little
74, 294 | Owl, Long-eared
283 | Owl, Mexican Horned .
211 | Owl, Red
216 | Owl, Short-eared
278 | Owl, Snow .
395 | Owl, Tengmalm’s
444 | Owl, White
403 | Owl, White Horned ;
395 | Oyster-catcher, Arctie, Black
395 and White-footed .
428 | Oyster-catcher, Pied
399 | Partridge
404 | Petrel, Bullock's .
395 | Petrel, Stormy
417 | Pigeon, Carolina
442 | Pigeon, Passenger
456 | Pupit, Piping ;
458 | Plover, Black-bellied .
459 | Plover, Golden
455 | Plover, Kildeer .
PAGE
54
185
35
34
76
77
153
141
295
225
225
225
104
267
58
259
273
66
281
281
180,
63
47
67
267
261
430
429
224
387
386
187
195
185
337
367
370
Plover, Ring
Plover, Ringed
Plover, Ruddy
Plover, Sanderling
Purre .
Quail .
Rail
Rail, Clapper
Rail, Land .
Rail, Virginian
Redpoll, Lesser .
Redstart ;
Sandpiper, Ash-coloured
Sandpiper, Bartram’s .
Sandpiper, Douglas's
Sandpiper, Little
Sandpiper, Pectoral
Sandpiper, Red-backed
Sandpiper, Red-breasted
Sandpiper, Schinzs
Sandpiper, Semipalmated .
Sandpiper, Solitary
Sandpiper, Spotted
Shoveller :
Shoveller, Pink-eared .
Sheerwater .
Skimmer, Black .
Snipe .
Snipe, Douglas’s .
Snipe, Drummond's
Snipe, Red-breasted
Snipe, Sabine’s ;
Snipe, Semipalmated .
CONTENTS.
PAGE
360
122
425
364
335
224
232
410
233
406
33
Snipe, Yellow Shanks
Spoonbill, Roseate
Starling, European
Starling, One-coloured .
Starling, Red-winged .
Swallow, Bank
Swallow, Barn
Swallow, Chimney
Swallow, Green-blue .
Swallow, White-bellied
Swallow, Window
Teal, Blue-winged
Tern, Great
Tern, Lesser
Tern, Short-tailed
Thrush, Hermit .
Thrusy, Tawny .
Turnstone .
Warbler, Black-poll
Warbler, Black-poll, Female
Warbler, Blue Mountain
Warbler, Blue Yellow-back
Warbler, Cape May
Warbler, Connecticut .
Warbler, Hemlock
Warbler, Pine Swamp
Warbler, Yellow Red-poll .
Warbler, Yellow-rump
Whip-poor-will .
Woodcock .
W oodpeckers : :
Woodpecker, Ivory-billed
Woodpecker, Pileated
WILSON’S
AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY.
YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO. (Cuculus Carolinensis.)
PLATE XXVIII.—Fie. 1.
Cuculus Americanus, Linn. Syst. 170.—Catesb. i. 9.—Lath. i. 537.—Le Covcou
de la Caroline, Briss. iv. 112.—Arct. Zool. 265, No. 155.—Peale’s Museum,
No. 1778.
COCCYZUS AMERICAN US.—BonaPARtTE.*
Coccyzus Americanus, Bonap. Synop. p. 42.—The Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Awd. pl. 2.
Orn. Biog. i. p. 18.
A sTRANGER who visits the United States, for the purpose of
examining their natural productions, and passes through our
woods in the month of May or June, will sometimes hear, as
* Bonaparte has preferred restoring the specific name of Linneeus to
that given by Catesby and Brisson, and by this it should stand in our
systems,
This form will represent in America the true cuckoos, which other-
wise range over the world ; it was first separated by Vaillant under the
French name Conec, and the same division was adopted by Vieillot,
under the name of Coccyzus, which is now retained, They differ from
the cuckoos chiefly in habit,—building a regular nest, and rearing their
young. North America possesses only two species, our present and the
following, which are both migratory. Some beautiful species are met
with in different parts of the southern continent.
Mr Audubon has added little to their history farther than confirming
the accounts of Wilson. In their migrations northward, they move
VOL. II, A
2 VELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO.
he traverses the borders of deep, retired, high timbered hol-
lows, an uncouth, guttural sound, or note, resembling the
syllables, kowe, kowe, kowe kowe kowe, beginning slowly, but
ending so rapidly, that the notes seem to run into each other ;
and vice versa: he will hear this frequently, without being
able to discover the bird or animal from which it proceeds,
as it is both shy and solitary, seeking always the thickest
foliage for concealment. ‘This is the yellow-billed cuckoo,
the subject of the present account. From the imitative
sound of its note, it is known in many parts by the name of
the cow-bird ; it is also called in Virginia the rain crow,
being observed to be most clamorous immediately before rain.
This species arrives in Pennsylvania, from the south,
about the 22nd of April, and spreads over the country, as
far at least as Lake Ontario ; is numerous in the Chickasaw
and Chactaw nations ; and also breeds in the upper parts of
singly ; but when removing again to a warmer latitude, they appear to
be gregarious, flying high in the air, and in loose flocks.
They appear to delight more in deep woody solitudes than the true
cuckoos, or those which approach nearest to the form of the European
species. They, again, though often found near woods, and in richly
clothed countries, are fond of open and extensive heaths or commons,
studded or fringed with brush and forest: here they may expect an.
abundant supply of the foster parent to their young. The gliding and
turning motion when flying in a thicket, however, is similar to that of
the American Coccyzus. Like them, also, they are seldom on the ground ;
but, when obliged to be near it, alight on some hillock or twig, where
they will continue for a considerable time, swinging round their body in
a rather ludicrous manner, with lowered wings and expanded tail, and
uttering a rather low, monotonous sound, resembling the owe of our
American bird,—
Turning round and round with cutty-coo.
When suddenly surprised or disturbed from their roost at night, they
utter a short, tremulous whistle, three or four times repeated ; it is only
on their first arrival, during the early part of incubation, when in search
of a mate, that their well known and welcome note is heard; by the
first of July all is silent. The idea that the common cuckoo destroys
egos and young birds, like the American Coccyzus, is also entertained ;
I have never seen them do so, but the fact is affirmed by most country
persons, and many gamekeepers destroy them on this account.—Eb.
VELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO. 3
Georgia : preferring, in all these places, the borders of solitary
swamps and apple orchards. It leaves us, on its return south-
ward, about the middle of September.
The singular—I will not say unnatural—conduct of the
European cuckoo (Cuculus canorus), which never constructs
a nest for itself, but drops its eggs in those of other birds,
and abandons them to their mercy and management, is so
universally known, and so proverbial, that the whole tribe of
cuckoos have, by some inconsiderate people, been stigmatised
as destitute of all parental care and affection. Without
attempting to account for this remarkable habit of the Euro-
pean species, far less to consider as an error what the wisdom
of Heaven has imposed as a duty on the species, I will only
remark, that the bird now before us builds its own nest,
hatches its own eggs, and rears its own young ; and, in con-
jugal and parental affection, seems nowise behind any of its
neighbours of the grove.
Early in May, they begin to pair, when obstinate battles
take place among the males. About the tenth of that month,
they commence building. The nest is usually fixed among
the horizontal branches of an apple tree; sometimes in a
solitary thorn, crab, or cedar, in some retired part of the
woods. It is constructed, with little art, and scarcely any
concavity, of small sticks and twigs, intermixed with green
weeds, and blossoms of the common maple. On this almost
flat bed, the eggs, usually three or four in number, are placed ;
these are of a uniform greenish blue colour, and of a size
proportionable to that of the bird. While the female is sitting,
the male is generally not far distant, and gives the alarm, by
his notes, when any person is approaching. ‘The female sits
so close, that you may almost reach her with your hand, and
then precipitates herself to the ground, feigning lameness, to
draw you away from the spot, fluttering, trailing her wings,
and tumbling over, in the manner of the partridge, wood-
cock, and many other species. Both parents unite in pro-
viding food for the young. This consists, for the most part,
4 VELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO.
of caterpillars, particularly such as infest apple trees. The
same insects constitute the chief part of their own sustenance.
They are accused, and with some justice, of sucking the eggs
of other birds, like the crow, the biue jay, and other pillagers.
They also occasionally eat various kinds of berries. But, from
the circumstance of destroying such numbers of very noxious
larvee, they prove themselves the friends of the farmer, and
are highly deserving of his protection.
The yellow-billed cuckoo is thirteen inches long, and
sixteen inches in extent; the whole upper parts are of a
dark, glossy drab, or what is usually called a quaker colour,
with greenish silky reflections; from this must, however, be
excepted the inner vanes of the wings, which are bright
reddish cinnamon ; the tail is long, composed of ten feathers,
the two middle ones being of the same colour as the back,
the others, which gradually shorten to the exterior ones, are
black, largely tipt with white; the two outer ones are scarcely
half the length of the middle ones. The whole lower parts
are pure white; the feathers covering the thighs being large,
like those of the hawk tribe ; the legs and feet are light blue,
the toes placed two before and two behind, as in the rest of
the genus. The bill is long, a little bent, very broad at the
base, dusky black above, and yellow below; the eye hazel,
feathered close to the eyelid, which is yellow. The female
differs little from the male; the four middle tail-feathers in
her are of the same uniform drab; and the white, with which
the others are tipt, not so pure as in the male.
In examining this bird by dissection, the inner membrane
of the gizzard, which in many other species is so hard and
muscular, in this is extremely Jax and soft, capable of great
distension ; and, what is remarkable, is covered with a growth
of fine down, or hair, of a light fawn colour. It is difficult to
ascertain the particular purpose which Nature intends by this
excrescence ; perhaps it may serve to shield the tender parts
from the irritating effects produced by the hairs of certain
caterpillars, some of which are said to be almost equal to the
sting of a nettle.
BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO. 5
BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO. (Cuculus erythropthalma.)
PLATE XXVIII.—Fic. 2.
Peale’s Museum, No. 1854.
COCCYZUS ERYTHROPTHALMUS.—BONAPARTE.*
Coceyzus erythropthalmus, Bonap. Synop. p. 42.—The Black-billed Cuckoo,
Aud. pl. 32, male and female; Orn. Biog. i. p. 170.
Tis cuckoo is nearly as numerous as the former, but has
hitherto escaped the notice of Huropean naturalists ; or, from
its general resemblance, has been confounded with the pre-
ceding. Its particular markings, however, and some of its
habits, sufficiently characterise it as a distinct species. Its
general colour above is nearly that of the former, inclining
more to a pale ash on the cheeks and front; it is about an
inch less in length ; the tail is of a uniform dark silky drab,
except at the tip, where each feather is marked with a spot
of white, bordered above with a slight touch of dull black ;
the bill is wholly black, and much smaller than that of the
preceding ; and it wants the bright cinnamon on the wings.
But what constitutes its most distinguishing trait is, a bare
wrinkled skin, of a deep red colour, that surrounds the eye.
The female differs little in external appearance from the
male.
The black-billed cuckoo is particularly fond of the sides of
creeks, feeding on small shell fish, snails, &c. I have also
often found broken pieces of oyster shells in its gizzard, which,
like that of the other, is covered with fine downy hair.
The nest of this bird is most commonly built in a cedar,
much in the same manner, and of nearly the same materials, as
* Wilson, I believe, deserves the credit of distinguishing this species.
It is closely allied to, but differs widely, both in its habits and feeding,
from its congeners and the true cuckoos. In addition to shells and water
insects, Audubon mentions having found in their stomachs a small black
frog, which appears after a summer shower.— Ep.
6 BLUE YELLOW-BACK WARBLER.
that of the other; but the eggs are smaller, usually four or
five in number, and of a rather deeper greenish blue.
This bird is likewise found in the state of Georgia, and has
not escaped the notice of Mr Abbot, who is satisfied of its
being a distinct species from the preceding.
BLUE YELLOW-BACK WARBLER. (Sylvia pusilla.)
PLATE XXVIII.—Fie. 3.
Parus Americanus, Zinn. Syst. 341.—Finch Creeper, Catesb. i. 64.—Lath. ii.
558.—Creeping Titmouse, Arct. Zool. 423, No. 326.—Parus varius, Various
coloured little Finch Creeper, Bart. p. 292.—Peale’s Museum, No. 6910.
SYLVICOLA AMERICAN A.—SWAINSON.*
Sylvia Americana, Lath. Ind. Orn. ii. p. 520.—Bonap. Synop. p. 83.—Sylvicola
pusilla, Sw. Synop. Birds of Mex. Ann. of Phil. p. 433.—Zool. Journ. No.
10, p. 169.—The Blue Yellow-backed Warbler, Aud. pl. 15, male and
female ; Orn. Biog. i. p. 78.
NotTwiTHstaNnpDIneG the respectability of the above authorities,
I must continue to consider this bird as a species of warbler.
Its habits, indeed, partake something of the titmouse ; but
the form of its bill is decidedly that of the Sylvia genus. It
is remarkable for frequenting the tops of the tallest trees,
where it feeds on the small winged insects, and caterpillars
that infest the young leaves and blossoms. It has a few
feeble chirruping notes, scarcely loud enough to be heard at
the foot of the tree. It visits Pennsylvania from the south,
early in May; is very abundant in the woods of Kentucky :
and is also found in the northern parts of the state of New
York. Its nest I have never yet met with.
* There is nothing more annoying than the unravelling of names,
That of Americana, without doubt, seems to have been the specific
appellation first applied ; and if we are to adhere to any given rule in
nomenclature, that should be now adopted. The present species has
also been made typical of the group which is confined to the New
World.—Eb.
+ According to Audubon, the nest is small, formed of lichens, beauti-
fully arranged on the outside, and lined with the cotton substances found
YELLOW RED-POLL WARBLER. | 7
This little species is four inches and a half long, and six
inches and a half in breadth; the front, and between the bill
and eyes, is black ; the upper part of the head and neck, a fine
Prussian blue; upper part of the back, brownish yellow ;
Jower, and rump, pale blue ; wings and tail, black ; the former
crossed with two bars of white, and edged with blue ; the latter
marked on the inner webs of the three exterior feathers with
white, a circumstance common to a great number of the
genus ; immediately above and below the eye, is a small touch
of white: the upper mandible is black; the lower, as well
as the whole throat and breast, rich yellow, deepening about
its middle to orange red, and marked on the throat with a
small crescent of black; on the edge of the breast is a slight
touch of rufous; belly and vent, white; legs, dark brown ;
feet, dirty yellow. 'The female wants both the black and
orange on the throat and breast ; the blue, on the upper parts,
is also of a duller tint.
YELLOW RED-POLL WARBLER. (Sylvia petechia.)
PLATE XXVIIL.—Fie. 4.
Red-headed Warbler, Turton, i. 605.—Peale’s Museum, No. 7124.
SYLVICOLA PETECHIA.—SWAINSON.
Lath. Ind. ‘Orn. ii. p. 535.—Sylvia petechia, Bonap. Synop. p. 83.—Red-headed
Warbler, Penn. Arct. Zool. ii, p. 401,—Sylvicola petechia, Worth. Zool. ii.
p. 215.
Turs delicate little bird arrives in Pennsylvania early in
April, while the maples are yet in blossom, among the
branches of which it may generally be found at that season,
feeding on the stamina of the flowers, and on small winged
insects. Low swampy thickets are its favourite places of
resort. It is not numerous, and its notes are undeserving the
on the edges of different mosses; it is placed in the fork of a small twig,
near the extremity of the branch. The eggs are pure white, with a few
reddish dots at the longer end. Mr Audubon thinks two broods are
raised in the year.— Ed,
8 LVORY-BILLED WOODPECKER.
name of song. It remains with us all summer; but its nest
has hitherto escaped me. It leaves us late in September.
Some of them probably winter in Georgia, having myself shot
several late in February, on the borders of the Savannah
river,
Length of the yellow red-poll, five inches; extent, eight ;
line over the eye, and whole lower parts, rich yellow; breast,
streaked with dull red; upper part of the head, reddish chest-
nut, which it loses in winter; back, yellow olive, streaked
with dusky ; rump, and tail-coverts, greenish yellow ; wings,
deep blackish brown, exteriorly edged with olive ; tail, slightly
forked, and of the same colour as the wings.
The female wants the red cap; and the yellow of the lower
parts is less brilliant; the streaks of red on the breast are
also fewer and less distinct.
IVORY-BILLED WOODPECKER. (Picus principalis.)
PLATE XXIX.—Fic. 1.
Picus principalis, Zinn. Syst. i. p. 173. 2.—Gmel. Syst. i. p. 425.—Picus Niger
Carolinensis, Briss. iv. p. 26.9; Id. 8vo. ii. p. 49.—Pic noir a bec blane, Buff.
vii. p. 46. PZ. enl. 690.—King of the Woodpeckers, Kalm, ii. p. 85.—White-
billed Woodpecker, Catesb. Car. i. 6.16.—Arct. Zool. ii. No. 156.—Lath. Syn.
li. p. 553.—Bartram, p. 289.—Peale’s Museum, No. 1884.
PICUS PRINCIPALIS.—LINN&zvs.*
Picus principalis, Bonap. Synop. p. 44.— Wagl. Syst. Av. Picus, No. 1.—The Ivory-
billed Woodpecker, Aud. pl. 66, male and female ; Orn. Biog. i. p. 341.
T'n1s majestic and formidable species, in strength and mag-
nitude, stands at the head of the whole class of woodpeckers,
hitherto discovered. He may be called the king or chief of
* The genus Picus, or woodpeckers, with the exception of the parrots,
forms the most extensive group among the Scansores, and perhaps one
of the most natural among the numerous divisions now assigned to the
feathered race. Ina former note we mentioned the difference of form,
and corresponding modification of habit, that nevertheless existed among
them. Most ornithologisis have divided them into three groups only,
taking the common form of woodpeckers for the type, making another
Head gr apt Die
te Pileated Woodpek™™ for.
Head of he"
trom, Nature by A. Wilson Engraved by WH Liars.
Livory-bitled Woodpecker’ 2 Pileated W 3, Red-headed W
a)
LIVORY-BILLED WOODPECKER. fe)
his tribe; and Nature seems to have designed him a distin-
guished characteristic in the superb carmine crest and bill ot
polished ivory with which she has ornamented him. His eye
of the golden-winged, and including in a third the very minute species
which form Temminck’s genus Picwmnus, but which, I believe, will be
found to rank in a family somewhat different. Mr Swainson, again, in
following out the views which he holds regarding the affinities of living
beings, has formed five groups,—taking our present form as typical, under
the title Picus ; that of the green woodpecker, under Chrysoptilus ; that
of the red-headed woodpecker, as Melanerpes; the golden-wings, as
Colaptes ; and Malacolophus as the soft-crested Brazilian and Indian
species. Of these forms, the northern parts of America will contain
only three: two we have had occasion already to remark upon’; and the
third forms the subject of our author’s present description—the most
powerful of the whole tribe, and showing all the forms and peculiarities
of the true woodpecker developed to the utmost.
The Pict are very numerous, and are distributed over the whole world,
New Holland excepted ; America, however, including both continents,
may be termed the land of woodpeckers. Her vast and solitary forests
afford abundance to satisfy their various wants, and furnish a secluded
retirement from the inroads of cultivation. Next in number, I believe,
India and her islands are best stored ; then Africa, and lastly, Europe.
The numbers, however, are always greatest between the tropics, and
generally diminish as we recede from and approach temperate or cold
regions. They are mostly insectivorous ; a few species only feed occa-
sionally on different fruits and berries. The various Coleoptera, that
form their abodes in dead and decaying timber, and beneath their bark
and moss, with their eggs and large larvee, form an essential part of their
subsistence: for securing this prey, digging it out from their burrows in
the wood, and the peculiar mode of life incident to such pursuits, they
are most admirably adapted. The bill is strong and wedge-shaped ;
the neck possesses great muscularity. The tongue—fitted by the curious
construction of its muscles and the os hyoides, and lubricated with a
viscous saliva, either gently to secure and draw in the weaker prey, or
with great force and rapidity to dart out, and, it is said, to transfix the
larger and more nimble insects—joined to the short legs and hooked
scansorial claws, with the stiff, bent tail, are all provisions beautifully
arranged for their wants.
All the species are solitary, live in pairs only during the season of in-
cubation, or are met with in small flocks, the amount of the years’ brood,
in the end of autumn, before they have separated. This solitary habit,
and their haunts being generally gloomy and retired, has given rise to
the opinion entertained by many, that the life of the woodpecker was
10 IVORY-BILLED WOODPECKER.
is brilliant and daring; and hiswhole framesoadmirably adapted
for his mode of life, and method of procuring subsistence, as
to impress on the mind of the examiner the most reverential
hard and laborious, dragged on in the same unvaried tract for one pur-
pose,—the supply of food. It has been painted in vivid and imaginary
colouring, and. its existence has been described to be painful and bur-
densome in the extreme ; its cries have been converted into complaints,
and its search for food into exertions of no use. We cannot agree to
this. The cry of the woodpecker is wild, and no doubt the incessant
hewing of holes without an adequate object would be sufficiently miser-
able. These, however, are the pleasures of the bird. The knowledge
to search after food is implanted in it, and organs most admirably formed
to prevent exhaustion, and ensure success, have been granted to it. Its
cries, though melancholy to us, are so from association with the dark
forests, and the stillness which surrounds their haunts, but perhaps, at
the time when we judge, are expressive of the greatest enjoyment. An
answer of kindness in reply to a mate, the calling together of the newly
fledged brood, or exultation over the discovery of some favourite hoard
of food, are what are set down as painful and discontented.
Mr Audubon’s remarks on this splendid species, “'The king of the
woodpeckers,” I have transcribed at some length, as indicating the parti-
cular manner of the typical family of this great group.
“The ivory-billed woodpecker confines its rambles to a comparatively
very small portion of the United States, it never having been observed
in the middle states within the memory of any person now living there.
In fact, in no portion of these districts does the nature of the woods ap-
pear suitable to its remarkable habits.
“ Descending the Ohio, we meet with this splendid bird for the first
time near the confluence of that beautiful river and the Mississippi; after
which, following the windings of the latter, either downwards toward
the sea, or upwards in the direction of the Missouri, we frequently ob-
serve it. On the Atlantic coast, North Carolina may be taken as the
limit of its distribution, although now and then an individual of the
species may be accidentally seen in Maryland. To the westward of the
Mississippi, it is found in all the dense forests bordering the streams which
empty their waters into that majestic river, from the very declivities of
the Rocky Mountains. The lower parts of the Carolinas, Georgia, Ala-
bama, Louisiana, and Mississippi, are, however, the most favourite resorts
of this bird, and in those states it constantly resides, breeds, ana passes
a life of peaceful enjoyment, finding a profusion of food in all the deep,
dark, and gloomy swamps dispersed throughout them.
“The flight of this bird is graceful in the extreme, although seldom
prolonged to more than a few hundred yards at a time, unless when it
IVORY-BILLED WOODPECKER. II
ideas of the Creator. His manners have also a dignity in
them superior to the common herd of woodpeckers. ‘Trees,
shrubbery, orchards, rails, fence posts, and old prostrate logs,
are alike interesting to those, in their humble and indefatigable
search for prey ; but the royal hunter now before us, scorns
the humility of such situations, and seeks the most towering
trees of the forest; seeming particularly attached to those
prodigious cypress swamps, whose crowded giant sons stretch
their bare and blasted or moss-hung arms midway to the skies.
In these almost inaccessible recesses, amid ruinous piles of
impending timber, his trumpet-like note and loud strokes
resound through the solitary, savage wilds, of which he seems
the sole lord and inhabitant. Wherever he frequents, he
leaves numerous monuments of his industry behind him.
We there see enormous pine trees with cartloads of bark
lying around their roots, and chips of the trunk itself, in such
quantities as to suggest the idea that half a dozen of axe-men
has to cross a large river, which it does in deep undulations, opening its
wings at first to their full extent, and nearly closing them to renew the
propelling impulse. The transit from one tree to another, even should
the distance be as much as a hundred yards, is performed by a single
sweep, and the bird appears as if merely swinging itself from the top of
the one tree to that of the other, forming an elegantly curved line. At
this moment all the beauty of the plumage is exhibited, and strikes the
beholder with pleasure. It never utters any sound whilst on wing, unless
during the love season ; but at all other times, no sooner has this bird
alighted than its remarkable voice is heard, at almost every leap which
it makes, whilst ascending against the upper parts of the trunk of a tree,
or its highest branches. Its notes are clear, loud, and yet very plaintive.
They are heard at a considerable distance, perhaps half a mile, and re-
semble the false high note of a clarionet. They are usually repeated
three times in succession, and may be represented by the monosyllable
pat, part, part, These are heard so frequently as to induce me to say
that the bird spends few minutes of the day without uttering them,
and this circumstance leads to its destruction, which is aimed at, not
because (as is supposed by some) this species is a destroyer of trees, but
more because it is a beautiful bird, and its rich scalp attached to the
upper mandible forms an ornament for the war-dress of most of our
Indians, or for the shot-pouch of our squatters and hunters, by all of
whom the bird is shot merely for that purpose.”— Ep,
I2 IVORY-BILLED WOODPECKER.
had been at work there for the whole morning. The body of
the tree is also disfigured with such numerous and so large
excavations, that one can hardly conceive it possible for the
whole to be the work of a woodpecker. With such strength,
and an apparatus so powerful, what havoc might he not
commit, if numerous, on the most useful of our forest trees !
and yet with all these appearances, and much of vulgar pre-
judice against him, it may fairly be questioned whether he is
at all injurious; or, at least, whether his exertions do not
contribute most powerfully to the protection of our timber.
Examine closely the tree where he has been at work, and you
will soon perceive, that it is neither from motives of mischief
nor amusement that he slices off the bark, or digs his way
into the trunk—For the sound and healthy tree is the least
object of his attention. The diseased, infested with insects,
and hastening to putrefaction, are his favourites; there the
deadly crawling enemy have formed a lodgement between the
bark and tender wood, to drink up the very vital part of the
tree. It is the ravages of these vermin, which the intelligent
proprietor of the forest deplores as the sole perpetrators of the
destruction of his timber. Would it be believed that the
Jarvee of an insect, or fly, no larger than a grain of rice, should
silently, and in one season, destroy some thousand acres of pine
trees, many of them from two to three feet in diameter, and
a hundred and fifty feet high! Yet whoever passes along the
high road from Georgetown to Charlestown, in South Carolina,
about twenty miles from the former place, can have striking
and melancholy proofs of this fact. In some places the whole
woods, as far as you can see around you, are dead, stripped of
the bark, their wintry-looking arms and bare trunks bleaching
in the sun, and tumbling in ruins before every blast, presenting
a frightful picture of desolation. And yet ignorance and pre-
judice stubbornly persist in directing their indignation against
the bird now before us, the constant and mortal enemy of these
very vermin; as if the hand that probed the wound to extract
its cause, should be equally detested with that which inflicted
IVORY-BILLED WOODPECKER. 13
it; or as if the thief-catcher should be confounded with the
thief. Until some effectual preventive or more complete mode
of destruction can be devised against these insects, and their
larvee, I would humbly suggest the propriety of protecting,
and receiving with proper feelings of gratitude, the services
of this and the whole tribe of woodpeckers, letting the odium
of guilt fall upon its proper owners.
In looking over the accounts given of the ivory-billed wood-
pecker by the naturalists of Europe, I find it asserted, that it
inhabits from New Jersey to Mexico. I believe, however,
that few of them are ever seen to the north of Virginia, and
very few of them even in that state. The first place I observed
this bird at, when on my way to the south, was about twelve
miles north of Wilmington in North Carolina. There I found
the bird from which the drawing of the figure in the plate was
taken. This bird was only wounded slightly in the wing, and,
on being caught, uttered a loudly reiterated, and most piteous
note, exactly resembling the violent crying of a young child;
which terrified my horse so, as nearly to have cost me my life.
It was distressing to hear it. I carried it with me in the chair,
under cover, to Wilmington. In passing through the streets,
its affecting cries surprised every one within hearing, par-
ticularly the females, who hurried to the doors and windows
with looks of alarm and anxiety. I drove on, and on arriving
at the piazza of the hotel, where I intended to put up, the
landlord came forward, and a number of other persons who
happened to be there, all equally alarmed at what they heard ;
this was greatly increased by my asking, whether he could
furnish me with accommodations for myself and my baby. The
man looked blank and foolish, while the others stared with
still greater astonishment. After diverting myself for a minute
or two at their expense, I drew my woodpecker from under
the cover, and a general laugh took place. I took him up
stairs and locked him up in my room, while I went to see my
horse taken care of. In less than an hour I returned, and, on
opening the door, he set up the same distressing shout, which
14 LVORY-BILLED WOODPECKER.
now appeared to proceed from grief that he had been discovered
in his attempts at escape. He had mounted along the side of
the window, nearly as high as the ceiling, a little below which
he had begun to break through. The bed was covered with
large pieces of plaster; the lath was exposed for at least
fifteen inches square, and a hole, large enough to admit the
fist, opened to the weather-boards ; so that, in less than another
hour he would certainly have succeeded in making his way
through. JI now tied a string round his leg, and, fastening
it to the table, again left him. I wished to preserve his life,
and had gone off in search of suitable food for him. As I
reascended the stairs, I heard him again hard at work, and on
entering had the mortification to perceive that he had almost
entirely ruined the mahogany table to which he was fastened,
and on which he had wreaked his whole vengeance. While
engaged in taking the drawing, he cut me severely in several
places, and, on the whole, displayed such a noble and uncon-
querable spirit, that I was frequently tempted to restore him
to his native woods. He lived with me nearly three days, but
refused all sustenance, and I witnessed his death with regret.
The head and bill of this bird is in great esteem among the
southern Indians, who wear them by way of amulet or charm,
as well as ornament; and, it is said, dispose of them to the
northern tribes at considerable prices. An Indian believes
that the head, skin, or even feathers of certain birds, confer on
the wearer all the virtues or excellencies of those birds. Thus
I have seen a coat made of the skins, heads, and claws of the
raven ; caps stuck round with heads of butcher birds, hawks,
and eagles; and as the disposition and courage of the ivory-
billed woodpecker are well known to the savages, no wonder
they should attach great value to it, having both beauty, and,
in their estimation, distinguished merit to recommend it.
This bird is not migratory, but resident in the countries
where it inhabits. In the low countries of the Carolinas it
usually prefers the large timbered cypress swamps for breeding
in. In the trunk of one of these trees, at a considerable height,
IVORYV-BILLED WOODPECKER. 15
the male and female alternately, and in conjunction, dig out a
large and capacious cavity for their eggs and young. ‘Trees
thus dug out have frequently been cut down, with sometimes
the eggs and young in them. This hole, according to infor-
mation,—for I have never seen one myself,—is generally a
little winding, the better to keep out the weather, and from
two to five feet deep. The eggs are said to be generally four,
sometimes five, as large as a pullet’s, pure white, and equally
thick at both ends—a description that, except in size, very
nearly agrees with all the rest of our woodpeckers. The young
begin to be seen abroad about the middle of June. Whether
they breed more than once in the same season is uncertain.*
* The description of the nestling, &c., is thus also given by Audubon.
Wilson observes, that he had no opportunity of ever seeing their holes,
and the following will tend to render his account more complete :—
“The ivory-billed woodpecker nestles earlier in spring than any other
species of its tribe. I have observed it boring a hole for that purpose in
the beginning of March. The hole is, I believe, always made in the trunk
of a live tree, generally an ash or a hagberry, and is at a great height.
The birds pay great regard to the particular situation of the tree, and
the inclination of its trunk; first, because they prefer retirement, and
again, because they are anxious to secure the aperture against the access
of water during beating rains. To prevent such a calamity, the hole is
generally dug immediately under the junction of a large branch with the
trunk. It is first bored horizontally for a few inches, then directly down-
wards, and not in a spiral manner, as some people have imagined. Ac-
cording to circumstances, this cavity is more or less deep, being some-
times not more than ten inches, whilst at other times it reaches nearly
three feet downwards into the core of the tree. I have been led to think
that these differences result from the more or less immediate necessity
under which the female may be of depositing her eggs, and again have
thought that the older the woodpecker is, the deeper does it make its
hole. The average diameter of the different nests which I have exa-
mined was about seven inches within, although the entrance, which is
perfectly round, is only just large enough to admit the bird.
“Both birds work most assiduously at this excavation, one waiting
outside to encourage the other, whilst it is engaged in digging, and when
the latter is fatigued, taking its place. I have approached trees whilst
these woodpeckers were thus busily employed in forming their nest, and
by resting my head against the bark, could easily distinguish every blow
given by the bird. I observed that in two instances, when the wood-
16 IVORY-BILLED WOODPECKER.
So little attention do the people of the countries where these
birds inhabit pay to the minutiz of natural history, that,
generally speaking, they make no distinction between the
peckers saw me thus at the foot of the tree in which they were digging
their nest, they abandoned it for ever. For the first brood there are
generally six eggs. They are deposited on a few chips at the bottom of
the hole, and are of a pure white colour. The young are seen creeping
out of the hole about a fortnight before they venture to fly to any other
tree. The second brood makes its appearance about the 15th of
August.
“In Kentucky and Indiana, the ivory-bills seldom raise more than
one brood in the season. The young are at first of the colour of the
female, only that they want the crest, which, however, grows rapidly,
and towards autumn—particularly in birds of the first breed—is nearly
equal to that of the mother. The males have then a slight line of red
on the head, and do not attain their richness of plumage until spring, or
their full size until the second year. Indeed, even then, a difference is
easily observed between them and individuals which are much older.
“The food of this species consists principally of beetles, larvee, and
large grubs. No sooner, however, are the grapes of our forests ripe than
they are eaten by the ivory-billed woodpecker with great avidity. I
have seen this bird hang by its claws to the vines, in the position so
often assumed by a titmouse, and reaching downwards, help itself to a
bunch of grapes with much apparent pleasure. Persimmons are also
sought for by them, as soon as the fruit becomes quite mellow, as are
hagberries.
“The ivory-bill is never seen attacking the corn, or the fruit of the
orchards, although it is sometimes observed working upon and chipping
off the bark from the belted trees of the newly cleared plantations. It
seldom comes near the ground, but prefers at all times the tops of the
tallest trees. Should it, however, discover the half-standing broken
shaft of a large dead and rotten tree, it attacks it in such a manner as
nearly to demolish it in the course of a few days. I have seen the re-
mains of some of these ancient monarchs of our forests so excavated, and
that so singularly, that the tottering fragments of the trunk appeared to
be merely supported by the great pile of chips by which its base was
surrounded. The strength of this woodpecker is such, that I have seen
it detach pieces of bark seven or eight inches in length at a single blow
of its powerful bill, and by beginning at the top branch of a dead tree,
tear off the bark, to an extent of twenty or thirty feet, in the course of
a few hours, leaping downwards, with its body in an upward position,
tossing its head to the right and left, or leaning it against the bark to
ascertain the precise spot where the grubs were concealed, and imme-
IVORY-BILLED WOODPECKER. 17
ivory-billed and pileated woodpecker, represented in the same
plate; and it was not till I showed them the two birds to-
gether, that they knew of any difference. ‘The more intelligent
and observing part of the natives, however, distinguish them
by the name of the large and lesser logcocks. They seldom
examine them but at a distance, gunpowder being considered
too precious to be thrown away on woodpeckers ; nothing less
than a turkey being thought worth the value of a load.
The food of this bird consists, I believe, entirely of insects
and their larve.* The pileated woodpecker is suspected
diately after renewing its blows with fresh vigour, all the while sound-
ing its loud notes, as if highly delighted.
“This species generally moves in pairs, after the young have left their
parents, The female is always the most elamorous and the least shy.
Their mutual attachment is, I believe, continued through life. Except-
ing when digging a hole for the reception of their eggs, these birds
seldom, if ever, attack living trees, for any other purpose than that of
procuring food, in doing which they destroy the insects that would
otherwise prove injurious to the trees.
“T have frequently observed the male and female retire to rest for the
night, into the same hole in which they had long before reared their
young, This generally happens a short time after sunset.
“When wounded and brought to the ground, the ivory-bill immedi-
ately makes for the nearest tree, and ascends it with great rapidity and
perseverance until it reaches the top branches, when it squats and hides,
generally with great effect. Whilst ascending, it moves spirally round
the tree, utters its loud pait, pait, part, at almost every hop, but becomes
silent the moment it reaches a place where it conceives itself secure.
They sometimes cling to the bark with their claws so firmly as to remain
cramped to the spot for several hours after death. When taken by the
hand, which is rather a hazardous undertaking, they strike with great
violence, and inflict very severe wounds with their bill as well as claws,
which are extremely sharp and strong. On such oceasions, this bird
utters a mournful and very piteous cry.”—Ep.
* Mr Audubon says, that though the greater part of their food consists
of insects and their larve, no sooner are the grapes of our forests ripe,
than they are eaten with the greatest avidity. I have seen this bird
hang by its claws to the vines, in the position so often assumed by the
titmouse, and, reaching down, help itself to a bunch of grapes. Per-
simmons are also sought by them, as soon as the fruit becomes quite
mellow, and hagberries.—Ep.
VOL, II. B
18 IVORY-BILLED WOODPECKER.
of sometimes tasting the Indian corn: the ivory-billed never.
His common note, repeated every three or four seconds, very
much resembles the tone of a trumpet, or the high note of a
clarionet, and can plainly be distinguished at the distance of
more than half a mile; seeming to be immediately at hand,
though perhaps more than one hundred yards off. This it
utters while mounting along the trunk or digging into it. At
these times it has a stately and novel appearance; and the
note instantly attracts the notice of a stranger. Along the
borders of the Savannah river, between Savannah and Augusta,
I found them very frequently ; but my horse no sooner heard
their trumpet-like note, than, remembering his former alarm,
he became almost ungovernable. .
The ivory-billed woodpecker is twenty inches long, and
thirty inches in extent; the general colour is black, with a
considerable gloss of green when exposed to a good light;
iris of the eye, vivid yellow ; nostrils, covered with recumbent
white hairs; fore part of the head, black; rest of the crest,
of a most splendid red, spotted at the bottom with white,
which is only seen when the crest is erected, as represented in
the plate; this long red plumage being ash-coloured at its
base, above that white, and ending in brilliant red; a stripe
of white proceeds from a point, about half an inch below each
eye, passes down each side of the neck, and along the back,
where they are about an inch apart, nearly to the ramp; the
first five primaries are wholly black; on the next five
the white spreads from the tip, higher and higher, to the
secondaries, which are wholly white from their coverts down-
ward. ‘These markings, when the wings are shut, make the
bird appear as if his back were white: hence he has been
called by some of our naturalists the large white-backed
woodpecker. ‘The neck is long; the beak an inch broad at
the base, of the colour and consistence of ivory, prodigiously
strong and elegantly fluted. The tail is black, tapering from
the two exterior feathers, which are three inches shorter than
the middle ones, and each feather has the singularity of being
PILEATED WOODPECKER,. 19
greatly concave below; the wing is lined with yellowish
white ; the legs are about an inch and a quarter long, the ex-
terior toe about the same length, the claws exactly semicircular
and remarkably powerful,—the whole of a light blue or lead
colour. ‘The female is about half an inch shorter, the bill
rather less, and the whole plumage of the head black, glossed
with green ; in the other parts of the plumage, she exactly
resembles the male. In the stomachs of three which I
opened, I found large quantities of a species of worm called
borers, two or three inches long, of a dirty cream colour, with
a black head ; the stomach was an oblong pouch, not muscular
like the gizzards of some others. The tongue was worm-
shaped, and for half an inch at the tip as hard as horn, flat,
pointed, of the same white colour as the bill, and thickly
barbed on each side.*
PILEATED WOODPECKER. (Picus pileatus.)
PLATE XXIX.—Fic. 2.
Picus niger, crista rubra, Lath. Ind. Orn. i. p. 225, 4.—Picus pileatus, Linn.
Syst. i. p. 173, 3.—Gmel. Syst. i. p. 425.—Picus Virginianus pileatus, Briss.
iv. p. 29, 10.—Jd. 8vo, ii. p. 50.—Pic noir 4 huppé rouge, Buff. vii. p. 48.—
Pic noir huppé de la Louisiana, Pl. enl. 718.—Larger Crested Woodpecker,
Catesb. Car. i. 6, 17.—Pileated Woodpecker, Arct. Zool. ii. No. 157.—Lath.
Syn. ii. p. 554, 3.—Id. Supp. p. 105.—Bartram, p. 289.—Peale’s Museum,
No. 1886.
PICUS PILEATUS.—Umnevs.t
Picus pileatus, Bonap. Synop. p. 44.— Wagl. Syst. Av. No. 2.—Picus (dryotomus)
pileatus, North. Zool. ii. p. 304.
Tuis American species is the second in size among his tribe,
and may be styled the great northern chief of the woodpeckers,
* Wilson seems to have been in some uncertainty regarding the nidi-
fication of this species, and probably never saw the nest. The account
of Mr Audubon will fill up what is here wanting.—Eb.
+ As we remarked in our last note, Mr Swainson, according to the
views he entertains, has divided the large family Piciane into five great
divisions, and the different forms in these again into groups of lesser
20 PILEATED WOODPECKER.
though, in fact, his range extends over the whole of the United
States from the interior of Canada to the Gulf of Mexico.
He is very numerous in the Gennesee country, and in all the
tracts of high-timbered forests, particularly in the neighbour-
hood of our large rivers, where he is noted for making a loud
and almost incessant cackling before wet weather; flying at
such times in a restless uneasy manner from tree to tree,
making the woods echo to his outcry. In Pennsylvania and
the northern states, he is called the black woodcock ; in the
southern states, the logcock. Almost every old trunk in the
forest where he resides bears the marks of his chisel. Where-
ever he perceives a tree beginning to decay, he examines it
round and round with great skill and dexterity, strips off the
bark in sheets of five or six feet in length, to get at the hidden
cause of the disease, and labours with a gaiety and activity
really surprising. I have seen him separate the greatest part
of the bark from a large dead pine tree, for twenty or thirty
feet, in less than a quarter of an hour. Whether engaged in
flying from tree to tree, in digging, climbing, or barking, he
seems perpetually ina hurry. He is extremely hard to kill,
clinging close to the tree even after he has received his mortal
wound ; nor yielding up his hold but with his expiring breath.
If slightly wounded in the wing, and dropt while flying, he
instantly makes for the nearest tree, and strikes with great
bitterness at the hand stretched out to seize him; and can
rarely be reconciled to confinement. He is sometimes observed
among the hills of Indian corn, and it is said by some that he
frequently feeds on it. Complaints of this kind are, however,
not general; many farmers doubting the fact, and conceiving
that at these times he is in search of insects which lie concealed
in the husk. I will not be positive that they never occasionally
taste maize; yet I have opened and examined great numbers
value. For the type of one of them, he has chosen the Picus pileatus,
under the title of Dryotomus, differing from Picus, in the exterior outer
toe being shorter than the anterior external one, exactly the reverse of
the proportions of Picus.—Eb.
PILEATED WOODPECKER. 21
of these birds, killed in various parts of the United States,
from Lake Ontario to the Alatamaha river, but never found a
grain of Indian corn in their stomachs.
The pileated woodpecker is not migratory, but braves the
extremes of both the arctic and torrid regions. Neither is he
gregarious, for it is rare to see more than one or two, or at
the most three, in company. Formerly they were numerous
in the neighbourhood of Philadelphia; but gradually, as the
old timber fell, and the country became better cleared, they
retreated to the forest. At present few of those birds are to
be found within ten or fifteen miles of the city.
Their nest is built, or rather the eggs are deposited, in the
hole of a tree, dug out by themselves, no other materials being
used but the soft chips of rotten wood. The female lays six
large eggs of a snowy whiteness ; and, it is said, they generally
raise two broods in the same season.
This species is eighteen inches long, and twenty-eight in
extent; the general colour is a dusky brownish black; the
head is ornamented with a conical cap of bright scarlet ; two
scarlet mustaches proceed from the lower mandible; the chin
is white; the nostrils are covered with brownish white hair-
like feathers, and this stripe of white passes from thence down
the side of the neck to the sides, spreading under the wings ;
the upper half of the wings are white, but concealed by the
black coverts; the lower extremities of the wings are black,
so that the white on the wing is not seen but when the bird
is flying, at which time it is very prominent; the tail is taper-
ing, the feathers being very convex above, and strong; the
legs are of a leaden gray colour, very short, scarcely half an
inch; the toes very long; claws, strong and semicircular, and
of a pale blue; the bill is fluted, sharply ridged, very broad
at the base, bluish black above, below and at the point bluish
white; the eye is of a bright golden colour, the pupil black;
the tongue, like those of its tribe, is worm-shaped, except near
the tip, where for one-eighth of an inch it is horny, pointed,
and beset with barbs.
22 RED-WINGED STARLING.
The female has the forehead, and nearly to the crown, of a
light brown colour, and the mustaches are dusky, instead of
red. In both a fine line of white separates the red crest from
the dusky line that passes over the eye.
RED-WINGED STARLING. (Sturnus predatorius.)
PLATE XXX.—Fic. 1. MALE; Fic. 2. FEMALE.
Bartram, 291.—Oriolus pheeniceus, Linn. Syst. 161.—Red-winged Oriole, Arct.
Zool. 255, No. 140.—Le Troupiale 4 aisles rouges, Briss. ii. 97.—Le com-
mandeur, Buff. iii. 214, Pl. enl. 402.—Lath. i. 428.—Acolchichi, Fernand.
Nov. Hisp. p. 14.—Peale’s Museum, No. 1466, 1467.
AGLAIUS PH@NICEUS.—V1®£1L10r.*
Aglaius pheeniceus, Vietll. Gall. des Ois.—North. Zool. ii. p. 280.—Icterus
pheeniceus, Bonap. Synop. p. 52.— The Red-Winged Starling, or Marsh
Blackbird, Aud. pl. 67., male in different states, female and young; Orn.
Biog. i. p. 348.
Tis notorious and celebrated corn thief, the long reputed
plunderer and pest of our honest and laborious farmers, now
* This bird, I believe, will rank under the Jctes? of Brisson, but
seems first mentioned by Daudin under that title. Like the others of
this intricate family, it has been described under a multitude of names ;
but the above seems the preferable one to be adopted. Wilson also
changed the specific name to Predatorius, taken from its plundering
habits, whereas, without doubt, he should have retained its original
designation, North America possesses another beautiful species, figured
in the continuation of the Ornithology by Bonaparte.
Wilson is somewhat puzzled in what genus to place this bird, and is
only reconciled to join it with our common starling, which it much
resembles in its congregated flights. In this country, we cannot expect
to see a flight of such numbers as Wilson mentions ; still they are some-
times very numerous, and one might almost conceive the appearance of
the one, from their recollections of the other. In the low meadows of
Holland, again, some relative. proportion may be found. I have seen
an extent of flat surface, as far as the eye could reach around, covered
with flocks of starlings, associated with lapwings and golden plovers ;
and the flocks that rose on the approach of night, were sometimes
immense. In the islands of Sardinia, and those adjacent, and where
they may be augmented by the presence of another species, the S¢
unrcolor of Temminck, I am told that the assemblage of birds is
Engraved by WHLizare.
pn trom Nature by AWilson 5
LRed winged Starling, 2.Female. 3. Black-poll Warbler, +Lesser Red poll.
30.
RED-WINGED STARLING. 23
presents himself before us, with his copartner in iniquity, to
receive the character due for their very active and distinguished
services. In investigating the nature of these, I shall endeavour
to render strict historical justice to this noted pair; adhering
to the honest injunctions of the poet,
‘* Nothing extenuate,
Nor set down aught in malice.”
Let the reader divest himself equally of prejudice, and we shall
be at no loss to ascertain accurately their true character.
The red-winged starlings, though generally migratory in
the states north of Maryland, are found during winter in
immense flocks, sometimes associated with the purple grakles, -
and often by themselves, along the whole lower parts of Vir-
ginia, both Carolinas, Georgia, and Louisiana, particularly
near the sea coast, and in the vicinity of large rice and corn
fields. In the months of January and February, while passing
through the former of these countries, I was frequently enter-
tained with the aérial evolutions of these great bodies of
starlings. Sometimes they appeared driving about like an
enormous black cloud carried before the wind, varying its
shape every moment; sometimes suddenly rising from the
fields around me with a noise like thunder; while the glitter-
ing of innumerable wings of the brightest vermilion amid the
black cloud they formed, produced on these occasions a very
striking and splendid effect. Then, descending like a torrent,
innumerable in the lower valleys, and among the lakes and reedy
marshes which cover so much of the lower parts of these countries. In
their evolutions before retiring to rest among reeds or bushes, the two
birds also resemble each other, That of Europe is thus described by
an observing naturalist :—“ There is something singularly curious and
mysterious in the conduct of these birds, previous to their nightly retire-
ment, by the variety and intricacy of the evolutions they execute at
that time. They will form themselves, perhaps, into a triangle, then
shoot into a long, pear-shaped figure, expand like a sheet, wheel into a
ball, as Pliny observes, each individual striving to get into the centre,
&c., with a promptitude more like parade movements, than the actions
of birds.” | have known them watched for, when coming to roost, and
shot in considerable numbers. Their wings afford favourite feather for
fishers.— Eb.
24 RED-WINGED STARLING.
and covering the branches of some detached grove, or clump
of trees, the whole congregated multitude commenced one
general concert or chorus, that I have plainly distinguished at
the distance of more than two miles; and, when listened to at
the intermediate space of about a quarter of a mile, with a —
slight breeze of wind to swell and soften the flow of its
cadences, was to me grand, and even sublime. ‘The whole
season of winter, that, with most birds, is passed in struggling
to sustain life in silent melancholy, is, with the red-wings, one
continued carnival. The profuse gleanings of the old rice,
corn, and buckwheat fields, supply them with abundant food,
at once ready and nutritious; and the intermediate time is
spent either in aérial maneeuvres, or in grand vocal perform-
ances, as if solicitous to supply the absence of all the tuneful
summer tribes, and to cheer the dejected face of nature with
their whole combined powers of harmony.
About the 20th of March, or earlier, if the season be open,
they begin to enter Pennsylvania in numerous, though small
parties. These migrating flocks are usually observed from
daybreak to eight or nine in the morning, passing to the north,
chattering to each other as they fly along; and, in spite of all
our antipathy, their well known notes and appearance, after
the long and dreary solitude of winter, inspire cheerful and
pleasing ideas of returning spring, warmth, and verdure.
Selecting their old haunts, every meadow is soon enlivened
by their presence. ‘They continue in small parties to frequent
the low borders of creeks, swamps, and ponds, till about the
middle of April, when they separate in pairs to breed; and,
about the last week in April, or first in May, begin to construct
their nest. The place chosen for this is generally within the
precincts of a marsh or swamp, meadow, or other like watery
situation,—the spot, usually a thicket of alder bushes, at the
height of six or seven feet from the ground; sometimes in a
detached bush, in a meadow of high grass; often in a tussock
of rushes, or coarse rank grass; and not unfrequently on
the ground: in all of which situations I have repeatedly
RED-WINGED STARLING. 25
found them. When in a bush, they are generally com-
posed outwardly of wet rushes, picked from the swamp,
and long tough grass in large quantity, and well lined with
very fine bent. ‘The rushes, forming the exterior, are generally
extended to several of the adjoining twigs, round which they
are repeatedly and securely twisted ; a precaution absolutely
necessary for its preservation, on account of the flexible nature
of the bushes in which it is placed. ‘The same caution is
observed when a tussock is chosen, by fastening the tops
together, and intertwining the materials of which the nest is
formed with the stalks of rushes around. When placed on
the ground, less care and fewer materials being necessary, the
nest is much simpler and slighter than before.. The female
lays five eggs, of a very pale light blue, marked with faint
tinges of light purple, and long straggling lines and dashes
of black. It is not uncommon to find several nests in the
same thicket, within a few feet of each other.
During the time the female is sitting, and still more parti-
cularly after the young are hatched, the male, like most other
birds that build in low situations, exhibits the most violent
symptoms of apprehension and alarm on the approach of any
person to its near neighbourhood. Like the lapwing of
Kurope, he flies to meet the intruder, hovers at a short height
over-head, uttering loud notes of distress ; and, while in this
situation, displays to great advantage the rich glowing scarlet
of his wings, heightened by the jetty black of his general
plumage. As the danger increases, his cries become more
shrill and incessant, and his motions rapid and restless ; the
whole meadow is alarmed, and a collected crowd of his fellows
hover around, and mingle their notes of alarm and agitation
with his. When the young are taken away, or destroyed, he
continues for several days near the place, restless and dejected,
and generally recommences building soon after, in the same
meadow. ‘Towards the beginning or middle of August, the
young birds begin to fly in flocks, and at that age nearly
resemble the female, with the exception of some reddish or
26 RED-WINGED STARLING.
orange, that marks the shoulders of the males, and which
increases in space and brilliancy as winter approaches. It has
been frequently remarked, that, at this time, the young birds
chiefly associate by themselves, there being sometimes not
more than two or three old males observed in a flock of many
thousands. ‘These, from the superior blackness and rich red
of their plumage, are very conspicuous.
Before the beginning of September, these flocks have become
numerous and formidable ; and the young ears of maize, or
Indian corn, being then in their soft, succulent, milky state,
present a temptation that cannot be resisted. Reinforced
by numerous and daily flocks from all parts of the interior,
they pour down on the low countries in prodigious multitudes.
Here they are seen, like vast clouds, wheeling and driving
over the meadows and devoted corn-fields, darkening the air
with their numbers. Then commences the work of destruction
on the corn, the husks of which, though composed of numerous
envelopments of closely wrapt leaves, are soon completely
or partially torn off ; while from all quarters myriads continue
to pour down like a tempest, blackening half an acre at a
time ; and, if not disturbed, repeat their depredations, till
little remains but the cob and the shrivelled skins of the
grain ; what little is left of the tender ear, being exposed to
the rains and weather, is generally much injured. All the
attacks and havoc made at this time among them with the
gun, and by the hawks,—several species of which are their
constant attendants,—has little effect on the remainder.
When the hawks make a sweep among them, they suddenly
open on all sides, but rarely in time to disappoint them of their
victims ; and, though repeatedly fired at, with mortal effect,
they only remove from one field to an adjoining one, or to
another quarter of the same enclosure. From dawn to
nearly sunset, this open and daring devastation is carried on,
under the eye of the proprietor; and a farmer, who has any
considerable extent of corn, would require half-a-dozen men
at least, with guns, to guard it; and even then, all their
RED-WINGED STARLING. 27
vigilance and activity would not prevent a good tithe of it
from becoming the prey of the blackbirds. The Indians, who
usually plant their corn in one general field, keep the whole
young boys of the village all day patrolling round and among
it; and each being furnished with bow and arrows, with
which they are very expert, they generally contrive to destroy
great numbers of them.
It must, however, be observed, that this scene of pillage is
principally carried on in the low countries, not far from the
sea coast, or near the extensive flats that border our large
rivers ; and is also chiefly confined to the months of August
and September. After this period, the corn having acquired
its hard shelly coat, and the seeds of the reeds or wild oats,
with a profusion of other plants, that abound along the river
shores, being now ripe, and in great abundance, they present
a new and more extensive field for these marauding multitudes.
The reeds also supply them with convenient roosting places,
being often in almost unapproachable morasses; and thither
they repair every evening, from all quarters of the country.
In some places, however, when the reeds become dry, advan-
tage is taken of this circumstance to destroy these birds, by
a party secretly approaching the place, under cover of a dark
night, setting fire to the reeds in several places at once, which
being soon enveloped in one general flame, the uproar among
the blackbirds becomes universal; and, by the light of the
conflagration, they are shot down in vast numbers, while
hovering and screaming over the place. Sometimes straw is
used for the same purpose, being previously strewed near the
reeds and alder bushes, where they are known to roost, which
being instantly set on fire, the consternation and havoc is
prodigious ; and the party return by day to pick up the
slaughtered game. About the first of November, they begin
to move off towards the south ; though, near the sea-coast, in
the states of New Jersey and Delaware, they continue long
after that period.
Such are the general manners and character of the red-
28 RED-WINGED STARLING.
winged starling; but there remain some facts to be men-
tioned, no less authentic, and well deserving the consideration
of its enemies, more especially of those whose detestation of
this species would stop at nothing short of total extirpation.
It has been already stated, that they arrive in Pennsylvania
late in March. Their general food at this season, as well as
during the early part of summer (for the crows and purple
erakles are the principal pests in planting time), consists of
erub-worms, caterpillars, and various other larvee, the silent,
but deadly enemies of all vegetation, and whose secret and
insidious attacks are more to be dreaded by the husbandman
than the combined forces of the whole feathered tribes to-
gether. For these vermin, the starlings search with great
diligence ; in the ground, at the roots of plants, in orchards,
and meadows, as well as among buds, leaves, and blossoms ;
and, from their known voracity, the multitudes of these in-
sects which they destroy must be immense. Let me illustrate
this by a short computation: If we suppose each bird, on an
average, to devour fifty of these larvee in a day (a very mode-
rate allowance), a single pair, in four months, the usual time
such food is sought after, will consume upwards of twelve
thousand. It is believed, that not less than a million pair of
these birds are distributed over the whole extent of the
United States in summer; whose food, being nearly the same,
would swell the amount of vermin destroyed to twelve thou-
sand millions. But the number of young birds may be fairly
estimated at double that of their parents; and, as these are
constantly fed on larvee for at least three weeks, making only
the same allowance for them as for the old ones, their share
would amount to four thousand two hundred millions ;
making a grand total of sixteen thousand two hundred
millions of noxious insects destroyed in the space of four
months by this single species! The combined ravages of
such a hideous host of vermin would be sufficient to spread
famine and desolation over a wide extent of the richest and
best cultivated country on earth. All this, it may be said, is
RED-WINGED STARLING. 29
mere supposition. It is, however, supposition founded on
known and acknowledged facts. I have never dissected any of
these birds in spring without receiving the most striking and
satisfactory proofs of those facts; and though, in a matter
of this kind, it is impossible to ascertain precisely the amount
of the benefits derived by agriculture from this, and many
other species of our birds, yet, in the present case, I cannot
resist the belief, that the services of this species, in spring, are
far more important and beneficial than the value of all that
portion of corn which a careful and active farmer permits
himself to lose by it.
The great range of country frequented by this bird extends
from Mexico, on the south, to Labrador. Our late enterpris-
ing travellers across the continent to the Pacific Ocean,
observed if numerous in several of the valleys at a great
distance up the Missouri. When taken alive, or reared from
the nest, it soon becomes familiar, sings frequently, bristling
out its feathers, something in the manner of the cow bunting.
These notes, though not remarkably various, are very peculiar.
The most common one resembles the syllables conk-quer-rée ;
others, the shrill sounds produced by filing a saw: some are
more guttural; and others remarkably clear. The usual note
of both male and female is a single chuck. Instances have
been produced where they have been taught to articulate
several words distinctly ; and, contrary to what is observed
of many birds, the male loses little of the brilliancy of his
plumage by confinement.
A very remarkable trait of this bird is, the great difference
of size between the male and female; the former being nearly
two inches longer than the latter, and of proportionate magni-
tude. They are known by various names in the different
states of the Union; such as the swamp blackbird, marsh
blackbird, red-winged blackbird, corn or maize thief, starling,
&c. Many of them have been carried from this to different
parts of Europe; and Edwards relates, that one of them,
which had, no doubt, escaped from a cage, was shot in the
30 RED-WINGED STARLING.
neighbourhood of London ; and, on being opened, its stomach
was found to be filled with grub-worms, caterpillars, and
beetles ; which Buffon seems to wonder at, as, “in their own
country,’ he observes, “they feed exclusively on grain and
maize.”
Hitherto this species has been generally classed by naturalists
with the orioles. By a careful comparison, however, of its
bill with those of that tribe, the similarity is by no means
sufficient to justify this arrangement; and its manners are
altogether different. I can find no genus to which it makes
so near an approach, both in the structure of the bill and in
food, flight, and manners, as those of the stare ; with which,
following my judicious friend Mr Bartram, I have accordingly
placed it. To the European, the perusal of the foregoing
pages will be sufficient to satisfy him of their similarity of
manners. Tor the satisfaction of those who are unacquainted
with the common starling of Europe, I shall select a few
sketches of its character, from the latest and most accurate
publication I have seen from that quarter.* Speaking of the
stare, or starling, this writer observes, “In the winter season,
these birds fly in vast flocks, and may be known at a great
distance by their whirling mode of flight, which Buffon com-
pares to a sort of vortex, in which the collective body performs
an uniform circular revolution, and, at the same time, con-
tinues to make a progressive advance. The evening is the
time when the stares assemble in the greatest numbers, and
betake themselves to the fens and marshes, where they roost
among the reeds: they chatter much in the evening and
morning, both when they assemble and disperse. So attached
are they to society, that they not only join those of their own
species, but also birds of a different kind ; and are frequently
seen in company with red-wings (a species of thrush),
fieldfares, and even with crows, jackdaws, and pigeons. Their
principal food consists of worms, snails, and caterpillars ;
they likewise eat various kinds of grain, seeds, and berries,”
* Bewick’s “ British Birds,” part i. p. 119. Newcastle, 1809.
RED-WINGED STARLING. 31
He adds, that, “in a confined state, they are very docile, and
may easily be taught to repeat short phrases, or whistle tunes
with great exactness.”
The red-winged starling (fig. 1.) is nine inches long, and
fourteen inches in extent ; the general colour is a glossy black,
with the exception of the whole lesser wing-coverts, the first,
or lower row of which is of a reddish cream colour, the rest a
rich and splendid scarlet ; legs and bill, glossy brownish black ;
irides, hazel ; bill, cylindrical above, compressed at the sides,
straight, running considerably up the forehead, where it is
prominent, rounding and flattish towards the tip, though
sharp-pointed ; tongue, nearly as long as the bill, tapering and
lacerated at the end; tail, rounded, the two middle feathers
also somewhat shorter than those immediately adjoining.
The female (fig. 2.) is seven inches and a quarter in length,
and twelve inches in extent ; chin, a pale reddish cream ; from
the nostril over the eye, and from the lower mandible, run
two stripes of the same, speckled with black; from the
posterior angle of the eye backwards, a streak of brownish
black covers the auriculars ; throat, and whole lower parts,
thickly streaked with black and white, the latter inclining to
cream on the breast; whole plumage above, black, each
feather bordered with pale brown, white, or bay, giving the
bird a very mottled appearance ; lesser coverts, the same ;
bill and legs as in the male.
The young birds at first greatly resemble the female ; but
have the plumage more broadly skirted with brown. The
red early shows itself on the lesser wing-coverts of the males,
at first pale, inclining to orange, and partially disposed. The
brown continues to skirt the black plumage for a year or two,
so that it is rare to find an old male altogether destitute of
some remains of it; but the red is generally complete in
breadth and brilliancy by the succeeding spring. The females
are entirely destitute of that ornament.
The flesh of these birds is but little esteemed, being, in
general, black, dry, and tough. Strings of them are, however,
frequently seen exposed for sale in our markets.
32 BLACK-POLL WARBLER.
BLACK-POLL WARBLER. (Sylvia striata.)
PLATE XXX.—Fic. 3.
Lath. ti. 460.—Arct. Zool. 401.—Turton, 600.—Peale’s Museum, No. 7054.
SYLVICOLA STRIATA.*—SWAINSON.
Sylvia striata, Bonap. Synop. p. 81.—Sylvicola striata, Worth. Zool. ii. p. 218.
Tuts species has considerable affinity to the flycatchers in its
habits. It is chiefly confined to the woods, and even there,
to the tops of the tallest trees, where it is descried skipping
from branch to branch, in pursuit of winged insects. Its note
is a single screep, scarcely audible from below. It arrives in
Pennsylvania about the 20th of April, and is first seen on the
tops of the highest maples, darting about among the blossoms.
As the woods thicken with leaves, it may be found pretty
generally, being none of the least numerous of our summer
birds. It is, however, most partial to woods in the immediate
neighbourhood of creeks, swamps, or morasses, probably from
the greater number of its favourite imsects frequenting such
places. It is also pretty generally diffused over the United
States, having myself met with it in most quarters of the
Union; though its nest has hitherto defied all my researches.
This bird may be considered as occupying an intermediate
station between the flycatchers and the warblers, having the
manners of the former, and the bill, partially, of the latter.
The nice gradations by which nature passes from one species
to another, even in this department of the great chain of
beings, will for ever baffle all the artificial rules and systems
of man. And this truth every fresh discovery must impress
more forcibly on the mind of the observing naturalist. These
birds leave us early in September.
The black-poll warbler is five and a half inches long, and
* This is an aberrant Sylvicola, approaching Setophaga in the form
and bristling of the bill, and also in the manners of the flycatchers.—Ep.
LESSER REDPOLL. 33
eight and a half in extent; crown and hind head, black ;
cheeks, pure white; from each lower mandible runs a streak
of small black spots, those on the side, larger; the rest of
the lower parts, white; primaries, black, edged with yellow ;
rest of the wing, black, edged with ash ; the first and second
row of coverts, broadly tipt with white; back, ash, tinged
with yellow ochre, and streaked laterally with black ; tail,
black, edged with ash, the three exterior feathers marked
on the inner webs with white; bill, black above, whitish
below, furnished with bristles at the base; iris, hazel; legs
and feet, reddish yellow.
The female differs very little in plumage from the male.
LESSER REDPOLL. (fringilla linaria.)
PLATE XXX.—Fie. 4.
Lath. ii. 305.—Arct. Zool. 379.—Le Sizeren, Buff. iv. 216. Pl. ent. 151, 2.—
Peale’s Museum, No. 6579.
LINARIA MINOR.—WILLOUGHBY.
Fringilla linaria, Bonap. Synop. p. 112.
Tuts bird corresponds so exactly in size, figure, and colour of
plumage, with that of Europe of the same name, as to place
their identity beyond a doubt. They inhabit, during summer,
the most northern parts of Canada, and still more remote
northern countries, from whence they migrate at the com-
mencement of winter. ‘They appear in the Gennesee country
with the first deep snow, and on that account are usually
called by the title of snow birds. As the female is destitute
of the crimson on the breast and forehead, and the young
birds do not receive that ornament till the succeeding spring,
such a small proportion of the individuals that form these
flocks are marked with red, as to induce a general belief
among the inhabitants of those parts that they are two different
kinds associated together. TF locks of these birds have been
occasionally seen in severe winters in the neighbourhood of
VOL. II. c
34 LESSER REDPOLL.
Philadelphia. They seem particularly fond of the seeds of
the common alder, and hang, head downwards, while feeding,
in the manner of the yellow bird. They seem extremely
unsuspicious at such times, and will allow a very near approach
without betraying any symptoms of alarm.
The specimen represented in the plate was shot, with
several others of both sexes, in Seneca county, between the
Seneca and Cayuga lakes. Some individuals were occasionally
heard to chant a few interrupted notes, but no satisfactory
account can be given of their powers of song.
This species extends throughout the whole northern parts
of Europe, is likewise found in the remote wilds of Russia,
was seen by Steller in Kamtschatka, and probably inhabits
corresponding climates round the whole habitable parts of
the northern hemisphere. In the Highlands of Scotland they
are common, building often on the tops of the heath, sometimes
in a low furze bush, like the common linnet, and sometimes
on the ground. The nest is formed of light stalks of dried
grass, intermixed with tufts of wool, and warmly lined with
feathers. The eggs are usually four, white, sprinkled with
specks of reddish.*
* IT have not been able to procure American specimens of this bird,
but comparing the description of Wilson and of Ord, there seems little
doubt of their identity. Wilson is certainly confounding the mountain
linnet (Z. montium), when he says, “ In the Highlands of Scotland they
are common, building often on the tops of the heath, sometimes in a
low furze bush, like the common linnet, and sometimes on the ground.”
This is exactly the habit of the mountain linnet, and Mr Ord is wrong
in saying the young possess the crimson head ; I have many in my pos-
session without it, and have shot them at all seasons ; they receive that
mark at the commencement of the first breeding season, when the adult
birds also receive an addition of plumage and lustre. They seem very
fond of the beech, as well as of the birch and alder, and appear to find
insects in the husks of the old mast, which they are constantly picking
and looking into. I have found their nests also pretty frequently in a
young fir plantation: it was in a low situation, but they were invari-
ably lined with the wool of willow catkins. I shall here add Mr Selby’s
correct description of the manners of this species, which are in every
way confirmed by my own observations. “It is only known in the
LESSER REDPOLE. 35
[Mr Ord has added to the description of Wilson as follows :
—‘ Contrary to the usual practice of Mr Wilson, he omitted
southern parts of Britain as a winter visitant, and is at that period
gregarious, and frequently taken in company with the other species by
the bird-catchers, by whom it is called the stone redpoll. In the
northern counties of England, and in Scotland, and its isles, it is
resident through the year. It retires, during the summer, to the under-
wood that covers the basis of many of our mountains and hills, and that
often fringes the banks of their precipitous streams, in which sequestered
situations it breeds, The nest is built in a bush or low tree (such as
willow, alder, or hazel), of moss and the stalks of dry grass, intermixed
with down from the catkin of the willow, which also forms the lining,
and renders it a particularly soft and warm receptacle for the eggs and
young. From this substance being a constant material of the nest, it
follows, that the young are produced late in the season, and are seldom
able to fly before the end of June, or the beginning of July. The eggs
are four or five in number ; their colour, pale bluish green, spotted with
orange brown, principally towards the larger end. In winter, thelesser
redpoll descends to the lower grounds, in considerable flocks, frequenting
woods and plantations, more especially such as abound in birch or alder
trees, the catkins of which yield it a plentiful supply of food. When
feeding, its motion affords both interest and amusement ; since, in order
to reach the catkins, which generally grow near the extremities of the
smaller branches, it is obliged, like the titmouse, to hang with its back
downwards, and assume a variety of constrained attitudes, and, when
thus engaged, it is so intent upon its work, as frequently to allow itself to
be taken by a long stick smeared with bird-lime, in which way I have
occasionally captured it when in want of specimens for examination.
It also eats the buds of trees, and (when in flocks) proves in this way
seriously injurious to young plantations. Its call note is very frequently
repeated when on wing, and by this it may be always distinguished
from the other species. The notes it produces during the pairing
season, although few, and not delivered in continuous song, are sweet
and pleasing.”
“This bird is widely diffused through all the northern parts of
Europe ; inhabits Northern Asia as far as Siberia and Kamtschatka ;
and is also abundant in North America.”
The authors of the “ Northern Zoology” describe another bird allied
to the linnets, of which one individual only was obtained in the last
northern expedition. It is said to be new, and is described as Linaria
(Leocosticte) Teprocotis, Sw. grey-crowned linnet. It is an aberrant form
of Iinaria, which Mr Swainson proposes to designate under the above
sub-generic title.— Ep,
36 LESSER REDPOLL.
to furnish a particular description of this species. But this sup-
plementary notice would not have been considered necessary, if
our author had not fallen into a mistake respecting the mark-
ings of the female and the young male; the former of which
he describes as ‘ destitute of the crimson on the forehead,’ and
the latter, ‘not receiving that ornament till the succeeding
spring. When Mr Wilson procured his specimens, it was in
the autumn, previously to their receiving their perfect winter
dress ; and he was never afterwards aware of his error, owing
to the circumstance of these birds seldom appearing in the
neighbourhood of Philadelphia. Considerable flocks of them,
however, have visited us this winter (1813-14) ; and we have
been enabled to procure several fine specimens of both sexes,
from the most perfect of which we have taken the following
description. We will add, that having had the good fortune to
observe a flock, consisting of nearly an hundred, within a few
feet of them, as they were busily engaged in picking the seeds
of the wild orache,* we can, with confidence, assert, that they
all had the red patch on the crown; but there were very few
which had the red rump and breast: the young males, it is
probable, are not thus marked until the spring, and the females
are destitute of that ornament altogether.
‘“‘The lesser redpoll is five inches and a quarter in length,
and eight inches and a half in breadth ; the bill is pale yellow,
ridged above and below with dark horn colour, the upper
mandible projecting somewhat over the lower at the tip ; irides,
dark hazel ; the nostrils are covered with recumbent, hair-like
feathers, of drab colour ; a line of brown extends from the
eyes, and encircles the base of the bill, forming, in some
specimens, a patch below the chin; the crown is ornamented
with a pretty large spot of deep shining crimson; the throat,
breast, and rump, stained with the same, but of a more delicate
red ; the belly is of a very pale ash, or dull white; the sides
are streaked with dusky ; the whole upper parts are brown or
dusky ; the plumage, edged with yellowish white and pale ash,
* Atriplex hastata, Linn.
Drawn from Nature by dA Wilson Engraved by WH. Lixars
Sy
1 American Crossiill. 2.Female. 3 White-winged Crossbil.4. White-crowned Bunting. 3. Bavy-winged B,
ol.
AMERICAN CROSSBILL. Bi
the latter most predominant near the rump; wings and tail,
dusky ; the latter is forked, and consists of twelve feathers
edged with white ; the primaries are very slightly tipt and
edged with white, the secondaries more so; the greater and
lesser coverts are also tipt with white, forming the bars across
the wings ; thighs, cinereous ; legs and feet, black ; hind claw,
considerably hooked, and longer than the rest. The female is
less bright in her plumage above ; and her under parts incline
more to an ash colour; the spot on her crown is of a golden crim-
son, or reddish saffron colour. One male specimen was consi-
derably larger than the rest ; it measured five inches and three
quarters in length, and nine inches and a quarter in extent ; the
breast and rump were tawny ; itsclaws were uncommonly long,
the hind one measured nearly three-eighths of an inch ; and the
spot on the crown was of a darker hue than that of the rest.
“The call of this bird exactly resembles that of the /ringilla
wristis, or common yellow bird of Pennsylvania. The redpolls
linger in the neighbourhood of Philadelphia until about the
middle of April; but whither they retire for the business of
incubation, we cannot determine. In common with almost
all our finches, the redpolls become very fat, and are then
accounted delicious eating. During the last winter, many
hundreds of them were exposed to sale in the Philadelphia
market, and were readily purchased by those epicures, whose
love of variety permits no delicacy to escape them.” |
AMERICAN CROSSBILL. (Curvirostra Americana.)
PLATE XXXI.—Fic. 1. MALE; Fic. 2. FEMALE.
Peale’s Museum, No. 5640.
LOXIA CURVIROSTRA?—BonAPARTE.*
Loxia curvirostra, Bonap. Synop. p. 117.
On first glancing at the bill of this extraordinary bird, one is
apt to pronounce it deformed and monstrous; but on atten-
* Brisson first limited the crossbills to a genus, and proposed for them
the title Loxia, which has been adopted by most ornithologists. Crucz-
3 8 AMERICAN CROSSBILL.
tively observing the use to which it is applied by the owner,
and the dexterity with which he detaches the seeds of the pine
tree from the cone, and from the husks that enclose them, we
rostra and Ourvirostra, have also been formed for it from the shape of
the bill; but ought to be rejected, from the priority of the former. They
are a very limited group, being composed of at most four species, pro-
vided that of America be proved distinct, or one differing from those of
Europe be found in the former continent. Their distribution appears
to extend pretty generally over the north of Europe, decreasing in num-
bers to the south, and over North America. In form, all the members
are similar. They are endowed with considerable power of flight ; are
of a thick, stout make, and in addition to the curiously formed bill,
possess scansorial habits, using their bills and feet to disengage the seeds
from the fir cones, when in confinement, holding their food like a parrot
in the latter member, and by the same means climbing about the wires
of the cage.
Regarding the identity of our author’s species with that of this coun-
try, | am uncertain, not having a specimen of the bird from America.
Wilson thinks it distinct, and I have been told the same thing by Audu-
bon. On the other hand, we have the authority of Bonaparte, who thus
writes in his Observations on Wilson’s Nomenclature :—‘‘ 1 think Wilson
was in error when he considered this bird a new species, and stated that
it differs considerably from the European. He probably compared it
with the L. pytiopsittacus, and not with the curvirostra, with which latter
it is identical. Wilson’s new names must therefore be rejected, and the
name of Loxia curvirostra must be restored to this bird.” Our author
was also incorrect in remarking, that “the young males, as is usual
with most other birds, very much resemble the female.” The fact is,
that the young of all the crossbills, as well as that of Pyrrhula enucleator,
contrary to the habit of the generality of birds, lose their red colour as
they advance in age, instead of gaining an additional brilliancy of plum-
age. The figure which our author gives as that of an adult male, repre-
sents a young bird of about one year, and his supposed female is a
remarkably tine adult male.
The species of this group, then, are,—L. pytiopsittacus, or parrot-billed
crossbill of Europe, and which Bonaparte also hints the possibility of
finding in America, a circumstance I should think very likely,—the Z.
leucoptera, and the L. curvirostra ; but I fear we must remain uncertain
whether the last constitutes one or two, until the examination of nume-
rous specimens from both countries decide the point. The haunts of our
common species in Europe are the immense northern pine forests, where
their chief food is the seeds of the fir cones; from thence, after breeding,
they appear to migrate to various parts southward, in comparatively
AMERICAN CROSSBILL. 39
are obliged to confess, on this, as on many other occasions,
where we have judged too hastily of the operations of Nature,
that no other conformation could have been so excellently
adapted to the purpose; and that its deviation from the
common form, instead of being a defect or monstrosity, as
the celebrated French naturalist insinuates, is a striking proof of
the wisdom and kind superintending care of the great Creator.
small flocks, at uncertain intervals. This is the case with those which
visit Britain. They must hatch very early, arriving in this country by
the middle of June ; the females at that time bear all the marks of in-
cubation, but have never yet been authentically proved to breed in this
country, as supposed by Mr Knap, from the bareness of the breast. They
descend, at the same season, to the orchards, where they do considerable
damage, by splitting the apples for the pips, thus leaving the fruit use-
less, and incapable of farther growth ; and, at the same time, giving us
a good instance of the power of their bills. Some old writers accuse
them of visiting Worcester and Herefordshire, “in great flocks, for the
sake of the seeds of the apple. Repeated persecution on this account
perhaps lessened their numbers, and their depredations at the present
day are unnoticed or unknown:” their visitations, at least, are less
frequent ; for a later writer in Loudon’s Magazine observes, that, in
1821, and the commencement of 1822 (the same season of their great
appearance mentioned by Mr Selby), a large flock of crossbills frequented
some fir groves at Cothoridge, near Worcester, where they used to visit
the same spot pretty regularly twice a-day, delighting chiefly on the
Weymouth pines. When feeding, they seem in this country, as well as
with our author, to be remarkably tame, or so much engrossed with their
food, as to be unmindful of danger. Montague relates, that a birdcatcher
at Bath had taken a hundred pairs in the month of June and July,
1791 ; and so intent were these birds when picking out the seeds of a
cone, that they would suffer themselves to be caught with a hair noose
at the end of a long fishing-rod. In 1821, this country was visited with
large flocks ; they appeared in June, and gradually moved northward,
as they were observed by Mr Selby in September among the fir tracts
of Scotland, after they had disappeared to the southward of the river
Tweed. In 1828, a pretty large flock visited the vicinity of Ambleside,
Westmoreland. Their favourite haunt was a plantation of young larches,
where they might be seen disporting almost every day, particularly be-
tween the hours of eleven and one.
I have quoted no synonyms which belong to our British species. The
American birds appear to me much smaller ; that is, to judge from our
author’s plate, and the usually correct drawings of Mr Audubon.— Ep,
40 AMERICAN CROSSBILL.
This species is a regular inhabitant of almost all our pine
forests situated north of 40°, from the beginning of September
to the middle of April. It is not improbable that some of
them remain during summer within the territory of the
United States to breed. Their numbers must, however, be
comparatively few, as I have never yet met with any of them
in summer; though lately I took a journey to the Great Pine
Swamp beyond Pocano mountain, in Northampton county,
Pennsylvania, in the month of May, expressly for that pur-
pose; and ransacked, for six or seven days, the gloomy
recesses of that extensive and desolate morass, without being
able to discover a single crossbill. In fall, however, as well
as in winter and spring, this tract appears to be their
favourite rendezvous ; particularly about the head waters of
the Lehigh, the banks of the Tobyhanna, Tunkhannock, and
Bear Creek, where I have myself killed them at these seasons.
They then appear in large flocks, feeding on the seeds of
the hemlock and white pine, have a loud, sharp, and not
unmusical note; chatter as they fly; alight, during the
prevalence of deep snows, before the door of the hunter, and
around the house, picking off the clay with which the logs
are plastered, and searching in corners where urine, or any
substance of a saline quality, had been thrown. At such
times they are so tame as only to settle on the roof of the
cabin when disturbed, and a moment after descend to feed as
before. They are then easily caught in traps; and will fre-
quently permit one to approach so near as to knock them
down with a stick. Those killed and opened at such times
are generally found to have the stomach filled with a soft
greasy kind of earth or clay. When kept in a cage, they
have many of the habits of the parrot ; often climbing along
the wires; and using their feet to grasp the cones in, while
taking out the seeds.
This same species is found in Nova Scotia, and as far north
as Hudson’s Bay, arriving at Severn. River about the latter
end of May; and, according to accounts, proceeding farther
AMERICAN CROSSBILL. 4
north to breed. It is added by Pennant, that “they return
at the first setting in of frost.”
Hitherto this bird has, as usual, been considered a mere
variety of the European species ; though differing from it in
several respects, and being nearly one-third less, and although
the singular conformation of the bill of these birds, and their
peculiarity of manners, are strikingly different from those of
the grosbeaks, yet many, disregarding these plain and obvious
discriminations, still continue to consider them as belonging
to the genus Lowa; as if the particular structure of the bill
should, in all cases but this, be the criterion by which to
judge of a species; or perhaps, conceiving themselves the
wiser of the two, they have thought proper to associate
together what Nature has, in the most pointed manner,
placed apart.
In separating these birds, therefore, from the grosbeaks,
and classing them as a family by themselves, substituting the
specific for the generic appellation, I have only followed the
steps and dictates of that great Original, whose arrangements
ought never to be disregarded by any who would faithfully
copy her.
The crossbills are subject to considerable changes of colour ;
the young males of the present species being, during the first
season, olive yellow, mixed with ash; then bright greenish
yellow, intermixed with spots of dusky olive, all of which
yellow plumage becomes, in the second year, of a light red,
having the edges of the tail inclining to yellow. When con-
fined in a cage, they usually lose the red colour at the first
moulting, that tint changing to a brownish yellow, which
remains permanent. ‘The same circumstance happens to the
purple finch and pine grosbeak, both of which, when in con-
finement, exchange their brilliant crimson for a motley garb
of light brownish yellow ; as I have had frequent opportunities
of observing.
The male of this species, when in perfect plumage, is five
inches and three quarters long, and nine inches in extent ;
42 WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL.
the bill is a brown horn colour, sharp, and single-edged
towards the extremity, where the mandibles cross each other ;
the general colour of the plumage is a red-lead colour,
brightest on the rump, generally intermixed on the other
parts with touches of olive ; wings and tail, brown black, the
latter forked, and edged with yellow ; legs and feet, brown ;
claws, large, much curved, and very sharp; vent, white,
streaked with dark ash ; base of the bill, covered with recum-
bent down, of a pale brown colour ; eye, hazel.
The female is rather less than the male ; the bill of a paler
horn colour; rump, tail-coverts, and edges of the tail, golden
yellow ; wings and tail, dull brownish black ; the rest of the
plumage, ‘olive yellow mixed with ash; legs and feet, as in
the male. The young males, during the first season, as is
usual with most other birds, very much resemble the female.
In moulting, the males exchange their red for brownish
yellow, which gradually brightens into red. Hence, at dif-
ferent seasons, they differ greatly in colour.
WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL. (Curvirostra
leucoptera. )
PLATE XXXI.—Fic. 3.
Turton, Syst. i. p. 515.
LOXIA LEUCOPTERA.—GMELIN.*
Loxia leucoptera, Bonap. Synop. p. 117.
THis is a much rarer species than the preceding; though
found frequenting the same places, and at the same seasons ;
* Bonaparte has fulfilled Wilson’s promise, and figured the female of
this species, with some valuable remarks regarding its first discovery
and habits, which will be found in Vol. III. From these it appears to
be very like its congeners, performing its migrations at uncertain periods
and in various abundance, enjoying the pine forests, though not farther
known by any destructive propensities among orchards. It may be
looked upon yet as exclusively North American. The only record of
WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL. 43
differing, however, from the former in the deep black wings
and tail, the large bed of white on the wing, the dark crimson
of the plumage ; and a less and more slender conformation of
body. The bird represented in the plate was shot in the
neighbourhood of the Great Pine Swamp, in the month of
September, by my friend Mr Ainsley, a German naturalist,
collector in this country for the emperor of Austria. The
individual of this species, mentioned by Turton and Latham,
had evidently been shot in moulting time. The present
specimen was a male in full and perfect plumage.
The white-winged crossbill is five inches and a quarter long,
and eight inches and a quarter in extent; wings and tail,
deep black, the former crossed with two broad bars of white ;
general colour of the plumage dark crimson, partially spotted
with dusky; lores and frontlet, pale brown; vent, white,
streaked with black ; bill, a brown horn colour, the mandibles
crossing each other as in the preceding species, the lower
sometimes bending to the right, sometimes to the left, usually
to the left in the male, and to the right in the female of the
American crossbill. The female of the present species will
be introduced as soon as a good specimen can be obtained,
with such additional facts relative to their manners as may
then be ascertained.
its being found in another country is in extracts from the minute book
of the Linnean Society for 1803. ‘“ Mr Templeton, A.L.S. of Orange-
grove, near Belfast, in a letter to Mr Dawson Turner, F.L.S., mentions
that the white-winged crossbill, Loria falcirostra of Latham, was shot
within two miles of Belfast, in the month of January 1802. It was a
female, and perfectly resembled the figure in Dixon’s Voyage to the
North-west Coast of America.” Such is the only record we have of this
bird as a British visitor. When Ireland becomes more settled, and her
naturalists more devoted to actual observation, we may hear more of
L. leucoptera, Cypselus melba, &c, Bonaparte, in his description of the
female, has entered fully into the reasons for adopting the specific name
of leucoptera.— Ep,
44 WHITE-CROWNED BUNTING.
WHITE-CROWNED BUNTING. (Emberiza leucophrys.)
PLATE XXXI.—Fie. 4.
Turton, Syst. p. 536.—Peale’s Museum, No. 6587.
ZONOTRICHIA LEUCOPHRYS.—SwWAINsoNn.
Fringilla leucophrys, Bonap. Synop. p. 107.—Fringilla (Zonotrichia) HELETIDLES IS:
North. Zool. ii. p. 255.
THis beautifully marked species is one of the rarest of its
tribe in the United States, being chiefly confined to the
northern districts, or higher interior parts of the country,
except in severe winters, when some few wanderers appear in
the lower parts of the state of Pennsylvania. Of three speci-
mens of this bird, the only ones I have yet met with, the first
was caught in a trap near the city of New York, and lived
with me several months. It had no song, and, as I afterwards
discovered, was a female. Another, a male, was presented to
me by Mr Michael of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. ‘The third, a
male, and in complete plumage, was shot in the Great Pine
Swamp, in the month of May, and is faithfully represented in
the plate. It appeared to me to be unsuspicious, silent, and
solitary ; flitting in short flights among the underwood and
piles of prostrate trees, torn up by a tornado, that some years
ago passed through the swamp. All my endeavours to dis-
cover the female or nest were unsuccessful.
From the great scarcity of this species, our acquaintance
with its manners is but very limited. Those persons who
have resided near Hudson’s Bay, where it is common, inform
us, that it makes its nest in June, at the bottom of willows,
and lays four chocolate-coloured eggs. Its flight is said to
be short and silent; but, when it perches, it sings very
melodiously.*
The white-crowned bunting is seven inches long, and ten
inches in extent; the bill, a cinnamon brown; crown, from
* Arctic Zoology.
BAY-WINGED BUNTING. AS
the front to the hind head, pure white, bounded on each side
by a stripe of black proceeding from each nostril; and these
again are bordered by a stripe of pure white passing over each
eye to the hind head, where they meet ; below this, another
narrow stripe of black passes from the posterior angle of the
eye, widening as it descends to the hind head; chin, white ;
breast, sides of the neck, and upper parts of the same, very
pale ash ; back, streaked laterally with dark rusty brown and
pale bluish white ; wings, dusky, edged broadly with brown ;
the greater and lesser coverts tipt broadly with white, forming
two handsome bands across the wing; tertials, black, edged
with brown and white; rump and tail-coverts, drab, tipt with
a lighter tint; tail, long, rounded, dusky, and edged broadly
with drab; belly, white; vent, pale yellow ochre ; legs and
feet, reddish brown; eye, reddish hazel; lower eyelid, white.
The female may easily be distinguished from the male, by the
white on the head being less pure, the black also less in extent,
and the ash on the breast darker ; she is also smaller in size.
There is a considerable resemblance between this species
and the white-throated sparrow, already described in this
work. Yet they rarely associate together; the latter re-
maining in the lower parts of Pennsylvania in great numbers,
until the beginning of May, when they retire to the north
and to the high inland regions to breed ; the former inhabiting
much more northern countries, and though said to be common
in Canada, rarely visiting this part of the United States.
BAY-WINGED BUNTING. (imberiza graminea.)
PLATE XXXI.—Fie. 5.
Grass Finch, Arct. Zool. No. 253.—Lath. iii. 273.—Turton, Syst. i. p. 565.
ZONOTRICHIA GRAMINEA.—SWAINSON.
Fringilla graminea, Bonap. Synop. p. 108.—Fringilla (Zonotrichia) graminea,
North. Zool. ii. p. 254.
Tue manners of this bird bear great affinity to those of the
common bunting of Britain. It delights in frequenting grass
46 BAY-WINGED BUNTING.
and clover fields, perches on the tops of the fences, singing,
from the middle of April to the beginning of July, with a
clear and pleasant note, in which particular it far excels its
European relation. It is partially a bird of passage here,
some leaving us, and others remaining with us, during the
winter. In the month of March I observed them numerous
in the lower parts of Georgia, where, according to Mr Abbot,
they are only winter visitants. They frequent the middle of
fields more than hedges or thickets; run along the ground
like a lark, which they also resemble in the great breadth of
their wings. They are timid birds, and rarely approach the
farmhouse.
Their nest is built on the ground, in a grass or clover field,
and formed of old withered leaves and dry grass, and lined
with hair. The female lays four or five eggs, of a grayish
white. On the first week in May, I found one of their nests
with four young, from which circumstance I think it probable
that they raise two or more broods in the same season.
This bird measures five inches and three quarters in length,
and ten inches and a half in extent; the upper parts are
cinereous brown, mottled with deep brown or black; lesser
wing-coverts, bright bay ; greater, black, edged with very pale
brown; wings, dusky, edged with brown; the exterior primary,
edged with white; tail, sub-cuneiform, the outer feather white
on the exterior edge, and tipt with white; the next, tipt and
edged for half an inch with the same ; the rest, dusky, edged
with pale brown ; bill, dark brown above, paler below ; round
the eye is a narrow circle of white ; upper part of the breast,
yellowish white, thickly streaked with pointed spots of black
that pass along the sides; belly and vent, white; legs and
feet, flesh-coloured ; third wing-feather from the body, nearly
as long as the tip of the wing when shut.
I can perceive little or no difference between the colours
and markings of the male and female.
rm
yj)
Ce
Hiya Anni,
gt 1 Oo
Di
ame By) ue
LSnow Owl. 2. Male Sparrow Hawk.
32.
Yreasn tron Nacire by A Wilsor
SNMOW OWL. 47
SNOW OWL. § (Strix nyctea.)
PLATE XXXII.—Fie. 1. MAE.
Lath. i. 132. No. 17.—Buff. i. 387.—Great White Owl, Hdw. 61.—Snowy Owl,
Arct. Zool. 233. No. 121.—Peale’s Museum, No. 458.
SURNIA NYCTEA.—DUvUMERIL.
Snowy Owl, Mont. Orn. Dict. Supp.—Bewickh’s Brit. Birds, Supp.—Snowy Owl,
Strix nyctea, Selby’s Brit. Orn. p. 58, pl. 23.—Strix nyctea, Zemm. Man. i.
p. 82.—Flem. Br. Anim. p. 58.—Bonap. Synop. p. 36.—North. Zool. ii. p. 88.
THE snow owl represented in the plate is reduced to half its
natural size. ‘To preserve the apparent magnitude, the other
accompanying figures are drawn by the same scale.
This great northern hunter inhabits the coldest and most
dreary regions of the northern hemisphere on both continents.
The forlorn mountains of Greenland, covered with eternal
ice and snows, where, for nearly half the year, the silence of
death and desolation might almost be expected to reign,
furnish food and shelter to this hardy adventurer; whence
he is only driven by the extreme severity of weather towards
the sea-shore. He is found in Lapland, Norway, and the
country near Hudson’s Bay, during the whole year ; is said to
be common in Siberia, and numerous in Kamtschatka. He is
often seen in Canada and the northern districts of the United
States; and sometimes extends his visits to the borders of
Florida. Nature, ever provident, has so effectually secured
this bird from the attacks of cold, that not even a point is left
exposed. ‘The bill is almost completely hid among’a mass of
feathers that cover the face; the legs are clothed with such
an exuberance of long, thick, hair-like plumage, as to appear
nearly as large as those of a middle-sized dog, nothing being
visible but the claws, which are large, black, much hooked,
and extremely sharp. The whole plumage below the surface
is of the most exquisitely soft, warm, and elastic kind, and so
closely matted together as to make it a difficult matter to
penetrate to the skin.
48 SNOW OWL.
The usual food of this species is said to be hares, grouse,
rabbits, ducks, mice, and even carrion. Unlike most of his
tribe, he hunts by day as well as by twilight, and is particu-
larly fond of frequenting the shores and banks of shallow
rivers, over the surface of which he slowly sails, or sits on a
rock a little raised above the water, watching for fish. These
he seizes with a sudden and instantaneous stroke of the foot,
seldom missing his aim. In the more southern and thickly
settled parts, he is seldom seen; and when he appears, his
size, colour, and singular aspect, attract general notice.*
In the month of October, I met with this bird on Oswego
River, New York State, a little below the Falls, vigilantly
watching for fish. At Pittsburg, in the month of February,
I saw another, which had been shot in the wing some time
before. Ata place on the Ohio, called Long Reach, I exa-
mined another, which was-the first ever recollected*to have
been seen there. In the town of Cincinnati, State of Ohio,
two of these birds alighted on the roof of the court house, and
alarmed the whole town. A people more disposed to super-
stition would have deduced some dire or fortunate prognos-
tication from their selecting such.a place ; but the only
solicitude was how to get possession of them, which, after
several volleys, was at length effected. One of these, a female,
* The following observations by Mr Bree of Allesly, taken from
Loudon’s Magazine of Natural History, will show that other owls also
fish for their prey :—‘‘ Probably it may not be generally known to
naturalists, that the common brown owl (Strix stridula), is in the
habit—occasionally, at least—of feeding its young with live fish,—a
fact which I have ascertained beyond doubt. Some years since several
young owls were taken from the nest, and placed in a yew tree, in the
rectory garden here. In this situation, the parent birds repeatedly
brought them live fish, bull heads (Cottus gobbius), and loach (Colitis
barbatula), which had doubtless been procured from a neighbouring
brook, in which these species abound. Since the above period, I have,
upon more than one occasion, found the same fish, either whole or in
fragments, lying under the trees on which I have observed the young
owls to perch after they have left the nest, and where the old birds
were accustomed to feed them.” —Ep.
SNOW OWL. 49
J afterwards examined, when on my way through that place
to New Orleans. Near Bairdstown, in Kentucky, I met with
a large and very beautiful one, which appeared to be altogether
unknown to the inhabitants of that quarter, and excited general
surprise. A person living on the eastern shore of Maryland,
shot one of these birds a few months ago, a female; and,
having stuffed the skin, brought it to Philadelphia, to Mr
Peale, in expectation, no doubt, of a great reward. I have
examined eleven of these birds within these fifteen months
last past, in different and very distant parts of the country,
all of which were shot either during winter, late in the fall,
or early in spring; so that it does not appear certain whether
any remain during summer within the territory of the United
States ; though I think it highly probable that a few do, in
some of the more northern inland parts, where they are most
numerous during winter.
The colour of this bird is well suited for concealment, while
roaming over the general waste of snows ; and its flight strong
and swift, very similar to that of some of our large hawks.
Its hearing must be exquisite, if we Judge from the largeness
of these organs in it; and its voice is so dismal, that, as
Pennant observes, it adds horror even to the regions of
Greenland, by its hideous cries, resembling those of a man in
deep distress.
The male of this species measures twenty-two inches and a
half in length, and four feet six inches in breadth ; head and
neck, nearly white, with a few small dots of dull brown
interspersed ; eyes, deep sunk, under projecting eyebrows, the
plumage at their internal angles, fluted or prest in, to admit
direct vision ; below this it bristles up, covering nearly the
whole bill; the irides are of the most brilliant golden yellow,
and the countenance, from the proportionate smallness of the
head, projection of the eyebrow, and concavity of the plumage
at the angle of the eye, very different from that of any other
of the genus; general colour of the body, white, marked with
lunated spots of pale brown above, and with semicircular
VOL. II. D
Oe SNOW OWL.
dashes below ; femoral feathers, long, and legs covered, even
over the claws, with long shaggy hair-like down, of a dirty
white ; the claws, when exposed, appear large, much hooked,
of a black colour, and extremely sharp pointed ; back, white ;
tail, rounded at the end, white, slightly dotted with pale
brown near the tips; wings, when closed, reach near the
extremity of the tail; vent-feathers, large, strong shafted,
and extending also to the point of the tail ; upper part of the
breast and belly, plain white; body, very broad and flat.
The female, which measures two feet in length, and five
feet two inches in extent, is covered more thickly with spots
of a much darker colour than those on the male; the chin,
throat, face, belly, and vent, are white; femoral feathers,
white, long, and shaggy, marked with a few heart-shaped
spots of brown ; legs, also covered to the claws with long white
hairy down; rest of the plumage white, every feather spotted
or barred with dark brown, largest on the wing-quills, where
they are about two inches apart; fore part of the crown,
thickly marked with roundish black spots ; tail, crossed with
bands of broad brownish spots ; shafts of all the plumage,
white; bill and claws, as in the male, black; third and
fourth wing-quill the longest ; span of the foot, four inches.
From the various individuals of these birds which I have
examined, I have reason to believe that the male alone
approaches nearly to white in his plumage, the female rarely
or never. The bird from which the figure in the plate was
drawn, was killed at Ege Harbour, New Jersey, in the month
of December. The conformation of the eye of this bird forms
a curious and interesting subject to the young anatomist.
The globe of the eye is immoveably fixed in its socket, by a
strong elastic hard cartilaginous case, in form of a truncated
cone ; this case being closely covered with a skin, appears at
first to be of one continued piece; but, on removing the
exterior membrane, it is found to be formed of fifteen pieces,
placed like the staves of a cask, overlapping a little at the
base, or narrow end, and seem as if capable of being enlarged
SNOW OWL. SY
or contracted, perhaps by the muscular membrane with which
they are encased. In five other different species of owls,
which I have since examined, I found nearly the same con-
formation of this organ, and exactly the same number of
staves. The eye being thus fixed, these birds, as they view
different objects, are always obliged to turn the head; and
Nature has so excellently adapted their neck to this purpose,
that they can, with ease, turn it round, without moving the
body, in almost a complete circle.*
* In prefixing the generic appellations to this curious family, I must
at once confess my inability to do it in a manner satisfactory to myself.
They have been yet comparatively unstudied ; and the organs of greatest
importance have been seemingly most neglected. Neither my own
collection, nor those accessible in Britain, contain sufficient materials
to decide upon: I will, therefore, consider any attempt now to divide
them in the words of Mr Swainson, “as somewhat speculative, and
certainly not warranted by any evidence that has yet been brought for-
ward on the subject.” The names are applied, then, on the authority
of ornithologists of high standing.
This owl, and some others, will form the genus Woctua of Savigny
and Cuvier, and are closely allied to the Surnia of Dumeril. In fact, the
characters of the latter appear to me to agree better than those of Woctua ;
and Lesson says, ‘“‘ Les cheveches ne se font pas reconnaitre trés nette-
ment des chouettes.” The snowy owl feeds by day as well as by night,
and is much more active than the night feeding birds ; it approaches
nearer to the hawk owls. The head is less; the tail and wings,
elongated, and the plumage is more compact and rigid. It appears to
extend as far north in America as any inhabited country, and is found
in the coldest districts of Europe. It is also mentioned by Pennant to
reach beyond the Asiatic frontier to the hot latitude of Astracan (a
contrast, uf it should turn out the same species), and was discovered to
breed in Orkney and Shetland by Mr Bullock, who procured several
specimens. Its visits to the mainland of Britain are, again, more rare ;
indeed, I believe one of the only instances on record is that of a male
and female killed near Rothbury in Northumberland, in January 1823,
—a winter remarkable for a severe snow storm. They were killed on
an open moor, in a wild and rocky part of the country, and were gene-
rally seen perched upon the snow, or upon some large stone projecting
fromit. Both now form beautiful specimens in the collection of Mr Selby.
They become very familiar in winter, approaching close to the dwell-
ings of the Indians. In Lapland they are shot with ball when hunting
after moles and lemmings, and in that country, like many other owls,
52 AMERICAN SPARKOW HAWK.
AMERICAN SPARROW HAWK. (Falco sparverius.)
PLATE XXXIL—Fic. 2, MaLe.
Little Hawk, Arct. Zool. 211, No. 110.—Emerillon de Cayenne, Buff. i. 291.
Pl. enl. No. 444.—Lath. i. 110.—Peale’s Museum, No. 340.
FALCO SPARVERIUS.—LINNAUS.
Falco sparverius, Bonap. Synop. p. 27.—Falco sparverius, Little Rusty-crowned
Falcon, Worth. Zool. ii. p. 31.
Tue female of this species has been already figured and
described in Vol. I. of this work. As they differ considerably
in the markings of their plumage, the male is introduced here,
drawn to one half its natural size, to conform with the rest of
the figures on the plate.
The male sparrow hawk measures about ten inches in length,
and twenty-one in extent ; the whole upper parts of the head
are of a fine slate blue, the shafts of the plumage being black,
the crown excepted, which is marked with a spot of bright
rufous ; the slate tapers to a point on each side of the neck ;
seven black spots surround the head, as in the female, on a
they are looked upon with superstition. They utter a sound at night
when perched, like the grunting of pigs, which, by the common and
uninformed people, is thought to be some apparition or spectre. By
Hearne the snow owl is said to be known to watch the grouse shooters
a whole day, for the purpose of sharing inthe spoil. On such occasions,
it perches on a high tree, and when a bird is shot, skims down and
carries it off before the sportsman can get nearit. We have the fol-
lowing remarks by Dr Richardson in the ‘“ Northern Zoology ” :—
“‘ Frequents most of the arctic lands that have been visited, but retires
with the ptarmigan, on which it preys, to more sheltered districts in
winter ; hunts by day. When I have seen it on the barren grounds,
it was generally squatting on the earth; and if put up, it alighted
again after a short flight, but was always so wary as to be approached
with difficulty. In woody districts it shows less caution. I have seen
it pursue the American hare on the wing, making repeated strokes at
the animal with its feet. In winter, when this owl is fat, the Indians
and white residents in the Fur Countries esteem it to be good eating,
Its flesh is delicately white.” By the Cree Indians it is called Wapow-
keethoo, or Wapahoo ; by the Esquimaux, Oookpééguak ; by the Nor-
wegians, Lemensgriis and Gysfugl; by the Swedes, Harfang.—Ep.
AMERICAN SPARROW HAWE. 53
reddish white ground, which also borders each sloping side of
the blue; front, lores, line over and under the eye, chin, and
throat, white; femoral and vent-feathers, yellowish white ;
the rest of the lower parts, of the same tint, each feather
being streaked down: the centre with a long black drop ;
those on the breast, slender, on the sides, larger; upper part
of the back and scapulars, deep reddish bay, marked with ten
or twelve transverse waves of black; whole wing-coverts and
ends of the secondaries, bright slate, spotted with black ;
primaries, and upper half of the secondaries, black, tipt with
white, and spotted on their inner vanes with the same ; lower
part of the back, the rump, and tail-coverts, plain bright bay ;
tail rounded, the two exterior feathers, white, their inner
vanes beautifully spotted with black; the next, bright bay,
with a broad band of black near its end, and tipt for half an
inch with yellowish white; part of its lower exterior edge,
white, spotted with black, and its opposite interior edge,
touched with white ; the whole of the others are very deep
red bay, with a single broad band of black near the end, and
tipt with yellowish white ; cere and legs, yellow; orbits, the
same ; bill, light blue; iris of the eye, dark, almost black ;
claws, blue black.
The character of this corresponds with that of the female,
given at large in Vol. I. p. 262. I have reason, however, to
believe, that these birds vary considerably in the colour and
markings of their plumage during the first and second years ;
having met with specimens every way corresponding with the
above, except in the breast, which was a plain rufous white,
without spots ; the markings on the tail also differing a little in
different specimens. ‘These I uniformly found, on dissection,
to be males ; from the stomach of one of which I took a con-
siderable part of the carcass of a robin (Turdus migratorvus), in-
cluding the unbroken feet and claws; though the robin actually
measures within half an inch as long as the sparrow hawk.*
* Bonaparte has separated the small American falcons from the larger
kinds, characterising the group as having the wings shorter than the tail,
54 ROUGH-LEGGED FALCON.
ROUGH-LEGGED FALCON. (Falco lagopus.)
PLATE XXXIII.—Fic. 1.
Arct. Zool. p. 200, No. 92.—Lath. i. 75.—Peale’s Museum, No. 116.
BUTEO LAGOPUS.—BECHSTEIN?
Rough-legged Falcon, Mont. Ornith.'Dict. Supp.—Bew. Br. Birds, Supp.—
Rough-legged Buzzard, Selby’s Illust. Br. Ornith. i. p. 20. pl. 7.—Falco
lagopus, Zemm. Man. i. p. 65.—Bonap. Synop. p. 32.—Buteo lagopus, Flem.
Br. Anim. p. 54.—WNorth. Zool. ii. p. 52.
Tris handsome species, notwithstanding its formidable size
and appearance, spends the chief part of the winter among
tarsi scutellated ; and Mr Swainson says, that the group seems natural,
differing somewhat in their manners from the larger falcons, and having
analogies in their habits to the shrikes.
With both these we agree. It is long since we thought the general
form and habits of our common kestrel—analogous to Wilson’s bird in
Europe—differed from those of the true falcons, as much, certainly, as
Astur does from Accipiter, and both should be only by subordinate divi-
sions. The manner of suspending itself in the air is exactly similar to
that of our windhover ; and I am not aware that this peculiar manner
of hunting is made use of by any other of the Falconide, with the excep-
tion of the kestrels, that is, those of Europe or Africa, #. rupicola, tunun-
culoides, &c. The true falcons survey the ground by extensive sweeps,
or a rapid flight, and stoop at once on their prey with the velocity and
force of lightning; the others quietly watch their quarry when suspended
or perched on a bare eminence or tree in the manner described, and take
it by surprise. Insects, reptiles, and small animals form part of their
food; and to the old falconists they were known by the name of
“Tonoble.” The whole of the kestrels are very familiar, easily tamed,
and when in confinement become even playful. Their great breeding-
place is steep rocks, clothed with ivy, and fringed with the various wild
plants incident to the different climes; in the chinks and hearts of these
they nestle, often in security from any clamberer that has not the assist-
ance of a rope ; though the appearance of a stranger immediately calls
forth peculiarly shrill and timid notes of alarm. When the young are
hatched, and partly advanced, they may be seen stretching out from their
hole, and, on the appearance of their parent, mutual greetings are heard,
and in a tone at once different from those before mentioned. Our native
species, in addition to rocks, delights in ruined buildings as a breeding-
place ; and it is remarkable, that perhaps more kestrels build and bring
d Rough - ed F z
3 gh -legged Falcon. 2. Barred Owl. 5. Short eared 0. ERs cele
AD. upmritecl. Py: WH Lr zun's
ROUGH-LEGGED FALCON. 55
our low swamps and meadows, watching for mice, frogs,
lame ducks, and other inglorious game. ‘T'wenty or thirty
individuals of this family have regularly taken up their winter
quarters, for several years past, and probably long anterior
to that date, in the meadows below this city, between the
rivers Delaware and Schuylkill, where they spend their time
watching along the dry banks like cats; or sailing low and
slowly over the surface of the ditches. ‘Though rendered shy
from the many attempts made to shoot them, they seldom fly
far, usually from one tree to another at no great distance,
making a loud squeeling as they arise, something resembling
the neighing of a young colt, though in a more shrill and
savage tone.
The bird represented in the plate was one of this fraternity,
to maturity their young in London, than in any space of the same dimen-
sions: the breeding-places there are the belfries of the different churches,
where neither the bustle beneath, nor the jingle of the bells, seems to have
any effect upon them.
We have the following characteristic observations on this species in
the “ Northern Zoology” :—.
“Tn the vicinity of Carlton House, where the plains are beautifully
ornamented by numerous small clumps of aspens, that give a rich pic-
turesque effect to the landscape, which I have never seen equalled in an
English park, this small falcon was frequently discovered, perched upon
the most lofty tree in the clump, sitting with his eye apparently closed,
but, nevertheless, sufficiently awake to what was going on, as it would
occasionally evince, by suddenly pouncing upon any small bird that
happened to come within its reach. It is the least shy of any of the
American hawks ; and, when on its perch, will suffer the fowler to ad-
vance to the foot of the tree, provided he has the precaution to make a
slow and devious approach. He is not, however, unnoticed ; for the
bird shows, by the motion of its head, that he is carefully watching his
manceuvres, though, unless he walks directly towards it, it is not readily
alarmed. When at rest, the wings are closely applied to the sides, with
their tips lying over the tail, about one-third from its end ; and the tail
itself, being closely shut up, looks long and narrow. If its suspicion be
excited, it raises and depresses its head quickly two or three times, and
spreads its tail, but does not open its wings until the instant it takes its
flight. ‘The individuals shot at Carlton House, had mice and small birds
in their stomachs. They were not observed by the expedition beyond
the 54th degree of latitude.”—Ep,
56 ROUGH-LEGGED FALCON.
and several others of the same association have been obtained
and examined during the present winter. On comparing
these with Pennant’s description referred to above, they cor-
respond so exactly, that no doubts remain of their being the
same species. Towards the beginning of April, these birds
abandon this part of the country, and retire to the north to
breed. |
They are common, during winter, in the lower parts of
Maryland, and numerous in the extensive meadows below
Newark, New Jersey; are frequent along the Connecticut
River ; and, according to Pennant, inhabit England, Norway,
and Lapmark. ‘Their flight is slow and heavy. They are
often seen coursing over the surface of the meadows, long
after sunset, many times in pairs. They generally roost on
the tall detached trees that rise from these low grounds ; and
take their stations, at day-break, near a ditch, bank, or hay
stack, for hours together, watching, with patient vigilance,
for the first unlucky frog, mouse, or lizard, to make its
appearance. ‘The instant one of these is descried, the hawk,
sliding into the air, and taking a circuitous course along the
surface, sweeps over the spot, and in an instant has his prey
grappled and sprawling in the air.
The rough-legged hawk measures twenty-two inches in
length, and four feet two inches in extent; cere, sides of the
mouth, and feet, rich yellow ; legs, feathered to the toes, with
brownish yellow plumage, streaked with brown ; femorals, the
same; toes, comparatively short ; claws and bill, blue black ;
iris of the eye, bright amber ; upper part of the head, pale
ochre, streaked with brown; back and wings, chocolate, each
feather edged with bright ferruginous ; first four primaries,
nearly black about the tips, edged externally with silvery in
some lights; rest of the quills, dark chocolate ; lower side,
and interior vanes, white; tail-coverts, white ; tail, rounded,
white, with a broad band of dark brown near the end, and
tipt with white; body below, and breast, light yellow ochre,
blotched and streaked with chocolate. What constitutes a
ROUGH-LEGGED FALCON. LY,
characteristic mark of this bird, is a belt, or girdle, of very
dark brown, passing round the belly just below the breast,
and reaching under the wings to the rump; head, very
broad, and bill uncommonly small, suited to the humility of
its prey.
The female is much darker, both above and below, parti-
cularly in the belt, or girdle, which is nearly black; the tail-
coverts are also spotted with chocolate ; she is also something
larger.*
* From their different form, Buteo has been now adopted for the
buzzards. They will also rank in two divisions; those with clothed,
and those with bare tarsi. The American species belonging to the first,
will be our present one, Wilson’s Falco niger, and Audubon’s Ff. Har-
lanii ;1 to the second, Wilson’s B. borealis, hyemalis, and the common
European buzzard, which was met with in the last Overland Arctic
Expedition, The buzzards are sluggish and inactive in their habits ;
their bills, feet, and claws, comparatively weak ; the form heavy, and
the plumage more soft and downy, as if a smooth flight was to supply
in part their want of activity. Their general flight is in sweeping circles,
after mounting from their resting-place. They watch their prey either
from the air, or on some tree or eminence, and sometimes pounce upon
it when sailing near the ground. When satiated, they again return to
their perch, and if undisturbed, will remain in one situation until hunger
again calls them forth. Our present species is one of the more active,
and is common also to the European continent. In Britain, it is an
occasional visitant. They seem to appear at uncertain intervals, in more
abundance ; thus, in 1823, I received two beautiful specimens from East
Lothian ; and, in the same year, two or three more were killed on that
coast. Mr Selby mentions, that in the year 1815, Northumberland was
visited by them, and several specimens were obtained. He remarks,
“Two of these birds, from having attached themselves to a neighbouring
marsh, passed under my frequent observation. Their flight was smooth
but slow, and not unlike that of the common buzzard ; and they seldom
continued for any length of time on the wing. They preyed upon wild
ducks and other birds, frogs and mice, which they mostly pounced upon
on the ground.” They appear to prefer trees for their breeding-place,
whereas rocks, and the sides of deep ravines, are more frequently selected
by the common buzzard. No instance has occurred of them breeding in
this country. In plumage, they vary as much as the common species,
the colour of the upper parts being of lighter or darker shades ; the
1 See description of F. Miger.
58 BARRED OWL.
BARRED OWL. § (Strix nebulosa.)
PLATE XXXIII.—Fic. 2.
Turton, Syst. 169.—Arct. Zool. p. 234, No. 122.—Lath. 133.—-Strix acclamator,
The Whooting Owl, Bartram, 289.—Peale’s Museum, No. 464.
STRIX NEBULOSA.—FOoRSTER.*
La chouette du Canada (Ulula), Cuv. Regn. Anim. i. p. 328.—Strix nebulosa,
(sub-gen. Ulula, Cuv.) Bonap. Synop. p. 38.—Chouette nébuleuse, Zemm. _
Man. i. p. 86.—Strix nebulosa, Worth. Zool. ii. p. 81.
T'n1sis one of our most common owls. In winter particularly,
it is numerous in the lower parts of Pennsylvania, among the
breast sometimes largely patched with deep brown, and sometimes en-
tirely of that colour ; and the white bar at the base of the tail, though
always present, is of various dimensions. Dr Richardson says it arrives
in the Fur Countries in April and May ; and having reared its young,
retires southward early in October. They were so shy, that only one
specimen could be got by the Expedition.—Ep.
* Cuvier places this bird in his genus Ulula, It may be called
nocturnal, though it does show a greater facility of conducting itself
during the day than the really night-living species, and will approach
nearer to the tawny owl of this country than any other ; indeed, it
almost seems the American representative of that species. The tawny
owl, though not so abundant, has the very same manners ; and when
raised from its dormitory in a spruce or silver fir, or holly, or oak that
still carries its leaves, it will flit before one for half a day, moving its
station whenever it thinks the aggressor too near. It does not utter
any cry during flight.
It is common to both continents, visiting, however, only the more
northern parts of the European, and does not extend so generally as
many of those which inhabit both.
According to Mr Audubon, this owl was a most abundant visitor to
his various solitary encampments, often a most amusing one ; and, by
less accustomed travellers, might easily have been converted into some
supposed inhabitant of another world.
“ How often,” says this distinguished ornithologist, “when snugly
settled under the boughs of my temporary encampment, and preparing
to roast a venison steak, or the body of a squirrel, on a wooden spit,
have I been saluted with the exulting bursts of this nightly disturber
of the peace, that, had it not been for him, would have prevailed around
me, as well as in my lonely retreat! How often have I seen this -
BARRED OWL. 59 ©
woods that border the extensive meadows of Schuylkill and
Delaware. It is very frequently observed flying during day,
and certainly sees more distinctly at that time than many of
nocturnal marauder alight within a few yards of me, exposing his whole
body to the glare of my fire, and eye mein such a curious manner, that,
had it been reasonable to do so, I would gladly have invited him to
walk in and join me in my repast, that I might have enjoyed the
pleasure of forming a better acquaintance with him, The liveliness of
his motions, joined to their oddness, have often made me think that his
society would be at least as agreeable as that of many of the buffoons
we meet with in the world. But as such opportunities of forming
acquaintance have not existed, be content, kind reader, with the imper-
fect information which I can give you of the habits of this Sancho
Panga of our woods.
“Such persons as conclude, when looking upon owls in the glare of
day, that they are, as they then appear, extremely dull, are greatly
mistaken. Were they to state, like Buffon, that woodpeckers are
miserable beings, they would be talking as incorrectly ; and, to one who
might have lived long in the woods, they would seem to have lived only
in their libraries.
“The barred owl is found in all those parts of the United States which
I have visited, and is a constant resident. In Louisiana, it seems to be
more abundant than in any other state. It is almost impossible to
travel eight or ten miles in any of the retired woods there, without
seeing several of them even in broad day; and, at the approach of
night, their cries are heard proceeding from every part of the forest
around the plantations. Should the weather be lowering, and indica-
tive of the approach of rain, their cries are so multiplied during the
day, and especially in the evening, and they respond to each other in
tones so strange, that one might imagine some extraordinary féte about
to take place among them. On approaching one of them, its gesticula-
tions are seen to be of a very extraordinary nature. The position of
the bird, which is generally erect, is immediately changed. It lowers
its head and inclines its body, to watch the motions of the person
beneath ; throws forward the lateral feathers of its head, which thus
has the appearance of being surrounded by a broad ruff ; looks towards
him as if half blind, and moves its head to and fro in so extraordinary
a manner, as almost to induce a person to fancy that part dislocated
from the body. It followsall the motions of the intruder with its eyes ;
and should it suspect any treacherous intentions, flies off to a short dis-
tance, alighting with its back to the person, and immediately turning
about with a single jump, to recommence its scrutiny. In this manner,
the barred owl may be followed to a considerable distance, if not shot
60 BARRED OWL.
its genus. In one spring, at different times, I met with more
than forty of them, generally fying or sitting exposed. I also
once met with one of their nests, containing three young, in
at, for to halloo after it does not seem to frighten it much. But if shot
at and missed, it removes to a considerable distance, after which, its
whah-whah-whah is uttered with considerable pomposity. This owl
will answer the imitation of its own sounds, and is frequently decoyed
by this means.
“The flight of the barred owl is smooth, light, noiseless, and capable
of being greatly protracted. I have seen them take their departure
from a detached grove in a prairie, and pursue a direct course towards
the skirts of the main forest, distant more than two miles, in broad day-
light. I have thus followed them with the eye until they were lost in
the distance, and have reason to suppose that they continued their flight
until they reached the woods. Once, whilst descending the Ohio, not
far from the well known Cave-in-rock, about two hours before sunset,
in the month of November, I saw a barred ow] teased by several crows,
and chased from the tree in which it was. On leaving the tree, it
gradually rose in the air, in the manner of a hawk, and at length
attained so great a height, that our party lost sight of it. It acted, I
thought, as if it had lost itself, now and then describing small
circles, and flapping its wings quickly, then flying in zigzag lines. This
being so uncommon an occurrence, I noted it down at the time. I felt
anxious to see the bird return towards the earth, but it did not make
its appearance again. So very lightly do they fly, that I have frequently
discovered one passing over me, and only a few yards distant, by first
seeing its shadow on the ground, during clear moonlight nights, when
not the faintest rustling of its wings could be heard.
“Their power of sight during the day seems to be rather of an equi-
vocal character, as I once saw one alight on the back of a cow, which it
left so suddenly afterwards, when the cow moved, asto prove to me that
it had mistaken the object on which it had perched for something else.
At other times, I have observed that the approach of the gray squirrel
intimidated them, if one of these animals accidentally jumped on a
branch close to them, although the owl destroys a number of them dur-
ing the twilight.”
Audubon has heard it said, in addition to small animals and birds,
and a peculiar sort of frog, common in the woods of Louisiana, that the
barred owl catches fish, He never saw this performed, though it may
be as natural for it as those species which have been ascertained to feed
on them. It is often exposed for sale in the New Orleans market, and
the creoles make gumbo of it, and pronounce it palatable.
In this place may be introduced another species, mentioned by
BARRED OWL, 61
the crotch of a white oak, among thick foliage. The nest was
rudely put together, composed outwardly of sticks, intermixed
with some dry grass and leaves, and lined with smaller twigs.
At another time, in passing through the woods, I perceived
something white, on the high shaded branch of a tree, close
to the trunk, that, as I thought, looked like a cat asleep.
Unable to satisfy myself, I was induced to fire, when, to my
surprise and regret, four young owls, of this same species,
nearly full grown, came down headlong, and, fluttering for a
few moments, died at my feet. Their nest was probably not
far distant. I have also seen the eggs of this species, which
are nearly as large as those of a young pullet, but much more
globular, and perfectly white.
Bonaparte as inhabiting Arctic America, and met with by Dr Richardson
during the last northern expedition. It is the largest of the American
owls, exceeding even the size of the Virginian horned owl, and seems to
have been first noticed and described by Dr Latham, from Hudson’s Bay
specimens. Dr Richardson has more lately given the following sketch
of its manners :—“ It is by no means a rare bird in the Fur Countries,
being an inhabitant of all the woody districts lying between Lake
Superior and latitudes 67° or 68°, and between Hudson’s Bay and the
Pacific. It is common on the borders of Great Bear Lake; and there
and in the higher parallels of latitude it must pursue its prey, during
the summer months, by daylight. It keeps, however, within the woods,
and does not frequent the barren grounds, like the snowy owl, nor is
it so often met with in broad daylight as the hawk owl, but hunts
principally when the sun is low ; indeed, it is only at such times, when
the recesses of the woods are deeply shadowed, that the American hare
and the marine animals, on which this owl chiefly preys, come forth to
feed. On the 23d of May, I discovered a nest of this owl, built, on the
top of a lofty balsam poplar, of sticks, and lined with feathers. It con-
tained three young, which were covered with a whitish down. We
could get at the nest only by felling the tree, which was remarkably
thick ; and whilst this operation was going on, the two parent birds
flew in circles round the objects of their care, keeping, however, so high
in the air as to be out of gunshot: they did not appear to be dazzled
by the light. The young ones were kept alive for two months, when
they made their escape. They had the habit, common also to other owls,
of throwing themselves back, and making a loud snapping noise with
their bills, when any one entered the room in which they were kept.”
—ED.
62 BARRED OWL.
These birds sometimes seize on fowls, partridges, and young
rabbits ; mice and small game are, however, their most usual
food. The difference of size between the male and female of
this owl is extraordinary, amounting sometimes to nearly
eight inches in the length. Both scream during day, like a
hawk.
The male barred owl measures sixteen inches and a half
in length, and thirty-eight inches in extent; upper parts a
pale brown, marked with transverse spots of white; wings,
barred with alternate bands of pale brown, and darker ; head,
smooth, very large, mottled with transverse touches of dark
brown, pale brown, and white; eyes, large, deep blue, the
pupil not perceivable; face, or radiated circle of the eyes,
eray, surrounded by an outline of brown and white dots ;
bill, yellow, tinged with green; breast, barred transversely
with rows of brown and white ; belly, streaked longitudinally
with long stripes of brown, on a yellowish ground; vent,
plain yellowish white; thighs and feathered legs, the same,
slightly pointed with brown; toes, nearly covered with plum-
age; claws, dark horn colour, very sharp ; tail, rounded, and
remarkably concave below, barred with six broad bars of
brown, and as many narrow ones of white; the back and
shoulders have a cast of chestnut; at each internal angle of
the eye, is abroad spot of black ; the plumage of the radiated
circle round the eye ends in long black hairs; and the bill is
encompassed by others of a longer and more bristly kind,
These probably serve to guard the eye when any danger
approaches it in sweeping hastily through the woods; and
those usually found on flycatchers may have the same inten-
tion to fulfil; for, on the slightest touch of the point of any
of these hairs, the nictitant membrane was instantly thrown
over the eye.
The female is twenty-two inches long, and four feet in
extent ; the chief difference of colour consists in her wings
being broadly spotted with white; the shoulder being a plain
chocolate brown; the tail extends considerably beyond the
“SHORT-EARED OWL. 63
tips of the wings; the bill is much larger, and of a more
golden yellow; iris of the eye, the same as that of the male.
The different character of the feathers of this, and, I believe,
of most owls, is really surprising. Those that surround the
bill differ little from bristles ; those that surround the region
of the eyes are exceedingly open, and unwebbed ; these are
bounded by another set, generally proceeding from the ex-
ternal edge of the ear, of a most peculiar small, narrow,
velvety kind, whose fibres are so exquisitely fine, as to be
invisible to the naked eye; above, the plumage has one
general character at the surface, calculated to repel rain and
moisture ; but, towards the roots, it is of the most soft, loose,
and downy substance in nature—so much so, that it may be
touched without being felt ;.the webs of the wing-quills are
also of a delicate softness, covered with an almost impercep-
tible hair, and edged with a loose silky down, so that the
owner passes through the air without interrupting the most
profound silence. Who cannot perceive the hand of God in
all these things ! |
SHORT-EARED OWL. (Strix Brachyotos.)
PLATE XXXIII.—F1e. 3.
Turton, Syst. p. 167.—Arct. Zool. p. 229, No. 116.—Lath. i. 124.—La chouette,
ou la grand chevéche, Buff. i. Pl. enl. 438.—Peale’s Museum, No. 440.
OTUS BRACHYOTOS.—CvvIiEr.*
Short-eared Owl, Bew. Br. Birds, i. p. 48, 50.—Selby, Illust. Br. Orn. i. p. 54,
pl. 21.—Hibou brachyote, Temm. Man. i. p. 99.—La Chouette, ou le moyen
duc, 4 Huppes courtes, Cuv. Regn. Anim. i. p. 328.—Otus brachyotus, Flem.
Br. Anim. p. 56.—Strix brachyotos, Bonap. Synop. p. 37.—Strix brachyota,
North. Zool. p. 75.
Tus is another species common to both continents, being
found in Britain as far north as the Orkney Isles, where it
* This owl, as Wilson observes, is also common to both continents,
but the British history of it is comparatively unknown. The following
observations may perhaps advance some parts of it :-—
In England it bears the name of woodcock owl, from its appearance
64 SHORT-EARED OWL.
also breeds, building its nest, upon the ground, amidst the
heath ; arrives and disappears in the south parts of Hagland
with the woodcock, that is, in October and April; conse-
quently does not breed there. It is called at Hudson’s Bay,
nearly about the same time with that bird, and its reappearance again
in the spring. Very few, if any, remain during the whole season, and
they are only met with in their migrations to and from the north, their
breeding-places, similar to the appearance, for a few days, of the rin-
gousels and dotterels ; in spring, singly or in pairs ; and in the fall, in
small groups, the amount of their broods when again retiring. They do
not appear to be otherwise gregarious ; and it is only in this way that
we can account for the flock of twenty-eight in a turnip field, quoted by
our author, and the instances of five or six of these birds frequently
found roosting together, as mentioned by Mr Selby. They appear at
the same seasons (according to Temminck), and are plentiful in Holland.
It is only in the north of England, and over Scotland, that they will
rank as summer visitants. Hoy, and the other Hebrides, where they
were first discovered to breed, were considered the southern limit of
their incubation. It extends, however, much farther; and may be,
perhaps, stated as the extensive muirland ranges of Cumberland, West-
moreland, and Northumberland. Over all the Scottish muirs, it occurs
in considerable abundance ; there are few sportsmen who are unac-
quainted with it ; many are killed during the grouse season, and those
individuals which Mr Selby mentions as found on upland moors, 1 have
no doubt bred there. On the extensive moors at the Head of Dryfe (a
small rivulet in Dumfriesshire), I have, for many years past, met with
one or two pairs of these birds, and the accidental discovery of their
young first turned my attention to the range of their breeding ; for, pre-
vious to this, I also held the opinion, that they had commenced their
migration southward. The young was discovered by one of my dogs
pointing it ; and, on the following year, by searching at the proper
season, two nests were found with five eggs. They were formed upon
the ground among the heath ; the bottom of the nest scraped until the
fresh earth appeared, on which the eggs were placed, without any lining
or other accessory covering. When approaching the nest or young, the
old birds fly and hover round, uttering a shrill cry, and snapping with
their bills, They will then alight at a short distance, survey the ageres-
sor, and again resume their flight and cries. The young are barely able
to fly by the 12th of August, and appear to leave the nest some time
before they are able to rise from the ground. I have taken them, on
that great day to sportsmen, squatted on the heath like young black
game, at no great distance from each other, and always attended by the
parent birds. Last year (1831) I found them in their old haunts, to which
SHORT-EARED OWL. 65
the mouse hawk ; and is described as not flying, like other
owls, in search of prey, but sitting quiet, on a stump of a
tree, watching for mice. It is said to be found in plenty in
the woods near Chatteau Bay, on the coast of Labrador. In
the United States, it is also a bird of passage, coming to us
from the north in November, and departing in April. The
bird represented in the plate was shot in New Jersey, a few
miles below Philadelphia, in a thicket of pines. It has the
stern aspect of a keen, vigorous, and active bird; and is
reputed to be an excellent mouser. It flies frequently by day,
and particularly in dark cloudy weather, takes short flights ;
and, when sitting and looking sharply around, erects the two
slight feathers that constitute its horns, which are at such
times very noticeable ; but, otherwise, not perceivable. No
person on slightly examining this bird after being shot, would
suspect it to be furnished with horns; nor are they discovered
but by careful search, or previous observation, on the living
bird. Bewick, in his “ History of British Birds,” remarks that
this species is sometimes seen in companies,—twenty-eight of
them having been once counted in a turnip field in November.
Length, fifteen inches; extent, three feet four inches ;
general colour above, dark brown, the feathers broadly skirted
with pale yellowish brown; bill, large, black; irides, rich
they appear to return very regularly; and the female, with a young
bird, was procured; the young could only fly for sixty or seventy yards.!
In form, this species will bear the same analogy to those furnished
with horns which the snowy owl bears to the earless birds, The name
of hawk owl implies more activity and boldness, and a different make ;
and we find the head small, the body more slender, the wings and tail
powerful. They hunt regularly by day, and will sometimes soar to a
great height. They feed on small birds, and destroy young game, as
well as mice and moles,
It seems to have a pretty extensive geographical range. Pennant
mentions it as inhabiting the Falkland Isles. It extends to Siberia ;
and I have received it from the neighbourhood of Canton, in China.— Ep.
1 A specimen was shot in December (1831) on the same ground, and one was seen
when drawing a whin covert for a fox, on 31st January 1832. I believe some
reside during the whole year.—ED,
ViONi LY, E
66 LITTLE OWL.
golden yellow, placed in a bed of deep black, which radiates
outwards all around, except towards the bill, where the
plumage is whitish ; ears, bordered with a semi-circular line
of black, and tawny yellow dots; tail, rounded, longer than
usual with owls, crossed with five bands of dark brown, and
as many of yellow ochre—some of the latter have central spots
of dark brown, the whole tipt with white quills also banded
with dark brown and yellow ochre; breast and belly streaked
with dark brown, on a ground of yellowish ; legs, thighs, and
vent, plain dull yellow ; tips of the three first quill-feathers,
black ; legs, clothed to the claws, which are black, curved to
about the quarter of a circle, and exceedingly sharp.
The female I have never seen ; but she is said to be some- ~
what larger, and much darker, and the spots on the breast
larger, and more numerous.*
LITTLE OWL. § (Strix passerina.)
PLATE XXXIV.—Fic. 1.
Arct. Zool. 236, No. 126.—Turton, Syst. 172.—Peale’s Museum, No. 522.
STRIX ACADICA.—GmMELin.{
Chouette chevéchette, Temm. Man. i. p. 96.—Strix acadica, Bonap. Synop. p. 38.
—Monog. sinot strigiinauric. osservy. sulla, 2d edit. del. Reg. Anim. Cuv. p. 52.
—Strix acadica, American Sparrow Owl, North. Zool. p. 97.
Tats is one of the least of its whole genus; but, like
many other little folks, makes up, in neatness of general form
* The female is nearly of the same size with the male ; the colours
are all of a browned tinge, the markings more clouded and indistinct ;
the white of the lower parts, and under the wings, is less pure, and the
belly and vent are more thickly dashed with black streaks; the ears
are nearly of the same length with the other feathers, but can be easily
distinguished. She is always foremost to attack any intruder on her
nest or young.— Ep.
+ There is so much alliance between many of the small owls, that it
is a matter of surprise more species have not been confounded. Wilson
appears to have been mistaken, or to have confounded the name at least
of the little owl; and on the authority of Temminck and Bonaparte, we
4
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LITTLE OWE. 67
and appearance, for deficiency of size, and is, perhaps, the most
shapely of all our owls. Nor are the colours and markings
of its plumage inferior in simplicity and effect to most others.
Tt also possesses an eye fully equal in spirit and brilliancy to
the best of them.
This species is a general and constant inhabitant of the
middle and northern states ; but is found most numerous in
the neighbourhood of the sea-shore, and among woods and
swamps of pine trees. It rarely rambles much during day ;
but, if disturbed, flies a short way, and again takes shelter
from the light: at the approach of twilight it is all life and
activity, being a noted and dexterous mouse catcher. It is
found as far north as Nova Scotia, and even Hudson’s Bay ;
is frequent in Russia; builds its nest generally in pines, half
way up the tree, and lays two eggs, which, like those of the
have given it as above, that of acadica. It is anative of both continents,
but does not yet appear to have reached the British shores. According
to Temminck, it is found in the deep German forests, though rarely, but
is plentiful in Livonia. Bonaparte hints at the probability of the S¢
passerina being yet discovered in America, which seems very likely, con-
sidering the similarity of its Huropean haunts. The last Overland Arctic
Expedition met with this and another allied species, St Tengmalmi,
which will rank as an addition to the ornithology of that continent. Dr
Richardson has the following observations regarding the latter: “ When
it accidentally wanders abroad in the day, it is so much dazzled by the
light of the sun as to become stupid, and it may be easily caught by the
hand. Its cry in the night is a single melancholy note, repeated at in-
tervals of a minute or two, and it is one of the superstitious practices of
the natives to whistle when they hear it. If the bird is silent when thus
challenged, the speedy death of the inquirer is thus augured ; hence its
Cree appellation of Death Bird.
On the banks of the Sascatchewan it is so common, that its voice is
heard almost every night by the traveller, wherever he selects his
bivouac.
Both the latter species extend over the north of Europe, and are found
occasionally in Britain, The specimens which I have seen in confine-
ment seem to sleep or dose away the morning and forenoon, but are
remarkably active when roused, and move about with great agility. Both
are often exposed for sale, with other birds, in the Dutch and Belgian
markets.— Ep,
7
68 LITTLE OWL.
rest of its genus, are white. The melancholy and gloomy
umbrage of those solitary evergreens forms its favourite
haunts, where it sits dozing and slumbering all day lulled by
the roar of the neighbouring ocean.
The little owl is seven inches and a half long, and eighteen
inches in extent ; the upper parts are a plain brown olive,
the scapulars and some of the greater and lesser coverts
being spotted with white ; the first five primaries are crossed
obliquely with five bars of white ; tail, rounded, rather darker
than the body, crossed with two rows of white spots, and
tipt with white; whole interior vanes of the wings, spotted
with the same ; auriculars, yellowish brown ; crown, upper -
part of the neck, and circle surrounding the ears, beautifully
marked with numerous points of white on an olive brown
ground ; front, pure white, ending in long blackish hairs ; at
the internal angle of the eyes, a broad spot of black radiating
outwards ; irides, pale yellow ; bill, a blackish horn colour ;
lower parts, streaked with yellow ochre and reddish bay ;
thighs, and feathered legs, pale buff; toes, covered to the
claws, which are black, large, and sharp-pointed.
The bird, from which the foregoing figure and description
were taken, was shot on the sea-shore, near Great Ege Harbour,
in New Jersey, in the month of November, and, on dissection,
was found to be a female. Turton describes a species called
the white fronted owl (S. albifrons,) which, in everything
except the size, agrees with this bird, and has, very probably,
been taken from a young male, which is sometimes found
considerably less than the female.
ae
SEA-SIDE FINCH. 69
SEA-SIDE FINCH. (fringilla maritima.)
PLATE XXXIV. Fic. 2.
AMMODRAMUS MARITIMUS.—SWAINSON.*
Ammodramus, Swain. Zool. Journ. No. 11. p. 348.—Fringilla maritima, Bonap.
Synop. p. 110.—The Sea-side Finch, Aud. Orn. Biog. i. p. 470, pl. 93, male and
female.
Or this bird I can find no description. It inhabits the low
rush-covered sea islands along our Atlantic coast, where I first
found it; keeping almost continually within the boundaries
of tide water, except when long and violent east or north-
easterly storms, with high tides, compel it to seek the shore.
On these occasions it courses along the margin, and among
the holes and interstices of the weeds and sea-wrack, with a
rapidity equalled only by the nimblest of our sandpipers, and
very much in their manner. At these times also it roosts on
the ground, and runs about after dusk.
* The sea-side and short-tailed finches constitute the genus Ammo-
dramus of Swainson. The former was discovered by Wilson; the latter
is the sharp-tailed oriole of Latham. They are both peculiar to North
America, and are nearly confined to the salt marshes on the coast. They
are very curious in their structure, combining, as remarked by our
author, properties for either running or climbing. The tail is truly
scansorial ; the feet partly so ; the hallux formed for running, having
the claw elongated, and of a flat bend, as among the larks.
Mr Audubon has figured this bird with the nest. He says it is placed
so near the ground, that one might suppose it sunk into it, although this
is not actually the case. It is composed externally of coarse grass, and
is lined with finer kinds, but exhibits little regularity. The eggs are
from four to six, elongated, grayish white, freckled with brown all over.
They build in elevated shrubby places, where many nests may be found
in the space of an acre. When the young are grown, they betake them-
selves to the ditches and sluices which intersect the salt marshes, and
find abundant food. They enter the larger holes of crabs, and every
crack and crevice of the drying mud. In this they much resemble the
wrens, who enjoy entering and prying into every chink or opening of
their own haunts. Mr Audubon had some dressed in a pie, but found
them quite unpalatable. —Eb.
70 SEA-SIDE FINCH.
This species derives its whole subsistence from the sea. I
examined a great number of individuals by dissection, and
found their stomachs universally filled with fragments of
shrimps, minute shell-fish, and broken limbs of small sea
crabs. Its flesh, also, as was to be expected, tasted of fish, or
was what is usually termed sedgy. Amidst the recesses of
these wet sea marshes, it seeks the rankest growth of grass
and sea weed, and climbs along the stalks of the rushes with
as much dexterity as it runs along the ground, which is rather
a singular circumstance, most of our climbers being rather
awkward at running.
The sea-side finch is six inches and a quarter long, and
eight and a quarter in extent; chin, pure white, bordered
on each side by a stripe of dark ash, proceeding from each
base of the lower mandible; above that is another slight
streak of white; from the nostril over the eye extends another
streak, which immediately over the lores is rich yellow, bor-
dered above with white, and ending in yellow olive; crown,
brownish olive, divided laterally by a stripe of slate blue, or
fine light ash; breast, ash, streaked with buff; belly, white ;
vent, buff coloured, and streaked with black ; upper parts of
the back, wings, and tail, a yellowish brown olive, intermixed
with very pale blue; greater and lesser coverts, tipt with dull
white ; edge of the bend of the wing, rich yellow ; primaries
edged with the same immediately below their coverts; tail,
cuneiform, olive brown, centered with black ; bill, dusky
above, pale blue below, longer than is usual with finches ;
legs and feet, a pale bluish white; irides, hazel. Male and
female nearly alike in colour.
SHARP-TAILED FINCH, Fs
SHARP-TAILED FINCH. (Fringilla caudacuta.)
PLATE XXXIV.—Fic. 3.
Sharp-tailed Oriole, Lath. Gen. Synop. ii. p. 448. pl. 17.—
Peale's Museum, No. 6442.
AMMODRAMUS CAUDACUTUS.—SWAINsoON.*
Ammodramus, Swain. Zool. Journ. No. ii. p. 348.—Fringilla caudacuta, Bonap.
Synop. p. 110.
A sirp of this denomination is described by Turton, Syst. p.
562, but which by no means agrees with the present. This,
however, may be the fault of the describer, as it is said to be
a bird of Georgia: unwilling, therefore, to multiply names
unnecessarily, I have adopted his appellation. In some
future part of the work I shall settle this matter with more
precision.
This new (as I apprehend it) and beautiful species is an
associate of the former, inhabits the same places, lives on the
same food; and resembles it so much in manners, that but
for their dissimilarity in some essential particulars, I would
be disposed to consider them as the same in a different state
of plumage. They are much less numerous than the preced-
ing, and do not run with equal celerity.
The sharp-tailed finch is five inches and a quarter long, and
seven inches and a quarter in extent ; bill, dusky ; auriculars,
ash ; from the bill over the eye, and also below it, run two
broad stripes of brownish orange ; chin, whitish; breast, pale
buff, marked with small pointed spots of black ; belly, white ;
vent, reddish buff; from the base of the upper mandible a
broad stripe of pale ash runs along the crown and hind head,
* Mr Audubon has figured a bird, very closely allied in plumage,
under the title of Ammodramus Henslowii, and, in the letter-press, has
described it as Henslow’s bunting, Emberiza Henslowit. It will evi-
dently come under the first genus, and if new and distinct, will form a
third North American species. It is named after Professor Henslow
of Cambridge, and was obtained near Cincinnati. There is no account
of its history and habits,—Eb,
72 _ SAVANNAH FINCH.
bordered on each side by one of blackish brown ; back, a yel-
lowish brown olive, some of the feathers curiously edged with
semicircles of white; sides under the wings buff, spotted with
black ; wing-coverts and tertials black, broadly edged with
light reddish buff; tail, cuneiform, short; all the feathers -
sharp pointed ; legs, a yellow clay colour ; irides, hazel.
I examined many of these birds, and found but little dif-
ference in the colour and markings of their plumage.
Since writing the above, I have become convinced that the
bird described by Mr Latham, under the name of sharp-tailed
oriole, is the present species. Latham states, that his descrip-
tion and figure were taken from a specimen deposited in Mrs
Blackburn’s collection, and that it came from New York..
SAVANNAH FINCH. (fringilla Savanna.)
PLATE XXXIV.—Fic. 4. Maz.*
Peale’s Museum, No. 6583.
ZONOTRICHIA? SAVANNA.—JARDINE.
Fringilla Savanna, Bonap. Synop. p. 108.
T's delicately marked sparrow has been already taken notice
of, in a preceding part of this work, where a figure of the
female was introduced. ‘The present figure was drawn from
a very beautiful male, and is a faithful representation of the
original.
The length is five and a half inches; extent, eight anda
half; bill, pale brown ; eyebrows, Naples yellow; breast and
whole lower parts, pure white, the former marked with small
pointed spots of brown; upper parts, a pale whitish drab,
mottled with reddish brown; wing-coverts, edged and tipt
with white ; tertials, black, edged with white and bay ; legs, ©
pale clay ; ear-feathers, tinged with Naples yellow. The
female and young males are less, and much darker.
* The female is described in Vol. I. p. 342.
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WINTER FALCON. 73
This is, probably, the most timid of all our sparrows. In
winter it frequents the sea-shores ; but, as spring approaches,
migrates to the interior, as I have lately discovered, building
its nest in the grass nearly in the same form, though with
fewer materials, as that of the bay-winged bunting. On the
23d of May, I found one of these at the root of a clump of
rushes in a grass field, with three young, nearly ready to fly.
The female counterfeited lameness, spreading her wings and
tail, and using many affectionate stratagems to allure me from
the place. The eggs I have never seen.
WINTER FALCON. (Falco hyemalis.)
PLATE XXXV.—Fic. 1.
Turton, Syst. p. 156.—Arct. Zool. p. 209, No. 107.—Peale’s Museum, No. 272
and 273.
ASTUR? HY EMALIS.—JaRvDINE.*
The Winter Hawk, Aud. pl. 71; Orn. Biog. p. 164.
Tars elegant and spirited hawk is represented in the plate of
one-half its natural size; the other two figures are reduced in
the same proportion. He visits us from the north early in
November, and leaves us late in March.
* This species, with the Falco lineatus of our author, have been the
subject of dispute, as to their identity. The Prince of Musignano thinks
they are the same, but in different states of plumage, according to age.
Audubon says they are decidedly distinct, and has given plates of each,
with an account of the differences he observed in their habits. I have
transcribed his observations at some length, that these distinctions may
be seen and judged of individually. I am inclined to consider them
distinct, and cannot reconcile the great difference of habit to birds of
one species, particularly in the same country, With regard to their
station, again, they present a most interesting form. They are inter-
mediate, as it were, between Buteo, Astur, and Circus. The colours are
those of Buteo and Circus ; while the form and active habits of the one
is that of Astur; those of the winter hawk more of Circus; the wings
are short for a true Buzzard, and possess the proportional length of the
feathers of the goshawks. The feet of both are decidedly Astur, run-
ning perhaps into the more slender form of Circus; and from the pre-
74. WINTER FALCON.
This is a dexterous frog catcher ; who, that he may pursue
his profession with full effect, takes up his winter residence
ponderance of their form to the goshawks, I have chosen that as their
present appellation, but certainly with a query.
I have transcribed the habits of both species as given by Audubon,
that the comparison may be the more easy, and at the description of F.
lineatus have referred to this page :—
“The winter hawk is not a constant resident in the United States,
but merely visits them, making its first appearance there at the approach
of winter. The flight is smooth and light, although greatly protracted,
when necessity requires it to be so. It sails, at times, at a considerable
elevation ; and, notwithstanding the comparative shortness of its wings,
performs this kind of motion with grace, and in circles of more than
ordinary diameter. It is a remarkably silent bird, often spending the
greater part of the day without uttering its notes more than once or
twice, which it does just before it alights, to watch with great patience
and perseverance for the appearance of its prey. Its haunts are the
extensive meadows and marshes which occur along our rivers. There
it pounces with a rapid motion on the frogs, which it either devours on
the spot, or carries to the perch, or the top of the hay-stack, on which
it previously stood. It generally rests at night on the ground, among
the tall sedges of the marshes, I have never seen this hawk in pursuit
of any other birds than those of its own species, each individual chasing
the others from the district which it had selected for itself. The cry of the
winter hawk is clear and prolonged, and resembles the syllables kay-o.” .
“The red-shouldered hawk, or, as I would prefer calling it, the red-
breasted hawk, although dispersed over the greater part of the United
States, is rarely observed in the middle districts, where, on the contrary,
the winter falcon usually makes its appearance from the north at the
approach of every autumn, and is of more common occurrence. This
bird is one of the most noisy of its genus, during spring especially,
when it would be difficult to approach the skirts of woods bordering a
large plantation, without hearing its discordant shrill notes, ha-hee, ka-
hee, as it is seen sailing in rapid circles at a very great elevation. Its
ordinary flight iseven and protracted. It is a more general inhabitant of
the woods than most of our other species, particularly during the summer.
‘“The interior of woods seems, as I have said, the fittest haunts for
the red-shouldered hawk. He sails through them a few yards above
the ground, and suddenly alights on the low branch of a tree, or the
top of a dead stump, from which he silently watches in an erect posture
for the appearance of squirrels, upon which he pounces directly, and
kills them in an instant, afterwards devouring them on the ground.
“ At the approach of spring, this species begins to pair, and its flight
is accompanied with many circlings and zigzag motions, during which
WINTER FALCON. 75
almost entirely among our meadows and marshes. He some-
times stuffs himself so enormously with these reptiles, that the
prominency of his craw makes a large bunch, and he appears
to fly with difficulty. I have taken the broken fragments and
whole carcasses of ten frogs, of different dimensions, from
the crop of a single individual. Of his genius and other
exploits, I am unable to say much. He appears to be a
fearless and active bird, silent, and not very shy. One which
I kept for some time, and which was slightly wounded, dis-
dained all attempts made to reconcile him to confinement ;
and would not suffer a person to approach without being
highly irritated, throwing himself backward, and striking,
with expanded talons, with great fury. Though shorter
winged than some of his tribe, yet I have no doubt but, with
proper care, he might be trained to strike nobler game, in a
bold style, and with great effect. But the education of hawks in
this country may well be postponed for a time, until fewer im-
provements remain to be made in that of the human subject.
Length of the winter hawk, twenty inches ; extent, forty-one
inches, or nearly three feet six inches ; cere and legs, yellow,
the latter long, and feathered for an inch below the knee ;
bill, bluish black, small, furnished with a tooth in the upper
mandible ; eye, bright amber, cartilage over the eye, very
prominent, and of a dull green; head, sides of the neck, and
it emits its shrill cries. The top of a tall tree seems to be preferred,
as I have found its nest most commonly placed there, not far from the
edges of woods bordering plantations ; it is seated in the forks of a large
branch, towards its extremity, and is as bulky as that of the common
crow ; it is formed externally of dry sticks and Spanish moss, and is
lined with withered grass and fibrous roots of different sorts, arranged
in a circular manner. The eggs are generally four, sometimes five, of
a broad oval form, granulated all over, pale blue, faintly blotched with
brownish red at the smaller end.”
From the above account it is seen that the red-shouldered hawk has
much more the habits of an Astur than the other, which seems to lean
towards the Circi; the breeding places of the latter are, however, not
mentioned by any writer. The different states of plumage in these
birds are deserving of farther research,—Ep.
76 MAGPIE.
throat, dark brown, streaked with white; lesser coverts with
a strong glow of ferruginous ; secondaries, pale brown, indis-
tinctly barred with darker ; primaries, brownish orange,
spotted with black, wholly black at the tips; tail long,
slightly rounded, barred alternately with dark and pale
brown ; inner vanes, white; exterior feathers, brownish
orange; wings, when closed, reach rather beyond the middle
of the tail; tail-coverts, white, marked with heart-shaped
spots of brown ; breast and belly, white, with numerous long
drops of brown, the shafts blackish ; femoral feathers, large,
pale yellow ochre, marked with numerous minute streaks of
pale brown ; claws, black. The legs of this bird are repre-
sented by different authors as slender ; but I saw no appear-
ance of this in those I examined.
The female is considerably darker above, and about two
inches longer.
MAGPIE. (Corvus pica.)
PLATE XXXV.—Fic. 2.
Arct. Zool. No. 136.—Lath. i. 392.—Buff. iii. 85.—Peale’s Museum, No. 1333.
PICA CAUDATA.—Ray.*
Tuis bird is much better known in Europe than in this
country, where it has not been long discovered; although it
is now found to inhabit a wide extent of territory, and in
* The common magpie of Europe is typical of that section among the
Corvide, to which the name of Pica has been given. They retain the
form of the bill as in Corvus; their whole members are weaker ; the
feathers on the rump are more lax and puffy, and the tail is always very
lengthened.
The Appendix to Captain Franklin’s narrative, by Mr Sabine, first
gave rise to the suspicion that two very nearly allied species of magpie were
found in the northern parts of America ; and that gentleman has accord-
ingly described the specimens killed at Cumberland House, during the
first Arctic expedition, under the name of Corvus Hudsonicus—of which
the following are the principal distinctions—and he seems to consider
that bird more particularly confined to the more northern parts of the
MAGPIE. el
great numbers. The drawing was taken from a very beautiful
specimen, sent from the Mandan nation, on the Missouri, to
Mr Jefferson, and by that gentleman presented to Mr Peale
of this city, in whose museum it lived for several months, and
where I had an opportunity of examining it. On carefully
comparing it with the European magpie in the same collection,
no material difference could be perceived. The figure on the
plate is reduced to exactly half the size of life.
This bird unites in its character courage and cunning,
turbulency and rapacity. Not inelegantly formed, and dis-
tinguished by gay as well as splendid plumage, he has long
been noted in those countries where he commonly resides, and
his habits and manners are there familiarly known. He is
continent, while the other was met with in the United States and the
Missouri country.
“The Hudson’s Bay magpie is of less size in all its parts than the
common magpie, except in its tail, which exceeds that of its congener in
length ; but the most remarkable and obvious difference is, in a loose
tuft of grayish and white feathers on the back. Length of the body,
exclusive of the tail, seven inches, that of the tail from eleven to twelve
inches, that of the common being from nine to ten.”
In the “ Northern Zoology,” Corvus Hudsonicus is quotedas a synonym,
The authors remark, “ This bird, so common in Europe, is equally plen-
tiful in the interior prairie lands of America ; but it is singular, that,
though it abounds on the shores of Sweden, and other maritime parts
of the Old World, it is very rare on the Alantic, eastward of the Missis-
sippi, or Lake Winipeg.” “The manners of the American bird are pre-
cisely what we have been accustomed tu observe in the English one. On
comparing its eggs with those of the European bird, they were found to
be longer and narrower; and though the colours are the same, the
blotches are larger and more diffused.”
The distinctions mentioned by Mr Sabine seem very trivial ; indeed
they may be confined entirely toa less size. The grayish tuft of feathers
on the rump is the same in the common magpie of Britain. I have had
an opportunity of examining only one North American specimen, which
is certainly smaller, but in no other respect different. The authors of
the “ Northern Zoology” mention their having compared Arctic specimens
with one from the interior of China, and they found no difference. The
geosraphical distribution may therefore extend toa greater range than
was supposed,—Europe, China, and America.—Ep.
78 MAGPIE.
particularly pernicious to plantations of young oaks, tearing
up the acorns; and also to birds, destroying great numbers
of their eggs and young, even young chickens, partridges,
grouse and pheasants. It is perhaps on this last account that
the whole vengeance of the game laws has lately been let loose
upon him in some parts of Britain, as appears, by accounts
from that quarter, where premiums, it is said, are offered for
his head, as an arch poacher ; and penalties inflicted on all
those who permit him to breed on their premises. Under
the lash of such rigorous persecution, a few years will probably
exterminate the whole tribe from the island. He is also de-
structive to gardens and orchards ; is noisy and restless, almost
constantly flying from place to place ; alights on the backs of
the cattle, to rid them of the larve that fester in the skin ; is
content with carrion when nothing better offers ; eats various
kinds of vegetables, and devours greedily grain, worms, and
insects of almost every description. When domesticated, he
is easily taught to imitate the human voice, and to articulate
words pretty distinctly; has all the pilfering habits of his
tribe, fillmg every chink, nook, and crevice, with whatever he
can carry off; is subject to the epilepsy, or some similar dis-
order ; and is, on the whole, a crafty, restless, and noisy bird.
He generally selects a tall tree, adjoining the farm house,
for his nest, which is placed among the highest branches ;
this is large, composed outwardly of sticks, roots, turf, and
dry weeds, and well lined with wool, cow hair, and feathers ;
the whole is surrounded, roofed, and barricaded with thorns,
leaving only anarrow entrance. Theeggs are usually five of a
greenish colour, marked with numerous black or dusky spots.
In the northern parts of Europe, he migrates at the com-
mencement of winter.
In this country, the magpie was first taken notice of at the
factories, or trading houses, on Hudson’s Bay, where the
Indians used sometimes to bring it in, and gave it the name
of heart-bird,—for what reason is uncertain. It appears, how-
ever, to be rather rare in that quarter. These circumstances
MAGPIE. 79
are taken notice of by Mr Pennant and other British
naturalists.
In 1804, an exploring party under the command of Captains
Lewis and Clark, on their route to the Pacific Ocean across
the continent, first met with the magpie somewhere near tlie
great bend of the Missouri, and found that the number of
these birds increased as they advanced. Here also the blue
jay disappeared ; as if the territorial boundaries and jurisdic-
tion of these two noisy and voracious families of the same tribe
had been mutually agreed on, and distinctly settled. But
the magpie was found to be far more daring than the jay,
dashing into their very tents, and carrying off the meat from
the dishes. One of the hunters who accompanied the expedi-
tion informed me, that they frequently attended him while he
was engaged in skinning and cleaning the carcass of the deer,
bear, or buffalo he had killed, often seizing the meat that
hung within a foot or two of his head. On the shores of the
Koos-koos-ke river, on the west side of the great range of
Rocky Mountains, they were found to be equally numerous.
It is highly probable that those vast plains, or prairies,
abounding with game and cattle, frequently killed for the
mere hides, tallow, or even marrow bones, may be one great
inducement for the residency of these birds, so fond of flesh
and carrion. Even the rigorous severity of winter in the high
regions along the head waters of Rio du Nord, the Arkansaw,
and Red River, seems insufficient to force them from those
favourite haunts ; though it appears to increase their natural
voracity to a very uncommon degree. Colonel Pike relates,
that in the month of December, in the neighbourhood of the
North Mountain, N. lat. 41° W. long. 34°, Reaumut’s ther-
mometer standing at 17° below O, these birds were seen in
great numbers. “Our horses,” says he, ‘‘were obliged to
scrape the snow away to obtain their miserable pittance; and,
to increase their misfortunes, the poor animals were attacked
by the magpies, who, attracted by the scent of their sore
backs, alighted on them, and, in defiance of their wincing and
80 CROW.
kicking, picked many places quite raw; the difficulty of pro-
curing food rendering those birds so bold, as to alight on our
men’s arms, and eat meat out of their hand.” *
The magpie is eighteen inches in length ; the head, neck,
upper part of the breast and back, are a deep velvety black ;
primaries, brownish black, streaked along their inner vanes
with white; secondaries, rich purplish blue; greater coverts,
green blue; scapulars, lower part of the breast and belly,
white; thighs and vent, black; tail, long ; the two exterior
feathers scarcely half the length of the longest, the others
increasing to the two middle ones, which taper towards their
extremities. The colour of this part of the plumage is very
splendid, being glossy green, dashed with blue and bright
purple ; this last colour bounds the green ; nostrils, covered
with a thick tuft of recumbent hairs, as are also the sides of
the mouth; bill, legs, and feet, glossy black. The female
differs only in the less brillianey of her plumage.
CROW. (Corvus corone.t)
PLATE XXXV.—Fic. 3.
Peale’s Museum, No. 1246.
CORVUS CORONE ?—LINNEUvs.
Tuts is perhaps the most generally known, and least beloved,
of all our land birds; having neither melody of song, nor
* Pike’s Journal, p. 170.
+ “The voice of this bird is so remarkably different from that of the
Corone of Europe, that I was at first led to believe it a distinct species ;
but the most scrupulous examination and comparison of European and
American specimens proved them to be the same,” are the words of
Bonaparte in his Nomenclature to Wilson ; and Corvus corone is quoted,
as the name and synonym to this species in the “ Northern Zoology,”
from a male killed on the plains of the Saskatchewan.
This is one of the birds I have yet been unable to obtain for compari-
son with European specimens, and it may seem presumption to differ
from the above authorities, without ever having seen the bird in question.
CROW. 8I
beauty of plumage, nor excellence of flesh, nor civility of
manners, to recommend him; on the contrary, he is branded
as a thief and a plunderer—a kind of black-coated vagabond,
who hovers over the fields of the industrious, fattening on
their labours, and, by his voracity, often blasting their expec-
tations. Hated as he is by the farmer, watched and persecuted
by almost every bearer of a gun, who all triumph in his
destruction, had not Heaven bestowed on him intelligence
and sagacity far beyond common, there is reason to. believe
that the whole tribe (in these parts at least.) would long ago
have ceased to exist.
The crow is a constant attendant on agriculture, and a
general inhabitant of the cultivated parts of North America.
Tn the interior of the forest he is more rare, unless during the
season of breeding. He is particularly attached to low flat
corn countries, lying in the neighbourhood of the sea, or of
large rivers; and more numerous in the northern than
southern states, where vultures abound, with whom the crows
are unable to contend. A strong antipathy, it is also said,
prevails between the crow and the raven, insomuch, that
where the latter is numerous, the former rarely resides. Many
of the first settlers of the Gennesee country have informed
me, that, for a long time, ravens were numerous with them,
but no crows, and even now the latter are seldom observed in
that country. In travelling from Nashville to Natchez, a
I cannot, nevertheless, reconcile Wilson’s account of the difference of
habits and cry to those of Britain and Europe. It seems a species more
intermediate between the common rook, C. frugilequs, and the C. corone ;
their gregarious habits, and feeding so much on grain, are quite at vari-
ance with the carrion crow ; Wilson’s account of the crow roost on the
Delaware is so different, that, as far as habit: is concerned, it is impos-
sible to refer them to one ; and though some allowance might be made
for the diversity of habit in the two countries, I do not see in what
manner the cry of the bird should be so distinctly affected as to be
remarked by nearly all authors who have mentioned them.
Burns’s line in the “ Cottar’s Saturday Night ” alludes certainly to the
common rook, and he, I am sure, knew the difference between a crow
and a corbie.-—Ep.
VOL. II. F
82 CROW.
distance of four hundred and seventy miles, I saw few or no
crows, but ravens frequently, and vultures in great numbers.
The usual breeding time of the crow, in Pennsylvania, is
in March, April, and May, during which season they are
dispersed over the woods in pairs, and roost in the neighbour-
hood of the tree they have selected for their nest. About the
middle of March they begin to build, generally choosing a
high tree; though I have also known them prefer a middle-
sized cedar. One of their nests, now before me, is formed
externally of sticks, wet moss, thin bark, mixed with mossy
earth, and lined with large quantities of horse hair, to the
amount of more than half a pound, some cow hair, and some
wool, forming a very soft and elastic bed. The eggs are
four, of a pale green colour, marked witl numerous specks
and blotches of olive.
During this interesting season, the male is extremely
watchful, making frequent excursions of half a mile or so in
circuit, to reconnoitre ; and the instant he observes a person
approaching, he gives the alarm, when both male and female
retire to a distance till the intruder has gone past. He also
regularly carries food to his mate, while she is sitting ; occa-
sionally relieves her; and, when she returns, again resigns
up his post. At this time, also, as well as until the young
are able to fly, they preserve uncommon silence, that their
retreat may not be suspected.
It is in the month of May, and until the middle of June,
that the crow is most destructive to the corn fields, digging
up the newly planted grains of maize, pulling up by the roots
those that have begun to vegetate, and thus frequently oblig-
ing the farmer to replant, or lose the benefit of the soil; and
this sometimes twice, and even three times, occasioning a
considerable additional expense, and inequality of harvest.
No mercy is now shown him. The myriads of worms, moles,
mice, caterpillars, grubs, and beetles, which he has destroyed,
are altogether overlooked on these occasions. Detected in
robbing the hens’ nests, pulling up the corn, and killing the —
CROW, 83
young chickens, he is considered as an outlaw, and sentenced
to destruction. But the great difficulty is, how to put this
sentence in execution. In vain the gunner skulks along the
hedges and fences ; his faithful sentinels planted on some
commanding point, raise the alarm, and disappoint vengeance
of its object. The coast again clear, he returns once more in
silence, to finish the repast he had begun. Sometimes he
approaches the farm house by stealth, in search of young
chickens, which he is in the habit of snatching off, when he
can elude the vigilance of the mother hen, who often proves
too formidable for him.
RA
Liars
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ie,
Lark.
4 Brown 1
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ai
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AURA ee
Cr
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ay ty
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Nature by A Wilson
3 LurplesL
Flycatcher.
Warbhing
a
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L Red Owl.
42.
RED OWL. 181
other from various parts of the fields or orchard ; roost during
the day in thick evergreens, such as cedar, pine, or juniper
trees, and are rarely seen abroad in sunshine. In May, they
construct their nest in the hollow of a tree, often in the orchard
in an old apple tree; the nest is composed of some hay and a
few feathers; the eggs are four, pure white, and nearly round.
The young are at first covered mith a whitish down.
The bird represented on the plate I kept for several weeks
in the room beside me. It was caught in a barn, where it had
taken up its lodging, probably for the greater convenience of
mousing ; and being unhurt, I had an opportunity of remark-
ing its manners. At first, it struck itself so forcibly against
the window, as frequently to deprive it, seemingly, of all sen-
sation for several minutes: this was done so repeatedly, that I
began to fear that either the glass or the owl’s skull must give
way. Ina few days, however, it either began to comprehend
something of the matter, or to take disgust at the glass, for it
never repeated its attempts; and soon became quite tame and
familiar. Those who have seen this bird only in the day can
form but an imperfect idea of its activity, and even spright-
liness, in its proper season of exercise. Throughout the day, it
was all stillness and gravity,—its eyelids half shut, its neck
contracted, and its head shrunk seemingly into its body ; but
scarcely was the sun set, and twilight began to approach, when
its eyes became full and sparkling, like two living globes of
fire; it crouched on its perch, reconnoitered every object
around with looks of eager fierceness ; alighted and fed ; stood
on the meat with clenched talons, while it tore it in morsels
with its bill; flew round the room with the silence of thought,
and perching, moaned out its melancholy notes with many
lively gesticulations, not at all accordant with the pitiful tone
of its ditty, which reminded one of the shivering moanings
of a half-frozen puppy.
This species is found generally over the United States, and
is not migratory.
The red owl is eight inches and a half long, and twenty-
182 WARBLING FLYCATCHER.
one inches in extent ; general colour of the plumage above,
a bright nut brown or tawny red ; the shafts, black ; exterior
edges of the outer row of scapulars, white ; bastard wing, the
five first primaries, and three or four of the first greater coverts,
also spotted with white; whole wing-quills, spotted with dusky
on their exterior webs ; tail, rounded, transversely barred with
dusky and pale brown ; chin, breast, and sides, bright reddish
brown, streaked laterally with black, intermixed with white ;
belly and vent, white, spotted with bright brown ; legs, covered
to the claws with pale brown hairy down ; extremities of the
toes and claws, pale bluish, ending in black; bill, a pale
bluish horn colour ; eyes, vivid yellow ; inner angles of the
eyes, eyebrows, and space surrounding the bill, whitish; rest
of the face, nut brown; head, horned or eared, each horn
consisting of nine or ten feathers of a tawny red, shafted with
black.
WARBLING FLYCATCHER. (Muscicapa melodia.)
PLATE XLII.—Fie. 2.
VIREO GILVUS.—BoNAPARTE.
Muscicapa gilva, Vieill. pl. 34. (auct. Bonap.)—Vireo gilvus, Bonap. Synop. p. 70.
Nomen. sp. 123,
Tis sweet little warbler is for the first time figured and
described. In its general appearance it resembles the red-
eyed flycatcher ; but, on a close comparison, differs from that
bird in many particulars. It arrives in Pennsylvania about
the middle of April, and inhabits the thick foliage of orchards
and high trees; its voice is soft, tender, and soothing, and its
notes flow in an easy, continued strain, that is extremely
pleasing. It is often heard among the weeping willows and
Lombardy poplars of this city; is rarely observed in the
woods, but seems particularly attached to the society of man.
It gleans among the leaves, occasionally darting after winged
insects, and searching for caterpillars; and seems by its
PURPLE FINCH. 183
manners to partake considerably of the nature of the genus
sylvia. It is late in departing, and I have frequently heard
its notes among the fading leaves of the poplar in October.
This little bird may be distinguished from all the rest of our
songsters by the soft, tender, easy flow of its notes while hid
among the foliage. In these there is nothing harsh, sudden,
or emphatical ; they glide along in a kind of meandering
strain, that is peculiarly its own. In May and June it may
be generally heard in the orchards, the borders of the city,
and around the farmhouse.
This species is five inches and a half long, and eight inches
and a half in extent; bill, dull lead colour above, and notched
near the point, lower, a pale flesh colour; eye, dark hazel ;
line over the eye, and whole lower parts, white, the latter
tinged with very pale greenish yellow near the breast ; upper
parts, a pale green olive ; wings, brown, broadly edged with
pale olive green ; tail, slightly forked, edged with olive; the
legs and feet, pale lead ; the head inclines a little to ash ; no
white on the wings or tail. Male and female nearly alike.
PURPLE FINCH. (fringilla purpurea.)
PLATE XLII.—Fie. 3.
ERYTHROSPIZA PURPUREA.— BONAPARTE. *
Tus bird is represented as he appears previous to receiving
his crimson plumage, and also when moulting. By recurring
to the figure in Vol. I. pl. 7, fig. 4, of this work, which exhibits
him in his full dress, the great difference of colour will be
observed to which this species is annually subject.
It is matter of doubt with me whether this species ought
not to be classed with the Zoxia; the great thickness of the
bill, and similarity that prevails between this and the pine
grosbeak, almost induced me to adopt it into that class. But
* See description of adult male, Note and Synonyms, Vol. I. p. 119.
184 PURPLE FINCH.
respect for other authorities has prevented me from making
this alteration.
When these birds are taken in their crimson dress, and
kept in a cage till they moult their feathers, they uniformly
change to their present appearance, and sometimes never
after receive their red colour. They are also subject, if well
fed, to become so fat as literally to die of corpulency, of which
I have seen several instances; being at these times subject to
something resembling apoplexy, from which they sometimes
recover in a few minutes, but oftener expire in the same space
of time.
The female is entirely without the red, and differs from the
present only in having less yellow about her.
These birds regularly arrive from the north, where they
breed, in September, and visit us from the south again early
in April, feeding on the cherry blossoms as soon as they
appear. Of the particulars relative to this species, the reader
is referred to the account in Vol. I., already mentioned.
The individual figured in the plate measured six inches and
a quarter in length, and ten inches in extent; the bill was
horn coloured; upper parts of the plumage, brown olive,
strongly tinged with yellow, particularly on the rump, where
it was brownish yellow ; from above the eye, backwards, passed
a streak of white, and another more irrecular one from the
lower mandible ; feathers of the crown, narrow, rather long,
and generally erected, but not so as to form a crest; nostrils
and base of the bill, covered with reflected brownish hairs ;
eye, dark hazel; wings and tail, dark blackish brown, edged
with olive ; first and second row of coverts, tipt with pale
yellow; chin, white; breast, pale cream, marked with pointed
spots of deep olive brown; belly and vent, white; legs, brown.
This bird, with several others marked nearly in the same
manner, ‘was shot 25th April, while engaged in eating the
buds from the beech tree.
BROWN LARK: 185
BROWN LARK. (Alauda rufa.)
PLATE XLII.—Fie. 4.
Red Lark, Zdw. 297.—Arct. Zool. No. 279.—Lath. ii. 376.—L’ Alouette aux joues
brunes de Pennsylvanie, Buff. v. 58.—Peale’s Museum, No. 5158.
ANTHUS LUDOVICIANUS.— BONAPARTE.”
Synonyms of Anthus Ludovicianus, Bonap. (from his Nomenclature) :—‘‘ Alauda
rubra, Gmel. Lath.—Alauda Ludoviciana, Gmel. Lath.—Alauda Pennsyl-
vanica, Briss.—Farlouzanne, Buff. Ois.—Alouette aux joues brunes de
Pennsylvanie, Buf. Ois.—Lark from Pennsylvania, Hd. Gillean. p. 297.—Red
Lark, Penn. Brit. and Arct. Zool. Lath. Syn.—Louisiana Lark, Lath. Syn.”—
Anthus spinoletta, Bonap. Synop. p. 90.
In what particular district of the northern regions this bird
breeds, Iam unable to say. In Pennsylvania, it first arrives
from the north about the middle of October ; flies in loose
scattered flocks ; is strongly attached to flat, newly-ploughed
* Anthus is a genus of Bechstein’s, formed to contain birds which
have been generally called larks, but which have a nearer resemblance
to the Motacille, or wagtails, and the accentors, They are also allied
to Sewuwrus of Swainson.
The Prince of Musignano made this identical with the European
rock lark, Anthus aquaticus, Bechst., Alauda spinoletta, Linn. ; but in
his observations on Wilson’s nomenclature, saw reason to change his
opinion, and it will now stand as A, Ludovicianus of that gentleman.
Audubon has, on the other hand, placed it in his “ Biography” as the
European bird, but I fear, with too slender comparison ; and the same
name is mentioned in the “ Northern Zoology,” without comparing the
arctic specimens with those of Britain or Europe. On these accounts, I
rather trust to the observations of Bonaparte, which have been made
from actual comparison. It must also be recollected, that the summer
and winter dress of the Anthi differ very considerably in their shades.
Audubon has introduced in his “ Biography” another Anthus, which
he considers new, under the title of pipiens. It was only met with
once, in the extensive prairies of the north-western States, where two
were killed; and though allied to the common brown titlark, were
distinguished by the difference of their notes. If these specimens were
not preserved, the species must rest on the authority of Mr Audubon’s
plate, and, of course, admitted with doubt.—Eb.
186 BROWN LARK.
fields, commons, and such like situations; has a feeble note,
characteristic of its tribe ; runs rapidly along the ground ;
and, when the flock takes to wing, they fly high, and generally
to a considerable distance before they alight. Many of them
continue in the neighbourhood of Philadelphia all winter, if
the season be moderate. In the southern States, particularly
in the lower parts of North and South Carolina, I found these
larks in great abundance in the middle of February. Loose
flocks of many hundreds were driving about from one corn-
field to another; and, in the low rice-grounds, they were
in great abundance. On opening numbers of these, they
appeared to have been feeding on various small seeds, with a
large quantity of gravel. On the 8th of April, I shot several
of these birds in the neighbourhood of Lexington, Kentucky.
In Pennsylvania, they generally disappear, on their way to
the north, about the beginning of May, or earlier. At Port-
land, in the district of Maine, I met with a flock of these
birds in October. I do not know that they breed within the
United States. Of their song, nest, eggs, &c., we have no
account.
The brown lark is six inches long, and ten inches and a
half in extent; the upper parts, brown olive, touched with
dusky ; greater coverts and next superior row, lighter ; bill,
black, slender; nostril, prominent; chin and line over the
eye, pale rufous ; breast and belly, brownish ochre, the former
spotted with black; tertials, black, the secondaries brown,
edged with lighter; tail, slightly forked, black ; the two ex-
terior feathers, marked largely with white; legs, dark purplish
brown ; hind heel, long, and nearly straight; eye, dark hazel.
Male and female nearly alike. Mr Pennant says that one of
these birds was shot near London.
Drawn tromNature be A Wilson : F Engraved by WH Lizars.
l. Turtle Dove. 2. Hermit Thrush. 3. Lawnev: Thrush. 4. Pine swamp Warbler.
43.
CAROLINA PIGEON. 187
CAROLINA PIGEON OR TURTLE DOVE. (Columba
Carolinensis.)
PLATE XLITI.—Fice. 1.
Linn. Syst. 286.—Catesb. Car. i. 24. — Buff. ii. 557, Pl. ent. 175.—La Tourterelle
de la Caroline, Brisson, i. 110.—Peale’s Museum, No. 5088.—Turton, 479.—
Arct. Zool. ii. No. 188.
ECTOPISTES CAROLINENSIS.—SwWAINSON.
Genus Ectopistes, Swain. N. Groups. Zool. Journ. No. xi. p. 362.—Columba
Carolinensis, Bonap. Synop. p. 119.—The Carolina Turtle Dove, Aud. Orn.
Biog. i. 91, pl. 17, male and female.
Tis is a favourite bird with all those who love to wander
among our woods in spring, and listen to their varied harmony.
They will there hear many a singular and sprightly performer,
but none so mournful as this. The hopeless woe of settled
sorrow, swelling the heart of female innocence itself, could not
assume tones more sad, more tender and affecting. Its notes
are four; the first is somewhat the highest, and preparatory,
seeming to be uttered with an inspiration of the breath, as if
the afflicted creature were just recovering its voice from the
last convulsive sobs of distress; this is followed by three long,
deep, and mournful moanings, that no person of sensibility
can listen to without sympathy. A pause of a few minutes
ensues, and again the solemn voice of sorrow is renewed
as before. This is generally heard in the deepest shaded
parts of the woods, frequently about noon and towards the
evening.
There is, however, nothing of real distress in all this; quite
the reverse. ‘The bird who utters it wantons by the side of his
beloved partner, or invites her by his call to some favourite
retired and shady retreat. It is the voice of love, of faithful
connubial affection, for which the whole family of doves are
so celebrated ; and, among them all, none more deservingly so
than the species now before us.
188 CAROLINA PIGEON.
The turtle dove is a general inhabitant in summer of the
United States, from Canada to Florida, and from the sea-coast
to the Mississippi, and far to the westward. They are, how-
ever, partially migratory in the northern and middle States ;
and collect together in North and South Carolina, and their
corresponding parallels, in great numbers, during the winter.
On the 2d of February, in the neighbourhood of Newbern,
North Carolina, I saw a flock of turtle doves of many hundreds ;
in other places, as I advanced farther south, particularly near
the Savannah river, in Georgia, the woods were swarming with
them, and the whistling of their wings was heard in every
direction.
On their return to the north in March and early in April,
they disperse so generally over the country, that there are
rarely more than three or four seen together—most frequently
only two. Here they commonly fly in pairs, resort constantly
to the public roads to dust themselves and procure gravel; are
often seen in the farmer’s yard before the door, the stable, barn,
and other outhouses, in search of food, seeming little inferior
in familiarity, at such times, to the domestic pigeon. They
often mix with the poultry while they are fed in the morning,
visit the yard and adjoining road many times a day, and the
pump, creek, horse-trough, and rills for water.
Their flight is quick, vigorous, and always accompanied by
a peculiar whistling of the wings, by which they can easily be
distinguished from the wild pigeon. They fly with great
swiftness, alight on trees, fences, or on the ground indiscrimi-
nately ; are exceedingly fond of buckwheat, hempseed, and
Indian-corn ; feed on the berries of the holly, the dogwood,
and poke, huckleberries, partridge-berries, and the small
acorns of the live oak and shrub oak. They devour large
quantities of gravel, and sometimes pay a visit to the kitchen
garden for peas, for which they have a particular regard.
In this part of Pennsylvania, they commence building
about the beginning of May. The nest is very rudely con-
structed, generally in an evergreen, among the thick foliage
CAROLINA PIGEON. I 89
of the vine, in an orchard, on the horizontal branches of an
apple tree, and, in some cases, on the ground. It is composed
of a handful of small twigs, laid with little art, on which are
scattered dry fibrous roots of plants; and in this almost flat
bed are deposited two eggs of a snowy whiteness. The male
and female unite in feeding the young, and they have rarely
more than two broods in the same season.
The flesh of this bird is considered much superior to that
of the wild pigeon; but its seeming confidence in man, the
tenderness of its notes, and the innocency attached to its
character, are with many its security and protection; with
others, however, the tenderness of its flesh, and the sport of
shooting, overcome all other considerations. About the com-
mencement of frost, they begin to move off to the south;
numbers, however, remain in Pennsylvania during the whole
winter.
The turtle dove is twelve inches long, and seventeen inches
in extent; bill, black; eye, of a glossy blackness, surrounded
with a pale greenish blue skin ; crown, upper part of the neck
and wings, a fine silky slate blue; back, scapulars, and lesser
wing-coverts, ashy brown; tertials spotted with black ;
primaries, edged and tipt with white; forehead, sides of the
neck, and breast, a pale brown vinous orange ; under the ear-
feathers, a spot or drop of deep black, immediately below
which the plumage reflects the most vivid tints of green,
gold, and crimson ; chin, pale yellow ochre; belly and vent,
whitish ; legs and feet, coral red, seamed with white; the
tail is long and cuneiform, consisting of fourteen feathers ; the
four exterior ones, on each side, are marked with black, about
an inch from the tips, and white thence to the extremity ;
the next has less of the white at the tip; these gradually
lengthen to the four middle ones, which are wholly dark slate ;
all of them taper towards the points, the two middle ones
most so.
The female is an inch shorter, and is otherwise only dis-
tinguished by the less brilliancy of her colour; she also wants
ICO HERMIT THRUSH.
a
the rich silky blue on the crown, and much of the splendour
of the neck; the tail is also somewhat shorter, and the white
with which it is marked less pure.*
HERMIT THRUSH. (Turdus solitarius.)
PLATE XLIII.—Fic. 2.
Little Thrush, Catesby, i. 31.—Hdwards, 296.—Brown Thrush. Arct. Zovl. 337,
No. 199.—Peale’s Museum, No. 3542.
TURDUS SOLITARIUS.—WItson. t
Turdus minor, Bonap. Synop. p. 75.—The Hermit Thrush, Aud. Orn. Biog.
i. p. 303, pl. 58, male and female.
Tne dark solitary cane and myrtle swamps of the southern
States are the favourite native haunts of this silent and recluse
species ; and the more deep and gloomy these are, the more
certain we are to meet with this bird flitting among them.
This is the species mentioned in the first volume of this work,
while treating of the wood thrush, as having been figured and
described, more than fifty years ago, by Edwards, from a
dried specimen sent him by my friend Mr William Bartram,
under the supposition that it was the wood thrush (Turdus
* In addition to their history by Wilson, Audubon mentions, that
though regularly migrating in numbers, they are never in such vast
extent as the passenger pigeon, from two hundred and fifty to three
hundred being considered a large flock. He also mentions them differ-
ing in another more important particular—the manner of roosting.
They prefer sitting among the long grass of abandoned fields, at the
foot of the dry stalks of maize, and only occasionally resort to the dead
foliage of trees, or the different species of evergreens. They do not sit
near each other, but are dispersed over the field, whereas the passenger
pigeon roosts in compact masses on limbs of trees, In every respect
they run more into the ground doves, or bronze-winged pigeons, which
similarity some parts of the plumage will strengthen.—Ep,
+ Bonaparte has wished to restore Gmelin’s old name of minor to this
bird, which Wilson had thought in some manner erroneous, on account
of solitarius being preoccupied by another species. That, however,
will rank in the genus Petrocincla; and Mr Swainson has since de-
scribed a small species under the name of minor.—Eb.
HERMIT THRUSH. IOI
melodus). It is, however, considerably less, very differently
marked, and altogether destitute of the clear voice and musical
powers of that charming minstrel. It also differs in remaining
in the southern States during the whole year ; whereas the wood
thrush does not winter even in Georgia, nor arrive within
the southern boundary of that State until some time in April.
The hermit thrush is rarely seen in Pennsylvania, unless
for a few weeks in spring, and late in the fall, long after the
wood thrush has left us, and when scarcely a summer bird
remains in the woods. In both seasons it is mute, having
only in spring an occasional squeak, like that of a young stray
chicken. Along the Atlantic coast, in New Jersey, they
remain longer and later, as I have observed them there late
in November. In the cane swamps of the Choctaw nation,
they were frequent in the month of May, on the 12th of which
J examined one of their nests on a horizontal branch, imme-
diately over the path. The female was sitting, and left it
with great reluctance, so that I had nearly laid my hand on
her before she flew. The nest was fixed on the upper part
of the body of the branch, and constructed with great neat-
ness, but without mud or plaster, contrary to the custom of
the wood thrush. The outside was composed of a consider-
able quantity of coarse rooty grass, intermixed with horse
hair, and lined with a fine, green-coloured, thread-like grass,
perfectly dry, laid circularly, with particular neatness. The
eggs were four, of a pale greenish blue, marked with specks
and blotches of olive, particularly at the great end. I also
observed this bird on the banks of the Cumberland river in
April. Its food consists chiefly of berries, of which these low
swamps furnish a perpetual abundance, such as those of the
holly, myrtle, gall bush (a species of vaccinium), yapon shrub,
and many others.
A superficial observer would instantly pronounce this to
be only a variety of the wood thrush ; but taking into consi-
deration its difference of size, colour, manners, want of song,
secluded habits, differently formed nest, and spotted eggs, all
192 TAWNY THRUSH.
unlike those of the former, with which it never associates, it
is impossible not to conclude it to be a distinct and separate
species, however near it may approach to that of the former.
Its food, and the country it inhabits for half the year, being
the same, neither could have produced those differences ; and
we must believe it to be now, what it ever has been, and ever
will be, a distinct connecting link in the great chain of this
part of animated nature ; all the sublime reasoning of certain
theoretical closet philosophers to the contrary notwithstanding.
Length of the hermit thrush, seven inches; extent, ten
inches and a half; upper parts, plain deep olive brown ;
lower, dull white; upper part of the breast and throat, dull
cream colour, deepest where the plumage falls over the
shoulders of the wing, and marked with large dark brown
pointed spots ; ear-feathers, and line over the eye, cream, the
former mottled with olive; edges of the wings, lighter ; tips,
dusky ; tail-coverts and tail, inclining to a reddish fox colour.
In the wood thrush, these parts incline to greenish olive.
Tail, slightly forked ; legs, dusky; bill, black above and at
the tip, whitish below ; iris, black and very full; chin, whitish.
The female differs very little—chiefly in being generally
darker in the tints, and having the spots on the breast larger
and more dusky.
TAWNY THRUSH. (Yurdus mustelinus.)
PLATE XLUI.—Fie. 3.
Peale’s Museum, No. 5570.
TURDUS WILSONII.—BonAPARTE.*
Turdus Wilsonii, Bonap. Synop. p. 76.—Merula Wilsonii, Worth. Zool. ii. p. 183.
THis species makes its appearance in Pennsylvania from the
south regularly about the beginning of May, stays with us a
* The wood thrush of Vol. I., the hermit thrush, and our present
species, have so much similarity to each other, that they have been con-
fused together, and their synonyms often misquoted by different authors.
TAWNY THRUSH. 193
week or two, and passes on to the north and to the high
mountainous districts to breed. It has no song, but a sharp
chuck. About the 20th of May I.met with numbers of them
in the Great Pine Swamp, near Pocano; and on the 25th of
September in the same year, I shot several of them in the
neighbourhood of Mr Bartram’s place. I have examined
many of these birds in spring, and also on their return in fall,
and found very little difference among them between the
male and female. In some specimens the wing-coverts were
brownish yellow; these appeared to be young birds. I have
no doubt but they breed in the northern high districts of the
United States; but I have not yet been able to discover their
nests.
The tawny thrush is ten inches long, and twelve inches in
extent; the whole upper parts are a uniform tawny brown ;
the lower parts, white; sides of the breast and under the
wings, slightly tinged with ash; chin, white; throat, and
upper parts of the breast, cream coloured, and marked with
pointed spots of brown; lores, pale ash or bluish white ;
cheeks, dusky brown ; tail, nearly even at the end, the shafts
of all, as well as those of the wing-quills, continued a little
beyond their webs ; bill, black above and at the point, below
From these circumstances, the name of mustelinus, given by Wilson
to this species, is incorrect ; and Bonaparte has deservedly dedicated it
to its first describer, aname which ought now to be used in our systems.
Another bird has been also lost sight of in the alliance which exists
among those, and which will now rank as an addition to the northern
fauna, the Turdus parvus of Edwards, and confounded by Bonaparte
with the 7’ solitaria. From the observations of Dr Richardson and Mr
Swainson, in the second volume of the “ Northern Zoology,” there can
be little doubt of its being distinct from any of the others just men-
tioned, and will be distinguished by the more rufous tinge of the upper
parts. It was met by the Overland Expedition on the banks of the
Saskatchewan, where it is migratory in summer, and appears as nearly
allied to the others in its habits as it is in its external appearance. It
spreads, no doubt, over the other parts of North America, getting more
abundant, perhaps, towards the south, Mr Swainson has received it
from Georgia, and remarks that the rufous tinge of the plumage is much
clearer and more intense in the southern specimens,—Ep.
VOL. II. N
194 PINE-SWAMP WARBLER.
at the base, flesh coloured ; corners of the mouth, yellow ;
eye, large and dark, surrounded with a white ring ; legs, long,
slender, and pale brown.
Though I have given this bird the same name that Mr
Pennant has applied to one of our thrushes, it must not be
considered as the same; the bird which he has denominated
the tawny thrush being evidently, from its size, markings,
&c., the wood thrush, already described.
No description of the bird here figured has, to my know-
ledge, appeared in any former publication.
PINE-SWAMP WARBLER. (Sylvia pusilla.)
PLATE XLIII.—Fie. 4.
VIREO SPHAGNOSA.—JARDINE.*
Sylvia sphagnosa, Bonap. Synop. p. 85.
Tis little bird is for the first time figured or described. Its
favourite haunts are in the deepest and gloomiest pine and
hemlock swamps of our mountainous regions, where every
tree, trunk, and fallen log is covered with a luxuriant coat of
moss, that even mantles over the surface of the ground, and
prevents the sportsman from avoiding a thousand holes, springs,
and swamps, into which he is incessantly plunged. Of the
nest of this bird J am unable to speak. I found it associated
with the Blackburnian warbler, the golden-crested wren, ruby-
crowned wren, yellow rump, and others of that description, in
such places as I have described, about the middle of May. It
seemed as active in flycatching as in searching for other insects,
darting uimbly about among the branches, and flirting its
* This species seems evidently a Vireo. Bonaparte thus observes, in
his “ Nomenclature,” and we have used his name :—“ A new species, called
by a preoccupied name, but altered in the index to that of leucoptera,
which is used for one of Vieillot’s species, and was, therefore, changed to
that of palustris by Stephens ; but as this also is preoccupied, I propose
for it the name of S. sphagnosa.”— Ep.
“bP
YY yoonuayy Ge wazg.iny urpyunoul- IVY G “UOT LPDUISIV T
> p. Loop FY aumaD yy Wisp URL
IT YAY BRAT
PASSENGER PIGEON. 195
wings ; but I could not perceive that it had either note or
song. I shot three, one male and two females. I have no
doubt that they breed in those solitary swamps, as well as
many other of their associates.
The pine-swamp warbler is four inches and a quarter long
and seven inches and a quarter in extent; bill, black, not
notched, but furnished with bristles; upper parts, a deep
green olive, with slight bluish reflections, particularly on the
edges of the tail and on the head; wings, dusky, but so
broadly edged with olive green as to appear wholly of that
tint ; immediately below the primary coverts, there is a single
triangular spot of yellowish white; no other part of the wings
is white ; the three exterior tail-feathers with a spot of white
on their inner vanes; the tail is slightly forked; from the
nostrils over the eye extends a fine line of white, and the
lower eyelid is touched with the same tint; lores, blackish ;
sides of the neck and auriculars, green olive; whole lower
parts, pale yellow ochre, with a tinge of greenish ; duskiest
on the throat; legs, long, and flesh coloured.
The plumage of the female differs in nothing from that of
the male.
PASSENGER PIGEON. (Columba migratoria.)
PLATE XLIV.—Fie. 1.
Catesby, i. 23.— Linn. Syst. 285.—Turton, 479.—Arct. Zool. p. 322, No. 187.—
Briss. i. 100.—Buff. ii. 527.—Peale’s Museum, No. 5084.
ECTOPISTES MIGRATORIA.—SWAINSON.*
Ectopistes, Swain. N. Groups, Zool. Journ. No. xi. p. 362.—Columba migratoria,
Bonap. Synop. p. 120.—The Passenger Pigeon, Aud. Orn. Biog. i. p. 319,
male and female.—Columba (Ectopistes) migratoria, Worth. Zool. ii. p. 363,
Tus remarkable bird merits a distinguished place in the
annals of our feathered tribes,——a claim to which I shall
endeavour to do justice; and though it would be impossible,
* Tn all the large natural groups which have already come under our
notice, we have seen a great variation of form, though the essential
parts of it were always beautifully kept up. In the present immense
196 PASSENGER PIGEON.
in the bounds allotted to this account, to relate all I have seen
and heard of this species, yet no circumstance shall be omitted
with which I am acquainted (however extraordinary some of
these may appear) that may tend to illustrate its history.
family, Mr Swainson has characterised the passenger pigeons under the
name of Ectopistes, at once distinguished by their graceful and lengthened
make, and well represented by the common Columba migratoria and the
Carolina pigeon of our author. The nicer distinctions will be found in
the slender bill, and the relative proportions of the feet and wings. As
far as our knowledge extends, the group is confined to both the continents
of America. A single individual of this species was shot, while perched
on a wall, in the neighbourhood of a pigeon-house at Westhall, in the
parish of Monymail, Fifeshire, in December 1825. It came into the
possession of Dr Fleming of Flisk, who has recorded its occurrence in his
“British Zoology.” He remarks that the feathers were quite fresh and
entire, like a wild bird ; but we can only rank it as a very rare straggler.
Mr Audubon mentions having brought over 350 of these birds, when
he last visited this country, and distributed them among different
country gentlemen. Lord Stanley received fifty of them, which he
intended to turn out in his park, in the neighbourhood of Liverpool.
We have the following additional account from Audubon of their
flights, roosting, and destruction, in everything corroborating the history
of Wilson, but too interesting to pass by :—
“Their great power of flight enables them to survey and pass over
an astonishing extent of country in a very short time. Thus pigeons
have been killed in the neighbourhood of New York, with their crops
full of rice, which they must have collected in the fields of Georgia and
Carolina, these districts being the nearest in which they could possibly
have procured a supply of food. As their power of digestion is so great
that they will decompose food entirely in twelve hours, they must, in
this case, have travelled between three and four hundred miles in six
hours, which shows their speed to be, at an average, about one mile in
a minute. A velocity such as this would enable one of these birds,
were it so inclined, to visit the European continent in less than three days.
“Tn the autumn of 1813, I left my house at Henderson, on the banks
of the Ohio, on my way to Louisville. In passing over the Barrens, a
few miles beyond Hardensburg, I observed the pigeons flying from
north-east to south-west, in greater numbers than I thought I had ever
seen them before. I travelled on, and still met more, the farther I
proceeded. The air was literally filled with pigeons. The light of the
noonday was obscured as by an eclipse. The dung fell in spots not
unlike melting flakes of snow; and the continued buzz of wings had a
tendency to lull my senses to repose.
PASSENGER PIGEON. 197
The wild pigeon of the United States inhabits a wide and
extensive region of North America, on this side of the great
Stony Mountains, beyond which, to the westward, I have not
“ Before sunset I reached Louisville, distant from Hardensburg
fifty-five miles. The pigeons were still passing in undiminished num-
bers, and continued to do so for three days in succession. The people
were allinarms. The banks of the Ohio were crowded with men and
boys, incessantly shooting at the pilgrims, which there flew lower
as they passed the river. Multitudes were thus destroyed. For a
week or more, the population fed on no other flesh than that of
pigeons. The atmosphere, during this time, was strongly impregnated
with the peculiar odour which emanates from the species.” In estimat-
ing the number of these mighty flocks, and the food consumed by them
daily he adds—“ Let us take a column of one mile in breadth, which
is far below the average size, and suppose it passing over us at the rate
of one mile per minute. This will give us a parallelogram of 180
miles by 1, covering 180 square miles ; and allowing two pigeons to
the square yard, we have one billion one hundred and fifteen millions
one hundred and thirty-six thousand pigeons in one flock: and as
every pigeon consumes fully half a pint per day, the quantity required
to feed such a flock, must be eight millions seven hundred and twelve
thousand bushels per day.”
The accounts of their roosting places are as remarkable :—
‘Let us now, kind reader, inspect their place of nightly rendezvous :
—It was, as is always the case, in a portion of the forest where the trees
were of great magnitude, and where there was little underwood, I
rode through it upwards of forty miles, and, crossing it at different
parts, found its average breadth to be rather more than three miles.
Few pigeons were to be seen before sunset; but a great number of
persons, with horses and waggons, guns and ammunition, had already
established encampments on the borders, Two farmers from the
vicinity of Russelsville, distant more than a hundred miles, had driven
upwards of three hundred hogs, to be fattened on the pigeons which
were to be slaughtered. Here and there, the people employed in
plucking and salting what had already been procured were seen sit-
ting in the midst of large piles of these birds. The dung lay several
inches deep, covering the whole extent of the roosting place like a bed
of snow. Many trees, two feet in diameter, I observed, were broken off
at no great distance from the ground ; and the branches of many of the
largest and tallest had given way, as if the forest had been swept by a
tornado, Everything proved to me that the number of birds resorting
to this part of the forest must be immense beyond conception. As the
period of their arrival approached, their foes anxiously prepared ‘to
198 PASSENGER PIGEON.
heard of their being seen. According to Mr Hutchins, they
abound in the country round Hudson’s Bay, where they
seize them. Some were furnished with iron pots, containing sulphur,
others with torches of pine-knots, many with poles, and the rest with
guns. The sun was lost to our view; yet not a pigeon had arrived.
Everything was ready, and all eyes were gazing on the clear sky,
which appeared in glimpses amidst the tall trees. Suddenly, there
burst forth a general cry of, ‘ Here they come!’ The noise which they
made, though yet distant, reminded me of a hard gale at sea passing
through the rigging of a close-reefed vessel. As the birds arrived, and
passed over me, I felt a current of air that surprised me. Thousands
were soon knocked down by polemen. The current of birds, how-
ever, still kept increasing. The fires were lighted, and a most magni-
ficent, as well as a wonderful and terrifying sight, presented itself.
The pigeons, coming in by thousands, alighted everywhere, one above
another, until solid masses, as large as hogsheads, were formed on every
tree, in all directions. Here and there the perches gave way under the
weight with a crash, and, falling to the ground, destroyed hundreds of
the birds beneath, forcing down the dense groups with which every
stick was loaded. It was a scene of uproar and confusion. I found it
quite useless to speak, or even to shout, to those persons who were
nearest me. The reports, even, of the nearest guns, were seldom heard ;
and I knew of the firing only by seeing the shooters reloading. Noone
dared venture within the line of devastation ; the hogs had been penned
up in due time, the picking up of the dead and wounded being left for
the next morning’s employment. The pigeons were constantly coming ;
and it was past midnight before I perceived a decrease in the number of
those that arrived. The uproar continued, however, the whole night ;
and, as I was anxious to know to what distance the sound reached, I
sent off a man, accustomed to perambulate the forest, who, returning two
hours afterwards, informed me that he had heard it distinctly when three
miles from the spot. Towards the approach of day, the noise rather
subsided ; but, long ere objects were at all distinguishable, the pigeons
began to move off in a direction quite different from that in which they
had arrived the evening before ; and at sunrise, all that were able to fly
had disappeared. The howlings of the wolves now reached our ears;
and the foxes, lynxes, cougars, bears, racoons, opossums, and pole-cats,
were seen sneaking off from the spot, whilst eagles and hawks, of differ-
ent species, accompanied by a crowd of vultures, came to supplant
them, and enjoy their share of the spoil. It was then that the authors
of all this devastation began their entry amongst the dead, the dying,
and the mangled. The pigeons were picked up, and piled in heaps,
until each had as many as he could possibly dispose of, when the hogs
were let loose to feed on the remainder.”—Eb.
PASSENGER PIGEON. 199
usually remain as late as December, feeding, when the ground
is covered with snow, on the buds of juniper. They spread
over the whole of Canada; were seen by Captain Lewis and
his parity near the Great Falls of the Missouri, upwards
of 2500 miles from its mouth, reckoning the meanderings
of the river; were also met with in the interior of Louisiana
by Colonel Pike; and extend their range as far south as the
Gulf of Mexico; occasionally visiting or breeding in almost
every quarter of the United States.
But the most remarkable characteristic of these birds is
their associating together, both in their migrations, and also
during the period of incubation, in such prodigious numbers
as almost to surpass belief, and which has no parallel among
any other of the feathered tribes on the face of the earth
with which naturalists are acquainted,
These migrations appear to be undertaken rather in quest
of food, than merely to avoid the cold of the climate, since
we find them lingering in the northern regions, around
Hudson’s Bay, so late as December ; and since their appear-
ance is so casual and irregular, sometimes not visiting certain
districts for several years in any considerable numbers, while
at other times they are innumerable. I have witnessed these
migrations in the Gennesee country, often in Pennsylvania,
and also in various parts of Virginia, with amazement; but
all that I had then seen of them were mere straggling parties
when compared with the congregated millions which I have
since beheld in our western forests, in the States of Ohio,
Kentucky, and the Indiana territory. These fertile and ex-
tensive regions abound with the nutritious beech-nut, which
constitutes the chief food of the wild pigeon. In seasons
when these nuts are abundant, corresponding multitudes of
pigeons may be confidently expected. It sometimes happens
that, having consumed the whole produce of the beech trees
in an extensive district, they discover another, at the distance
perhaps of sixty or eighty miles, to which they regularly
repair every morning, and return as regularly in the course of
200 PASSENGER PIGEON.
the day, or in the evening, to their place of general rendez-
vous, or, as it is usually called, the roosting place. These
roosting places are always in the woods, and sometimes occupy
a large extent of forest. When they have frequented one of
these places for some time, the appearance it exhibits is sur-
prising. The ground is covered to the depth of several inches
with their dung; all the tender grass and underwood de-
stroyed ; the surface strewed with large limbs of trees, broken
down by the weight of the birds clustering one above another ;
and the trees themselves, for thousands of acres, killed as
completely as if girdled with an axe. The marks of this
desolation remain for many years on the spot ; and numerous
places could be pointed out where, for several years after,
scarcely a single vegetable made its appearance.
When these roosts are first discovered, the inhabitants, from
considerable distances, visit them in the night, with guns,
clubs, long poles, pots of sulphur, and various other engines
of destruction. In a few hours, they fill many sacks, and
load their horses with them. By the Indians, a pigeon roost
or breeding place is considered an important source of
national profit and dependence for that season, and all their
active ingenuity is exercised on the occasion. The breeding
place differs from the former in its greater extent. In the
western countries above mentioned, these are generally in
beech woods, and often extend, in nearly a straight line,
across the country for a great way. Not far from Shelbyville,
in the State of Kentucky, about five years ago, there was one
of these breeding places, which stretched through the woods
in nearly a north and south direction ; was several miles in
breadth, and was said to be upwards of forty miles in extent!
In this tract, almost every tree was furnished with nests,
wherever the branches could accommodate them. The pigeons
made their first appearance there about the 10th of April, and
left it altogether, with their young, before the 25th of May.
As soon as the young were fully grown, and before they
left the nests, numerous parties of the inhabitants, from all
PASSENGER PIGEON. 201
parts of the adjacent country, came with wageons, axes,
beds, cooking utensils, many of them accompanied by the
greater part of their families, and encamped for several days
at this immense nursery. Several of them informed me that
the noise in the woods was so great as to terrify their horses,
and that it was difficult for one person to hear another speak
without bawling in his ear. The ground was strewed with
broken limbs of trees, eggs, and young squab pigeons, which
had been precipitated from above, and on which herds of
hogs were fattening. Hawks, buzzards, and eagles were
sailing about in great numbers, and seizing the squabs from
their nests at pleasure; while, from twenty feet upwards to
the tops of the trees, the view through the woods presented a
perpetual tumult of crowding and fluttering multitudes of
pigeons, their wings roaring like thunder, mingled with the
frequent crash of falling timber; for now the axe-men were
at. work, cutting down those trees that seemed to be most
crowded with nests, and contrived to fell them in such a
manner, that, in their descent, they might bring down several
others ; by which means the falling of one large tree some-
times produced two hundred squabs, little inferior in size to
the old ones, and almost one mass of fat. On some single
trees, upwards of one hundred nests were found, each con-
taining one young only ; a circumstance in the history of this
bird not generally known to naturalists. It was dangerous
to walk under these flying and fluttering millions from the
frequent fall of large branches, broken down by the weight
of the multitudes above, and which, in their descent, often
destroyed numbers of the birds themselves ; while the clothes
of those engaged in traversing the woods were completely
covered with the excrements of the pigeons.
These circumstances were related to me by many of the
most respectable part of the community in that quarter, and
were confirmed, in part, by what I myself witnessed. I
passed for several miles through this same breeding place,
where every tree was spotted with nests, the remains of those
202 PASSENGER PIGEON.
above described. In many instances, I counted upwards of
ninety nests on a single tree ; but the pigeons had abandoned
this place for another, sixty or eighty miles off towards
Green River, where they were said at that time to be equally
numerous. From the great numbers that were constantly
passing overhead to or from that quarter, I had no doubt
of the truth of this statement. The mast had been chiefly
consumed in Kentucky, and the pigeons, every morning, a
little before sunrise, set out for the Indiana territory, the
nearest part of which was about sixty miles distant. Many
of these returned before ten o'clock, and the great body
generally appeared on their return a little after noon.
T had left the public road to visit the remains of the breed-
ing place near Shelbyville, and was traversing the woods with
my gun, on my way to Frankfort, when, about one o’clock, the
pigeons, which I had observed flying the greater part of the
morning northerly, began to return, in such immense numbers
as I never before had witnessed. Coming to an opening, by
the side of a creek called the Benson, where I had a more
uninterrupted view, I was astonished at their appearance.
They were flying, with great steadiness and rapidity, at a
height beyond gunshot, in several strata deep, and so close
together, that, could shot have reached them, one discharge
could not have failed of bringing down several individuals.
From right to left, far as the eye could reach, the breadth of
this vast procession extended, seeming everywhere equally
crowded. Curious to determine how long this appearance
would continue, I took out my watch to note the time, and
sat down to observe them. It was then half-past one. I sat
for more than an hour, but instead of a diminution of this
prodigious procession, it seemed rather to increase both in
numbers and rapidity; and anxious to reach Frankfort
before night, I rose and went on. About four o'clock in
the afternoon I crossed the Kentucky River, at the town of
Frankfort, at which time the living torrent above my head
seemed as numerous and as extensive as ever. Long after
PASSENGER PIGEON. 203
this I observed them in large bodies, that continued to pass
for six or eight minutes, and these again were followed by
other detached bodies, all moving in the same south-east, direc-
tion, till after six in the evening. The great breadth of front
which this mighty multitude preserved would seem to intimate
a corresponding breadth of their breeding place, which, by
several gentlemen, who had lately passed through part of it,
was stated to me at several miles. It was said to be in Green
county, and that the young began to fly about the middle of
March. On the 17th of April, forty-nine miles beyond Dan-
ville, and not far from Green River, I crossed this same breed-
ing place, where the nests, for more than three miles, spotted
every tree: the leaves not being yet out, I had a fair prospect
of them, and was really astonished at their numbers. A few
bodies of pigeons lingered yet in different parts of the woods,
the roaring of whose wings was heard in various quarters
around me.
All accounts agree in stating that each nest contains only
one young squab. These are so extremely fat, that the Indians,
and many of the whites, are accustomed to melt down the fat
for domestic purposes as a substitute for butter and lard. At
the time they leave the nest, they are nearly as heavy as the
old ones, but become much leaner after they are turned out
to shift for themselves. |
It is universally asserted in the western countries, that the
pigeons, though they have only one young at a time, breed
thrice, and sometimes four times, in the same season: the
circumstances already mentioned render this highly probable.
It is also worthy of observation, that this takes place during
that period when acorns, beech nuts, &c., are scattered about
in the greatest abundance, and mellowed by the frost. But
they are not confined to these alone,—buckwheat, hempseed,
Indian-corn, hollyberries, hackberries, huckleberries, and many
others, furnish them with abundance at almost all seasons.
The acorns of the live oak are also eagerly sought after by
these birds, and rice has been frequently found in individuals
204 PASSENGER PIGEON.
killed many hundred miles to the northward of the nearest
rice plantation. The vast quantity of mast which these multi-
tudes consume is a serious loss to the bears, pigs, squirrels,
and other dependants on the fruits of the forest. I have taken
from the crop of a single wild pigeon a good handful of the
kernels of beech-nuts, intermixed with acorns and chestnuts.
T'o form a rough estimate of the daily consumption of one of
these immense flocks, let us first attempt to calculate the
numbers of that above mentioned, as seen in passing between
Frankfort and the Indiana territory. If we suppose this column
to have been one mile in breadth (and I believe it to have
been much more), and that it moved at the rate of one mile
in a minute, four hours, the time it continued passing, would
make its whole length two hundred and forty miles. Again,
supposing that each square yard of this moving body compre-
hended three pigeons, the square yards in the whole space,
multiplied by three, would give two thousand two hundred
and thirty millions, two hundred and seventy-two thousand
pigeons !—an almost inconceivable multitude, and yet probably
far below the actual amount. Computing each of these to
consume half a pint of mast daily, the whole quantity at this
rate would equal seventeen millions, four hundred and twenty-
four thousand bushels per day! Heaven has wisely and
eraciously given to these birds rapidity of flight and a dis-
position to range over vast uncultivated tracts of the earth,
otherwise they must have perished in the districts where they
resided, or devoured up the whole productions of agriculture,
as well as those of the forests.
A few observations on the mode of flight of these birds must
not be omitted. ‘The appearance of large detached bodies of
them in the air, and the various evolutions they display, are
strikingly picturesque and interesting. In descending the
Ohio by myself, in the month of February, I often rested on
my oars to contemplate their aerial manceuvres. A column,
eight or ten miles in length, would appear from Kentucky,
high in air, steering across to Indiana. The leaders of this
PASSENGER PIGEON. 205
great body would sometimes gradually vary their course, until
it formed a large bend, of more than a mile in diameter, those
behind tracing the exact route of their predecessors. This
would continue sometimes long after both extremities were
beyond the reach of sight; so that the whole, with its ¢littery
undulations, marked a space on the face of the heavens resem-
bling the windings of a vast and majestic river. When this
bend became very great, the birds, as if sensible of the
unnecessary circuitous course they were taking, suddenly
changed their direction, so that what was in column before
became an immense front, straightening all its indentures,
until if swept the heavens in one vast and infinitely extended
line. Other lesser bodies also united with each other as they
happened to approach, with such ease and elegance of evolu-
tion, forming new figures, and varying these as they united
or separated, that I never was tired of contemplating them.
Sometimes a hawk would make a sweep on a particular part
of the column, from a great height, when, almost as quick as
lightning, that part shot downwards out of the common track ;
but, soon rising again, continued advancing at the same height
as before. This reflection was continued by those behind, who,
on arriving at this point, dived down, almost perpendicularly,
to a great depth, and rising, followed the exact path of those
that went before. As these vast bodies passed over the river
near me, the surface of the water, which was before smooth
as glass, appeared marked with innumerable dimples, occasioned
by the dropping of their dung, resembling the commencement
of a shower of large drops of rain or hail.
Happening to go ashore one charming afternoon, to purchase
some milk at a house that stood near the river, and while
talking with the people within doors, I was suddenly struck
with astonishment at a loud rushing roar, succeeded by instant
darkness, which on the first moment I took for a tornado
about to overwhelm the house and everything around in
destruction. The people, observing my surprise, coolly said,
“Tt is only the pigeons;” and, on running out, I beheld a
206 PASSENGER PIGEON.
flock, thirty or forty yards in width, sweeping along, very low,
between the house and the mountain, or height, that formed
the second bank of the river. These continued passing for
more than a quarter of an hour, and at length varied their
bearing, so as to pass over the mountain, behind which they
disappeared before the rear came up.
In the Atlantic States, though they never appear in such
unparalleled multitudes, they are sometimes very numerous,
and great havoc is then made amongst them with the gun, the
clap-net, and various other implements of destruction. As
soon as it is ascertained in a town that the pigeons are flying
numerously in the neighbourhood, the gunners rise en masse ;
the clap-nets are spread out on suitable situations, commonly
on an open height in an old buckwheat field ; four or five live
pigeons, with their eyelids sewed up, are fastened on a
movable stick—a small hut of branches is fitted up for the
fowler, at the distance of forty or fifty yards—by the pulling
of a string, the stick on which the pigeons rest is alternately
elevated and depressed, which produces a fluttering of their
wings similar to that of birds just alighting ; this being per-
ceived by the passing flocks, they descend with great rapidity,
and finding corn, buckwheat, &c., strewed about, begin to
feed, and are instantly, by the pulling of a cord, covered by
the net. In this manner, ten, twenty, and even thirty dozen,
have been caught at one sweep. Meantime, the air is darkened
with large bodies of them, moving in various directions ; the
woods also swarm with them in search of acorns; and the
thundering of musketry is perpetual on all sides from morning
to night. Waggon loads of them are poured into market,
where they sell from fifty to twenty-five, and even twelve
cents, per dozen; and pigeons become the order of the day
at dinner, breakfast, and supper, until the very name becomes
sickening. When they have been kept alive, and fed for
some time on corn and buckwheat, their flesh acquires great
superiority ; but, in their common state, they are dry and
blackish,and far inferior to the full-grown young ones, or squabs.
PASSENGER PIGEON. 207
The nest of the wild pigeon is formed of a few dry slender
twigs, carelessly put together, and with so little concavity,
that the young one, when half grown, can easily be seen from
below. The eggs are pure white. Great numbers of hawks,
and sometimes the bald eagle himself, hover about those
breeding places, and seize the old or the young from the nest
amidst the rising multitudes, and with the most daring
effrontery. he young, when beginning to fly, confine them-
selves to the under part of the tall woods where there is no
brush, and where nuts and acorns are abundant, searching
among the leaves for mast, and appear like a prodigious torrent
rolling along through the woods, every one striving to be in
the front. Vast numbers of them are shot while in this
situation. A person told me that he once rode furiously into
one of these rolling multitudes, and picked up thirteen pigeons,
which had been trampled to death by his horse’s feet. Ina
few minutes they will beat the whole nuts from a tree with
their wings, while all is a scramble, both above and below,
for the same. They have the same cooing notes common to
domestic pigeons, but much less of their gesticulations. In
some flocks you will find nothing but young ones, which are
easily distinguishable by their motley dress. In others, they
will be mostly females; and again, great multitudes of males,
with few or no females. I cannot account for this in any other
way than that, during the time of incubation, the males are
exclusively engaged in procuring food, both for themselves
and their mates ; and the young, being unable yet to undertake
these extensive excursions, associate together accordingly.
But, even in winter, I know of several species of birds who
separate in this manner, particularly the red-winged starling,
among whom thousands of old males may be found with few
or no young or females along with them.
Stragelers from these immense armies settle in almost
every part of the country, particularly among the beech woods,
and in the pine and hemlock woods of the eastern and
northern parts of the continent. Mr Pennant informs us
208 PASSENGER PIGEON.
that they breed near Moose Fort at Hudson's Bay, in N. lat.
51°, and I myself have seen the remains of a large breeding
place as far south as the country of Choctaws, in lat. 32°. In
the former of these places they are said to remain until
December ; from which circumstance it is evident that they
are not regular in their migrations, like many other species,
but rove about, as scarcity of food urges them. Every
spring, however, as well as fall, more or less of them are
seen in the neighbourhood of Philadelphia; but it is only
once in several years that they appear in such formidable
bodies, and this commonly when the snows are heavy to the
north, the winter here more than usually mild, and acorns, &c.,
abundant.
The passenger pigeon is sixteen inches long, and twenty-
four inches in extent; bill, black ; nostril, covered by a high
rounding protuberance ; eye, brilliant fiery orange ; orbit, or
space surrounding it, purplish flesh-coloured skin ; head,
upper part of the neck, and chin, a fine slate blue, lightest
on the chin; throat, breast, and sides, as far as the thighs, a
reddish hazel ; lower part of the neck, and sides of the same,
resplendent changeable gold, green, and purplish crimson,
the latter most predominant; the ground colour, slate; the
plumage of this part is of a peculiar structure, ragged at the
ends ; belly and vent, white ; lower part of the breast, fading
into a pale vinaceous red; thighs, the same; legs and feet,
lake, seamed with white; back, rump, and tail-coverts, dark
slate, spotted on the shoulders with a few scattered marks of
black ; the scapulars, tinged with brown; greater coverts,
light slate ; primaries and secondaries, dull black, the former
tipt and edged with brownish white ; tail, long, and greatly
cuneiform, all the feathers tapering towards the point, the two
middle ones plain deep black, the other five, on each side,
hoary white, lightest near the tips, deepening into bluish near
the bases, where each is crossed on the inner vane with a
broad spot of black, and nearer the root with another of
ferruginous ; primaries, edged with white ; bastard wing, black.
BLUE MOUNTAIN WARBLER. 209
The female is about half an inch shorter, and an inch less
in extent ; breast, cinereous brown; upper part of the neck,
inclining to ash; the spot of changeable gold, green, and
carmine, much less, and not so brilliant; tail-coverts, brownish
slate ; naked orbits, slate coloured ; in all other respects like
the male in colour, but Jess vivid, and more tinged with
brown ; the eye not so brilliant an orange. In both, the tail
has only twelve feathers.
BLUE MOUNTAIN WARBLER. (Sylvia montana.)
PLATE XLIV.—Fic. 2.
SYLVICOLA MONTANA.—JARDINE.*
Sylvia tigrina, Bonap. Synop. p. 82.
THIS new species was first discovered near that celebrated
ridge or range of mountains with whose name I have
honoured it. Several of these solitary warblers remain yet
to be gleaned up from the airy heights of our alpine scenery,
as well as from the recesses of our swamps and morasses,
whither it is my design to pursue them by every opportunity.
Some of these, I believe, rarely or never visit the lower
cultivated parts of the country, but seem only at home
among the glooms and silence of those dreary solitudes. The
present species seems of that family or subdivision of the
warblers that approach the flycatcher, darting after flies
wherever they see them, and also searching with great
activity among the leaves. Its song was a feeble screep,
three or four times repeated.
This species is four inches and three-quarters in length ;
the upper parts, a rich yellow olive; front, cheeks, and chin,
yellow, also the sides of the neck; breast and belly, pale
* Bonaparte is inclined to think that this is the Sylvia tigrina of
Latham. He acknowledges, however, not having seen the bird, and, as
we have no means at present of deciding the question, have retained
Wilson’s name. Both this and the following will range in Sylvicola.—
Ep.
VOL. IT. O
210 HEMLOCK WARBLER.
yellow, streaked with black or dusky; vent, plain pale yellow;
wings, black; first and second row of coverts, broadly tipt
with pale yellowish white; tertials, the same ; the rest of the
quills edged with whitish ; tail, black, handsomely rounded,
edged with pale olive; the two exterior feathers on each side,
white on the inner vanes from the middle to the tips, and
edged on the outer side with white ; bill, dark brown ; legs
and feet, purple brown ; soles, yellow; eye, dark hazel.
This was a male. The female I have never seen.
HEMLOCK WARBLER. (Sylvia parus.)
PLATE XLIV.—Fic. 3.
SYLVICOLA PARUS.—JARDINE.
Sylvia parus, Bonap. Synop. p. 82.
Tuts is another nondescript, first met with in the Great Pine
Swamp, Pennsylvania. From observing it almost always
among the branches of the hemlock trees, I have designated
it by that appellation, the markings of its plumage not
affording me a peculiarity sufficient for a specific name. It
is a most lively and active little bird, climbing among the
twigs, and hanging like a titmouse on the branches, but
possessing all the external characters of the warblers. It has
a few low and very sweet notes, at which times it stops and
repeats them for a short time, then darts about as before. It
shoots after flies to a considerable distance; often begins
at the lower branches, and hunts with great regularity and
admirable dexterity upwards to the top, then flies off to the
next tree, at the lower branches of which it commences hunt-
ing upwards as before.
This species is five inches and a half long, and eight inches
in extent; bill, black above, pale below; upper parts of the
plumage, black, thinly streaked with yellow olive; head
above, yellow, dotted with black; line from the nostril over
the eye, sides of the neck, and whole breast, rich yellow; belly,
n om Nature by 4 Pilon Engraved by WE Lizars.
1. Shamp-shinnd Hawk, 2.Redstart. 4 Yellow-rump.
rc
45.
SHARP-SHINNED HAWK. 215
paler, streaked with dusky ; round the breast, some small
streaks of blackish ; wing, black, the greater coverts and next
superior row, broadly tipt with white, forming two broad
bars across the wing; primaries edged with olive, tertials
with white; tail-coverts, black, tipt with olive ; tail, slightly
forked, black, and edged with olive; the three exterior
feathers altogether white on their inner vanes ; legs and feet,
dirty yellow ; eye, dark hazel; a few bristles at the mouth ;
bill, not notched.
This was a male. Of the female I can at present give no
account,
SHARP-SHINNED HAWK. (falco velow.)
PLATE XLV.—Fic. 1.
ACCIPITER PENNSYLVANICUS.—SWAINSON.— YOUNG FEMALE.
Autour & bec sineuse, Z’emm. Pl. Col. 67.
Tats is a bold and daring species, hitherto unknown to natu-
ralists. The only hawk we have which approaches near it
in colour is the pigeon hawk, already figured in this work,
Plate XV.; but there are such striking differences in the
present, not only in colour, but in other respects, as to point
out decisively its claims to rank as a distinct species. Its long
and slender legs and toes—its red fiery eye, feathered to the
eyelids—its triangular grooved nostril, and length of tail,—
are all different from the pigeon hawk, whose legs are short,
its eyes dark hazel, surrounded with a broad bare yellow skin,
and its nostrils small and circular, centered with a slender
point that rises in it like the pistil of a flower. There is no
hawk mentioned by Mr Pennant, either as inhabiting Europe
or America, agreeing with this. I may, therefore, with con-
fidence, pronounce it a nondescript, and have chosen a very sin-
gular peculiarity which it possesses for its specific appellation.
This hawk was shot on the banks of the Schuylkill, near
Mr Bartram’s. Its singularity of flight surprised me long
before I succeeded in procuring it. It seemed to throw itself
22 SHARP-SHINNED HAWE.
from one quarter of the heavens to the other with prodigious
velocity, inclining to the earth, swept suddenly down into a
thicket, and instantly reappeared with a small bird in its
talons. This feat I saw it twice perform, so that it was not
merely an accidental manceuvre. The rapidity and seeming
violence of these zigzag excursions were really remarkable,
and appeared to me to be for the purpose of seizing his prey
by sudden surprise and main force of flight. I kept this hawk
alive for several days, and was hopeful I might be able to cure
him; but he died of his wound.
On the 15th of September, two young men whom I had
despatched on a shooting expedition met with this species on
one of the ranges of the Alleghany. It was driving around
in the same furious headlong manner, and had made a sweep
at a red squirrel, which eluded its grasp, and itself became the
victim. ‘These are the only individuals of this bird I have been
able to procure, and fortunately they were male and female.
The female of this species (represented in the plate) is
thirteen inches long, and twenty-five inches in extent; the
bill is black towards the point on both mandibles, but light
blue at its base ; cere, a fine pea green ; sides of the mouth,
the same; lores, pale whitish blue, beset with hairs; crown
and whole upper parts, very dark brown, every feather
narrowly skirted with a bright rust colour; over the eye a
stripe of yellowish white, streaked with deep brown; primaries,
spotted on their inner vanes with black; secondaries, crossed
on both vanes with three bars of dusky, below the coverts;
inner vanes of both primaries and secondaries, brownish white ;
all the scapulars marked with large round spots of white, not
seen unless the plumage be parted with the hand ; tail long,
nearly even, crossed with four bars of black and as many of
brown ash, and tipt with white; throat and whole lower parts,
pale yellowish white; the former marked with fine long
pointed spots of dark brown, the latter with large oblong spots:
of reddish brown ; femorals, thickly marked with spade-formed
spots on a pale rufous ground; legs, long, and feathered a little
below the knee, of a greenish yellow colour, most yellow at the
SHARE-SHINNED HAWK. 213
joints ; edges of the inside of the shins, below the knee, pro-
jecting like the edge of a knife, hard and sharp, as if in-
tended to enable the bird to hold its prey with more security
between them ; eye, brilliant yellow, sunk below a projecting
cartilage. |
The male was nearly two inches shorter ; the upper parts,
dark brown; the feathers skirted with pale reddish, the front
streaked with the same; cere, greenish yellow; lores, bluish ;
bill, black, as in the female; streak over the eye, lighter than
in the former; chin, white; breast the same, streaked
with brown; bars on the tail, rather narrower, but in tint
and number the same; belly and vent, white; feet and shins,
exactly as in the female; the toes have the same pendulous
lobes which mark those of the female, and of which the
representation in the plate will give a correct idea; the wings
barred with black, very noticeable on the lower side.
Since writing the above, I have shot another specimen of
this hawk, corresponding in almost every particular with the
male last mentioned, and which, on dissection, also proves
to be a male. This last had within the grasp of its sharp
talons a small lizard, just killed, on which he was about to
feed. How he contrived to get possession of it appeared to
me matter of surprise, as lightuing itself seems scarcely more
fleet than this little reptile. So rapid are its motions, that,
in passing from one place to another, it vanishes, and actually
eludes the eye in running a distance of twelve or fifteen feet.
It is frequently seen on fences that are covered with grey
moss and lichen, which in colour tt very much resembles ; it
seeks shelter in hollow trees, and also in the ground about
their decayed roots. ‘They are most numerous in hilly parts
of the country, particularly on the declivities of the Blue
Mountain, among the crevices of rocks and stones. When
they are disposed to run, it is almost impossible to shoot them,
as they disappear at the first touch of the trigger. For the
satisfaction of the curious, I have introduced a full-sized figure
of this lizard, which is known in many parts of the country
by the name of the Swift.
214 REDSTART.
REDSTART. (Muscicapa ruticilla.)
PLATE XLV.—Fic. 2.
Edw. 257.—Yellow Tail, Arct. Zool. ii. p. 466, No. 301.
SETOPHAGA RUTICILLA.—SWAInson.
By recurring to Vol. I. Plate VI. fig. 6, the male of this
species may be seen in his perfect dress. ‘The present figure
represents the young bird as he appears for the first two
seasons ; the female differs very little from this, chiefly in the
green olive being more inclined to ash.
This is one of our summer birds, and, from the circumstance
of being found off Hispaniola in November, is supposed to
winter in the islands. ‘They leave Pennsylvania about the
20th of September ; are dexterous flycatchers, though ranked
by European naturalists among the warblers, having the bill
notched and beset with long bristles.
In its present dress the redstart makes its appearance in
Pennsylvania about the middle or 20th of April; and, from
being heard chanting its few sprightly notes, has been sup-
posed by some of our own naturalists to be a different species.
I have, however, found both parents of the same nest in the
same dress nearly ; the female, eggs, and nest, as well as the
notes of the male, agreeing exactly with those of the redstart—
evidence sufficiently satisfactory to me.
Head above, dull slate; throat, pale buff; sides of the
breast and four exterior tail-feathers, fine yellow, tipt with
dark brown; wings and back, greenish olive ; tail-coverts,
blackish, tipt with ash ; belly, dull white ; no white or yellow
on the wings ; legs, dirty purplish brown ; bill, black.
The redstart extends very generally over the United States,
having myself seen it on the borders of Canada, and also on
the Mississippi territory.
This species has the constant habit of flirting its expanded
tail from side to side, as it runs along the branches, with its
head levelled almost in a line with its body, occasionaily
VELLOW-RUMP WARBLER. 215
shooting off after winged insects in a downward zigzag
direction, and, with admirable dexterity, snapping its bill as
it descends. Its notes are few and feeble, repeated at short
intervals, as it darts among the foliage ; having at some times
a resemblance to the sounds, sic ste sdic ; at others, weesy
weesy weesy ; which last seems to be its call for the female,
while the former appears to be its most common note.
YELLOW-RUMP WARBLER. (Sylvia coronata.)
PLATE XLV.—Fic. 3.
Edw. 255.—Arct. Zool. ii. p. 400, No. 288.
SYLVICOLA CORONATA.—SWAINSON.— WINTER PLUMAGE.
Sylvia coronata, Bonap. Synop. p. 78.—Sylvicola coronata, Worth. Zool. ii.
p. 210.
I must again refer the reader to the first volume, Plate
XVII. fig. 4, for this bird in his perfect colours; the present
figure exhibits him in his winter dress, as he arrives to us
from the north early in September; the former shows him in
his spring and summer dress, as he visits us from the south
about the 20th of March. These birds remain with us in
Pennsylvania from September until the season becomes
severely cold, feeding on the berries of the red cedar ; and,
as December’s snows come on, they retreat to the lower
countries of the southern States, where, in February, I found
them in great numbers among the myrtles, feeding on the
berries of that shrub; from which circumstance they are
usually called, in that quarter, myrtle birds. Their breeding
place I suspect to be in our northern districts, among the
swamps and evergreens so abundant there, having myself shot
them in the Great Pine Swamp about the middle of May.
They range along our whole Atlantic coast in winter,
seeming particularly fond of the red cedar and the myrtle ;
and I have found them numerous in October, on the low
islands along the coast of New Jersey, in the same pursuit.
They also dart after flies, wherever they can see them, gene-
rally skipping about with the wings loose.
216 SLATE-COLOURED HAWK.
Length, five inches and a quarter; extent, eight inches ;
upper parts and sides of the neck, a dark mouse brown,
obscurely streaked on the back with dusky black; lower
parts, pale dull yellowish white ; breast, marked with faint
streaks of brown; chin and vent, white; rump, vivid yellow ;
at each side of the breast, and also on the crown, a spot of
fainter yellow; this last not observable without separating
the plumage ; bill, legs, and wings, black ; lesser coverts, tipt
with brownish white ; tail-coverts, slate; the three exterior
tail-feathers marked on their inner vanes with white ; a touch
of the same on the upper and lower eyelid. Male and female
at this season nearly alike. They begin to change about the
middle of February, and in four or five weeks are in their
slate-coloured dress, as represented in the figure referred to.
SLATE-COLOURED HAWK. (falco Pennsylvanicus.)
PLATE XLVI.—Fic. 1.
ACCIPITER PENNSYLVANICUS.—Swatnson.*
Falco velox, Bonap. Synop. p. 29.—Autour a bec sineuse, Temm. Pl. Col. 67
(young).—Accipiter Pennsylvanicus, Worth. Zool. ii. p. 44.
Tus elegant and spirited little hawk is a native of Penn-
sylvania, and of the Altantic States generally, and is now for
the first time introduced to the notice of the public. It
frequents the more settled parts of the country, chiefly in
winter ; is at all times a scarce species; flies wide, very
* It is now satisfactorily ascertained that this and the Falco velox of
the last plate are the same species, the Jatter representing the plumage
of the young female. The changes and differences are the same with
those of the common European sparrow hawk, Acczpiter nisus.
This bird most probably extends to the intertropical parts of South
America. Its occurrence far to the northward is not so common. It
was not met with by Dr Richardson, and the authority of its existence
in the Fur Countries rests on a specimen in the Hudson’s Bay Company
museum, killed at Moose Factory. It very nearly resembles two small
species from Mexico, the A, fringilloides of Mr Vigors, and one newly
characterised by Mr Swainson as A. Mexicanus.—Ep.
Dron tiem Watureby dWilson.
L. Slate Colonred Hawk. 2. Greund Dove. 5 female.
4G.
SLATE-COLOURED HAWK. 217
irregular and swiftly ; preys on lizards, mice, and small birds,
and is an active and daring little hunter. It is drawn of full
size, from a very beautiful specimen shot in the neighbour-
hood of Philadelphia. The bird within his grasp is the
Tanagra rubra, or black-winged red bird, in its green or
first year’s dress. In the spring of the succeeding year the
green and yellow plumage of this bird becomes of a most |
splendid scarlet, and the wings and tail deepen into a glossy
black. For a particular account of this tanager, see Vol. I.
p. 192, of the present work.
The great difficulty of accurately discriminating between
different species of the hawk tribe, on account of the various
appearances they assume at different periods of their long
lives, at first excited a suspicion that this might be one of
those with which I was already acquainted, in a different
dress, namely, the sharp-shinned hawk just described; for
such are the changes of colour to which many individuals of
this genus are subject, that unless the naturalist has recourse
to those parts that are subject to little or no alteration in the
full-grown bird, viz., the particular conformation of the legs,
nostril, tail, and the relative length of the latter to that of the
wings, also the peculiar character of the countenance, he will
frequently be deceived. By comparing these, the same species
may often be detected under a very different garb. Were all
these changes accurately known, there is no doubt but the
number of species of this tribe at present enumerated would
be greatly diminished, the same bird having been described
by certain writers three, four, and even five different times,
as so many distinct species. ‘Testing, however, the present
hawk by the rules above mentioned, I have no hesitation in
considering it as a species different from any hitherto described,
and I have classed it accordingly.
The slate-coloured hawk is eleven inches long, and twenty-
one inches in extent; bill, blue black; cere and sides of the
mouth, dull green ; eyelid, yellow ; eye, deep sunk under the
projecting eyebrow, and of a fiery orange colour ; upper parts
218 GROUND DOVE.
of a fine slate; primaries, brown black, and, as well as the
secondaries, barred with dusky ; scapulars, spotted with white
and brown, which is not seen unless the plumage be separated
by the hand ; all the feathers above are shafted with black ;
tail, very slightly forked, of an ash colour, faintly tinged with
brown, crossed with four broad bands of black, and tipt with
white ; tail, three inches longer than the wings; over the eye
extends a streak of dull white ; chin, white, mixed with fine
black hairs; breast and belly beautifully variegated with
ferruginous and transverse spots of white; femorals, the
same; vent, pure white; legs, long, very slender, and of
a rich orange yellow; claws, black, large, and remarkably
sharp ; lining of the wing, thickly marked with heart-shaped
spots of black. This bird, on dissection, was found to be
a male. In the month of February, I shot another indivi-
dual of this species, near Hampton, in Virginia, which agreed
almost exactly with the present.
GROUND DOVE. (Columba passerina.)
PLATE XLVI.—Fic. 2, MALE; Fic. 3, Femane.
Linn. Syst. 285.—Sloan. Jam. ii. 305.—Le Cocotzin, Fernandez, 24.—Buff. ii.
599, Pl. enl. 243.—Turt. Syst. 478.—Columba minuta, Ibid. p. 479.—Arct.
Zool. p. 328, No. 191.—Catesb. i. 26.—La Petite Tourterelle d’Amerique,
Briss. i. 113, pl. 9, fig. 1.
CH #MEPELIA PASSERINA.—SWAtnson.
Chemepelia, Swain. NV. Groups, Zool. Journ. No. XI. p. 361.—Columba passerina
(sub-genus Goura), Bonap. Synop. p. 120.
Tuis is one of the least of the pigeon tribe, whose timid and
innocent appearance forms a very striking contrast to the
ferocity of the bird-killer of the same plate. Such as they are
in nature, such I have endeavoured faithfully to represent
them. I have been the more particular with this minute
species, as no correct figure of it exists in any former work
with which I am acquainted.
The ground dove is a native of North and South Carolina,
GROUND DOVE. 219
Georgia, the new State of Louisiana, Florida, and the islands
of the West Indies. In the latter, it is frequently kept in
cages ; is esteemed excellent for the table, and honoured by
the French planters with the name of ortolan. They are
numerous in the sea islands on the coast of Carolina and
Georgia ; fly in flocks or coveys of fifteen or twenty ; seldom
visit the woods, preferring open fields and plantations; are
almost constantly on the ground, and, when disturbed, fly to
a short distance, and again alight. They have a frequent
jetting motion with the tail; feed on rice, various seeds and
berries, particularly those of the toothache tree,* under or near
which, in the proper season, they are almost sure to be found.
Of their nest or manner of breeding, I am unable at present
to give any account.
These birds seem to be confined to the districts lying south
of Virginia. They are plenty on the upper parts of Cape
Fear river, and in the interior of Carolina and Georgia ; but
I never have met with them either in Maryland, Delaware, or
Pennsylvania. They never congregate in such multitudes as
the common wild pigeon, or even as the Carolina pigeon
or turtle dove ; but, like the partridge, or quail, frequent the
open fields in small coveys. ‘They are easily tamed, have a
low, tender, cooing note, accompanied with the usual gesticula-
tions of their tribe.
The ground dove is a bird of passage, retiring to the islands,
and to the more southerly parts of the continent, on the ap-
proach of winter, and returning to its former haunts early in
April. It is of a more slender and delicate form, and less
able to bear the rigours of cold, than either of the other two
species common in the United States, both of which are found
in the northern regions of Canada, as well as in the genial
climate of Florida.
The dove, generally speaking, has long been considered as the
favourite emblem of peace and innocence, probably from the
respectful manner in which its name is mentioned in various
parts of Scripture; its being selected from among all the
* Xanthoxylum clava Herculis,
220 GROUND DOVE.
birds by Noah to ascertain the state of the deluge, and re-
turning to the ark bearing the olive leaf, as a messenger of
peace and good tidings; the Holy Ghost, it is also said, was
seen to descend like a dove from heaven, &. In addition to
these, there is in the dove an appearance of meekness and
innocency very interesting, and well calculated to secure our
partiality in its favour. These remarks are applicable to the
whole genus, but are more particularly so to the species now
before us, as being among the least, the most delicate, and
inoffensive of the whole.
The ground dove is six inches and a quarter long; bill,
yellow, black at the point ; nostril, covered with a prominent
membrane, as is usual with the genus; iris of the eye, orange
red; front, throat, breast, and sides of the neck, pale vinaceous
purple ; the feathers strongly defined by semicircular outlines,
those on the throat centered with dusky blue; crown and
hind head, a fine pale blue, intermixed with purple, the
plumage, like that on the throat, strongly defined; back,
cinerous brown, the scapulars deeply tinged with pale purple,
and marked with detached drops of glossy blue, reflecting
tints of purple; belly, pale vinaceous brown, becoming dark
cinerous towards the vent, where the feathers are bordered
with white; wing-quills, dusky outwardly, and at the tips;
lower sides, and whole interior vanes, a fine red chestnut,
which shows itself a little below their coverts ; tail, rounded,
consisting of twelve feathers, the two middle ones cinereous
brown, the rest black, tipt and edged with white; legs and
feet, yellow.
The female has the back and tail-coverts of a mouse colour,
with little or none of the vinaceous tint on the breast and
throat, nor any of the light blue on the hind head ; the throat
is speckled with dull white, pale clay colour, and dusky ;
sides of the neck, the same, the plumage strongly defined ;
breast, cinerous brown, slighly tinctured with purple; scapulars,
marked with large drops of a dark purplish blood colour,
reflecting tints of blue; rest of the plumage, nearly the same
as that of the male.
LY
ebpLany .woqwng g edieeyT
SNIPE. 221
SNIPE. (Scolopax gallinago ?)
PLATE XLVII.—Fic. 1.
La Beccassine, Briss. v. 298, pl. 26, fig. 1.—ZLath. Syn. iti. 134.
SCOLOPAX WILSONIT.—TEMMINOK.*
Scolopax Wilsonii, Temm. Pl. Col., Note to description of S. gigantea—Bonap.
Synop. p. 330.—Monog. del Gen. Scolopax Osserv. Sulla, 2d edit., Del.
Reg. Anim. p. 120.—Scolopax Brehmii, Bonap. Observ. on Nomencl.
Tus bird is well known to our sportsmen ; and, if not the
same, has a very near resemblance to the common snipe of
Europe. It is usually known by the name of the English
* Five or six species of snipes are so much allied in the colours and
general marking of the plumage, that a very narrow examination is
often necessary for their determination ; from this reason, the birds from
America, Asia, and the Indian continent were considered as identical,
and a much wider geographical range allotted to the European snipe
than it was generally entitled to. Wilson had some doubts of this bird
being the same with the European snipe, as he marks his name with a
query, and observed the difference in the number of tail-feathers.
Bonaparte observed the difference as soon as his attention was turned
to the ornithology of America ; and, about the same time, a new snipe
was described by Mr Kaup, in the Isis, as found occasionally in cold
winters in the north of Germany. The Prince of Musignano, on com-
paring this description with the American species, from their very close
alliance, judged them identical ; while, in the meantime, Temminck,
comparing both together, perceived distinctions, and dedicated that of
America to her own ornithologist, an opinion which Bonaparte after-
wards confirmed and adopted in his monograph of that genus.
Mr Swainson has introduced a snipe, which he thinks is distinct,
killed on the Rocky Mountains, and named by him S. Drummondii ;
and another, killed on the Columbia, which he calls 8. Douglasii. The
first “is common in the Fur Countries up to lat. 65°, and is also found
in the recesses of the Rocky Mountains. It is intermediate in size,
between the S. major and gallinago ; it has a much longer bill than the
latter, and two more tail-feathers. Its head is divided by a pale central
stripe, as in S. gallinula and major ; its dorsal plumage more distinctly
striped than that of the latter ; and the outer tail-feather is a quarter
of an inch shorter than that of S. Douglas.” The latter, in Mr
Swainson’s collection, has the tail of sixteen feathers, not narrowed, all
banded with ferruginous except the outer pair, which are paler ; total
length, eleven and a half inches.
222 SMIPE.
snipe, to distinguish it from the woodcock, and from several
others of the same genus. It arrives in Pennsylvania about
the 10th of March, and remains in the low grounds for several .
weeks ; the greater part then move off to the north, and to the
higher inland districts, to breed. A few are occasionally
found, and consequently breed, in our low marshes during
the summer. When they first arrive, they are usually lean ;
but, when in good order, are accounted excellent eating.
They are perhaps the most difficult to shoot of all our birds,
as they fly in sudden zigzag lines, and very rapidly. Great
numbers of these birds winter on the rice grounds of the
southern States, where, in the month of February, they appeared
to be much tamer than they are usually here, as I frequently
observed them running about among the springs and watery
thickets. I was told by the inhabitants that they generally
disappeared early in the spring. On the 20th of March, I
found these birds extremely numerous on the borders of the
ponds near Louisville, Kentucky, and also in the neighbour-
hood of Lexington, in the same State, as late as the 10th of
Most of the snipes partially migrate in their native countries, and
some perform a regular distant migration. Such is the case with the
S. gallinula of Europe. The American species is a winter visitant in
the northern States, and will most probably breed farther to the south,
without leaving the country. In India, the snipes move according to
the supply of water in the tanks, and at the season when they are com-
paratively dry, leave that district entirely. In this country, although
many breed in the mosses, we have a large accession of numbers about
the middle of September, both from the wilder high grounds, and from
the continent of Europe ; and these, according to the weather, change
their stations during the whole winter. Their movements are com-
menced generally about twilight, when they fly high, surveying the
country as they pass, and one day may be found in abundance on the
highest moorland ranges, while the next they have removed to some
low and sheltered glade or marsh. In this we have a curious instance
of that instinctive knowledge which causes so simultaneous a change
of station in a single night. By close observation, during the winter
months it may be regularly perceived, sometimes even daily, and some
change certainly takes place before and after any sudden variation of
weather.—Eb.
2's
SNIPE. 223
April. I was told by several people that they are abundant
in the Illinois country, up as far as Lake Michigan. They
are but seldom seen in Pennsylvania during the summer, but
are occasionally met with in considerable numbers on their
return in autumn, along the whole eastern side of the Alle-
ghany, from the sea to the mountains. They have the same
soaring irregular flight in the air in gloomy weather as the
snipe of Europe; the same bleating note and occasional
rapid descent; spring from the marshes with the like feeble
squeak ; and in every respect resemble the common snipe of
Britain, except in being about an inch less, and in having
sixteen feathers in the tail, instead of fourteen, the number
said by Bewick to be in that of Europe. From these cir-
cumstances, we must either conclude this to be a different
species, or partially changed by difference of climate: the
former appears to me the most probable opinion of the two.
These birds abound in the meadows and low grounds along
our large rivers, particularly those that border the Schuylkill
and Delaware, from the 10th of March to the middle of April,
and sometimes later, and are eagerly sought after by many of
our gunners. The nature of the grounds, however, which these
birds frequent, the coldness of the season, and peculiar shyness
and agility of the game, render this amusement attractive only
to the most dexterous, active, and eager of our sportsmen.
The snipe is eleven inches long, and seventeen inches in
extent ; the bill is more than two inches anda half long, fluted
lengthwise, of a brown colour, and black towards the tip,
where it is very smooth while the bird is alive, but, soon after
it is killed, becomes dimpled, like the end of a thimble;
crown, black, divided by an irregular line of pale brown;
another broader one of the same tint passes over each eye ;
from the bill to the eye, there is a narrow dusky line ; neck
and upper part of the breast, pale brown, variegated with
touches of white and dusky; chin, pale; back and scapulars,
deep velvety black, the latter elegantly marbled with waving
lines of ferruginous, and broadly edged exteriorly with white ;
224 QUAIL, OR PARTRIDGE.
wings, plain dusky, all the feathers, as well as those of the
coverts, tipt with white; shoulder of the wing, deep dusky
brown, exterior quill edged with white; tail-coverts, long,
reaching within three-quarters of an inch of the tip, and of a
pale rust colour, spotted with black ; tail, rounded, deep black,
ending in a bar of bright ferruginous, crossed with a narrow
waving line of black, and tipt with whitish ; belly, pure white ;
sides, barred with dusky; legs and feet, a very pale ashy
green; sometimes the whole thighs and sides of the vent are
barred with dusky and white, as in the figure on the plate.
The female differs in being more obscure in her colours ;
the white on the back being less pure, and the black not so
deep.
QUAIL, OR PARTRIDGE. (Perdix Virginianus.)
PLATE XLVII.—Fre. 2.
Arct. Zool. 318, No. 185.—Catesb. App. p. 12.—Virginian Quail, Turt. Syst. p.
460.—Maryland Quail, Zbtd.—La Perdrix d’Amerique, Briss. i. 230.—Buff.
ii. 447.
ORTYX VIRGINIANUS.—BonNAPARTE.*
Perdix Virginiana, Lath. Ind. Orn. ii. p. 650.—Colin Colgnicui, Temm. Pig. et
Gall. iii. p. 436.—Perdix Borealis, Temm. Pig. et Gall. Ind. p. 735.—Ortyx
Borealis, Steph. Cont. Shaw’s Zool. xi. p. 377.—Perdix (Ortyx) Virginiana,
Bonap. Synop. p. 124.—The Virginian Partridge, Aud. i. p. 388, pl. 76.
Tuis well-known bird is a general inhabitant of North
America, from the northern parts of Canada and Nova Scotia,
in which latter place it is said to be migratory, to the extremity
* The genus Ortyx was formed by Mr Stephens, the continuator of
Shaw’s Zoology, for the reception of the thick and strong-billed par-
tridges peculiar to both continents of the New World, and holding the
place there with the partridges, francolins, and quails of other countries.
They live on the borders of woods, among brushwood, or on the thick
grassy plains, and since the cultivation of the country, frequent culti-
vated fields. During the night they roost on trees, and occasionally
perch during the day ; when alarmed, or chased by dogs, they fly to the
middle branches ; and Mr Audubon remarks, “ they walk with ease on
the branches.” In all these habits they show their alliance to the perch-
ing Galline, and a variation from the true partridge. The same
naturalist also remarks, that they occasionally perform partial migra--
QUAIL, OR PARTRIDGE. 225
of the peninsula of Florida ; and was seen in the neighbour-
hood of the Great Osage village, in the interior of Louisiana.
They are numerous in Kentucky and Ohio. Mr Pennant
tions, from north-west to south-east, in the beginning of October, and
that for a few weeks the north-western shores of the Ohio are covered
with partridges.
Their general form is robust, the bill very strong, and apparently
fitted for a mode of feeding requiring considerable exertion, such as the
digging up. of bulbous and tuberous roots. The head is crested in all
the known species, the feathers sometimes of a peculiar structure, the
shafts bare, and the extremity of the webs folding on each other. The
tail also exhibits different forms ; in the more typical species short, as
in the partridges, and in others becoming broad and long, as seen in the
Indian genus Crez, or the more extensively distributed genus Penelope.
Considerable additions to the number of species have been lately made.
Those belonging to the northern continent, and consequently coming under
our notice, are two, discovered by Mr Douglas,—Ortyx picta, described
in the last volume of the “ Linnean Transactions,” and O. Douglasii, so
named by Mr Vigors, in honour of its discoverer, and also described
with the former. To these may be added the lovely O. Californica,
which, previous to this expedition, and the voyage of Captain Beechey
to the coast of California, was held in the light of a dubious species. I
have added the descriptions of these new species from Mr Douglas’s
account in the “ Transactions of the Linnean Society.”
Ortyx picta.—DOovuGLAS.
Male,—Bill, small, black ; crown of the head and breast, lead colour ;
crest, three linear black feathers, two inches long ; irides, bright hazel
red ; throat, purple red, bounded by a narrow white line, forming a
gorget above the breast, and extending round the eye and root of the
beak ; back, scapulars, and outer coverts of the wings, fuscous brown ;
belly, bright tawny or rusty colour, waved with black ; the points of
the feathers white; quills, thirteen feathers, the fourth the longest ;
under coverts, light brown, mixed with a rusty colour; tail, twelve
feathers, of unequal length, rounded, lead colour, but less bright than
the breast or crown of the head ; tarsi, one inch and a quarter long,
reddish ; toes, webbed nearly to the first joint.
Female,—Head and breast, light fuscous brown; the middle of the
feathers, black ; crest, half an inch long ; throat, whitish or light gray ;
belly, light gray, waved with black, less bright than the male ; under
coyerts of the tail, foxy red ; length, ten inches ; girth, sixteen inches ;
weight, about twelve ounces ; flesh, brown, well-flavoured.
From October until March, these birds congregate in vast flocks, and
seem to live in a state of almost perpetual warfare; dreadful conflicts
VOL. II. P
226 QUAIL, OR PARTRIDGE.
remarks, that they have been lately introduced into the island
of Jamaica, where they appear to thrive greatly, breeding in
that warm climate twice in the year. Captain Henderson
mentions them as being plenty near the Balize, at the Bay of
ensue between the males, which not unfrequently end in the destruction
of one or both combatants, if we may judge from the number of dead
birds daily seen plucked, mutilated, and covered with blood. When
feeding, they move in compact bodies, each individual endeavouring to
outdo his neighbour in obtaining the prize. The voice is quick-quick-
quick, pronounced slowly, with a gentle suspension between each syllable.
At such times, or when surprised, the crest is usually thrown forward
over the back ; and the reverse when retreating, being brought back-
wards, and laid quite close. Their favourite haunts are dry upland, or
undulating, gravelly, or sandy soils, in open woods or coppice thickets
of the interior ; but during the severity of winter, when the ground is
covered with snow, they migrate in large flocks to the more temperate
places in the immediate vicinity of the ocean. Seeds of Bromus altissimus,
Madia sativa, and a tribe of plants allied to Wadelia, catkins of Corylus,
leaves of Fragaria, and various insects, are their common food. Nest
on the ground, in thickets of Pteris, Aspidiwm, Rubus, Rhamnus, and
Ceanothus ; neatly built with grass and dry leaves ; secreted with so
much caution, that, without the help of a dog, they can hardly be found.
Eggs, eleven to fifteen, yellowish white, with minute brown spots ;
large in proportion to the bird. Pair in March. Common in the in-
terior of California ; and, during the summer months, extending as far
northward as 45° north latitude, that is, within a few miles of the Col-
umbian Valley.
Ortyx Douglasii.—VIGORS.
Male.—Bill, brown ; crest, linear, black, one inch long; irides, hazel
red ; body, fuscous brown, with a mixture of lead colour, and rusty or
yellow streaks ; throat, whitish, with brown spots ; belly, foxy red or
tawny, white spotted; scapulars and outer coverts, bright brown; under
coverts, light reddish brown ; tail, twelve unequal rounded feathers ; legs,
reddish ; length, nine inches; girth, twelve inches; weight, ten ounces;
flesh, pleasant, dark coloured.
Female.—Crest, scarcely perceptible, dark.
This species appears to be an inhabitant of a more temperate climate
than the preceding one, as it is never seen higher than 42° N. latitude,
and even that very sparingly in comparison to O. Picta and Californica.
The species do not associate together. In manner they are similar, at
least as far as the opportunity I had of observing them went. I have
never seen them but in winter dress, and know nothing of their nesting.
—Eb.
QUAIL, OR PARTRIDGE. 227
Honduras. They rarely frequent the forest, and are most
numerous in the vicinity of well-cultivated plantations, where
grain is in plenty. They, however, occasionally seek shelter
in the woods, perching on the branches or secreting them-
selves among the brushwood; but are found most usually in
open fields, or along fences sheltered by thickets of briers.
Where they are not too much persecuted by the sportsmen,
they become almost half domesticated ; approach the barn,
particularly in winter, and sometimes, in that severe season,
mix with the poultry to glean up a subsistence. They remain
with us the whole year, and often suffer extremely by long,
hard winters, and deep snows. At such times, the arts of
man combine with the inclemency of the season for their
destruction. To the ravages of the gun are added others of a
more insidious kind ; traps are placed on almost every plan-
tation, in such places as they are known to frequent. These
are formed of lath, or thinly-split sticks, somewhat in the
shape of an obtuse cone, laced together with cord, having a
small hole at top, with a sliding lid to take out the game by.
This is supported by the common figure 4 trigger ; and grain
is scattered below and leading to the place. By this con-
trivance, ten or fifteen have sometimes been taken at a time.*
* Jn addition to the common traps now described, Mr Audubon men-
tions that they are also netted, or driven, as it is called. He thus de-
scribes the method of driving :—
“A number of persons on horseback, provided with a net, set out in
search of partridges, riding along the fences or brier thickets which the
birds are known to frequent. One or two of the party whistle in imi-
tation of the call-note, and, as partridges are plentiful, the call is soon
answered by a covey, when the sportsmen immediately proceed to ascer-
tain their position and number, seldom considering it worth while to
set the net when there are only afew birds. They approach in a care-
less manner, talking and laughing as if merely passing by. When the
birds are discovered, one of the party gallops off in a circuitous manner,
gets in advance of the rest by a hundred yards or more, according to
the situation of the birds, and their disposition to run, while the rest
of the sportsmen move about on their horses, talking to each other, but,
at the same time, watching every motion of the partridges. The person
in advance being provided with the net, dismounts, and at once falls to
228 QUAIL, OR PARTRIDGE.
These are sometimes brought alive to market, and occasionally
bought up by sportsmen, who, if the season be very severe,
sometimes preserve and feed them till spring, when they are
humanely turned out to their native fields again, to be put to
death at some future time secundum artem. Between the
months of August and March, great numbers of these birds
are brought to the market of Philadelphia, where they are
sold at from twelve to eighteen cents apiece.
The quail begins to build early in May. The nest is made
on the ground, usually at the bottom of a thick tuft of grass,
that shelters and conceals it. The materials are leaves and
fine dry grass in considerable quantity. It is well covered
above, and an opening left on one side for entrance. The
female lays from fifteen to twenty-four eggs, of a pure white,
without any spots. The time of incubation has been stated
to me, by various persons, at four weeks, when the eggs were
placed under the domestic hen. The young leave the nest as
soon as they are freed from the shell, and are conducted about
in search of food by the female; are guided by her voice,
which at that time resembles the twittering of young chickens,
and sheltered by her wings in the same manner as those of
the domestic fowl, but with all that secrecy and precaution
for their safety which their helplessness and greater danger
require. In this situation, should the little timid family be
unexpectedly surprised, the utmost alarm and consternation
instantly prevail. The mother throws herself in the path,
placing it, so that his companions can easily drive the partridges into
it. No sooner is the machine ready, than the net-bearer remounts and
rejoins the party. The sportsmen separate to a short distance, and fol-
low the partridges, talking, whistling, clapping their hands, or knocking
the fence-rails. The birds move with great gentleness, following each
other, and are kept in the right direction by the sportsmen. The lead-
ing bird approaches and enters the mouth of the net—the others follow
in succession, when the net-bearer leaps from his horse, runs up and
secures the entrance, and soon despatches the birds. In this manner
fifteen or twenty partridges are caught at one driving, and sometimes
many hundreds in the course of the day.”—Ep.
QUAIL, OR PARTRIDGE. 229
fluttering along, and beating the ground with her wings, as if
sorely wounded ; using every artifice she is master of to entice
the passenger in pursuit of herself, uttering at the same time
certain peculiar notes of alarm, well understood by the young,
who dive separately amongst the grass, and secrete themselves
till the danger is over ; and the parent, having decoyed the
pursuer to a safe distance, returns by a circuitous route to
collect and lead them off. This well-known manceuvre, which
nine times in ten is successful, is honourable to the feelings
and judgment of the bird, but a severe satire on man. ‘The
affectionate mother, as if sensible of the avaricious cruelty of
his nature, tempts him with a larger prize, to save her more
helpless offspring ; and pays him, as avarice and cruelty ought
always to be paid, with mortification and disappointment.
The eggs of the quail have been frequently placed under the
domestic hen, and hatched and reared with equal success as
her own; though, generally speaking, the young partridges,
being more restless and vagrant, often lose themselves, and
disappear. The hen ought to be a particular good nurse, not
at all disposed to ramble, in which case they are very easily
raised. Those that survive acquire all the familiarity of
common chickens; and there is little doubt that, if proper
measures were taken, and persevered in for a few years, they
might be completely domesticated. They have been often
kept during the first season, and through the whole of the
winter, but have uniformly deserted in the spring. 'T'wo young
partridges that were brought up by a hen, when abandoned
by her, associated with the cows, which they regularly followed
to the fields, returned with them when they came home in the
evening, stood by them while they were milked, and again
accompanied them to the pasture. These remained during
the winter, lodging in the stable, but as soon as spring came,
they disappeared. Of this fact I was informed by a very
respectable lady, by whom they were particularly observed.
It has been frequently asserted to me, that the quails lay
occasionally in each other’s nests. Though I have never
230 QUAIL, OR PARTRIDGE.
myself seen a case of this kind, I do not think it altogether
improbable, from the fact that they have often been known
to drop their eggs in the nest of the common hen, when that
happened to be in the fields, or at a small distance from the
house. The two partridges above mentioned were raised in
this manner; and it was particularly remarked by the lady
who gave me the information, that the hen sat for several days
after her own eggs were hatched, until the young quails made
their appearance.
The partridge, on her part, has sometimes been employed
to hatch the eges of the common domestic hen. A friend of
mine, who himself made the experiment, informs me, that, of
several hen’s eggs which he substituted in place of those of
the partridge, she brought out the whole; and that, for several
weeks, he occasionally surprised her in various parts of the
plantation with her brood of chickens ; on which occasions
she exhibited all that distressful alarm, and practised her
usual manceuvres for their preservation. Even after they
were considerably grown, and larger than the partridge her-
self, she continued to lead them about; but, though their
notes or call were those of common chickens, their manners
had all the shyness, timidity, and alarm of young partridges ;
running with great rapidity, and squatting in the grass exactly
in the manner of the partridge. Soon after this, they disap-
peared, having probably been destroyed by dogs, by the gun,
or by birds of prey. Whether the domestic fowl might not
by this method be very soon brought back to its original savage
state, and thereby supply another additional subject for the
amusement of the sportsman, will scarcely admit of a doubt.
But the experiment, in order to secure its success, would require
to be made in a quarter of the country less exposed than ours
to the ravages of guns, traps, dogs, and the deep snows of
winter, that the new tribe might have full time to become
completely naturalised, and well fixed in all their native habits.
About the beginning of September, the quails being now
nearly fully grown, and associated in flocks or coveys of from
QUAIL, OR PARTRIDGE. 231
four or five to thirty, afford considerable sport to the gunner.
At this time the notes of the male are most frequent, clear,
and loud. His common call consists of two notes, with some-
times an introductory one, and is similar to the sound produced
by pronouncing the words “ Bob White.” This call may be
easily imitated by whistling, so as to deceive the bird itself,
and bring it near. While uttering this, he is usually perched
on a rail of the fence, or on a low limb of an apple tree, where
he will sometimes sit, repeating, at short intervals, “ Bob
White,” for half an hour at a time. When a covey are
assembled in a thicket or corner of a field, and about to take
wing, they make a low twittering sound, not unlike that of
young chickens; and when the covey is dispersed, they are
called together again by a loud and frequently repeated note,
peculiarly expressive of tenderness and anxiety.
The food of the partridge consists of grain, seeds, insects,
and berries of various kinds. Buckwheat and Indian-corn are
particular favourites. In September and October the buck-
wheat fields afford them an abundant supply, as well as a
secure shelter. They usually roost at, night in the middle of
a field on high ground; and from the circumstance of their
dung being often found in such places in one round heap, it
is generally conjectured that they roost in a circle, with their
heads outwards, each individual in this position forming a
kind of guard to prevent surprise. hey also continue to
Jodge for several nights in the same spot.
The partridge, like all the rest of the gallinaceous order,
flies with a loud whirring sound, occasioned by the shortness,
concavity, and rapid motion of its wings, and the comparative
weight of its body. ‘he steadiness of its horizontal flight,
however, renders it no difficult mark to the sportsman, parti-
cularly when assisted by his sagacious pointer. The flesh of
this bird is peculiarly white, tender, and delicate, unequalled
in these qualities by that of any other of its genus in the
United States.
The quail, as it is called in New England, or the partridge,
aii)
232 RAIL.
as in Pennsylvania, is nine inches long, and fourteen inches
in extent; the bill is black; line over the eye, down the neck,
and whole chin, pure white, bounded by a band of black,
which descends and spreads broadly over the throat; the eye
is dark hazel; crown, neck, and upper part of the breast, red
brown; sides of the neck, spotted with white and black on
a reddish brown ground ; back, scapulars, and lesser coverts,
red brown, intermixed with ash, and sprinkled with black ;
tertials, edged with yellowish white; wings, plain dusky ;
lower part of the breast and belly, pale yellowish white,
beautifully marked with numerous curving spots, or arrow-
heads of black; tail, ash, sprinkled with reddish brown; legs,
very pale ash.
The female differs in having the chin and sides of the head
yellowish brown, in which dress it has been described as a
different kind. There is, however, only one species of quail
at present known within the United States.
RAIL. (Rallus Carolinus.)
PLATE XLVIII.—Fie. 1.
Soree, Catesb. i. 70.—Arct. Zool. p. 491, No. 409.—Little American Water-hen,
Edw. 144.—Le Rale de Virginie, Buff. viii. 165.
CREX CAROLINUS.—BONAPARTE.*
Rallus (Crex) Carolinus, Bonap. Synop. p. 335.
Or all our land or water fowl, perhaps none afford the
sportsmen more agreeable amusement, or a more delicious
repast, than the little bird now before us. This amusement
is indeed temporary, lasting only two or three hours in the
* Almost every ornithologist has been at variance with regard to the
propriety and limitation of the genera Lallus, Crex, and Gallinula.
They appear to be sufficiently distinct, and not to run more into each
other than many other groups, and, in the present state of ornithology,
their separation is indispensable. Crex may be characterised by the bill
shorter than the head, strong at the base, and tapering, the forehead
feathered ; the common land rail or corncrake of Europe, and our
TOGA
WUD)
MUL
“Ag
CEU)
RAIL. 238
day, for four or five weeks in each year; but as it occurs in
the most agreeable and temperate of our seasons, is attended
with little or no fatigue to the gunner, and is frequently
successful, it attracts numerous followers, and is pursued
in such places as the birds frequent with great eagerness and
enthusiasm.
present species, may be taken as very good typical examples. In
Gallinula, the forehead is defended with a flat cartilaginous shield, and
the habits are more open. In fallus, the bill is longer than the head,
and comparatively slender.
In habit they nearly agree ; timid, and fond of concealment during
the day, they frequent low meadows or marshy grounds, and run
swiftly : the common land rail will beat a good runner for a short way, as
T have sometimes experienced. They run with the body near the ground,
and make their turns with astonishing celerity. When raised or sur-
prised during the day, they fly clumsily ; but in the evening, and when
that faculty is exerted with their will, it is much more actively per-
formed ; their time for exertion is evening and morning, often during
the night: then they feed, and, during breeding season, utter the in-
cessant and inharmonious cry which almost all possess. The cry is
remarkable in all that I have heard, appearing to be uttered sometimes
within a few yards, and, in a second or two, as if at an opposite part of
the ground. The land rail possesses this ventriloquism to a great extent,
and, knowing their swift running powers, I at first thought that the
bird was actually traversing the field, and it was not until I had observed
one perched upon a stone utter its cry for some time, and give full
evidence of its powers, that I became convinced of the contrary. The
corncrake, and, indeed, I rather think most of the others, and also the
rails, seem to remain stationary when uttering the cry. A stone, clod
of earth, or old sod wall, is the common calling place of our own bird ;
and they may be easily watched, in the beginning of summer, if
approached with caution, before the herbage begins tothicken. They seem
to feed on larger prey than what are assigned to them: large water
insects and the smaller reptiles may assist in sustaining the aquatic
species, while slugs and larger snails will furnish subsistence to the
others. I have found the common short-tailed field mouse in the
stomach of our land rail.
Their flesh is generally delicate, some as much esteemed as the
American bird, and the young, before commencing their migrations,
become extremely fat.
Crexz Carolinus is the only species of the genus yet discovered in
North America, and is peculiar to that continent.— Ep.
234 | RAIL.
The natural history of the rail, or, as it is called in Virginia,
the sora, and in South Carolina, the coot, is, to the most of
our sportsmen, involved in profound and inexplicable mystery.
It comes they know not whence, and goes they know not
where. No one can detect their first moment of arrival; yet
all at once the reedy shores and grassy marshes of our large
rivers swarm with them, thousands being sometimes found
within the space of a few acres. ‘These, when they do venture
on wing, seem to fly so feebly, and in such short fluttering
flights among the reeds, as to render it highly improbable to
most people that they could possibly make their way over an
extensive tract of country. Yet, on the first smart frost that
occurs, the whole suddenly disappear, as if they had never been.
To account for these extraordinary phenomena, it has been
supposed by some that they bury themselves in the mud ; but
as this is every year dug into by ditchers, and people employed
in repairing the banks, without any of those sleepers being
found, where but a few weeks before these birds were in-
numerable, this theory has been generally abandoned. And
here their researches into this mysterious matter generally
end in the common exclamation of ‘‘ What can become of
them!” Some profound inquirers, however, not discouraged
with these difficulties, have prosecuted their researches with
more success; and one of those, living a few years ago near
the mouth of James River, in Virginia, where the rail, or
sora, are extremely numerous, has (as I was informed on the
spot) lately discovered that they change into frogs! having
himself found in his meadows an animal of an extraordinary
kind, that appeared to be neither a sora nor a frog, but, as he
expressed it, ‘something between the two.” He carried it to
his negroes, and afterwards took it home, where it lived three
days; and, in his own and his negroes’ opinion, it looked like
nothing in this world but a real sora changing into a frog!
What further confirms this grand discovery is the well-known
circumstance of the frogs ceasing to hollow as soon as the sora
comes in the fall.
RAIL. 235
This sagacious discoverer, however, like many others re-
nowned in history, has found but few supporters, and, except
his own negroes, has not, as far as I can learn, made a single
convert to his opinion. Matters being so circumstanced, and
some explanation necessary, I shall endeavour to throw a
little more light on the subject by a simple detail of facts,
leaving the reader to form his own theory as he pleases.
The rail, or sora, belongs to a genus of birds of which
about thirty different species are enumerated by naturalists ;
and those are distributed over almost every region of the
habitable parts of the earth. 'The general character of these
is everywhere the same. They run swiftly, fly slowly, and
usually with the legs hanging down ; become extremely fat ;
are fond of concealment; and, wherever it is practicable,
prefer running to flying. Most of them are migratory, and
abound during the summer in certain countries, the inhabitants
of which have very rarely an opportunity of seeing them. Of
this last the land rail of Britain is a striking example. This
bird, which during the summer months may be heard in
almost every grass and clover field in the kingdom, uttering
its common note crek, crek, from sunset to a late hour in the
night, is yet unknown by sight to more than nine-tenths of the
inhabitants. ‘‘ Its well-known cry,’ says Bewick, “is first
heard as soon as the grass becomes long enough to shelter it,
and continues till the grass is cut; but the bird is seldom
seen, for it constantly skulks among the thickest part of the
herbage, and runs so nimbly through it, winding and doubling
in every direction, that it is difficult to come near it; when
hard pushed by the dog, it sometimes stops short, and squats
down, by which means its too eager pursuer overshoots the
spot, and loses the trace. It seldom springs but when driven
to extremity, and generally flies with its legs hanging down,
but never to a great distance ; as soon as it alights, it runs off,
and, before the fowler has reached the spot, the bird is at a
considerable distance.”* The water crake, or spotted rail,
* Bewick’s British Birds, vol. i. p. 308.
—————
—
PL Cr +
~——
236 RAIL
of the same country, which in its plumage approaches nearer
to our rail, is another notable example of the same general
habit of the genus. “Its common abode,” says the same
writer, “is in low swampy grounds, in which are pools or
streamlets overgrown with willows, reeds, and rushes, where it
lurks and hides itself with great circumspection ; it is wild,
solitary, and shy, and will swim, dive, or skulk under any
cover, and sometimes suffer itself to be knocked on the head
rather than rise before the sportsman and his dog.” The
water rail of the same country is equally noted for the like
habits. In short, the whole genus possess this strong family
character in a very remarkable degree.
These three species are well known to migrate into Britain
early in spring, and to leave it for the more southern parts
of Europe in autumn. Yet they are rarely or never seen on
their passage to or from the countries where they are regularly
found at different seasons of the year, and this for the very
same reasons that they are so rarely seen even in the places
where they inhabit.
It is not, therefore, at all surprising, that the reeular migra-
tions of the American rail, or sora, should in like manner
have escaped notice in a country like this, whose population
bears so small a proportion to its extent, and where the study
of natural history is so little attended to. But that these
migrations do actually take place, from north to south, and
vice versa, may be fairly inferred from the common practice
of thousands of other species of birds less solicitous of con-
cealment, and also from the following facts.
On the 22d day of February, I killed two of these birds in
the neighbourhood of Savannah, in Georgia, where they have
never been observed during the summer. On the 2d of
May following, I shot another in a watery thicket below
Philadelphia, between the rivers Schuylkill and Delaware, in
what is usually called the Neck. ‘This last was a male, in
full plumage. We are also informed that they arrive at
Hudson’s Bay early in June, and again leave that settlement
ee
RAIL. 220,
for the south early in autumn. That many of them also
remain here to breed is proven by the testimony of persons of
credit and intelligence with whom I have conversed, both
here and on James River, in Virginia, who have seen their
nests, eggs, and young. In the extensive meadows that
border the Schuylkill and Delaware it was formerly common,
before the country was so thickly settled there, to find young
rail in the first mowing time among the grass. Mr James
Bartram, brother to the botanist, a venerable and still active
man of eighty-three, and well acquainted with this bird, says
that he has often seen and caught young rail in his own
meadows in the month of June; he has also seen their nest,
which he says is usually in a tussock of grass, is formed of a
little dry grass, and has four or five eggs, of a dirty whitish
colour, with brown or blackish spots: the young run off as
soon as they break the shell, are then quite black, and run
about among the grass like mice. The old ones he has very
rarely observed at that time, but the young often. Almost every
old settler along these meadows with whom I have conversed
has occasionally seen young rail in mowing time ; and all
agree in describing them as covered with blackish down.
There can, therefore, be no reasonable doubt as to the resi-
dence of many of these birds, both here and to the northward,
during the summer. That there can be as little doubt rela-
tive to their winter retreat will appear more particularly
towards the sequel of the present account. During their
residence here, in summer, their manners exactly correspond
with those of the water crake of Britain, already quoted, so
that, though actually a different species, their particular habits
common places of resort, and eagerness for concealment, are
as nearly the same as the nature of the climates will admit.
Early in August, when the reeds along the shores of the
Delaware have attained their full growth, the rail resort to
them in great numbers to feed on the seeds of this plant, of
which they, as well as the rice birds, and several others, are
immoderately fond. These reeds, which appear to be the
el
a as - ———
c <
238 RAIL.
Zizania panicula effusa of Linneeus, and the Zizania elavulosa
of Willdenow, grow up from the soft muddy shores of the tide
water, which are alternately dry, and covered with four or five
feet of water. They rise with an erect, tapering stem, to
the height of eight or ten feet, being nearly as thick below as
a man’s wrist, and cover tracts along the river of many acres.
The cattle feed on their long green leaves with avidity, and
wade in after them as far as they dare safely venture. They
grow up so close together, that, except at or near high water,
a boat can with difficulty make its way through among them.
The seeds are produced at the top of the plant, the blossoms,
or male parts, occupying the lower branches of the panicle,
and the seeds the higher. These seeds are nearly as long as
a common-sized pin, somewhat more slender, white, sweet to
the taste, and very nutritive, as appears by their effects on the
various birds that at this season feed on them.
When the reeds are in this state, and even while in blossom,
the rail are found to have taken possession of them in great
numbers. These are generally numerous in proportion to the
full and promising crop of the former. As you walk along
the embankment of the river at this season, you hear them
squeaking in every direction like young puppies. If a stone
be thrown among the reeds, there is a general outcry, and a
reiterated kuk, kuk, kuk, something like that of a guineafowl.
Any sudden noise, or the discharge of a gun, produces the
same effect. In the meantime none are to be seen, unless it
be at or near high water; for when the tide is low, they
universally secrete themselves among the interstices of
the reeds, and you may walk past, and even over, where
there are hundreds, without seeing a single individual. On
their first arrival, they are generally lean, and unfit for the
table; but, as the reeds ripen, they rapidly fatten, and from
the 20th of September to the middle of October are excellent,
and eagerly sought after. The usual method of shooting
them, in this quarter of the country, is as follows :—The
sportsman furnishes himself with a light batteau, and a stout
RATL. 239
experienced boatman, with a pole of twelve or fifteen feet
long, thickened at the lower end to prevent it from sinking
too deep into the mud. About two hours or so before high
water, they enter the reeds, and each takes his post, the
sportsman standing in the bow ready for action, the boatman,
on the stern seat, pushing her steadily through the reeds.
The rail generally spring singly, as the boat advances, and
at a short distance ahead, and are instantly shot down, while
the boatman, keeping his eye on the spot where the bird fell,
directs the boat forward, and picks it up as the gunner is
loading. It is also the boatman’s business to keep a sharp
look-out, and give the word “ Mark!” when a rail springs
on either side without being observed by the sportsman, and
to note the exact spot where it falls until he has picked it
up; for this once lost sight of, owing to the sameness in the
appearance of the reeds, is seldom found again. In this
manner the boat moves steadily through and over the reeds,
the birds flushing and falling, the gunner loading and firing,
while the boatman is pushing and picking up. The sport
continues till an hour or two after high water, when the
shallowness of the water, and the strength and weight of the
floating reeds, as also the backwardness of the game to spring
as the tide decreases, oblige them to return. Several boats
are sometimes within a short distance of each other, and a
perpetual cracking of musketry prevails along the whole reedy
shores of the river. In these excursions it is not uncommon
for an active and expert marksman to kill ten or twelve dozen
in a tide. They are usually shot singly, though I have
known five killed at one discharge of a double-barrelled piece.
These instances, however, are rare.
The flight of these birds among the reeds is usually low,
and, shelter being abundant, is rarely extended to more than
fifty or one hundred yards. When winged, and uninjured in
their legs, they swim and dive with great rapidity, and are
seldom seen to rise again. I have several times, on such
occasions, discovered them clinging with their feet to the
|
|
|
240 RAIL.
reeds under the water, and at other times skulking under the
floating reeds, with their bill just above the surface. Some-
times, when wounded, they dive, and rising under the gun-
wale of the boat, secrete themselves there, moving round as
the boat moves, until they have an opportunity of escaping
unnoticed. They are feeble and delicate in everything but
the legs, which seem to possess great vigour and energy ; and
their bodies being so remarkably thin or compressed as to
be less than an inch and a quarter through transversely, they
are enabled to pass between the reeds like rats, When seen,
they are almost constantly jetting up the tail. Yet, though
their flight among the reeds seems feeble and fluttering, every
sportsman who is acquainted with them here must have seen
them occasionally rising to a considerable height, stretching
out their legs behind them, and flying rapidly across the
river where it is more than a mile in width.
Such is the mode of rail-shooting in the neighbourhood of
Philadelphia. In Virginia, particularly along the shores of
James River, within the tide water, where the rail, or sora,
are in prodigious numbers, they are also shot on the wing, but
more usually taken at night in the following manner:—A
kind of iron grate is fixed on the top of a stout pole, which is
placed like a mast in a light canoe, and filled with fire. The
darker the night the more successful is the sport. The person
who manages the canoe is provided with a light paddle ten or
twelve feet in length, and, about an hour before high water,
proceeds through among the reeds, which lie broken and
floating on the surface. The whole space, for a considerable
way round the canoe, is completely enlightened; the birds
stare with astonishment, and, as they appear, are knocked on
the head with the paddle, and thrown into the canoe. In
this manner, from twenty to eighty dozen have been killed by
three negroes in the short space of three hours!
At the same season, or a little earlier, they are very numer-
ous in the lagoons near Detroit, on our northern frontiers,
where another species of reed (of which they are equally fond)
RAIL. 241
grows in shallows in great abundance. Gentlemen who have
shot them there, and on whose judgment I can rely, assure
me that they differ in nothing from those they have usually
killed on the shores of the Delaware and Schuylkill: they are
equally fat, and exquisite eating. On the sea-coast of New
Jersey, where these reeds are not to be found, this bird is
altogether unknown; though along the marshes of Maurice
River, and other tributary streams of the Delaware, and where-
ever the reeds abound, the rail are sure to be found also.
Most of them leave Pennsylvania before the end of October,
and the southern States early in November, though numbers
linger in the warm southern marshes the whole winter. A
very worthy gentleman, Mr Harrison, who lives in Kittiwan,
near a creek of that name, on the borders of James River,
informed me, that, in burning his meadows early in March,
they generally raise and destroy several of these birds. That
the great body of these rail winter in countries beyond the
United States is rendered highly probable from their being
so frequently met with at sea, between our shores and the
West India islands. A Captain Douglas informed me, that
on his voyage from St Domingo to Philadelphia, and more
than a hundred miles from the capes of the Delaware, one
night the man at the helm was alarmed by a sudden crash on
deck that broke the glass im the binnacle, and put out the
light. On examining into the cause, three rail were found on
deck, two of which were killed on the spot, and the other
died soon after. The late Bishop Madison, president of
William and Mary College, Virginia, assured me that a Mr
Skipwith, for some time our consul in Europe, on his return
to the United States, when upwards of three hundred miles
from the capes of the Chesapeake, several rail, or soras, I
think five or six, came on board, and were caught by the
people. Mr Skipwith, being well acquainted with the bird,
assured him that they were the very same with those usually
killed on James River, I have received like assurances from
several other gentlemen and captains of vessels who have met
VOL, II. Q
8 Se
242 RAIL.
with these birds between the mainland and the islands, so as
to leave no doubt on my mind of the fact. For why should
it be considered incredible that a bird which can both swim
and dive well, and at pleasure fly with great rapidity, as I
have myself frequently witnessed, should be incapable of
migrating, like so many others, over extensive tracts of land
or sea? Inhabiting, as they do, the remote regions of
Hudson’s Bay, where it is impossible they could subsist dur-
ing the rigours of their winter, they must either emigrate
from thence or perish ; and as the same places in Pennsyl-
vania which abound with them in October are often laid
under ice and snow during the winter, it is as impossible that
they could exist here in that inclement season. Heaven has,
therefore, given them, in common with many others, certain
prescience of these circumstances, and judgment, as well as
strength of flight, sufficient to seek more genial climates
abounding with their suitable food.
The rail is nine inches long, and fourteen inches in extent;
bill, yellow, blackish towards the point; lores, front, crown,
chin, and stripe down the throat, black; line over the eye,
cheeks, and breast, fine light ash ; sides of the crown, neck,
and upper parts generally, olive brown, streaked with black,
and also with long lines of pure white, the feathers being
centred with black on a brown olive ground, and edged with
white ; these touches of white are shorter near the shoulder
of the wing, lengthening as they descend ; wing, plain olive
brown ; tertials, streaked with black, and long lines of white;
tail, pointed, dusky olive brown, centred with black ; the four
middle feathers bordered for half their length with lines of
white; lower part of the breast marked with semicircular
lines of white on a light ash ground; belly, white; sides under
the wings, deep olive, barred with black, white, and reddish
buff; vent, brownish buff; legs, feet, and naked part of the
thighs, yellowish green; exterior edge of the wing, white;
eyes, reddish hazel.
The females and young of the first season have the throat
RAIL. 243
white, the breast pale brown, and little or no black on the
head. The males may always be distinguished by their ashy
blue breasts and black throats.
During the greater part of the months of September and
October, the market of Philadelphia is abundantly supplied
with rail, which are sold from half a dollar to a dollar a dozen.
Soon after the 20th of October, at which time our first smart
frosts generally take place, these birds move off to the south.
In Virginia, they usually remain until the first week in
November.
Since the above was written, I have received from Mr George
Ord of Philadelphia some curious particulars relative to this
bird, which, as they are new, and come from a gentleman of
respectability, are worthy of being recorded, and merit further
investigation.
“My personal experience,’ says Mr Ord, “has made me
acquainted with a fact in the history of the rail which per-
haps is not generally known, and I shall, as briefly as possible,
communicate it to yon. Some time in the autumn of the
year 1809, as I was walking in a yard, after a severe shower
of rain, I perceived the feet of a bird projecting from a spout.
I pulled it out, and discovered it to be a rail, very vigorous,
and in perfect health. The bird was placed in a small room,
on a gin-case, and [ was amusing myself with it, when, in the
act of pointing my finger at it, it suddenly sprang forward,
apparently much uritated, fell to the floor, and, stretching out
its feet, and bending its neck until the head nearly touched
the back, became to all appearance lifeless. Thinking the
fall had killed the bird, I took it up, and began to lament my
rashness in provoking it. In a few minutes it again breathed,
but it was some time before it perfectly recovered from the
fit into which, it now appeared evident, it had fallen. I
placed the rail in a room wherein canary birds were confined,
and resolved that, on the succeeding day, I would endeavour
to discover whether or not the passion of anger had produced
244 RAIL.
the fit. I entered the room at the appointed time, and ap-
proached the bird, which had retired, on beholding me, in a
sullen humour, to a corner. On pointing my finger at it,
its feathers were immediately ruffled, and in an instant it
sprang forward, as in the first instance, and fell into a similar
fit. The following day, the experiment was repeated with
the like effect. In the fall of 1811, as I was shooting amongst
the reeds, I perceived a rail rise but afew feet before my
batteau. The bird had risen about a yard, when it became
entangled in the tops of a small bunch of reeds, and immedi-
ately fell. Its feet and neck were extended asin the instances
above mentioned, and, before it had time to recover, I killed
it. Some few days afterwards, as a friend and I were shooting
in the same place, he killed a rail, and, as we approached the
spot to pick it up, another was perceived, not a foot off, in a
fit. I took up the latter, and placed it in the crown of my
hat. In a few moments it revived, and was as vigorous as
ever. These facts go to prove that the rail is subject to gusts
of passion, which operate to so violent a degree as to produce
a disease similar in its effects to epilepsy. I leave the expli-
cation of the phenomenon to those pathologists who are com-
petent and willing to investigate it. It may be worthy of
remark, that the birds affected as described were all females
of the Gallinula Carolina, or common rail.
“The rail, though generally reputed a simple bird, will
sometimes manifest symptoms of considerable intelligence. 'To
those acquainted with rail-shooting, it is hardly necessary to
mention that the tide, in its flux, is considered an almost in-
dispensable auxiliary ; for, when the water is off the marsh, the
lubricity of the mud, the height and compactness of the reed,
and the swiftness of foot of the game, tend to weary the sports-
man and to frustrate his endeavours. Even should he succeed
in a tolerable degree, the reward is not commensurate to the
labour. I have entered the marsh in a batteau at a common
tide, and in a well-known haunt have beheld but few birds.
The next better tide, on resorting to the same spot, I have
perceived abundance of game. The fact is, the rail dive, and
RAIL. 245
conceal themselves beneath the fallen reed, merely projecting
their heads above the surface of the water for air, and re-
main in that situation until the sportsman has passed them ;
and it is well known that it is a common practice with wounded
rail to dive to the bottom, and, holding on by some vegetable
substance, support themselves in that situation until exhausted.
During such times, the bird, in escaping from one enemy, has
often to encounter another not less formidable. Hels and
catfish swarm in every direction prowling for prey, and it is
ten to one if a wounded rail escapes them. I myself have be-
held a large eel make off with a bird that I had shot, before I
had time to pick it up; and one of my boys, in bobbing for
eels, caught one with a whole rail in its belly.
‘“‘T have heard it observed, that on the increase of the moon
the rail improves in fatness, and decreases in a considerable
degree with that planet. Sometimes I have conceited that the
remark was just. If it be a fact, I think it may be explained
on the supposition that the bird is enabled to feed at night as
well as by day while it has the benefit of the moon, and with
less interruption than at other periods.”
I have had my doubts as to the propriety of classing this
bird under the genus Rallws. Both Latham and Pennant call
it a Gallinule; and when one considers the length and forma-
tion of its bill, the propriety of their nomenclature is obvious.
As the article was commenced by our printers before I could
make up my mind on the subject, the reader is requested to
consider this species the Gallinula Carolina of Dr Latham,
246 WOODCOCK.
WOODCOCK. (Scolopax minor.)
PLATE XLVIIL—Fie. 2.
Arct. Zool. p. 463, No. 365.—Turt. Syst. 396.—Lath. Syn. iii. 131.
RUSTICOLA MINOR.—VIEIuwoT.*
Rusticola minor, Vieill. Gal. des Ois. 242.—Great Red Woodcock, Scolopax
Americana rufa, Bart. Trav. p. 292.—Scolopax rusticola minor, Bonap.
Synop. p. 331.—Monog. del Gen. Scolopax Osser. Sulla, 2d ed. del Reg. Anim.
Cur.
Tis bird, like the preceding, is universally known to our
sportsmen. It arrives in Pennsylvania early in March, some-
* Among many natural groups, such as Scolopax of Linnzeus, there
are gradations of form which have not been thought of sufficient im-
portance to constitute a genus, but have been mentioned as divisions
only. Such is the case with the present, which is generally classed
under those with the tibie feathered and the tibize bare. Vieillot,
following this division, proposed Austicola for the woodcocks, or those
with plumed tibiz ; and, as far as artificial systems are concerned, and
facility of reference, we should prefer keeping them as a sub-genus.
The woodcocks, in addition to the plumed tibiz, differ in other
respects ; and an individual, technically unacquainted with ornithology,
would at once pick them out from the snipes from a something in their
tourneur, as Mr Audubon would call it. The tarsi are much shorter,
and show that the bird is not intended to wade, or to frequent very
marshy situations, like the snipes. They are all inhabitants of woods,
and it is only during severe storms that they are constantly found near
arill or streamlet. Their food is as much found by searching under
the fallen leaves and decayed grasses as in wet places; and in this
country, where woodcocks are abundant, they may be traced through a
wood by the newly scratched-up leaves. There is a marked difference,
also, in the plumage ; it is invariably of a more sombre shade, some-
times the under parts are closely barred with a darker colour ; while,
in the snipes, the latter part is oftener pure white. We have a beautiful
connection between the divisions in the Scolopax Sabini of Vigors,*
which, though of the lesser size of the snipes, has the entire plumage of
the woodcock, and also the thighs feathered to a greater length down-
wards,
The species are few in number, amounting only to three or four.
America, Europe, and India seem as yet their only countries. The
habits of most agree, and all partially migrate from north to south to
breed.— Ep.
* Is this the Scolopax Sakhalina of Vieillot, Nouv. Dict ?—Ep.
WOODCOCK. 247
times sooner ; and I doubt not but in mild winters some few
remain with us the whole of that season. During the day they
keep to the woods and thickets, and at the approach of even-
ing seek the springs and open watery places to feed in. They
soon disperse themselves over the country to breed. About
the beginning of July, particularly in long-continued hot
weather, they descend to the marshy shores of our large rivers,
their favourite springs and watery recesses inland being chiefly
dried up. ‘To the former of these retreats they are pursued
by the merciless sportsman, flushed by dogs, and shot down
in great numbers. This species of amusement, when eagerly
followed, is still more laborious and fatiguing than that of
snipe-shooting ; and, from the nature of the ground, or cripple,
as it is usually called, viz., deep mire intersected with old logs,
which are covered and hid from sight by high reeds, weeds,
and alder bushes, the best dogs are soon tired out; and it is
customary with sportsmen who regularly pursue this diversion
- to have two sets of dogs, to relieve each other alternately.
The woodcock usually begins to lay in April. The nest is
placed on the ground, in a retired part of the woods, fre-
quently at the root of an oldstump. It 1s formed of a few
withered leaves and stalks of grass, laid with very little art.
The female lays four, sometimes five eggs, about an inch
and a half long, and an inch or rather more in diameter, taper-
ing suddenly to the small end. These are of a dun clay colour,
thickly marked with spots of brown, particularly at the great
end, and interspersed with others of a very pale purple. The
nest of the woodcock has, in several instances that have come
to my knowledge, been found with eges in February ; but its
usual time of beginning to lay is early in April. In July,
August, and September, they are considered in good order for
shooting.
The woodcock is properly a nocturnal bird, feeding chiefly
at night, and seldom stirring about till after sunset. At such
times, as well as in the early part of the morning, particularly
in spring, he rises, by a kind of spiral course, to a considerable
248 WOODCOCK.
height in the air, uttering at times a sudden quack, till, having
gained his utmost height, he hovers around in a wild irregular
manner, making a sort of murmuring sound; then descends
with rapidity as he rose. When uttering hiscommon note on
the ground, he seems to do it with difficulty, throwing his
head towards the earth, and frequently jetting up his tail.
These notes and manceuvres are most usual in spring, and
are the call of the male to his favourite female. Their food
consists of various larva, and other aquatic worms, for which,
during the evening, they are almost continually turning over
the leaves with their bill, or searching in the bogs. Their
flesh is reckoned delicious, and prized highly. They remain
with us till late in autumn, and, on the falling of the first
snows, descend from the ranges of the Alleghany to the lower
parts of the country in great numbers; soon after which, viz.,
in November, they move off to the south.
This bird, in its general figure and manners, greatly
resembles the woodcock of Europe, but is considerably less,
and very differently marked below, being an entirely distinct
species. A few traits will clearly point out their differences.
The lower parts of the European woodcock are thickly barred
with dusky waved lines, on a yellowish white ground. The
present species has those parts of a bright ferruginous. The
male of the American species weighs from five to six ounces,
the female, eight; the European, twelve. The European
woodcock makes its first appearance in Britain in October
and November, that country being in fact only its winter
quarters ; for early in March they move off to the northern
parts of the Continent to breed. ‘The American species, on
the contrary, winters in countries south of the United States,
arrives here early in March, extends its migrations as far, at
least, as the river St Lawrence, breeds in all the intermediate
places, and retires again to the south on the approach of
winter. The one migrates from the torrid to the temperate
regions, the other, from the temperate to the arctic. The two
birds, therefore, notwithstanding their names are the same,
WOODCOCK. 249
differ not only in size and markings, but also in native climate.
Hence the absurdity of those who would persuade us that
the woodcock of America crosses the Atlantic to Europe, and
vice versa. These observations have been thought necessary,
from the respectability of some of our own writers, who seem
to have adopted this opinion.
How far to the north our woodccck is found, I am unable
to say. Itis not mentioned as a bird of Hudson’s Bay, and,
being altogether unknown in the northern parts of Europe, it
is very probable that its migrations do not extend to a very
high latitude; for it may be laid down as a general rule, that
those birds which migrate to the arctic regions, in either
continent, are very often common to both. The head of the
woodcock is of singular conformation, large, somewhat trian-
cular, and the eye fixed at a remarkable distance from the bill,
and high in the head. This construction was necessary to
give a greater range of vision, and to secure the eye from
injury while the owner is searching in the mire. The flight
of the woodcock is slow. When flushed at any time in the
woods, he rises to the height of the bushes or underwood, and
almost instantly drops behind them again at a short distance,
generally running off for several yards as soon as he touches
the ground. The notion that there are two species of wood-
cock in this country probably originated from the great dif-
ference of size between the male and female, the latter being
considerably the larger.
The male woodcock is ten inches and a half long, and six-
teen inches in extent; Dill, a brownish flesh colour, black
towards the tip, the upper mandible ending in a slight knob,
that projects about one-tenth of an inch beyond the lower,*
each grooved, and in length somewhat more than two inches
* Mr Pennant (Arctic Zoology, p. 463), in describing the American
woodcock, says that the lower mandible is much shorter than the upper.
From the appearance of his figure, it is evident that the specimen from
which that and his description were taken had lost nearly half an inch
from the lower mandible, probably broken off by accident. Turton
and others have repeated this mistake.
250 WOODCOCK.
and a half; forehead, line over the eye, and whole lower
parts, reddish tawny; sides of the neck, inclining to ash ;
between the eye and bill, a slight streak of dark brown;
crown, from the forepart of the eye backwards, black, crossed
by three narrow bands of brownish white; cheeks, marked
with a bar of black, variegated with light brown; edges of
the back and of the scapulars, pale bluish white; back and
scapulars, deep black, each feather tipt or marbled with light
brown and bright ferruginous, with numerous fine zigzag lines
of black crossing the lighter parts ; quills, plain dusky brown ;
tail, black, each feather marked along the outer edge with
small spots of pale brown, and ending in narrow tips, of a pale
drab colour above, and silvery white below; lining of the
wing, bright rust ; legs and feet, a pale reddish flesh colour ;
eye, very full and black, seated high and very far back in the
head ; weight, five ounces and a half, sometimes six.
The female is twelve inches long, and eighteen in extent ;
weighs eight ounces ; and differs also in having the bill very
near three inches in length: the black on the back is not quite
so intense, and the sides under the wings are slightly barred
with dusky.
The young woodcocks of a week or ten days old are
covered with down of a brownish white colour, and are marked
from the bill along the crown to the hind head with a broad
stripe of deep brown ; another line of the same passes through
the eyes to the hindhead, curving under the eye; from the
back to the rudiments of the tail, runs another of the same
tint, and also on the sides under the wings; the throat and
breast are considerably tinged with rufous; and the quills at
this age are just bursting from their light blue sheaths, and
appear marbled, as in the old birds; the legs and bill are of a
pale purplish ash colour, the latter about an inch long. When
taken, they utter a long, clear, but feeble peep, not louder
than that of a mouse. They are far inferior to young par-
tridges in running and skulking; and, should the female
unfortunately be killed, may easily be taken on the spot.
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RUFFED GROUSE. 251
RUFFED GROUSE. (Tetrao wmbellus )
PLATE XLIX.
Arct. Zool. p. 301, No. 179.—Ruffed Heathcock or Grouse, Hdw. 248.— La Gelinote
Huppée de Pennsylvanie, Briss. i. 214, Pl. enl. 104.—Buff. ii. 281.—Phil.
Trans. 62, 393.—Turt. Syst. 454.—Peale’s Museum, No. 4702.
BONASIA UMBELLUS.—BONAPARTE.*
Tetrao umbellus, Temm. Pig. et Gall. Ind. p. 704.—Tetrao hurpecal, Temm. Pig.
et Gall. iii. p. 161.—Bonasia umbellus, Steph. Cont. Sh. Zool. xi. p. 300.—
Bonasia umbellus, Bonap. Synop. p. 126.—The Ruffed Grouse, Aud. Orn.
Biog. i. p. 211, pl. 41, male and female.
Tuts is the partridge of the eastern States, and the pheasant
of Pennsylvania and the southern districts. It is repre-
sented in the plate of its full size, and was faithfully copied
from a perfect and very beautiful specimen.
This elegant species is well known in almost every quarter
of the United States, and appears to inhabit a very extensive
range of country. It is common at Moose Fort, on Hudson’s
Bay, in lat. 51°; is frequent in the upper parts of Georgia ;
very abundant in Kentucky and the Indiana territory ; and
was found by Captains Lewis and Clarke in crossing the great
range of mountains that divide the waters of the Columbia and
Missouri, more than three thousand miles, by their measure-
ment, from the mouth of the latter. Its favourite places of
resort are high mountains, covered with the balsam pine,
hemlock, and such like evergreens. Unlike the pinnated
grouse, it always prefers the woods; is seldom or never found
in open plains; but loves the pine-sheltered declivities of
mountains near streams of water. This great difference of
disposition in two species, whose food seems to be nearly the
same, is very extraordinary. In those open plains called the
Barrens of Kentucky, the pinnated grouse was seen in great
numbers, but none of the ruffed; while in the high groves
* Bonasia is a sub-genus, formed by the Prince of Musignano for the
reception of this bird. The distinctions are, the unplumed tarsi and
toes, contrasted with Zetrao, where the former are thickly clothed.—Eb.
252 RUFFED GROUSE.
with which that singular tract of country is interspersed, the
latter, or pheasant, was frequently met with ; but not a single
individual of the former.
The native haunts of the pheasant being a cold, high,
mountainous, and woody country, it is natural to expect that,
as we descend from thence to the sea-shores, and the low, flat,
and warm climate of the southern States, these birds should
become more rare; and such indeed is the case. In the lower
parts of Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, they are very seldom
observed ; but as we advance inland to the mountains, they
again make their appearance. In the lower parts of New
Jersey, we indeed occasionally meet with them ; but this is
owing to the more northerly situation of the country ; for even
here they are far less numerous than among the mountains.
Dr Turton, and several other English writers, have spoken
of a long-tailed grouse, said to inhabit the back parts of
Virginia, which can be no other than the present species ; there
being, as far as I am acquainted, only these two, the ruffed
and pinnated grouse, found native within the United States.
The manners of the pheasant are solitary ; they are seldom
found in coveys of more than four or five together, and more
usually in pairs, or singly. They leave their sequestered
haunts in the woods early in the morning, and seek the path
or road, to pick up gravel, and glean among the droppings of
the horses. In travelling among the mountains that bound
the Susquehanna, I was always able to furnish myself with
an abundant supply of these birds every morning without
leaving the path. If the weather be foggy or lowering, they
are sure to be seen in such situations. They generally move
along with great stateliness, their broad fanlike tail spread
out in the manner exhibited in the drawing. The drumming,
as it is usually called, of the pheasant, is another singularity
of this species. This is performed by the male alone. In
walking through solitary woods frequented by these birds,
a stranger is surprised by suddenly hearing a kind of thump-
ing very similar to that produced by striking two full-blown
RUFFED GROUSE. 252
ox-bladders together, but much louder ; the strokes at first
are slow and distinct ; but gradually increase in rapidity, till
they run into each other, resembling the rumbling sound of
very distant thunder, dying away gradually on the ear. After
a few minutes’ pause, this is again repeated, and, in a calm
day, may be heard nearly half a mile off. This drumming is
most common in spring, and is the call of the cock to his
favourite female. It is produced in the following manner :—
The bird, standing on an old prostrate log, generally in a
retired and sheltered situation, lowers his wings, erects his
expanded tail, contracts his throat, elevates the two tufts of
feathers on the neck, and inflates his whole body, something
in the manner of the turkey cock, strutting and wheeling about
with great stateliness. After a few manceuvres of this kind,
he begins to strike with his stiffened wings in short and quick
strokes, which become more and more rapid until they run
into each other, as has been already described. This is most
common in the morning and evening, though I have heard
them drumming at all hours of the day. By means of this,
the gunner is led to the place of his retreat ; though, to those
unacquainted with the sound, there is great deception in the
supposed distance, it generally appearing to be much nearer
than it really is.*
* Mr Audubon confirms the correctness of Wilson’s comparison of
the drumming noise produced by this bird. He mentions having often
called them within shot by imitating the sound, which he accomplished
“by beating a large inflated bullock’s bladder with a stick, keeping up
as much as possible the same évme as that in which the bird beats. At
the sound produced by the bladder and the stick, the male grouse,
inflamed with jealousy, has flown directly towards me, when, being
prepared, I have easily shot it. An equally successful stratagem is
employed to decoy the males of our little partridge, by imitating the
call-note of the female during spring and summer ; but in no instance,
after repeated trials, have I been able to entice the pinnated grouse to
come towards me whilst imitating the booming sounds of that bird.”
Most game are very easily called by those expert at imitating sounds.
Grouse are often called by poachers, and partridges may be brought
near by a quill and horse-hair. Many of the 7ringe and Totani are easily
whistled.— Ep,
264 RUFFED GROUSE.
The pheasant begins to pair in April, and builds its nest
early in May. ‘This is placed on the ground, at the root of a
bush, old log, or other sheltered and solitary situation, well
surrounded with withered leaves. Unlike that of the quail,
it is open above, and is usually composed of dry leaves and
grass. The eggs are from nine to fifteen in number, of a
brownish white, without any spots, and nearly as large as those
of a pullet. The young leave the nest as soon as hatched, and
are directed by the cluck of the mother, very much in the
manner of the common hen. On being surprised, she exhibits
all the distress and affectionate manceuvres of the quail, and
of most other birds, to lead you away from the spot. I once
started a hen pheasant with a single young one, seemingly
only a few days old: there might have been more, but I
observed only this one. ‘The mother fluttered before me for
a moment; but, suddenly darting towards the young one,
seized it in her bill, and flew off along the surface through
the woods, with great steadiness and rapidity, till she was
beyond my sight, leaving me in great surprise at the incident.
I made a very close and active search around the spot for the
rest, but without success. Here was a striking instance of
something more than what is termed blind instinct, in this
remarkable deviation from her usual manceuvres when she
has a numerous brood. It would have been impossible for
me to have injured this affectionate mother, who had exhibited
such an example of presence of mind, reason, and sound judg-
ment, as must have convinced the most bigoted advocates of
mere instinct. ‘To carry off a whole brood in this manner at
once would have been ‘impossible, and to attempt to save one
at the expense of the rest would be unnatural. She therefore
usually takes the only possible mode of saving them in that
case, by decoying the person in pursuit of herself, by such a
natural imitation of lameness as to impose on most people.
But here, in the case of a single solitary young one, she in-
stantly altered her plan, and adopted the most simple and
effectual means for its preservation.
RUFFED GROUSE. 255
The pheasant generally springs within a few yards, with a
loud whirring noise,* and flies with great vigour through the
’ * Mr Audubon has the following observations on the flight and
whirring noise produced during it :—“‘ When this bird rises from the
ground, at a time when pursued by an enemy or tracked by a dog, it
produces a loud whirring sound, resembling that of the whole tribe,
excepting the blackcock of Europe, which has less of it than any other
species. This whirring sound is never heard when the grouse rises of
its own accord for the purpose of removing from one place to another ;
nor, in similar circumstances, is it commonly produced by our little
partridge. In fact, I do not believe that it is emitted by any species of
grouse, unless when surprised and forced to rise. I have often been
lying on the ground in the woods or the fields for hours at a time, for
the express purpose of observing the movements and habits of different
birds, and have frequently seen a partridge or a grouse rise on wing
from within a few yards of the spot in which I lay, unobserved by them,
as gently and softly as any other bird, and without producing any
whirring sound. Nor even when this grouse ascends to the top of a
tree does it make any greater noise than other birds of the same size
would do.”
The structure of the wings among all the’ Tetraonzde and Phasianide
is such as to preclude the possibility of an entirely noiseless flight when
the members are actively used ; but I have no doubt that it can be,
and is sometimes, increased. When any kind of game is suddenly
sprung or alarmed, the wings are made use of with more violence than
when the flight is fairly commenced, or a rise to the branch of a tree is
only contemplated. I have heard it produced by all our British game
to a certain extent, when flying over me perfectly unalarmed, The
noise is certainly produced by the rapid action of the wings, and I
believe the birds cannot exert that with a totally noiseless flight.
Sounds at variance from that occasioned by ordinary flight are produced
by many birds, particularly during the breeding season, when different
motions are employed ; and it appears to me to be rather a consequence
depending on the peculiar flight, than the flight employed to produce
the sound as a love or other call. Such is the booming noise produced
by snipes in spring, always accompanied by the almost imperceptible
motion of the wings in the very rapid descent of the bird. A somewhat
similar sound is produced by the lapwing when flying near her nest or
young, and is always heard during a rapid flight performed diagonally
downwards. The cock pheasant produces a loud whirr by a violent
motion of his wings after calling. A very peculiar rustling is heard
when the peacock raises his train, and the cause, a rapid, trembling
motion of the feathers, is easily perceived ; and the strut of the turkey
256 RUFFED GROUSE.
woods, beyond reach of view, before it alights. With a good
dog, however, they are easily found; and at some times
exhibit a singular degree of infatuation, by lookmg down
from the branches where they sit on the dog below, who, the
more noise he keeps up, seems the more to confuse and stupify
them, so that they may be shot down, one by one, till the
whole are killed, without attempting to fly off. In such cases,
those on the lower limbs must be taken first ; for, should the
upper ones be first killed, in their fall they alarm those below,
who immediately fly off. In deep snows they are usually
taken in traps, commonly dead traps, supported by a figure
4 trigger. At this season, when suddenly alarmed, they
frequently dive into the snow, particularly when it has newly
fallen, and coming out at a considerable distance, again take
wing. They are pretty hard to kill, and will often carry off
a large load to the distance of two hundred yards, and drop
down dead. Sometimes, in the depth of winter, they approach
the farmhouse, and lurk near the barn or about the garden.
They have also been often taken young, and tamed, so as to
associate with the fowls ; and their eggs have frequently been
hatched under the common hen; but these rarely survive
until full grown. They are exceedingly fond of the seeds of
cock is produced apparently by the rapid exertion of the muscles acting
on the roots of the quills,
Under this species may be mentioned the 7. Sabina of Douglas. It
is so very closely allied, that Dr Richardson remarks, “ After a careful
comparison of Mr Douglas’s 7. Sabiniz, deposited in the Edinburgh
Museum, they appeared to me to differ in no respect from the young of
T. umbellus.”
The characters of 7. Sabiniz, given by Mr Douglas, are—Rufus, nigro
notatus ; dorso maculis cordiformibus, nucha alisque lineis ferrugineo-
flovis; abdomine albo brunneo fasciato ; rectricibus fasciatis, fascia
subapical lata nigra.
Mr Douglas thinks that there is some difference between the specimens
of 7. umbellus killed on the Rocky Mountains and more northern parts,
from those in the States of New York and Pennsylvania, and proposes,
if they should be hereafter found distinct, that it should stand as 7.
umbellovdes.—Ep,
RUFFED GROUSE. 257
grapes; occasionally eat ants, chestnuts, blackberries, and
various vegetables. Formerly they were numerous in the
immediate vicinity of Philadelphia ; but as the woods were
cleared and population increased, they retreated to the interior.
At present there are very few to be found within several
miles of the city, and those only singly, in the most solitary
and retired woody recesses.
The pheasant is in best order for the table in September
and October. At this season they feed chiefly on whortle-
berries, and the little red aromatic partridge-berries ; the last
of which give their flesh a peculiar delicate flavour. With
the former our mountains are literally covered from August
to November, and these constitute, at that season, the greater
part of their food. During the deep snows of winter, they
have recourse to the buds of alder and the tender buds of the
laurel. I have frequently found their crops distended with a
large handful of these latter alone; and it has been confidently
asserted, that, after having fed for some time on the laurel
buds, their flesh becomes highly dangerous to eat of, partaking
of the poisonous qualities of the plant. The same has been
asserted of the flesh of the deer, when, in severe weather and
deep snows, they subsist on the leaves and bark of the laurel.
Though I have myself ate freely of the flesh of the pheasant,
after emptying it of large quantities of laurel buds, without
experiencing any bad consequences, yet, from the respec-
tability of those, some of them eminent physicians, who have
particularised cases in which it has proved deleterious, and
even fatal, I am inclined to believe that, in certain cases,
where this kind of food has been long continued, and the birds
allowed to remain undrawn for several days, until the contents
of the crop and stomach have had time to diffuse themselves
through the flesh, as is too often the case, it may be unwhole-
some, and even dangerous. Great numbers of these birds are
brought to our markets at all times during fall and winter,
some of which are brought from a distance of more than a —
hundred miles, and have been probably dead a week or two,
VOL. TI. R
258 RUFFED GROUSE.
unpicked and undrawn, before they are purchased for the table.
Regulations prohibiting them from being brought to market
unless picked and drawn would very probably be a sufficient
security from all danger. At these inclement seasons, however,
they are generally lean and dry; and, indeed, at all times
their flesh is far inferior to that of the pinnated grouse. They
are usually sold in Philadelphia market at from three-quarters
of a dollar to a dollar and a quarter a pair, and sometimes
higher.
The pheasant, or partridge, of New England, is eighteen
inches long, and twenty-three inches in extent; bill, a horn
colour, paler below; eye, reddish hazel, immediately above
which is a small spot of bare skin of a scarlet colour ; crested ;
head and neck, variegated with black, red brown, white, and
pale brown ; sides of the neck furnished with a tuft of large
black feathers, twenty-nine or thirty in number, which it
occasionally raises ; this tuft covers a large space of the neck
destitute of feathers ; body above, a bright rust colour, marked
with oval spots of yellowish white, and sprinkled with black ;
wings, plain olive brown, exteriorly edged with white, spotted
with olive; the tail is rounded, extends five inches beyond
the tips of the wings, is of a bright reddish brown, beautifully
marked with numerous waving transverse bars of black, is also
crossed by a broad band of black, within half an inch of the
tip, which is bluish white, thickly sprinkled and specked with
black ; body below, white, marked with large blotches of pale
brown ; the legs are covered half way to the feet with hairy
down of a brownish white colour; legs and feet, pale ash ;
toes, pectinated along the sides; the two exterior ones joined
at the base, as far as the first joint, by a membrane; vent,
yellowish rust colour.
The female and young birds differ in having the ruff or
tufts of feathers on the neck of a dark brown colour, as well
as the bar of black on the tail inclining’ much to the same
tint.
“rawn from Mature by A Wilson Engraved by Wit hizars
/. Great Horned Owl. 2. Barn 0. 3. Meadow Mouse. 4 Red Bat. 5. Small-headed Flycatcher. 6. Hawk Owl.
50.
GREAT HORNED OWL. 259
GREAT HORNED OWL. (Strix Virginiana.)
PLATE L.—Fic. 1.
Arct. Zool. p. 228, No. 114.—Hdw. 60.—Lath. i. 119.—Turt. Syst. p. 166.—
Peale’s Museum, No. 410.
BUBO VIRGINIAN A.—CUVIER.*
Le Grand Hibou d’Amerique, Cuv. Reg. Anim. i. p. 329.—Strix Virginiana,
Bonap. Synop. p. 37.—The Great Horned Owl, Aud. Orn. Biog. i. p. 313,
pl. 61, male and female.—Strix (Bubo) Virginiana, Worth. Zool. ii. p. 82.
Tue figure of this bird, as well as of those represented in the
same plate, is reduced to one half its natural dimensions.
* Cuvier uses the title Bubo to distinguish those species which, as in
the genus Otus, have the tarsi feathered, and are furnished with egrets,
but have the disk surrounding the face less distinctly marked, and have
a small external conch. He assumes as the type the eagle owl of
Europe, but places the Virginian species in his genus Otus, with
the small long-eared owl of Britain: the latter has the disk very dis-
tinct, and the ears large, the characters of Otus ; but the American bird
is in every way a true Bubo, as defined by the great French naturalist.
It is a genus of very extensive geographical distribution ; individuals
exist in almost every latitude, and in the four quarters of the world.
Their abodes are the deep and interminable forests, their habits
nocturnal, though they are not so much annoyed or stupified if dis-
turbed in the day, and much more difficult to approach, earnestly
watching their pursuer.
An eagle owl in my possession remains quiet during the day, unless
he is shown some prey, when he becomes eager to possess it, and when
it is put within his reach, at once clutches it, and retires to a corner to
devour itatleisure. During night heis extremely active, and sometimes
keeps up an incessant bark. It is so similar to that of a cur or terrier
as to annoy a large Labrador house-dog, who expressed his dissatisfac-
tion by replying to him, and disturbing the inmates nightly. I at first
mistook the cry also for that of a dog, and, without any recollection of
the owl, sallied forth to destroy this disturber of our repose ; and it was
not until tracing the sound to the cage, that I became satisfied of the
author of the annoyance. I have remarked that he barks more inces-
santly during a clear winter night than at any other time, and the thin
air at that season makes the cry very distinctly heard to a considerable
distance. This bird also shows a great antipathy to dogs, and will per-
ceive one at a considerable distance, nor is it possible to distract his
2600 GREAT HORNED OWL.
By the same scale the greater part of the hawks and owls of
the present volume are drawn, their real magnitude render-
ing this unavoidable.
attention so long as the animal remains in sight. When first perceived,
the feathers are raised and the wings lowered as when feeding, and the
head moved round, following the object while in sight : if food is thrown,
it will be struck with the foot and held, but no further attention paid
to it.
The Virginian owl seems to be very extensively distributed over
America, is tolerably common over every part of the continent, and Mr
Swainson has seen specimens from the tableland of Mexico. The
southern specimens present only a brighter colouring in the rufous parts
of the plumage.
According to all authorities, owls have been regarded as objects of
superstition ; and this has sometimes been taken advantage of by the
well-informed for purposes far from what ought to be the duty of a
better education to inculcate, None are more accessible to such super-
stitions than the primitive natives of Ireland and the north of Scotland.
Dr Richardson thus relates an instance, which came to his own know-
ledge, of the consequences arising from a visit of this nocturnal wanderer,
“A party of Scottish Highlanders, in the service of the Hudson’s
Bay Company, happened, in a winter journey, to encamp after nightfall
in a dense clump of trees, whose dark tops and lofty stems, the growth
of more than one century, gave a solemnity to the scene that strongly
tended to excite the superstitious feelings of the Highlanders. The
effect was heightened by the discovery of a tomb, which, with a natural
taste often exhibited by the Indians, had been placed in this secluded
spot. Our travellers having finished their supper, were trimming their
fire preparatory to retiring to rest, when the slow and dismal notes of
the horned owl fell on the ear with a startling nearness. None of them
being acquainted with the sound, they at once concluded that so
unearthly a voice must be the moaning of the spirit of the departed,
whose repose they supposed they had disturbed by inadvertently
making a fire of some of the wood of which his tomb had been con-
structed. They passed a tedious night of fear, and, with the first dawn
of day, hastily quitted the ill-omened spot.”
In India there is a large owl, known by the native name of Googoo,
or Ooloo, which, according to some interesting notices, accompanying a
large box of birds sent to Mr Selby from the vicinity of Hyderabad, is
held as an object of both fear and veneration. “If an Ooloo should
alight on the house of a Hindoo, he would leave it immediately, take
the thatch off, and put fresh on. The eyes and brain are considered an
infallible cure for fits in children, and both are often given to women
GREAT HORNED OWL. 261
This noted and formidable owl is found in almost every
quarter of the United States. His favourite residence, how-
in labour. The flesh, bones, &c., boiled down to a jelly, are used to
cure spasms or rheumatism. Somme of the fat, given to a child newly
born, averts misfortune from him for life.” indenendone of these, says
our correspondent, “ there are innumerable superstitions regarding this
bird, and a native will always kill one when he has an opportunity.
We must mention here a very beautiful species, which is certainly
first accurately described in the second volume of the “Northern
Zoology,” though Wilson appears to have had some information regard-
ing a large white owl ; and Dr Richardson is of opinion that the Strix
Scandiaca of Linneeus, if not actually the species, at least resembles it.
It is characterised and figured by the northern travellers under the
name of Bubo Arctica, arctic or white-horned owl; and we add the
greater part of their description.
“This very beautiful owl appears to be rare, only one specimen
having been seen by the members of the expedition. It was observed
flying, at mid-day, in the immediate vicinity of Carlton House, and
was Tenor down with an arrow by an Indian boy. I obtained no
information respecting its habits.
“The facial disk is very imperfect ; the ears, small, and without an
operculum, as in Strix Virginiana; the ear-feathers, ample ; but the
disk even smaller than in the last-mentioned bird, and the tarsi some-
what longer. The toes are similarly connected. The tail is of mode-
rate length, and considerably rounded. The bill is strong, and rather
short.
“* Description.—Colour of the bill and claws, bluish black. Irides,
yellow. The face is white, bounded posteriorly by blackish brown,
succeeded by white, which two latter colours are continued in a mixed
band across the throat, LEgrets, coloured at the base, like the adjoining
plumage ; the longer feathers tipped with blackish brown, their inner
webs, white, varied with wood brown. The whole dorsal aspect is
marked with undulated lines, or fine bars, of umber brown, alternating
with white ; the markings bearing some resemblance to those of the
Virginian owl, but being much more lively and handsome. On the
greater wing-coverts, on the inner half of the scapularies, and also
partially on the neck and lesser wing-coverts, the white is tinged or
replaced by pale wood brown. The primaries and secondaries are wood
brown, with a considerable portion of white along the margins of their
inner webs. They are crossed by from five to six distant umber brown
bars on both webs, the intervening spaces being finely speckled with
the same. Near the tips of the primaries, the fine sprinkling of the
dark colour nearly obscures the wood brown. On the tertiaries, the
262 GREAT HORNED OWL.
ever, is in the dark solitudes of deep swamps, covered with a
crowth of gigantic timber; and here, as soon as evening draws
wood brown is mostly replaced by white. The tail-feathers are white,
deeply tinged on their inner webs by wood brown, and crossed by six
bars of umber brown, about half as broad as the intervening spaces ;
their tips are white.
“ Under surface.—Chin, white. Throat, crossed by the band above
mentioned, behind which there is a large space of pure snow white, that
is bounded on the breast by blotches of liver brown, situated on the
tips of the feathers. The belly and long plumage of the flanks are
white, crossed by narrow, regular bars of dark brown. The vent-
feathers, under tail-coverts, thighs, and feet, are pure white. The
linings of the wings are also white, with the exception of a brown spot
on the tips of the greater interior coverts.”
Audubon has the following remarks on their incubation, which are
somewhat at variance with Wilson. It would also appear that this bird
makes love during the day :—
“Early in February, the great horned owls are seen to pair. The
curious evolutions of the male in the air, or his motions when he has
alighted near his beloved, it is impossible to describe. His bowings,
and the snappings of his bill, are extremely ludicrous ; and no sooner
is the female assured that the attentions paid her by the beau are the
result of a sincere affection, than she joins in the motions of her future
mate.
“The nest, which is very bulky, is usually fixed on a large horizontal
branch, not far from the trunk of the tree, It is composed externally
of crooked sticks, and is lined with coarse grasses and some feathers,
The whole measures nearly three feet in diameter. The eggs, which
are from three to six, are almost globular in form, and of a dull white
colour. The male assists the female in sitting on the eggs. Only one
brood is raised in the season. The young remain in the nest until fully
fledged, and afterwards follow the parents for a considerable time, utter-
ing a mournful sound, to induce them to supply them with food.
They acquire the full plumage of the old birds in the first spring, and
until then are considerably lighter, with more dull buff in their tints,
I have found nests belonging to this species in large hollows of decayed
trees, and twice in the fissures of rocks. In all these cases, little pre-
paration had been made previous to the laying of the eggs, as I found
only a few grasses and feathers placed under them.
“The great horned owl lives retired, and it is seldom that more than
one is found in the neighbourhood of a farm after the breeding season ;
but as almost every detached farm is visited by one of these dangerous
and powerful marauders, it may be said to be abundant. The havoc
GREAT HORNED OWL, 263
on, and mankind retire to rest, he sends forth such sounds as
seem scarcely to belong to this world, startling the solitary
pilgrim as he slumbers by his forest fire—
Making night hideous.
Along the mountainous shores of the Ohio, and amidst the
deep forests of Indiana, alone, and reposing in the woods, this
ghostly watchman has frequently warned me of the approach
of morning, and amused me with his singular exclamations,
sometimes sweeping down and around my fire, uttering a loud
and sudden Waugh O! Waugh O! sufficient to have alarmed
a whole garrison. He has other nocturnal solos, no less
melodious, one of which very strikingly resembles the half-
suppressed screams of a person suffocating or throttled, and
cannot fail of being exceedingly entertaining to a lonely be-
nighted traveller, in the midst of an Indian wilderness !
This species inhabits the country round Hudson’s Bay ; and,
according to Pennant, who considers it a mere variety of the
eagle owl (Strix bubo) of Europe, is found in Kamtschatka ;
extends even to the arctic regions, where it is often found
white, and occurs as low as Astrakan. It has also been seen
white in the United States, but this has doubtless been owing
to disease or natural defect, and not to climate. It preys on
which it commits is very great. I have known a plantation almost
stripped of the whole of the poultry raised upon it during spring by
one of these daring foes of the feathered race in the course of the
ensuing winter.
“This species is very powerful, and equally spirited. It attacks wild
turkeys when half grown, and often masters them. Mallards, guinea-
fowls, and common barn fowls prove an easy prey; and on seizing
them, it carries them off in its talons from the farmyards to the interior
of the woods. When wounded, it exhibits a revengeful tenacity of
spirit, scarcely surpassed by any of the noblest of the eagle tribe, dis-
daining to scramble away like the barred owl, but facing its enemy
with undaunted courage, protruding its powerful talons and snapping
its bill as long as he continues in its presence. On these occasions, its
large goggle eyes are seen to open and close in quick succession, and the
feathers of its body, being raised, swell out its apparent bulk to nearly
double the natural size.”—Ep.
264. GREAT HORNED OWL.
young rabbits, squirrels, rats, mice, partridges, and small birds
of various kinds. It has been often known to prowl about the
farmhouse, and carry off chickens from roost. adidpun sy painojo7 YsKgZ -auojsusny 7
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TURNSTONE. 329
world, and of a solitary disposition, seldom mingling among
the large flocks of other sandpipers ; but either coursing the
sands alone, or in company with two or three of its own species.
On the coast of Cape May and Egg Harbour this bird is well
known by the name of the horse-foot snipe, from its living, dur-
ing the months of May and June, almost wholly on the eggs,
or spawn, of the great king crab, called here by the common
people the horse-foot. This animal is the JJonoculus poly-
phemus of entomologists. Its usual size is from twelve to
fifteen inches in breadth, by two feet in length, though some-
times it is found much larger. The head, or forepart, is semi-
circular, and convex above, covered with a thin, elastic, shelly
case. ‘The lower side is concave, where it is furnished with
feet and claws resembling those of a crab. The posterior
extremity consists of a long, hard, pointed, dagger-like tail,
by means of which, when overset by the waves, the animal
turns itself on its belly again. The male may be distin-
guished from the female by his two large claws having only a
single hook each, instead of the forceps of the female. In the
Bay of Delaware, below Egg Island, and in what is usually
called Maurice River Cove, these creatures seem to have
formed one of their principal settlements. The bottom of
this cove is generally a soft mud, extremely well suited to
their accommodation. Here they are resident, burying them-
selves in the mud during the winter ; but, early in the month
of May, they approach the shore in multitudes, to obey the
great law of nature, in depositing their eggs within the influ-
ence of the sun, and are then very troublesome to the fisher-
men, who can scarcely draw a seine for them, they are so
numerous. Being of slow motion, and easily overset by the
surf, their dead bodies cover the shore in heaps, and in such
numbers, that for ten miles one might walk on them without
touching the ground.
The hogs from the neighbouring country are regularly
driven down, every spring, to feed on them, which they do
with great avidity ; though by this kind of food their flesh
330 TURNSTONE.
acquires a strong disagreeable fishy taste. Even the small
turtles, or terrapins, so eagerly sought after by our epicures,
contract so rank a taste by feeding on the spawn of the king
crab, as to be at such times altogether unpalatable. This
spawn may sometimes be seen lying in hollows and eddies
in bushels, while the snipes and sandpipers, particularly the
turnstone, are hovering about feasting on the delicious fare.
The dead bodies of the animals themselves are hauled up in
wagons for manure, and when placed at the hills of corn in
planting time, are said to enrich the soil, and add greatly to_
the increase of the crop.
The turnstone derives its name from another singularity it
possesses,"of turning over with its bill small stones and pebbles
in search of various marine worms and insects. At this sort
of work it is exceedingly dexterous ; and even when taken
and domesticated, is said to retain the same habit.* Its bill
seems particularly well constructed for this purpose, differing
from all the rest of its tribe, and very much resembling in
shape that of the common nuthatch. We learn from Mr
Pennant that these birds inhabit Hudson’s Bay, Greenland,
and the arctic flats of Siberia, where they breed, wandering
southerly in autumn. It is said to build on the ground, and
to lay four eggs, of an olive colour, spotted with black, and to
inhabit the isles of the Baltic during summer
The turnstone flies with a loud twittering note, and runs
with its wings lowered; but not with the rapidity of others
of its tribe. It examines more completely the same spot of
ground, and, like some of the woodpeckers, will remain search-
ing in the same place, tossing the stones and pebbles from side
to side for a considerable time.
These birds vary greatly in colour ; scarcely two individuals
are to be found alike in markings. These varieties are most
numerous in autumn when the young birds are about, and are
less frequently met with in spring. The most perfect speci-
mens I have examined are as follows :—
* Catesby.
TURNSTONE, 331
Length eight inches and a half; extent, seventeen inches;
bill, blackish horn ; frontlet, space passing through the eyes,
and thence dropping down and joining the under mandible,
black, enclosing a spot of white ; crown, white, streaked with
black; breast, black, from whence it turns up half across the
neck ; behind the eye, aspot of black; upper part of the neck,
white, running down and skirting the black breast as far as
the shoulder ; upper part of the back, black, divided by a strip
of bright ferruginous ; scapulars, black, glossed with greenish,
and interspersed with rusty red ; whole back below this, pure
white, but hid by the scapulars; rump, black ; tail-coverts, .
white ; tail, rounded, white at the base half, thence black to
the extremity; belly and vent, white; wings, dark dusky,
crossed by two bands of white ; lower half of the lesser coverts,
ferruginous; legs and feet, a bright vermilion, or red lead ;
hind toe, standing inwards, and all of them edged with a
thick warty membrane. The male and female are alike
variable, and when in perfect plumage nearly resemble each
other.
Bewick, in his “ History of British Birds,” has figured and
described what he considers to be two species of turnstone ;
one of which, he says, is chiefly confined to the southern, and
the other to the northern parts of Great Britain. The diffe-
rence, however, between these two appears to be no greater
than commonly occurs among individuals of the same flock,
and evidently of the same species, in this country. As several
years probably elapse before these birds arrive at their com-
plete state of plumage, many varieties must necessarily appear,
according to the different ages of the individuals,
332 ASH-COLOURED SANDPIPER.
ASH-COLOUBRED SANDPIPER. (Tringa cinerea.)
PLATE LYII.—Ftie. 2.
Arct. Zool. p. 474, No. 386.—Bewick, ii. p. 102.—Peale’s Museum, No. 4060.
TRINGA CANUTUS.—LINNAZUS.—PLUMAGE OF THE YOUNG. *
Synonyms of young: Tringa calidris, Linn. i. 252.—Tringa neevia, Lath. Ind. Orn.
ii. 732.—Maubeche tachete, Bujff.—Freckled Sandpiper, Arct. Zool. ii. p. 480.
Tur regularly-disposed concentric semicircles of white and
dark brown that mark the upper parts of the plumage of this
species, distinguish it from all others, and give it a very neat
appearance. In activity it is superior to the preceding ; and
traces the flowing and recession of the waves along the sandy
* This beautiful sandpiper has also from its changes been described
under various names, and our author has well represented the states of
the young and summer plumage in his ash-coloured and red-breasted
sandpipers of the present plate. In the winter plumage of the adult,
the upper parts are of a uniform gray, and want the black and light
edges represented in fig. 2.
America and Europe seem the only countries of the Knot. I have
never seen it from India, but have a single specimen of a knot from
New Holland, very similar, and which I considered identical, until a
closer examination has led me to have doubts on the subject. Like the
other migratory species, they only appear on our coasts in autumn, on
their return with their broods, or more sparingly in spring, when on
their way north. The young possess a good deal of the rufous colour
on the under parts, which leaves them as the winter approaches. I
once met a large flock on the east side of Holy Island, in the month of
September, which were so tame as to allow me to kill as many as I
wanted with stones from the beach: it may have been on their first
arrival, when they were fatigued. I have a specimen, in full plumage,
killed by a boy on Portobello sands by the same means. In general
they are rather shy, and it is only in their wheeling round that a good
shot can be obtained. Before the severity of the winter sets in, they
are fat, and are sought after by persons who know them, for the table.
There is a peculiarity in the gregarious Zringe, and most of the
Charadriade, which is very nearly confined to these tribes,—the simul-
taneous flight, and the acting as it were by concert in their wheels and
evolutions. Among none is it more conspicuous than in this species ;
and every one who has been on the shore during winter, on a day
ASH-COLOURED SANDPIPER. 333
beach with great nimbleness, wading and searching among
the loosened particles for its favourite food, which is a small
thin oval bivalve shell-fish, of a white or pearl colour, and not
larger than the seed of an apple. These usually lie at a short
depth below the surface ; but in some places are seen at low
water in heaps, like masses of wet grain, in quantities of more
than a bushel together. During the latter part of summer
and autumn, these minute shell-fish constitute the food of
almost all those busy flocks that run with such activity along
the sands, among the flowing and retreating waves. They are
universally swallowed whole; but the action of the bird’s
stomach, assisted by the shells themselves, soon reduces them
toa pulp. If we may judge from their effects, they must be
extremely nutritious, for almost all those tribes that feed on
them are at this season mere lumps of fat. Digging for these
in the hard sand would be a work of considerable labour,
whereas, when the particles are loosened by the flowing of the
sea, the birds collect them with great ease and dexterity. It
is amusing to observe with what adroitness they follow and
elude the tumbling surf, while at the same time they seem
wholly intent on collecting their food.
The ash-coloured sandpiper, the subject of our present
account, inhabits both Europe and America. It has been
seen in great numbers on the Seal Islands near Chatteaux Bay ;
is said to continue the whole summer in Hudson’s Bay, and
breeds there. Mr Pennant suspects that it also breeds in
Denmark; and says, that they appear in vast flocks on the
Flintshire shore during the winter season.* With us they are
also migratory, being only seen in spring and autumn. They
cleaming and cloudy, may have seen the masses of these birds at a dis-
tance, when the whole were only visible, appear like a dark and swiftly
moving cloud, suddenly vanish, but in a second appear at some dis-
tance, glowing with a silvery light almost too intense to gaze upon,
the consequences of the simultaneous motions of the flock, at once
changing their position, and showing the dark gray of their backs, or
the pure white of their under parts.—Ep,
* Arctic Zoology, p. 474.
Bane ASH-COLOURED SANDPIPER.
are plump birds; and, by those accustomed to the sedgy taste
of this tribe, are esteemed excellent eating.
The length of this species is ten inches, extent twenty ; bill
black, straight, fluted to nearly its tip, and about an inch and
a half long; upper parts, brownish ash, each feather marked
near the tip with a narrow semicircle of dark brown, bounded
by another of white ; tail-coverts, white, marbled with olive ;
wing-quills, dusky, shafts, white ; greater coverts, black, tipt
with white; some of the primaries edged also with white ;
tail, plain pale ash, finely edged and tipt with white ; crown
and hind head, streaked with black, ash, and white; stripe
over the eye, cheeks, and chin, white, the former marked with
pale streaks of dusky, the latter pure; breast, white, thinly
specked with blackish; belly and vent, pure white; legs, a
dirty yellowish clay colour ; toes, bordered with a narrow, thick,
warty membrane ; hind toe, directed inwards, as in the turn-
stone ; claws and eye, black.
These birds vary a little in colour, some being considerably
darker above, others entirely white below ; but, in all, the con-
centric semicircles on the back, scapulars, and wing-coverts,
are conspicuous.
I think it probable that these birds become much lighter
coloured during the summer, from the circumstance of having
shot one late in the month of June at Cape May, which was
of a pale drab or dun colour. It was very thin and emaciated ;
and on examination appeared to have been formerly wounded,
which no doubt occasioned its remaining behind its com-
panions.
Early in December I examined the same coast every day
for nearly two weeks, without meeting with more than one
solitary individual of this species, although in October they
were abundant. How far to the southward they extend their
migrations, we have no facts that will enable us to ascertain,
though it is probable that the shores of the West India islands
afford them shelter and resources during our winter.
THE PURRE. 33
Sa
THE PURRE. (Tringa cinclus.)
PLATE LVII.—Fie. 3.
Linn. Syst. 251.—Arct. Zool. p. 475, No. 390.—Bewick, ii. p: 115.—L’ Alouette
de Mer, Buff. vii. 548.—Peale’s Museum, No. 4126.
TRINGA ALPINA.—PENNANT.
Ts is one of the most numerous of our strand birds, as they
are usually called, that frequent the sandy beach on the frontiers
of the ocean. In its habits it differs so little from the preced-
ine, that, except in being still more active and expert in run-
ning and searching among the sand on the reflux of the
waves, as it nimbly darts about for food, what has been said
of the former will apply equally to both, they being pretty
constant associates on these occasions.
The purre continues longer with us, both in spring and
autumn, than either of the two preceding; many of them
remain during the very severest of the winter, though the
greater part retire to the more genial regions of the south,
where I have seen them at such seasons, particularly on the
sea-coasts of both Carolinas, during the month of February,
in great numbers.
These birds, in conjunction with several others, sometimes
collect together in such flocks, as to seem, at a distance, a
large cloud of thick smoke, varying in form and appearance
every instant, while it performs its evolutions in air. As this
‘cloud descends and courses along the shores of the ocean, with
great rapidity, in a kind of waving serpentine flight, alter-
nately throwing its dark and white plumage to the eye, it
forms a very grand and interesting appearance. At such
times the gunners make prodigious slaughter among them ;
while, as the showers of their companions fall, the whole body
often alight, or descend to the surface with them, till the
sportsman is completely satiated with destruction. On some
of those occasions, while crowds of these victims are fluttering
336 THE PURRE.
along the sand, the small pigeon-hawk, constrained by
necessity, ventures to make a sweep among the dead in
presence of the proprietor, but as suddenly pays for his
temerity with his life. Such a tyrant is man, when vested
with power, and unrestrained by the dread of responsibility !
The purre is eight inches in length, and fifteen inches in
extent; the bill is black, straight, or slightly bent downwards,
about an inch and a half long, very thick at the base, and
tapering to a slender blunt point at the extremity; eye, very
small ; iris, dark hazel ; cheeks, gray ; line over the eye, belly,
and vent, white; back and scapulars, of an ashy brown,
marked here and there with spots of black, bordered with
bright ferruginous; sides of the rump, white ; tail-coverts,
olive, centred with black; chin, white; neck below, gray;
breast and sides, thinly marked with pale spots of dusky, in
some pure white; wings, black, edged and tipt with white ;
two middle tail-feathers, dusky, the rest, brown ash, edged
with white; legs and feet, black; toes, bordered with a very
narrow scalloped membrane. The usual broad band of white
crossing the wing forms a distinguishing characteristic of
almost the whole genus.
On examining more than a hundred of these birds, they
varied considerably in the black and ferruginous spots on the
back and scapulars ; some were altogether plain, while others
were thickly marked, particularly on the scapulars, with a red
rust colour, centred with black. The females were uniformly
more plain than the males ; but many of the latter, probably
young birds, were destitute of the ferruginous spots. On the
24th of May, the eggs in the females were about the size of
partridge-shot. In what particular regions of the north these
birds breed is altogether unknown.
BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER. 337
BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER. (Charadrius apricarius.)
PLATE LVII.—Fic. 4.
Alwagrim Plover, A7rcé. Zool. p. 483, No. 398.—Le Pluvier Doré a gorge noire, Buf.
viii. 85.—Peale’s Museum, No. 4196.
SQUATAROLA CINEREA.—F¥LEMING.*
Pluvialis cinerea, Wil. Orn. 229.—Gray Squatarola, Squatarola grisea, Steph. Cont.
Sh. Zool. vol. xi. p. 505.—Le Vanneau Gris, Cuv. Reg. Anim. vol. i. p. 467.—
Squatarola cinerea, Flem. Br. Zool. p. 3.—Vanellus melanogaster, Worth. Zool.
ii. p. 370.
Tis bird is known in some parts of the country by the
name of the large whistling field plover. It generally makes
its first appearance in Pennsylvania late in April; fre-
quents the countries towards the mountains; seems parti-
* This species, with some others, forms the division Vanneaw pluviers,
the genus Squatarola of Cuvier, and, according to modern ornithologists,
has been separated from the Charadrwi on account of the presence of
a hinder toe.
In the arrangement of this group, as in many others, I fear the
characteristic marks have been taken in a manner too arbitrary. Those
birds known by the name of Plovers form a small but apparently dis-
tinct group ; they contain the C. pluvialis, Virginianus, &c., and, but for
the rudimentary toe, the gray plover would also enter it: they agree
in their manners, their incubation, and changes of plumage. We, again,
have another well-defined group, which is called the Dotterels, agreeing
in similar common habitudes ; but, in one species, bearing according to
arrangement the name of Squatarola, we have all the marks and form
of plumage, but the hinder toe much developed. It therefore becomes
a question whether the presence or want of this appendage should be
brought into the generic character (as it always has been), or should be
looked upon as one of the connections of forms. In the latter way the
plovers should form the genus Squatarola, the dotterels Charadrius, and
the two birds in question be placed opposite in their respective circles.
Vanellus, or the Lapwings, again, form another group, as well marked
in their different habits, and intimately connected with Pluvianus ;
neither of these, however, have any representative in North America.
Many gray plovers breed in the English fens, and, like the migratory
sandpipers, flocks appear on the shores at the commencement of winter,
where they mingle with the other species. The plate is that of the
summer or breeding plumage.—Ep.
VOL. IT. nYG
338 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER.
cularly attached to newly-ploughed fields, where it forms its
nest of a few slight materials, as slightly put together. The
female lays four eggs, large for the size of the bird, of a light
olive colour dashed with black, and has frequently two broods
in the same season. It is an extremely shy and watchful
bird, though clamorous during breeding time. The young are
without the black colour on the breast and belly until the
second year, and the colours of the plumage above are like-
wise imperfect till then. They feed on worms, grubs, winged
insects, and various kinds of berries, particularly those usually
called dew-berries, and are at such times considered exqui-
site eating. About the beginning of September they descend
with their young to the sea-coast, and associate with the
numerous multitudes then returning from their breeding
places in the north. At this season they abound on the
plains of Long Island. They have a loud whistling note ;
often fly at a great height; and are called by many gunners
along the coast the black-bellied killdeer. The young of the
first year have considerable resemblance to those of the golden
plover ; but may be easily distinguished from this last by the
largeness of their head and bill, and in being at least two
inches more in length. The greater number of those which
I have examined have the rudiments of a hind toe; but the
character and manners of the plover are so conspicuous in the
bird, as to determine, at the first glance, the tribe it belongs
to. They continue about the sea-coast until early in Nov-
ember, when they move off to the south.
This same bird, Mr Pennant informs us, inhabits all the
north of Europe, Iceland, Greenland, and Hudson’s Bay, and
all the arctic part of Siberia. It is said that at Hudson’s Bay
it is called the Hawk’s-eye, on account of its brilliancy. It
appears, says the same author, in Greenland, in the spring,
about the southern lakes, and feeds on worms and berries of
the heath.
This species is twelve inches long, and twenty-four inches
in extent; the bill is thick, deeply grooved on the upper
RED-BREASTED SANDFWIPER. 339
mandible, an inch and a quarter in length, and of a black
colour; the head and globe of the eye are both remarkably
large, the latter deep bluish black; forehead, white; crown
and hind head, black, spotted with golden yellow ; back and
scapulars, dusky, sprinkled with the same golden or orange
coloured spots, mixed with others of white ; breast, belly, and
vent, black ; sides of the breast, whitish ; wing-quills, black ;
middle of the shafts, white; greater coverts, black, tipt with
white; lining of the wing, black; tail, regularly barred with
blackish and pure white; tail-coverts, pure white; legs and
feet, a dusky lead colour; the exterior toe joined to the middle
by a broad membrane; hind toe, very small.
From the length of time which these birds take to acquire
their full colours, they are found in very various stages of
plumage. The breast and belly are at first. white, gradually
appear mottled with black, and finally become totally black.
The spots of orange or golden on the crown, hind head, and
back are at first white, and sometimes even the breast itself
is marked with these spots, mingled among the black. In
every stage, the seemingly disproportionate size of the head
and thickness of the bill will distinguish this species.
RED-BREASTED SANDPIPER. (Tringa rufa.)
PLATE LVII.—Fic. 5.
Peale’s Museum, No. 4050.
TRINGA CANUTUS.—LINNAUS.
Tringa Islandica, Zinn. and Lath.—Red Sandpiper, Mont. Orn. Dict. Supp.—
Aberdeen Sandpiper, Penn. Brit. Zool. ii. No. 203.
Or this prettily-marked species I can find no description.
The Tringa Icelandica, or Aberdeen sandpiper of Pennant
and others, is the only species that has any resemblance to it ;
the descriptions of that bird, however, will not apply to the
present.
340 RED-BREASTED SANDPIPER.
The common name of this species on our sea-coast is the
eray-back, and among the gunners it is a particular favourite,
being generally a plump, tender, and excellent bird for the
table ; and, consequently, brings a good price in market.
The gray-backs do not breed on the shores of the middle
States.. Their first appearance is early in May. They remain
a few weeks, and again disappear until October. They usually
keep in small flocks, alight in a close body together on the
sand flats, where they search for the small bivalve shells already
described. On the approach of the sportsman, they frequently
stand fixed and silent for some time; do not appear to be
easily alarmed, neither do they run about in the water as
much as some others, or with the same rapidity, but appear
more tranquil and deliberate. In the month of November
they retire to the south.
This species is ten inches long, and twenty in extent ; the
bill is black, and about an inch and a half long; the chin,
eyebrows, and whole breast are a pale brownish orange colour ;
crown, hind head from the upper mandible backwards, and
neck, dull white, streaked with black ; back, a pale slaty olive,
the feathers tipt with white, barred and spotted with black
and pale ferruginous ; tail-coverts, white, elegantly barred
with black ; wings, plain, dusky black towards the extremity ;
the greater coverts, tipt with white; shafts of the primaries,
white ; tail, pale ashy olive, finely edged with white, the two
middle feathers somewhat the longest ; belly and vent, white,
the latter marked with small arrow-heads of black; legs and
feet, black ; toes, bordered with a narrow membrane; eye,
small and black.
In some specimens, both of males and females, the red on
the breast was much paler, in others it descended as far as
the thighs. Both sexes seemed nearly alike.
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RED-BREASTED SNIPE. 341
RED-BREASTED SNIPE. (Scolopax noveboracensis.)
PLATE LVIII.—Fie. 1.
Arct. Zool. p. 464, No. 368.—Peale’s Museum, No. 3932.
MACRORHAMPUS GRISEUS.—LeEacu.*
Macrorhampus griseus, Steph. Cont. Sh. Zool. vol. xii. p. 61.—Scolopax grisea,
Flem. Br. Zool. p. 106.—Bonap. Cat. p. 27.—Le Becassine Grise, Scolopax
leucopheea, Vieill. Gal. des Ois. pl. 241.—Limosa scolopacea, Say’s Haped. to
Rocky Mount. i. p. 170, 171, note.— Brown Snipe, Mont. Orn. Dict.—Becassine
Ponctuée, Zemm. Man. ii. p. 679.—Brown Snipe, Selby’s llust. Br. Orn. pl.
24, fig. 2.
THis bird has a considerable resemblance to the common
snipe, not only in its general form, size, and colours, but
likewise in the excellence of its flesh, which is in high esti-
mation. It differs, however, greatly from the common snipe
* This bird will stand in the rank of a sub-genus. It was first in-
dicated by Leach, in the Catalogue to the British Museum, under the
above title. It is one of those beautifully connecting forms which it is
impossible to place without giving a situation to themselves, and in-
timately connects the snipes with Yotanus and Limosa. The bill is
truly that of Scolopax, while the plumage and changes ally it to the
other genera ; from these blending characters it had been termed Limosa,
scolopacea by Say, who gave the characters of the form without apply-
ing the name, He has the following observations in the work above
quoted :—
“Several specimens were shot in a pond near the Bowyer Creek.
Corresponds with the genus Scolopax, Cuvier, in having the dorsal
grooves at the tip of the upper mandible, and in having this part dilated
and rugose ; but the eye is not large, nor is it placed far back upon the
head ; which two latter characters, combined with its more elevated
and slender figure, and the circumstance of the thighs being denudated
of feathers high above the knee, and the exterior toe being united to
the middle toe by a membrane which extends as far as the first joint,
and the toes being also margined, combine to distinguish this species
from those of the genus to which the form and characters of its bill
would refer it, and approach it more closely to Limosa. In one speci-
men, the two exterior primaries on each wing were light brown, but
the quills were white, It may, perhaps, with propriety be considered
as the type of a new genus, and, under the following characters, be
placed between the genera Scolopax and Limosa. Bill, longer than the
342 RED-BREASTED SNIPE.
in its manners, and in many other peculiarities, a few of
which, as far as I have myself observed, may be sketched as
follows :—
The red-breasted snipe arrives on the sea-coast of New
Jersey early in April; is seldom or never seen inland: early
in May it proceeds to the north to breed, and returns by the
latter part of July or beginning of August. During its stay
here, it flies in flocks, sometimes very high, and has then a
loud and shrill whistle, making many evolutions over the
marshes, forming, dividing, and reuniting. ‘They sometimes
settle in such numbers, and so close together, that eighty-five
have been shot at one discharge of a musket. They spring
from the marshes with a loud twirling whistle, generally
rising high, and making several circuitous manceuvres in air
before they descend. ‘They frequent the sandbars and mud
flats at low water in search of food ; and being less suspicious
of a boat than of a person on shore, are easily approached by
this medium, and shot down in great numbers. They usually
keep by themselves, being very numerous; are in excellent
order for the table in September ; and on the approach of
winter retire to the south.
I have frequently amused myself with the various action
of these birds. They fly very rapidly, sometimes wheeling,
coursing, and doubling along the surface of the marshes ; then
shooting high in air, there separating and forming in various
bodies, uttering a kind of quivering whistle. Among many
which I opened in May, were several females that had very
little rufous below, and the backs were also much lighter, and
less marbled with ferruginous. The eggs contained in their
ovaries were some of them as large as garden peas. Their
head, dilated, and rugose at tip, slightly curved downwards, and with
a dorsal groove ; nasal groove, elongated ; feet, long, an extensive naked
space above the knee ; toes, slightly margined, a membrane connecting
the joints of the exterior toes ; first of the primaries, rather longest.”
It is of rare occurrence in Europe, a few specimens only being men-
tioned, and a solitary instance of its appearance on the coast of Britain
is recorded by Montagu.—Ep.
RED-BREASTED SNIPE. 343
stomachs contained masses of those small snail-shells that lie
in millions on the salt marshes; the wrinkles at the base of
the bill, and the red breast, are strong characters of this
species, as also the membrane which unites the outer and
middle toes together.
The red-breasted snipe is ten inches and a half long, and
eighteen inches in extent ; the bill is about two inches and a
quarter in length, straight, grooved, black towards the point,
and of a dirty eel-skin colour at the base, where it is tumid
and wrinkled; lores, dusky; cheeks and eyebrows, pale
yellowish white, mottled with specks of black ; throat and
breast, a reddish buff colour ; sides, white, barred with black ;
belly and vent, white, the latter barred with dusky; crown,
neck above, back, scapulars, and tertials, black, edged, mottled,
and marbled with yellowish white, pale and bright ferruginous,
much in the same manner as the common snipe ; wings, plain
olive, the secondaries, centred and bordered with white ; shaft,
of the first quill, very white; rump, tail-coverts, and tail
(which consists of twelve feathers), white, thickly spotted with
black ; legs and feet, dull yellowish green; outer toe united
to the middle one by a small membrane; eye, very dark.
The female, which is paler on the back, and less ruddy on
the breast, has been described by Mr Pennant as a separate
species.* —
These birds, doubtless, breed not far to the northward of
the United States, if we may judge from the lateness of the
season when they leave us in spring, the largeness of the eggs
in the ovaries of the females before they depart, and the short
period of time they are absent. Of all our seaside snipes, it
is the most numerous, and the most delicious for the table.
From these circumstances, and the crowded manner in which
it flies and settles, it is the most eagerly sought after by our
gunners, who send them to market in great numbers.
* See his brown snipe, Arct. Zool., No. 369.
ee a
344 LONG-LEGGED AVOSET.
LONG-LEGGED AVOSET. (Recurvirostra
himantopus.)
PLATE LVIII.—Fie. 2.
Long-legged Plover, Arct. Zool. p. 487, No. 405.—Turton, p. 416.—Bewick, ii.
21.—L’Echasse, Buff. viii. 114, Pl. enl. 878.—Peale’s Museum, No. 4210.
HIMANTOPUS NIGRICOLLIS.—V1£1.10T.*
Himantopus Mexicanus, Ovd’s edit. of Wils.—Himantopus nigricollis, Bonap.
Synop. p. 322.
Narturatists have most unaccountably classed this bird with
the genus Charadrius, or plover, and yet affect to make the
particular confirmation of the bill, legs, and feet, the rule
of their arrangement. In the present subject, however, ex-
cepting the trivial circumstance of the want of a hind toe,
there is no resemblance whatever of those parts to the bill,
legs, or feet, of the plover; on the contrary, they are so en-
tirely different, as to create no small surprise at the adoption
and general acceptation of a classification evidently so absurd
and unnatural. This appears the more reprehensible, when
we consider the striking affinity there is between this bird and
the common avoset, not only in the particular form of the
bill, nostrils, tongue, legs, feet, wings, and tail, but extend-
ing to the voice, manners, food, place of breeding, form of
the nest, and even the very colour of the eggs of both, all of
which are strikingly alike, and point out at once, to the
actual observer of Nature, the true relationship of these
remarkable birds.
Strongly impressed with these facts, from an intimate
Wilson confounded this species with the long-legged plover of
Europe, and ranged it with the Avosets. Mr Ord, in his reprint, placed
it in the genus Himantopus, properly established for these birds, but
under the name Mexicanus. The Prince of Musignano is of opinion
that it cannot range under this, being much smaller, and refers it to
the H. nigricollis of Vieillot. The genus contains only a few species,
all so closely allied, that near examination is necessary to distinguish
them. They are all remarkable for the great disproportion of their
legs. —Eb.
LONG-LEGGED AVOSET. 345
acquaintance with the living subjects in their native wilds, I
have presumed to remove the present species to the true and
proper place assigned it by Nature, and shall now proceed to
detail some particulars of its history.
This species arrives on the sea-coast of New Jersey about
the 25th of April, in small detached flocks of twenty or thirty
together. These sometimes again subdivide into lesser parties ;
but it rarely happens that a pair is found solitary, as, during
the breeding season, they usually associate in small companies.
On their first arrival, and, indeed, during the whole of their
residence, they inhabit those particular parts of the salt marshes,
pretty high up towards the land, that are broken into numerous
shallow pools, but are not usually overflowed by the tides
during the summer. ‘These pools or ponds are generally so
shallow, that, with their long legs, the avosets can easily
wade them in every direction; and as they abound with
minute shell-fish, and multitudes of aquatic insects and their
larvee, besides the eggs and spawn of others deposited in the
soft mud below, these birds find here an abundant supply of
food, and are almost continually seen wading about in such
places, often up to the breast in water.
In the vicinity of these bald places, as they are called by
the country people, and at the distance of forty or fifty yards
off, among the thick tufts of grass, one of these small associa-
tions, consisting perhaps of six or eight pair, takes up its
residence during the breeding season. About the first week
in May they begin to construct their nests, which are at first
slightly formed, of a small quantity of old grass, scarcely suffi-
cient to keep the eggs from the wet marsh. As they lay and
sit, however, either dreading the rise of the tides, or for some
other purpose, the nest is increased in height with dry twigs
of a shrub very common in the marshes, roots of the salt grass,
seaweed, and various other substances, the whole weighing
between two and three pounds. ‘This habit of adding materials
to the nest after the female begins sitting is common to almost
all other birds that breed in the marshes. The eggs are four
a re RS ee
346 LONG-LEGGED AVOSET.
in number, of a dark yellowish clay colour, thickly marked
with large blotches of black. ‘These nests are often placed
within fifteen or twenty yards of each other; but the greatest
harmony seems to prevail among the proprietors.
While the females are sitting, the males are either wading
through the ponds, or roaming over the adjoining marshes ;
but should a person make his appearance, the whole collect
together in the air, flying with their long legs extended behind
them, keeping up a continual yelping note of click, click, click.
Their flight is steady, and not in short, sudden jerks, like that
of the plover. As they frequently alight on the bare marsh,
they drop their wings, stand with their legs half bent, and
trembling, as if unable to sustain the burden of their bodies.
Jn this ridiculous posture they will sometimes stand for
several minutes, uttering a curring sound, while, from the
corresponding quiverings of their wings and long legs, they
seem to balance themselves with great difficulty. This
singular manoeuvre is, no doubt, intended to induce a belief
that they may be easily caught, and so turn the attention of
the person from the pursuit of their nests and young to
themselves. The red-necked avoset, whom we have introduced
in the present volume, practises the very same deception, in
the same ludicrous manner, and both alight indiscriminately
on the ground or in the water. Both will also occasionally
swim for a few feet, when they chance, in wading, to lose
their depth, as I have had several times an opportunity of
observing.
The name by which this bird is known on the sea-coast
is the stilt, or tilt, or long-shanks. They are but sparingly
dispersed over the marshes, having, as has been already
observed, their particular favourite spots, while in large inter-
mediate tracts there are few or none to be found. They
occasionally visit the shore, wading about in the water and in
the mud in search of food, which they scoop up very dexter-
ously with their delicately-formed bills. On being wounded
while in the water, they attempt to escape by diving, at which
LONG-LEGGED AVOSET. 347
they are by no means expert. Inautumn, their flesh is tender
and well tasted. They seldom raise more than one brood in,
the season, and depart for the south early in September. As
they are well known in Jamaica, it is probable some of them
may winter in that and other of the West India islands.
Mr Pennant observes that this bird is not a native of
northern Europe, and there have been but few instances
where it has been seen in Great Britain. It is common, says
Latham, in Egypt, being found there in the marshes in
October. It is likewise plentiful about the salt lakes, and is
often seen on the shores of the Caspian Sea, as well as by the
rivers which empty themselves into it, and in the southern
deserts of Independent Tartary. ‘The same author adds, on
the authority of Ray, that it is known at Madras in the Kast
Indies. ; |
All the figures and descriptions which I have seen of this
curious bird represent the bill as straight, and of almost an
equal thickness throughout, but I have never found it so
in any of the numerous specimens I have myself shot and
examined. Many of these accounts, as well as figures, have
been taken from dried and stuffed skins, which give but an
imperfect, and often erroneous, idea of the true outlines of
nature. ‘The dimensions, colours, and markings of a very
beautiful specimen, newly shot, were as follows :—
Length, from the point of the bill to the end of the tail,
fourteen inches, to the tips of the wings, sixteen; extent,
twenty-eight inches; bill, three inches long, slightly curved
upwards, tapering to a fine point, the upper mandible rounded
above, the whole of a deep black colour; nostrils, an oblong
slit, pervious ; tongue, short, pointed ; forehead, spot behind
the eye, lower eyelid, sides of the neck, and whole lower parts,
pure white ; back, rump, and tail-coverts, also white, but so
concealed by the scapulars as to appear black; tail, even, or
very slightly forked, and of a dingy white; the vent-feathers
reach to the tip of the tail below; line before the eye, auri-
culars, back part of the neck, scapulars, and whole wings,
348 LONG-LEGGED AVOSET.
deep black, richly glossed with green ; legs and naked thighs,
a fine pale carmine; the latter measures three, the former four
inches and a half in length, exceedingly thin, and so flexible
that they may be bent considerably without danger of break-
ing. This thinness of the leg enables the bird to wade with
expedition, and without fatigue. Feet, three-toed, the outer
toe connected to the middle one by a broad membrane ; wings,
long, extending two inches beyond the tail, and sharp pointed ;
irides, a bright rich scarlet ; pupil, black. In some the white
from the breast extends quite round the neck, separating the
black of the hind neck from that of the body ; claws, blackish
horn.
The female is about half an inch shorter, and differs in
having the plumage of the upper back and scapulars, and also
the tertials, of a deep brown colour. The stomach or gizzard
was extremely muscular, and contained fragments of small
snail-shells, winged bugs, and a slimy matter, supposed to be
the remains of some aquatic worms. In one of these females
I counted upwards of one hundred and fifty eggs, some of
them as large as buckshot. The singular form of the legs
and feet, with the exception of the hind toe and one membrane
of the foot, is exactly like those of the avoset. The upper
curvature of the bill, though not quite so great, is also the
same as in the other, being rounded above, and tapering to a
delicate point in the same manner. In short, a slight com-
parison of the two is sufficient to satisfy the most scrupulous
observer that Nature has classed these two birds together ; and
so believing, we shall not separate them.
SOLITARY SANDPIPER. 349
SOLITARY SANDPIPER. (Tringa solitaria.)
PLATE LVIIL.—Fic. 3.
Peale’s Museum, No. 7763.
TOTANUS CHLOROPIGIUS.—VI®EILLOT.*
Totanus glareolus, Ord’s reprint, p. 57.—Totanus chloropigius, Vicill.—Bonap.
Cat. p. 26.—Synop. p. 325.
Tats new species inhabits the watery solitudes of our highest
mountains during the summer, from Kentucky to New York ;
but is nowhere numerous, seldom more than one or two being
seen together. It takes short low flights; runs nimbly about
among the mossy margins of the mountain springs, brooks,
and pools, occasionally stopping, looking at you, and perpe-
tually nodding the head. It is so unsuspicious, or so little
acquainted with man, as to permit one to approach within a
few yards of it, without appearing to take any notice or to be
the least alarmed. At the approach of cold weather, it descends
to the muddy shores of our large rivers, where it is occa-
sionally met with singly, on its way to the south. I have
made many long and close searches for the nest of this bird
without success. They regularly breed on Pocano Mountain
* In the second edition of the seventh part, under the inspection of
Mr Ord, this bird is described as new, by the name of 7’, glareolus. Ord
thought it identical with the 7. glareolus of Europe, and named it as
such ; hissynonyms are, therefore, all wrong. The Prince of Musignano
thus points out the differences: “ 7. chloropigius differs from 7, glareola,
not only as regards the characters of the tail-feathers, but also in being
more minutely speckled, the white spots being smaller; by its longer
tarsus ; by the lineation of all the tail-feathers, but especially the lateral
ones, the bands being broader, purer, and much more regular, whilst
the latter tail-feathers of the European species are almost pure white on
the inner webs ; by having the shaft of the exterior primary black,
whilst that of the glareolus is white.”
The two specimens which Mr Ord shot, in which all the tail-feathers
were barred, and which corresponded with 7. glareola, may have been
in fact that species. The Prince of Musignano is of opinion that it is
also a native of North America.—Ep.
350 YELLOW-SHANKS SNIPE.
between Easton and Wilkesbarre, in Pennsylvania, arriving
there early in May, and departing in September. It is usually
silent, unless when suddenly flushed, when it utters a sharp
whistle.
This species has considerable resemblance, both in manners
and markings, to the green sandpiper of Europe (Tringa
ochropus) ; but differs from that bird in being nearly one-third
less, and in wanting the white rump and tail-coverts of that
species; it is also destitute of its silky olive green plumage.
How far north its migrations extend I am unable to say
The solitary sandpiper is eight inches and a half long, and
fifteen inches in extent ; the bill is one inch and a quarter in
length, and dusky; nostrils, pervious; bill, fluted above and
below ; line over the eye, chin, belly, and vent, pure white ;
breast, white, spotted with pale olive brown ; crown and neck
above, dark olive, streaked with white; back, scapulars, and
rump, dark brown olive, each feather marked along the edges
with small round spots of white ; wings, plain, and of a darker
tint; under tail-covert, spotted with black; tail, slightly
rounded, the five exterior feathers on each side, white, broadly
barred with black; the two middle ones, as well as their
coverts, plain olive ; legs, long, slender, and of a dusky green.
Male and female alike in colour.
YELLOW-SHANKS SNIPE. (Scolopawx flavipes.)
PLATE LVIII.—Fie. 4.
Arct. Zool. p. 463, No. 878.—Turt. Syst. 395.—Peale’s Museum, No. 3938.
TOTANUS FLAVIPES.—ViEI110T.*
Totanus flavipes, Ord’s edit. p. 59.—Bonap. Cat. p. 26.
Or this species I have but little to say. It inhabits our sea-
coasts and salt marshes during summer ; frequents the flats at
low water, and seems particularly fond of walking among the
* T, flavipes seems exclusively American.— ED.
VELLOW-SHANES SNIPE. 351
mud, where it doubtless finds its favourite food in abundance.
Having never met with its nest, nor with any person acquainted
with its particular place or manner of breeding, I must reserve
these matters for further observation. It is a plentiful species,
and great numbers are brought to market in Boston, New
York, and Philadelphia, particularly ‘in autumn. Though
these birds do not often penetrate far inland, yet, on the 5th
of September, I shot several dozens of them in the meadows
of Schuylkill, below Philadelphia. There had been a violent
north-east storm a day or two previous, and a large flock of
these, accompanied by several species of Tringa, and vast
numbers of the short-tailed tern, appeared at once among the
meadows. As a bird for the table, the yellow-shanks, when
fat, is in considerable repute. Its chief residence is in the
vicinity of the sea, where there are extensive mud flats. It
has a sharp whistle, of three or four notes, when about to
take wing and when flying. ‘These birds may be shot down
with great facility, if the sportsman, alter the first discharge,
will only lie close, and permit the wounded birds to flutter
about without picking them up ; the flock will generally make
a circuit, and alight repeatedly, until the greater part of them
may be shot down.
Length of the yellow-shanks, ten inches ; extent, twenty ;
bill, slender, straight, an inch and a half in length, and black ;
line over the eye, chin, belly, and vent, white; breast and
throat, gray; general colour of the plumage above, dusky
brown olive, inclining to ash, thickly marked with small
triangular spots of dull white ; tail-coverts, white ; tail, also
white, handsomely barred with dark olive; wings, plain dusky,
the secondaries edged, and all the coverts edged and tipt with
white; shafts, black; eye, also black; legs and naked thighs,
long and yellow; outer toe, united to the middle one by a
slight membrane; claws, a horn colour, The female can
scarcely be distinguished from the male.
352 TELL-TALE GODWIT, OR SNIPE.
TELL-TALE GODWIT, OR SNIPE. (Scolopax
voctferUus. )
PLATE LVIII.—Fie. 5.
Stone Snipe, Avct. Zool. p. 468, No. 376.—Turt. Syst. p. 396.—Peale’s Museum,
No. 3940.
TOTANUS MELANOLEUCUS.—VIEILLOT.*
T. melanoleucus, Ord’s reprint of Wils. p. 61.—Bonap. Synop. p. 324. ~
THIs species and the preceding are both well known to our
duck-gunners along the sea-coast and marshes, by whom they
are detested, and stigmatised with the names of the greater
and lesser tell-tale, for their faithful vigilance in alarming the
ducks with their loud and shrill whistle on the first glimpse
of the gunner’s approach. Of the two, the present species is
by far the most watchful ; and its whistle, which consists of
four notes rapidly repeated, is so loud, shrill, and alarming,
as instantly to arouse every duck within its hearing, and thus
disappoints the eager expectations of the marksman. Yet
the cunning and experience of the latter are frequently more
than a match for all of them ; and before the poor tell-tale
is aware, his warning voice is hushed for ever, and his dead
body mingled with those of his associates.
* Bonaparte in his “ Nomenclature” remarks, “ This bird is undoubt-
edly the S. melanoleuca of Gmelin and Latham, first made known by
Pennant. Why Wilson, who was aware of this, should have changed
the name, we are at a loss to conceive. Mr Ord was, therefore, rightin
restoring it.”
The species has not been discovered out of North America, and will
take the place in that country of the European greenshank.
Totanus is a genus of Bechstein, now generally acknowledged as the
proper place for the sandpipers of this form. Many of them do not
undergo so decided a change during the breeding season, breed more
inland, and, during winter, are as frequently found on the banks of
rivers and lakes, or in inland marshes, as upon the shores. They are
extremely noisy when first disturbed ; a single individual readily gives
the note of alarm ; and when their nests are approached, they display
more of the habit of the Plovers,—Ep.
TELL-TALE GODWIT, OR SNIPE. 353
This bird arrives on our coast early in April, breeds in the
marshes, and continues until November, about the middle of
which month it generally moves off to the south. The nest,
J have been informed, is built in a tuft of thick grass, gene-
rally on the borders of a bog or morass. The female, it is
said, lays four eggs of a dingy white, irregularly marked with
black.
These birds appear to be unknown in Europe. They are
simply mentioned by Mr Pennant as having been observed in
autumn, feeding on the sands on the lower part of Chatteaux
Bay, continually nodding their heads; and were called there
stone curlews.*
The tell-tale seldom flies in large flocks, at least during
summer. It delights in watery bogs and the muddy margins
of creeks and inlets; is either seen searching about for food,
or standing in a watchful posture, alternately raising and
lowering the head, and, on the least appearance of danger,
utters its shrill whistle, and mounts on wing, generally accom-
panied by all the feathered tribes that are near. It occasionally
penetrates inland along the muddy shores of our large rivers,
seldom higher than tide-water, and then singly and solitary.
They sometimes rise to a great height in the air, and can be
distinctly heard when beyond the reach of the eye. In the
fall, when they are fat, their flesh is highly esteemed, and
many of them are brought to our markets. The colours and
markings of this bird are so like those of the preceding, that,
unless in point of size and the particular curvature of the bill,
the description of one might serve for both.
The tell-tale is fourteen inches and a half long, and twenty-
five inches in extent ; the bill is two inches and a quarter long,
of a dark horn colour, and slightly bent upwards; the space
round the eye, chin, and throat, pure white ; lower part of the
neck, pale ashy white, speckled with black; general colour of
the upper parts, an ashy brown, thickly spotted with black and
dull white, each feather being bordered and spotted on the edge
* Arctic Zoology, p. 468.
VOL. II. Z
cy
354 LTELL-TALE GODWIT, OR SNIPE,
with black; wing-quills, black; some of the primaries, and
all the secondaries, with their coverts, spotted round the
margins with black and white ; head and neck above, streaked
with black and white; belly and vent, pure white; rump
white, dotted with black ; tail, also white, barred with brown ;
the wings, when closed, reach beyond the tail; thighs, naked
nearly two inches above the knees ; legs, two inches and three-
quarters long ; feet, four-toed, the outer joined by a membrane
to the middle, the whole of a rich orange yellow. The female
differs little in plumage from the male ; sometimes the vent is
slightly dotted with black, and the upper parts more brown.
Nature seems to have intended this bird as a kind of spy
or sentinel for the safety of the rest ; and so well acquainted
are they with the watchful vigilance of this species, that, while
it continues silent among them, the ducks feed in the bogs
and marshes without the least suspicion. The great object of
the gunner is to escape the penetrating glance of this guardian,
which it is sometimes extremely difficult to effect. On the
first whistle of the tell-tale, if beyond gunshot, the gunner
abandons his design, but not without first bestowing a few
left-handed blessings on the author of his disappointment.
{Mr Ord adds, “ Pennant’s spotted snipe is undoubtedly this
species. He states that it arrives at Hudson’s Bay in the
spring ; feeds on small shellfish and worms, and frequents
the banks of rivers ; called there by the natives, from its noise,
Sa-sa-shew.* This Indian word, pronounced with rapidity,
gives a tolerable idea of the whistle of the tell-tale; and is
a proof of the advantage of recording the vulgar names of
animals, when these names are expressive of any peculiarity
of voice or habit.” |
* Arctic Zoology, vol. ii. p. 170.
‘6G
LVR 9 Lp > YF upwplop py wig haye p supmnmgs uadidpuns periods 7
RS rae
= I sree AO Sees < os
SOUT Hh 4q poavsbug
SPOTTED SANDPIPER. 355
SPOTTED SANDPIPER. (TLringa macularia.)
PLATE LIX.—Fie. 1.
Arct. Zool. p. 473, No. 385.—-La Grive d’Eau, Buff. viii. 140.—Edw. 277.—Peule’s
Museum, No. 4056.
TOTANUS MACULARIUS.—TEMMINCK.*
Ord’s reprint of Wils. part vii. p. 64.—Temm. Man. d’Orn. ii. p. 656.—Bonap.
p p ip
Synop. p. 325.—Flem. Br. Zool. p. 102.—Spotted Sandpiper, Mont. Orn.
Dict. ii. and Supp. Selby’s Illust. of Br. Orn. W. B. pl. 17.
THIS very common species arrives in Pennsylvania about
the 20th of April, making its first appearance along the shores
of our large rivers, and, as the season advances, tracing the
courses of our creeks and streams towards the interior. Along
the rivers Schuylkill and Delaware, and their tributary waters,
they are in great abundance during the summer. This species
is as remarkable for perpetually wagging the tail, as some others
are for nodding the head ; for, whether running on the ground
or on the fences, along the rails or in the water, this motion
seems continual ; even the young, as soon as they are freed from
the shell, run about constantly wagging the tail. About the
middle of May they resort to the adjoining cornfields to breed,
where I have frequently found and examined their nests.
One of these now before me, and which was built at the root
of a hill of Indian-corn, on high ground, is composed wholly
of short pieces of dry straw. The eggs are four, of a pale clay
or cream colour, marked with large irregular spots of black,
and more thinly with others of a paler tint. They are large
in proportion to the size of the bird, measuring an inch and a
* This is one of the most beautiful and most delicately marked among
the smaller Zotani. Closely allied to our common sand lark, 7. hypo-
leucos, it is at once distinguished by the spotted marking on the under
parts, which contrasts finely with their pure white. They frequent the
banks of rivers more than the larger species, and have all a peculiar
motion of the body and tail while running. The spotted sandpiper is
common to both continents, and has been once or twice killed in Great
Britain.—Ep.
356 SPOTTED SANDPIPER.
quarter in length, very thick at the great end, and tapering
suddenly to the other. The young run about with wonderful
speed as soon as they leave the shell, and are then covered
with down of a dull drab colour, marked with a single
streak of black down the middle of the back, and with
another behind each ear. They have a weak, plaintive note.
| On the approach of any person, the parents exhibit symptoms
of great distress, counterfeiting lameness, and fluttering along
i the ground with seeming difficulty. On the appearance of a
| dog, this agitation is greatly increased ; and if is very inter-
4 esting to observe with what dexterity she will lead him from
: her young, by throwing herself repeatedly before him, flutter-
ing off, and keepmg just without his reach, on a contrary
} direction from her helpless brood. My venerable friend Mr
William Bartram informs me, that he saw one of these birds
defend her young for a considerable time from the repeated
| attacks of a ground-squirrel. The scene of action was on the
river shore. The parent had thrown herself, with her two
young behind her, between them and the land; and at every
attempt of the squirrel to seize them by a circuitous sweep,
raised both her wings in an almost perpendicular position,
IH assuming the most formidable appearance she was capable of,
and rushed forwards on the squirrel, who, intimidated by her
} boldness and manner, instantly retreated ; but presently re-
iH turning, was met, as before, in front and on flank by the
daring and affectionate bird, who, with her wings and whole
plumage bristling up, seemed swelled to twice her usual size.
The young crowded together behind her, apparently sensible
of their perilous situation, moving backwards and forwards as
she advanced or retreated. This interesting scene lasted for at
least ten minutes; the strength of the poor parent began evi-
dently to flag, and the attacks of the squirrel became more
daring and frequent, when my good friend, like one of those celes-
tial agents who, in Homer’s time, so often decided the palm of
victory, stepped forward from his retreat, drove the assailant
back to his hole, and rescued the innocent from destruction.
.)
SPOTTED SANDPIPER. 357
The flight of this bird is usually low, skimming along the
surface of the water, its long wings making a considerable angle
downwards from the body, while it utters a rapid cry of weet,
weet, weet, as it flutters along, seldom steering in a direct line
up or down the river, but making a long circuitous sweep,
stretching a great way out, and gradually bending in again
to the shore.
These birds are found occasionally along the sea-marshes,
as well as in the interior; and also breed in the cornfields
there, frequenting the shore in search of food; but rarely
associating with the other Zringe. About the middle of
October, they leave us on their way to the south, and do not,
to my knowledge, winter in any of the Atlantic States.
Mr Pennant is of opinion that this same species is found
in Britain ; but neither his description, nor that of Mr Bewick,
will apply correctly to this. The following particulars, with
the figure; will enable Huropeans to determine this matter to
their satisfaction :—
Length of the spotted sandpiper, seven inches and a half, ex-
tent, thirteen inches ; bill, an inch long, straight; the tip and
upper mandible dusky ; lower, orange ; stripe over the eye and
lower eyelid, pure white; whole upper parts, a glossy olive, with
greenish reflections, each feather marked with waving spots of
dark brown ; wing-quills, deep dusky ; bastard wing, bordered
and tipt with white ; a spot of white on the middle of the
inner vane of each quill-feather except the first ; secondaries,
tipt with white; tail, rounded, the six middle feathers greenish
olive, the other three on each side white, barred with black ;
whole lower parts, white, beautifully marked with roundish
spots of black, small and thick on the throat and breast,
larger and thinner as they descend to the tail; legs, a yellow
clay colour ; claws, black.
The female is as thickly spotted below as the male; but
the young birds of both sexes are pure white below, without
any spots; they also want the orange on the bill. Those
circumstances I have verified on numerous individuals.
358 BARTRAM’S SANDPIPER.
BARTRAM’S SANDPIPER. (Tringa Bartramia.)
PLATE LIX.—Fie. 2.
Peale’s Museum, No. 4040.
TOTANUS BARTRAMIUS.—TEMMINCK.*
Totanus Bartramius, Ord’s reprint of Wils. vol. vii. p. 67.—Chevalier 4 longue
queue, Temm. Man. d’ Orn. ii. p. 650.—Totanus Bartramius, Bonap. Synop.
p. 325.
Tuis bird being, as far as I can discover, a new species,
undescribed by any former author, I have honoured it with
the name of my very worthy friend, near whose botanic
gardens, on the banks of the river Schuylkill, I first found it.
On the same meadows I have since shot several other indi-
viduals of the species, and have thereby had an opportunity of
taking an accurate drawing as well as description of it.
Unlike most of their tribe, these birds appeared to prefer
running about among the grass, feeding on beetles and other
winged insects. ‘There were three or four in company ; they
seemed extremely watchful, silent, and shy, so that it was
always with extreme difficulty I could approach them.
These birds are occasionally seen there during the months
of August and September, but whether they breed near, I have
not been able to discover. Having never met with them on
the sea-shore, I am persuaded that their principal residence
is in the interior, in meadows and such like places. They
run with great rapidity, sometimes spreading their tail and
* The discovery of this species, I believe, is due to our author, who
dedicated it to his venerable friend Bartram. It is admitted by
Temminck as an occasional straggler upon the Dutch and German
coasts, and is mentioned as having been only once met with by himself.
Bonaparte asserts, on the authority of Say, that it is very common in
some districts of the extensive Missouri prairies ; thus confirming the
opinion of Wilson, that its residence is in the interior, and not on the
sea-coast, like most of its congeners. The lengthened form, more con-
spicuous in the wedge shape of the tail, is at variance with the greater
part of the Totant, and reminds us of the killdeer plover.—Ep.
BARTRAM’S SANDPIPER. 359
dropping their wings, as birds do who wish to decoy you from
their nest; when they alight they remain fixed, stand very
erect, and have two or three sharp whistling notes as they
mount to fly. They are remarkably plump birds, weighing
upwards of three-quarters of a pound ; their flesh is superior,
in point of delicacy, tenderness, and flavour, to any other of
the tribe with which I am acquainted.
This species is twelve inches long, and twenty-one in
extent; the bill is an inch and a half long, slightly bent down-
wards, and wrinkled at the base, the upper mandible black on
its ridge, the lower, as well as the edge of the upper, of a fine
yellow ; front, stripe over the eye, neck, and breast, pale
ferruginous, marked with small streaks of black, which, on the
lower part of the breast, assume the form of arrow-heads ;
crown, black, the plumage slightly skirted with whitish ; chin,
orbit of the eye, whole belly and vent, pure white; hind head
and neck above, ferruginous, minutely streaked with black ;
back and scapulars, black, the former slightly skirted with
ferruginous, the latter with white; tertials, black, bordered
with white; primaries, plain black; shaft of the exterior
quill, snowy, its inner vane elegantly pectinated with white ;
secondaries, pale brown, spotted on their outer vanes with
black, and tipt with white; greater coverts, dusky, edged
with pale ferruginous, and spotted with black ; lesser coverts,
pale ferruginous, each feather broadly bordered with white,
within which is a concentric semicircle of black; rump and
tail-coverts, deep brown black, shghtly bordered with white,
tail, tapering, of a pale brown orange colour, beautifully
spotted with black, the middle feathers centred with dusky ;
legs, yellow, tinged with green ; the outer toe joined to the
middle by a membrane; lining of the wings, elegantly barred
with black and white; iris of the eye, dark, or blue black ;
eye, very large. The male and female are nearly alike.
360 RING PLOVER.
RING PLOVER. (Tringa hiaticula.)
PLATE LIX.—Fie. 3.
Arct. Zool. p. 485, No. 401.—Le Petit Pluvier a Collier, Buff. viii. 90.—Bewick,
i. 326.—Peale’s Museum, No. 4150.
CHARADRIUS SEMIPALM ATUS.—BonAPARTE.*
Charadrius semipalmatus, Bonap. Synop. p. 296.—American Ring Plover, North.
Zool. ii. p. 367.—Charadrius semipalmatus? Wagl. Syst. Av. No. 23.
Iv a preceding part of this work (see Plate xxxvul. Fig. 3),
a bird by this name has been figured and described, under the
supposition that it was the ring plover, then in its summer
dress ; but which, notwithstanding its great resemblance to the
present, I now suspect to be a different species. Fearful of
perpetuating error, and anxious to retract where this may
inadvertently have been the case, I shall submit to the con-
sideration of the reader the reasons on which my present sus-
picions are founded.
* The smaller Charadriade of America have been much confused,
owing to their close alliance to each other and to those of Europe, with
some of which they were thought to be identical. The Prince 6f
Musignano has clearly pointed out the differences which exist between
this and the species figured at Plate XX XVII, and which bears a more
close resemblance to the little African C. pecwariuvs than either the
present species or the kiaticula of Europe (see also our note ‘on that
species) ; and although he has not been able to point out such distinctive
characters between the latter species and that now under discussion, I
have no doubt whatever of their being eventually found quite distinct ;
and it will be found, by those persons who are inclined to allow somuch
for the influence of climate in rendering form, colour, and plumage
distinct, that it is comparatively of no importance, and that identical
species, running through a great variety of latitude, will in fact differ
little or nothing from each other. I have transcribed the observations
of Bonaparte from his ‘‘ Nomenclature of Wilson,” which will show his
opinion.
He thus observes,—“ The remark made by Mr Ord, relative to the
difference between the union of the toes in American and European
specimens, is no less extraordinary than correct; I have verified it on
the specimens in my collection. This character would seem to show,
RING PLOVER. 361
The present species, or true ring plover, and also the
former or light-coloured bird, both arrive on the sea-coast of
New Jersey late in April. The present kind continues to be
seen in flocks until late in May, when they disappear on their
way farther north ; the light-coloured bird remains during the
summer, forms its nest in the sand, and generally produces
two broods in the season. THarly in September the present
species returns in flocks as before; soon after this the light-
coloured kind go off to the south, but the other remain a full
month later. European writers inform us that the ring
plover has a sharp twittering note; and this account agrees
exactly with that of the present: the light-coloured species,
on the contrary, has a peculiarly soft and musical note, similar
to the tone of a German flute, which it utters while running
along the sand, with expanded tail and hanging wings,
endeavouring to decoy you from its nest. ‘The present species
is never seen to breed here; and though I have opened great
numbers of them as late as the 20th of May, the eggs which
the females contained were never larger than small birdshot ;
in the most positive manner, that they are distinct but allied species,
differing from each other as Zringa semipalmata of Wilson differs from
his Tringa pusilla,”
The synonyms of Mr Ord, who noticed one of the principal distinc-
tions in the palmation of the feet, are consequently wrong, and they
should stand as above. I have added a synonym of Wagler, (. sem7-
palmatus, which he takes, without any acknowledgment, from Cont.
Isis, 1825, and which seems to be this species. He also refers to the C.
hiaticula of Wilson, Plate XXXVII., under the name of C. Okeniwi. The
true CU, hiaticula has not yet, I believe, been found in North America.
“T have been endeavouring,” again writes Bonaparte, “to discover
some other markings on my stuffed specimens, that might enable me to
establish the species on a more solid basis; but though certain small
differences are discernible, such as the somewhat smaller size, and the
black narrow collar of the American, &c., yet we are aware that such
trifling differences occur between individuals of the same species ; we
shall, therefore, not rely on them until our observations shall have been
repeated on numerous recent or living specimens, In the meantime,
should the species prove to be distinct, it may be distinguished by the
appropriate name of C. semipalmatus.”—Ep.
362 RING PLOVER.
while, at the same time, the light-coloured kind had every-
where begun to lay in the little cavities which they had dug
in the sand on the beach. ‘These facts being considered, it
seems difficult to reconcile such difference of habit in one and
the same bird. The ring plover is common in England, and
agrees exactly with the one now before us; but the light-
coloured species, as far as I can learn, is not found in Britain ;
specimens of it have indeed been taken to that country, where
the most judicious of their ornithologists have concluded it to
be still the ring plover, but to have changed from the effect
of climate. Mr Pennant, in speaking of the true ring plover,
makes the following remarks :—‘‘ Almost all which I have seen
from the northern parts of North America have had the black
marks extremely faint, and almost lost. The climate had
almost destroyed the specific marks ; yet in the bill and habit,
preserved sufficient to make the kind very easily ascertained.”
These traits agree exactly with the light-coloured species, de-
scribed in our fifth volume.* But this excellent naturalist
was perhaps not awate that we have the true ring plover
here in spring and autumn, agreeing in every respect with
that of Britain, and at least in equal numbers; why, therefore,
has not the climate equally affected the present and the former
sort, if both are the same species? ‘These inconsistencies
cannot be reconciled but by supposing each to be a distinct
species, which, though approaching extremely near to each
other in external appearance, have each their peculiar notes,
colour, and places of breeding.
The ring plover is seven inches long, and fourteen inches in
extent; bill, short, orange coloured, tipt with black; front and
chin, white, encircling the neck; upper part of the breast,
* Vol. II. p. 122 of this edition.
yj It is mentioned as abundant in all “ Arctic America” by the authors
of the “ Northern Zoology,” “ where it breeds in similar situations to the
golden plover. Mr Hutchins reports that the eggs, generally four, are
dark coloured, spotted with black. The natives say, that, on the
approach of stormy weather, this plover makes a chirruping noise, and
claps its wings.” —ED.
RING PLOVER. 363
black ; rest of the lower parts, pure white; fore part of the
crown, black; band from the upper mandible covering the
auriculars, also black ; back, scapulars, and wing-coverts, of a
brownish ash colour; wing-quills, dusky black, marked with
an oval spot of white about the middle of each; tail, olive,
deepening into black, and tipt with white; legs, dull yellow ;
eye, dark hazel; eyelids, yellow.
This bird is said to make no nest, but to lay four eges of a
pale ash colour, spotted with black, which she deposits on the
ground.* The eggs of the light-coloured species, formerly
described, are of a pale cream colour, marked with small round
dots of black, as if done with a pen.
The ring plover, according to Pennant, inhabits America
down to Jamaica and the Brazils; is found in summer in
Greenland; migrates from thence in autumn; is common in
every part of Russia and Siberia ; was found by the navigators
as low as Owyhee, one of the Sandwich Islands, and as heht
coloured as those of the highest latitudes. +
[Mr Ord adds to this description in his reprint: “ After
writing the above I had an opportunity of examining, com-
paratively, two or three specimens of the European ring
plover which are in Mr Peale’s collection. These birds
corresponded with the subject of this article, except in the
feet, and here I found a difference which is worthy of note.
The outer toes of both the European and the American birds
were united to the middle ones by a membrane of an equal
size; but the inner toes of the latter were also united by a
smaller web, while those of the former were divided to their
origin. The naturalists of Europe state that the inner toes
of their species are thus divided. Here, then, is a diversity
which, if constant, would constitute a specific difference. The
bottoms of the toes of the present are broad as in the
sanderling.
“The plover given in our fifth volume, under the name of
* Bewick. + Arct. Zool., p. 485,
364 SANDERLING PLOVER.
hiaticula, has its inner toes divided to their origin, and the
web of the outer toes is much smaller than that of the present
article. All my doubts on the subject of our two plovers
being now removed, I shall take the liberty of naming that of
the fifth volume, the piping plover, Charadrius melodus.”
SANDERLING PLOVER. (Charadrius calidris.)
PLATE LIX. —Fie. 4,
Linn. Syst. 255.—Arct. Zool. p. 486, No. 403.—Le Sanderling, Buff. vii. 532,—
Bewick, ii. 19.—Peale’s Museum, No. 4204.
CALIDRIS ARENARIA.—I.1xIGER.*
Charadrius calidris, Wils. Ist edit. vii. p. 68 ; and Ch. rubidus, Wits. 1st edit. vii.
p. 129.—Calidris, I/lig. Prod. Mam. et Av. p. 249.—Ruddy Plover, Penn.
Arct. Zool. ii. p. 486, summer plumage.—Sanderling variable (Calidris
arenaria), Zemm. Man. @’Orn. ii. 524.—Tringa (Calidris) arenaria, Bonap.
Synop.—Calidris arenaria, Flem. Br. Zool. p. 112.—North. Zool. ii. p. 366.
In this well-known bird we have another proof of the imper-
fection of systematic arrangement, where no attention is paid
to the general habits, but where one single circumstance is
sometimes considered sufficient to determine the species. The
genus plover is characterised by several strong family traits,
one of which is that of wanting the hind toe. The sandpipers
have also their peculiar external characters of bill, general
* Calidris was established for this single species, common over the
world, and of form intermediate between the plovers and sandpipers.
Their make is thicker ; they are less slender than the sandpipers ; the
bill stronger, but, as in that group, the feet similar to those of the
Charadrwi ; and with their manner of running and walking, they
possess that peculiar crouch of the head upon the back seen in the
common ring plover and its allies. The ruddy plover of the plate
represents it in the summer plumage, in which it more resembles the
changes exhibited in the knot and pigmy curlew than those of the
dunlns. On the shores of Britain, it is generally met with in winter
in small flocks, or in spring and autumn when going to or returning
from their breeding quarters.
By Mr Hutchins it is said to make its nest rudely of grass in the
marshes, and lays four dusky coloured eggs, spotted with black.—Epb.
SANDERLING PLOVER. 365
form, &¢., by which they are easily distinguished from the
former., The present species, though possessing the bill, gene-
ral figure, manners, and voice of the sandpipers, feeding in the
same way, and associating with these in particular, yet want-
ing the hind toe, has been classed with the plovers, with whom,
this single circumstance excepted, it has no one character-
isticincommon. Though we have not, in the present instance,
presumed to alter this arrangement, yet it appears both reason-
able and natural that, where the specific characters in any
bird seem to waver between two species, that the figure, voice,
and habits of the equivocal one should always be taken into
consideration, and be allowed finally to determine the class to
which it belongs. Had this rule been followed in the present
instance, the bird we are now about to describe would have
undoubtedly been classed with the sandpipers.
The history of this species has little in it to excite our in-
terest or attention. It makes its appearance on our sea-coasts
early in September, continues during the greater part of winter,
and, on the approach of spring, returns to the northern regions
to breed. While here, it seems perpetually busy running along
the wave-worn strand, following the flux and reflux of the
surf, eagerly picking up its food from the sand amid the roar
of the ocean. It flies in numerous flocks, keeping a low mean-
dering course along the ridges of the tumbling surf. On
alighting, the whole scatter about after the receding wave,
busily picking up those minute bivalves already described.
As the succeeding wave returns, it bears the whole of them
before it in one crowded line; then is the moment seized by
the experienced gunner to sweep them in flank with his
destructive shot. The flying survivors, after a few aerial
meanders, again alight, and pursue their usual avocation as
busily and unconcernedly as before. These birds are most
numerous on extensive sandy beaches in front of the ocean.
Among rocks, marshes, or stones covered with seaweed, they
seldom make their appearance.
The sanderling is eight inches long, and fourteen inches in
ESS ony Sn terete
366 SANDERLING PLOVER.
extent ; thebill is black, an inch and a quarter in length, slender,
straight, fluted along the upper mandible, and exactly formed
like that of the sandpiper; the head, neck above, back, scapulars,
and tertials, are gray white; the shafts blackish, and the webs
tinged with brownish ash ; shoulder of the wing, black ; greater
coverts, broadly tipt with white ; quills, black, crossed with a
transverse band of white ; the tail extends a little beyond the
wings, and is of a grayish ash colour, edged with white, the
two middle feathers being about half an inch longer than the
others ; eye, dark hazel ; whole lower parts of the plumage,
pure white; legs and naked part of the thighs, black ; feet,
three-toed, each divided to its origin, and bordered with a
narrow membrane.
Such are the most common markings of this bird, both of
males and females, particularly during the winter ; but many
others occur among them, early in the autumn, thickly marked
or spotted with black on the crown, back, scapulars, and
tertials, so as to appear much mottled, having as much black
as white on those parts. In many of these I have observed
the plain gray plumage coming out about the middle of
October ; so that perhaps the gray may be their winter, and
the spotted their summer, dress.
I have also met with many specimens of this bird, not only
thickly speckled with white, and black above, but also on the
neck, and strongly tinged on both with ferruginous ; in which
dress it has been mistaken by Mr Pennant and others for a
new species—the description of his “ruddy plover” agreeing
exactly with this.*