RIJKSMUSEUM VAN NArUURLUKE HISTORIP LEiOEN f An unforeseen circumstance having delayed the publication of the second volume of Conway’s “ Switzerland, France, and the Pyrenees,” the Publishers beg leave to state, that it will be ready l^efore the close of the month. 19, Wateeloo Place, Edinburgh, April, 1831. This day is publishedy (Forming a Companion to the letterpress, in Constable’s Miscellany,) PART I. Price, Medium Folio, Coloured, 15s.; Plain, 10s. 6d. A few in Elephant Folio, (same size as Selby’s Sritish Ornithologyt') Coloured, One Guinea, To be completed in Ten Parts, each containing Five beautifully coloured Plates, Twenty-two inches long by Seventeen inches broad, being considerably more than double the size of the original work, ILLUSTRATIONS OF AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY, INCITIBING REPRESENTATIONS OF THE PRINCIPAL INSECTS, < FOREST TREES, AND FRUITS OF AMERICA, Drawn, Etched, and Coloured, under the superintendence of CAPTAIN THOMAS BROWN, F.L.S. M.W.S. ’ PRESIDENT OF THE ROYAL PHYSICAL SOCIETY. * This will form one of the most elegant works hitherto published in this country, and will be unprecedented for its cheapness, not exceeding, even including the Letterpress, one-sixth part of the origi- nal cost. ’ The iUustratious will comprise, not only the whole of the Birds given by Alexander Wilson and Charles Lucian Buonaparte, in many instances larger, and in none less, than in the original works, but will also contain various newly-discovered species, including numerous representations of Insects, Fruits, aud Forest Trees of America. » 4 r AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY. r- * : M ftiniprf lyJampi Oaw OONSTABLK ft <:■; KUI'JRl'Rf'll i63l. IN* TIIK VAliHll'S DKl’ARTMKXTS j" — N — QT,.. y LITE]UTr;RK. St'IRiNCE,^^ TOE ARTS. YOL .. Mvn;[. THE AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY VOL. I. THE UAEl) EAGLE F,'j]>3NHriWi;ri: yOETOr^STAJILKS? (■?’H;DTN35rR(ii)l; AK3) HV Kst. r.i'iAyrR «.♦ rv fl.orju u^*. ih;u. *The History of American Birds, by Alex- ander Wilson, is equal in elegance to the most distinguished of our own splendid works on ornithology. — Cuvier. *With an enthusiasm never excelled, this ex- traordinary man penetrated through the vast territories of the United States, undeterred hy forests and swamps, for the sole purpose of describing native birds . — Lord Brougham. *By the mere force of native genius, and of delight in nature, he became, without knowing it, a good, a great writer. — Blackwood’s Mag- zine. J6fc. AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY; OH THE NATURAL HISTORY the birds of the united states^ BY ALEXANDER -VVILSON, AND CHARLES LUCIAN BONAPARTE. EDITED BY Robert jameson, Esq. f,r,s.e.&l. f.l.s. m.w.s. REGIUS PROFESSOR OF NATURAL HISTORY IN THE UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH, &C. IN FOUR VOLUMES. VOL. I. EDINBURGH: PRINTED FOR CONSTABLE AND CO. EDINBURGH; AND HURST, CHANCE, AND CO. LONDON. 1831. EDINBURGH : Printed by Anphew Shobtreed, Ihistle Lane. NOTICE. N presenting to the English reader, through the naedium of a popular periodical, the first European edition of a work of which America has just cause to be proud, the publishers have a few words of explanation to offer regarding the improvements they have adopted. It will be seen, from the Memoir of Wilson in te present volume, that his portion of the American 'niithology consists of nine volumes quarto, the escriptive part of the concluding volume having been drawn up by Mr George Ord, of Philadelphia, n 1825, Mr Ord was again employed to prepare •tetv editions of the seventh, eighth, and ninth 'i? '**'^®*’ made considerable additions : in 1828, ^ ' ee supplementary volumes, by Charles Lucian O'laparte,* appeared. The present edition will comprise not merely te whole of Wilson’s work, including the improve- Musignano, son of Lucien Bonaparte, the brother of viii NOTICE. raents of Mr Ord, but also the continuation of Bonaparte, and will still farther be enhanced in value by the revisal of the whole, and its arrange- ment, in a scientific manner, by Professor Jameson. This arrangement will not only render the work of more easy reference than the original edition, — • which, from its irregular mode of publication, was never arranged, — but will also, it is hoped, ensure its being used as an ornithological text book in our universities, and also in our schools. Hitherto, no companion or guide has been published to the beautiful collection of American birds in the museum of the University of Edinburgh : the present work will be found to answer the purpose, both on account of its scientific form, and the constant reference, by the editor, to the birds of the New World, preserved in that splendid cabinet of natural history. It remains only to be added, that the notices of the Turkey Vulture, p. 3, the Black Vulture, p. 10, the Great-Footed Hawk, p. .51, and the Raven, p. 231, having been transferred from the nintb volume of Wilson, are consequently written by Mr Ord. Other articles of his are pointed out where they occur in the course of the work. Edinburgh, Apnl, 1831 . CONTENTS OF VOLUME FIRST. Memoir of Alexander Wilson . . Jn I’heface . 1 •• Ixxxvii I-ntroduction , . Ixxxix American Buzzard, or White-breasted Hawk 84 American Sparrow Hawk, —female , . 55 American Sparrow Hawk,— male . 60 -Ash-coloured, or Black-cap Hawk . . 03 Baltimore Bird, or Oriole, — male . I77 Baltimore Oriole, — female , . . 182 Barred Owl . . . .107 Belted Kingsfisher . . .170 Black-billed Cuckoo . . .131 Black Hawk,— adult bird . . .79 Black Hawk, — young bird . , 80 Black Vidture, or Carrion Crow of America . 10 % . . . . 253 Broad-winged Hawk . . .65 Canada .lay .... 262 Carolina Parrot , . , * 117 Cedar Bird . . . . ' 265 Clark's Crow . . . .249 Cow Bunting . . . 201 X CONTENT^. Page Crow . . . . • 237 Downy Woodpecker . . • 162 Fish Crow . • ■ • Fish Hawk, or Osprey ... 38 Gold-winged Woodpecker . . • 141 Great-footed Hawk, or Peregrine Falcon . 51 Great horned Owl ■ ■ • 166 Hairy Woodpecker . . . 156 Hawk Owl . • ■ .90 Ivory-billed Woodpecker . . 162 Lewis’s Woodpecker . . .168 Little Owl , . . ■ 169 Long-eared Owl .... 104 Magpie . . - ■ 250 Marsh Hawk . . • .88 Meadow Lark . . . 174 Mississippi Kite . . • .72 Mottled Owl ... 9d Orchard Oriole . . . ■ 183 Pigeon Hawk . . . 61 Pileated Woodpecker .. . . 138 Purple Grakle . . • 22l Raven . • ■ ■ .231 Rad-bellied Woodpecker . . 15l Red-cockaded Woodpecker . . .161 Red-headed Woodpecker . • 14^ Red Owl . . ■ . 9« Red-shouldered Hawk ... 8l Red-tailed Hawk . . . . 8^ Red-winged Starling . . • 19'1 CONTENTS. XI Rice Bunting Ring-tail Eagle Rough-legged Falcon B’Usty Grakle Sea Eagle Sharp-sliinned Hawk . Short-eared Owd Slate-coloured Hawk Snow Owl SwaUow-tailed Hawk . Turkey Vulture, or Turkey Buzzard . White-headed, or Bald Eagle White, or Bam Owl Winter Falcon Yellow-bellied Woodpecker , Yellow-billed Cuckoo . Page 219 20 77 225 33 68 106 70 92 75 3 22 111 85 157 128 ' i V memoir OF ALEXANDER WILSON. the hone so rte- t ** education, oppointefl r . P‘'"0‘1 honoured in being 1 pointed to preach the gospel of neace T« ■ iir i ® Wanudes,i„ a poe!;, Lti^thTo Soiitf^S" in America, and evidently descriptive of himself ;-l nTiT" P'“''‘'‘J f«"J <’elight. And talk d mlh tears of that enrapturing sight. The n- '*'^*’*® S®'™, with solemn air, walls of God's own house should echo hack his prayer. °feenhL“‘'f_7jJ./*’”*.‘!‘’*P'“y"'l evident marks '^"not now ho f anticipations of future eminence, 'f should tn^ *=''«ainly known : nor is it necessary that ‘he heart’of ‘or his father’s intentions. While ”f his Own child inclines him to judge favourably higher pZi ’ r”**' peasant can form P ospect, and conceive no gi-eater recompense b XIV MEMOIR OF for all his own privations, than to see the son of his affec- tion become the messenger of Heaven. Unfortunately for Wilson, his mother died when he was about ten years old, leaving his father embarrassed with the charge of a young family, to minister to the wants of which, the heart and the habits, the tenderness and the enduring patience of woman alone are adequate. In the higher and wealthier ranks, female aid may he procured ; but, in humble life, nothing can be more deplorably deso- late than the condition of a young motherless family. It is, therefore, almo.st a matter of absolute necessity for the poor man to seek the aid of a second wife ; though the result of doing so is usually the burden of an additional family. AVilson’s father soon married again ; and all his son’s prospects of a liberal education were speedily overcast. AVhat progress he had made cannot now be discovered ; though, from the statements of his early friends, and the incorrectness of his first productions, it may be inferred, that his attainments were only limited. The bias, however, had been given ; a taste for literature had been communicated, by which the whole of his after life was more or less characterized. Of this he was himself aware, as appears by his letters to his father, written from America, after his ])ersoverance had won for him that rich reward, for which alone he toiled, — honest, inde- pendent fame. In a letter, dated 2oth Feb. 1811, the following passage occurs; — “ The publication of tie Ornithology, tholigh it has swallowed up all the little I have saved, has procured me the honour of many friends, eminent in this country, and the esteem of the public at large, for whicdi 1 have to thank the goodness of a kind father, w'hcse attention to my education in early life, as well as the books then put into my hands, first gave mV mind a bias towards relishing the paths of literature, and the charms and magnificence of nature. These, it is true, particularly the latter, have made me a wanderer in I ALEXANDER WILSON. XV and reXectahli^'^r me to support an honest sources of in the world, and have been the “s of almost all iny enjoyments.” of fimgrapher states, that the unkind usage roof and to ■■ Ws paternal Wi l ia" n Ws brother-in-law, whfh dfhe""”- incorrect. Those Blwavs' til^ai Tr" l^oowing the truth, agree that she Wilson h’ kindness and attention ; and gratitude ’tI hor with respect and ticeship, when, ’if „ot a m ^rm of his appren- -s a/least on; oVritriaUreitt**"'^^^^^^^^^^^ habits of his earlier years have also been attrlbutcXto may r Vr‘“‘T ! bot while these '*Ppeari„ tt“'"^^T™*'^ “'‘'^rwisc-as will *0^; "“rative,_it is due to the “Pprentte ‘h f ‘ ‘'‘''’ation of his oSeolist'’ been above n 1 1 , ^ oiiginal indenture bears date as handwriting following lines in his oim Be t kent to a’ the warld in rhime. That wi’ right mickle wark an’ toil. For three lang years 1 ’ve ser’t my time Whiles feasted wi’ the hazel oil. ’ Xh ,. 1783. “hip ill 1 completed his apprentice- ®bo'v, that ImL r three years ; and they likewise standing tlm ™ sixteenth year, notwitli- very unpoetical nature of his profession. XVI MEMOIR OF already tried his skill in the composition of verses ; and that, however closely his mechanical occupation employed him, he had a strong inclination to more imaginative feelings and pnrsuits, not at all likely to reconcile him to his humble avocation. Yet he continued working as a journeyman-weaver for about four years; during which time he resided partly in Paisley, partly with his father, who had gone to the village of Lochwinnoch, and finally with his brother-in-law, Duncan, then removed to Queens- ferry. During these four years, however, being compara- tively left to his own direction, his poetical talents were more freely indulged ; his dislike to the loom increased, and his mind became more fully possessed with that spirit of restlessness, which, not finding sufficient scope in Britain, in the end impelled him to explore the boundless forests of the New World. Nearly two years of that period were spent at Loch- winnoch, and many of bis earlier poems were then com- posed, particularly those of a descriptive character. But the rambles which gave rise to these efforts of his muse, while they incresised his relish for the beauties of natural scenery, rendered his sedentary employment more and more irksome, and prepared him to abandon it, upon the first prospect of more congenial pursuits. In a poem, written about this time, entitled, “ Groans from the Loom,” after painting, in a strain of ludicrous complaint, half in jest, half in earnest, the miseries of his condition, the following exclamation occurs, wrung from him pro- bably by an instinctive aversion to confinement, and almost prophetic of his future wanderings : — Good gods ! shall a mortal with legs. So low uncomplaining be brought! These sentiments, together with the expanded views, culti- vated taste, and refined ideas, resulting from the perusal of what books he could procure, all tended to the same eonclusion, — a growing disgust with the trade of a weaver. ALEXANDER WILSON, Xvii £rr^ f to exchange it for any other which promised ‘]6edom from personal restraint, and more inter- fppUr.^ charms of natare. He thus speaks of his S® and habits about this time ; ^re oft beneath the shade I lonely stray, ^en morning opes, or evening shuts the day; Ur when more black than night stern fate appears, 'PI ^ train of pale, despairing fears, Ihe winding walk, the solitary wood, I he uncouth grotto, melancholy, rude ; My re^ge there, the attending muse to caU, Or in Pope’s lofty page to lose them all. of both refinement and elevation; but it may be ques- L°cT. ’ 1l promote happiness, because the culture necessary to qualify for enioyments ot a high and refined order, must always bo attended with pain and privation, as it unfits for aU the more ordinary Ratifications before those of a congenial nature can be amed. With the young rustic poet, this is peculiarly ^ ^ Ituttcrfly, which some initimely of 'i have induced to cast aside the protection I Us chrysalis envelopment, and left exposed to every mg storm ; clad more elegantly, indeed, but much mss securely defended. transition-state of the rustic poet, it is not rpnsmg that he should frequently sink into fits of deep th*^ ’ P<^rchaiice of darkest despondency ; or that e sick heart should sometimes try to escape from the angs of Its own morbid sensibility, by plunging into this too common ZL !«««>■« to Ws desD "‘‘’t the most he language, there is abundant evidence that tion, * slightest degree, given to dissipa- e utmost that could be charged against him xviii MEMOIR OF was, a growing dislike to the confinement of his occupa- tion; or, in the harsh language of some, an increasing tendency to idleness. It was ahout this time that his first public attempts as a poet, were made ; several of his short pieces occasionally appearing in the Glasgow Advertiser. These speedily attracted the notice of his townsmen, and became “ the nightly subjects of discussion, in the clubs and bookshops of Paisley.” This, probably, contributed not a little towards encouraging him to the next step which he took, and which forms an era in his life. His brother-in-law, IVilliam Huiiean, had gone to reside at Queensferry, whither Wilson followed him, and continued for some time to work at his trade with his former master. With a view to better his circumstances, Duncan resolved to make an excursion throughout the eastern districts of Scotland as a pedlar ; and in this he was accompanied by AVilson, now in his twentieth year. The loom was now completely abandoned ; and, for a period of nearly three years, he seems to have led the life of a wandering pedlar. But the feeling of release from the toilsome loom, at first so delightful to one rapturously fond of the beauties of nature, soon began to subside, permitting him to estimate more truly the difficulties, fatigues, and, above all, the degradation of his new employment. He had now, however, a great deal more leisure for reading, writing, and indulging in a species of dreamy meditation, not less pleasant, and occasionally scarcely less beneficial, than either. It besides furnished him with opportunities of studying men and manners, to an extent scarcely othenrise attainable ; and, if it was often attended by disagreeable cii’cumstanees, it had its advantages, — it enabled him to visit all the classic ground of Scottish song and story, and to trace the scenes hal- lowed by the birth or residence of glorious chief, or still more glorious poet. » I can yet remember,” says one of his biographers, who was also his personal friend, “ with ALEXANDER WILSON, xix Mliat warmtli of enthusiasm he infoianed me that, in one of his journeys, he went considerably out of his way to visit t e village of Athelstiuieford, at one time the residence of '"t, author of The. Grave, and afterwards of Home, author of Dou^lm.” This proves Ids veneration for the sons of song and their consecrated haunts. And hi.s admi- tatiou of natural scenery cannot be better shewn than by quoting the strongly contemptuous expressions be applied to those tvho are not susceptible of the pleasures arising fiom contemplating the beauties of nature : — “ Pleasures,” says he, “ which the grovelling sons of interest, and the grubs of this world, know as little of, and are as incapable of enjoying, as those miserable spirits, who are doomed to ]ierpetiial darkne.ss, can the glorious regions and eternal delights of paradise ! ’’ During these years of comparative idleness, his poetical talent, as might have been exi)ectcd, was not permitted to remain uncultivated. Many of his published poems, by their dates and incidents, furnish evidence that they were the composition of that period: and at length, in 1789, he began to prepare materials for a volume of poems. After submitting his manuscript to the private criticism of some friends, (to whose suggestions, however, like most young poets, he was far from being inclined to yield implicit deference — whose approbation, in short, not fteir opinion, it was that he wanted,) he contracted with Mr John Neilson, printer in Paisley, for the expenses uf the ])ress ; and set out afresh with his pack and a prospectus, in order to procure subscribers. On the 17th September, 1 789, he proceeded from Edinburgh, along the east coast of Scotland, to sell his muslins and solicit sub- scriptions, making the one the means and the otiicr the end. His hopes and purposes cannot be better shewn than by transcribing a portion from a journal which he kept during excursion ; and wliic'li eommences us follows, in a strain between jest and earnest ; — XX MEMOIR OF “ As youth is the most favourable time to establish a man’s good fortune iu the world, and as his success in life depends, in a great measure, on his prudent endeavours, and unwearied perseverance, I have resolved to make one bold push for the united interests of ])ack and poems. Nor can any one justly blame me for it, since experience has now convinced me, that the merit I am possessed of (which is certainly considerable) might lie for ever buried in obscurity, without such an attempt. I have, therefore, fitted up a proper budget, consisting of silks, muslins, prints, &c. for the accommodation of those good people who may prove my customers, — a sufficient quantity of proposals for my poetical friends ; and, to prevent those tedious harangues, which othcnvise I would be obliged to deliver at every threshold, I have, according to the custom of the most polite pedlars, committed the contents of my pack to a handbill, though in a style somewhat remote from any I have yet seen. ADVERTISEMENT EXTRAORDINARY. Fair ladies, T pray, for one moment to stay. Until with submission I tell you. What muslins so curious, for uses so various, A poet has here brought to sell you. Here’s handkerchiefs charming ; hook-muslins like ermine. Brocaded, striped, cordeil, and cheik'd ; Sweet Venus, they say, on Cupid's hirth-day. In British-made muslins was deck’d. If these can ’t content ye, here ’s muslins in plenty, From one shilling up to a dozen, Tliat Juno might wear, and more beauteous appear, When she means the old Thunderer to cozen. Here lire fine jaconets, of numhcrless sets, With spotted and 8prigp;ed festoons ; And lovely tambours, with elegant flowers, For bonnets, cloaks, aprons, or gowns. Alexander wilson. xxi WRL choose any piece to peruse, Then I hope you’ll encourage the Poet. Other naso! P®™'t, we would willingly transcribe 't is not “bove-mentioned journal, because breathe’ “ ‘'^"“‘Ption of his wanderings. There a detestation 'of ' spirit of independence— proud scorn nf oiean and selfish, — and a lence of the '^ 1 T ‘‘onsidered the overweening inso. man We cannot resist the inclination to quote the toprhisiaJ::”'’ ■" hundrn'T! ^ rooasured the height of an number of :;"’ Tf -“-es of tfviee that by it? “‘“^^''‘‘■''"b.tations; and what have I gained JvnI ^.T ^ y shillings of worldly pelfl but an ''•rapr:nV'‘'r observation. In this elegant dome, sofa*^re r " and stretched on the downy the’au '^nughters of wealth and indolence: their flowery floor, and niagnifleent couch, wirv nttendants ; while, suspended in his boverhmf ‘-•oiifines of that sickly tbe plleT -^'P-ndrons of his brother artists, tbe Ltf:, I’'"" ‘''® ^^nnnding lay, or lanches latch ” murmuring shuttle. Lifting this simple there .,1^ ^or entrance to the miserable hut, dunghin mid ever-moaning disease, clothed in ags, and ever shivering over the fireless chimney. XXI 1 MEMOIR OF Ascending this stair, the voice of joy bursts on my ear,— the bridegroom and bride, surrounded by their jocund companions, circle the sparkling glass and humorous joke, or join in the raptures of the noisy dance — the squeaking fiddle breaking through the general uproar in sudden intervals, while the sounding floor groans beneath its unruly load. Leaving these happy mortals, and usher- ing into this silent mansion, a more solemn — a striking object, presents itself to my view. The windows, the furniture, and every thing that could lend one cheerful thought, are hung in solemn white ; and there, stretched pale and lifeless, lies the awful corpse; while a feW weeping friends sit, black and solit.ary, near the breathless clay. In this other place, the fearless sons of ’lacchui extend their brazen throats, in shouts like bursting thun- der, to the praise of their gorgeous chief. Opening tliis door, the lonely matron explores, for consolation, hef Bible : and, in this house, the wife brawls, the children shriek, and the poor husband bids me depart, lest his termagant’s fury should vent itself on me. In short, such an inconceivable variety daily occurs to my observation In real life, that would, were they moralized upon, convef more maxims of wisdom, and give a juster knowledge of mankind, than wdiole volumes of Lives and Adventures, that perhaps never had a being, except in the prolific brains of their fantastic authors.” This, it must be acknowledged, is a somewhat prolix and overstrained summing up of his observations ; but it prove* Wilson to have been, at the early age of tw'enty-three, a mflJ of great penetration, and strong native sense ; and short* that his mental culture had been much greater than mighi have been expected from his limited opportunities. At* subsequent period, he retraced his steps, taking with hit* copies of his poems, to distribute among subscriber-* and endeavour to promote a more extensive circulation' Of this excursion also he has given an accomit in hi* ALEXANDER WILSON. Xxiii I^ournal, from ivticli it appears that his success was far lom encouraging. Among amusing incidents, sketches o c aracter, occasional sound and intelligent remarks upon • f and prospects of the various classes of society ■u o \\ Yray, there are not a few severe expressions indicative of deep disappointment, and some hat merely hint the keener pangs of wounded pride — Pnde founded on conscious merit. “ You,” says he, on one occasion, “ you, whose souls are susceptible of the nest feelings, who are elevated to rapture with the least oatvnings of hope, and sunk into despondency by the slightest thwarting of your expectations— think what I e t ! Much, probably, of his disa|)pointment may be attributed to the very ijuestionable, the almost vagrant character, in which he appeared,— that of a travelling pedlar. Of this he seems ultimately to have become convinced ; for, in a letter to a friend, dated from Edinburgh, in November of the same year, he says, “ My occupation is greatly against my success in collecting suhseribers. A packman is a character which none esteem, Md almost every one despises. The idea which people ot all ranks entertain of them is, that they are ineaii- spirited, lotiuacioiis liars, cunning and illiterate, watching C'crj opportunity, and using every mean art witliin their poucr, to cheat.” The same sentiment repeatedly occurs "n his poems. _ Having in vain used his utmost exertions to dispose of ^ 's poems, and being completely disgusted with the life of a pedlar, he returned to Paisley; and, in a short time terwards, M’e find him again plying his original trade in ^.lochwinnoch. But it is evident, that he was far from ciiig satisfied M-ith his employment, or sincere in relin- laishing poetry. Indeed, it may be questioned whether coul^'*” "’ho has ever experienced the true poetic thrill ’ would, seal up his bosom against its "cons visitations. Be that as it may, Wilson was XXIV MEMOIR OF perfectly ready to avail himself of the first favourable opportunity of again appearing before the public, in the character of a poet. The occasion which led to it was this ; — A certain portion of the Edinburgh literati had formed a kind of public debating society, called the Forum, the meetings of which were held in the Pantheon. Among other questions proposed for discussion was this, “ Whether have the exertions of Allan Ramsay or Robert Fergusson done more honour to Scottish poetry ?” Infor- mation of this was communicated to Wilson by a friend in Edinburgh. Immediately he kindled at the idea of making a public appearance in a manner so congenial to his love of fame ; and, though unacquainted with the poems of Fergusson, and having but a fortnight for pre- paration, he borrowed a copy from a friend, read it, formed his opinion, laboured with redoubled perseverance for money to defray the expense of his journey, composed a poem on the subject, and arrived in Edinburgh in time to bear his part in the discussion. This poem, “ The Laurel Disputed,” is of considerable length, and though disfigured with occasional coarseness, is distinguished by a certain rough, easy vigour, which marks it the production of a man of more mental power than polish, — one who thought strongly, and cared not much in what sort of language his thoughts were couched, so that they were understood. In it he gives the laurel to Fergusson,—* decision to which the audience did not assent, but in which, nevertheless, we think his judgment was perfectly correct, so far at least as regards the superiority in real genius. So miserably deficient, in point of true poetic merit, are almost all of Ramsay’s miscellaneous poems, that we cannot help considering The Gentle Shepherd as little more than a “ lucky hit;” nor is there any thing to invalidate this opinion, in those pieces of frigidity and affectation, which he gave to the world, in his Tleff- ALEXANDER WILSON. XXV a e kcellaraj, as improved versions of our old coarse, ut wgoious traditionary songs and ballads. Fergusson, on t e other hand, never sinks beneath the regions of poetic inspiration, and frequently takes the heart by sur- mise with a sudden gush of fervent and tender feebng. “ break away from this seductive topic. 1 son remained long enough in Edinhurgh to compose and recite in public two other poetical essays, and to pu ish (1791) “ The Laurel Disputed;” tlicn returned o ocbwinnoeh, with some increase of' fame, but none ot wealth. It appears, however, that he at that time torined some literary coimeetions in Edinburgh, which might have been of advantage ; for we find him con, mbuting to the Bee, a periodical work, conducted by the late Dr Anderson, one of the fathers of modem Scottish literature. It is probable that his unsettled circumstances may have been the chief reason why he failed to profit by that favourable opening, as the Doctor’s benevolence was unlimited, and his influence at that time considerable. An intimacy still more congenial promised about “IS period to commence, — one which would probably ave been close and permanent, but for the rapidly approaching crisis in Wilson’s destiny, — we mean an intimacy with Burns. By the kindness of a valued nend,* to whom we are indebted for many interesting oommunications concerning Wilson, we were put in pos- session of the following anecdote j — “ Shortly after the publication of Burns’s poems, Wilson wrote to him, u jecting to certain of them, on account of their im- Pfoper tendency. At this time the two poets were ^uite unacquainted. Burns returned for answer, that ® "'as so much accustomed to communications of that u *dor Paisley, a gentleman tu whom we beg to Uo enter “rhuowlcdgments for the ready real with which Buhjeet of luid prosecuted, tliose reseaiThes eoncerning the preeluaed, ™ ™™i"iri trom wliich we ourselves were unavoidably XXVI MEMOin OF description, that he usually paid no attention to them ; hut that, as Wilson was evidently no ordinary man, and also a true poet, he would, in that instance, depart from the rule ; and he then entered into a vindication of himself and his poems. Shortly afterwards, Wilson went from Paisley to Ayrshire to visit Bums. On his return he described his interview with Burns in the most rapturous terms.” * The poem of “ Watty and Meg,” his most successful effort, was written early in 1792. Being published anonymously, it was universally attributed to Burns. Wilson felt this as at once a high compliment, and an unconscious acknowledgment of his merit, on the part of a public, which had shewn him so little countenance in his avowed productions ; and, for a time, he allowed the opinion to spread uncontradieted. “ The originals of Watty and Meg,” says the same gentleman who commu- nicated the preceding anecdote, “ were a worthy couple of Wilson’s acquaintance. When the good dame, repre- sented as Mer/, read the poem, she exclaimed to her husband, ‘ U’yo ken what Sandy Wilson has done? — he has poem’d us ! ’ ” The perception of the ludicrous gcnendly accompanies the perception of the sublime. In like manner, a satirical tendency is not unfrcquently found conjoined with great generosity and tenderness. Of this spirit Wilson partook to a certain extent; and in hours of thoughtless smd exuberant glee, occasionally indulged it for the amusement of his friends. Some, however, of darker spirit, as is generally believed, instigated Wilson, in an evil hour, to write a piece of severe personal satire against a respectable individual in Paisley, at whose instance he was prosecuted * Cromek gives a dilForptit Torsion of this iiicuieiit, and attribute^ the tenninatiou of aU iiitorcourse bi'tween the tivo poets to WiLsou*^ <‘nvy of Burns. This hoing she\\7i to Wilson, by one of his American friends, he rebutted the injurious imputation in the most decided terras. Alexander wilson. xxvii e ore t e sheriff, imprisoned, and compelled publicly to as'tli ^ °®^‘'sive poem. That, in writing it, he acted ^ others, not from any malignant feelings in ft'om his subsequent conduct. Before iving p,ii„lj,yPjjr Ajncrica, he waited on some whom he wl ■ requested forgiveness for any uneasiness ne his writings might have occasioned. Many years “ tenvards—a short time before his death—he invited his ■■ot er Uavid to join him in America. David w'ent accordingly, taking with him copies of all the poet's satirical piecc.s, which he had carefully collected, thinking, probably, that they would be received as an acceptable present. But Wilson, the instant they were produced, threw them into the lire, saying, “ These were the sins ot my youth ; and, had I taken my good old fhther’s advice, they never would have seen the light.” This unfortunate event seems to have had some effect m slackening the ties which bound Wilson to bis native Wuntiy. There were also other causes at work. The hreiicb Revolutiou was at that time awaking the hopes or ears of all who saw in it, either the commencement M a new and glorious era of political freedom, or, as it y proved, of a period of anarchy and bloodshed, nson, like many other urdoiit-minded men, hehcld it in e ormer aspect, and rapturously hailed it.s appearance, e associated himself with those who entitled theinsclvcs hriends of the People; and, as his conduct had recently given umbrage to those in ]>ower, he was marked as .1 dangerous character. In this condition, foiled in his e orts to acquire a jioct’s name ; depressed by poverty ; ated by those who had smarted beneath his lash ; and suspected on account of bis politics ; it is not to he ^^ondered at, that Wilson listened willingly to the llatter- to^ regarding America, and speedily resolved **'‘'*' ^‘“P***" excellence. This resolu- ■"■as the more easily adopted, that he had never xxvm MEMOIR OF yielded to the soft but potent sovereignty of love, b' this respect he is almost alone among the warm-hearted sons of song. Rarely does he write of love ; and, when he does, it is like a man who might have thought about it, as about any other interesting mental phenomenon, but had never experienced its subduing power. It is said that he kept up a sort of Platonic attachment and correspondence with a young lady of some rank and accom- plishments, but never went beyond the usual language of sentimental courtesy, and laid it easily aside the moment that his mind became fixed on emigration. Various schemes crossed his mind as to the mode of earning a livelihood in America ; and, among others, one seems to have been, to qualify himself, by a know- ledge of writing and arithmetic, for entering into some mercantile occupation. With this view, early in the year 1794, ho applied to a friend, who at that time kept a school, to have himself taught those branches of education ; but, after one day’s study, departed ; nor, till several months had elapsed, did he return, and then only to bid a final farewell. This sudden change of mind has generally been attributed to his restless instability of purpose ; and brought foiaviird as a parallel to the story which Rums tells of his own mathematical studies. A more correct view of the affair is given by one of his American friends, who must have had it from himself : When he finally determined on emigration, he was not possessed of funds suifieient to pay his passage. In order to surmount that obstacle, he adopted a plan of extreme diligence at the loom, and rigid personal economy ; by which means he amassed the necessary sum. After living for a period of four months, at the rate of one shilling per week, he paid farewell visits to several of his most intimate friends, among others, to the above- mentioned teacher, retraced some of his old favourite haunts, and, bidding a last adieu to his native land, set out ALEXANDER WILSON. Xxix i*n Trel-!nrt°'' Thence he sailed to Belfast hoard an A embarked as a deck-passenger, on of Dolawar bound to Newcastle, in the State no^sDP^^n'^'^'! '" 0" 14th of July, 1794, with (liipfm ^ ^ view, without a single letter of intro- But n"' ® shillings in his ])ockct. him.piT-^ >“ bis transport at finding Imnaf tbe land of freedom. 1 patrent to set his foot on the soil of the New World, e landed at Newcastle, and, with his fowling-piece in his ahoin h"’?"'? ' Thiladelphia, distant about t nrty three nules, highly delighted with the aspect of the country, and the plumage of the birds, to which that h r f ' unworthy of remark, at his hrst act m America was shooting a bird of the red-headed woodpecker species, as if thus already he^in- lung his career as /he American Ornithologist. ° On arriving at Philadelphia, he made himself known wrT “batriated countryman, a co|)perplatc printer, and tion f of occupa- thc t 1 c’ ““"■‘-’'’O''’ be soon relimpiishcd, and resumed e trade of weaving, first at Pennypack, then in Virginia, resort^rV" In the autumn of 1795, he Bed]. ^ ^ short time to his former occupation of ar, and traversed a considerable part of the State of lond^ meeting with greater success than in Scot- fo" ' , Ibis excursion, he kept a diary, as he had Scotland, written with great care, and oun mg with acute observations on the manners of the sketch’ .“f Ibe principal natural productions, and ^^ nes of the indigenous quadrupeds and birds. 'vithTrT''^ ‘be difficulties letter/ ‘o struggle upon his arrival, his 0 IS friends are full of encomiums upon every XXX MEMOIR OF thing American, — a good deal, perhaps, upon the principle of the fox who had lost his tail. His first letter, dated July, 1794, contains the following observations: — “ But let no man, who is stout or healthy, and has a mind to come to this country, be discouraged. If he is a weaver, and can’t get employment at his own business, there are a thou- sand other offers, where be will save, at least, as much as be can in Scotland, and live ten times better. Where I am at present, which is eleven miles to the northeast of Philadelphia, nobody could wish for a more agreeable spot. Fruit of almost every kind, peaches, apjdes, walnuts, wild grape.s, I can pull at pleasure, by only walking a short stone’s-throw from the house, and these not enclosed by high walls, and guarded by traps and mastiffs.” Next year he again reverts to the same subject : — “ Assure all my friends that this is a good country. The transplanting a tree or flower cheeks its growth for a little ; but let them persevere, ’and they will finally iwosper, be indepen- dent, and wealthy and happy if they will. When I look round me here on the abundance which every one enjoys, when I see them sit down to a table loaded with roasted, boiled, fruits of different kinds, and plenty of good cider, and this only the common fare of the common people, I think on my poor countrymen, and cannot help feeling sorrowful at the contrast.” On returning from his travels in New Jersey, he abandoned, finally, his old employments of weaver and pedlar, and betook himself to the not less laborious, but more refined one, of schoolmaster. It cannot be supposed that this was an occupation to which his previous un- settled manner of life had given him any jiredilection ; yet the opportunities it presented of prosecuting his studies must have recommended it powerfully to one whose chief enjoyments had always been mental. Being dissatisfied with the situation of his first school, near Frankford, in Pennsylvania, he removed to Milestown, and taught Alexander wilson. xxxi for sevemrve^°“^^ "f Here he remained sional clutie.f dischar-e of his profes- of learnin ' i- ‘•‘‘‘*'■“''0 of several branches ‘unity to m„.' ^ previously found oppor- of hi Zr “"y or n.ethod. A part furtnors by wll-l" 'surveying land for the In this* Dor' H V earned a small additional income, days a ’!• on foot, in twenty-eight State of Ne'^York'^'*!'' ^ >uindred miles, into the assistina- a f -i r purpose of visiting and indent nl ln^ Scotland. This ofhispersevIrLcc! ^^Nof — O”'! that his friendly e'lres only to brother emigrants from Milcstoum, Philadelphlr^Aulu^t' HOs’ tft PRic“r,.°I “"S le re.i«, U, tlm. ‘O hear from yon ^ P^ents, I hope David^ .-li brother and sisters are. advice in ever Am Z “ ’’is father’s “over repent ft f/h ^ """ 'vith tean? Tl’ ' • '""y it bitterly ho has not "horn *oves him ^ '** 1 ' uuK'li acquainted, but who endeavour ^ should wish also, that he would ‘earning to re'Ti™? himself in some useful ,,arts of 'Vliich f man ' information and taste, without uvery thinir e/" “7 ^'“""'^'■y’ hut a elodpole ; but, beyond God an7 S'Utitude to ‘hou-ht it respect for his parents. I have 'drtues to 7’ ^^'‘d, to recommend these amiable probably T 7“’ ho«iuse I am your brother, and very hud among mtuST" ‘’'® ‘'H>"ience I have b mankind, I can assure you, that such conduct XXXll MEMOIR OF will secure you many friends, and support you under your misfortunes ; for, if you live, you must meet with them — they are the lot of life.” Wilson next changed his residence at Milestown for the village of Bloomfield, New Jersey, where he had not long been, when, about the beginning of the year 1802, he was induced to contract an engagement with the trustees of a seminary in the towmship of Kingscss, a short distance from Gray’s Ferry, on the river Schuylkill, and about four miles from Philadelphia. This w'as the last and the most fortunate of his migrations ; it was the first step towards that path which was soon destined to lead him to eminence. It placed him in the immediate neighbour- hood, and gave him the intimacy, of men capable, both of appreciating his merits, and of lending him encourage ment and assistance — of such men as the botanist and naturalist, William Bartram, whose gardens opened to him a field of delightful instruction and enjoyment, and whose lessons and example animated and guided him in tlie study of nature ; and Mr Lawson, the engraver, from w'hose instructions he learned to delineate, with the pencil, those beautiful forms, which he so eloquently described with his pen. Mr Bartram, perceiving the bent of his frietid’s mind, and its congeniality to his own, took peculiar delight in rendering every aid and encourage' ment, both by his own instructions, and by putting into Wilson’s hands some works on natural history, particularly those of Catesby and Edwards. While he perused these works with equal pleasure and attention, he began to detect various errors, such as must tdvvtiys abound it* books whose authors rely, to any extent, on the reports oi others, without personal investigation. Wilson’s American biographer relates, that, about tbi* time, his mind was subject to moments of deep despoP' deucy and depression, which his solitary mode of lif® tended to confirm. This he attributes to his beiPJ •ALEXANDER WILSON. XXXUl “ addicted tn that, beinrr nf , of verses, and to music ; and those Sed° ' ** turn of mind,, he had given way to the count "'h‘eh the charming scenery of An anp Y’ ■‘'“^'^''I'tihle heart, never fails to awaken.” ail accin Y t'^^'^ted of his narrowly escaping from he had ''“""g a famhle which thoucltlf'u- ‘'‘^>'=tcd mind; and at the subifctP,! himself shuddered, lest it should have frie Ids ” . t” the imputation of suicide. “ His the daiiirer " f American Biographer, “perceiving of potrv and o the rLiouncing merit of draui substitution of tlie amuse- re or tl e Se"’ n -‘T'’ “tely to the Imm m fi “nd sketches of Ms Smnt ■' " l-rovided him ; hut arfde S V ‘"■promising, that he threw them a de with disgust. Mr Bartriim now advised a trial at portfour .k"i'® ‘^‘thibited his his omi Iv" i"^ 'mf "‘th many specimens from bevond th™'*’ attempt was made, and succeeded friLds ®-’'P''‘=t«tion of Mr Wilson or that of his aroused all '"“Sic m the employment which trd ,t as it were, humldp f Ti'”® creation ; and from being the to lea 1 tl^ “"'ot of his instructors, he was soon qualified ,, ,, "■ " ^’y hi the charming art of imitating the works ot Uie Giieat Outginal.” ^ oil, we will admit, that tliis is a very pretty specimen accnra”^ifi'*"*‘‘‘ 'oaguiMipmnee : and we are ready to their L * ^ Alessrs Bartram and Lawson for We d T Ti attentions to our gifted countryman. But than t L ^Mlson to have been made of sterner stuff thab meurred any hazard of falling a victim to oonceive"!! '"“"Is-” We farther being wj , ‘ was to be apprehended from his “dieted to “ poetry, that loftiest mood of mind,’* XXXIV MEMOIH OF and to music, with its “ strains, which might create a soul under the ribs of death and we would just suggest, that these gentlemen did themselves, at least, as much service as they could do Wilson, in thus acquiring a claim to be connected with his name, and his imperish- able reputation. If we allow ourselves to recollect that he was kept in constant thraldom tp the drudgeries of a school, depressed by iienury, and tasking his powers to their utmost stretch in unremitting study for his own improvement, we may easily account for that bodily lassitude, wiiich occasionally threw a shade of languor and melancholy over his mind. For, when the bodily powers are outworn, there invariably follows a tendency to mental depression ; so close is the connection, so intimate the sympathy, between the body and the mind. Wilson’s letters to his nephew, W. Duncan, then residing on a farm, their joint pro])erty, in the State of New York, shew both the cause of his incessant toil, and the spirit with which he bore it. The following extracts relate to this subject ; — “ My dear friend and nephew, I wish you could find a leisure hour in the evening to give the children, particu- larly Mary, some instruction in reading, and Alexander in writing and accounts. Don’t be discouraged though they make but slow progress in both, but persevere a little every evening. I think you can hardly employ an hour at night to better purpose. And make James read every convenient opportunity. If I hre to come up beside you, I shall take that burden off your shoulders. Be the con- stant friend and counsellor of your little colony, to assist them in their difficulties, eiuMurage them in their despond- encies, to make them as happy as circumstances will enable you. A mother, brothers, and sisters, in a foreign country, looking up to you as their best friend and sup- porter, places you in a dignified point of view. The future remembrance of your kind duty to them now, will, Alexander wilson. XXXV ™ t e our of your own distress, be as a healing angel of peace to your mind. Do every thing possible to make your ouse comfortable ; fortify the garrison in every point; stop every crevice that may let in that chilling ovi , the roaring, blustering northwest ; heap up ilres big enough for an Indian war-feast ; keep the Hour-barrel full ; a c loaves like Hamles Head;* make the loom thunder, an the pot boil, and your snug little cabin re-eeho nothing but sounds of domestie felicity. I will write you the moment I bear of George. 1 shall do every thing I have said to you, and never lose sight of the 18th of March ; or which purjiose I shall keep night school this winter, and retain every farthing but what necessity requires— depend uiion me. These are the outlines of my plan. If health stand it, all will be well ; if not, we cannot help it.” “ I succeed tolerably well ; and seem to gain in the esteem of the people about. I am glad of it, because I nope It will put it in my power to clear the road a little before you, and banish despondence from the heart of my dearest friend. Be assured that I will ever as cheerfully contribute to your relief in difficulties, as 1 will rejoice tnt you ill prosperity. But we have nothing to fear. ne lundred bushels of wheat, to be sure, is no great mar eting ; but has it not been expended in the support n a mother, and infant brothers and sisters, thrown upon your bounty in a foreign country ? Robert Burns, when le mice nibbled away his corn, said : I ’ll get a blessiu’ wi’ the lave. And never miss ’t. ^icre he expected one, you may a thousand. Robin, a^d n " '^°'’*^cssion, ploughed up his mice out of ‘ ha’ name.’ You have built for your little wanderers a oozie bield,’ where none dare molest them. There is ♦ The name of a ruck near Paisley. XXXVl lHE^fOI^l OF more true greatness in the affectionate exertions which you have made for their subsistence and suiiport, than the bloody catalogue of heroes can boast of. Your own heart will speak peace and satisfaction to you, to the last moment of your life, for every anxiety you have felt on their account. ” The temporary depression in which these difficulties involved him was but the precursor to a period of energetic and triumphant activity, — as the liour imme- diately before the dawn is the chillest and the darkest of all that own the sway of night. As he proceeded in liis studies and his attempts at drawing, his knowledge and his love of Ornithology increased ; and at length he resolved to devote himself to it entirely, and to form a collection, at whatever hazard, ns he him.self stated, “ of tdl the birds in that part of North America.” In a letter to Mr Bartram, he says, “ I sometimes smile to think, that while others are immersed in deep schemes of specidation and aggrandizement, in building towns and purchasing plantations, I am entranced in contemplation over the plumage of a lark, or gazing, like a despairing lover, on the lineaments of an owl. While others are hoarding up their bags of money, without the power of enjoying it, I am collecting, without injuring my conscience, or wounding my ])eace of mind, those beautiful specimens of Nature's works that are for ever pleasing. I have had live crows, hawks, and owls ; opossums, squirrels, snakes, lizards, &c. so that my room has sometimes reminded me of Noah’s ark ; but Noah had a wife in one comer of it, and, in this particular, our parallel docs not idtogether tally. I receive every subject of natural history that is brought to me ; and, though they do not march into my ark from all quarters, us they did into that of our great ancestor, yet I find means, by the distribution of a few fivepenny hits, to make them find the way fast enough. A boy, not long ago, brought me a large basketful of crows. I expect his next load will be bull frogs, if I ALEXANDER WILSON. XXXvii cauD-Lt°r^ “''ders to the contrary. One of my boys marched uTtom^” m’'?"’’ “ ‘’‘‘'ecHy it that sa . with his prisoner. I set about drawing its little ®'miiiig; and all the while the pantings of of fear shewed it to be in the most extreme agonies daws to kill it, in order to fix it in the of Wifo ** “wi ; but, happening to spill a few drops eagerness”^” i'^ ^'*fiPad it up with such diam V ^ P“'’aatly overcame me. I imme- auoni “‘"1 lilterty. The iLrumenL^ Ate and severe tn, ,f severe than the sufferings ot that poor mouse ; and insic nificaju as the object was, I felt at that moment the sweft ensations that mercy leaves on the mind when she tnumphs over cruelty.” Writing to a friend in Piu.sley, in mv’^ "I'Plic.ition to the duties ot bits which I have followed since Nov. 1795, rnvramTr constitution; the more so, that o/e’s ‘P«Po«>tion was the worst calculated of any life T 1^*^ "'r ‘ regularity of a teaclier’s raa^hen, ^ Scotland, _ and I n„^ •German language, music, drawing, &c. Wrds.'“ tT”' *“ “ collection of all our finest ids owi ■ rntentions were, after due deliberation in ami L ' ®'*i''oitted to his friends, Messrs Bartram ftc al former expressed his confidence in fears “''^.“'^‘I’dremeiits of Wilson; hut hinted his an ei t '***' difiiculties which stood in tlie way of such wa-s not'T''?* overcome. AVilsoii odjectio ° i'dimidated, but had a ready answer to every trembled I . ‘’““tious friend, who seems to have situation “'temperate zeal should lead him into a wellhee’-t^”"’ emharrassnients of which he could not ^ ticated. The latter approved of the undertaking; XXXVlll MEMOIR OF but observed, that there were several consideratio”' which should have their weight before determini"! to enter upon an affair of so much importance. that his friend would not enter into bis views, Wilsl rageinent he met with from these, his “ guides, philoS^ phers, and friends,” to embark on his toilsome and perilo*^ undertaking, who seem never to have anticipated, what they recommended as a relaxation would thus becolt* the sole object of liis pursuit : and such, as the evc^ proved, was the erroneous estimate they formed of wh* might, or might not be achieved, as is always the when men of mediocrity, calcidating by what they thciH selves arc able to perform, venture to estimate the powel^ or direct the efforts of men of genius. In October, 1804, Wilson, accompanied by two friend’ set out on a pedestrian journey to the far-famed Fa® of Niagaiiu Arrived upon its banks, he gazed upon tb wild and wondrous scene with an enthusiasm bordcri''l upon distraction ; and ever after declared, that no languaf was forcible enough to convey an adequate idea of th* magnificent cataract. The expedition having been coi*^ menced too late in the season, our travellers were ovcrtaU*' on their return by winter, and compelled to struggle f a considerable part of the way through snow midlcg deep One of his companions remained with his friends on tW Cayuga lake ; the other availed himself of a more agrc*' able mode of travelling ; but the hardy jiride of Wils^’ would not permit him to be overcome by fatigue ^ difficulties. He held on his way, refusing to be relieve of his gun and baggage, and reached his home in beginning of December, having been absent fifty-n'''* days, and having in that time traversed 1257 miles, which he walked 47 the last day. Alexander wilson, xxxix “ The Fo ^ journey. This poem, entitled afterward- Published in the Portfolio, and notes Tt ^ ^uparate form, with illustrative plates and rior to » descriptive ; and is decidedly supe- Scotland ^ luul "'"‘ten in and his n' Steat improvement both in his taste buts, re r^’’ f ““P“i‘iuu,_the unsought, it may be, schol an 1 hours spent in his solitary «aool, and in his own midnight studies extletTrl™™' "■« ""“y ‘1- following APOSTllOWIE TO HOSPITALITY. Blest Hospitality ! the poor man’s pride, I he stranger’s guardian, comforter, and guide ; W hose cheering voice and sympathetic eye Even angels honour as they hover nigh ; Confined (in mercy to our w.andering race) To no one country, people, age, or place. But for the homele’ss and the exile lives. And smiles the sweeter still the more she gives. Ob ! If on earth one spot I e’er can claim, '’'™lbus. “ven without a name. With sous ot woe our little all to share ; Beside our fire the pilgiini’s looks to see, nat swim m moisture as he thinks on thee ; o ear is talcs of wild woods wandering tlu'ougli, His ardent blessings as he bids adieu ; et the selfish hug their gold divine, thousand dearer pleasures shall be mine ! BESCIHPTIoN of a hattlesnake. ^nscious of deadly power, he seem’d to say. But'*'* u™ ’ pursue his way ! ” Sudtr ■ "P'ifted musket met his view, lu sounding coils his form he threw ; xl MEMOIR OF Fierce from the centre rose his flatten’d head, With quivering tongue, and eyes of fiery red. And jaws distended vast, where threatening lay The fangs of death, in horrible array j While poised above, invisible to view. His whizzing tail in swift vibration flew. In a letter to his father, written soon after his retufl* after giving an account of his journey, he concludes in d* following tender and affectionate manner : — “ I ha'' nothing more to say, but to wish you all the comforts tW your great age, and reputable and industrious life till® merit. In iny conduct to you I may have erred ; but heart has ever preserved the most affectionate venerati<^ for you, and I think on you frequently with tears. In' few years, if I live so long, I shall he placed in yo* situation, looking hack on the giddy vanities of hiiin^ life, and all my consolation in the hopes of a happy ful* rity.” The deep emotions awakened by the magnified scene had hut recalled those still dee])er emotions, wb)^ were ever cherished in liis affectionate heart. To Ins friend, Mr Bartram, he wrote immediately his return ; which letter, as illustrative of the effect ofV journey in modifying or confirming his views and feelirf regarding his great undertaking, is exceedingly interesth^ “ Gray’s Ferry, 15t/i December, ISOd- “ Dear Sir, — Though now snugly at home, looki* hack in recollection on the long, circuitous journey, wl'i' I have at length finished, through trackless snows, uninhabited forests — over stupendous mountains, s'" down dangerous rivers — passing over, in a course of miles, as great a variety of men and modes of living) * the same extent of country can exhibit in any part * North America; though in this tour I have had cv<^ disadvantage of deep roads and rough wciither — hurf>‘ marches, and many other inconveniences to encounter,^ ALEXANDER WILSON. xli seen^°o/dkp'" ^ satisfied with what I have must suhmuTrri traveller mence som ’ ^ ^ subjects extensive expedition, where scenes and reward unknown, might “cquisition "’here, perhaps, my humble led\e p !' to the stores of know- an undertT-'^^ privations incident to such resoSn “ "'y spirit and CbuUhos f r f?'’" "-y ; "O wi™i -Tfiiv “™j“- >"« "p-. n-f fi,« 1 nome by «m Jiidian fire in tlic (leptli 01 the woods, as well ««; in fLxx Ur-. *. the civilivpd ■ W .1 j apartment of ini ’ , ®’ ^‘■■a^oua that mute me away, I am determined to become a traveller Welv ,“™ “> ™'*"y acquirements abso- S, I vTr’l “-'^t^rted fn. me to be ^“ffi'mt't to enable bolvoted to '*"**“’® "“’""•■"ts that should ofBuleell th.spursmt, provided I ootdd have hopes *m adSual n„ T will confer mtional obligation on your affectionate friend." teristin striking display of some of the most charac- ''^‘lunt ind '" 1 * rf mind,— cool conception, and friends 11,=?^ “'’ “ '’O'^ohition,— must have satisfied his "as of tb *1 ^ suggestion of no prudential considerations purpose *° making him swerve from his dff * 1 ^'’ y'*'"’® aouordingly, seem to have which tll^T towards lessening the difficulties '■m'vswWn .v®'""'’ mul'^avonring to promote those u they wished, but were uiiahle, to check,— for xlii MEMOIR OF the long up-pent current of Wilson’s genius had now fou" its natural channel, along which it rushed, no longer 1‘’ be stopped or turned aside. Even that sternest barii^ in the way of huinhle merit — poverty — was now ovc^ borne by the might of strong determination ; for, at th* time when the preceding letter was written, the wbol' amount of his funds was only seventy-Jiue cents, or thre^ fourths of a dollar ! Being now a confirmed ornithologist, his leisure ho«’‘ were all devoted to that study, and to his own improve' ment in drawing and colouring. In the spring of 1B<1^ we find him sending copies of twenty-eight drawings tr the birds to befoimdin Pennsylvania, or that oecasionaW pass through that countiy, to his friend, Mr BartraS* requesting his criticisms or suggestions for the promotie*' of his plan. In order, if possible, to abridge his laboii* he applied himself to acrpiire the art of etching, und^ the instructions of Mr Lawson ; hut, though he exertej every effort of his enthusiastic mind. Ins attempts far short of his own ideas of excellence. He ne<* endeavoured to prevail on Mr Lawson to engage in tb* work as a joint concern ; which, however, was declined' Finding his schemes thus baffled, Wilson declared, wil^ solemn emphasis, his un.'dterable resolution to proceed alone in the undertaking, if it should cost him his life' “ I shall at least leave,” continued he, “ a small beacO** to point out where I perished.” About the beginning of the year 1806, intimation ui>d given, through the medium of the public press, that t¥ President of the United States propo.sed to despair^ parties of scientific men to explore the district of LoU*' siana. This appeared to Wilson a favourable opportd' nity for the prosecution of his ornithological researched’ His hopes and wishes were communicated to Mr Biu:traB> ' who not only cordially approved, but immediately wrol* to Mr Jefferson, the President, with whom he happened ^ alexandek WILSON. xliii stating his oharaot mentioning Wilson’s desires, mending him a '‘?'i“^''®™ents, and strongly recom- m that imports f eminently qualified to be employed datory letter \ cnterprize. In this recommen- himself, application from Wilson ^ewofhisextcnsivTp'ianr'''’ “ ^ To His Excellency ’Thomas Jeffeuson, President of the United States. ooUccting'SS ‘''o«o several years, in With the^drsl: r""""’" oatlire, United States of AmeiWr'fo VeT^ Oinithology of the ‘7 ” r"’"”' ’ “■■■ oan only he taken froin r representations of these drilled, I had ppinti l . ’'“tiire, or from birds newly Uittshurgto tlieML”"-^’'?'"’,'*'”" river, from 'o contimm Orleans, and I had ol j ‘'y 1“'><1 in return to Philadel- Bartra'm nf ‘■■onipauiou and assistant, Mr 'roll as zooloirv knowledge of botany, as o^ the voyaee^^’ 1 °" enabled me to make the best ‘’^ose dep Jrtmem ^kecimens in both taken on the ®^‘^*ohes of these were to have been preservation subjects put in a state of Pormit. -in’ onr drawings from, as time would *0 begin,,; «ed “> set out from Pittsburg about September ^ expected to reach Kew Orleans 1 xliv MEMOIR OF ** But my venerable friend, ]\Ir Bartram, taking more serious consideration his advanced age, being u seventy, and the weakness of bis eyesight, and apprebc sive of his inability to encounter the fatigues and privatJt unavoidable in so extensive a tour ; and having, to « extreme regret, and the real loss of science, been indue" to decline the journey, I bad reluctantly abandoned enterprize, and' all hopes of accomplishing my purpo^ till, hearing that your Excellency bad it in eontemplati to send travellers this ensuing summer up the Bed Bit the Arkaiusaw, and other tributary streams of the ilis^ sippi, and believing that my services might be of advaiiW to some of these parties, in promoting your Excellencr design, while the best opportunities would be afforded » of procuring subjects for the work which I have so at heart, — under these impressions, I beg leave to o ^ myself for any of those expeditions ; and can be ready a short notice to attend your Excellency’s orders. « Accustomed to the hardships of travelling,— wirin' a family, — and an enthusiast in the pursuit of natilr history," I will devote my whole ])owers to merit yin Excellency’s approbation ; and ardently wish for an portuuity of testifying the sincerity of my professioll and the deep veneration with which I have the honour be, sir, your obedient servant, ^ Kinysess, dih Feb. 1806. Ales. Wilson’. To this manly and respectful application, Mr Jeffers^ though pos,sessing proofs of Wilson’s talents and qualj cations, in some splendid drawings which had previoU _ been sent him, forgetful alike of the duties of his staO' and the common courtesies of life, returned not one if of reply. So much for the encouragement given by highest person in the land of liberty to the cultii;al" of science and literature ! It was right that Wih and with him the world, should see that a repubU* 6 ALEXANDER WILSON. xlv Structure of soci!r^”j imposed by a different a freer scope to i-l therefore be supposed to give V the of indiridttals, is so cramped that it (!iin jieitl.pr u "'h'S'U'dly and parsimonious spirit, ^^-exertiour'l/ff,:^!:";'’^''-'-"’ nor recompense its laurelied groJtb D t“ sandy desert, where there fl '** ‘lie barren space of the drop no refreshing dew^ ’xheT'''f that wliere the honours of societv^ "tents of society are ^ the oraa- "t«y be said, that if Wilso! '‘‘‘t ™"eh Ost the op|)ortunity of h ivinV"^ "*i Jefferson honour, by patronirj:, ’tnuself imperishable etttensively know;r"o Jer^’- - ofdependi?ig upon any mnu’^'^'^ ^‘""t the necessity hookseller, of Phihidelphia b •'*' Bradford, odition of Rees-s JS^^i A, '‘'“tK about to publish a new ■"tnded to him, as one „S?T ’ «'=om- ^d'vas eugiiged at a “ ‘f "t'I>otintend the work, Was accordingly eiiaidcfj? assistant editor. harassing life of I sclu n n T and ** and to devl his f "’“'•’t '‘o had so long ’“'"■^"'ts. S i;* ‘0 fnvourite Bradford bis vde ‘‘"hn'fiPnient, he unfolded to ^'^ithnlon,, . the sulpeet of an American ^oxeeut"h“i,. ">‘f‘^^/''eh evidence of his ability '"take upon himself promptly agreed ®t last, Wilson f publishing it. And now v’’‘"h bad so lon^ ‘’"i tmUrely removed '■ditorial di rie “’’'’.i'’”'' "" favourite euterprize. To f “"-"'h' himself a " nnnnmittmg assiduity, scarcely ^ufferiiu! “ jninnnts re axation ; till, finding hil "h. he indulged himself in a pedestrian xlvi MEMOIR OF exciirsion through a part of Pennsylvania. Even during this pleasure tour, however, he never lost sight of hi* grand undertaking, but employed himself in collecting ne^'^ specimens, and procuring additional information. Thi* took place in the autumn of 1807 ; and, on his retuiUf he resumed Ids labours with fresh ardour, devoting evelj spare hour to the prosecution ot his great work. The following extract furnishes a specimen of manner in which AVilson prosecuted his researches : ■ “ I started this morning, by peep of day, with my gu"' for the purpose of shooting a nuthatch. After jumpin? a hundred fences, and getting over the ankles in mu* (for I had put on my shoes for lightness,) I found mysel> almost at the junction of the Schuylkill and Delaware rvithout success, there being hardly half an acre of wood' land in the whole neck, and the nuthatch generally frequenk large-timbered woods. I returned home at eight o’clor* after getting completely wet, and in a profuse perspira- tion, which, contrary to the maxims of the doctors, done me a great deal of good ; and I intend to repeat tW dose, except that I shall leave out the ingredient of tl>' wet feet, if otherwise convenient. Were I to prescri^ such a remedy to Lawson, he would be ready to think mad. Moderate, nay, even pretty severe exercise, is tW best medicine in the world for sedentary people, ab ought not to be neglected on any account.” ^ “ At length,” says his American biographer, “ in t'' month of September, 1808, the first volume of the Anitf, can Ornilhohijv made its appearance. From the date the arrangement wdth the publisher, a prospectus had IK^ issued, wherein the nature and intended execution of work were specified. But yet no one appeared to s"* tain an adequate idea of the treat which was about to JJ afforded to the lovers of the fine mts and of eleg^. literature ; and when the superb volume was presen' to the public, their delight was equalled only by tb** Alexander wilson. xlv;; astonisliment that Amo^- produce an oriirimi , infancy, should its essentials win science, which could vie in nature of the p„ ' Proudest productions of a similar In a lett -t-nropean world.” accompanied a i,””*’ iritircrto published, which “ Mr David Brown h- ° volume, he says ; of saiUng for Scotland'”! havn*"* intention inm the fir.st volume of 1 ^ I ‘^oamitted to you by Pnblisbing, and shall, if /n ’“T""? Jnst regularly the remaining nine vob” In gmng existence to this work T! “ “I’’"''”’ 1 Irave been saving since m^ ^ O'Pcnded all We also visited every town^ ^"lerica. I Atlantic coast, from the river St ‘I** fne in Florida. Whether I sLuT"^ fortune by this publication, or receive firsf!® T •■Ire sacrifice of my little -dl ,'/ ! ? "“ffcr \n.ost WourabL tee; ^ -A oWacters in the United s T first “mass of information on ‘‘'“I collected such f "fill entide the work to'th''’"''’* least.” ‘o the merit of originality at lor the Stifurtolhef " exceedingly interesting "'■fiofi it expresser Aft *omeofhisoldcomn . ‘o be remembered to never see either 1 ^'“°”"’ “ost probably "■ore; but, ““yof my friends in PaisleJ While remembrance’ |>ovver remains, rnose native scenes shall meet my view • j long-lost friends, nn foreign plains ^ ®'gh, and shed a tear for you. xlviii MEMOIR OE passage, I would again wing my way across the western waste of waters to the peaceful and happy regions ot America. What has become of David, that I never heat from him ? Let me know, my dear father, how you Hvft and how you enjoy your health at your advanced age. ^ trust the publication I have now commenced, and which has procured for me reputation and respect, will also enable me to contribute to your indepeudenee and comfort, in return for what I owe to you. To my stepmother, sisters, brothers, and friends, I bog to be remembered affectionately.” In the latter part of September, 1808, Wilson set om on a journey to the eastward, to exhibit his book, and procure subscribers; and, during the succeeding wmtef and spring, he visited the Southern States. This wa* almost a renewal of the adventures of his youth, when he traversed Scotland with the prospectus of his poems! and, from his journal, which he kept as formerly, >* appears that the treatment he met with was scarcely more encouraging; and that the character of the mah himself had experienced no other change than may b« attributed to the prudence and firmness of maturer year* and to his enlarged acquirements. Amid numberless disappointments which he again experienced, his ardoid continued unabated ; and, as this part of his history cal' be best told by a series of extracts from his own letter* we proceed to lay these before our readers. In a lette* to a friend, dated Koston, October, 1808, he says,— “ I have purposely avoided saying any thing, eitbf good or bad, on the encouragement I have met witl^ I shall only say, that among the many thousands wb" have examined my book, — and among these were of the first character for taste and literature, — I ha* heard nothing but expressions of the highest admirati and esteem. If 1 have been mistaken in publishing ' work too good lor the comitry, it is a fault not likely ^ Alexander wilson. xlix But, whatevermt severely correct itself. "Ot sit down with in t'‘use matters, I shall any thing can he themselves, T ! ®'uce God heljis them who help these northern"reJonriike‘'T"'^‘''‘‘* P“*‘s ; so that scarc^rr’ °“t- of it... Canada but 1 shall get intelligence Irom other letters, we elenn fi. r *^o„bing, in a mingled vein of .,1 extracts, tis various journevs durino- tl. ^ and sarcasm, of 1808-9 : _ ^ ® autumn, winter, and spring as I had to wriUmon th*'^" ‘'''"ow-travcller good-bye I took my book under myTn prospectus into my pocket and’wa I a Banctuary of literature T n ■'^P“i°“B of my rellectimm mt ihis oS permit,.. occasion; but room will not wy i'i"rrcllVir,ra,w' f Would luve done • -md T ^ mammoth ■^-‘^mng. The 1,' ^ same fuclosmg copies of the m “ uumher of letters, ‘mvn. I , t,m af ^'^‘'“P^tus, to difterent gentlemen written the preceding A ““ /'entlernen to M-hom I had frionds, but nor Among these I found some C«lleg; T2T f «f Colui professor of1 P"f'>rmance. common to h “ f ’'“‘'“““I P^tiulity “ny favour ! i mid would have done "’«ek traversing d ^ *>'« whole of this another, till r f r" P^tmular house to ‘relieve, I became almost as weUkno^l: 1 memoir op the public crier, or the clerk of the market, for I coul^ frequently perceive gentlemen point me out to others, a* I passed with ray book under ray arm.” “ On reaching Hartford, I waited on jMr G. a membd of Congress, wlio recommended me to several otherSf particularly a Mr AV. a gentleman of taste and fortune* who was extremely obliging. The publisher of a news' paper here expressed the highest admiration of the worji* and has since paid many handsome compliments to it «' his publication, as three other editors did in New York- This is a species of currency that will neither purchase plates, nor pay the printer ; but, nevertheless, it is grati- fying to the vanity of an author, — when nothing bette* can be got.” “ I travelled on through New Hampshire, stopping ^ every place where I was likely to do any business ; anv went as far east as Portland, in Maine, where I staid thre^ days ; and, the supreme court being then sitting, I had af opportunity of seeing and conversing with people fTO«> tlie remotest boundaries of the United States in thi* quarter, and received much interesting information froi" them with regard to the birds that frequent these norther!' regions. From Portland, 1 directed my course across th* country, among dreary, savageglens, and mountains covered with pines and hemlocks, amid whose black and hal* burnt trunks the everlasting rocks and stones, that cove* this country, ‘ grinned hori'ibly.’ One hundred and fifty* seven miles brought me to Dartmouth College, New Hamr shire, on the Vermont line. Here I iraid my address^ to the reverend fathers of literature, and met with a kin” and obliging reception. Dr AVheelock, the President* made me eat at his table, and the professors vied wit* each other to oblige me. “ I expect to be in Albany in five days ; and, if tbf legislature be sitting, I shall be detained perhaps thm* days there. In eight days more, I hope to be in Pbii*" ALEXANDER WILSON. ]i in exhibiti^ ial)oured with the zeal of a knight errant, ling with mine, wherever I W’ent, travel- town, and f ^ with his bantling, from town to loaded w'rt, country to another. I have been shaken al compliments, and kindnesses, — amona "'*^''** pieces in stage coaches ; I have wandered telling ; hearing the same Oh’s and Ah’s, and What? A “ V® tiriies over : and for and von sidlin'**” ** anxious to know, “ "" ^ Philadelphia.” .S”"" f '‘"=1"“ “ inabilitv t '" "ii complained to me of his he examine fo™erly fond of; desired melo^ rf’ '"th great aLntion J after inonirin ® subscriber ; and, to be re?n tf Pa«'eularly for Mr P. and Mr B. wished oe lemembered to both. through almost the whole of New Excent r '"y <^®‘com. equalW * acatlemies, I found their schoolhouses With St “"d deserted with ourg ; fields covered Wretehe'!l''^'’ ’ ''cmbby oaks, and pine trees ; ■niles ti ‘“‘^ '“ds; scarcely one grain field in twenty laaoRCTs L ‘'‘"y- “"d fided with *"appisL ‘■“"'""ff about lawsuits and politics ; the people ‘•‘■'Wnd the P lazy, and two hundred years « In A, ^‘"'"aywaoians in agricultural improvements ” ^"-apohs I n.y Pook through both hou^s Hi MEMOIR OF of the legislature ; the wise men of Maryland stared ai>^. gaped, from bench to bench ; hut, having never heard such a thing as one hundred and twenty dollars for a boofc the ayes for subscribing were none ; and so it was unau*' mously determined in the negative. Nowise discourage^ by this sage decision, I pursued my route through tb* tobacco fields, sloughs, and swamps of this illiterate coriit* of the State, to Washington, distant thirty-eight miles ! and in my way opened fifty-five gates. I was forewarnfii that I should meet with many of these embarrassmentsi and I opeTied twenty-two of them with all the patienff and philosophy I could muster ; hut, when I still fouii^ them coming thicker and faster, iny patience and philo* Sophy both abandoned me, and I saluted every new gal* (which obliged me to plunge into the mud to open ib^ with perhaps less Christian resignation than I ought t* have done. The negroes there are very numerous, ai>^ most wretchedly clad : their whole covering, in mauf instances, assumes the appearance of neither coat, waisb coat, nor breeches, but a motley mass of coarse, dirty woollen rags, of various colours, gathered up about thent' When I stoiiped at some of the negro huts to inquire th* road, both men and women huddled up their filthy bundlr* of rags around them, with both arms, in order to cov^* their nakedness, and came out, very civilly, to she'* me the way.” “ I mentioned to you, in my last, that the streets of Not' folk were in a most disgraceful state ; but I was informal' that, some time before, they had been much worse ; tba* at one time the news-carrier delivered his pajiers from * boat, whieli he poled along through the mire ; and tb** a party of sailors, having nothing better to do, actuary lanched a ship’s long boat into the streets, rowing alort! with four oars through the mud, while one stood at tb* how, heaving the lead, and singing out the depth.” “ The general features of North Carolina, where ALEXANDER WILSON. liii crossed it, are im which the road ®°l'tary pine savannas, through with alligator, ‘‘moog stagnant ponds, swarming brandy, over ’ of the colour of without railiniT thrown high vvooden bridges, “’"m one’s hor “’n “'’y "'hicb, to a stram^cr f > *'"“r'«ous cypress swamps, “Ppcarance. Picture'Tf “ "“'‘V,"®’ ‘‘,‘^^t.late, and ruinous ^tL’es, rising, as thick as thev"^!*^ ^ ^”'^*^** prodigious and impenetrable morass covered ground with reeds. The lend the are clothed with fmexSordl tr. Usneouks,) from two to ten feJt V"' • '"******’ ^ thut lii'ty ineu on ^ ^luantities, Nothing^., i^s^lt In^S^al-TAvm-eT'lf Umber! wind. I attim Iterfo ^'-‘‘ntps with my r b sw r r"f““ ®*cept in some choice nla ’ r r “* new ; but, Ucable. I . . , * ^ ^ ^‘""id rt altogctlier imnrac- Places, and was^unwr^d however, in many greens, of numberless soru^ ‘ '® Sreat profusion of ever. 1 knew nothinir of T 4 t r''* ”n'«-'ty of berries that ‘kat never winter’ 'm ^ ^nund multitudes of birds, abundance.” Pennsylvania, living h, savanniis^mid ^ ™kc through solitary ping '"kes without '"'r'"'" ’ sometimes thirty nt the w f ®®‘n"g a hut or human being. On arrivimr r» - r:;; ft' t “t ■ "*'™ plantation, I ."“l* "“'’‘’1'"’ "'1“° k''® on their rice S®nti;m“;t‘i>''-' l‘TT 1 O'*® of hundred headTl’ bkeks P ‘ llv MEMOIR OF “ On tlie cominons, near Charleston, 1 presided ft* * singular feast : The company consisted of two hundf^ and thirty-seven carrion crows, ( Vultur atratus,) five six dogs, and myself, though I only kept order, and le*' the eating part entirely to the others. I sat so near ^ the dead horse, that my feet touched his ; and yet, at time, I counted thirty-eight vultures on and within bi<* so that hardly an inch of his flesh could be seen for ihej^ Linnaeus and others have confounded this vulture the turkey buzzard ; hut they are two very distinct specie*. “ Having now visited all the towns within one hundf^ miles of the Atlantic, from Maine to Georgia, and do*' as much for this bantling book of mine, as ever autl* did for any progeny of his brain, I now turn my wisb“ eye towards home. There is a charm, a melody, in tb* little word /tome, which only those know who bal* forsaken it to wander among stnuigcrs ; exposed ^ dangers, fatigues, insults, and impositions, of a thous*'' nameless kinds. Ferhaps I feel the force of this rather more at present than usual, being indisposed a slight fever these three days, which a dose of ^ sickness, will, I hope, rid me of.” The second volume was published in January, 18l*! and, in the latter end of the same month, the indefatigs*' ornithologist set out for Pittsburg, on his route to Orleans. After consulting with his friends on the nw eligible mode of descending the Ohio, he resolved, trary to their dissuasions, to venture in a skiff by hims^ considering this mode, with all its inconveniencies, ash^ suited to his funds, and most favourable to his research ^ Accordingly, on the 24th of Febriiarj’, he embarked his little boat, and bade adieu to Pittsburg. , The difficulties which he had to encounter were as, to a less enterprizing traveller, would have ^ insurmountable ; added to which, he had a severe at ^ of dysentery, and was compelled to prosecute his jout* ALEXANDER WILSON. Iv Indian, ], ay), '”'®nkeiied condition. iVn recommended acquainted with his situation, fully ripe, and ^ strawberries, which were then fruit, and newl I"./ '■®‘“ abundance. On this delightful and he attrihn/n^i,- alone, he lived for several days; remedies. restoration to health to these simple Lawson wiirbe^founTr”^ extracts from letters to Mr ofthisttrs^xs^^^ “ Deau Sin,_Frl^ar7“?’ gical pilgrimiige, I sit down omitholo- * ^ governor, secretary Useful to me The ’‘kuly to be P»'>sed sD^ goodtr 7™"^ ''’'‘I' ®^vility, “"•i readily added hir"*"^ ®u™Pliments on the volumes, ®«ivc man of 7 T He seems a,! Mr L. i Jas 7tro7 ceremony, bouses ; but I found members of both ®ermit, I shall off, having every thing in readiness. I have rans#* the woods and fields here, without finding a single new to me. :, or indeed any thing but a few snow bird** sparrows. I expect to have something interesting communicate in my next.” - “ Having now reached the second stage of my^ catching expedition, I willingly ^it down to give you -^ account of my adventures and remarks since h’*' Pittsburg : by the aid of a good map, and your stock of patience, you will be able to listen to my "j and trace all my wanderings. Though generally diss'*' ALEXANDER WILSON. Ivii .Ohio ill an » 'voyage down the itsinconvenienep. i ^ ™"*^'derecl this mode, with all and the most „ *^' '’"’'‘''^1® to my researches, aecordinirly t !*' j ^ funds j and I determined river was olm '’'‘y* >>efore my departure, the Alleghany “ •'xperi ‘“’-'‘t of troken ice, and I calculated % «oek'of p,ovW ^oore. ^''00*0, nnda bouw"' and man of Pittsburg ; my gun trV ‘"o i^y “ gentle- one end of the boat ■ T 1 u occupied '>»'o l.er, aud to X m I “ “ocasionally to and, bidding adieu to th *« Ohio with ; lanched into the s“ream Pitt. I .'E'‘ 1“’ r •• •’» « ».C2d . 'r, . ‘•"k. » i' “■creasing ]eli„h. ‘“l, ^^cat scenery, as it receded, with ‘■-ops, rling H '■-"orous sugar *ii«ct to the virving'T”'l'^ mountains, gave great '^“'■‘■■a. thatherp^ ? landscape; and the grotesque log di'uinished iur **" opened from the woods, were '■"•'^■Ih.g ‘■'■■nniits m ' ^“'■est covered hills, whose irregular 'wt" ■"■” Xt ®'‘closiu„ Tk® ? of country, and 7“*‘'®MheeteL"d f-** “‘tonutely forest clad hotto “'“i ’oaves a rich ottomon the other, of a mile or so in breaTth, Iviii MEMOIR OF you will have a pretty correct idea of the appearance of the Ohio. The hanks of these rich flats are from twenty to sixty and eighty feet high ; and even these last were within a few feet of being overflowed in December, 1808. “ I now stripped with alacrity to my new avocation. The current went about two and a half miles an hour, and I added about three and a half miles more to the boat’s way with my oars. “ I rowed twenty odd miles the first spell, and found I should be able to stand it perfectly well. About an hour after night, I put up at a miserable cabin, fifty-two miles from Pittsburg, where I slept on what I supposed to be corn stalks, or something worse ; so, preferring the smooth bosom of the Ohio to this brush heap, I got up long before day, and, being under no apprehension of losing my way, I again pushed out into the stream. The landscape on each side lay in one mass of shade ; but the grandeur of the projecting headlands and vanishing points, or lines, was charmingly reflected in the smooth glassy surface below. I could only discover when I wa.s passing a clearing by the crowing of cocks, and notv and then, in more solitary places, the big horned owl made a most hideous hollowing, that echoed among the mountains. In this lonesome manner, with full leisure for observation and reflection, exposed to hardships all day, and hard berths all night, to storms of rain, hail, and snow — for it froze severely almost every night — I persevered, from the 24th of February to Sunday evening, March 17, when I moored my skiff safely in Bear Grass Creek, at the rapids of the Ohio, after a voyage of seven hundred and twenty miles. My hands suffered the most ; and it will be some weeks yet before they recover their former feeling and flexibility. It would be the task of a month to detail all the particulars of my numerous excursions, in every direction, from the river. In Stubenville, Charlestowm and Wheeling, I found some friends. At Marietta, f ALEXANDER WILSON. lix Visited tlie celebrated remains of Indian fortifications, as they are improperly called, vvliicli cover a large space of ground on the banks of the Muskingum. Seventy miles *ibove this, at a place called Big Grave Creek, I examined Some extraordinary remains of the same kind there. The Grave is three hundred paces round at the base, seventy feet ])erpendicular, and the top, which is about ^’fty feet over, has sunk in, forming a regular concavity, •^firee or four feet deep. This tumulus is in the form of I* cone, and the whole, as well as its immediate neighhour- “ood, is covered with a venerable growth of forest, four Cf five hundred years old, which gives it a most singular ‘‘Ppearanee.” “ On Monday, March 5, about ten miles below the ®outh of the Great Sciota, where I saw the first Hock of Paro([uets, I encountered a violent storm of wind and fiiin, which changed to hail and snow, blowing down trees ‘‘Pfi limbs in all directions, so that, for immediate preser- '’*itiou, I was obliged to steer out into the river, which gelled and foamed like a sea, and filled my boat nearly «f full of water ; and it was with the greatest difficulty Could make the least head way. It continued to stiow j^olently until dusk, when I at length made good my Ending, at a place on the Kentucky shore, where I , perceived a cabin ; and here I spent the evening " 'earning the art and mystery of bear-treeing, wolf- capping, and wild-cat-hunting, from an old professor, "b notwithstanding the skill of this great master, the Country here is swarming with wolves and wild cats, black nnd brown ; accorditig to this hunter’s own confession, he ‘‘fi lost sixty pigs since Christmas last, and all night ®ng, the distant howling of the wolves kept the dogs in ® Perpetual uproar of barking. This man was one of 'ose people called squatters, who neither pay rent nor own land, but keep roving on the frontiers, advancing as tc tide of civilized population approaches. They are the Ix MEMOIR OF immediate successors of the savages, and far below them in good sense and good manners, as well as comfortable accommodations. An engi-aved representation of one of their cabins would form a striking embellishment to the pages of the Portfolio, as a specimen of the first order of American architecture." “ In the afternoon of the l.'ith, I entered Big Bone Creek, which being jjassable only about a quarter of a mile, I secured my boat, and left ray baggage under the care of a decent family near, and set out on foot five miles through the woods for the Big Bone Lick, that great antediluvian rendezvous of the American elephants. This place, which lies ‘ far in the windings of a sheltered vale,’ afforded me a fund of amiusement in shooting ducks and paroquets, (^of which last I skinned twelve, and brought off two slightly wounded,) and in examining the ancient buffalo roads to this gresit licking place. Mr Colquhoun, the proprietor, was not at home ; but bis agent and manager entertained me as well as he was able, and was much amused with my enthusiasm. Thi.s place is a low valley, every where surrounded by high hills ; in the centre, by the side of the creek, is a quagmire of near an acre, from which, and another smaller one below, the chief part of these large bones have been taken ; at the latter places, I found numerous fragments of large bones lying scattered about. In pursuing a wounded duck across this quagmire, I had nearly deposited my carcass among the grand congregation of mammoths below, having sunk up to the middle, and bad hard struggling to get out.” “ On Friday the 24th, I left my baggage with a merchant of the place [Louisville], to be fonvarded by the first wagon, and set out on foot for Lexington, seventy- tw'O miles distant. “ Walking here in wet weather is most execrable, and is like travelling on soft soap ; a few days of warm tveather hardens this again almost into stone. Want of 2 ALEXANDER WILSON. Ixi bridges is the greatest inconvenience to a foot traveller ere. Between Shelbyville and Frankfort, having gone out of my way to see a pigeon roost, (which, by the bye, is the greatest curiosity I have seen since leaving home,) j "*i<3ed a deep creek called Benson, nine or ten times, spent several days in Frankfort, and in rambling among e stupendous clifls of Kentucky river. On Thursday evening I entered Lexington. descending the Ohio, I amused myself with a narrative of my expedition, which I have called ae Pilgrim an extract from which shall close this and I am afraid, tiresome letter.” In the woods, [near the banks of the Green river,] I met ^ soldier, on foot, from New Orleans, who had been robbed plundered by the Chactaws, as he passed through nation. ‘ Thirteen or fourteen Indians,’ said he, ‘ sur- rounded me before I was aware, cut away my canteen, th*^*^ handkerchief from my neck, and 0 shoes from my feet, and .all the money I had from me, *oh Was about forty-live dollars.’ Such was his story, lion Soing to Chiloeothe, and seemed pretty nearly c Up. Jn |.]jg afternoon I crossed another stream, of '^"'onty-live yards in width, called Little Barren ; sin^"^ "'^*oh, the country began to assume a new and very be'e*"'.^*^ appearance. The woods, which had hitherto on oow degenerated into mere scrubby saplings, on o bud was beginning to unfold, and grew so d ^ coidd see for a mile through them. No Wl^ or rotten leaves were to be seen, but the int° ground was covered with rich verdure, with a variety of very beautiful flowers, alto- had ®oemcd as if the whole country i.«i ^oon one general level ; but thiit, from some ‘'nd fall o'vn cause, the ground had been undermined, and fnnnel-s; on in, in innumerable places, forming regular shaped concavities, of all dimensions, from twenty MEMOIR OF Ixii feet in diameter, and six feet in depth, to five hundred by fifty, the surface or verdure generally unbroken. In some tracts, the surface was entirely destitute of trees, and the eye was presented with nothing but one general neigh- bourhood of these concavities, or, as they are usually called, sink-holes. At the centre, or bottom, of some of these, openings had been made for water. In several places these holes had broken in, on the sides, and even middle of the road, to an unknown depth ; presenting their grim months as if to swallow up the unwary traveller. At the bottom of one of those declivities, at least fifty feet below the general level, a large rivulet of pure water issued at once from the mouth of a cave about twelve feet wdde and seven high. A number of very singular sweet smelling lichens grew' over the entrance, and a pewee had fixed her nest, like a little sentry-box, on a projecting shelf of the rock above the water. The height and dimensions of the cave continued the same as far as I waded in, which might be thirty or forty yiu'ds ; but the darkness became so great that I was forced to return. I observed numbers of small fish sporting about ; and I doubt not hut these abound even in its utmost subterra- nean recesses. The whole of this country, from Green to Red river, is hollowed out into these enormous caves ; one of which, lately discovered in Warren county, about eight miles from the dripping spring, has been explored for upwards of six miles, extending under the bed of the Green river. The entrance to these caves generally com- mences at the bottom of a sink-hole, and many of them are used by the inhabitants as cellars, or spring houses, having generally a siiring or brook of clear water running through them. I descended into one of these, belonging to a Mr Wood, accompanied by the proprietor, who carried the light. At first, the darkness was so intense that I could scarcely see a few feet beyond the circum- ference of the candle ; but, after being in for five or si* ALEXANDER WILSON. Ixiii minutes, the objects around me began to make their s-ppearance more distinctly. The bottom, for fifteen or twenty yards at first, was so irregular that we had con- stantly to climb over large masses of wet and slippery rocks. The roof rose in many |)laees to the lieight of twenty or thirty feel, presenting all the most irregular projections of surface, and hanging in gloomy and silent orror. We passed numerous chambers, or oll'sets, which did not explore ; and after three hours wandering in ®se profound region.s of gloom and sileuee, the jiarticu- rs of which would detain me too long, I emerged, with ® sndkerchief filled with bats, including one which 1 have ®ever seen described ; and a number of extraordinary insects the grylliis tribe, with antemiie upwards of six inches “8. and which, I am persuaded, had never before seen m light of day, as they fled from it with seeming terror, ®Rd I believe were as blind in it as their companions, the Great quantities of native glauber salts are found J* these caves, and are used by the country people in the g ® manner, and with equal effect, ns those of the shops, j.^'^t the principal production is saltpetre, which is procured the earth in great abundance. The cave in Warren th tnentioned, has lately been sold for three dollars to a saltpetre company ; an individual which informed me that, from every appearance, this a l^oown to the Indians many ages ago ; th H ^''tdently been used for the same purposes. At g ® '“Stance of more than a mile from the entrance, the g*P “ting party, on their first visit, found the roof black- i*y smoke, and bundles of half burnt canes scattered ‘t'tt. A bark mockasin, of curious construction, besides r Lv*' other Indian articles, were found among the tsh. The earth, also, lay piled in heaps, with great ®tity, as if in preparation for extracting the .saltpetre, hgj. • “'■"'ithstanding the miserable appearance of the tim- tn these barrens, the soil, to ray astonishment, produced MEMOIR OF Ixiv the most luxuriant fields of com and wheat I had ever before met with. But one great disadvantage is the want of water ; for the whole running streams, with w’hich the surface of this cotmtry evidently once abounded, have been drained off to a great depth, and now murmur among these lower regions secluded from the day. One forenoon I rode nineteen miles without seeing water ; while my faithful horse looked round, hut in vain, at every hollow, with a wishful and languishing eye, for that precious element. These barrens furnished me with excellent sport in shooting grou.se, which abound here in great numbers ; and in the delightful groves, that here and there rise majestically from these plains, I found many new subjects for my Ornithology. I observed all this day, far to the right, a range of high, rocky, detached hills, or knobs, as they are called, that skirt the boi-rens, as if they had been once the boundaries of the great lake that formerly covered this vast ]>lain. These, I was told, abound with stone, eoal, and copperas. I crossed Big Barren river in a ferry-boat, where it was about one hundred yards wide ; and passed a small village called Bowling Green, near which I rode my horse up to the summit of one of these high insulated rocky hills, or knobs, which overlooked an immense circumference ot country, spreading around bare and leafless, except where the groves appeared, in which there is usually water. Fifteen miles from this, induced by the novel character of the country, I put up for several days at the house of a pious and worthy presbyterian, whence I made excur- sions, in all directions, through the surrounding country. Between this and Bed River the country had a bare and desolate appearance. Caves continued to be numerous ; and report made some of them places of concealment for the dead bodies of certain strangers who had disappeared there. One of these lies near the hanks (;f the Bed River, and belongs to a person of the name of Alexander wilson. Ixv a man of notoriously bad character, and strongly suspected, •nuM ^ f of having committed a foul min ° kind, which was related to me, with all its toad'*'*!^ °T man’s house stands by the mid r L ’ ^ induced by motives of curiosity to stop mke a peep of him. On my arrival I found two persons in conversation under the piazza, one of whom inf uiiacT uie piaz ‘nulaM*^^ “o ‘het Im "'iis the landlord. He was a dark eon^l**’ ukove the common size, 'inclining to 'valk' proportion to his size, and dee,jg eonntenance bespoke a soul capable of pan * ‘^m'kness. I had not been three minutes in com- t'as^’ invited the other man (who I understood (g ' ® traveller) and myself to walk baek and sec his cave, p * . ^ immediately consented. The entrance is in the ^^.j^|^*^’‘'ncular front of a rock, behind the house; has a door, miljj ** it, and was crowded with pots of of g' j near the running stream. The roof and sides ad met with, as served to stiffen my resolution to ^ Prepared for every thing. These men were as dirty “ tentots ; their dress, a shirt and trousers of canvass, Ixviii MEMOIR OF black, greasy, and sometimes in tatters ; tbe skin burnt wherever exposed to the sun ; each with a budget, wTapt up in an old blanket ; their beards, eighteen days old, added to the singularity of their appearance, which was altogether savage. These people came from the various tributary streams of the Ohio, hired at forty or fifty dollars a-trip, to return back on their own expenses. Some had upwards of eight hundred miles to travel. When they come to a stream that is unfordable, they coast it for a fallen tree ; if that cannot be had, they enter with their budget on their head, and, when they lose bottom, drop it on their shoulders, and take to swimming. They have sometimes fourteen or fifteen of such streams to pass in a day, and morasses of several miles in length, that I have never seen equalled in any country. I lodged this night at one Dobbin’s, where ten or twelve of these men lay on the floor. As they scrambled up in the morning, they very generally complained of being unwell, for which they gave an odd reason, — lying within doors, it being the first of fifteen nights they had been so indulged. Next morning, (Sunday,) I rode six miles to a man’s of the name of Grinder, where our poor friend Lewis perished. * “ In the same room rvhere he expired, I took down from Mrs Grinder the particulars of that melancholy event, which affected me extremely. This house, or cabin, is seventy-two miles from Nashville, and is the last white man’s as you enter the Indian country. Governor Lewis, she said, came thither about sunset, idone, and inquired if he could stay for the niglit ; and, alighting, brought his saddle into the house. He was dressed in a loose gown, white, striped with blue. On being asked if he came ♦ “ It is liarrtly tioeessary to state that this was tho brave and enterprizinjf traveller whose journey, across tJio Rocky Mountains, to the Pacific Ocean, has obtained for him well merited eelobrity. The true eauso of ids committing' the rash deed, so feelingly detailed above, is not yet known to the public.” ALEXANDER WILSON. Ixix ®lone, he replied, that there were two servants behind, o would soon be up. He called for some spirits, and drank Whom he a very little. When the servants arrived, one of was a negro, he inquired for his powder, saying Was sure he had some powder in a canister. The ^fvant gave no distinct reply, and Lewis, in the mean , .®’ Walked backwards and forwards before the door, *ng to himself. Sometimes, she said, he seemed as if Were walking up to her, and would suddenly wheel and rvalk back as fast as he could, Supper being \ down, but had eaten only a few mouthfuls, he started up, speaking to himself in a violent ^ Her. At these times, she says, she observed his face nsh as if it had come on him in a fit. He lighted his pipe. Mr. ^nd, drawing a chair to the door, sat down, saying to ® trriuder, in a kind tone of voice, ‘ Madam, this is a pleasant evening.’ He smoked for some time, but iiis seat, and traversed the yard as before. He sat dorvn to his pipe, seemed again compo.sed, and, 3 eyes wistfully towards the west, observed what bed' e "'as. Mrs Grinder was preparing “ “gain j his . bim ; but he said he would sleep on the fioor, and robT*^*^ *be servants to bring the bear skins and buffalo *•“> which w'ere immediately spread out for him ; and, it th dusk, the woman went off to the kitchen, and ya barn, which stands about two hmidred Wh kitchen is only a few paces from the room t-re LeM'is was ; and the woman, being considerably by the behaviour of her guest, could not sleep, but ®Red to him walking backwards and forwards, she thinks. for h j ®'-Weral hours, and talking aloud, as she said, ‘ like a awyer.' ghe then heard the report of a pistol, and some- Im"^ be.avily on the floor, and the words, ‘ O Lord ! ’ g ^lEfliately afterwards, .she heard another pistol ; and, in ‘ beard him at her door, calling out, warn ! give me some water, and heal ray wounds ! ’ Ixx MEMOIR OF The logs being open, and unplastered, she saw him stagger back, and fall against a stump that stands between the kitchen and the room. He crawled for some distance, raised himself by the side of a tree, where he sat about » minute. He once more got to the room ; afterwards, he came to the kitchen door, but did not speak ; she then heard him scraping the bucket with a gourd for water, but it appeared that this cooling element was denied the dying man ! As soon as day broke, and not before, the terror of the woman having permitted him to remain for two hours in this most deplorable .situation, she sent two 0 / her children to the barn, her husband not being at home, to bring the servants ; and, on going in, they found him lying on the bed. He uncovered his side, and shewed them where the bullet had entered ; a piece of the fore- head was blown off, and had exposed the brains, without having bled much. He begged that they would bike his rifle and blow out his brains, and he would give them all the money he had in his trunk. He often said, ‘ 1 am no coward ; but I am so strong, so hard to die ! ’ He begged the servant not to bo afraid of him, for that be would not hurt him. He expired in about two hours, or just as the sun rose above the trees. He lies buried close by the common path, with a few loose rails throw-n over his grave- I gave Grinder money to put a post fence round it, to shelter it from the hogs and from the wolves, .and he gave me his written promise that he would do it. I left this place in a very melancholy mood, which was not mneb allayed by the prospect of the gloomy and savage wilder- ness which I was just entering alone. “ I was roused from this melancholy reverie by the roaring of Buffalo river, which I forded with considerable difliculty. I passed two or three solitary Indian huts in th® course of the day, wnth a few acres of open land at each i but so wretchedly cultivated, that they just make o'** to. raise maize enough to keep in existence. They pointed ALEXANDER WILSOX. Ixxi out the distances by holding up their fingers. This is the country of the Chickasaws, though erroneously laid down in some maps as that of the Cherokees. I slept tins night in one of their huts ; the Indians spread a deer ®kin for me on the floor ; 1 made a pillow of my portman- teau, and slept tolerably well : an old Indian laid himself down near me.” “ This day, (Wednesday,) I passed through the most konid swamps I had ever seen. These are covered with ^ prodigious growth of canes and high woods, which, together, shut out almost the whole light of day, for miles. The banks of the deep and sluggish creeks, that Occupy the centre, are precijiitous ; where I had often to plunge my horse seven feet down, into a bed of deep cl’tions from me with which you are unacquainted ; that *■“ teach the glorious rock of independence, stru ^tom thence assist my relatives, who are Q,j 5^ with, and hulfeting the hillows of adversity, has than “'tdertaking more laborious and extensive ^te aware of, and has occupied almost every ffly time for several years. Since February, Slone • -'Icpt, for several weeks, in the wilderness in ’ an Indian country, with my gun and my pistols sick ^ ; and havq found myself so reduced by 300 ^'*'?^’ to be scarcely able to stand, when not within Inj' of a white settlement, and under the burning njj "ts of 25 degrees. I have, by resolution, surmounted nji(j SRd other obstacles, in my way to ray object, arn begin to see the blue sky of independence open mid nie_>i siyg . ‘■oncluding the account of this, his most exten- . before we may present a few extracts from his of ’ P''en by the American Biographer, as specimens ^'''wsified treatment which he experienced, — at diiig forbidding, at times civil and kind, accor- 'vith habits, dispositions, and civilization of those " 'Jmom be met. "'^altb ^ — Visited a number of the literati and '■hink Cincinnati, who all told me, that they would foj viz. of subscribing; they are a very thought- ^ people. 17. — Bained and hailed all last night. Set of , ®'Sht o’clock, after emptying my boat of the deluge Wijjj ’ I'owed hard all day ; at noon recruited myself thg fojj”*”® biscuits, cheese, and American wine ; reach sfter * ’ msbt sets in ; hear the roaring of the rapids ; excessive hard work, arrived at Bear Grass Creek, and Jxxlv MEMOIR OF fastened my boat to a Kentucky one ; take my baggagei and grope my way to Louisville ; put up at the Indian Queen Tavern, and gladly sit down to rest myself. “March 18. Rose quite refreshed. Found anumber of land-speculators here; titles to lands in Kentucky subject to great disputes. “ March 20 Set out this afternoon with the gnu i killed nothing new. People in taverns here devour tbeit meals; many shopkeepers board in taverns; also boat- men, land-speculators, merchants, &c. iNo naturalists te keep me company. “ Good country this for lazy fellows : they plant corni turn their pigs into the woods, and in the autumn feea upon corn and pork ; they lounge about the rest of th® ^ « March 24. — Weather cool. Walked to ShelbyvlU*' to breakfast. Passed some miserable log-houses in the midst of rich fields. Called at a ’Squire C.’s, who W*® rolling logs ; sat down beside him, but was not invited jn’ tliough it was about noon. “ March 29. — Finding my baggage not likely to coin« on, I set out from Frankfort for Jjc.xington. The woods swarm with pigs, squirrels, and woodpeckers. Arrive exceedingly fatigued. “ Wherever you go, you hear people talking of buy'"* and selling land; no readers, all traders,— the Yankee* wherever %u find them, are all traders ; found one her* a house-carpenter, who came from Massachusetts, an“ brought some barrels of apples down the river fro^ Pennsylvania to this town, where he employs the negr« women to hawk them about the streets, at thirty-sevs and a half cents per dozen. “ Restless, speculating set of mortals here, full of la'*' suits ; no great readers, even of poliUcs or newspapers. ^ “ The sweet courtesies of life, the innumerable civilfi'® in deeds and conversations, which cost one so little, a* ALEXANDER WILSON. Ixxv ®6l(lon:i found here. Every man you meet with has either land to buy or sell, some lawsuit, some coarse cmp or corn to dispose of, and, if the conversation do not to any of these, he will force it. Strangers here deceive less civilities than in any ))lace 1 have ever been The respect due to the fatigues and privations of 'filers is nowhere given, because every one has met as much, and thinks he has seen more than any other, int.'"*^ listens to the adventures of another without ^^errupting [[,g narrative with his own ; so that, instead auditor, he becomes a competitor in adventure- '"{?• So many adventurers, also, continually wandering 3itd*b ll*® manners of the people ; for avarice knavery prey most freely and safely upon passengers they may never meet again. -These few observations are written in Salter White’s he'^'^*^*’ being a scarce article l^he forest being a full half mile distant. 9. — Court held to-day, large concourse of Tie ; no,, jggg one thousand horses in town, ®d to the side posts ; no food for them all day, j^“tses selling by auction. Negro woman sold same way. ‘ W'hile -standing by and hearing her cried : and ^'I'l'dred and twenty-live dollars for this woman ^ boy! going! going!’ Woman and boy afterwards eitsr *' ^‘‘‘iii'ed, damned slavery ! this is one infernal which the Virginians have brought into this jt ' ’[I- Rude and barbarous appearance ot the crowd. , T ns’s double cutters much wanted here. thus introduced to several young ladies Wei whose agreeable society formed a most Sex'^°**^ contrast to that of the lower orders of the other sav amiable, e.xeellent lady ; think that conto^ 'Suorauce, rudeness, and boorishness, was never so „ by female sweetness, affability, and intelligence. 12 . — Went this evening to drink tea with Ixxvi MEMOIR OF Mr ; was introduced to Mrs , a most lovely> accomplished, and interesting woman. Her good sens* and lively intelligence, of a cast far superior to that o‘ almost any woman I have ever seen. She is mosi unfortunately unwell, with a nervous complaint, whh- affects her head. She told me, most feelingly, that the spring, which brings joy to every other being, brings sorrow to her, for, in winter, she is always well. “Aprils Breakfasted at Walton’s, thirteen mile* from Nashville. This place is a fine rich hollow, watcreo by a charming, clear creek, that never fails. Went up t'’ Madison’s lick, where I shot three paroquets and soW^ small birds. “ April 28 Set but early, the hospitable landlorA Isaac Walton, refusing to take any thing for ray fare, ot that of my horse, saying, ‘ You seem to be travelling ft' the good of the world ; and I cannot, I will not, charg* you any thing. Whenever you come this way, call aiw stay with me ; you shall be welcome ! ’ This is the fit*' instance of such hospitality which I have met with the United States. “ Wednenday, May 23. — Left Natchez, after procuriH? twelve subscribers ; and, having received a kind letter ® invitation from William Dunbar, Esq. I availed myst'* of his goodness, and rode nine miles along the usual roa to his house ; where, though confined to his bed by * severe indisposition, I was received with great hospitalhf and kindness ; had a neat bedroom assigned me, and "'a* requested to consider myself as at home during the tiibj I should find it convenient to stay in exploring this p»'' of the country ! ” * • The letter above mentioned is worthy of transcription. is as follows : — , t , , . , .a:l> “ Sir, It is very unfortunate that I should be so i»“^j indisposed as to he confined to mv bedroom; ncverthelesSi ^ cannot give up the idea of having the pleasure of seeing yoo> ALEXANDER WILSON. Ixxvii In September, 1812, Wilson directed his steps eastward, ^ visit bis subscribers, and increase, if possible, their ''umber. During this excursion, he met with the oUowing ludicrous adventure : — At Haverhill the good People observing a stranger among them, of very inquisitive units, and who evinced particular earnestness in exploring country, came to the sage conclusion, that he was a '^Py from Canada, etniiloycd in taking sketches of the to facilitate British invasion. It was, therefore, ought essential to the public safety, that he should be apprehended ; and he was accordingly taken into custody ; ut^the magistrate before whom he was brought, on being ucquaiuled with his character and pursuits, imrae- Hade a j^^tely dismissed him, with many apologies for the harm- und patriotic mistake. V* 1812, he was elected a member of the American I'hili osophieal Society ; and in the following year, by the Ilf o'** I®" '1 convenient. The perusal of your first volume He 'ent 'uc by (leneral Wilkinson, has produced in .. j ‘uy great de .>nee n • i" "'bose hospitality was thus promptly excited, has cherish!, debt of nature ; and his grateful guest fondly those 1 ’ *be last hour of his existence, the renu niltrance of that of l!*by "yments which were passeil in his society, and in as amiable und accomplishea family.” / Ixxviii MEMOIR OF month of August, he had succeeded in completing tbs literary materials of the eighth volume of his splendid work. His progress had been greatly facilitated by his having resided for a considerable ]>art of the years 1811-13 at the Botanic Garden, with his friend Mr Bartraiu- There, remote from the noise, bustle, and interruption of the town, he was enabled to dispose of bis time to the best advantage ; occasionally solacing his mind Avith friendly converse, and recruiting his overworn and sinking frame by healthful rambles through the neighbouring woods. He now enjoyed the satisfaction of knowing that his labours had not been iii vain, and that the valu® of his great work was generally appreciated ; for, although emanating from a republican country, there was not a* this period a crowned head in Europe who had not become a subscriber to the American Ornithology. In the early i)art of the year 1813, the seventh volume was published ; and its indefatigable author immO' diately commenced his prei)arations for the next. Bub unfortunately, his intense anxiety to conclude his under- taking impelled him into an excess of toil, which, however inflexible his mind, his bodily strength was unable to beai’. This n as occasioned chiefly by his iinding >t impossible to procure sutli(riently skilful assistants to relieve him from the labour of colouring his plates- Those who occasionally made the attempt e.xcited his disgust by their glaring caricatures of what were iU' tended to be modest imitations of simple nature. HcncOi much of his time was spent in the irksome and harassing employment of inspecting and correcting the imperfection* of others ; while this waste of his stated periods of labo"^ was supplied by deep encroachments on those hours whin*’ Hature claim.s as her own, consecrates to rest, and 'vif* not forego vrithout a struggle ; and which all, who woof*^ preserve imiinpaircd the vigour of their mind and bodI> must respect. Against this intense and destructive app''" ALEXANDER WILSON. Ixxix 'Nation, his friends failed not to admonish him ; but to their entreaties he would make this ominous reply, — Life is short, and without exertion nothing can be performed.” In the last letter which he is understood to ave written to his friends in Paisley, after sympathizing 'Jith his correspondent on the death of a son, he makes ® following melancholy statement regarding his own aclining health : — “ I am myself fur from being in good ®alth. Intense application to study has hurt me much. . y 8th volume is now in the press, and will be published November. One volume more will complete the whole.” length, amid these accumulated and harassing toils. he '''as assailed by a disease, which his vital ijowers were too much enfeebled successfully to resist. The ysentery, his former foe, renewed its deadly assaults ; '’■nd after a few days’ illness, notwithstanding the combined ®®orts of science and friendship, terminated the mortal '^^eer of Alexander Wilson, the American Ornithologist, y’’ the 23d of August, 1813, consequently in the 48th ^ sr of big jgg * t. 'j'jjg moment,” says his brother, who j ® few years previoiusly joined him in America, “ that heai'd of his sickness, I went to the city, and found 'tn speechless ; I caught hi.s hand : he seemed to know ^ and that was all. He died next morning, at nine ^ °ck, and was buried next day with all the honours due ® his merit. The whole of the scientific characters, with the clergy of all denominations, attended the I^Heral. The Columbia Society of Fine Arts, of which ® "’as a member, walked in procession before the hearse. The following was stated as the more ininictliate cause of '■isb a' * ‘'“al illness, by one of his .American fiiends, who hoa'™ Scotland some years ago ; — While he was sitting in the he et his friends, enjoying the pleasures of conversation, had ] to see a bird of a rare species, fur one of which he Cut f search. With Iris usual enthusiasm he ran fired f it, swam across a river, over which it had flown, cau„m'’ hilled, and obtained the object of his eager pursuit ; but 8 t a cold, which, bringing on dysentery, ended in his death. Ixxx MEMOIR OP and wore crape round their arms for thirty days.” remains were deposited in the cemetery of the Swedish Church, in the district of Southwark, Philadelphia* While in the enjoyment of health, he had, in a conversa^ tion with u friend on the subject of death, expressed wish to be buried in some rural spot, sacred to peace nnd solitude ; whither the cliarms of nature might invite the steps of the votary of the muses and the lover of science, and where the birds might sing over his grave. It has been matter of regret to those of his friends to whom was confided the mournfrd duty of ordering his funeral, that this desire had not been made known to them, otherwise it should have been piously observed. A plain marble tomb marks where his dust reposes, on which appears the following inscription : — THIS MONUMEXT COVEllS THE REMAINS OF ALEXANDER WILSON, AUTHOR OF THE AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY. HE WAS BORX IN RENFREWSHIRE, SCOTLAND, ON THE 6th JULY, 1766; EMIGRATED TO THE UNITED STATES IN THE YEAR 1794 ; AND DIED IN THILADELPHIA, OF THE DYSENTERY, ON THE 23d AUGUST, 1813, AGED 47. Part of the eighth volume of the Ornithology having been put through the press before the author’s death, th<; remainder was edited by liis friend Mr George Ordf F.L.S. and published in January, 1814. The ninth volume made its appearance in May, 1814, the plate* having been printed and coloured under Wilson’s oW* superintendance, and the letter-press supplied by Mr Ord> ALEXANDER WILSON. Ixxxi was well qualified to perform this office for his cceased friend, having been his companion in several expeditions for procuring specimens, and collecting the “'^'Ration from which the descriptions of the birds were •Jrawii np. This concluding volume contained a Life of son, from the ])cn of the editor. As it has been all along om' object to place Wilson , ere the reader, either as he represented himself in his ^urnals and letters, or as he was represented by those who, personally acquainted with him, had the best means ” knowing Ifim accurately, we think it proper to make xoine extracts from the character which his American ^Stapher has drawn, evidently from his own knowledge. * may not,” says he, “ be going too far to maintain, 'St in no age or nation has there ever arisen one more *mineutly qualified for a naturalist, than the subject of kfse memoirs. He was not only an enthusiastic admirer ® the Works of creation ; but he was consistent in Search, and permitted no dangers or fatigues to abate ] ®tdour, or relax his exertions. He inured himself to ardships by frequent and laborious exercise, and was ®xer more happy than when employed in some enterprize, ^ promised, from its difficulties, the novelties of to* ^'khatever was obtained with ease, appeared ] , kim comparatively uninteresting; the acquisitions of j alone seemed worthy of his ambition. He was no ®®ct philosopher ; he was indebted for his ideas, not to "^ks, but to nature. His perseverance was uncommon ; ^ > when engaged in any particular pursuit, he never ^offid relinquish it while there was a chance of success, xfis powers of ohservation were acute, and his judgment ®W(lom erred That his industry was great, his work will ®xer te.stify. and onr astonishment may well be excited, tim*^ much should have been performed in so short a A single individual, without patron, fortune, or °'^pense, accomplished, in the short space of seven years. Ixxxii MEMOIR OF as much as the combined body of European naturalists have taken a century to achieve. The collection and discovery of these birds were the fruits of many months of unwearied research : amongst forests, swamps, and morasses, exposed to all the dangers, privations, and fatigues incident to such an undertaking. What hut ft remarkable passion for the pursuit, joined with an ardent desire of fame, could have supported a solitary individual in labours of body and mind, compared to which the bustling avocations of common life are mere holiday activity or recreation ! “ Mr Wilson was possessed of the nicest sense of honour. In all his dealings, he was not only scrupulously just, but highly generoas. His veneration for tnith was exemplary. His disposition was social and affectionate. His benevolence was extensive. He was remarkably temperate in eating and drinking ; his love of retirement preserving him from the contaminating influence of the convivial circle. But, as no one is perfect, Mr WUsoB partook, in a small degree, of the weakness of humanity- He was of the gams irrilahUe, and was obstinate in opinion- It ever gave him pleasure to acknowledge error, when the conviction resulted from his own judgment alone ; but he could not endure to be told of his mistakes. Hence his associates had to be sparing of their criticisms, through » fear of forfeiting his friendship. With almost all his friends, he had occasionally, arising from a collision of opinion, some slight misunderstanding, which was soon passed over, leaving no disagreeable impression. But an act of disrespect, or wilful injury, he would seldom forgive.” Thus far the American biographer; and, though the sketch be one drawn by the hand of a friend, its outline is so consistent with the tenor of his life, that we can- not doubt its accuracy. In personal appearance, he described as having been tall, (five feet ten or eleveu ALEXANDER WILSON. Ixxxiii •nches,) handsome and vigorous, inclining to the slender, father than the athletic. Even when a poor Paisley weaver, he tvBs remarkable for neatness of appearance, and for an *"1 superior to his condition — as if the native dignity of his *f*^Rd shone through his mien and bearing. His counte- eance, tinged with melancholy, was expressive of deep fefleetion ; his eye, penetrating and intelligent, especially 'then engaged in conversation. His eyebrows were strikingly arched, and his hair, which was dark and glossy, down over his shoulders.* Strong good sense, high Worai worth, and a lofty spirit of independence, rvere the characteristic features of his mind. His conversational Powers Were greatly superior to those of the men wdth ^hom he was accustomed to associate ; and he acquired, Consequence, like Burns, somewhat of a dictatorial Oiatiner. There was a quickness, a strength, and an “figinality in his remarks, indicating mental endowments of a very high order ; and where did ever such endowments wdthout their possessor being conscious of their hfosence ? In no respect was his character more estimable, j,, ^ach is the account of his personal appearance, which we been able to draw from the recollections of his friends in m*i|C.ountry ; and it seems borne out by the engraving prefixed p nis volume, the original of which was painted by James enh'^’ '‘’hen Wilson was in his twenty-second year. The parti- ” preserwid by his American biographer possess no little lif« exhibiting him as he was at a more advanced period ot , , > when moving in a more intelligent class of society thiui r„ ^'ou'.h had been accustomed to, and engaged in his favourite .““arches among the -woods-. “ In his person,” says Mr Ord, he Was of a middle stature, of a thin baldt of body ; his eheek- , projected, and his eyes, though hollow, displayed consi- d?rable vivacity and intelligence ; his comple.xion was sallow, ‘8 ttuen thouglitful • his features were coarse, and there was a at rl '’“Igarity in his physiognomy, which struck the observer j, 'he first view, but whicli failed to impress one on acquaintance, dim "'“•8 quick when travelling,— so much so, that it was the f hir a companion to keep l>ace with him ; but W'heii in ho in pursuit of birds, he was deliberate and attentive — '’»*) as it were, all eyes, and all Bars." Ixxxiv MEMOIR OP than in the strength, generosity, and permanence of his friendships. Notwithstanding his poetical feelings and aspirations, love, as has already been remarked, seemed to have no abiding residence in his bosom, if indeed its power had ever made any sensible encroachment on that busy domain. Though he mingled much in society, and that, at one period of his life, by no means very select, he was a stranger to every species of dissipation ; and, while he passed through many scenes of trial and temptation, he bore away all the good that might be obtained from each, without incurring the contamination of their evil. Per- haps his high moral purity arose, in a great measure, from the absence of overmastering passion ; and this was the result of that mental structure which constituted intellect his predominating faculty. The same may be the expla- nation of that apparent contradiction in his character — a poet, and not a lover. Iii elucidation of this conjecture, we beg to offer a very few remarks, considering it a mental phenomenon well worth investigation. The two leading principles of Wilson’s mind unques- tionably were, the love of fame, and the love of knowledge, both resulting from the conscious possession of high intellect. The union of these principles tended to give his character an ideal elevation, and to impress it with a strong love of power, and desire of eminence. In the mind where these predominate, it is obvious that there can be little space for the abode of any aim or passion of less aspiring, or of weaker nature. Sudi a mind pleasure cannot tempt astray, nor love subdue. Yet the love of fame is by no means incompatible with ardent natural affection, such as that of children to their parents, because its source lies deeper in our nature, and was fully formed long before the love of fame could be either felt or understood ; and because both may be gmtifled at once, for while a man rises himself, he can elevate those whom he loves. We have seen this hope cheer and support ALEXANDER WILSON. Ixxxv ^ilson, during his wanderings through the pathless forests " America. We have known it fondly cherished, as te dearest possible recompense, in those who, like him, sd the structure of their own fortunes to build. And that we contend for is, that while these strong prin- ttples cannot banish early and deep-seated filial affection, '-‘y prevent the entrance of newer and weaker attach- "*®"ts ; and thus, we think, a solution may be given of ^t otherwise appears contradictory in Wilson's character. With regard to the scientific and literary merit of his ^^at Work, it is neither our province nor our inclination ^ speak ; the one being sufliciently cared for by the citous to obtain the latter, I beg leave to relate ® following anecdote : — j H One of my late visits to a friend in the country, ountj their youngest son, a fine boy of eight or ^^jEe years of age, who usually resides in town for education, just returning from a ramble through ?, ^®%hbouring woods and fields, where he had ^ ected a large and very handsome bunch of flowers, of a great many different colours; presenting them to his mother, said, with animation in his countenance, “ Look, my mamma, what beautiful flowers I have found lowing on our place ! Why, all the woods are °f them I red, orange, blue, and ’most every Ixxxviii PREFACE. colour. Oh I I can gather you a whole parcel them, much handsomer than these, all growing our own woods ! Shall I, mamma ? Shall I g*’ and bring you more ?” The good woman receive*^ the bunch of flowers with a smile of affectionate complacency ; and, after admiring for some tiife the beautiful simplicity of nature, gave her willia? consent ; and the little fellow went off, on tW wings of ecstasy, to execute his delightful commit' sion. The similarity of this little boy’s enthusiasm ^ my own, struck me ; and the reader will need i’" explanations of mine to make the application' Should my country receive with the same gracioO' indulgence the specimens which I here humbly present her ; should she express a desire for me go and bring her more, the highest wishes of rO.y ambition will be gratified ; for, in the language my little friend, our tohole woods are full of theil*' and I can collect hundreds more, much handsoifi^ than these. Alexander Wilson* Philadelphia, October 1, 1808. INTRODUCTION. ^ Commencement of a work of such magnitude, So novel in this country, some account will be expected, of the motives of the of fesj '»ith and of the nature and intended execution Work. As to the former of these, it is Pcctfuby submitted, that, amusement blended tlig 1..I . ’^'s^fuction, the correction of numerous errors "'hich n nave been introduced into this part of the th history of our country, and a wish to draw attention of my fellow-citizens, occasionally, j discordant jarrings of politics, to a con- ^^ion of the grandeur, harmony, and wonderful nature, exhibited in this beautiful portion onl^^'^ ®“*nial creation, are my principal, and almost no/ 'n the present undertaking. I will ®ny that there may also be other incitements. Classed . i ’ ntmost from infancy, by a fondness for xc INTRODUCTIOK. birds, and little else than an enthusiast in i®.' researches after them, I feel happy to communicate my observations to others, probably from the nicte principle of self-gratification, that source of so niafj even of our most virtuous actions ; but I candidV declare, that lucrative views have nothing to do the business. In all my wild wood rambles, theS^ never were sufficient either to allure me to a sing'^ excursion, to discourage me from one, or to engage my pen or pencil in the present publication. hopes, on this head, are humble enough ; I ask onl^ support equal to my merits, and to the laudabili*^ of my intentions. I expect no more; I am a®* altogether certain even of this. But, leaving issue of these matters to futurity, I shall, in meantime, comfort myself with the good old adag^ Happy are they who expect nothing, for th^/ shall not be disappointed.” As to the nature of the work, it is intended comprehend a description and representation ^ every species of our native birds, from the shot^ of St Laurence to the mouths of the MississipP'', and from the Atlantic ocean to the interior Louisiana : these will be engraved in a style super*'’^ to any thing of the kind hitherto published ; coloured from nature, with the most scrupulo*^ adherence to the true tints of the original. , INTRODUCTION. XCl as time may prey on the best of colours, ^I'at is necessary, in this respect, will, by no means, onntted, that the figures and descriptions may ^'itually corroborate each other. It is also my to enter more largely than usual into the l^^nners and disposition of each respective species ; ^ ecome, as it were, their faithful biographer, and 'Ifilineate their various peculiarities, in character, ob economy, &c. as far as my own ^•'Vations have extended, or the kindness of may furnish me with materials. Tk ^•'e Ornithology of the United States exhibits a display of the most splendid colours, from the silky, gold bespangled down of the minute ^^^ming iji,.fi^ scarce three inches in extent, to . ^ ^l&ck coppery wings of the gloomy condor, of ^*-een sometimes visits our northern "^^eions ; a numerous and powerful band of song- that, for sweetness, variety, and melody, are ’^passed by no country on earth ; an ever-changing migration from torrid to temperate, and northern to southern regions, in quest of ®**‘lable seasons, food, and climate ; and such an (iiyg,,gjjy jjaijit, economy, form, dispo- and faculties, so uniformly hereditary in species, and so completely adequate to their P culiay Wants and convenience, as to overwhelm XCll INTRODUCTION’. us with astonishment at the power, wisdom, beneficence of the Creator ! In proportion as we become acquainted these particulars, our visits to, and residence the country, become more and more agreeah^'^' Formerly, on such occasions, we found ourselves solitude, or, with respect to the feathered tribs* as it were in a strange country, where the mannC' language, and faces of all, were either totalV overlooked, or utterly unknown to us : now, find ourselves among interesting and well kno'^** neighbours and acquaintances ; and, in the not^’ of every songster, recognize, with satisfaction, voice of an old friend and companion. A stu^l/ thus tending to multiply our enjoyments at ^ cheap a rate, and to lead us, by such pleasii’^ gradations, to the contemplation and worship ® the Great First Cause, the Father and Preserv^^ of all, can neither be idle nor useless, but is word’/ of rational beings, and, doubtless, agreeable to Deity. ^ In order to obtain a more perfect knowledge ® birds, naturalists have divided them into classe®' orders, genera, species, and, varieties ; but in do'*’^ this, scarcely two have agreed on the same of arrangem.ent : and this has indeed proved source of great perplexity to the student. So**’ INTRODUCTION. XClll increased the number of orders to an unne- cessary extent, multiplied the genera, and, out of ^e^e varieties, produced what they supposed to . ® entire new species. Others, sensible of the '•npropriety of this, and wishing to simplify the Science as much as possible, have reduced the ®^‘lers and genera to a few, and have thus thrown whose food, liabits, and other characteris- ^*eal features are widely different, into one and c Same tribe, and thereby confounded our per- '^cpfion of that beautiful gradation of affinity and J^®^c>nblance, which Nature herself seems to have studious of preserving throughout the whole, .“c principal cause of the great diversity of clas- ®*^Cations appears to be owing to the neglect, or of opportunity, in these writers, of observing ■'Danners of the living birds, in their unconfined the and in their native countries. As well might * csophers attempt to class mankind into their Pcctive religious denominations, by a mere ^ ^■'■'nation of their physiognomy, as naturalists Parm a correct arrangement of animals, without ^ knowledge of these necessary particulars. is only by personal intimacy, that we can truly ®®certain the character of either, more especially ^ of the feathered race, noting their particular rnodes of constructing their nests, manner 9 xciv INTRODUCTION. of flight, seasons of migration, favourite food, an^ numberless other minuti®, which can only obtained by frequent excursions in the woods an^ fields, along lakes, shores, and rivers, and requires i* degree of patience and perseverance which nothing but an enthusiastic fondness for the pursuit cofi inspire. The greatest'number of the descriptions in tW following work, particularly those of the nests, egg* and plumage, have been written in the woods, wil^ the subjects in view, leaving as little as possible 1'’ the lapse of recollection. As to what relates to tl>‘ manners, habits, &c. of the birds, the particulars these heads are the result of personal observatioJ’-' from memorandums taken on the spot ; if they diff®^' as they will on many points, from former account^' this at least can be said in their behalf, that ^ single fact has not been advanced which the writ*’* was not himself witness to, or received from tho®^ on whose judgment and veracity he believed ance could be placed. When his own stock *’ observations has been exhausted, and not till th^’’ he has had recourse to what others have said the same subject, and all the most respectftk' performances of a similar nature have been suited, to which access could be obtained; ^ neglecting the labours of his predecessors in INTRODUCTION. XCV particular path, Messrs Catesby and Edwards, ^^ose memories he truly respects. But as a sacred '^^gard to truth requires that the errors or inadver- ^•'cies of those authors, as well as of others, should noticed, and corrected, let it not be imputed to ^ntvorthy motives, but to its true cause, — a zeal r the promotion of that science, in which these Snntlenien so much delighted, and for which they ^'^6 done so much. P rom the writers of our own country the author , ® ‘derived but little advantage.. The first con- ®^ trusting for encouragement solely to the fideli*^? with which it will be conducted. AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY. ORDER I. ACCIPITRES, LiNNiEus. 1 . A FAMILY 1. VUZTURINI, ILLIGER. GENUS 1.— CATHARTES, Illioer. L CATffA&TES AlfRA, ILLIGER. VVLTUR AURA, WILSON. TUIIKEV VULTURE, OR TURKEV BUZZARD. ^ILsoNj PL, LXXV. FIG. I, —— EDI^sBURGH COLLEGE MUSEUM. o spocies is well known througliout the United hut is most numerous in the southern section . the Union. In the northern and middle states, it * partially mioratorv, the j^eater part retirinir to the ^antli on the approach of cold weather. But numbers «>nain all the winter in Maryhiud, Delaw'are, and New ®^***^y; particularlj' in the vicinity of the large rivers 'I the ocean, which afford a supply of food at all “Pasong, th^"' Jersey,# the turkey buzzard hatches in May, aw recesses of the solitary swamps of that state attordin^, situations well suited to the purpose. The L "“ale is at no pains to form a nest with materials; having chosen a suitable place, which is either a /'•ncated hollow tree, an excavated stump, or log, she on the rotten wood from two to four eggs, of a dull he*L mentions New .Icrsey in particular, as in that state the f ''“trd tin. breeding places of the turkey buzzard, _ and can than HU certiiuty of the fact. Pennsylvania, it is more tenant's “Surds situations equally attractive, which are also “ted by this vulture, for hatching and rearing its young. 4 CATirARTES AURA. dirty white, or pale cream colour, splashed all over with chocolate, mingled with blachish touches, the blotches largest and thickest towards the great end ; the forfl> something like the egg of a goose, hut blunter at the small end : length two inches and thr('e quarters, breadth two inches. The male watches oftmi while the female is sitting ; and, if not disturbed, they will occupy the sam* breeding- place for several years. The 3’oung are clothed with a whitish down, similar to that which covers young goslings. If any person approacli the nest, and attempt to h.andle them, they will immedi.-itely vomit such often- sive matter, as to compel the intruder to a precipitate retreat. The turkey buzzards iire gregarious, peaceable and hannless ; never oft'ering any violence to a living animak or, like the plunderers of ihe falco tribe, depriving the husbandman of his stock, ilence, though, in conse- quence of their filthy habits, they are not beloved, yet they arc respected for their usefulness ; and in th* southern states, where they are most needed, they, as well as the black vultures, are protected by a law, which imposes a fine on those who wilfully deprive them of lift' They generally roost in flocks, on the limbs of larg® trees ; and they may be seen on a summer momiug> ■spreading out their u ing-s to the rising sun, and remain- ing in that posture for a considerable time. Pennant conjectures, that this is “ to juirity their bodies, which ai-e most oft’ensivelj- fetid.” Put is it reasonable to supjtose, that that effluvia can be offensive to then>> which arises from food |)erfoctly adapted to their natur*) and which is constantly the object of their desires* Many birds, and particularly those of the granivoroU^ kind, have a similar habit, which doubtless is attended with the same cxhilrirating eft'oets, as an exposure to the pure air of the morning has on the frame of one just rise® from repose. These bird.s, unless when rising from the earth, seldo®' flap their u-ings, but sweep along in ogees, and dijip'®? and rising lines, and move with great rapidity. Thef are often seen in companies, soaring at an immc®'* TURKEY VULTURE. 5 particiilarly previous to a thunder storm. Their "ini's are not spread horizontally, hut form a slight with the body upwards, the tips having an np- ni'd curve. Tlieir sense of smelling is astonishingly ®*'[uisite, and they never foil to discover carrion, even "'hen at the distance of several miles from it. When nee they have found a carcass, if not molested, they not leave the place until the whole is devoured, t such times they eat so immoderately, that frequently ’ii'y are incapable of rising, and may be caught n ithont neh difficulty; hut few that are acquainted with them i ^ I ^nve the temerity to undertake the task. A man " the state of Delaware, a few years since, observing line turkey buzzards regaling themselves upon the linniass of a horse, which was in a highly putrid state, !^nnceiv(.q desi^u of making a captive ot one, to take ‘nine for the amusmnent of liis cliildron. lie cautiously ®l*P''oachcd, and, springing upon the iinsuspiiaous gi'oup, a tine plump fellow ill his arms, and was bearing .. nia prize in triumph ; when, lo! the indignant vulture isgorged sucli a torrent of tilth in the face of our hero, '“It it produced all the effects of the most iiowerful “letic, and for over cured him of his iuclinatloii for ’^’‘"key buzzards. . ... ^ t-’n the continent of America this species inhabits a w®t range of territory, being common,* it is said, from “"R Scotia to Terra did Fuego.']' How tar to the lorthvvard of Nortli Califoruiat they are found we la tbe nortbcrn states of our union, the turkey Inizznvil Is only “'“aaonally seen ; it is c.insidcred a care bird by the mbabitants. rin ' nnmhor.'i of a spocies of vulture, coiniurmly caJlerl car- crow bv the sailors, {vnltur awne.) wore seen uiiou tins i^slaud, bSrr'ii’* ne,u- Cane Horn, lat. .bb S. (,7 W.) and pro- wv 'y feed on ymmg seal wliicb e.tlier die m the birth, nr turW^ take an onpnrtnnity b. seize upnn.’ C«ik calls them ^i'ieybu„.„j^_ Forster’s Vvyat/c, ii, p. 516, 4to. (..mdon, 1777. 'VereTi'’'‘F’y “"“Piet ‘hat tbe sailors were correct, anil that these 'black vultures, or carrion crows. X r^UV*,... ... • • ^ 1 . .11 . .. \.1nr.1... liratlt.klV>A ^ V, nT . Im vultures, or carrion crows. , 1 1'erouse saw a bird, which he calls the black vulture, probably '• 203 Monterey Bay, North California. Vmjayc, ii. 6 CATI-IARTES AURA. are not informed ; but it is probable that they extend their migrations to tbe Columbia, allured thither by the quantity of dead salmon which, at certain seasons, line the shores of that river. They are numerous in the West India islands, where they are said to be “ far inferior in size to those of North America.” * This leads us to the inquiry, n hether or no the present species has been confounded, by all the naturalists of Europe, with the black vulture, or car- rion crow, u’hich is so coniinou in the southern parts ot our continent. If not, why has tbe latter been totally overlooked in the numerous ornithologies and uomcn- clatures with wliich the world has boon favoured, n heu it is so cous|)icuous and remarkable, that no stranger visits South Carolina, Georgia, or tbe Spanish pro- vinces, but is immediatel}’' struck with tbe novelty of its appearance ¥ We can find no cause for the turkey buzzards of the islands -f- being smaller than onrs, and must conclude that the carrion crow, which is of Ic-S® size, has been mistiiken for the former. In the history which follows, we shall endeavour to make it evident that the species described by Ulloa, as being so nume- rous in South Amcri(!a, is no other than the black vul- ture. The ornithologists of Europe, not aware of the existence of a new species, have, witliout investigation, contented themselves with the opinion, that tbe bird called by the above numtioned traveller the gallinazo, was the vultur aura, the subject of our present history- This is the more inexcusable, as we expect in naturalists * Penn,int, Arctic ZmJmiy. f The vulture whirli Sir Ikuw ISloane luis figured and describi'd, and wliieh he says is comiuon in .bimaica, i.s midouliteilly the rw/wr aura, “ The bend, anil an iuch in the neck, are Imre, and without feathers, of a fli.-sh eoluur. covered with a thin membrane, like tlot* of turkeys, with wliieh tlie uuwt part of the bill is covered likewise J bill (below the membrane) more than an inch long, whitish at the f ioint ; tail broad, and nine inches long ; legs and teet three inehes ong ; it flies exactly like a kite, and prevs on nothing living; h’d when dead, it devours their eareassea, whence they are not moles- ted. " Sloane, Natural History, Jamaica, vol. ii. p. 294, folio. TURKEY VULTURE. 7 precision of a different character from that which dls- '*'§>ushes vulgar observation. If the Europeans had the opportunity of comparing living specimens of ®_two species, they at least had preserved subjects, in ®>r extensive and valuable museums, from which a • judginent might have been formed. The figure Planches enluminees, though wretchedly ch-awn coloured, was evidently taken from a stuffed speci- ^ of the black vulture. ^ pennant observes, that the turkey vultures “ are at 1 ^*'*'“*^ rtt tl'c northern regions of Europe or Asia, feast in those latitudes which might give them a ' ®'-®1ce of appearing there. I caunot find them,” he 'hinues, “ in our qum-ter of the globe bigher than the ’Cison Alns,* or Silesia, + or at farthest Kalish, in Pola\ul.”t f^olheu, in his account of the Cape of Good Hope, “cntions a vulture, which ho represents as very vora- and noxious. “ I have seen,” says he, “ many j^fcasses of cows, oxen, and other tame creatures, which rati '‘-id slain. I say carcasses, but they wore and -'telctons, the flesh and entrails bidng all devoured, sk" remaining hut the skin and bones. But the and bones being in their natural places, the flesh Ijj'"!!') as it were, scoo))ed out, and the wound by which Wo 1 ^^®* ®“f®r the body being ever in the belly, you hal* i J'”" “P ''‘® skeleton, have Dpi . ® '®““t su*s|)ic,ion that any such matter bad hap- Dutch at the Capo frequently call those 1 » es. On account of their tearing out the entrails of , ^^ts, strunl-voneh, i. e. dung-birds. It frequently lJ;{*P«“s, that an ox that Ls freed from the plough, and to find his way home, lies down to rest himself by ^^.t^'ay : and if he does so, it is a great chance but the ■^f®® fall upon him and devour liim. They attack * wniughhy, Orniihologih p. 67. t Scliwenckfeldt, >SV/esi«, 375. i Kzaezynski, Hist, Nat, Poland) 298. 8 CATHARTES AURA. an OX or cow in a body, consisting of an hundred an'' upwards.” * Buffon conjectures, that this murderous rmlture is the i turkey buzzard, and concludes his history of the lattC with the following invective against the whole fratef' nity : — “ In every part of the globe they are voracious, slothful, oflfensive, and hateful, and, like the wolves, ai'^ as noxious during their life, as useless after their death. If Kolben’s account of the ferocity of hi.s eagle,f of vulture, bo just, we do not hesitate to maintain that that vulture, is not the turkey buzz.ard, as, amongst the whok feathered creation, there is none, perhaps, more innoxious* than this species ; and that it is benelicial to the inhabi' taiits of our southern continent, even Buffon himselb on the authority of Desmarchais, asserts. But we donbt > the truth of Kolben’s story; and, in this place, must express our regret, that enlightened naturalists shouk so readily lend an ear to the romances of travellers, who, to excite astonishment, freely give currency tf every ridiculous tale, wliich the designing or the credU' Ions impose upon them. Wo will add farther, that tin’ turkey buzzard seldom begins upon a carcass, until invited to the banquet by that odoui', which in uo ordinary degree renders it an object of delight. The turkey vulture is two feet and a lialf in lengtb, and six feet two inches in breadth; the bill from tbr corner of the mouth is almost two inches and a ball long, of a dark horn colour for somewhat more than a>* inch from the tip, the nostril a remarkaldy wide slit, or opening through it ; the tongue is greatly concave, c»f' tilagiuous, and tiuely serrated on its edges ; ears inclii*' ing to oval ; eyes dark, in some specimens reddish hazel ; * Medley's Kolhen, vol. ii, p. 1.15. -)• These bloodthirsty eagles, we conjecture, are black vulture^ thev being in the habit of mining into the bellies of dead aniniidt, to feast nj,oii the contents. With respect to their attacking thet'’ that are living, as the vultures of America arc not so heroic, if r* a fair inference that the same specie-s elsewhere is possessed ef ® similar disposition. TURKEY VULTURE. ^ t'le head and neck, for about an inch and a half below Jiie ears, are furnished with a reddish wrinkled skin, “eset with short black hairs, which also cover the biU ^ far as the anterior angle of the nostril, the nec ^ much carunclnd as that of the black vulture ; trom We hind head to the neck feathers the space is coverea "ith down of a sooty black colour ; the fore part ot the peck is bare as far as the breast bone, the skiu on the bnver part, or pouch, very much wrinkled; this naked will is not discernible without removing the plumagh 'phich arches over it ; the whole lower parts, lining ot ‘P® Wings, riiniu, and tail coverts, are of a sooty brown, Jhe feathers of the belly and vent hairy ; the plumage ot wie neck is large and tumid, and, with that ot the back PP">sl» or me primaries are P“®se of the tail brown, both pure white below, the plumage of the neck, back, slioiildci-s, scapulars, and •secondaries, is glossed with green and ^‘■1-le rellekions ; the thighs are feathered to the knees ; P®et considerably wehhed ; middle toe three inches and P P«lf ill length, and about an inch and a Pull «ngrcr tile oiitcPr one, which is the next longest ; the sole If the foot is hard and rough ; claws dark horn colour ; l®gs ai-e of a pale llesh colour, and three inches long. 7® claws are lanmr, but the feet slenderer than those the carrion crow. The biU of the male is pure white ; some specimens the upper mandible is tipt with black. CATHARTES AURA. There is little or no other perceptible ditFerence betweoU the sexes. The biid from which the foreo'oing’ description wflS taken, was shot for this work, at Great Eo-ir Harbour, on the 30th of Jauuarjr. It was a fomale'l’iu perfect plumag-e, excessively fat, and weiifhed live pounds one ounce, avoirdupois. On dissection, it emited a sli'dit musky odour. ° The vulture is included iii the catalog’uo of those fowls declared unclean and an abomination hv the Levi- tical law, and which the Israelites were interdicted eating.* We presume that this prohibition was religi- ously observed, so far at least as it related to the vulture, from whose llesh there arises such au unsavoury odour, that we question if all the sweetening processes ever invented could render it pidatable to Jew, Pa<> public good. It sometimes haiipens, that, alter j’-y'ng gorged themselves, these birds voimt down the ’‘RHiieys, uhich must he intolerably disgusting, and thus* h>'«voke the ill will of those who.se hospitality is Tl'e black vultures are indolent, and mav he observed wwav vmtureN are compuuics loitering for hours together in one place , J'^y >'>m-*S« y, " ^^‘‘Jr mode of thoht also varies from that ol the turkey ^.«**ard. The b& vulture Haps its n iugs hve or six rapi,llv tl ei. sails with them extended nearly ^^■;'*Ol,t!dlv^’the turkey bii/^ard seldom Haps its wings, " hen ‘sailin-r they form an angle \vilh the body upwards. The hitter,' though found in the vicinity ot rarely ventur.4 nithin them, and then always ^PPeariug cautious of the near approach ot any one. not so impatient of cold as the former, and is 12 CATIIARTES ATRATUS. likewise less lazy. The black vulttire, on the o;rouin1< hops along very awkwardly ; the turkey buzzard, thongi* seemingly inactive, moves with an even gait. The lattcti unless pres.sed by hunger, will not eat of a carca.ss until it becomes putrid ; the former is not so fastidious, hut devours atiimal food without distinction. It IS said that the hla<;k vultures sometimes attack young pigs, and eat off their ears and tails ; and have even heard stories of their assaulting feeble culvc' and picking out their eyes. But these instances iU"® rare : if otherwise, they would not receive that countC' nance or protection which is so universally exteudcl to them, in the states of South Carolina and GeorgiUi where they abound. “ This undescrihed species,” says Mr B.artram, “ a native of the maritime parts of Georgia and of th^ Floridas, tvliere they are called carrion crows. They flock together, and feed upon carrion, hut do not mik with the turkey buzzard, (vultur aura.) Their wings af^ broad, and round at their e.vtremities. Their tail, which they spread like a fan Avhen on the wing, is remarkably short. They have a heavy, laborious flight, flappiusT their wings, and sailing alternately. The wiiole plumage IS ot a sable, or mourning colour.”* journals, I find an interesting detail ot the greedy and disgusting habits of tliis species i and shall give the passage entire, in the same uuadoructi manner in which it is written. “ February 21, 1809. — Went out to Hampsteadf thi-' forenoon. A horse had dropped down in the street, iu convulsions ; and dying, it ivas dragged out to HaWP' stead, and skinned. The ground, fiir a hundred varnh around it, was black with carrion croivs; many sat oU the tops of sheds, fences, and houses within sight ; sixty or eighty on the opposite .side of a small run. I couute‘l at one time two hundred and thirty-seven, but I belief® * IMS. in tKe possc'^sion of I^fr Onl. f Near Charleston, South Carolina BLACK VULTUKE. 13 were more, Viesides several in the air over my lead, and at a distance. I ventured cautiously within ""ty yards of the carcass, where three or four dogs, and *^Mity or thirty vultures, were busily tearing and 'levouring'. Seeing them take no notice, I ventured “'■‘“•''r, till 1 was within ten yards, and sat down on hank. ,, ■'■"•a. Stiii thcy paid little attention to me. The being sometimes accidentally flapped with the wings the vultures, ivould growd and snap at them, which occasion them to spring" np tor a nioiiient, hut immediately gathered in again. 1 remarked the l^lires frefiuently attack each other, lighting’ ivith their ' or heels, striking like a cock, with open wings, »'''i fixing their elans in each other’s head. The emales, and, 1 believe, the males liken ise, made a hissing with open mouth, exactly rcseinbling that pro- „*lced by thrustin" a red hot poker into water ; and a snuffling, like a dog clearing his nostrils, ^ Suppose they were theirs. On observing that they not heed mV, 1 stole so close that my feet were rpjinin one yard of the horse’s legs, and again sat dow u. j^ny all slid aloof a few feet ; hut, seeing me (juiet, they returned as before. As they were often disturbed "y the dogs, 1 ordered the hitter home : my voice gave ” alarm to the vultures. As soon as the dogs departed, ® '’nltures crowded in such iiuiiibers, that I counted nnetiiiio thirty-seven on and around the carcass, with o '' 61 ’al within ; so that scarcely an inch of it was ■yisilue. r>netitnes one would come out with a large piece of e entrails, which in a moment was surrounded by ;,?''eral others, who tore it in fragments, and it soon ^ai'peared. They kept up the hissing occasionally of themhaving their whole legs and heads covered r^h blood, presented a most savage aspect, btill as the rSs advamad, 1 would order them away, which seemed gratify the vultures ; and one would pursue another c? ’"■ithin a foot or two of the spot where I was sitting, “metimes I observed them stretching Ihcir necks along ground, as if to press the food dowuivards.” A he carrion crow is seldom found on tlio Atlantic, 4 CATIIARTES ATRATUS. 14 to the northward of Newborn, North Carolina,* b"* inhabits the whole continent, to the so\ithward, as b’J. as Cape Horn. Don Ulloa, in noticing the birds Carthagena, gives an account of a vulture, which shall quote, iu order to establish the opinion, advani'‘^ in the preceding history, that it is the present specie’’ We shall afterwards siilijoin other testimony iu coulh' matiou of this opinion. With respect to the marvcllo'l’] tale of their attacking the cattle in the |>astures, it too improbable to merit a serious refutation. . “ It would he too great an undertakiug to describe nb the extraordinary birds that inhabit this country ; bid I cannot refrain from noticing that to which they gi'* the name of gallinazo, from the resemblance it lias t® the tiirkeyheii. This bird is of the size of a peahri*’ but its head and neck are something larger. From th* crop to the base of the bill it has no feathers : tiid space is surrounded with a wrinkled, glandnlous, ai'® rough skin, which forms numerous warts, and oths^ similar inequalities. This skin is black, as is the pi®' mage of the bird, but usually of a brownish black. Tb^ bill is u'ell proportioned, strong, and a little hookc®- These birds are familiar in Carthagena; the tops of tb® I houses are covered with them; it is they which cleans® the city of all its animal impurities. There arc fc® animals killed whereof they do not obtain the offals ’ and when this food is wanting, they have recourse I® other filth. Their sense of smelling is so acute, that d enables them to trace carrion at the distance of thi'e® or four leagues, which they do not abandon until thef remains nothing but the skideton. “ The great number of these birds found iu such b®‘ climates, is an excellent provision of nature ; as, othet" wise, the putrefaction caused by the constant and exce®” sive heat, would render the air insupportable to hum®® life. When first they take wing, they fly heavily ; b® * Since writing the above, I have been informed by a gentleni^ who resides at Detroit, on Lake Erie, that the carrion croW common at that place. BLACK VULTURE. 15 invisible. 'Veil ** they walk sluirfi'isbl)'. Their leg-s are \P*’f*pnrtioncd ; they have three toes forward, ttirn- l,j^®l*'"'''*rds, and one in the inside, iiudiiiinif a little tviti ■'*0 that, the feet interfering, they eaiinot walk f.„,\ ?ny agility, Init are obliged to hop : each toe is '"unshed with ; long and stont elaw. ^ ^ood ^i‘en the gallinazoa are deprived of earrion, or 5 ^.,. tile city, they are driven by hunger among the till tL Pii^tures. If they see a beast with a sore atfe f I they alight on it, and attack the part itsgjf ’ ’'■iii it avails not that (he poor animal throws thei 1 **^?® t/*e ground, and endeavours to intimidate by jj* its hellowing : they do not quit their hold ! and tilat'*!^'''* of their bill they so soon etilarge the wound, the animal finally becomes their prey.”* effea *tceount, from the same author, of the henefici.al tts resulting from the fondness of the v\iltures for WSs of the alligator, merits attention ; — the cn-n-, tile ^n” Sallinazos arc the most inveterate enemies of tbgiy "Siitors, or rather they are extremely fond of l)y„; and employ much stratagem to ohtain them. ^ hrin"’: tile female aUig-ators to a3.t'‘c summer, these birds make it their business for it is in that season of thg deposit their eggs in the sand of the shores T th' 'I tl gaUi which not tlum overllowed. The of a conceals itself among the branches and leaves perujv*'^’ ,1*0 ns to be unperceived by the alligator; and ??Ptin® .V*® quietly to be laid, not even inter- ®Ut the ])recautions that she takes to conceal them, lin^ is no sooner under the water, thati the gal- ag(j ®.uiirts upon the nest; and, with its bill, claws, Ift^^i" '"gs, uncovers the eggs, and gobbles them down, ig(} nothing but the shells. This bamjuet would, reward its patience, did not a multitude the’e join the fortunate discoverer, and share in spoil. * T^o ^I^sforiq%ie de L'Amerique Meridionale, par Don ^ Antoine cle Ulloa, liv. i, chap, viii, p, 52, et a Leipzig, 1752, 4to. 16 CATHARTES ATRATUS. “ How admirable the wisdom of that Providence* which hath ^ven to the male alligator an inclination W devour its own offspring; and to the gallinazo a tasw for the eggs of tlie female ! Indeed, neither the vive^ nor the neighbouring fields, n ould otherwise be sn®” cient to contain the multitudes that are hatched ; fo'”’ notwithstanding the ravages of both these insatiabP enemies, one can hardly imagine the numbers tba remain.” * The Abbe Clavigero, in his History of Mexico, h^ clearly indicated the jiresent species, as distinguished from the turkey buzzard: — “ The business of clearing the fields of Mexico, '■ reserved principally for the zopilots, known in America by the name of yoUinazzi ; in other places, W tliat of nure; and in some places, though very impt*’' perly, by that of ravens. There are two very differed species of these birds : the one, the zopilot, properly ^ called ; the other called the cozcarprauhtli : they both bigger than the raven. These two species reseinbl each other in tlieir hooked bill and crooked claws, aO^ by having upon their head, instead of feathers, ‘ wrinkled membrane with some ciu-ling hairs. Thcj fly so high, that, although they are pretty large, the.’ ai-c lost to the sight; and especially before a bid storm they will be seen wheeling, in vast number^ under the loftiest clouds, till they entirely disappc^^ They feed upon carrion, u bich they discover, by tb^ acuteness of their sight and smell, from the great<^ height, and descend upon it with a majestic flight, j? ^ great spiral course. They arc both almost mute. two species are distinguished, however, by their si/J their colour, their numbers, and some other peculiarih^ The zopilots, ])roperly so called, have bbick feathd ” with a brown head, bill, and feet; they go often flocks, and roost together upon trees. This species very numerous, and is to be found in all the differ'' .. climates ; while, on the contrary, the cozcaiiuauhtli Liv. iv, chap, ix, p. 172. BLACK VULTURE. 17 from numerous, and is peculiar to the warmer cli- J*>ates alone.* The latter bird is liu-ffer than the zopilot, **? a red head and feet, with a beak ot a deep red except towards its extremity, which is white. ^ feathers are hrow'u, except upon the neck and parts ’*'it the breast, which are of a reddish black. The are of an ash colour upon the inside, and, upon ““ outside, are variepited with black and tawny. » The cozcaquauhtli is called by the Mexicans, Iting J the zopilots ; f and they say, that, when these twm jfB'acs hapjien to meet toifetheV about the same I'arrion, copilot never bcfrins to eat till the cozcaquauhtli has Jested it. The zopilot is a most useful bird to that for it not only clears the fields, but attends , / “>’Ocodih!s, and destroys the ejtgs which the females . fhose dreadful amphibious animals leave in the sand liatched by the heat of the sun. The destruction J a bird ou-rht to be prohibited under severe Of tl* olmost Rfro”! of trespassing upon the patience ar Teader by the length of our (juotatioiis ; but as we anxious that the subject of this article should ^“Joytha '• 5'“" • '*.7 «lilXlOUS T.llal I'lUl that right to which it is fairly entitled, of being 4 as an independent species, we are tempted to - - -l-'.-l' ...« ivt ♦Viri TT-i Q^rtTli Of rij.'** fostimony more, which we find in the History by the Abbe Molina. sho -'Of® {vuUur jota) resembles much the aura, a 1 of vulture, of' wdiich there is, perhaps, but one wv?*'fy- It is distinguished, however, by the beak, th„ ^ !fav, with a black point. Kotwitbstanding ana'-’*® Of bird, wbi. h is nearly that of the turkey, bm '"‘••ong and crooked talons, it attacks no other, weds principally upon carcasses and rejitiles. It is • Tn • A 18 a mistake. . . i_- a u *i the vzdiur aura. The hird which now goes by the ot *7,.. in New Spain, is the vultur papa UaitlQ i* I fHH U» of the zopthts, in N( Mexico, translated ‘'Oadon, ^OL. I, ■anslated by Cullen, vol. i, p. 47. 18 CATIIARTES ATRATUS. extremely indolent, and will frequently remain, tor * long' time, almost motionless, with its wings extended; sunning itself upon the rocks, or the roofs of the houses- When in paiTi, wliieli is the only time that it is kuo>yi> to make any noise, it utters a sharp cry like that ot j* rat; and usually disgorges what it has eaten. The desl* of this bird emits a fetid smell that is highly ott'eusive- The manner in which it builds its nest, is perfectly correspondent to its natural indolence ; it carelessly places between rocks, or even upon the ground, a fe"' dry leaves or feathers, upon which it lays two eggs of “ dirty white.”* ... j The black vulture is twenty-sLx inches in length, an" four feet four inches in extent; the hill is two inchc’ and a half long, of a dark horn colour as far as near a® inch ; the remainder, the head, and a part of the nec»' are covered with a black, wrinkled, caruncled skijh beset with short black hairs, and downy behind ; nostoh an ohloiig slit ; irides, reddish hazel ; the thrulling one I giiiust another until the strongest prevails. The turkey ’Ii^ziu-d is accused of killing young lambs and pigs, by picking out their eyes ; but I believe that the carrion ’'■C'v is goiity of the like practices. The two Pccies do not associate.” FAMILY II. IIAPACES. GENUS n. — FALCO, LlNNiUS. SUBGZNUS I. AQUJI.Ai BIIISSON. 3. FAJjCO FUL^US, LIVN^EGS BING-TAIL EAGLE, WILSON.^ WILSON, PL. LV. FIG. I. EDINBUBGII COLLEGE MUSEUM. This noble bird, iii strengtli, spirit, and activity, rank* amoii'p the first of its tribe. It is found, though sjiaringly dispersed, over the vi hole temperate and arctic regioiu'i particularly the latter ; breeding on high prceipitoU!i rocks, always preferring a niomitaiiious (•oiiiitry. its general appearance, it has great resemblance to the golden eagle, from which, however, it differs in being rather less, as also in the colours ami markings of the tail, and, as it is said, in being less noisy. Wlif® young, the colour of the body is considerably lighter, bu* deepens into a blackish brown as it advances in age. The tail feathers of this bird ai'e highly valued by th® various tribes of American Indians, for ornamenting tliei*^ calumets, or pijies of peace. Several of these pipes, whii'l* were brought from the remote regions of Louisiana, by Captain Lewis, are now deposited in Mr Pealc’s Mnseiiini each of which has a number of the tail feathers of this bird attached to it. The northern, as well as southern Indians, seem to follow the like practice, as appears by the numerous calumets, formerly belonging to ditfereuf tribes, to be seen in the same raagnificciit collection. Mr Pennant informs us, that the independent Tartar* * Is the young of the golden eagle. RING-TAII> EAGLE. 21 this eagle for the chase of hares, foxes, wolves, Welopes, &c. and that they esteem the leathers of the j^he best for pliimiug their arrows. The ring-tail ^■fle is characterized by all as a generous spirited and ocile bird ; and various extraordinary incidents are ^®lated of it by different writers, not, however, suffi- . 'ently authenticated to deserve repetition. The truth ' the solitary habits of the eagle now before ns, the ^**1 iiiaccessifile cliffs to which it usually retires, united , *th the scarcity of the s^iecics in those regions inhabited . y loan, all combine to render a particular knowledge of , ®aauncrs very difficult to be obtained. The author Once or twice, observed this bii'd sailing along the l|Hie declivities of the white mountains of No\y llarap- np'ir’ in October, and again, over the highlands Hudson’s River, not iar from West Point, its ilight ®®sy, ill high circuitous sweeps; its broad white h, tippeiP witlf brown, expanded hkc a tan. Near the .“Elements on Hudson’s Bav, it is more common, and ’’*said' ■ ■ "hich . x/ii xj.ilwc'xr** -• ^ .. ^aid to prey on hares, and the various species of grouse ‘’i .t iS* . 1 - 4-1 . <. America. As Marco Polo, in his description of the mistoms of the Tartars, seems to allude to this specieSi it may be said to inhabit the whole circuit of the arctu’ regions of the globe. The golden eagle, on the contrary is said to be found only in the more n arm and temperate countries of the ancient continent. Later discoveries! however, have ascertained it to be also an inhabitant n* the United States. SCBGENUS II. BALralTOS, S.\ VIGNY. 4. FALCO LEOCOCEFBALVS, tINN. WIIITE-HEADEn, OR EAlO EAGLE,* WILSON. WILSON, PLATE XXXVI. -j- EDINBURGH COLLEGE MUSEUM. This distinguished bird, as he is the most beautif*^ of his tribe in this part of the world, and the adopted emblem of oiir country, is entitled to particular notice* • The cpitliet hald, appliid to this spocies, whose head is thieW covered with feathers, is equally improper and ali«iird with th^ titles goatsucker, kiiigsfisher, &c. bestowed or, others ; and seeia to have been occasioned by the white n]ipearance of the head, 'vb® contrasted with the dark colour of the rest of the plumage. Th appellation, however, being now almost universid, is retained in th following pages. f This plate represents the adult bird. BALD EAGLE. 23 Tl'e celebrated Cataract of Niagara is a noted place of ^csort for tlie bald eaijle, as Aveil on account of the iisli Pcocured there, as for the numerous carcasses of squirrels, bears, and various other animals, that, in their j ^*-'*npts to cross the river above the Falls, have been J'^^ged into the current, and precipitated down that ^cnieiidous gpilf, where, amonaf the rocks that bound the -y^^l'ids below, they furnish a rich repast for the vulture, raven, and the bald eagle, the subject of the present Account, He has been long known to naturalists, being ^onitaou to both continents, and occasionally met with "om a very high northern latitude, to the borders of he ton-id zone, but chietly in the vicinity of the sea, and phhg the shores and cliffs of our lakes and large rivers. hrtned by nature for braving- the severest cold j teediiig hlUally produce of the sea, and of the land ; •'hssessiuo- powers of tlight capable of outstripping even 'he tempests themselves ; unawed by anv thing but man ; 'rS from the ethereal heights to which he soars, looking f head, at one glance, on an immeasurable expanse ot erests, fields, bikes, and ocean, deep below him, he ^Pl'ears indifferent to the little localities of change ot hasons ; as, in a few minutes, he can pass from summer e winter, from the lower to the higher regions of the “tmosphere, the abode of eternal cold, and from thence h«sceiid, at will, to the torrid, or the arctic regions of he earth. He is, therefore, found at all seasons, in the lie inhabits ; bnt prefers such phu’cs as liave ijientioned above, from the great partiality he has procuring these, he displays, in a very singular ^hUner, the gmiiiis and energy of his character which f ‘‘hfce, contmnplative, daring, and tyraiimcal ; attributes j.^ht e.verted hut on particular occa-sions^hut, ivheii put j - , l>hf t overpowering all opposition. Elevated on the dead limb of some gigantic tree that commands a MxA ^ nmi) oi some y*!® view of the neighbouring shore and ocean, he calmly to contemplate the motions of the various fathered tribes tliat pursue their busy avocations below ; he snow-white gulls slowly winnowing the air; the 24 FALCO LEUCOCEPIIALUS. busy ti'inffse coursing alon^ the sands ; trains of ducks streaminfi- over the surface ; silent and watchful craneSj intent and wading- ; clamorous crows ; and all the winged multitudes that subsist l)y the bounty of this vast liquid magazine of nature. High over all these hovers onCi whose action instantly arrests his whole attent ion. By h'* wide curvature of wing, and sudden suspeusiou in aif> he knon s him to he the fish han k, settling over som* devoted victim of the deep. His eye kindles at the sight, and, balancing himself, with half opened wing^> on the branch, he n-at(dies the result. Down, rapid S’ an arrow from heaven, descends the distant object o* his attention, the roar of its wings reaching the car it disappeai-s in the deep, making the surges foa® around ! At this moment, the eager looks of the eagh- are all ardour; and, levelling his neck for flight, be sees the fish haivk once more emerge, struggling with his prey, and mounting in the air with screams o' exultation. These are the signal for our hero, whOi lauching into the air, instantly gives chase, and sooi' gains on the fish hawk ; each exerts his utmost to mouul above the other, displaying in these rencontres the most elegant and sublime aerial evolutions. The uneucuni' bered eagle rapidly advances, and is just on the point ol reaching his o])j)oneut, nhen, nith a sudden screaiU) probably of despair and honest execration, the lattef drops his fish : the eagle, poising himself for a moment, as if to take a more cert.aiu aim, descends like a whirl' wind, snatches it in his grasp ere it reaches the ivatef, and boars his ill-gotten booty silently away to the woods. These predatory attacks and defensive manoeuvr'’* of the eagle and the fish hawk, are matters of daily observation along the whole of o>ir sea board, fi-oi" Georgia to New England, and frequently e.xcite g''*’'?^ interest in the spectators. Symjtathv, however, on th'* as on most other occasions, generally sides n ith the honest .and laborious sufferer, in opposition to the attack® of power, injustice, and rapacity, qualities for whick our hero is so generally notorious, and which, in 1"» BALD EAGLE. 25 ^•iperior, man, are certainly detestable. As for the eehngs of the poor lish, they seem altogether out of ‘"Question. 'rhen driven, as he sometimes is, by the combined Uriijip and jierseverancu of the tish hawks from their ®\ghbourhood, and forced to hunt for liiinself, he hp niore inland, in search of young pigs, of which y. 'le^troys great numbers. In the low'er parts of ^ '*■(11100 and North Carolina, where theiubaldtants raise ^ St herds of those animals, complaints of this kind are la*^^ ffeneiwl iigainst him. He also destroys young in the 4 -arly part of spring ; and n ill sonietimes j old sickly sheep, aiming furiously at their eyes. •corroboration of the remarks I have myself made re A® ®‘“>“ors of the bald eagle, many accunnts have , “oiled me from various pei-sons of respectability, living 01 , or near our sea coast": The substance of all these I V ^'••^ravour to incorporate with the present account, th- ’^ohu L. (lardiuer, who resides on aii island ot ^.*^0 thousand acres, about three miles from the eastern (j^'Jl^.of Long Island, from w hich it is separated by tu, . joor’s Bay, and who has con.sequently many oppor- observing the habits of these birds, has o^'^'jrod me with a nuinlter of interesting jtarticulars tOf, ** subject; for which 1 beg leave thus publicly ^•‘huu my jjrjiteful acknowledgment, tljj ke bald eagles,” says this geutlem.ni, “remain on eaj|.|***kuid during the whole w inter. They can lie most discovered on evenings by their loud snoring tlmj ®, o^leep on high oak trees; and, when awake, I .. r keai'iiin. seems to be nearly as good as their sight, avi "k I mentioned to von, that I had myself seen one On 1? " ilk a lamb ten "days old, and whiidi it dropped Th* c ground from about ten or twelve feet high. l)reV'^*'‘"sgling of the lamb, more than its weight. “ud ."'eiited being its carrying it away. My running, hallooing, very near, might |)reveut its completing its a "i kad broke the back in the act (,f seizing to’ I vvas under the necessity of killing it outright P*'bveiit its misery. The lamb’s dam seemed asto- 26 FALCO LEUCOCEPIIAI.US. iiislied to sec its innocent ofFspring borne off into th^ air by a bird. “ I was lately told,” continues Mr Gardiner, “ by ® man of truth, that he saw an eagle rob a hawk of '1** fish, and the hawk .seemed so enraged as to fly do'y*' at the eagle, while the eagle very deliberately, in the aifi threw himself partly over on his back, and, while he grasped with one foot the fish, extended the other t® threaten or seize the hawk. I have known several hawks unite to atta(;k the eagle ; but never knew * single one to do it. The eagle seems to regard th« hawks as the hawks do the king-birds, only as teasin?' troublesome fellows.” From the same intelligent and obliging friend, I lately received a well preserved .skin of the bald eagle, whirhi from its appearance, and the note that accompanied d’ seems to have belonged to a very formidable indiv>' dual. “ It was shot,” says Mr Gardiner, “ bust winteh on this island, and weighed thirteen pounds, measur*’® three feet in length, and seven from tip to tip of th® expanded wings ; was extremely fierce looking ; thou?® wounded, would turn his back to no one ; fastened 1"' claws into the lu'ad of a dog, and wns with difficulty disengaged. I have rode on horsehack within five six rods of one, who, by his bold demeanour, raising feathers, &c. seemed willing to dispute the ground wit® its owner. The, crop of the present u as full of muttoU* from my part blood Merinos ; and his intestines coU' tained feathers, which he probably devoured with ® duck, or winter gull, as I observed an entire foot au leg of some water fowl. I had two killed jirevious to tlut> which weighed ten pounds avoirdupois each.” The intrepidity of character, mentioned above, may h , farther illustrated by the followingr fact, which occurrf a few years .ago, near Great F.gg Harbour, New Jersey'- j woman, who happened to be weeding in the garden, ha^, set her child down near, to amuse itself while she was a work ; u hen a sudden and extraordinai-y rushing soup J and a scream from her child, alanned her, and, staid"'^ up, she beheld the infant thrown down, and drag?® BALD EAGLE. 27 ^*^6 fcB' feet, and a largo bald eagle bearing off a frag- ®ut of its frock, M bicb being tbe only part seized, and ^''ay, providentially saved the life ot the infant, j "he appetite of the bald eagle, though habituated to in*1^ fasting*, is of the most voi'acious and often the most “dclioate kind. Fish, when he <^au obtain them, are vr'iTcd to all other fare. Young lambs and pigs are morsels, and madgions nnniber of their dead bodies were floated to nrt by an eddy. Here the vultures assembled in force, and had regaled themselves for some time, p a bald eagle made his appearance, and took sole, at of the promises, keeping the whole vultures bfie Pioper distance for several days. He has also Cajv ^ceii navigating the same river on a floating "'at ^''ougli scarcely raised above the surface of the saw tugging at the carcass, regardless of snags, llj„ ^ers, plmiters, or shallows. He sometimes cames Ija,. .^^pnny to great extremes against the vnllnres. In ac,.: j **’"cs, when food happens to be scarce, should he ^ciitally meet with one of these n ho has its craw thr*’""^ with carrion, he attacks it fiercely ill the air; cio„®’^"‘«‘dly vulture instantly disgorges, and the deli- are snatcheil up by the eagle before qN, *'‘‘ach the ground. lar„ “cst of this species is generally fixed on a very PifS* *i”'^ '**^ty tree, often in a swamp or morass, and to be ascended. On some noted tree of this FALCO LEUCOCEPHALUS. 28 description, often a pine or cypress, the bald eagl® builds, year after year, for a long' series of yeai'" When both male and female have been shot from tl**'’ nest, another pair has soon after taken possession. Th® nest is largo, being added to and repaired every seasoJ*> until it becomes a blaidt prominent mass, observable at “ considerable distainre. It is formed of larg»‘ sticks, so when the iirst is hatched, the warmth of that, it pretended, hatches the other. Whether this be corref or not, I cannot determine ; but a very res])ectabl® gentleman of Virginia assured me, that he saw a hu’r® tree cut down, containing the nest of a bald eagle, '■* which were two young, one of which appeared near!/ three times as large as the other. As a proof of the't attachment to their young, a person near Norfol}' informed me, that, in clearing a piece of wood on h' place, they met with a large (haul pine tree, on whn- was a bald eagle’s nest and young. The free being fire more than half way up, and the flames rapi* ’ neck, tail coverts, and tail ; these by the end ot fourth year are completely white, or very slightly with cream ; the eye also is at first hazel, but gradua' ; BALD EAGLE. 20 jjj into a brilliant straw colour, with the white of the head. Such at least was the gradual tin chanire, witi\essed by myself, on a very min hronglit up by a jfentlenian, a friend of ." ho, for a considerable time, believed it to be sur 'mimlly called the ffi’ay eagle, and was much at the gradual metamoqdiosis. This will ®ftl*'*'* for the circumstance, so frequently observed, S>’ay and white-headed eagle being seen together, of , ing, in fact, the same species, in different stages according to their difference of age. dof. tiifl'ht of the bald eagle, when taken into eonsi- HjiIjI 'mi U'ith the ardour and energy of his character, is interesting. Sometimes the human eye can cy 'hsceru him, like a minute speck, moving in slow n, ■''^iores along the face of the heavens, as if recon- lie ^'."11 the earth at that immense distance. Sometimes hpi^hties along in a direct horizontal line, at a vast "ith expanded and unmoving uings, till he glijj.'f'hy di.sappears in the distant blue ether. Seen tjij ''’’I in easy circles over the high shores and moiin- lio- olifl's that ton er aliove the Hudson and Susque- addj; attracts the eye of the intelligent voyager, and Of interest to the sceueiy. At tlie great Cataract golf ■'‘'S'n'o, already mentioned, there ri.ses from the stijo " hioh the Falls of the Horse-Shoe descends, a he.,^'"'ous eoliimii of smoke, or spray, reaekiiig to the to and moving oft' in large black clouds, according and '® 'hrection of the wind, forming a very striking i-aill ’^"■i®stic appoaranco. The eagles are hero seen Colli ^ "hont, sometimes losing themselves in this thick SOoii*"*’ again reappearing in another place, with trill, and cleoaiice of motion, as renders the n hole ‘y snhiiing High 0 Vt the ■watery uproar, silent seen, failing sedate in majesty serene, ■^«'v midst the pillar’d spray suhliniely lost, •$od n plumage is deep divrk brown, each feather tipt with brown, lightest on the shoulder of the wing, and dai’k^^ towards its extremities. The conformation of the wn'^, is admirably adapted for the sunport of so large a bim' it measures two feet in breadth on the greater quib-'^ and sixteen inches on the lesser ; the longest priniark' are twenty inches in length, and upwards of one in^ in circumference where they enter the skin ; the broade^ secondaries are three inches in breadth across the van®' the scapulars are very large and broad, spreading ftp ^ the back to the n-ing, to prevent the air from passing through ; another range of broad flat feathers, from thre^ to ten inches in length, also extend from the lower pnt_ of the breast to the wing below, for the same purpos®^ between these lies a dee]) triangular cavity ; the thi^'*'' are remarkably thitik, strong,aud muscular, covered tvfl long fcatliers ])ointing backwards, usually called lb femoral feathers ; the legs, which arc covered half n*” below the knee, before, with dark bro wn downy feathC^ are of a rich yellow, the colour of ripe Indian cor'*’ feet the same ; claws, blue black, veiy large and stro***’ particularly the inner one, which is considerably 1** largest; so’les, very rough and warty; the eye is su'*' under a bony, or cartiliigiiious projection, of a pale ynb.b , colour, and is turned considerably forwards, notstand**k parallel with the cheeks, the iris is of a bright sW** colour, pupil black. The male is generally two or three inches shorter tp^ the female; the white on the head, neck, and tail be*^-^ more tiuged with yellowish, and its ivhole appeara** , less formidable ; the brown plumage is also lighter, a the bird itself less daring than the female, — a circu stance common to almost all birds of prey. 31 BALD EAGLE. U?'** ^ii’d from wliich the forcooiiift description was of t”’ *’***^* Great Eg" Harbour, in the month jlj '^•'■Quary. It was in excellent order, and weighed (.j^*** oleven pounds. Dr Samuel B. Smith, of this obliired mo with a minute and careful dissection whoso co])ious and very interesting notes suit^i 1 shall extract such remarks as are ^*d to the general reader. j'g Gie eagle you sent me for dissection was a beautiful bri • ■ " oJi^pansions of the gullet. The first iti composed of longitudinal bundles of fibre, l^J,''0*eh (as the bird is ravenous and without teeth) sol^* portions of unraasticated meats are sulfered to dis- f'efore they psiss to the low er or proper stomach, 'eh is membranous. I did not receive the bird time ^j^Ogh to ascertain whether any chilification was * 0 *“'' ' ■' juices from the vessels of this enlarge- C;‘«dbythej. ^tstantly aU'i ^**0 (esophagus. I think it probable, that it J'O ha^ , 1 a regurgitating, or vomiting power, as the bird sta — '*'^y swallows large (juantities of indigestible sub- aa J®®s. such as ((uills, hairs, &c. In this sac of the ^ ^ouud the (juill feathers of the small w'hite guU ; - fish. This excited some surprise, until you made fiiat/*' file true stomach, the tail and some of the breast laj, '®rs of the same bird, and the dorsal vertebra; of a This excited some surprise, until you made ha,„?®'l'i®'>uted with the fact of its watching the fish thw robbing them of their prey. Thus we see, a|u,,'^^*"*t the whole empire of animal lift;, power is of always in a state of hostility to justice ; and oou,*^® lleity only (»m it truly be said, that^M.vfice is « ^®usurate with power ! and ^ lias the several auxiliaries to digestion Uj, '^^siniilation in common with man. The liver was yally large in your specimen. It secretes bile, ’^lood ®’'‘''i“lates the intestines, prepares the chyle for deeui l>v this very secretion of bile, (as it is a obii,y. *'®spir"ing animal,) separates or removes some adiai'''?a® principles from the blood. (See Dr Hush’s *‘>ibj/, lecture on this important viscus in the human *''•) The intestines were also lai-ge, long, convolute. 32 FALCO LEUCOCEPHALUS. ^ and supplied with numerous lacteal vessels, which dilf^ little from those of men, except in colour, whi(di wa* transparent. The kidneys were large, and seated oP each side the vertebne, near the anus. They are ala de.stined to secrete some offensive principles from tn blood. “ The eggs were small and numerous ; and, after » careful examination, I concluded that no sensible increas takes place in them till the particnlar season. This maj account for the unusual excitement which prevails m these birds in the sexual intercourse. Why there are so many eggs, is a mystery. It is, perhaiis, consisten with natural law, that every thing should be abundaiil| hut, from this bird, it is said, no more than tivo youB^ are hatched in a season, conse(|uently, no more eggs or wanted than a sufficiency to produce that effect. Ar® the eggs numbered originallv, and is there no increi^^ of number, hut a gradual foss, till all are deposited- If so, the number may correspond to the long life ad vie-orous health of this noble bird. Why there is two young in a season, is easily explained. Nature been sfudiously parsimonious of her physical streuglo' , from whence the tribes of animals incapable to rcsiS" derive semirity and confidence.” The eagle is said to live to a great age — sixty, eighl;’ and, as some assort, one hundred years. This circuD*' stance is remarkable, when we consider the seeiriid? | intemperate habits of the bird. Sometimes fastii'?’ through necessity, for several days, and at other tiWj goridn"- itself with animal food till its craw swells the'’plumage of that part, forming a large protuberam'j on the breast. This, however, is its natural food, a" for these habits its wlnde organization is particular'; .adapted. It has not, like men, invented rich win®” ardent spirits, and a thousand artificial poisons, m form of soups, sauces, and sweetmeats. Its food simple, it indulges freely, uses great exercise, breat"^^ the purest air, is healthy, vigorous, and long hr'- The lords of the creation themselves might derive so' useful hints from these facts, were they not alrea . 2 SEA EAGLE, in 33 Reneral, too wise, or too proud, to le.ai-n from their ‘^feriors, the fowls of the air and beasts of the field. 5. FALCO OSSIFEAGUS, WII.SON.* SEA EAGLE. "’ilsox, I’LATE LV. FIG. II EDINBL'KGH COLLEGE MUSEUM. Ting cao'le inhabits the same eountries, frequents the situations, and lives on the same kind of food, as I'ald eagle, with whom it is often seen in company. 0 ’‘''■■^ciublcs this last so much iu figure, size, form of liill, legs, and claws, and is so often seen associating it, both along the Atlantic coast and in the vicinity l,j ?'ii' lakes and large rivers, that I have strong sus- 1 ^"s, notuith.standing ancient and very respectalde oJ^Ofities to the contrary, of its being the same species, Z in a different stage of colour. 1 , A'^it several years elapse before the young of the an? receive the white head, neck, and tail; Sh tke intermediate period, their plumage ff ’*'*8iy resemide.s that of the sea eagle, 1 am satisfied bv*'' ®"''i observation on three several birds, kept tjj Py^^sons of Philadcljihia. One of these, belonging to ^ ' late Mr Enslen, collector of natural subjects for the tie Austria, was confidently believed by him to tl '® black, or sea eagle, until the fourth year, when Iff .Ptuniiige oil the head, tail, and tail-coverts, began f, '‘“■'itly to become white; the bill also exchanged thi 1 '^y tiue for that of yellow ; and, before its death, pg^ird, which I frequently examined, assumed the 'tect dress of the full-plumaged bald eagle. Another 'ai '.This ''OL. is the young of thefulco hncoceplialus, or vvliite-headed "’nicl.t'"* ^*“1 yoang of the falco oHiicilla, or cinereous eagle, IS the sea eagle of Britain. — Editor, FALCO OSSIFRAGUS. 34 circumstance, corroborating these suspicions, is the variety that occurs in the colours of the sea eagif’ Scarcely two of these are found to he alike, then plumage being more or less diluted with white, t" some, the chin, breast, and tail-coverts, are of a deep brown; in others nearly white; and in all, evident! unfixed and varying to a pure white. Their place an maimer of building, on high trees, in the neighbourhoo of lakes, large rivers, or the ocean, exactly similar w the bald eagle, also strengthens the belief. At tb celebrated (Cataract of Niagara, great numbers of thes« birds, called there gray eagles, are coiitiinially see" sailing high and majestically over the watery tumul'' in company with the bald eagles, eagerly watching fn^ the mangled carcasses of those animals that have bee'' hurried over the jirecipice, and ciust up on the rock below, by the violence of the Rajiids. These are soi®^ of the cirinimstances on which my suspicions of tb^ identity of those two birds are founded. In some futur^ part of the work, 1 hope to be able to speak with certainty on this subject. Were wo disposed, after the manner of some, substitute, for plain matters of fact, all the narrativ'’®’ conjectures, and fanciful theories of travellers, voyag'*'^.’ compilers, &c. relative to the history of the eagle, volumes of these writers, from Aristotle down to admirer, the Count dc Biift'oii, would furnish abundn" materials for this purpose. But the author of present work feels no ambition to excite surprise astonishment at the expense of truth, or to attenip' to elevate and embellish his subject beyond the pi^'j realities of nature. On this account, he cannot assv"^ to the assertion, however eloquently made, in the cc brated parallel dran n by the French naturalist, betwy" the lion and the eagle, viz. that the eagle, like the l'‘’^| “ disdains the possession ot that property which is " the fruit of his own industry, and rejects, with conteinp,, the prey w'hich is not procured by his own exertion'’ since the very reverse of this is the case, in the cood"^^ of the bald and the sea eagle, w’ho, during the sum*® SEA EAGLE. 35 onths, are the constant robbers and plunderers of the **prey, or fish-hawk, by whose industry alone both are sually fed. Nor that, “ thouyli famished for want of he disdains to feed on carrionf since we have ^iPselves seen the bald eagle, while seated on the dead ^'^eass of a horse, keep a whole flock of vultures at a *I’®®tful distance, until be had fully sated his own 'Ppetite. The Count has also taken great pains to the ridiculous opinion of Pliu}', who conceived Dp ospreys formed no separate race, and that they ^^oceeded from the intermi.vture of diflerent species iijj *‘‘oles, the jmnng of which were not osjireys, only ^ ®. /^“bdes ; “ which sea eagles f says he, “ breed small th '**’^®*> which engender great vultures, that have not P'^Wer of propagation.” * But, while labouring to ,jj.'*''ite these absurdities, the Count himself, in bis belief - occasional intercourse between the osprey and the ^ a eagle^ contradicts all actual observation, and one of 1 , ® 'Oost common and fixed laws of nature; for it may safely asserted, that there is no habit more universal til ’'^‘0 feathered race, in their natural state, than of . ohastity of attachment, which (lonfincs the amours Pep , ''dduals to those of their own species only. That ■'otl**^***®“ of nature, produced by domestication, is ol)s. to the ]mrpose. In no instance have I ever ®rvad the slightest appearance of a contrary conduct. Help" *** those birds which never build a nest for tbem- a nor hatch their young, nor even pair, but live in general concubinage, — such as the cuckoo of tiipp** , > “I'ld the May, while on a shooting excursion along the sea coash not far from Great Egg Harbour, accomi)auied by wy friend Mr Ord, we were conducted about a mile iidd the woods to see an csigle’s nest. On approachii'r within a shoi-t distance of the ])lace, the bird was pet' ceived slowly retreating from the nest, which, rve fouudi oc(aipied the centre of the top of a very large yello"' pine. The woods were cut down, and cleared oft', Idt several rods m-onnd the spot, which, from this circlin'' stance, and the stately, erect trunk, and large crookcb wriggling- branches of the tree, surmounted by a black mass of sticks and brush, had a very singular and picturesque (‘ft'ect. Our conductor had brought an aX" with him, to cut down the tree ; but my companion) anxious to save the eggs, or young, insisted on ascending to the nest, n hich he fearlessly perfonued, while stationi'd ourselves lielow, ready to defend him, in cas*- of an attack from the old eagles. No opposition, ho"' ever, was offered ; and, on reaching the nest, it found, to our disappoint ment, empty. It was built large sticks, some of them several feet in length ; with'' Avhich lay sods of earth, sedge, grass, dry reeds, piled to the height of five or six feet, by more than fn"^ in breadth. It tvns well lined n-ith fresh pine tops, a"'^ had little or no concavity. Under this lining lay t''|^ recent exuvim of the young of the present year, su* as scales of the quill feathers, down, &c. Our g'}' ^ had jiassed this ])lace late in February, at which ti"' , both male .and female n'cre making a g-reat noise the nest ; and, from what we afterwards learnt, ‘ highly probable it contained young, even at that cat i time of the season. j SEA EAGLE. 37 A. few miles from tliis, is another eagle’s nest, built “O on a j)ine tree, which, from the information I’cceived tile proprietor of the woods, had been long the .. ^'ideuce of tliis family of eagles. The tree on which ® nest was originally built, had been, for time immc- , neial, or at least ever since he remembered, inhabited these eagles. Some of his sons cut down this tree ^ 1 * lH'Ociirc the young, which were two in nuiuber ; and e,® t'aglcs, soon after, coranienced building another nest, I the very next adjoining tree, thus exhibiting a very L 1‘®nhir attachment to the spot. The eagles, he says, it a kind of home and lodgimj place, in all seasons, ns man asserts, that the gray, or sea eagles, are the Jj.nng of the bald eagle, and that they are several years before they begin to breed. Tt does not drive its snuiig osprey, or fish-hawk, but ‘i^niues to feed them long after they le.ave it. f be specimen from which this description was taken tg’^'n'Ured three feet in length and upwards ot seven th^r nxti'nf- Tbe bill n as formed cxaiitly like Cer bald eagle, but of a dusky broun colour; Oaio bigs, bright yelloM' ; the latter, as in the bald leathered a little below the knee; irides, a bright eoloiir; bead above, neck and back, streaked with wT. bi’o wn, deep brown, and white, the plumage being tipt and centered with brown ; scaimlars, brown ; ying-coverts, very pale, intennixeil with n hite ; black, their shafts bromiish white ; rump, thi* bi'ownish nhite ; tail, rounded, somewhat longer jr n the wing's, when shut, brown on the exterior vanes, tin- ones irhite, sprinkled with dirty brown ; breast, and bell)-, white, dashed and streaked h,,. * 'bfferent tints of broivn and pale yellow ; veut, litrr"’ lipt with white ; femorals, d,ark brown, tipt with the auriculars, brown, forming a bar from below anj backwards ; plumage of the neck, long, narrow, ^ , Pointed, as is usual with eagles, and of a brownish ’pL*’’ ^'Pl with white. nio-l f ooitlc is said, by various authors, to hunt at o as Well as during the day, and that, besides lish. 38 FALCO IIAHiETUS. it feeds on chickens, birds, hares, and other animals. I* 1 is also said to catch fish during’ the night ; and that th® | noise of its |)lunging into the water is heard at a gre® distance. But, in the descriptions of these writers, tl'l* bird has been so frequently confounded with the ospreft as to leave little doubt that the habits and mannei’S ® the one have been often attributed to both ; and othct^ added that are common to neither. SUBGESUS III. FAKDION, SA VIGNY. 6. FALCO IIALIASTUS, LINN. FISH-HAWK, OR OSPREY, WILSON- WILSON, PL. X.YXVII. FIG. 1 -EDINBURGH COLLEGE MUSEUM' This formidalile, vigorous-winged, and ’B'ell knoM'f bird, subsists altogetlier on the finny tribes that swai®® in our hays, creeks, and rivers ; procuring his prey W his own active skill and industry; and seemiug farther de])endent on the laud than as a mere resti®? place, or, in the usual season, a spot of deposit I*’ his nest, eggs, and young. The ii.sh-hawk is migratory, arriving on the co®*'^ of New York and New .Jersey about the twenty-first March, and retiring to the south about the twciitJ second of September. Heavy equinoctial storms varj' these periods of arrival and departure a few <1®!* J hut long observation has ascertained, that they are with remarkable regularity. On the arrival of th®' birds in the northern parts of the United States, March, they sometimes find the bays and ponds fr®^*^ J and experience a difficulty in procuring fish for days. Yet there is no iivstance on record attacking birds, or inferior land animals, with in*^ * It is also a European species. FISII-HAWrC, OR OSPREY. 39 ^ feed on them ; though their great strength of flight, "’ell as of feet and claws, would seem to render this difficult matter. But they no sooner arrive, than they "’’'Re war on the bald eagles, as against a horde ot tobbers and banditti ; sometimes succeeding, by lorce ®f numbers and perseverance, in driving them from haunts, but seldom or never attacking them in ^h'gle combat. The first appearance of the fish-hawk in spring, is "elcomed bv the fishermen, as the happy signal of the ^Wnoach of those vast shoals of herring, shad, &c. .hat regularly arrive on our coasts, and enter our riyere tn Such prodigious multitudes. Two of a trade, 'f ^’^hl, seldom agree ; the adage, however, will not hold f^nd ill the uresent case, for such is the respect paid ‘•“t fish-hank, not only by this class of men, but, Setierally by the whole neighbourhood where it resides, fhat a person who should attempt to shoot one ot tlmm, "'duld stand a fair chance of being insulted, llns l*''®possession in favour of the fish-hawk is honourable n their feelings. They associate, with its first appear- ideas of plenty, and all the gaiety of business ; they see it active and industrious like themselves; '^‘efl'eiisive to the productions of their fanns ; building "■'fh confidence, and without the least di.sposition to Concealment, in the middle of their fields, and along Jheir fences ; and retiirniug, year after year, regularly fis former abode. „ , , „ .The nest of the fish-hawk is usually built on the top u*. dead, or decaying tree, sometimes not more than ^cen, often upwards of fifty feet, from the ground, has been rem*arked by the people of the sea coasts, the most thriving tree will die in a few years after ^ctng taken possession of by the fish-hawk. This ,s attributed to the fish-oil, and to the excrements ot the but is more probably occasioned by the large “cap of wet salt materials of which the nest is nsuaUy composed. In my late excursions to the sea shore, I ®«ceuded to several of these nests that had been built 40 PALCO HALIiETUS. in from year to year, and found them constructed as follows : — Externally, large sticks, from half an inch to an inch and a half in diameter, and two or three fed I in length, ])iled to the height of four or live feet, anil from two to three feet in breadth ; these were intcf' mixed with com stalks, sea-weed, pieces of vret turtj i" large quantities, mullein stalks, and lined ivith dry sea- grass ; the whole forming a mass very observable a* half a mile’s distance, and large enough to till a carb and form no inconsiderable load for a horse. TheSf ^ materials are so well put together, as often to adhere, in large fragments, after being blown down by the wind- My learned and obliging correspondent of New York, Dr Samuel L. Mitchill, observes, that “ A sort of superstition is entertained in regard to the tish-hawk- It has been considered a fortunate inciilent to have n nest, and a pair of these birds, on one’s fiu'in. They have, therefore, been generally res|)ected ; and neither the axe nor the gun has been lifted against them- Their nest continues from year to year. The same cou]>le, or another, as the case may be, occupies ib season after season. Repairs are duly made, or, i\ hen demolished by storms, it is industrionsly rebuilt. There w'as one of these nests, formerly, upon the leatlesii summit ot a venerable chestnut tree on our tiirm, directly in front of the house, at the distance of less than half a mile. The n ithennl trunk and boughs, surmounted by the coarse lyronght and capacious nest, n ils a more picturesque object than an obelisk ; and the flight of the han ks, as they ivent forth to hunt, returned with their game, exercised themselves in nheeling round and round, and circling about it, were amusing to the beholder, almost from morning to night. The family of thc.se hawks, old and young, nais killed by the Hessian Juijers. A succeeding piiir took possession of the nest ; but, in the coiu'se of time, the prongs of the trunk so rotted anay, tlnit the nest could no longer b* supported. The hawks have been obliged to seek ne"’’ quarters. We hare lost this part of our pro.spect j and FISII-IIAWK, OR OSPREY. 41 have not atFoi’ded a convenient site tor one of habitations si " Abr ‘he lirst of May. ‘he female fisb-han k begins s %.her eggs, « hicli are commonly tlmce in number, ^ «it"i eg'fts, \> lucii are cemiuuui^ um c n* "‘tim,.s only two, and rarely four. They are some- ol'*u '“'■yer than those of the common lieu, and nearly diff' shape. The grouinl colour varies, in ^l,l'^Y'Rt eggs, from a reddish crdam, to nearly a white, ^^'I'jhed anil daubed all over with dark Spanish brown, Sjj . done by art.* During the time the female is th< ‘he male freipicntly supplies her with lish ; m M lue male ireipicnny Mipj.inii. ■ ...... h,,r"r'h she occasionally takes a short circuit to sea thp"'"’ hut quickly returns again. The attention of so ’“sle, on such occasions, is regulated by the circum- !iia,7«;fofthe case. A pair of these birds, on the south V,. ® ’‘f (treat E"-"' Harbour river, and near its mouth, .“oted for svfveral years. The female, having but fist, ■ o, Mas regubu-ly furnished, while sitting, with abundance, that she seldom left the nest, till, to seek for food. This kindness was con- ' - . Some animals, of mail, might ‘“hiei V “* Ml,. before and after incubation. and rationality I ‘laitn the ''"‘uu tue name ana mi ^ Ht the recital ol this fact. tho a])pearance of the young, Mhich is usually ^ of June, 1 lie zeal and watchfulness ot the fissfi '“s are e.xtreme. They stand guard, and go off to ’ *heruatcly ; one parent being aln ays within a *MHii2!.‘ Piilntiiblcncss of those eggs I cannot speak from l«t. i, ; blit till, following iuciilont will shew that tlm ‘■’'Pf ’■ "k hi, '‘rtnally heen made A country follow, near Caiit Alay, fi-'li M' a neigbboiiring tavern, passing a tree, on " bM' •‘'‘‘■"k’s f.„;„.„liatSy mmmtcd, a.nl rohbod it nt the only which he carried with him to the tavcin, and Mrr a lamllonl tn make it into egg-nogg. fho P"’ ‘‘■'T faces, cmnidied witli ins request, an tin lelluw “.'-tVs II,, frnin its elleets on the olfactory 41 '«>• I 4 V J . • 1 \ -. a.!... ...I t /VV* /1-rk o'-'^Ves cordial : lehetliev from its eneets o.. ...v , »"bl it smelt ahominably, ) on the niiagn.atum, or on flaJ |">“eh alone, is uncertain, but it operated as aniost mi a;ageous “‘fet (. . *; “‘(HU!, IS uuuortiun, inu- <4 ‘-r ‘“"'-v “ ; ^ '^-no’tr ‘■“'■“I Ibe man, for that tone at least, ot Ins tliirst lor 'Whatisr.'i, ■ rurcii tlie man, lor tiiar inne ... ....s,, ■■■ “ 'Vhat is rather extraordinary, the landlord (.Air lieasley) “M that, to aU appearance, the egg was perfectly fresh. 42 FALCO IIALIiETUS. short distance of the neat. On the near approach any person, the hawk utters a plaintive whistline' hh.jj which hecomes shriller as she takes to wing-, and s?', around, sometimes making a rapid descent, as if aiihl , directly for you ; but checking her course, and sweep) past, at a short distance over head, her wings niah'^j^ a loud vi liizzing in the air. My u-orthy friend Gardiner informs me, that they have even been ifi' .. K\r ».ms .* ..... J dariiin- spirit in this way, through the kindness I had requested of him the favour to transmit n)^’^( possible, a live fish-hawk, for the purpose of makih'|^ drawing of it, vi hich (minmissiou he very failhb' ■; executed ; and 1 think I cannot better illustrate ’ [ part of the bird’s character, than by quoting his Ic* at large. “ Beasley's, Great Egg Harbour, HMh June, if'. to fix their clau s in a negro’s head, who was attenip|' jj to climb to their nest ; and I had lately a proof of n'. ^ daring spirit in this way, through the kindness friend, resident, for a few weeks, at Great Egg Harb® j Sir, fish-hawk' ■Mr Beasley and I went to reconnok''^.; > nest on Thursday afternoon. When ' |,( at the nest, I was struck with so great violence on jj, crown of the bat, that I thought a hole was made I had ascended fearlessly, and never dreamt of attacked. I came down quickly. There were i'h a nest three young ones, about the size of pullets, "dlLj though full feathered, were unable to fl)'. On morning, I went again to the nest to get a young which i thought I could nurse to a considerable g''*^?. fi sufficient to answer your purpose, if I should ^ procure an old one, which u as represented to almost impossible, on account of his shyness, an" danger from his dreadful claws. On taking a one, I intended to lay a couple of snares in the for which purpose I had a strong cord in my J 1 The old birds were on the tree when Captain H- , approached it. As a defence, Jirofiting by the expe^Ljjfil of yesterday, I took a walking stick with me. ' A I was about half up the tree, the bird I send you su FISH-HAWK, OR OSPREY, 43 I'epcatedly with violence; he flew round, in a Ml circle, darting- at me at every circuit, and I strikin- 'tt the'j ''Pou ] 5lyself dii . ' J tH/ HL- V-- T Jl V/Jl* ^ »»•» t-j ^ tp 'nn. Observing that he always described a circle U» '■ before he came at me, I kept a hawk’s eye P®'i Jflnt, and the moment ho passed me, I availed yself qj- opportunitj' to ascend. When imme- ^ under the nest, I hesitated at the formidable i^PPositioii I met, as his rage api)earcd to increase with y Presumption in invading his premises. But I ^^“Hiited to the nest. At that moment he darted directly cIm*' "**•*' force, whiz/.ing through the air, his fith ^ apparent ly redoubled, fortunately for me, I inv liim on the extreme joint of the right wing with 11 ? Mick, which brought him to the ground. During ®ontest, the female ivas flying round and round at ^*'®sp(.ctful distance. Oaptain II. held him till 1 tied J. naudkerchief about his legs ; the captain felt the k of his clan s. I brought away a young one to the old one in a good humour. 1 put them in a Wif yo'"’s oo® some fish, when and put into its throat; but the old one would "at days. He continued sullen and obsti- "ow’ changing his position. He walks about li^l’Mid is approached without danger. He takes very tK **®**®® of the young one. A Joseph Smith, working Us . ®®ld nhere this nest is, had the (airiosity to go .. ., ^ ,, _ ^ at the eggs : the bird clawed bis lace in a o manner ; his eye had a narrow escape. I am aim ncYer been considered daii'terous to tlr'’*''** » hawk’s nest. If this be so, this bird s 1, {‘“'Miter is i.eculiar; his affection for his young, and *Us l>«t*uhar ; his ancction lor ais kn opposition to an invasion of his nest, ®otitle ’ '^o pi(,nous notice. He is the prince of fish- liei " ’ “IS character and his portrait seem worthy of M',, K handed to the historic muse. A han k more bei ‘ 'y nf the honour which awaits him could not have aild I hope no accident will happen to him, ® “lat he may fully answer your purpose. — Yours, “ Thomas Sjiith.” 44 FALCO IIALI^TUS. “ This morning the female was flying to and making a mournful noise.” The young of the fish-hawk are remarkahle remaining long in the ne.st before they attempt to *•/' iNIr Smith’s letter is dated June 30th, at n hich tiD'J he observes, they were as large as pullets, and h' feathei-ed. Seventeen days after, I myself ascended/ this same hawk’s nest, where I found the two reiui'*'' ing young oik'S seemingly full grown. They made 'I attempts to fly, though they' both ]daccd themselves ’ a stem posture of (iefeiiee as 1 examined them at leisure. The female had procured a second helpni*^’' hut he did not seem to inherit the s|)irit of his pi’‘’®*( cessor, for, like a true step-father, he left the nest my approach, and sailed about at a safe distance his mate, ^vho shewed great anxiety and distress diiflj’'’ the whole of my visit. It is universally asserted, j-. the ])eopto of the neighbourhood n here tlicse b'J ’ breed, that the young' remain so long, before they that the j)arents are obliged at last to compel thein / shift for themselves, heating them with their wii'r"/ and driving- them from the nest. But that they /‘'IJ tinue to assist them even after this, I knon- to be a *‘“,J from my on u observation, as I have seen the yo"!!^ bird meet its ])areut in the air, and receive from b"" the fish he ciirried in his claws. Tlie flight ot the fish-hawk, his mancouvres wild*-’ search of fish, and liis manner of seizing his prey, , deserving of particular notice. In leaving the he usually flies direct till he comes to the sea, sails around, in easy curving lines, turning smneti“‘'\( in the air as on a i)ivot, apparently without the exertion, rarely moving the n iugs, his legs extended j a straight line behind, and his remarkable length, curvature, or bend of wing', distinguishing him from ‘ other hawks. Tlie height at tvhi<'h In; tims eleg"md glides is various, from one hundred to one hundred *J|j fifty, and two hundred feet, sometimes much highm,‘ the while calmly recouuoitring the face of the de f 45 fish-iiawk, or osprey. • Suddenly lie is seen to elieek his course, as if )■ hy a pai’ticular object, rvhicli lie seems to survey (j ''(■few' moments u ith such steadiness, that he appears k in air, llappinp' his u inifs. This ohject, hou'ever, ijj shandoiis, or rather the tish he had in his eye has U'*l'l>eared, and he is iu;ain seen sailing arouud as (tj'*’*'. Now his attention is again arrested, and he ifli^'‘nds with great rapidity ; hiit ere he reaches the j shoots oft on another course, as it ashaivnal that ),v®'^nnd victim had escaped him. He, now sails at a hedght above the surface, and by a zig-zag descent, jjj. ^'itliout seeming to di}> his feet in the water, seizes "’Ineb, after carrying a short distance, ho probably La''*, or yields up to tbe bald eagle, and again ascends, J spiral circles, to the bigher regions of the air, be glides about in all the ease and niajesty of Ins At once, from this sublime aerial height, he like a pen)endicnlar torrent, plunging into the o( " ith a loud rushing sound, and with the certainty bis* f'lle. In a few moments he emerges, bearing in liis l*rey, wlut;li he iilv\’iiys carries ^"'■‘‘most, and, having risen a few feet above the dif shakes himself as a water spaniel would do, and L^ls his heavy and laborious course directly I'or the fp • If the n iud blow hard, and his nest licin tbe (piarter 'vh" Vl'rnce it, conies, it is amusing to observe with iji *l.i'nlgmcnt and exertion he beats to windward, not SCp/'irr'ct line, that is, iyi the wind's eye, but making a., "'^l successive tacks to gain his jmrpose. Tins ivill tb*,*:;''' the more striking, u hen we consider the size ot bit ***' ' " Inch be sometimes bears along. A shad was Mit V' *”** " lish-hawk near (h eat Egg Harbour, on Hie ' ' I'ud begun to regale himsell, and bad already sij, considerable iiortion of it ; the remainder weighed iL.PC'nids. Another fish-han k was passing Mr Beas- same place, with a larj>;e floiiudor in his it ** ^' hieh stnn»‘*'‘led aiul shook him so, that he dropt sei-^L''" shore."''The tiounder w'lis picked up, and file l'; " I'ole family for dinner. It is singular that k never descends to pick up a fish n hich he 46 FALCO HALI^TUS, happens to drop, either on the land or on the | There is a kind of abstemious dignity in this habit the hawk, superior to the gluttonous voracity displa}'|i hy most other birds of prey, particularly by the ba* eagle, whoso piratical robberies committed on the p/^ sent species, have been already fully detailed in treatjw of his history. The hawk, however, in his pursuits, sometimes mistakes his mark, or overrates strength, by striking fish too large and powerful ‘ , him to manage, by whom he is suddenly dragged and, though he sometimes succeeds in extricating bWj self, after being taken three or four times down, T oftener both parties perish. The bodies of sturgef’^j and of several other large fish, with a fish-hawk 1*'^ grappled in them, have, at dift'ereut times, been fo"" (lead on the shore, cast up by the waves. , The fish-hawk is doubtless the most numerous ol ‘ its genus within the United States. It penetrates into the interior of the country up our large rivers, their head waters. It m.ay be said to line the sea-e'^^’j^ from Georgia to Canada. In some parts 1 have conutf at one view, more than twenty of their nests "'Ibji half a mile. Mr Gardiner informs me, that, on the si" ^ island on which he resides, there are at least “ hundred nests of fish-hawks that have young, wl"'.^’ on an average, consume probably not less than hundred fish daily.” Before they (lepart in the auti"?^’ they regularly repair their nests, carrying up sods, &c. fortifying them against the violence of * ^ winter storms, which, from this circumstance, j, would seem to foresee and expect. But, iiotwitlistai'^ ing all their precautions, they frequcntl_y, on their ref^'^f in spring, find them lying in ruins around the i'""**,|jf the tree ; and sometimes the tree itself has shared same fate. When a number of hawks, to the ani"'^ of twenty or upwards, collect togchlier on one t' making a loud squeeling noise, there is generally » built soon after on the same tree. Probably this i gressioual assembly tvero settling the right of pair to the premises ; or it might be a kind of wedoi i FISH-HAWK, OR OSPREY. 47 festive meeting on the occasion. They are ‘ of a mild and peaceable disposition, living in great peace and harmony ; for though ndth att regulated communities, instances and robbery occur among themselves, yet these tlijj'Jres are extremely rare. Mr Gardiner observes, ’Old ai’e sometimes seen high in the air, sailing ^^.oiittinir strange gambols, with loud vociferations, *10ei if ‘^®"'n several hundred feet perpendicular, fre- y with part of a fish in one claw, n hich they .proud of, and to claim Aiff/t hook, as the fishermen 0 (.,, who takes the greatest number. On these they serve as a barometer to foretel the ^^“Sesof the atmosphere ; for, when the fish-hawks '*0llv sailing high in air, in circles, it i.s univer- oft/ of «a Mieved to ^rrognosticate a change of weather, .. ,, “T thunder storm, in a few hours. On the faith WiJl® oortainty of these signs, the experienced coaster '"ist 'I Propares for the expected storm, and is rarely Tl Mrjj is one singular trait in the character ot this grill’] "^'ioi> is mentioned in treating of the purple of *ind which I have had many opportunities li(w5,''®ssiiig. The grakles, or crow blackbirds, are the i "‘'‘i hy the fish-haivk to build their nests among Stry '?’'®'‘stiees of the sticks of which his own is con- tlie^p several pairs of grakles taking up their abode chief’ inunl)le vassals around the castle of their in un’,, ^’'"8'. hatching their young, and living together tiles harmony. I have found no less than tour of Slid „ clustered around the sides of the former, tree . fixed on the nearest branch of the adjoining the proprietor of this last, unable to find an to sj,'^"Pied corner on the premises, had been anxious ti, nare, ‘I’s much as }, the company and protec- C'U uf t'l ■ ' - . , Tin 1 - generous bird. . , , five f "*t'-havvk is twenty-two inches in length, and the three inches in extent i the bill is deep black, lo„,e PP®® as well as lower cere, (for the base of the “landible has a loose moveable skin,) and also 48 FALCO HALIiETUS. the sides of the mouth, from the nostrils backn ai’^j^’ are li^ht blue ; crown and hind head pure white, h'® i, streaked with brown; through the eye, a bar of blackish brown ]»asses to the neck beliind, n hicl'> ^ well as the whole u]»per parts, is deep brown, the cd-j^ of the feathers lighter ; shafts of the wing quills bn>" ^ ish white ; tail slightly rounded, of rather a paler I*''*’''); than the body, crossed nith eight bars of very brown; the wings, ^rlien shut, extend about an beyond the tail, and are nearly black towards the hV',, vanes of both quill and tail feathers tish, barred with brown ; whole lower parts V' te, exceiit the thighs, which are covered with sh hof III'* the inner whitish white plumage, aud streaked down the fore part with P' brown ; the leg's and feet are a very ))alo light W ^ prodigiously strong aud disproportionably large, * J are coyered with flat scales of remarkable strength * thickness, resembling, when dry, the teeth of a rasp, particularly on the soles, intended, no doiihb^y enable the bird to seize ivith more secairity his slipPVj prey ; the thighs arc long, the legs short, feather'' ^ little below the knee, and, as well as the feet and large; the latter hooked into semicircles, black, very sharp pointed ; the iris of the eye a fiery orange. _ _ ^ The female is full two inches longer ; the nppef P w of the head of a less pure white, and the brown on the front spreading more over the crown ; the th^rt! and upper ])art of the breast are also dashed with ‘‘* 1 ^ blotches of a pale brown, and the bar passing thrt'^ the eye, not of .so dark a brown. The toes of both exceedingly sti'ong and wart}'-, and the hind clan' inch and a ([u.arter in diameter. Thp feathers o" neck and hind head are long and narrow, and geo'^'^^jl erected when the bird is irritated, resembling the eagle. The eye is destitute of the projectintT “ ,f, common to most of the falcon tribe ; the nostril ^1,,' and of a curving triangular shape. On dissectin’'’ .j]] two glands on the rump, which supply the bic’^ oil for lubricating its feathers to protect them fm”® FISH-IIAWK, OE OSPREY. 49 ""St, were found to he remarkably large, capable, \ylien opened, of admitting the end of the finger, and contained **■ *argc quantity of white greasy matter, and some pure S^Pllowoil; the gall was in small quantity. The niiraerous 'involutions and length of the intestines surprised me ; "'nen carefully extended, they measured within an lucli i' two of nine feet, and were no thicker than those ot vobin ' The crop, or craw, was middle-sized, and J'intained a nearly dissolved fish ; the stomach was a H'e ohloiie- nouch, caiiahle of considerable distension, " as also filled with half digested fish : no appearance i' n iiinscnlar gizzard. . , , the descriptions of European naturalists, it would Appear, that this bird, or one near akin to it, is a '‘ntive of the eastern continent in summer, as far north Siberia • the bald buzzard of Turtoii almost exactly ^•■eciiig with the present species in size, colour, and Ndhors with the exception of its breeding or making Qest among the reeds, instead of on trees. Mr Bewick ^'^^jUias fig, wed and described ^his bird ,‘’':lerThranpeUatioii of the Osprey, Niys, that “ it ''""ds on the ground, among reeds, and lays three or four grounu, .iiiieug , s , r eggs of an elliptical form, rather less than those ot hen.” This difference of habit may he owing to •''“'tieular local circnnistanccs, such deviiffious being among many of our native birds. The Italians said to compare its descent upon tl'e "wter to a of lead tailing upon that element; and distinguish %tlie name of aquiia piumbina, or the United States it is every where denominated the f^^'‘-^awk, or fishing-hawk, a name truly expressive ot regular arrival of this noted bird at the vernal vXn^W busy season of fishing commences, *'^ds peculiar interest to its first appearance, and pro- '{J'es it many a henedictiou from the tishermeii. With following lines, illustrative of these circumstances, shall conclude its history : — ■"OL. 1. D 50 FALCO iialia:tus. Soon as the sun, great ruler of tlie year, Beu and explore the ponds and estuaries wdiich ip |,i"^®h-footcd tribes frequent in iiuniense multitudes, all ,1® ''ope of obtaining tlie imperial depredator; even aiq '®,Snnners of the district were summoned to our Pro.. the assurance of a great reward it they Oin ^*‘®d him, but n itliout success. At length, in the jj,, y* of December, 1812, to the unspeakable joy of Shp ; 'son, he received from Egg Harbour a fine disc of the tar tiimcd duck hawk ; which was spp ^'^Ofed, contrary to his expectations, to be ot a j,, ®s which he had never before beheld. Wo were to repeat alt the anecdotes which have It is also a European species. 52 TALCO PEHEGRINUS. been related to us of the achievements of the hawk, they would swell our pages at the expf*’|^’ probably, of our reputation. Katuralists should alw'ays on their guiu’d when they find themsel' j compelled to resort to the observations of others, record nothing as fact which has not been sjibmitted S the temperate deliberations of reason. The reverse this procedure has been a principal causi* why erro" and absurdities have so frequently deformed the pi'cfj of works of scieu(!e, which, like a plane mirror, oug‘‘ to retlect only the genuine images of nature. j From the best sources of information, we learn tk.j this species is uncommonly bold and powerful; tha^.j darts on its prey with astonishing velocity; and tha* strikes with its formidable feet, permitting the duck fall previously to securing it. The circumstance of hawk’s never carr}dng the duck off on striking it, given rise to the belief of that service being perforia*^ by means of the breast, w Inch vulgar opinion has with a projecting bone, adapted to the purpose. j this cannot be the fact, as tiie breast-bone of this kj does not differ from that of others of the same tr’k ' which would not admit of so violent a concussion, o When the water fowl perceive the approach of „ enemy, a universal alarm pervades their ranks; <■'’ ao* ..d man himself, with his engine of destruction, is more terrible. But the cfl'ect is different. When latter is beheld, the vyhole atmosphere is eulivc>’‘j^ with the whistling of wings ; when the fornxc*’^j recognized, not a duck is to be seen in the air : the)' jj speed to the water, and there remain until the has passed them, diving the moment he comes them. It is worthy of remark, that he will seldo*®;^)! ever, strike over the water, unless it be frozen ; knowing that it will be difficult to secure his q'***"^ ^ This is something more than instinct. .-a When the sportsmen perceive the hawk knock a duck, they frequently disappoint him of it, by first to secure it. And as one evil turn, accor" ^ to the maxim of the multitude, deserves another, GKEAT FOOTED HAWK. 53 , takes ample revenge on them, at every opportunity, y robbing, them of their game, the hard-earned iriuts Iheir labour. o Tile duck haivk, it is said, often folloivs the steps ot y gunner, knowing that the ducks will be aroused on "'ing, which will afford it an almost certain chance ‘success. have been informed, that those ducks which are down, have their backs lacerated from the rump b neck. If this be the tact, it is a proof that the i^"’k employs only its talons, which are long and stout, w the Operation. Oae respectable inhabitant of Cape 1 , told us. that he has seen the hawk strike from : Tills species has been long known in Europe ; and ...‘Ve age of talcoury, was greatly valued for those ?^'‘bcations which rendered it estimable to the lovers b followers of that princely amusement. But we strong objections to its specific appellation. 1 he b5'f*'et peregrine is certainly not applicable to our which is not migratory, as far as our most inquiries can ascertain; and, as additional '|ueiice of the fact, we ourselves have seen it prowling the coast of New Jersey, iu the mouth of May, heard its screams, which resemble soraowliat those 1,1 fhc bald ea'de, iu the swamps wherein it is said to i/'Bd. We have therefore taken the liberty of changing cl! ^Uglisl, name for one whicli will at once expres^s a ^ uracteristic designation, or which will indicate the without the labour of investigation.* Of This species,” says Peunai.t, “ «" f’j*; 0 , ^'hiiiilufoo in (Imrnarvonslure, Wales. f That pro- ^““tury has been long famed for producing a generous lial“ Specific names, to be perfect, ought " *7^ peeii- '“y. common to no other of the genus. Am. Orn. . ■ Ga- it t We suspect that Venuant is uiistaken ; its iianie denotes that Perl indigenous iu Great Britnm. Bewick says, The or passenger falcon, is rarely met with iii Biitam, aaid Ji “^daently Is, t,ut little known with us. British Birds, part i. 54 FALCO PEREGRINUS. kind, as appears by a letter extant in Gloddaotli librarV> from tbo lord treasurer Burleig-li, to an ancestor of Itoe'cr Mostyn, in ndiicb bis lordship thanks him ^ present of a fine cast of hanks, taken on those roi'k'; yvhich belonij to the family. They are also vi’iJ' common in the nortli of Scotland ; and are sonietimf ' trained for falconry, by some few frentlemen n ho s*' take delight in this amusement, in that part of Britain. Their fiight is amazingly rapid ; one that reclaimed by a gentleman in the shire of AngiiSi county on the east side of Scotland, eloped frmn master n ith tn-o heavy bells attached to each foot, the 24th of Se|itember, 1772, and ntis killed in morning of the 26th, near Mostyn, Flintshire.”* The same naturalist in another place observes, th'** “ the American species is tnrf/er than the European'^ They are subject to vary. The black falcon, and tb« .spotted falcon of Edivards, are of this kind; ca^'b jireserves a specific mark, in the blai'k stroke Tvbi<'b drops from beneath the eyes, down towards the neck- “ inhabits different jiarts of NorIb America, ft®*^ Hudson’s Bay, as low as Carolina; in Asia, is'fouU® on the highest ])arts of the Uralian and Siberian chaii'’ wanders in summer to the very Arctic circh- ; is comiiK*" in Kamtschatka,” J In the breeding season, the duck han k retires to recesses of the gloomy cedar swamps, on the tall frC® of which it constructs its nest, and rears its voiU'^ secure from all molestation. In those wilds 'whi<'b present obstacles almost insuperable to the foot of n)i>"' the screams of this bird, occasionally niimrled n ith tb** hoarse tones of the heron, and the hooting of the erci** horned on 1, echoing through th(( dreary solitude .arous® in the imagination all the frightful iunigery of dosob*' ^ JRrifhh Zoology, f If wc wern to adopt the mode of philosophlzhiff of the Count (ie Jhifton, we sliould infer that the European species i^ ^ ^^rietij of oor more, generovs race, degeneruted hi/ the influence food and climate f ^ -Arctic Zoology. GKEAT FOOTED HAWK. 55 Mr Wilson, and the writer of this article, i„P*OTed two of these swamps, in the month of Mar, in pursuit of the great heron and the subject of .tdiapter ; and although they vi ere successful in lining the former, vet the latter eluded their <=^|earch. anJ*'** great footed hawk is twenty inches in length, . d three feet eight inches in extent ; the hill is inllated, Ijldrl, and strong, of a light blue colour, ending- in upper mandible with a tooth-like process, d iower with a corresponding notch, and truncate ; ^d**trils round, « ith a central ])oiut like the ]nstil of a the eye is large and dark, surrounded with a dad bare yellowish skin, the cartilage over it yellow e),' prominent ; frontlet whitish ; the head above, e deks, running off like mustaches, and hack, are black ; Wings and sca]uilars are brownish black, each dtlier ed'i-ed with paler, the former long and pointed, ^f-^'ing almost to the end of the tail ; the primaries Va^ *^®condaries are marked triiusversely on the inner jdd^/'vith large oblong spots of ferruginous white, the Se-n 'd*" **1’ *-*'d f*rcondarics curiously ijj^.-dped, as if a piece had been cut otil. ; the tertials full ® to ash colour ; the lining of the n ing’S is beatiti- fer karred with black and white, and tinged with t-^l'Shious ; on a close examination, the scapulars and Sir f**’’ are found to be barred tvith faint ash ; all the are black ; the rump and tail coverts arc light Ip *> marked with large dusky bars ; the tail is rmuiding, el', > tipped with reddish white, and crossed with , sbt narrow bars of very faint ash ; the chin and eneircliiig the hhwk mustaches, are of a pak ff Colour; breast below and loner parts reddish huff, pale cinnamon, handaomelv marked with roundish 'dart shaped spots of black ; sides broadly barred black; the femorals are elegantly ornamented .HU herring-bones of black on a huff’ ground ; the vent pale buff" marked as the femorals, though with less tb^,®*'»Hs spots ; the feet and legs arc of a corn yellow, 6 latter short and stout, feathered a little below the 56 FALCO SPARVERIUS. knees, the bare part one inch in length ; span of foot five inches, with a large protuberant sole; claws are large and black, hind clan' the largest- Whether the cere is yellow, or flesh coloured, we were uncertain, as the bird had been some time killed wbe** received ; supposed the former. The most striking characters of this species are th® broad patch of black dropping below the eye, and th® uncommonly large feet. It is stout, heavy, and tirnny put together. The bird from which the above description Wf’ taken, was shot in a cedar swamp in Cape May conntV' New Jersey. It was a female, and contained tb® remains of small birds, among which were discover^® the legs of the sanderling plover. 8. FJT.CO SFARFEIilUS, LiNN.EU.S. AMERICAN SPARROW HAWK. WILSON, PLATE XVI. FIG. I. FEMALE. * — EDINBURGH COLLE®^ MUSEUM. In no department of ornithology has there bee® greater confusion, or more mistakes made, than .amo®? this class of birds of prey. The great difference of sj!*® between the male and female, the progressive variati®® of plumage to which, for sever.ol years, thev are snbjee*J and the difficulty of procuring a sufficient number specimens for examination ; all these causes conspire lead the n.aturalist into almost unavoidable mistake®’ For these reasons, and in order, if possible, to ascert»>“ each species of this genus distinctly, I have determine®’ where any doubt or ambiguity prevails, to represe®*' * This species is allied to the fako tinnunculus, or kestrfl Europe. “t{i male and female, as fair and perfect specimens f» L- ’“ay come into my possession. According ^monable etiquette, the honour of precedence, in the t ®fnt instance, is given to female of this species; ana because she is the most courageous, the largest . handsomest of the two, best ascertained, and less fp ‘Ject to change of colour than the male, who will li^aire some farther examination, and more observation, \C['e We can venture to introduce him. (if ,h's bird is a constant resident in almost every part V.'he United States, particularly in the states north ol j ^Uland. In the southern states there is a smaller th i'®* found, which is destitute of the black spots on head ; the legs arc long and very slender, and the U hgbt blue. This has been suppose^ by some, to jL*he male of the present species ; but this is an evror. , *ye of the nreseiit species is dusky ; that of the t^her species a brilliant orange; the fonuerhas^ the ^‘’•Ohnirfat the end, the latter slightly /orAcrf. Such differences never take place between tvvo of tlie same siMM:ios. It ouj^ht, how ever, to k,'''‘>harked, that in all the figures and descnjitions 1 iri ’® hitherto met with of the bird now before us, the represented of a bright golden colour; but, m all V(.p **Pe‘'iniens I have shot, 1 uniformly found the eye jjl y dark, almost black, resembling a globe of black J^o doubt the golden colour of the ins would ’ ® ?he figure of the bird a more striking appearance ; , Works of natural history, to sacrifice ®P>cturt “ ■ ' ■ ' ' AMERICAN SPARROW HAWK. 57 of to hut_ rSer too ,i’‘®''kres(jne el tree*'® nest^lf 'this species is usually built iii a follow 'iml ’ f-'^i'erally pretty high up, where the top, or a lar„e bu?/ has been broken off. I have never «ren its eggs; o?‘>’febeen told, that the female ^renera y lays four wr®’ " liieh are of a light brownish yellow colour, hoi' "’'th a darker tint ; the young are feh on grass- «‘ice, and sniaU birds, the usual food of the ^uts. ’^he habits and manners of this bird are well known. 58 FALCO SPAEVERIUS. It flies rather irregularly, occasionally suspending^ in the air, hovering over a particular spot for a in''* “I, or tn-o, and then shooting off in another direction. . perches on the top of a dead tree or pole, in the mid® ^ of a field or meadow, and, as it alights, shuts its 1"!'^ wings so suddenly, tliat they seem instantly to appear; it .sits here in an almost perpendicular posit''I''j sometimes for an hour at a time, frerpiently jerkins-' tail, and reconnoitring the g-round hclow, in every dir®‘| tion, for mice, lizards, &c. It approaches the farni-ho'"®’ particularly in the morning, skulking about the yard for mice or young chickens. It i'rerpiently pl""r'’! into a thicket after small birds, as if hv random ; always with a particular, and g'enerally n ith a 1"*‘ j aim. One day I observed a bird of this species pe''t^'f|, on the highest top of a large poplar, on the skirts ot wood, and was in the act of raising the gun to my when he swept doivn ivith the rapidity of an arrow, '‘’^j a thicket of briars, about thirty yards off, where I him dead, and, on coining up, found a small field spa''''® ^ quivering in his grasp. Both our aims had been tab® at the same instant, and, unfortunately for him, I"® were fatal. It is jiarticularly fond of ‘watching I'l®'!: hedge-rows, and in orch.ards, where small birds usual*;’ resort. When grasshojipers are plenty, they for"' considerable part of its food. Though small snake.s, mice, lizards, &c. bo tavouri*^ morsels with this active bird, yet we are not to supl'®?|| it altogether destitute of delicacy in feeding. It '’ a’ seldom or never eat of any thing' that it h.as not killed, and ei eu that, if not (as ejiicures would teri"’'^. in good entinp ordar, is sometimes rejected. A respectable friend, through the medium of Mr Bart''a’,j’ informs me, that one morning he observed one of hawks dart down on the ground, and seize a W’"’;! which he carried lo a fence post, n hero, after ning it for some time, he left it, and, a little while j pounced tqion another mouse, which he instantlv off to his nest, in the holloiv of a tree hard by. ® .J gentleman, anxious to know why the han k had reje®!*' the AMERICAN SPARROW HAWK. 59 „ mouse, went up to it, .md found it to l)fi almost with lice, and greatly emaciated ! Here u as not >ti» of taste, but sound and j)riKlent reason- If I cany this to my nest, thouglit he, it u ill fill ijlfi vermin, and hardly he worth eating. I *'6 blue jays have a particuhir antipathy to this bird, hot it by following and imitating its bitr exactly, as to deceive even thosi' well nctpiainted ton ' In return for all this abuse, the hawk pi ttuRs himself with, now and then, feasting on the of Ills persecutors, who are, therefore, in imP’ttual dread of him ; and yet, through some sti-auge Ij^wuatiou^ or from fear that, if they lose sight of him, attack them uuau ares, the sparrow hawk no p, **®'' appears than the alarm is given, and the whole pr ol.iays follow. . , , j hv "*■ Itmale of this species is eleven inches long, and ’lv'’“I.v-three from tip to tip of the e.xjianded wings, jj. ^ jtiui log's uro yoUovi' j bill blue, ti]>t with black; li^'^ the eye, j^rcenish blue; iris, deep dusky; asU ; crown, rufous; seven sj>ots of black ''iiite jrroixud surround the head ; u holc upper hav, transversely streaked with black ; iiin and secondary quills, black, spotted on their y*mes with brownish wliite ; whole lower parts l,(.j '*"'ish white, marked with longitudinal streaks of V],j ?> exeept the chin, vent, and femoral feathers, * are while ; claws, black. Sho,,® ®ale of this siiecies (which is an inch and a halt *'Wh shoulder of the wings blue, and also the 'lifi;. **“‘''ks on the head, hut is, in other respects, vary in marked from the female) will he described li(s next article, with such other particulars as may ‘'“nghf jjf communicating 60 FALCO SPARVERIUS. 9. FALCO SPASrEmus, LINNAEUS. AMERICAN SPARROW HAWK. WILSON, PLATE XXXIi. FIG. II. MALE. — EDINBURGH COLh^^^ MUSEUM. The female of this species is described in the p'*” ceding article. The male sparrow hawk measures about ten in length, and twenty-one in extent ; the whole u^P* parts of the head are of a fine slate blue, the shafts of * plumage being black, the crown excepted, which ^ marked with a spot of bright rufous; the slate to a point on each side of the neck; seven black sPp surround the head, as in the female, on a reddish " ground, which also borders each sloping side of y blue ; front, lores, line over and under the eye, chi'!' and throat, white ; femoral and vent feathers, yello";’* white ; the rest of the lower parts, of the same ’ each feather being streaked down the centre long black drop, those on the breast, slender, on sides, larger; upper part of the back and sc.apulars, reddish bay, marked with ten or twelve transV'’'i't waves of black ; whole wing-coverts and ends of * jj. secondarie.s, black, tipt with white, and spotted on tb* inner vanes with the same ; lower part of the backi rump, and tail-coverts, plain bright bay ; tail rouii®* ! the two e.vterior feathers white, their inner Ta" . beautifully spotted with black; tlte next, bright ha.^ with a broad band of bbudi near its (uid, and tipt half an inch with yellowish white ; part of its lo'\j^ pterior edge, white, spotted with black, and its opP^^'ije interior edge, touched with white ; the whole of PIGEON HAWK. 61 fters are very deep red bay, with a single broad band Wacls near the cud, and tipt with yellowish white ; . *■'6 and legs, yellow ; orbits, the same ; bill, light blue ; ** of the eye', dark, almost hlack ; claws, blue black. Ihe character of this corresponds with that of the j®*ttale, given at large in the preceding article. I ^**te reason, however, to believe, that these birds '?'‘y considerably in the colour and luailongs of their “SC during the first and second years ; having met specimens every nay corresponding with the except in the breast, which was a plain rufous without spots; the markings on the tail also "cring a little in ditl’erent specimens. These I uni- “‘'y found, on dissection, to be males; from the of one of which 1 took a considerable part of carcass of a robin, (turdus vdgratorius,) including 'Jubroken feet and claws ; though the robin actually 1 'iisures within half an inch .as loug as the sparrow 10 . FALCO COLUMBARIUSf LINN. PIGEON HAWK. "''■sox, PLATE XV. FIG. 111. MAI.K EDISBCRGH COLLEGE MDSEUM. af small hawk possesses gi-eat spirit and rapidity ^ “'Sht. He is generally migratory in the muldle and states, arriving in Peiin.sylvania early in spring, ji his as far north as rlndsou s to'*.^ building and rearing his yonug, he retires Z south early in November. Small birds .and mice an®) Principal food. When the reed-birds, grakles, h' . ’•ed-winged blackbirds congregate in large flights, fia observed hovering in their rear, or on their picking up the weak, the wounded, or stragglers. 62 FALCO COLUMBARIUS. and frequently making’ a sudden and fiital sweep . the very midst of their multitudes. The Hocks of rohi”’ and ])igeous are honoured with the same attentio''* | from this marauder, whose daily excursions are entif^*^ regulated by the movemeuts of the groat body on unfortunate members he fattens. The individual If® | which the present description was taken, was *1'^- in the meiulows l)cloiv Philadelphia in the month August. He uas carrying off a blackbird phceniceus ) from the flock, and, thougli mortal'! wounded and dying, held his prey fast till his expiring breath, having struck his dau s into its heart. This was found to he a male. Sometimes u'h|'J shot at, and not hm-t, he will lly in circles over h’ sportsman’s head, shrieking out with great violence> ^ if highly irritated. lie frequently Hies low, skinnDi‘’r a little above the field. I have never seen his nest. The pignuni hawk is eleven inches long, and tweiffV three broad; the whole iqiper ])arts are of a deep brown, ex however, from whom ] ®‘'By of these nation.s originated, have long •** * practice of this sport; which is indeed Mliw.'^'t'ted to an open connti-y than to one covered Though once so honourable and so uni- }t is nou' much disused in Europe, and in *** a 'n nearly extinct. Yet I cannot but consider it ’tell more noble and princely amusement than and cock-fighting, cultivated in certain ’s litjn" "-h so much care ; or even than pugili.sm, which '^**’tUt patronized in some of those enlightened h. SUBGrNUS V JSTirj!, BECnSTEIN. ^^LVMBAEIUS, LIA’N FALCO ATraCJFJZLUS, WILSON. "Us ash-coloured, or black-cap hawk. ft.APE Lll. FIG. III.* EDINBURGH COLLF.GE MUSF.UJI. Op . '^'^I'tioi * heautiful species I can find no precise des- '’e taUi'I ash-coloured buzzard of Edwards dilfers *'?-Za,' *1. *f®ttt this, particularly in wanting the fine ’tf a” ’’“es helow', and the black caji, that I cannot suppose them to be the same. The ft here described was shot within a few miles 64 FALCO PALUMBARIUS. of Philadelphia, and is now preserved, in good ot in Mr Peale’s museum. Its general make and aspect denotes great and spirit ; its legs arc strong, and its claws of f f than proportionate size. Should any other spec'^jj. or variety of this hawk, dltfering from the hl( occur during the publication of this work, it will o” me more accurately to designate the .species. The hlack-cap hiiwk is twenty-one inches in the bill and cere are blue ; eye, reddish amber ; \i black, bordered on each side by a line of white speckled with black ; th■ ** jtl have very little doubt that the present will be foB'' be the same. The goshawk inhabits France and Germany ; ’“j if very emnmon in South Britain, but more freqB^jjdf the'northeru parts of the island, and is found in /v tfl and Siberia. Biitfon, who reared two young this kind, a male and female, observes, that “ tp*; hawk, before it has shed its feathers, that is, i" year, is marked on the breast and belly with Ib" dinal brown spots; but, after it has had two (fails', they disappear, and their place is occupied *>y Lt«| verse waving bars, which coiitiiuie during the its life.” He also takes notice, that though the was much smaller than the female, it was fiei^B more vicious. BROAD-WINGED HAWK. 63 Mr Pennant informs us, that the goshawk is used hy Hinperor of China in his sporting excursions, when ^ usually attended hy his grand falconer, and a ^®Usand of inferior rank. Every bird has a silver fastened to its foot, with' the name of the falconer j. "0 has the charge of it, that, in case it should be lost, , ttiay be restored to the proper person ; but, if he ,^«ld not be found, the bird is delivered to another bj called the guardian of lost birds, w'ho, to make t^tualion known, erects his standard in a conspicu- inf among the army of hunters. The same writer “‘»>Tnsus, that he exmnined, in the Leverian Museum, specimen of the goshawk which came from America, art I was superior in size to the European. lie “ they are the best of aU hawks for falconry.” * la. WILSON. — BROAD-WINGED . WILSON, PLATE LIV, FIG. I. hawk was shot on the 6th of May, in Mr Bar- ^Ba’s woods, near the Schuylkill, and was afterw'ards ‘'“Rented to Mr Peale, in whose collection it now It was perched on the dead limb of a high feeding on something, which was afterwards found a 1 meadow mouse. On my approach, it uttered wi'^^'oiug kind of whistle, and flew off to another tree, here 1 followed and shot it. Its great breadth of ?''*dth of the secondaries, and also of its head and y>. 'rhen compared with its length, sri'uok me as ha j ''^•■'ties. It seemed a remarkably strong-built bird, r^^dsomely marked, and was altogether unknown to a Mr Bartram, who examined it very attentively, «*®lared he had never before seen such a hawk. On hM.'‘^‘®''Ooon of the next day, I observed another, pro- its mate or companion, and certainly one of the * Arct. Zool. p. 204. E 1 ^ 04 , 1 . 6G FALCO PENNSYLVANICUS. same species, sailing about over the same woods. I** motions were in wide circles, ivith unmoving wing?’ the exterior outline of which seemed a complete senn' circle. I was extremely anxious to procure this also, n l)ossible 5 but it was attacked and driven away biT * king-bird before I could cliect my purj)ose, aird I ba'’'^ never siiuie been fortunate enough to meet with anothc'’' On dissection, the one I had shot proved to be a mak- In size this hawk agrees, nearly, with the buzzarde^j^ (^falco albidus,) of Turton, described also by Pennant; but either the descriptions of these authors are vet^ inaccurate, the chaime of colour which that bird unde*’' goes very great, or the present is altogether a ditt'eren* species. Until, however, some other specimens of th’* hawk come under my observation, I can only add tl**’ following particulars of its size and ])lum,ige : — Length, fourteen inches ; extent, thiity-three inebe^’j bill, black, blue n(!ar tbe base, slightly toothed ; cere an corners of the mouth, yellow; irides, bright amber ' frontlet and lores, white ; from the mouth backward' runs a streak of blackish brown; upper parts, ditf" brown, tbe plumage tipt and the head streaked w'hitish; almost all the feathers above ai-e spotted barred with white, but this is not seen unless tbeV separated by the hand ; head, large, broad, and flat ; e‘‘r‘’ very broad; the nostril also large; tail short, the exteri*’* and interior feathers somewhat the shortest, the other' rather longer, of a full black, and crossed with two b*"^ of white, tipt also slightly with whitish ; tall covert* sjjotted with white ; wdngs, dusky brown, indistim'tv k; greater part of the inner vaiif’ snow y ; lesser coverts, and ujiper part of the back, .and streaked with bright ferruginous ; the bars of bln*-'' are very distinct on the lower side of the wing; Unh'f of the wing, brownish whiti>, beautifully marked j small arrow-heads of bromi ; chin, white, surround**, by streaks of black ; breast and sides, elegantly spot*'^.“ with large arrow'-heads of brown centered uTith * Arct, Zooh No. 109. BROAD-WINGED HAWK. 67 ; belly and vent, like the breast, white, but more , ®inly marked with ])ointed spots of brown ; femorals, , ’’O'vuish white, thickly marked with small touches ot and white ; vent, white ; legs, veiy stout ; feet, o.trsely scaled, both of a dirty orange yellow ; claws, „i^'eircular, strong and very sharp, hind one cousider- i'he largest. tj '^liile exiimining the plumage of this bird, a short '"^fter it was shot, oue of those winged ticks with **‘«h many of our birds are infested, appeared on the ^“’’uice of tlie feathers, moving about, as they usually III’ ^■lck^eard.s or sideways like a crab, among the t;|‘’]>age, with great tacility. The iish-hawk, in par- ^•'iilar, is greatly pestered with these vermin, which '^^asionally leave him, as suits their convenience. A ,®’’tleman who made the experiment, assured me, that, Phmoino- a live fish-hawk under water, several of laa*® wimred licks remained hovering over the spot, ,w.> tile instant the hawk rose above tlie surface, darted tf, among his plnraagc. The experiment was several its tk’* '““do, with the like result. As soon, however, W‘ parasites perceive the dead body of their patron PeS*'"'"!? fo become cold, they abandon it ; and, if the •tist " "’*>0 holds it have his head uncovered, dive 'tVn • ’y “mnng his hair, as I have myself frequently rj,p’''euced ; and, though driven from thence, repeatedly V„ “'■'b till they are caught and destroyed. There are Pfol'^'''' kinds of these ticks. Of the one found on the hawk, the head and thorax were light brown ; Ho six in number, of a bright green, their joints almost horizont.ally, and thus enabling the la^^hire to pass with the greatest ease between the C of feathers ; the wings iverc single, of a dark irir'' colour, and twice as long as the body, which inched towards the extremity, where it was slightly Tie ^ ; feet, two clawed. “Ud A "'*'cct lived for several days between the crystal !)ci_'*'al-plate of a watch, carried in the pocket; but, (,‘ 0 o>? ,P^“ced for a few minutes in the sun, fell into ''“isions and died. 68 FALCO VELOX. IS. FALCO FELOX. SHAUP-SHINNED HAWK. WILSON, PLATE XLV. PIG. I. YOUNG BIRD. This is a bold and daring' species, hitherto iinknoifi* to naturalists. The only hawk we have which “F proaches near it in colour is the pigeou hawk, already described in this work; but there are such strikid^ differences in the present, not only in liolour, but ' other respects, as to point out decisively its claims ^ rank as a distinct .species. Its long and slender kF and toes; its red fiery eye, feathered to the eyelids; its triangular gi'ooved nostril, and length of tail, are ^ different from the pigeon haw'k, whose legs are shof” its eyes dark hazel, surrounded with a broad bare y‘^k?'i, skin, and its nostrils small and circular, centered a slender point that rises in it like the pistil of a There is no haw’k mentioned by Mr Pennant cither fs inhabiting Europe or America, agreeing with this, may, therefore, with confidence, pronounce it a descript; and have chosen a very singular pcculiariv which it possesses for its specific appellation. This hawk was shot on the hanks of the Schuylk’'^ near Mr Bartram’s. Its singularity of flight surprk^j me long before I succeeded in procuring it. It seem|^ to throw itself from one quarter of the heavens to tli« ■tbi instad*'^ other, with prodifflous velocity, inclining to the swept suddenly dowTi into a thicket, and insta® j reappeared with a small bird in its talons. This fc** ■ saw it twice perform, so that it was not merely an a*^ dental manoeuvre. The rapidity and seeming vioPd i of these zig-zag excursions were really remarkable. appeared to me to be for the purpose of seizing prey b^ sudden surprise and main force of fligkf kept this hawk alive for several days, and was I might be able to cure him ; but he efied of his wom* SHARP-SHINNED HAWK. 69 , On the 15th of September, two young men despatched on a shooting expedition, met with this Species on one of the ranges of the Alleghany. It was driven around in the same furious headlong manner, ?*>d had made a sweep at a red squirrel, which eluded *** grasp, and itself became the victim. These arc the d% individuals of this bird I have been able to procure, dnd fortunately they were male and female. The female of this species was thirteen inches long, dnd twenty-live inches in extent ; the hill, black towards point on both mandibles, but light blue at its base ; P®’’*, a line pea green; sides of the mouth, the same; pale whitish blue, beset with hairs ; crown and '''hole upper parts, very dark brown, every feather darrowly skirted with a bright rust colour; oyer the a stripe of yellowish white, streaked with deep ifown; pnmaries, spotted on their inner vanes with ^ck; secondaries, crossed on both vanes with three of dusky, below the coverts ; inner yanes oI hoth P^’^Uaries and secondaries, brownish white ; ah the ^^apuiarj marked with large round spots ot white, not unless the plumage be parted with the hand ; tail, '’"gi nearly even, crossed with four bars of black and ^,o>any of brown ash, and tipt with white ; throat and ^kole lower parts, pale yellowish white; the former j ®U'ked with line long pointed spots of dark brown, the ■'tter with large oblong spots of reddish brown ; lemo- thickly marked with spade-formed spots, on a P" 6 rufous'^ ground ; legs, long, and feathered a little O'v the knee, of a greenish yellow colour, most ||®|low at the joints ; edges of the inside of the shins, kard hold ih/\y;,e^;';7„je;ring Hke the edge of a knife, and sharp as if intended to enable the bird to r.kl its prey with more security between them; eye, k'-iUiant yellow, sunk below a projecting cartilage. „ The nfale w.4 nearly two inches shorter ; the upper dark brown; the feathers, skirted with pale ^®kdish, the front also streaked with the same ; cere, f^enish yellow • lores, bluish ; bill, black, as in the *«niale ; streak oyer the eye, lighter than in the former ; 70 FALCO PENKSYLVANICUS. chill, wliite; brefist the same, streaked with hron'O’ bars on the tail rather narrower, but in tint and uumbef tile same ; belly and vent, white ; feet and shins exactly as ill the female; the toes have the same peiidulow® lobes which mark those of the female ; the wings barre** with black, very noticeable on the lower side. Since writing the above, I have shot another sp1 any hitherto described; and I have classed if '‘'cordiuf.iy ■ . The sfaWioloured hawk is eleven inches long, and , ';''nty-one inches in extent ; hill, hlue black ; cere and sf? of the mouth, dull green ; eyelid, yellow; eye, deep tink Under the projecting eyebrow, and ot a heiy eolour; upper parts of a fine slate ; pnn.anes .ot' u hlaek and as n oil as the sceondarics, barred ^■'fh dusky •’ scapulars, spotted with n hite and brown, ^oeh is hot seen unless the plumage he separated by hand; all the feathers above are shafted with 72 rAI.CO MISSISSIPPIESSIS. black ; tail, very slightly forked, of an ash colour, faintly tinged with brown, crossed with four broad bands o* black, and tipt with white; tail, three inches long^ than the wings ; over the eye extends a streak of white ; chin, white, mixed with fine black hairs ; breasj and belly, beautifnlly variegated with feiTuginous transverse spots of white; feinorals, the same; veB^ pure white ; legs, long, very slender, and of a r**® orange yellow'; claws, black, large, and remai-kabiy sharp ; lining of the wing, thickly marked with hear*' shaped spots of hlack. This hir'd, on dissection, found to be a male. In the month of February, I sbo* another individual of this species, near Hampton, Virginia, which agreed almost exactly with the prcsenl* SUBGENUS VI . — .ICTIXIjtf VIKILL. 15. FALCO mSSISSirPIENSJSf WILSON. — MISSISSIPPI KITS* WILSON, PLATE XXV. FIG. I. MALE. Tins new species I first observed in the MississipP’ territory, a few miles below Natchez, on the plantation of William Dunbar, Esq. To the hospitality of tb'* gentleman, and his amiable family, I am indebted the opportunity afforded me of procuring this and oo* or two more new species. This excellent man, whos® life has been devoted to science, though at that tin** confined to bed by a severe and dangerous indisposition and personally unacquainted with me, no sooner hcafO of my arrival at the town of Natchez, than he sent * servant and horses, with an invitation and request, t® come and make his house my home and head-quarter*’ while engaged in exploring that part of the country- The few ha]>py days I spent there I shall never forgot- In my peramhulations I frequently remarked th'* hawk sailing about in easy circles, and at a considerable height in the air, generally in company with the turkey MISSISSIPPI KITE. 73 whose maimer of %ht it so exactly imitates y ^0 seem the same species, only in miniature, or seen more immense ^height. Why these two birds. — IIIXIIIOJIJIOC ’r ‘■•J diff manners, in other respects, are p j ®«rent, should so freipiently associate together in air, “'*> at a loss to comprehend. We cannot for a moment ^/Pose them mutually deceived by the similarity of other’s flight : the keenness of their vision forbids J suspicion of this kind. They may perhaps be J^ed, at such times, in mere a,museraent, as they ^ observed to soar to great heights previous to^a I"?: P, ''Ui ; or, what is more probable, they may both be in J^uit of their respective food. One, that he may t| “uunoitre a vast extent of surface below, and trace otu ^'Uted atmosphere to his favourite carrion; the ii, in search of those large beetles, or coleopterous that are known often to wing the higher regions the air; and which, in the three individuals of this I of hawk which I examined by dissection, were „ Only substances found in their stomachs. For ^ e'’al miles, as I passed near Bayo Manchak, the trees la* tp ^Warming with a kind of cicada, or locust, that of V *t deafening noise ; and here I observed numbers the hawk now before us sweeping about among the m ti* s wallows, evidently in pursuit of these locusts ; af that insects, it would appear, are the principal food a- this species. Yet when we contemplate the beak is S m'uus of this bird, both so sharp and powerful, it 'hmcult to believe that they were not intended by tor some more formidable prey than beetles, lj\?**t8, or grasshoppers; and 1 doubt iiot but mice, onakms, and smaU birds, furnish him with an %®f^onal repast. , i i ^/his hawk, which proved to be a male, though i>.uded and precipitated from a vast height, exhibited, a distress, symptoms of great strength, and an almost , ^ompierable spirit. I no sooner appro.ached to pick ivb, y than he instantly gave battle, striking rapidly harii uiuws, wdieeling round and round as he lay Ku-Uy on his rump ; and defending himseli with great 74 FALCO MISSISSIPPIENSIS. vigilance and dexterity ; while his dark red eye sparkj®, with rag-e. Notn ithstanding all my cantioii in him to carry him home, he struck his hind claw >0'*^ my hand with such force as to penetrate into the ho”^ Anxious to preserve his life, I endeavoured gently disengage it ; hut this made him only contract it more powerfully, causing such paii» that I had no oth^ alternative but that of cutting the sinew of his 1*^ wdth my penknife. The n holc time he lived with '"‘J he seemed to watch every movement 1 made ; eret'h'V the feathers of his hiuA head, and eyeirni- me savage fierceness; considering me, no' doubt, as w greater savage of the t;vo. What effect educati'”! might have had on this species under the tutorship some of the old European professors of falcourv, 1 ki>*’ not ; but if extent of wing, and energy of charactt ' and ease and rapidity of flight, n ould’have been recommendatious to royal patronage, this species p*’’ sesses all these in a very eminent degree. The long jiointed wings and forked tail point out affinity of this bird to that family or subdivision of t j falco genus, distinguished by the name of kites, wb'^!^ sail without flapping the u'ings, and eat from talons as they glide along. The Mississippi kite measures fourteeu inches '1 length, and thirty-six inches, or three feet, in exten'' The head, neck, and exterior webs of the secoiidari^ are of a hoary white; the lo\\er parts a whitish ff’, bill, cere, lores, and narrow line round the eye, back, rum]), scapulars, and wing coverts, dark bhicb'^^ ash; wiugs, very long and i)oiiited, the third quill f’. longest; the primaries are black, marked down side of the sh.aft with reddish sornd; primarv' covC^ | also slightly touched ivith the same; all the «Pl,’^ plumage at the roots is white ; the scapulars are spotted with white ; but this cannot be perceived the feathers be l)lowii .aside ; tail, slightly forked, i*” j as well as the rump, jet black ; legs, vermilion, tin?®, with orange, and becoming blackish towards the claws, black; iris of the eye, dark red; pupil, black- SWALLOW-TAILED HAWK. 73 SUBGENUS VII. SLAN'l/Sf SAVIGNV. ^6. yAIiCO PlfltCATVS^ SWALIiOW-TAIEEU HAWK. "‘'•Son, ru.Li. fig. ii. male. — Edinburgh collf-ge museum. Tills very eleffant species inhabits the southern of the United States in summer ; is seldom l'" as far north as Pennsylvania, but is very abundant ^ ^Outh Carolina and Cieor^^ia, and still more so in Florida, and the extensive prairies ol Ohio th Indiana territory. I met witli tliese birds in ^'‘riy part of May, at a place called Duck Creek, in u,, “«ssee, and found them sailiu; length, iind upwards of four feet six inches in est^'.A the bill is black ; cere, yellow, covered at the base "'Iji, bristles ; iris of the eye, silvery cream, surrounded a blood-red ring ; whole head and neck pure whitei ^ shafts fine black hairs ; the whole lower parts also j white ; the throat and breast shafted in the manner; upper parts, or back, Mack, glossed with and purple ; whole lesser coverts, very dark p'*fP J wing's long, reaching within two inches of the tip the tail, and black ; tail also very long, and remarki*^ forked, consisting of twelve feathers, all blaidc, with green and purple ; several of the tertials " jjjj or edged with white, but generally covered by , scapulars ; inner vanes of the secondaries, white on w f Jemr. ties Ohs, tom. ii, 33. 77 ROUGH-LEGGED FALCON. half, Mack towards their points ; lining of the white ; legs, yellow, short, and thick, and feathered half way below the knee; claws, much curved, >tish; outer claw, veiy small. The greater part of Pluman-e is white at the base; and, when the wPolars are a little displaced, they appear spotted White was' a male in perfect plumage. The colour and of tile male and female are nearly alike. SUBGENUS VIII.— BJTEO, BECHSTEIN. LAOOP^S, wmSON. -BOUGH-LEGGED FALCON. elate XXNIIl. no. I. -EDINBUBGH COLLEGE MUSEUM. A^«is handsome species, notwithstanding v'l® size and appearance, spends the chief part of the f among our low swamps aud meadows, watching ’?'■ ”iice, fro^s, lame ducks, and other iiiMonous game. .,*5 . • . fuTnilv nave reffularlv ce, fro^s, lame ducks, and other inwonous game, or thirty individuals of this family have regularly to-®'' up their winter quarters, for several years past, uf Ptotiably long .antenor to that date, in the meadows S , 'V this^city, between the rivers Delaware and ..'•'Uyllciii where they spend their time watching along Ky ba lks like cats;‘or sailing low and ^ u'-ly surface of the ditches. Though ^ g ^ Ulany attempts made to shoot them, y • 5^ far, LiallT vom one tree to another at no great u^fauoe, ml-fuo a loud squeeling as they ‘wise, somiv l^e resemhliiig the neighing of a young colt, though a more shrill and savage tone. ■ i- * comSnt these with Pennant’s deseriptiqn,* corres^ndedso exactly, ttono douhts lemain of '•‘aw being the same species. Towards the heginning * Arctic Zoology, p. 200, No. 92. 78 FALCO LAGOPUS. of April, these birds abandon this part of the countty’ and retire to the north to breed. ^ They are common, durinj^ winter, in the lower p®^ of Maryland, and numerous in the extensive meadoJ_ below Newark, New Jersey ; arc frequent alon^T Connecticut river, and, according to Pennant, inhiw' England, Norway, and Lapraark. Their flight is and heavy. They are often seen coursing over 1^ surface of the meadows, long after sunset, many tii® j in pairs. They generally roost on the tall detach'; trees that rise from these low grounds ; and take th*^' stations, at day-break, near a ditch, bank, or hay sta'^*'’ for hours together, watching, with patient vigila"!;^' for the fii'st unlucky frog, mouse, or lizard, to make ' appearance. The instant one of these is descried, hawk, sliding into the air, and tal of its head is likewise uncommon. Waek hawk is taventy-one inches long, and four 8i(l^ "'9 inches in extent ; bill, bluish black ; cere, and Veiy Ihe mouth, orange yellow ; feet the same; eye, the p ^'■ge ; iris, bright hazel ; cartilage, overhanging Col(, 5'^®! prominent, of a dull greenish colour ; general Hif n Wa'*. slightly dashed with dirty hoj.® » nape of the neck, pure white under the surface ; "''ite; whole lower parts, black, with slight of brown; and a few circular touches ot the the femorals; legs, feathered to the toes, and hey , fotiched with brownish ; the wings reach rather Hit of ‘'‘0 primaries are (leog, O" their inner vanes; tail, rounded at the end, kliS crossed with live narrow bands of pure • and broadly tipt with dull white ; vent, black. 80 FALCO NIGER. spotted with white; inside vanes of the v, snowy ; claws, black, strong and shaq) ; toes, rewa ab^ short. I stron|rly suspect this bird to he of the very species with the next, thou;?!! both were found to males. Althoun-h differing; greatly in plumage, y®*-,, all their characteristic features they .strikingly hie each other. The chocolate coloured hau'k , Pennant, and St John’s falcon, of the same authOjJ|j are doubtless varieties of this ; and, very probably> ^ rough-legged falcon also. His ligure.s, however, ‘j bad, and ill calculated to exhibit the true form appearance of the bird. This species is a native of North America alone- have no account of its ever having been seen part of Europe ; nor have we any account of its or manner of breeding. 19. BLACK HAWK. WILSON, PLATE LIII. PIG. II. TOUNG BIHD. This is probably a younger bird of the preced'!^ species, being, though a male, somewhat less thaO ^ companion. Both were killed in the same meado''’|^j, j the same place and time. In form, features, and a® I tudes, it exactly agreed with the former. , jo This bird measures twenty inches in length, a® extent four feet ; the cye.s, bill, cere, toes, and rla^^j were as in the preceding j head above, white, with black and light brown ; along the eyebrows ® ",,itli line ; cheeks, streaked like the head ; neck, streaked black and reddish brown, on a pale yellowish ground ; whole upper parts brown black, dashed brownish white and pale ferruginous ; tail, white | its length, ending in brown, marked with one or * Arctic Zoology, Nos. 93 and 94. 4 BLACK HAWK. 81 of dusky and a large bar of Hack, and tipt with dull H; u ings as in the ju’eceding-j their lining variegated 1^0 black, white, and ferruginous ; throat and breast owuisjj yellow, dashed with black ; belly beautifully ^ '■'egated with spots of white, black, and pale ferrugi- > femorals and feathered legs the same, but rather ; vent, i)lain brownish white, the original colour of these birds in their young state probably be pale brown, as the present individual a to be changing to a darker colour on the neck bk the head. This change, from pale brown to hy is not greater than some of the genus are actually H ?"'U to undergo. One great advantage of examining be'!!?’ hilled specimens, is, that whatever may the difference of colour between any two, the eye, ^dliteuance, and form of the head, instantly betray the jjTHton family to which they belong ; for this family sL.®'‘ess is never lost in the living bird, though in stuffed ei,iV^ and preserved specimens it is fre^piently entirely ‘derated. I have no hesitation, therefore, in giving Hre opinion, that the present and preceding birds the same species, differing only in age, both being Of the female I am unable at present to speak. h,^*®''nant, in his a<-count of the chocolate-coloured which is,Tery])robably,the same with the present sp<‘e‘es, observes, that it preys much on it ; s, sitting on a rock, and watching their rising, when .^tautly strikes them. bet traveling our sea coast and salt marshes, bolrt' Cape May and Egg Harbour, 1 wa-s everywhere as a cluc/i huwh, noted for striking down ducks on *bctiF’ bhough ffying with their usual rapidity. Many <-til **','*’§®ncies were mingled with these accounts, parti- bon btnt it always struck the ducks with its breast- a,,p"'hich was universally said topro.iectseveral inches, des stronn- and sharp. From the best verbal SUsw'Pb’ous I ixiuld obtain of this hawk, I have strong ^ Pieions that it is uo other than the black lum k, as its Were said to be long and very pointed, the colour y dark, the size nearly alike, and several other traits I. F FALCO BOREALIS. 82 given, that seemed particularly to belong to this spec'*®: As I have been promised specimens of this celebrate hawk next winter, a short time will enable me to dctc‘' mine the matter more satisfactorily. Few gunners that quarter are unacquainted with the duck hawk, as * often robs them of their wounded birds before they af® able to reach them. 20 . FALCO SOBEJLIS, WILSON. — BEE-TAILID HAWK. WILSON, PLATE LII. FIG. I ADULT. Birds naturally thinly dispersed over a vast of country ; retiring during summer to the depth of 1® forests to breed ; approaching the habitations of i®*"’. like other thieves and pluiulerera, with shy and caiitio®* jealousy; seldom permitting a near advance; subject 1. gi'eat changes of plumage; and, since the decline a falcourv, seldom or never domesticated, — offer to the*® who wish eagerly to investigate their history, and delineate their particular character and manners, g®®®' and insunnouiitablo difficulties. Little more can done in such cases than to identify the species, trace it through the various quarters of the wod where it has been certainly met with. The red-tiiiled hawk is most frequently seeniii*'“t lower parts of Pennsylvania during the severity ® winter. Among the extensive meadows that borih’_ the Schnylkill and Delaware, below Philadelphia, flocks of larks, (alauda magna,') and where mice moles are in gi-oat abundance, many individuals o* hawk spend the greater part of the winter. Oth*’ ^ prowl around the jilantations, looking out for vug®®® chickens; their method of seizing which is, by ing swiftly over the spot, and grappling them with tj'® talons, and so bearing them away to the woods. bird, from which the following description was RED-TAILED HAWK. 83 Ijji? ^’U'prised ill the act of feediun; on a hen he had just j, and which he was compelled to abandon. The of the chicken were immediately baited to a tcH* early the next morning the unfortunate ler vvas found a prisoner, securely fastened by the The same hen, which the day before ho had ^^®*'*’tpred, was, the very next, made the means of f^^'ying him to his destruction, — in the eye of the a system of fair and just retribution. 1 1 |.’® species inhabits the whole United States, and, ,y®ueve, is not migratory, as I found it, in the month g ^y> a.s far south as Fort Adams, in the Mississippi •am- yonng were, at that time, nearly as as their parents, and were very clamorous, making *®cessant squealing noise. One, which I shot, con- Ij ''*'1 in its stomach mingled fragments of frogs and "^ds. red-tailed hawk is twenty inches long, and three Vd inches in extent; bill, blue black; cere, W mouth, yellow, tinged with green; H). I> and spot on the under eyelid, white, the former a T j®'livith flue radiating hairs ; eyebrow, or c.artilage, '■'ye- ®®*‘®i^'“ cidour, prominent, projecting over the sfj i a broad streak of dark brown extends from the the mouth backwards ; crown and hind head. Of ®''owu, seamed with white, and ferruginous ; sides ®yc I ferruginous, streaked with brown; bfo’ *''lie ; iris, pale amber ; back and shoulders, deep thg ^ ; wings, dusky, barred with blackish ; ends of hr- jT® first primaries nearly black ; scapulars, barred Hit ^ With white and brown ; sides of the tail coverts, lvu| > fiarred with ferruginous, middle ones dark, edged the , tail, rounded; extending two inches beyond Of r 7 '®8s, and of a bright red brown, with a single band On near the end, and tipt with brownish white ; Of jn®*® ®t’ the lateral feathers are slight indications hfe,®®. teraains of other narrow bars ; lower parts. '^tk 1*®^' ; *'*® I""®®®*, ferruginous, streaked with brown ; across the belly, a band of interrupted ®i' brown; chin, white; femorals and vent, pale 84 FALCO LEVERIANUS. broAvnish Avhite, the former marked rrith a few heart-shaped spots of brown ; legs, yellow, feather half way beloAV the knees. ^ This AA'as a male. Another specimen, shot AA'ithm^j' few days after, agreed, in almost every particular its colour and markings, with the present; and, dissection, was found to be a female. 21. JPALCO LBVERtANVS, AJIEHICAN BDZZAKD, oa WHIT*' BEEASTEU HAWK.* WILSON, PLATE Lll. FIG. I. It is with some doubt and hesitation that I introd^ the present as a distinct species from the precedi ^ In theii' size and general iispect they resemble ^ other considerably; yet I have found both males females among each; and in the present species I h^j. sometimes found the ground colour of the tail stroUr ' tinged with ferruginous, and the bars of dn.sky.”,. slight; Avhile in the preceding the tail is sometH".. w'holly red broivn, the single bar of black ne;ir the excepted ; in other s^iecimcns evident remains of rous other bars are visible. In the meantime, both ^ described, and future observations may throw more h? ^ on the matter. ,yt This bird is more numerous than the last," i frequents the same situations in winter. One, v' *' j was shot in the wing, lived with me several but refused to eat. It amused itself by hopping from one end of the room to the other , sitting for hours at the window, looking down the passengers below. At first, when a])proachett • any person, he generally put himself in a threa iug iiosition; but after some time he became <1^ | familiar, permitting himself to be handled, and shm This is the young of the preceding species. AMERICAN' BUZZARD. 85 3 ®y®s, as if quite passive. Thoug-h he lived so long food, ho was found on dissection to be exceed- sorJ fat, his stomach being enveloped in a mass of fivt of nearly an inch in thickness, j Jhe white-breasted hawk is twenty-two inches long, k] four feet in extent ; cere, pale green ; bill, pale black at the poitvt; eye, bright straw colour; /®“'’ow, projecting greatly ; head, broad, Hat, and large; part of the head, sides of tlie neck and back, streaked and seamed with white and some pale sca]mlars .and wing-coverts spotted with white; tjrS quills much re.sembling the preceding species ; tli white, handsomely barred with brown ; tail, b'htely rounded, of a pale brown colom-, varying in - to a sorrel, crossed by nine or ten bars of black, ba for I'alf an inch with white ; wings, brown, with dusky ; inner vanes nearly all white ; chin, s J^at, and breast, pure white, with the exception of fe^* touches of brown that enclose the chin ; to, ^rals, yellowish white, thinly marked with minute a of rust ; legs, bright yellow, feathered half way Co ’ broadly spotted with black or very deep a "'o : the tips of the wings reach to the middle of tail Hi sp reasons for inclining to consider this a distinct t}, ®'*® from the last, is that of having uniformly found tj, I'resent two or three inches larger than the former, this may possibly be owing to their greater SUBGEX-US ly..— emeus, eechstein. - 2 . PALCO IIYSUALIS, WILSON. — WINTER FALCON. 'VILSON, PL. XXXV. FIG. I. — ADULT MALE. T elegant and spirited hawk visits ns from the ‘h early in November, and leaves us late in March. 86 FALCO HYEMALIS. He is a dcxterons frog- catcher; and, that he pursue his profession with full effect, takes np winter residence almost entirely amon^ our meado" and marshes. He sometimes stuffs himself so eno,_ mously with these reptiles, that the prominency of (Taw makes a large hunch, and he appears to fly * j difficulty. I hare taken the broken fragments, whole carcass(!S of ten frogs, of different dimeusioi'” from the croj) of a single individual. Of his genius other exploits, I am unable to say much. He appe‘"' to be a fearless and active bird, silent, and not very si*. ' One which I kept for some time, and which was sliga’A wounded, disdained all attempts made to reconcile 'i" to confinement; and would not suffer a person approach without being highly irritated, throW»>'s himself backward, and striking, with expanded talo"“j’ with great fury. Though shorter winged than som* ^ his tribe, yet I have no doubt, but, with proper eaf ’ ho might be trained to strike nobler game, m a bo* • style, and with great effect. But the education ^ hawks in this country may well be postponed for. time, until fewer improvements remain to be made > that of the human subject. , Length of the winter hawk twenty inches ; ext®** forty-one inches, or nearly throe feet six inches; er* and legs, yellow, the latter long, and feathered for ^ inch below the knee ; bill, bluish black, small, furnish^ i with a tooth in the upper mandible ; eye, bright jj i cartilage over the eye, very prominent, and of a o' I green ; head, .sides of the neck, and throat, dark broo ; streaked with white ; lesser coverts with a strong gfo.j, of ferruginous; sccondan(|s, pale brown, indistinc^ barred with darker; primaries, brownish orange, Spo*' with black, wholly black at the tips ; tail, long, sli?** rounded, barred alternat(dy with dark and pale broo^'^j inner vanes, white, exterior feathers, bromfisb 9'’OOr wings, when closed, reach rather beyond the middle the tail; tail coverts, white, marked with hra.^j^ shaped spots of brown, breast and belly, white, numerous long di-ops of brown, the shafts blackis HED-SHOULDERED HAWK. »/ femoral feathers, large, pale yellow ochre, marked with mRucrous minute streaks of pale brown ; claws, black. _ he legs of this bird are represented by different authors Y* slender; but I saw no appearance of this in those ^^atnined. . The female is considerably darker above, and about "'0 inches longer. PALCO LINEATPS, WILSON.* BED-SnOULnEEEI) HAW'K. WILSON, PLATE till. FIG- lU- ..This species is more rarely met with than either of ‘he former. Its haunts are in the neighbourhood ot the It preys on larks, sandpipers, and the small ringed ?'hTer, and frenuentlv oii ducks. It flies high and ll^hgularly, and not iii the sailing manner of the long- ^‘hged hawks. I have occasionally observed this bird h«ar Egg Harbour, in New Jersey, and once in the meadows below this city. This hawk ivas fii'st trans- Y ftcd to Great Britain by Mr Blackburnc, from Long , mid, in the state of Now York. With its manner of “hilding, eggs, &c. we are altogether unacquainted. ..The red-shouldered hawk is nineteen inches long; he head and back are brown, seamed and edged with 'hhty, bill, blue black ; cere and legs, yellow ; mig-coverts and secondaries, pale olive brown, thickly potted on both vanes with white and pale rusty ; primi^ very dark, nearly black, and barred or spotted with 5'f'*tc; tail, rounded, reaching about an inch and a hall S'oud the , rings, black, ci-ossed bv hve bands of white, liroadlv tipt with the same ; whole breast and belly, Thflit rusty, speckled and spotted with transverse rows ®f''l»ite,the shafts black;chinandchcefe,palc brownish, ®f>;oiked also with black ; iris, reddish ha^e ; vent, pale tipt with rusty; legs, feathered a little below the * This appears to be the young male of the winter falcon. 88 FALCO ULIGINOSUS. knees, long; those and the feet, a fine yellow ; clafl'*’ black ; femorals, pale rusty, faintly barred with a darken tint. In the month of April I shot a female of this speci*^’ and the only one 1 have j’et met with, in a swamp, seV*^'' or eight miles below Philadelphia. The eggs were, sOlO® of them, nearly as largo as peas, from which circui*' stance, I think it probable, they breed in such solitary parts even in this state. In colour, size, and marking’’* it differed very little from the mde described ahovr- The tail was scarcely quite so black, and the white bat* not so pure; it was also something- larger. 24. FALCO VLIOINOSUS, WILSON. — FALCO OTAXEOS, LINN-E®®' MARSH HAWK. WILSON, PLATE LI. FIG. I. YOUNG FEMALE. A DRAWING of thi.s hawk was ti-ansmitted to Edwards, more than fifty yeans ago, by Mr Willi®^ Bartram, and engi-aved'in Plate 291 oi Edward^ f. Ornithology. At that time, and I believe till now, >* I has been considered as a species peculiar to this couO' try. I have examined -various individuals of this hawk* both ill summer and iii the depth of n-inter, and fin’i them to correspond so nearly w'ith the rino--tail Europe, that I have uo doubt of their beino- the sain’’ species. This hawk is most numerous where there are extn®' sive meadows and salt marshes, over which it sails vci^ low, making frequent circuitous siveeps over the sain® ground, in search of a species of mouse, very abundant in such situations. It occasionally flaps the wings, but i^. most commonly seen sailing about ivithin a few feet o* the surface. The}* are usually kiiowm by the name of th® mouse-hawk along the sea-coast of New Jersey, wher® MARSH HAWK. 89 u y are very common. Several were also brought me jj .''inter from the meadows below Philadelphia. never seen its nest, I am unable to describe it ''rh observation. It is said, by European {j,^'ers, to build on the ground, or on low limbs of Mr Pennant observes, that it sometimes changes ? ''Ust-coloured variety, e.vcept on the rump and tail, ligj** *ouud, as was to be c.vpcctcd, at Hudson’s Bay, native in both this latitude and that of Britain, 'eih informed that it is common iu the open and fiif ^*®'’nte parts of Russia and Siberia ; and extends as tr ^ Lake Baikal, though it is said not to be found iu ■ ij.J'^nth of Europe.* ‘e marsh han k is twenty-one inches long, and three fo ' “leveii inches in extent ; cere and legs, yellow, the W*.'' Uu!?ed with green, the latter long and slender; jE til, large, triangubir ; this and the base ol the bill, tile eovered with strong curving hairs, that rise from bit, ‘‘Pace between the eye and bill, arching over the Mir .'** I*'** ""‘I i l'a''t'<''"'af rharacter- bill, blue, black at the end ; eye, dark hazel ; age overhanging the eye, and also the eyelid, bluish It, b** ! spot under the eye, and line from the front over tb^ ^'" uish white ; head above and back, dark glossy .al® brown, the former slightly seamed with bright Jiiw'St'mus ; scapulars, spotted with the same under the ’■ lesser coverts and band of the wing, here and ti(.jj *'.®'lgcd nith the same; greater coverts and prima- buljl *pt with whitish ; quills deep brown at the extreme nil o*®me of the outer ones hoary on the exterior edge ; ^ilil primaries, yellowish ndiite on the inner vanes '’Wl!'*’Per half, also barred on tbc inner vanes with Mn, ’ lone-, extending three inches beyond the fro5'*’,*'“>i«ded at the end, mid of a jiale sorrel colour, 'Piddl broad bars of very dark brown, the two dii(i j.*’ Ibathers excepted, which are barred n'ith deep i-Ugi^bter shades of chocolate brown ; chin, pale fer- ^ “tits ; round the neck, a colhu- of bright rust colour ; Pallas, as quoted by Pennant. 90 STRIX HUDSONIA. breast, belly, and vent, pale rust, shafted with femorals, long-, tapering, and of the same pale rust legs, feathered near an inch below the knee. This a female. The male differs chiefly in being ran' lighter, and somewhat less. , .n This hawk is particulaidy serviceable to the rice ll*^j of the southern states, by the havoc it makes a'®*! j the clouds of rice buntings that spread such dev'astah , among that grain, in its early stage. As it sails 1*^ and swiftly, over the surface of the field, it keeps ' , flocks in perpetual fluctuation, and greatly interi’®lr|j their depredations. The planters consider one i®® L hawk to be equal to several negroes for alarming rice-birds. Formerly the marsh hawk used te, , numerous along the Schuylkill and Delaware, | the time the reeds were ripening, and the rced-b®^ abundant; but they have of hate years become h i numerous here. j J ' Mr Pennant considers the “ strong, thick, and legs ” of this s])ecies, as specific distinctions from ring-tailed hawk; the legs, however, are long 'x slender ; and a marsh hawk such as he has descf*’ avith strong, thick, and short legs, is no where 1® found in the United States. GENUS In — STRl^, Linnjsus. SUBGENUS I. — SUItXIA, DUMERIL. 26. STSIX nUDSOKIJ, WILSON HAWK OWL. WILSON, PLATE L. FIG. VI EDINBURGH COLLEGE This is an inhabitant of both continents, a equivocal species, or rather a connecting link bctn.^^ti the hawk and owl tribes, resembling the latter in ),ii< and in the radiating feathers round the eye and bin > HAWK OWL. 91 er to the former in the smallness of its of its face, and in its length of tail. In it seems jiist such a figure as one would expect to ®'^*''®*'ated between a hawk and an owl of the same Were it possible for them to produce ; and yet is as j'lict, independent, and original a species as any other, (j !*as also another strong trait of the hawk tribe, — in Of and preying by day, contrary to the general habit foiP"'!®. It is characterized as a bold and active species, 8.^ • '.''ng the fowler, and carrying off his game as soon litd '■*’ *”* partridges and other ij j and is very common at Hudson’s Bay, whci'c it ioj.'^'*lled by the Indians coparacoch.* We are also S ®'’'>‘ed that this same species inhabits Denmark and Of ** frequent in all Siberia, and on the west side Oot • ^ralian chain as far as Casan and the Volga; hnt *0 Ilussia. f It was also seen by the navigators Sandwich Sound, in lat. Cl deg. north. H species is very rare in Penn.sylvania, and the hill!!.'* Southern parts of the United States. Its favourite h'ulc^ ®oams to be along the bordoj-s of the arctic regions, In,]) h? Occasional excursions southwardly wdieu com- of f severity of weather, and consequent scarcity ^ some time ago received a drawing of this de^jfrom the district of Maine, where it was consi- *0 th another specimen which was shot I "eig-hijourhood of Philadelphia, arc the only two bfiu ®We come under my notice. These h.aving luckily hed to be male and female, have enabled me to Vd*^ 'description of both. Of their nest, or manner of pi *hg, we have ilO account, bill ® *®*ile of this species is fifteen inches long ; the plu’ "''aiige yellow, and almost hid among the feathers ; diiipPre of curving up over the under man- a!ld®^eyes, bright orange ; head, small ; face, narrow, 8na very little concavity ; checks, white ; crown "Pots d'ead, dusky black, thickly marked with round ^ "t white ; sides of the neck, marked with a large near rTv. ’ narrowness Edwards. f Pennant. 92 STRIX NYCTEA. curving sti'eak of brown black, with another a ht behind it of a triangular form ; back, scapulars, and tail coverts, brown olive, thickly speckled . broad spots of white; the tail extends three inc^ ’ beyond the tips of the wings, is of a biwvn olive cow' ' and crossed with six or seven narrow bars of " j rounded at the end, and also tipt with white ; the and chin is marked with a large spot of brown oh' „ upper part of the breast, light ; lower, and all the p? , below, elegantly kirred with dark brown and legs and feet, covered to and beyond the claws with ivhitLsh plumage, slightly yellow, and barred with h lines of olive ; claws, horn colour. The weight of W bird was twelve ounces. ^ The female is much darker above ; the quills ^ j nearly black; and the upper part of the breast is blotc** with deep blackish brown. Iiy It is worthy of remark, that in all owls that h5.|]j night, the exterior edges and sides of the wing ; are slightly recurved, and end in hue hairs or I'O*"')) by means of which the bird is enabled to pass thcC'jy the air with the greatest silence, a provision ueecss* ^ for enabling it the better to surprise its prey. !'*/(,) hawk owl now before us, which Hies by day, »*'“ [( whom this contrivance would be of no consequcncC»j^ is accordingly omitted, or at least is scarcely obsevV*’j| So judicious, so wise, and perfectly applicable, at® ' the dispositions of the Creator. 26. STRIX XyCTHA, WILSOX. — SNOW OWL. WILSON, PLATE XXXII. fig. I. MALE.. JIUSEL'M. -EDISBURGH coll'" This great northern hunter inhabits the coldest ^ . most dreary regions of the northern hemisphere i, both continents. The forlorn mountains of Greene covered with eternal ice and snows, where, for D®' SNOW OWL. 93 the year, the silence of death and desolation might he expected to reign, furnish food and shelter to o's hardy adyenturcr; whence he is only driven hy jj® extreme severity of weather towards the sea shore, jj® is found in Lapland, Norway, and the country near Jeon’s Bay, during the whole year; is said to he h^mon in Siberia, and numerous in Kamtschatka. ofR** *cen in Canada and the northern districts to!.?® United States ; and sometimes extends his visits So borders of Florida. Nature, ever provident, has a ®"ectually secured this bird from the. attacks of cold, “ot even a point is left e.xposed. The 1)111 is almost fa,, hid among a mass of feathers that cover the of f * the lee's are clothed with such an exuberance la thiclt hair-like plumage, .as to apitcar ne.arly as kS®. as those of a middle-sized dog, nothing being Cl® hut the claws, which are large, black, much L| and extremely shai-p. The whole plumage taa "■ the surface is of the most exquisitely soft, warm, Cl®la.stic kind, and so closely matted together as to sJ,® it a difficult matter to penetrate to the skin. gC**e usual food of this species is said to be hares, ‘'‘'bbits, ducks, mice, and even carrion. Unlike Ca his tribe, he hunts by day as well as by twilight, I " T i__ X* .1 ♦lirt onil 4 ijj.'s particularly fond of frequenting the shores and shallow rivers, over the surface ot which he w' y sails, or sits on a rock a little raised above the tilth®’ hatching for fish. These he seizes with a W. .®‘t and instantaneous stroke of the loot, seldom his aim. In the more southern and thickly Ilk ®!^ parts he is seldom seen ; and when lie appears, colour, and singular aspect, attract general oA the month of October, I met with this bird p‘,PtWego Biver New York state, a little below the C’ ''■gilantly watching for fish At Pittsburg^ in sliL*'?““lh of February, I saiv another, which had been Oh the wing some time before. At a place on the \Va7> called Lon-' Beach, I examined another, which the first ever” recollected to have been seen there. STRIX NYCTEA. 94 In the town of Cincinnati, state of Ohio, two of birds alighted on the roof of the court house, alarmed the whole town. A people more disposed superstition, would have deduced some dire or fortuo* prognostication from their selecting such a place ; the only solicitude was how to get possession of which, after several volleys, was at length effect* One of these, a female, I afterwards examined, . on my way through that place to New Orleans. Bairdstown, in Kentucky, I met with a large and beautiful one, which appeared to be altogether unkno" j to the inhabitants of that quarter, and excited gence j surprise. A person living on the eastern shore ^ Maryland, shot one of these birds a few months a female ; and, having stuffed the skin, broug'ht Philadelphia, to Mr Peale, in expectation, no doubbj^ a great reward. I have examined eleven of these bit j within these fifteen months last past, in different ® very distant parts of the country, all of which shot either during winter, late in the fall, or early . spring ; so that it does not appear certain whether * remain during summer within the territory of * . United States ; though I think it highly probable a few do, in some of the more northeni inland p**' where they are most tiumerous during winter. > The colour of this bird is well suited for concealii>*''|j while roaming over the general waste of snows ; its flight strong and swift, very similar to that of ^*"11 of om’ large hawks. Its hearing must be ex(jnisit*’ ) we judge from the largeness of these organs in it j its voice is so dismal, that, as Pennant observes, it ^ horror even to the regions of Greenland, by its hid** cries, resembling those of a man in deep distress.^ , 4 The male of this species measures twenty-two .j. and a half in length, and four feet six inches in bi'c#*' j head and neck, nearly white, with a few small dull brown interspersed ; eyes, deep sunk, under jeering eyebrows, the ])himage at their internal fluted, or prest in, to admit direct vision ; below V*!^^ bristles up, covering nearly the whole bill ; the it* SNOW OWL. 95 most brilliant golden yellow, and the counte- Jitoj from the propoi'tiouate smallness of the head, at tl?**^*®‘* of the eyebrow, and (souoavity of the plumage otlj“® angle of the eye, very different from that of any genus ; general colo\ir of the body, white, with lunated spots of pale brown above, and '‘"(1 1 *’*^'*iieircular dashes below; femoral feathers, long, ^'^ir.pn** covered, even over the claws, with long shaggy down, of a dirty ^vhitc; the clan's, when a])pear large, much hooked, of a black colour, 'at [i^freniely sharp ])oint.ed; back, white; tail, rounded t* slightly dotted with pale brown near wings, n'hen closed, reach near the extremity a.'ctp^'l.fail ; vent feathers, huge, strong shafted, and tlij; 1 '^'ng also to the point of the tail; ixpper part of Jjj “*'«ast and belly, plain white ; body, very broad and I'll 4v(, P female, xvhich measures two feet in length, and f'vo inches in extent, is covered more thickly ‘'>al(> of a much (barker colour than those on the faip ’ frm chill, throat, face, belly, and vent, are white ; ^ few 1 white, long, and shaggy, marked xvith 1*1 the , ■'O'f-shaped spots of brown ; legs also covered Wiipj,iJ^*®"'s with long white hairy down ; rest of the white, every feather spotted or barred xvith ^Ht f largest on the wing ()uills, where they arc j'tiirl^ I o inches apart ; fore part of the crown, thickly f with roundish black spots ; tail, crossed with Hit ? j^^oad brownish spots ; shafts of all the plumage, ■ ***tli' '‘“‘f claws, as in the male, black ; third and Hhg^ '*'*Ug quill the longest ; span of the foot, four ■ ‘^Vg**** frm various individuals of these birds which I 1 have reason to believe that the male fi!tii^ “PlWoaches nearly to white in his plumage, the (If ■’arcly or never. The conformation of the eye tlilf forms a curious and interesting subject ’'Otiiov anatomist. The globe of the eye is ^ ^ fixed in its socket, by a strong elastic hai d dnious case, in form of a truncated cone ; this STRIX NiEVIA. 96 case being closely covered with a skin, appears at » to be of one continued piece; but, on removinff j, exterior membrane, it is found to be formed of ntt pieces, placed like the staves of a cask, overlapP'*^ a little at the base, or narrow end, and seem capable of being enlarged or contracted, perhaps by jj, muscular membrane with which they are encased. . five other dilfereut species of owls, uhich I *' examined, I found nearly the same conformatioo ^ this organ, and exactly the same number of The eye being thus fixed, these birds, .os they different objects, are always obliged to turn the and nature has so excellently .adapted their nece^^j^ this purpose, that they can, with ease, turn it without moving the body, in almost a complete cn'f 27 . UTEIX ITJEFIA, WILSOX MOTTLED OWL. WILSON, PLATE XIS. PIG. I ADULT. re On contemplating the grave and antiquated hg" jj|;C this night wandere.r, so destitute of every thing ‘jn gracefulness of shape, I can scarcely refrain smiling at the conceit, of the ludicrous appearance bird must have made, had nature bestowed on powers of song, .and given it the faculty of out sprightly airs, while robed in such a solemn But the great God of Nature hath, in his "'''mo? iLSsigned to this class of birds a more unsocial, aim noble, though, perhaps, not less useful, disposition’ .assimilating them, not only in form of countenancf’ in voice, nuanners, and appetite, to some panf’^j ol beasts of prey; secluding them from the enjoyjonn/ the gay sunshine of d.ay, and giving them liH*® “Jiii? than tile few solitary hours of morning and c' twilight, to procure their food and pursue their aoio^pl while all the tuneful tribes, a few excepted, are ' 5 MOTTLED OWL. 97 >u Silence and repose. That their true character, how- **’■ should not he concealed from those weaker animals On L vney leeu, utraveii huiiuis uccnt, anu. j/Pocrisy,) He has stamped their countenance with jjj.oiig traits of their murderer the cut; and birds in Oien *^®®Pnct are, perhaps, better physiognomists than before ns is chiefly a native of the i^|/*nern regions, arriving here, with several others, '>t the commencement of cold weather ; fre((ueuting (I ** 'Jplands and mountainous districts, in preference to (un* 11 ports ol Ihe country; and feeding on mice, to * . l*'rds, beetles, and (Tickets. It is rat her a scarce (*j.^rtes i„ Pennsvlvania ; flics usually in the early part ®'sht and morning; and is sometimes observed sitting fi ftmees during day, when it is easily caught; its at that time being very imperfe(d. .*he bii -,1 lA-liieli f am about to describe. th ' which 1 lun about to describe, was taken in it ‘situation, and presented to me by a friend. I kept the nmm beside me for some time, during which Py ■V'^ual position was such as I have given it ape were either half shut, or slowly and alternately '"og and shutting, as if suffering from the glare of aph sooner was the sun set, than its whole ^ ^ Its I. Is were either half shut, or slowly and alternal ' '"og and shutting, as if suffering from the glare of #>, - out no sooner was the sun set, than its whole gl^^'*''ance became lively and animated ; its full and la,^, eyes shone like those of a cat ; and it often pj|,.®*’®d its head, in the manner of a cock when pre- to tight, moving it from side to si(h‘, and also ijl i^^lly, ius if reconnoitring you with great sharpness, pk , 7*''g through the room, it shifted from place to the *■' the silence of a spirit, (if I may be allotved Expression,) the plumage of its wings being so Vij^E^^'^ly tiue and soft as to occasion litth? or no ti iction tij P the air, a wise |)rovisioii of nature, bestowed on t * tyholc genus, to enable them, without giving alarm, the P'E their jwey in the night. For an hour or two in fir,. ?''®“hig, and about break of duj', it flew about with Elllv •aiv* “.E^rtlty. When angry, it .snapped its hill repeat- P^io’ "•'*■** ''iolence, and so loud as to he heard in the V *PP’S room, swelling out its eyes to their full dinien- Pt-I. r. STHIX N^VIA. 98 sions, and lowering its head as before described, swallowed its food hastily, in large mouthfuls; ‘‘“j. never was observed to drink. Of the eggs and nest this species, I am unable to speak. The mottled owl is teu inches long, and twenty-t^ in extent ; the upper part of the head, the back, and lesser wing-coverts, are dark brown, streaked a variegated with black, pale brown, and ;ish ; lighter, the greater coverts and primaries spotted white ; tail, short, even, and mottled with black, 1’*^^ brown, and n hitish, on a dark brown ground ; its lo'*^ side, gray ; horns, (.as they are usually called,) prominent, each composed of ten feathers, increasing length from the front backvi ards, and lightest on inside; face, whitish, marked with small touches dusky, and bounded on each side with a circlet ot breast and belly, white, beautifnlly variegated ragged streaks of black, and small transverse tone ^ of brown ; legs, feathered nearly to the claws, wn kind of hairy down, of .a pale brown colour; vent * j under tail-coverts, white, the latter slightly n'^ with brown ; iris of the eye, a brilliant golden yell® bill and claws, bluish horn colour. This was a female. The male is considerably size; the general colours darker; and the white cl< (tint the wing-coverts not so observable. Hollow trees, either in the woods or orchard, or evergreens in retired situations, are the usual places of this and most of our other species. retreats, however, are frecjuently discovered by J|,f nuthatch, titmouse, or blue jay, who instantly raise alarm; a promiscuous group of feathered neighbe^pi soon collect round the spot, like crowds in the ; of a large city, when a thief or murderer is dete® and, by their insults and vociferation, oblige the to seek for another lodging elsewhere. This account for the circumstance of sometimes finding abroad during the day, on fences and other exp situations. RED OWL. 99 28. STRIX ASIO, WILSON. RED OWL. WILSON, PLATE XLII. FIG, I. )j is another of our nocturnal wanderers, well """ common name, the Little Screech Owl ; In ft)’’ '•‘S melancholy quivering- kind of wailing ^ liie evenings, particularly toivards the latter part of 'n specimen I kept for several weeks in the room me. It was caught in a barn, whore it had taken ^1’ Its L.i.r.. r... .1 L. ; p ‘®usi ^ Hiller and autumn, near the farm house. On clear j) J'J'ikght nights, they answer each other from various lb' I *^^® O’’ orchard; roo.st during the day in *^®’'8'''ooi’s, such a-s cedar, ])ine, or juniper trees, toi I’arely seen abroad in sunshine. In May, they (jj ^h'uct their nest in the hollow of a tree, often in ijj.® Orchard in an old apple tree ; the nest is composed soiue hay and a few feathers ; the eggs are four, white, and nearly round. The young arc at first oted with a whitish down. Sill- lodging, probably for the greater convenience of fe^7'iig ; and being unhurt, I had an opportunity of f(,f*i'''king its manners. At first, it struck itself so ’ .*iy against the window, as frequently to deprive it, iJo,r'''Sly, of all sensation for several minutes ; this was 1 ® So repeatedly, that I began to fear that either the "Uv owl’s skull must give way. In a few days, lb(> it eithei- began to comprehend sonietbing of Psp ^’Htter, or to take disgust at the glass, for it never tbbji?;*'®il its attempts ; and soon became quite tame and j liar. Those who have seen this bird only in the form but an imperfect idea of its activity, and Tlir '^I’l'ightlincss, in its projier season of exercise, its t*“8liout the day, it was all stillness and gravity; sl^^^®'ids half shut, its nock contracted, and its head tiiR seemingly into its body ; but scarcely was the twilight began to ai)]iroach, when its eyes "He full amt sparkling, like two living globes of tire ; This appears to be the young of the mottled owl. 100 STnix Asio. it crouclicd on its perch, reconnoitred every ohjecj around with looks of eai;er herceness ; alighted fed ; stood on the meat with clenched talons, whim • tore it in morsels M ith its bill ; tlew round the roO ^ with the silence of thought, and perching, moaned ou its melancholy notes with many lively gesticnlatiou ’ not at all accordant with the pitiful tone of its dith ’ which reminded one of the shivering raoanings ot half frozen puppy. . ^ This species is found generally over the Unit States, and is not migrato^. i The red owl is eight inches and a half long, ** twenty-one inches in extent ; general colour ot ‘ plumage above, a bright nut hrown, or tawny red; t^|- shafts, black; exterior edges of the outer yoU',^^ scapulars, white ; bastard wing, the five first primary and three or four of the first greater coverts, also spo^ with white ; whole wing cpiills, spotted with w on their exterior webs; tail, rounded, transvers^^^ barred u ith duslcv and pale brown ; chin, breast, ® jj sides, bright reddish brown, streaked laterally black, intermixeil with « bite ; belly and vent, u'W ^ spotted with bright brown ; legs, covert'd to the d* 5 with pale broivn hairy down ; extremities of the and claws, pale bluisli, ending in black ; bill, a Pj^j bluish horn colour ; eyes, vivid yellow ; inner of the eyes, eyebrows, and space surrounding the whitish : rest of the face nut brown ; head, hornc® , eared, each consisting of nine or ten feathers of a red, shafted with black. SUBGENUS II. ■ — CLDLA, CCVIEB. 29 . STBIX FJBCIIXIJXA, WILSON C.r.EAT HOENEB O"'’" WILSON, PL. L. FIG. I. F.IUNBCRGH COLLEGE MUSEL'»t- ^ This noted and foi-midablc owl is found in al^^ every quarter of the United States. His resid'ence, however, is in the dark solitudes ot '^^,,1 swamps, covered with a growth of gigantic timber j GREAT HORNED OWL. 101 j®''®! as soon as evening: draws on, and mankind retire lie sends forth such sounds as seem scarcely to •*6101 to this world, startling the solitary pilgrim as he ’hnbers by his forest fire. Ab “ Maldng night hideous.” the mountainous shores of the Ohio, and amidst ® deep forests of Indiana, alone, and reposing in the ®ods, tliig g’hostly watchman has frequently warned jjj® ®t the approach of morning, and amused me with his ^^tfnlar exclamations, sometimes sweeping down and J’Rnd my fire, uttering a loud and sudden Wmujh O ! 5l ^ ' sit®tdent to have alarmed a whole garrison, other nocturnal solos, no less melodious, one of Jell very strikingly reseinhles the halt suppressed cJ®''tms of a person sulfocating, or throttled, and cannot hi!V*^* being exceedingly entertaining to a lonely he- ^^ted traveller, in the midst of an Indian wilderness ! n species inhabits the country round Hudson’s ft, y > and, according to Pennant, who considers it a '^® Variety of the eagle owl {strix bubo) of Europe, fe, -’''''A in Kamtschatka ; extends even to the arctic where it is often found white ; and occurs as low I^.Asti-akau. It has also been seen white in the United 0 |. *'*'’*; but this has doubtless been owing to disea.se defect, and not to climate. It preys on young eC ’‘hs, squirrels, rats, mice, partridges, and small birds '^^'■■ous kinds. It has been often known to prowl ^ ’*1 the farm house, and carry oft’ chickens from roost, larg'e one, wing-broken while on a foraging iirsiou of this kind, w'as kept about the house for «-Vci ?ev( days, and at length disappeared, no one knew Almost every day after this, hens and chickens ® disappeared, one by one, in an nnaccoiiutahle f till, in eight or ton days, very few were left ‘®‘t>ing. The fox, the minx, and tveasel, wmre alter- hior ■ reputed authors of this mischief, until one hi e the old lady herself, rising before day to bake, the towards the oven, surprised her late prisoner, ^'rl, regaling himself on the body of a newly killed 102 STRIX VIRGINIANA. hen ! The thief instantly made for his hole, under house, from whence the enraged matron soon dislod^^ him, with the brush handle, and without mercy patched him. In this snug retreat, were found greater part of the feathers, and many large fragnae'^ of her whole family of chickens. , There is something in the character of the on'l , recluse, solitary, and mysterious, something so discords ^ in the tones of its voice, heard only amid the and gloom of night, and in the most lonely and tered situations, as to have strongly impressed ' ^ minds of mankind in general with sensations of and abhorrence of the whole tribe. The poets h®'.j. indulged freely in this general prejudice; and in tb , descriptions and delineations of midnight storms, ‘ j gloomy scenes of nature, the owl is generally introduc to heighten the horror of the picture. Ignorance superstition, in all ages, and in all countries, listen the voice of the owl, and even contemplate its pl'y^ljy nomy, with feelings of disgust, and a kind of awe. The priests, or conjurers, among some of ® | Indian nations, have taken advantage of the reveren' i horror for this bird, and have adopted the t/reat i owl, the subject of the present account, as the synJ"^ or emblem of their office. “ Among the Creeks,” Mr Bartram, in his Travels, p. 504, “ the junior pr'‘'*'^e or students, constantly' wear a white mantle, and a great on l-skin cased and stuffed very ingeniously; b well executed as almost to a]»pear like the living jJ having large sparkling glass beads, or buttons, the head for eyes. This insignia of wisdom and d< nation they w'ear sometimes as a crest on the the head ; at other times the image sits on the or is borne on the hand. These bachelors are “y, distinguished from the other pco])Ie by their taciturn* grave and solemn countenance, dignified step, and si ing to themselves songs or hymns in a low, s" voice, as they stroll about the town.” . ..^ Nothing is a more effectual cure for supersfi^ ^ than a knowledge of the general laws and product* GEEAT nOKNED OWL. 103 Jiature ; nor more forcibly leads our reflections to first, great, self-existent Cause of all, to whom our ®'J®rential awe is then humbly devoted, and not to any ‘ fiis dependant creatures. "VVith all the gloomy habits ungracious tones of the owl, there is nothing in Jls l)ir([ supernatural or mysterious, or more than that p, simple bird of prey, formed for feeding by night, many other animals, and of reposing by day. The “'^fsbness of its voice, occasioned by the width and ^l>ac,ity ^Jf its throat, may bo intended by Heaven as ^Urm and wariiiii^ to the birds and animals on whicli to secure themselves from danger. The voices < carnivorous birds and animals are also observed “.^6 harsh i ill J'lth l«th, VOUMIM Ull ua am* tvn*****- ..ai su and hideons, probably for this very purpose. great horned owl is not migratory, but remains us the whole year. During the day he slumbers j fie thick evergreens of deep swamps, or seeks shelter 'arge hollow "trees. He is very rarely seen abroad of and never but when disturbed. In ihe month May they usually begin to build. The nest is J^aeralljr placed in the fork of a tall tree, and is con- of sticks piled in considerable quantities, lined ch " '’’■y leaves and a few feathers. Sometimes they -.j icavfo mil. •» .. .. ..........o. Sometimes they a hollow tree; and in that case carry in but few al ,r*'’als. The female lays four eggs, nearly as large ^fiose of a hen, almost globular, and of a pure white. 1 __A._ Ibo^l 4Ub«<'n IVPrP j -‘use 01 a iien, almost j^iomuar, ann ui a puiu v>uilc. ffli**'"’ these nests, after the young had flown, were 0| V'fi the heads and hones of two chickens, the legs of fiead of the golden-winged woodpecker, and part Co • ® "'lugs and feathers of several other birds. It is lectured that they hatch hut once in (he season, in L*® lenu'th of the male of this species is twenty tl, fi'^S; the bill is large, black, and strong, covered at L* fiase with a cere; the eyes, goldmi yelloiv; the arc three inches in ieiigth, and very broad, |T“®>sting of twelve or fourteen fcathei-s, their w’ehs broadly ed-ed with bright tawny; face, rusty, w ’‘"ded on each side by a baud of black ; space between Oj® ®yes and hill, whitish ; whole lower parts elegantly acked with numerous transverse bars of dusky on a 104 STRIX OTUS. brig’lit tawny ground, thinly intei'spefsed with whit®’ vent, pale yellow ochre, barred n ith narrow lines ® brown ; legs and feet large, and covered with feathei’ or hairy dov^-n of a pale Itrown colour; claws, xe*') large, bine black ; tail, rounded, extending about inch be3'ond the tips of the wings, crossed with sis seven narrow bars of bronni, and variegated or raarbh'“ with bronn and tawny; nhole upper parts tinej^ pencilled with dusky, on a tawny and whitish groun"' cliin, pure white, under that a band of brown, succeed®® by another narrow one of white ; eyes, yerj' large. The female is full two feet in length, and ha.s n®.. the white on the throat so pure. She has also less ® the bright ferruginons or tawny tint below ; but principally distinguished by her superior magnitude. 30. STBIX OTUS, WILSON LONG-EAKEU OK L. WILSON, PL. LI. FIG. I EDINHURGII COLLEGE AIUSEUAt' This owl is common to both continents, and is more numerous in Peiiiisylvauia than the white, or b*®'! owl : six or seven w-ere found in a single tree, ah®®, fifteen miles from Philadelphia. There”is little doi’Y but this sjieeies is found inhabiting America to a hid* latitude ; though we have no certain accounts of 1 fact. Except in size, this sjieeies has more resembhuj* to the great horned owl than any other of its trih®^ It resembles it also in breeding among the branches tall trees ; lays four eg-gs, of ne.arl v a round form, pure white.* The young are greyish white uid' nearly full grown, and roost during the day td®* together on a limb, among the tliickest of the foliar ^ This owl is frequently seen abroad during the day, i”’ is not remarkable for its voice or habits. p The long-eared owl is fourteen inches and a long, and three feet two inches in extent ; ears, composed of six feathers, gradually lengthening f®®’ * Buffon remarks, tli.at it rarely constructs a nest of its own ; b® not nnfrequently oceujiies that of others, particularly the 013 ?^’ * XONG-EAllED OWL. 105 hll backwards, black, edged with rusty L irides, vivid yellow j inside of the circle of the white, outside or cheeks, rusty ; at the internal ^ of the eye, a streak ot black ; bill, blackish horn 1 ^ 1 ’’“'’; forehead and croo n, deep brown, speckled with df'‘'kc points of white and j)ale rusty; outside circle Up Joe face, black, linely marked with small curving white; back and wings, dark brown, sprinkled [ip; spotted with white, pale ferruginous aud dusky ; (L^ories, barred nilh brownish yellow aud dusky, Ijj OPiiiiig. towards the tips; secondaries, more linely ‘'On f and pondered with white and dusky; tail, C" • at the end, of the same length with the wings, tp^l’iituUy barred and marbled with dull white and pale (jl V. on a dark brown ground; throat and breast, ^.'*'*'■(1 with rusty, cream, bhnk and white; belly, iJ'‘t't'ully streak(‘d with large arrow-heads of black ; Vk '“’‘I thighs, plain pale rusty, feathered to the claws, 'Via ''" oro blue black, large, and sharp ; inside of the lli(. brownish yellow, with a large spot of black at Ibe primaries. I’his was a female. Of the lipj® I cannot speak precisely ; though, from the num- IvIj'J of these birds wbiidi 1 have examined in the fall, tlijJ" it is (liHieiilt to ascertain their sex, 1 conjecture they differ very little in colour. *'tit or seven miles below Philadelphia, and Cov/'*'' from the Delav\are, is a low swamj), thickly tlig'^''®'! with trees, and inundated during great part of tl,^ J'Oar. i^ t be resort of great numbers of tli„ 'IJiii-bird, or night raven ((irdea nycticorax,) where tvb:i "uld in large com])anies. On the 25th of Apia, Wading among the dark re(^esses of this place, C((c ''O'S the habits of these birds, 1 dis(a)vered a long- ll,, owl, which had taken jxissession of one of their it ond was sit tin"'; on mounting to the nest, I found oiifained four e-lv 1... i,;ii j'lCi skirted with pale yellow ish brown ; bill, large, irides, rich golden yellow, placed in a bed of deep which radiates outwards all around, except to" BARRED OWL. 107 the plumage is whitish ; ears, bordered ^ ” a semicircular line of black and tawny yellow tail, rounded, longer than usual with owls, y n ith five bands of dark brown, and as many of lia t ochre, — some of the latter have central s])Ots of I,,'"*' brown, — the whole tipt with white; quills also /‘’•^ed with dark brown and yellow ochre; breast y,,|| ’’clly streaked with dark brow’xi, on a ground of ti "“’W ish ; tegs, thighs, and vent, plain dull yellow ; lo three first quill feathers, black ; legs, clothed qs *"« claws, which are black, curved to about the * ^er of a circle, and cxta-edingly sharp. "e female 1 have never seen ; but she is said to be th^C'vliat larger, and much darker ; and the spots on larger, and more iiumerous. STHIX XEliULOSAf LINNiEUS. — BAREED OWL. *' XXYIII. FIG. II. -—EDINBURGH COLLEGE MUSEUM. is one of our most common owls. In winter P^’cwlarly it is numerous in the lower parts of si;:""«J'lvania, among the woods that border the exten- fruj '“cadow's of Schuylkill and Delaw'are. It is very iitj^"wwtly observed Hying during day, and certainly In , ***“>■« distinctly at that time than many of its genus. f()fj‘"w spring, at dilferent times, I met with more than il'em, generally flying, or .sitting exposed. I yq, “Wee met with one of their nests, containing three in the crotch of a white oak, among thick “bti **' nest was rudely put together, composed aqjtwi'dly of sticks, intermixed with some dry gra.ss tiJ ’*ave.s, and lined with smaller twigs. At another thi ®’ >n passiim through the w'oods, I perceived some- to 1" " hitc, on the hi'di shaded branch of a tree, close Ne 0 ‘■■unk, that, a^s I thought, looked like a cat '^lieV*' I^nable to satisfy myself, 1 was induced to fire. Ibis ’’ my surprise and regret, four young owls, of species, nearly full grown, came down head- wwfi, fluttering for a few moments, died at my 108 STRIX NEEULOSA. feet. Their nest was probably not far distant. I ba^' also seen the eg-gs of tliis si)ecies, which are nearlV^^ large as those of a young pullet, but much more globu and perfectly white. These birds sometimes seize on fowls, partridges, young rabbits ; mice and small game are, however, 0’^, most usual food. The difference of size betweeii male and female of this owl is extraordinary, amoum sometimes to nearly eight inches in the length. ^ scream during day, like a hawk. p The male barred owl measures sixteen inches !if .( half in length, and thirty-eight inches in extent; itl’fDf parts a pale brown, marked with transverse spo^'^p white ; wings, barred with alternate hands of IV,! brown, and darker ; head, smooth, very large, with transverse touches of dark brown, pale hri> and white ; eyes, large, deep blue, the pupil not ceivahle ; face, or radiated circle of the eves, r surrounded by an outline of brown and white bill, yellow, tinged with grecTi ; breast, barred ti^j versely with ro« s of brown and white ; belly, j|;li longitudinally with long stripes of brown, ou a y ell»''^||i) ground; vent, plain yellowish white; thighs feathered legs, the same, slightly pointed with bro ^ toes, nearly covered with plumage ; claws, dark ' ■/ colour, very sharp ; tail, rounded, and remarkably cave below, barred with six broad bars of bro'V*'’ as many narrow ones of white ; the hack and shoin“ ]j( have a cast of chestnut ; at each internal an eye, is a broad spot of black ; the jJnmage w radiated cinde round the eye ends in long black and the hill is encompassed by others of a looft^Jv 'tlk more bristly kind. These probably serve to g'‘‘j ,(ilV eye when any danger apjiroachcs it in sweeping jjy through the woods ; and those usually found oo catchers may have the same intention to fulfil i ’jjjt the slightest touch of the point of any of these ha”’'py^e nictitant membrane was in.stantly thrown over the The female is twentj'-two inches long, and fo'ff ],jt in extent ; the chief difference of colour consists i LITTLE OWL. 109 1 )eing Lroadly spotted with white ; the shoulder plain chocolate hrown; the tail extends con- beyond the tips of the wings ; the bill is much and (,f a more golden yellow ; iris of the eye, . Siiuie as that of the male. different chara(d,er oi' the feathers of this, and, I *U *®'«, of most owls, is really surprising. Those that iiujj^'ind the bill differ little from bristles ; those that the region of the eyes arc ex(teeding open, tell **'*" ebbcd; those arc bounded by another set, proceeding fi-ora the external edge of the ear, 8 |J' t'tost peculiar small, narrow, velvety kind, whose are so e.xquisitely fine, as to be invisible to the ; above, the idiimage has one general character surface, calculated to repel rain and moisture ; 'low ‘'"'■ards the roots, it is of the most soft, loose, and Id, I ay substance in nature, — so much so, that it may be J, 7 «d without being felt; the webs of the wing m are also of a delicate softness, covered with an W**' linperia'ptible hair, and edged with a loose silky itlj a, so that the owner passes through the air without fd^.'a'aptiug the most profound silence. Who cannot the hand of God in all these things ! 8TET:r rASSF.JtIXAy LINN.fflUS. — LITTLE OWL. STRIX ACADJCA, CMELIN. > plate XXXIV. FIG. I. — EDINBURGH COLLEGE MUSEUM. T is one of the least of its 1111016 g^enns ; hut, like Vjt>ther little folks, makes up, in neatness of general apnoaranee, for deficiency of size, and is, I'oln “ 1 ’-% the most shapely of all onr owls. Nor are the and markings of its plumage inferior in simpli- I'ml »i>d efleet to most others. It also possesses an eye 'J'l ?'*^l^**il in spirit and hrilliancy to the In.'st ot thorn, tile t'pecies is a general and constant inhiihitant of nw^tlddle and northern states; but is found most HiUd in the neighbourhood of the sea shore, and Woods and swamps of pine trees. It rarely 110 STRIX PASSERINA. rambles much during day; but, if disturbed, short way, aud again takes shelter from the light the approach of twilight it is all life and activity, a noted and dexterous mouse-catcher. It is foUU“ far north as Nova Scotia, and even Hudson’s BaV' ^ frequent in Russia; builds its nest generally in p'jlL half way up the tree, and lays two eggs, which, ** those of the rest of its genus, are white. The *,,1 choly and gloomy umbrage of those solitary evergt^ ^ j forms its favourite haunts, where it sits dozing “'•j slumbering all day, lulled by the roar of the neighboot’ The little owl is seven inches and a half longi eighteen inches in extent ; the upper parts are a P' hrown olive, the scapulars aud some of the greater lesser coverts being spotted with white ; the first . primaries are crossed obliquely with five bars of .jfll tail, rounded, rather darker than the body, crossed '' i,. two rows of white spots, aud tipt with white; n’® interior vanes of the wings, spotted with the auriculars, yellowish brown ; crown, upper part 01 * j neck, and (drcle surrounding the cars, heautifully with numerous points of white ou an olive ground ; front, pure white, ending in long blackish h^' v at the internal angle of the eyes, a broad spot of *” 1 )) , radiating outwards; irides, pale yellow ; bill, a blat horn colour; lower parts, streaked with yellow and reddisli bay ; thighs, aud feathered logs, pal® I toes, covered to the claws, which ai-e black, larg®; ‘ [ sharp-pointed. The bird, from which the foregoing descriptioo^^f, taken, was shot on the sea shore, near Great Egg ^ hour, in New Jersey, in the month of November, ao dissection, w’as found to be a female. Turton a species called the white-fronted owl (^S. albij'' which, in every thing except the size, agrees ,,o|( bird, aud has, very probably, been taken from a male, which is sometimes found considerably 1 ®*® the female. WHITE, OR BARN OWL. Ill 34. '^IL, SUBGENUS in. STBTX, SAVIGNV. STBIX FLAXtMEA, LINNiEUS WHITE, OK BARN OWL. PLATE L. no. II. EDINBURGH COLLEGE MUSEUM. owl, though SO common in Europe, is rare in il^*. part of the United States, and is ouly found here very severe winters. This may possibly he to the waut of those favourite reccs.ses in this ®t the world, which it so much affects in the '■''n continent. The multitudes of old ruined castles, lij. monasteries, and cathedrals, that eveiywhere t'ie'v in those countries, are the chosen haunts of wf, "’ell-known species. Its savaf;e cries at uight give. Vulgar minds, a cast of supernatural horror to ijv Venerable mouldering’ piles ol itutiquity. This being common to both continents, doubtless to the arctic regions. It also inhabits Tartary, according to Pennant, “ the Mongols and natives P'ly it divine honours, because they attribute to t 5 ,*.*Peoies the preservation of the founder of them CJinghis Khan. That prince, with his small happened to he surprised and put to flight by his and forced to conceal himself in a little coppice; 'Mu ^ Settled ou the hush under which he was hid, and it j^‘=d his pursuers not to search there, as they thought pi^^Possihle that any man could he concealed in a * '' here that bird would perch. From thenceforth Uf ^eld it to he sacred, and every one wore a plume ^ leathers of this species on his head. To this day Ilf ^^^'lucs continue the ciis custom on all great festivals ; ''’Ifi tribes have an idol in form of an owl, to T? . fasten the real legs of one.”# >Uer species is rarely found in Pennsylvania in sum- • Of its place and manner of building, I am unable, ' 1 ’*'y own observation, to speak. 1 he bird itself "Mb, ®eR several times found in the hollow of a tree. Arctic Zoology, p. 235. STRIX ELAMMEA. 112 and was once caught in a harn in my neighbour!!**® j European writers inform us, that it makes no nesh deposits its eggs in the lioles of walls, and lays ti'® six, of a whitish colour ; is said to feed on mice ‘ small birds, which, like tlie most of its trihe, it sn ab® J whole, and afterwards emits the hones, feathers, ^ other indigestible parts, at its mouth, in tlie small round cakes, which are often found in the ciUj buildings it freipients. During its repose it is '"'V make a blowing noise resembling the snoring of a nc'’. It is distinguished in England by various uames> ,, barn on l, the church owl, gillihon let, and screech lu the lowlanils of Scotland it is universally caUea hoolet. jjil The white or barn owl is fourteen inches long; ' j upwards of three feet six inches in extent; whitish horn colour, longer than is usual amoi'r tribe ; space surrounding each eye remarkably the radiating feathers meeting in a high proj®®.^^.;,! ridge, arching from the bill upwards; between * ^ lies a thick tuft of bright fawny feathers, scarcely seen, unless tlie ridges be separated; white, surrounded by a border of narrow thickset vety feathers, of a reddish cream colour at the tip> silvery white below, and finely shafted with whole u])per parts, a bright tawny yellow, sprinkled with whitish and pale purple, and hcau' till*' tit"' interspersed with larger drops of white, each feat!"-! the back and n ing-coverts ending in an oblong fP® white bounded by black ; head, large, tumid ; the neck, pale yellow ochre, thinly sprinkled will* touches of dusky ; primaries and secondaries the !• ,|,|i thinly barred, and thickly sprinkled with dull P'"! d"' brown ; tail, two inches shorter than the tips ® wings, even, or very slightly forked, pale j„itl' crossed with live bars of bi'own, and thickly dotte‘.^j,,c the same ; whole lower parts, pure white, thinly jli* spersed with small round spots of blackish ; tliig"''’ * Bewick, I, p. 20. G WHITE, on BARN OWL. 113 thinly covered with short w'hite down ®arly to the feet, which are of a dirty rvhite, and i^kly ivarted; toes, thinly clad with white hairs; s's and feet, lar;>e and cliuusy; the ridge, or shoulder the wing is tinged with bright orange brown. The bird is more white ; in some, the spots of black on y I hreast are wanting, and tlie colour below, a pale ®dow ; ii, others, a pure white. I ^he female measures tifteen inches and a half in j^^th, and three feet eight inches in extent; is much •■ker above ; the lower parts tinged with tawny, and v! also with round spots ol black. One of these lately sent me, which was shot on the border of the m **lnws below Philadelphia. Its stomach contained io* *''anglc(l carcasses of four largo meadow mice, hair, and all. The common practice of most owls is, th . breaking the bones, to swallow the mouse entire ; hones, hair, and other indigestible parts, are after- discharged fi roin the mouth in large roundish dry a* **■ that are fre(|Hently met with in such places as birds usually haunt. th( meadow mouse is so eagerly sought after by I'irds, and also by great numbers of hawks, which t^';"'nrly, at the commencement of winter, resort to the tb^^k'^Ws below Philadcl|)hia, and to the marshes along diij **'>1 shore, for the pur|M)se of feeding- on these little tlij^^'Is, some account of them may not be improjier in ti tb I Idaee The species ajipcars not to have been taken ■'Ce of liy Tnrton in the latest edition of bis transla- Linuieus. From the nose to the insertion of lb,. ^kul it measures four inches; the tail is between li,,^*^’lnartcrs and an inch long, hairy, and usually curves id,, '“'Js ; the fore feet are short, five-toed, the inner ill, ':'‘i-y short, but furnished with a claw; hind feet iy| ! ‘"'e-toed • the ears are shorter than the fur, through •ge, they are scarcely noticeable ; the 11,^1“ ‘s blunt ; the colour of the back is dark brown, fi>.d Ibe bellv. hoarv : the fur is long and extremely - far hack, and are short ; the eyes exceeding small. This mischievous “bo’s ''OL. 114 STIilX ^LA^fMEA. creature is a ^-eat pest to tlie meadows, burrowing ’ them in every direction; but is particularly injurio''^ to the embankments raised along the river, perforaW’s them in numerous directions, and admitting the wah’^ which afterwards efFei^ts dangerous breaches, inundati''® large extents of these low grounds, — and thus thw become the instrninents of their own destruction. , their general tigure they beicr great resemblance to common musk rat, and, like them, swim and dive They feed on the bulbous roots of plants, and also o garlic, of which they are rimiarkably fond. , ^ Another favourite prey of most of our owls ^ s])ecies of bat, >vhich also appears to be a nondescriP^ The length of this hat, from the nose to the tip of * tail, is four inches ; the tail itself is as long as the bo ..j but generally curls up inwards ; the general colour a bright iron gray, the fur being of a reddish cream bottom, then strongly tinged with lake, and minutr J ti])t with white ; the ears are sciircely half an inch lm‘^’ with two slight valves ; the nostrils arc someo'k tubular; fore teeth, in the upper jaw none, lower four, not reckoning the tusks ; the eyes are 'O J small black points ; the chin, upper part of the br^ and head, are of a pale reddish cream colour ; the have a single hook, or claw each, and are so constroc*%' that the animal may hang either with its head or downward. I have several times found two hanH' ^ fast locked together behind a leaf, the hook of fixed in the mouth of the other; the hind feet furnished with live toes, sharp-clawed ; the nienibm of the wings is dusky, shafts, light brown; ja twelve inches. In a cave, not far from Carlisw'^ji,. Pennsylvania, I found a number of these bats m depth of winter, in very severe weather : they lying oil the |>rojecting shelves of the rocks, and, ■>' g tile brand of lire was held near them, wrinkled up | mouths, showing their teeth ; when held in the ' for a short time, they became active, and, after carried into a stove room, flew about as lively as 6' OKDER II. PASSERES, Linn^us. tribe I. SCANSORES, Illiger. family III. PSITTACINI, Illigek. GENUS IV PSITTACUS, Lira.EU3. SUBGENUS— VIEILL. PSITTACUS CABOLINIiPSIS, WIL. — CAROLINA PARROT. ''‘•■Son, plate xxvi. fig. i. — Edinburgh college museum. one hundred and sixty-eight kinds of parrots, ®Uiaerated by European writers as inhabiting the p^'ous regions of the globe, this is the only species rjijiild native within the territory of the United States. Vast and luxuriant tracts lying within the torrid seem to be the favourite residence ol those noisy, ji'' 2 ^erous, and richly pluraaged tribes. The Count de "H()n indeed, circumscribed the whole genus ot ((■''''■ots to a space not extending more than twenty- j.^«e degrees on each side of the equator: but later ''•'ovej.jpjj have shewn this statement to be incorrect, ** Ibese birds have been found on our continent as tar M as the Straits of Magellan, and even on the remote of Van Diemen’s Land, in Terra Australasia. isL species now under consideration is also known to the interior of Louisiana, and the shores ol /'ssissippi and Ohio, and their tributary waters, even Jy^nd the Illinois river, to the neighbourhood of Lake ‘lehigan, in lat. 42 deg. north ; and, contrary to the ^ '‘erally received opinion, is chiefly resident in all 118 PSITTACUS CAROLINENSIS. these places. Eastward, however, of the great of the Alleghany, it is seldom seen farther north tha^ the state of Maryland ; though straggling parties h»^^ been occasionaUy observed among the valleys Juniata; and, according to some, even twenty^ miles to the north-west of Albany, in the state of York.* But such accidental visits furnish no certa*^ criteria, by which to judge of their usual extent ® range ; those aerial voyagers, as well as others f * navigate the deep, being subject to be cast away, by * violence of the elements, on distant shores and unkno" countries. _ f From these circumstances of the northern residence ^ tliis species, we might be justified ia concluding it to a very hardy bird, more capable of sustaining cold th ^ nine-tenths of its tribe ; and so I believe it is ; hav'jk myself seen them, in the month of February, along banks of the Ohio, in a snow-storm, dying about h pigeons, and in full cry. ... Uie The preference, however, which this bird mves to t western countries, lying in the same parallel of latitn jj with those eastward of the Alleghany mountains, wh^^j it rarely or never visits, is worthy of remark ; and been adduced, by different writers, as a proof of 1*'^ superior mildness of climate in the former to that " the tatter. But there are otlier reasons for this P^, tiality equally ])Owerful, though hitherto overlooked’ namely, certain peculiar features of country to wh'd^ these birds are ])articularly and strongly attached : iwe, low rich alluvial bottoms, along the borders creeks, covered with a gigantic growth of sycaind trees, or button-wood ; deep, and almost impeuetrab,^ swamps, where the vast and towering cypress lift tbe still more majestic heads; and those singular sahnb^^ or, as they are usually called, iicAs, so generally spersed over that country, and which are regularly *' eagerly visited by the paroquets. A still gre* inducement is the superior abundance of their favoiu’ ♦ Bartoh’s Fragments, &c. p. 6, Introduction* CAROLINA PARROT. 119 ftttits. That food which the paroquet prefers to all ?'’ers is the seeds of the cockle bur, a plant rarely r“nd in the lower parts of Pennsylvania or New York ; 7^ Which unfortunately "rows in too preat ahundanee ^“'‘g thc shores of the (fhioand Mississippi, so much so to render the wool of those sheep that pasture where n 'tiost abounds, scarcely worth t he cleauiup, covering t'kim with one solid niiuss of hors, wrought up and '^'»edded into the lleece,to the great annoyance of this .^’‘lilahle animal. The seeds of the cypress tree and “achberry as well as beech nnts, are also great tavourites these birds ; tl.e two former ol « lin h are not !'’h‘vnonlv found in Pennsylvania, and the latter by no so general or so productive. Here, then are powerful reasons, more dependent on .soil than I'hhate, for the preference given liy these birds to the “’'■iriant regions of the west. Penusylvaiiia, iiideed, also Maryland, abound witli excellent apiile orchards. Hie rine fruit of which the paroipiets occasionally 1 But 1 have my doubts whether their depredations " tile orchard be not as much the result ol waiiton play o*'^ mischief, as regard for the seeds of the fruit, which are supposed to be in pursuit of. I have kriomi of these birds alight on an ajiple tree, and have ^y**elf seen them tivist olf the fruit, one by one, strewing — every direction around the tree, without observing tvj*! any of the depredators descended to pick them up. a paroquet, which I wounded and kept tor some '““siderable time, I very often offered apples, which it s,**'formly rejected; but burs, or beech nuts never, v^anothor very lieautiful one, ivhich I brmmlit tiom Orleans, and which is now sitting in the room .faide me 1 have frequently ottered this fiuit, and f ’*0 the seeds separately, which 1 never knew it to '-aste, I'lmir local attachments, also, prove that food, than climate, deterniiiies tlieiiM hoicc of country, even in the states of Ohio, Kentucky, and the ^'ssissippi territory, unless in the neighbourhood of places as have been described, it is rare to see ‘“em. The inhabitants of Lexington, as many of them 120 PSITTACUS CAROLINENSIS. assured mo, scarcely ever observe them in that quartet- In passing from that place to Nashville, a distance e’ two hundred miles, I neither heard nor saw auv, at a place called Madison’s lick. In passing on, 1 neX* met with them on the hanks and rich flats of the Te'*' nessec river : after this, I saw no more till I reache'| Bayo St Pierre, a distance of .several hundred niiP^' from all which circumstances, I think we cannot, ffe"^ the residence of these birds, establish with propritf' any correct standard by which to Judge of the cotf” Itarative temperatures of diflerent ciimates. , In descending the river Oliio, by myself, in the mool of February, 1 met with the lirst'flock of paroquets,’ the mouth of the Little Sioto. I had been inform*^’’ by an old and respectable inhabitant of Marietta, they u'ere sometimes, though rarely, seen there, observed flocks of them, afterwards, at the moutb of Great and Little Miami, and in the neighbourhood ® numerous creeks that (lis(harge themselves into i®. Ohio. At Big Bone lick, thirty miles above the mold® of Kentucky river, I .saw them in great numbers. Thw came screaming through the woods in the morni''r! about .an hour after suurise, to drink the salt water, which they, as well as the pigeons, are remarkably to""' \V'heu they aliglited on the ground, it a|)peared at ’ distance as if covered with a carpet of the rh-hest grea"; orange, and yellow: they afternards settled, in body, on a neighbouring tree, which stood detacbe^ | fi-om any other, covering almost every twig of it, aa’ | the sun, shining strongly on their 'gay and glow plumage, produced a very beautiful and splendid appaa*” ance. Here I had an opportunity of observing very particular traits of their character : having dou-n a number, some of which M ere only woiu'da®’ the whole Ihjck swept repeatedly around their prostrate companions, and ag-ain settled on a low tree, wit*"!* tM-enty yards of the s])ot where I stood. At successive discharge, though showers of them fell, , ' the affection of the survivors seemed rather to iiicreas'; > for, after a few circuits around the place, they ao’*’ CAROLINA PARROT. 121 'otn ^tcd near me, looking: down on tlieir slaughtered j PPanions with such manifest symptoms of sympathy concern, as entirely disarmed me. I could not but j] * notice of the remarkable contrast between their jj^llnnt manner of llight, and their lame ci'awling gait w,'\ng the branche.s. They fly very much like the tar .ingoon, in close compact bodies, and with great I, *J![l'ty, making a loud and outrageous screaming, not that of the red-headed woodpecker. Their flight ^!*nietimes in a direct line; but most usually circuitous, la '’og a great variety of elegant and easy serpentine aj.^’nlcrs, as if for jileasure. They arc particularly hi '**'1 to the large sycamores, in the hollow of the ti,j 'ts and branches of which they generally roost, fc^ty (ir forty, and sometimes more, entering at the kole. 1-lere they cling close to the sides of the ■ ■ ■ ' ’ ' - bills. 'j?®) holding fast by the claws and also by the li^y appeai”to be fond of sleep, and often retire to tbeir ''oring the day, probably to take their regular Cif,. ,j,.p pxtremely sociable with, and fond of often scnitchiiig each other’s heads and ether, to p, ’ “'*<• always, at night, nestling as close as possible Pi, .^®k other, preferring, at that time, a perpendicular iii|j't*on, supported by their bill and claws. In the their favourite cockle burs arc ripe, they Sip 5^ along the coast, or high grounds of the Missis- tipj* '> *'bovc New Orleans, for a great extent. At such I-. ®'*, ti,„„ „„„ and eaten bv many of the IHl.'?; they are killed and eaten by many iiiiJiJ'tants ; thougli, I confess, 1 think their flesu very "op,, *r®'fl- I have several times dined on it from Mtl '’^y> in the woods : but found it merely passable, A* ®''l the sauce of a keen appetite to recommend it. ip. t[ery general opinion prevails, that the brains and {!(,: lilies of the Carolina paroquet arc a sure and fatal k) to cats. I had determined, when at Big Bone, i’®S6 to the test of experiment; and for that pur- ®®*i»‘cted the brains and bowels of more than a bot t them. But after close search. Mistress Puss was “He 1 found, being engaged perhaps on more agree- ®usiacss. I left the medicine with Mr Colquhoun’s 122 PSITTACUS CAROLINENSIS. agent, to administer it by the first opportunity, write me the result ; but I have never yet heard tr® him. A respectable lady near the town of and on whose word I can r<>ly, assured me, that > herself had made the e.vperiment, and that, whate'^^ might be the cause, the cat had actually died either ^ that or the succeeding day. A French planter R , Bayo Fourche jiretended to account to me for this hy positively asserting, that the seeds of the burs on which the paroquets so eageidy feed, '’‘,j deleterious to cats; and thus their death was prod"' ^ hy eating the intestines of the bird. These a”* ..[j, might easily have been ascertained on the spot, " however, a combination of trilling circumstances 1 j vented me from doing. I several times carried a ® of the first description in my pocket tilt it insufierahle, without meeting with a suitable on whom, like other ])rofessional gentlemen, I rA'r conveniently make a fair experiment. jjj, I was equally unsuccessful in my endeavours manner of hun<- j|, - in'! hollow trees ; and several affirmed to me that theV „ - -lie cover the time of iucuhation or among these birds. All agreed that they brc iiiiA seen their nests. Some said they carried in no ■- .jj,; rials ; others that they did. Some made the eggs others speckled. Oue man assured me that he cut d®. ,j, a large heeoh tree, which was hollow, and in he found tlie broken fragments of upwards of paroquet eggs, which were of a greenish yellow c‘> j||i' The nests, though destroyed in their texture falling of the tree, appeared, he said, to be for'V''^ small twigs glued to each other, and to the si ‘jp the tree, in the manner of the chimney sn allo" - added, that if it were the proper season, he could 1^ j,!., out to me the weed from which they procure” gluey matter. From in/oi iviiicu Tuev pruii*'*' all these contradictory acre .jj . bH’ That they think highly probable, from the numerous disse' nothing certain can he deduced, except that th in companies, in hollow trees. That they * incubation late in summer, or very early CAROLINA PARROT. 123 months of March, April, May, and June ; Wi gi'eat variety which I found in the colour of the t]j ®*age of the head and neck of both sexes, during former of these months, convinces me, that the birds do not receive their full colours until the foreign countries. part of the succeeding summer. a|j a*le parrots and paroipicts, from j^j***'*! in almost every street of our "large cities, l(, I become such great favourites, no attention seems (L bave been paid to our own, which in elegance of e au^ beauty of plumage is certainly sui)erior to IW ’^bem. It wants indeed that disposition for ()f j®tual screaming and chattering that renders some Hip burner pests, not only to their keepers, hut to !ilii"bole neighbourhood in which they reside. It is C® '*o«'le and sociable; soon beconies perfectly fami- g j i aiid^ until eijual pains be taken in its instruction, Cbuf^i,. to conclude it incapable of equal improve- in the language of man. bon little has hitherto b and , “lilt: ........ ... been known of the disposi- lioj b'nl manners of this s|)eeies, the reader will udt, I b® displeased at my detailing some of these, in in ^bstory of a particular favourite, my sole companion a lonesome day’s march. tliU^^Sioiis to try the effeids of education on one of b>it***l,ybieh 1 procured at Big Bone lick, and which was I'of .Sbtly wounded in the wing, I fixed up a place Soih** in the stern of my boat, and presented it with at) 1 ° nockle burs, which it freely fed on in less than 'Mw nfter being on board. The intermediate time tile '’’’n eatinu and sleeping w.is occupied in gnawing Clicks that formed its place of confinement, m efe *■ In make a practicable breach ; which it rejieatedly by When I abandoned the river, and travelled ‘.VitT'''^’ 1 "''•apt it up closely in a silk handkerchief, ligbtly- around, and carried it in my pocket. I stopped for refreshment, I unbound my prisoner, kiep^ve it its allowance, n hich it generally despatched liUj . great dexterity, unhuskiiig the seeds from the *** a twinkling ; in doing which it always employed 124 PSITTACUS CAROLINENSIS. Its left foot to hold the bur, as did several others I kept for some time. I beg’aii to think that this ni's be peculiar to the whole tribe, and that tliey all m * if I may use the expression, left-footed ; but by shoo a number afterwards while en^ajcd in catiuy berries, 1 found sometimes the left, sometimes the foot stained with the fruit ; the other always clean ; a which, and the constant practice of those I I'^’l ’Kir appears, that like the human species in the use of * ’ hands, they do not prefer one or the other inda"' minutely, but are either left or rijjht footed. return to my prisoner : In recommitting it to “ da'^ve vile” we generally had a ipiarrel ; during which d quently paid me in kind for the wound I had i''ll’‘'Kt and for depriving it of liberty, by mitting and Kc disabling several of my fingers with its sharp and ful bill. The path through the wilderness bet"^^^||l Nashville and Natchez is in some places bad l’®.K(]i, description. There are dangerous creeks to miles of morass to struggle through, rendered alnio*'' J gloomy as night by a prodigious growth of timber> '■j|( an underwood of canes and other evergreens; " Kf the descent into these sluggish streams is often t«’’||i fifteen feet perpendicular into a bed of deep clay- J some of the worst ot these places, where I haO) *^j|v were, to fight my way through, the paroquet fre(ii“’''uj i escaped from my pocket, obliging me to disinouid ^ ] pursue it through the worst of the morass bef<’''|^ could regain it. On these occasions 1 was jii times tempted to abandon it ; but 1 persist*’“j|,(! i bringing it along. When at night 1 encamped >'* it i woods, 1 placed it on the baggage beside usually sat, with great composure, dozing and it at the fire till morning. In this manner I cari''' ^j! I upwards of a thousand miles in my pocket, was exposed all day to the jolting'of the horsCi^ jt regularly liberated at meal times and in the eveiiifr’sc- which it always expressed great satisfaction. I'' I’jlii! ing through the Chickasaw and Chactaw nations^ Indians, wherever I stopped to feed, collected CAROLINA PARROT. 123 ^ ■ ^cn, women, and children, laughing and seeming ‘'derfully amused ivith the novelty of my companion. Vt* ^'“‘■'^asaws called it in their language “ Kelinky tjj '' lieu they heard me call it Poll, they soon repeated tij^'iame; and wherever I chanced to stop among people^ we soon hccame familiar with each other iijpl''’’' the medium of Poll- On arriving at Mr Dun- below Natchez, 1 procured a c^e, and placed it tlj'*®'’ the piazza, where hy its call it soon attracted fj passing liocks ; such is the attachment the^ have (,,, ®i*eh other. Numerous parties frequently alighted sc 'a trees immediately above, keeping up a con- ti- "1 eonversation with the prisoner. One of these I e^i'ided slightly in the wing, and the pleasure Poll tfljl'^iised oil meeting with this new companion was V ? amusing. She crept close uji to it as it hung on vj ^'ile of the cage, chattering to it in a low tone of iiL^> as if sympathizing in its misfortune, scratched Hi, 7' its head and neck with her hill; and both at nestled as close as possible to each other, some- I^oll’s head being thrust among the plumage of the W' On the death of this companion, she appeared itij, and iiicoiisohible for several days. On reach- Orleans, 1 placed a looking glass beside the " here she usually sat, and the instant she per- image, all her former fondness seemed to So that she could scarcely absent herself from Idr '.‘''niient. It u as evident that she was completely lurj*'’nd. Always when evening drew on, and often iji). the day, she laid her head close to that of the Kn'' '•>« (i'ass, and began to doze u ith great com- kr, ‘'ud satisfaction. In this short space she had ''lllp I know her name ; to answer and come n hen »li,l " "11 ; to climb up ray clothes, sit on my shoulder, 'ittpl'H I'l-om my mouth. I took her with me to sea, 'Hilled to pi-rsevere in her education ; but, destined ''"yb poor Poll, having one moruiiig, about 'vroiijrht her w'AJ throujfh the M'hile I tk, H'^leep, insTantlv Hew overboard, and perished in ^Hlf of Mexico. 126 PSITTACUS CAROLINKJJSIS. l)ee" The Carolina, or Illinois parrot, (for it Ijei’ described under both these appellations,) is ^"'5 inches long, and twenty-one in extent ; forehead cheeks, orange red ; beyond this, for an inch and a " ; GUeeii-S, down and round the neck, a rich and pure y« shoulder and bend of the wing, also edged with orange red. The general colour of the rest ® |j,hl plumage is a bright yellowish silky green, with ' blue relloctions, lightest and most diluted with ‘a below : oreatcr wing-coverts and roots of the pri .1 s *11 ^ ..AVI .. , , gfi'* elevated membrane at the base of the bill, and dd'^,ji) with feathers ; chin, wholly bare of feathers, but fiit; .rxvia ■./ , , - --j -- cealed by those descending* on each side; troi^i side of the palate hangs a lobe or skin of a colour ; tongue, thick and fleshy ; inside of the ui^ mandible near the point, grooved exactly like u lU.UUVXiiyxV' - -J Q that it may hold with more securitv. The female differs very little in her coloui*® nr ^ XVtilArVlXx x... ■ 'X' X ^ .-WX.XX --- — --X- WW-- markings from the male. After examining nutu^ Jjf. tliB following annear to be the nrincip** .jt specimens, the following appear to be the princip%(|t fereuces. The yellow on the neck of the female d"*^" jc* i* ... i.K„ :„z. : ir*kA f'd »«i t;uuuo. iu»: jY xx*'” — V..XX vr. XT— ^ descend quite so far ; the interior vanes of the pr" • are browni.sh, instead of Mack, and the orange r are prownrsn, iiisie.m xo umuix, anu mu the bend and edges of the wing is considerably (.ato in other respects, the colours and markings are the same. cm V „C 1,0.1. The young birds of the preceding year, of ^ are generally destitute of the yellow on the CAROLINA PARROT. 127 1) Until about the beginning or middle of March, those parts wholly green, except the front and ^**ks, which are orange red in them as in the full L ?'’** birds. Towards the middle of March the yellow 'Sins - ■Ha, to appear, in detached feathers, interspersed the green, varying in dili'erent individuals. In "higii I killed about the last of that mouth, only II, green feathers remained amono’ the yellow ; and c), 'vere fast assuming the yellow tint : for the colour 11, "Sns without change of plumage. A juiniher of birds, in all their grades of progressive change HiI** Si’iien to yellow, have been deposited in Mr Peale’s il^iirn. ij,^bat is called by Europeans the Illinois parrot ia, pertinax) is evidently the young bird in its colours. Mliether the present species be 1 as far south as Brazil, ns these writers jiretend. Unable to say ; but, from the great extent of in which I have myself killed and examined birds, I am satislied that the present species, now ^.‘•>bed, is the only one inhabiting the United States. Oh.***®* the foregoing w.is written, 1 have had an t^Yl^tunity, by the death of a tame Carolina paroquet, V^^Uartain the fact of the poisonous (effects of their htf , and intestines on cats. Ilaving shut up a cat and I,, kittens, (the latter only a few days old,) in a "'ith the head, neck, and whole intestines of the ^Uet, I found, on the next morning, the whole "ti j ®*cept a small part of the bill. The cat exhibited ^*Cptom of sickness ; and, at this moment, three niter the experiment has been made, she and her are in their usnal health. Still, however, the blo c, •night have been different, had the daily food of FAMILY IV. AMPHIBOLI, Illiger. GENUS \,— COCCYZVS, Vieill. 36. COCCYZUS A3IERICANUSi BONAPARTE, CUCULUS CAROLINENSISf WILSON, —YELLOW-BILLED WILSON, PLATE XXVIII. FIG. I. — EDINBURGH COLLEGE MVS'”’" j}l^ A STRANGER who Visits the United States for purpose of examining their natural productions! passes through our woods in the month of June, will sometimes hear, as he traverses the of deep, retired, high timbered hollows, an "noo ^ guttural sound, or note, resemhling the syllables howe, kowe howe Aoicc, beginning slowly, hut endiOf^; rapidly, that the notes seem to run into each o* |,t and vice versa : he will hear this freijnently, '*''* j, it being able to discover the bird or animal from proceeds, as it is both shy and solitary, seeking the thickest foliage for concealment. This yellow-billed cuckoo, the subject of the present if From the imitative sound of its note, it is kno*'^jii many parts by the name of the cow-iird; it 1)< called in Virginia, the rain crow, being observed t most clamorous immediately before rain. j,tlii This species arrives in Pennsylvania, from the ()ie about the twenty-second of April, and spreads oi'*^ country', as far at least as Lake Ontario ; is in the Chickiusaw and Chactaw nations; and also in the upper parts of Oeorgia; preferring, in all places, the borders of solitary swamps, and apple or*' It leaves us, on its return southward, about the of September. 2 YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO. 129 ,, "The singular, I will not say unnatural, conduct of ® European cuckoo (cuailus canortis,) u hich never instructs a nest for itself, but drops its eggs in those other birds, and abandons them to their mercy and y^nagement, is so universally known, and so proverbial, the whole tribe of cuckoos have, by some incon- orate people, been stigmatized as destitute of all j^ ’'outal care and affection. Witliout attempting to ^ '^O'int for this remarkable habit of the European ^P^cies, far less to considci’ as an error what the n isdom Eeaven has imposed as a duty upon the species, I 'k remark, that the bird now before us builds O'vn nest, liatches its own eggs, and rears its own ; and, in conjugal and parental affection, seems pEe behind any of its neighbours of the grove. I, E‘rly in May, they begin to pair, when obstinate ^j/tles take place among the males. About the tenth Us month, they commence building. The nest is j^"ully fixed among the horizontal branches of an tree; sometimes in a solitary thorn, crab, or in some retired part of the woods. It is con- with little art, and scarcely any concavity, of *>114 I twigs, intermixed with green weeds, ®ut K of the common maple. On this almost “sd, the eggs, usually three or four in number, are 'll these are of a uniform gi-eenish blue colour, dig proportionable to that of the bird. While disit. 's sitting’, the male is generally not far and gives the alarm, by his notes, when any Wuce, <*Ud yoi ,i is approaching. The female sits so close, that ,'*}ay almost reach her with your hand, and then '”’'*ates herself to the ground, feigning lameness. 'hr Pui you away from the spot, fiuttering, trailing M’T'“gs, and tumbling over, in the manner of the “Ige, woodcock, and many other species. Both Co,,*?*® nuite in providing food for the young. This Si4p|’*^ts. for the most part, of caterpillars, particularly tile ' ^.“‘E'st apple trees. The same insects constitute part of their own sustenance. They are VoT ’ ^*th some justice, of sucking the eggs of I 6 130 CUCULUS CAROLISENSIS. other birds, like the crow, the blue jay, and pillaii-ers. They also occasionally eat various ku of berries. But, from the eircuiu.stance of destrov’i » such numbers of very noxious larvie, they prove the selves the friends of the fai'incr, and iwe highly desel inn- of his protection. , ’ The yellow-billed cuckoo is thirteen inches m r and sixteen inches in extent; the whole upper ps ^ are of a dark glossy drab, or what is usually ‘••aUeu ‘ quaker colour, with greenish silky reflections; tre this must, however, be excepted the inner vanes ot i wings, which are bright reddish cinnamon ; the tau^ long, composed ot ten feathers, the tu’o middle c ^ being of the same colour as the back, the others, u gradually shorten to the exterior ones, are bhw largely 'tipt with nbitc; the two outer ones ^ scarcely half the length of tlu^ middle ones. The n » , louder parts are pure white; the feathers covering thighs being large, like those of the hawk tribe ; legs and feet are light blue, the toes jdaced tu'O bci% and two behind, as in the rest of the genus. The " is long, a little beat, very broad at the base, P ,d IVORY-BILLED WOODPECKER. 133 like note and loud strokes resound through the solitary Ravage wilds, of which he seems the sole lord and 'aliahitant. Wherever he frequents he leaves numerous ’'Monuments of his industry behind him. We there see ®ierraous pine trees with cartloads of hark lying ’’^onnd their roots, and chips of the trunk itself in such 'liaiitities as to suggest the idea that half a dozen of ^^e-men had been at work there for the whole morning, ^lie body of the tree is also disfigured with such Numerous and so large excavations, that one can hardly '^nceive it possible for the whole to ho the work of * ’voodiiecker. With such strength, and an a])paratus '*0 powerful, what havoc might he not commit, if hnnxerous on the most uselul ot our forest trees ! and S'®! with ’all these appearances, and much ot vulgar l"‘eiudice aimlnst him, it may fairly be questioiied ''liether he Ts at all injurious ; or, at least, whether lus **ertions do not contribute most powerfully to the P''otcction of our timber. Examine closely the tree ^liere he has been at work, and you will soon perceive, ^ 'at it is neither from motives of mischief nor amiisc- 5®nt that he slices off the hark, or digs his way into f'e trunk.— For the sound and healthy tree is the ^as^t object of his attention. The diseased, infested -’'hh insects, and hastening to putrel'action, are his 7^ourites; there the deadly crawling enemy have ‘®rmed a lodgement between the bark and tender wood, ilriiik ui) the very vital part of the tree. It is tlie Ravages of these vermin which the intelligent proprietor the forest deplores, as the sole perpetrators ot the ?®«truction of liis timber. Would it be hcheved that ‘1‘e larvie of an insect, or lly, no larger than a gram of should silently, and in one season destroy some r‘f>usand acres of pine trees, many ot them trom two h three feet in diameter, and a hundred and fifty teet p'Sh! Yet whoever passes along the high road from , ®'>rgetown to Charleston, in South Carolina, about ^'^'enty miles from the former place, can have striking ‘‘‘"1 melancholy proofs of this fact. In some places 134 PICUS PRINCIPALIS. the whole woods, as far as you can see around you, •i’'® dead, stripped of the bark, their wintry-lookinp' arn>® and hare trunks bleaching in the sun, and tumbling i" ruins before every l)last, presenting a frightful pictut® of desolation. And yet ignorance and prejudice stub" bornly persist in directing- their indignation against bird now before us, the constant and mortal enemy o* these very vermin, as if the hand that probed fl*® wound to extract its c.iuse, should be cf|ually deteste® with that which inflicted it ; or as if the thief-catche'' should be confounded with the thief. Until soiu® efFoctual preventive or more complete mode of destru^ tion can he devised against these insects, and tliek laiwa', I would humbly suggest the |)ropriety of pi"®* tecting-, and receiving with pro])er feelings of gratitud®> the services of this and the whole tribe of n oodpecker®i letting the odium of guilt fall to its proper owners. In looking over the accounts given of the itnOj billed woodpecker by the naturalists of Europe, I d®® it asserted, that it inhabits from New Jersey to Mexi®®' I believe, however, that few of them are ever seen the north of Vii-giuia, and vej-y few of them even that state. The first place 1 observed this bird 3*’ when on my ivay to the south, n as about tw elve mil®* north of Wilmington in North Carolina. Haviu? w’ounded it slightly iu the wing, on being caught, uttered a loudly reiterated, and most piteous m’l®’ exactly resembling the violent crying of a young cliiidi which terrified my horse so, as m-arly to have cost m,® my life. It was distressing to hear it. I carried >*- with me iu the chair, under cover, to Wilmington, passing through the streets, its affecting cries surju'is®" every one within hearing, particularly the females, u’b® hurried to the doors and windows with looks of iilarb* and anxiety. I drove on, and, on arriving at the pia*** of the hotel, where I intended to put up, the landl<)''“ came forward, and a number of other persons "d® happened to be there, all equally alarmed at w hat they he.ard ; this was greatly increased by my asking, whetb®®. he could furnish me with accommodations for mys®** IVOHY-BILLEB WOODPECKER. 1S5 ^■Bd mv Ijabv. The man looked blank and foolish, '^'lile tlie others stared with still ^-eater “^omshment. ■^fter diverting myself for a minute or two at their ^S-pense I drew my woodpecker from under the cover, 'x'd a general laugh took place. 1 took him s *"d locked him up in my room, while 1 went to see >«y horse taken care ot. In less than an hour i ^-turned, and, on opening the door, he set up the same distressing shout, which now appeared to proceed from gfief that ho had been disoovred in his attempts at "scape. He had luouuted along the side of the window "tarlv as hi'di .as the ceiling, a little below which he »>ad heiruii to break through. The bed was covW 'Wth larne pieces of plaster; the la h was exposed tor ^Ueast ttftccn mchea sqiiaro, imd a hole, lai^e eiiou*^ i to admit the list, opened to the ''^'l^ter-hoards ; so^^h^^ *0 less than another hour he vioiild ccit.uuiy nave ^aco::^ in making his vvay through^^ I imw tied B strinu- round his leg, and, tasteniug it t® the tahl^ ogain left him. I wished to preserve his life, ‘ 01 “' had Sone off in search of suitable lood tor I lira. As i-«aseeuded the stairs, 1 heard him again hard at work, fid oil entering had the morfilication to l'«i- 0 ‘‘i;;‘; ‘hat 'll had almost entirely ruined thf .nm lOftiW-V +««« tu f'dch he was fastmied, and on which he i' whole vengeance. While oiihOMiC'' in ta* ^ dravvimr he cut me severely lu several places, .iml, on ttie whole displayed sncii a noble and uncoiiqiieiahle native woods. He lived '''•tli me y®s ^ays, hut refused all sustenaiice, and I viitne.sea Im '^^Tlm 'wind of tti'i li'i'-' 1® Si-oat esteem amoinv the southern Indians, who we.w them by way Of amide or charm, as well as ornainent; and, it is said, '"sposrorthem to the uortheni tribes at considerable ki-ices. All 1 dial, believes that the head, skin, or oven feathers of certain birds, confer on the iveurcr all the O’irtues or excellencies of those birds. Thus I have 136 PICUS PRINCIPALIS. seen a coat made of the skins, heads, and claws of tl'® raven ; caps stuck round with heads of butcher-bird*' Lawks, aad eag-les ; and as the disposition and ot the ivoiy-hillcd woodpecker are well known to th*^ savagres, no wonder they should attach grreat value to it, having both beauty, and, in their estimation, distil"' guishcd merit to recommend it. This bird is not migratory, hut resident in the conn* tries where it inhabits. In the low countries of Carolinas it usually prefers the large timbered cypre** swamps for breeding in. In the trunk of one of the*« trees, at a considerable height, the male and feniid** alternately, and in conjunction, dig out a lam-e »D‘* capacious cavity for their eggs and young. Trees tbu* dug out have frcipieiitly heen cut down, with sometim** tiie eggs ami young in them. This hole, according information, — for I have never seen one myself, ^ generally a little winding, the better to keep out tli« weather, and from tuo to five feet deep. The eo-o-s are said to he generally four, sometimes five, as lare'e as a pullet’s, pure white, and ef|unlly thick at both ends,-' a description that, except in si/e, very nearly aoree* with .all the rest ot our wooilpecUcrs. the young begii* "‘i'l'llc of .Tune. Whethe"' more than once in the same season they breed uncertain. So little iittention do the peo,)le of the countries where these birds inhahit, pay to the miuutiai of natural history, that, generally speaking, they make no distinc- tion hetiveen the ivory-hilled and pileated woodpecker! and it was not till I shewed them the two birds to black ; rest of Ihe crest of a most splendid red, 1v|, ®'t at the bottom with white, which is only seen the crest is erected ; this long red plumage being ip |'®'.>lonred at its base, above that white, and ending Poii^lliant red; a stripe of white proceeds from a (ip.p about half an inch below each eye, passes down Ufo \'‘''te of tlie neck, and along the back, where they 6;. *®Out aiiart, nearly to the rump ; the first li],;,P‘'’maries are wholly black ; on the next five the spreads from the tip higher and higher to the C, ‘"^“'■ies which are wholly white from their coverts sL^'vard. These niai-kiiigs, when the wings are hp, ‘ make the bird appear as if his back were white ; lias been called by some of our naturalists the Wai? woodpeckoi'. The neck is long’ ; the hu at the base, of the colour and con- of ivory, prodigiously strong and elegantly '*• The tail is black, tapering from the two exte- 138 PICUS PILEATUS. rior feathers, which are three inches shorter than * ^ middle ones, and each feather lias the siiio-ularity.,i lined 'f, llri being- greatly concave lielow ; the wing IS yellowisli ivliite; the legs are about an inch an .....IV, i,uc irg^ lire uiMiiir an incii quarter long, tlie exterior ton about the same lengthjJ t claws exactly semicircular and remarkably pon the whole of a light blue or lead colour. ‘The ftn'^ is about half an inch shorter, the bill rather less, the whole jiliimage of the head black, glossed green ; in the other parts of the plumage, she eX* p resembles the male. In the stomachs of three " opened, I found large quantities of a species of J. -. .cl • 1 » * called borers, two or three inches long, of a dirty f' -< r.,V.'C 7. 7 I, 71 7/ S7J V ■ 1 f V X. J » 1 1, U I . I U I » , U 1 ll Ulllj ,lM colour, with a black head ; the stomach was an nl** ^ pouch, not nuisoiihir like tlio ffizzards of some 'T’U- .i. . 1 7 f, 7 The tongue was worm-shaped, and for half an in‘''*'j(i the tip as h.ard as horn, flat, pointed, of the same colour as the bill, and thickly barbed on each side* S9. PICUS PIJ.EATUS, I,INN.^US. PILEATED WOODPE^'*^^'^ fit WILSON, PL. XXIX. riG. H. — MALE. —EDINBURGH MU.SEUM. Tms American species is the second in size his tribe, and may he styled the great northern of the woodpeckers, though, in fact, his rang** ,jt tends over the whole of the United .States fro**^ I interior of Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. He i'* I numerous in the Gennesee country, and in antin’*^,,), of high timbered forests, parlienkirlv in tlie neigl’V jnl hood of our large rivera, where he is noted for 'i'*'* ,,.ft a' loud and almost incessant cackling heftn’'^ W'eather; flying at such times in a restless (C manner from tree to tree, making the wimds his outcry. In Pennsylvania and the northern ^ ^ he is called the black uoodeoek; in the so',' (!)•' states, tile logcock. Almost every old Iriink vfl. forest where he resides hears the marks of his oe PILEATED WOODPECKER. 189 Wi, he perceives a tree beginning: to decay, he it round and round with great skill and dex- I y. strips oflf the hark in sheets of live or six feet n^l^gth, to get at the hidden cause of the disease, 1 ^ '“‘Wurs wfth a gaiety and activity really surprising, t “'‘Ve seen him separate the greatest part of the haidc 'H I “ dead pine tree, for tu'enty or thirty feet, in than a ipiarter of an hour. Whether engaged from tree to tree, in digging, climhing, or W'"?’ I'o seems perpetually in a hurrv". lie is ex- hard to kill, clinging close to the tree even K 'v.he has received his mortal wound ; nor yielding hold hut with his expiring breath. It slightly ill,, **ded in the wing, and dropt while nying', he "lly makes for the nearest tree, and strikes with C' ^‘tteruess at the hand stretched out to seize him ; C rarely he reconciled to couhneinent. lie is observed among the hiUs of Indian corn, t ’ 't is said by some that he frequently feeds on it. iC*‘’''“'ts of this kind are, liowever, not general; ‘V *^^*''“'‘rs doubting the fact, and conceiving that at tirvii.g lie is in search of insects whicli lie con- in the husk. I will not he positive that they Ik':'’. O ccasionally taste maize; yet 1 have opened and 0'‘*«d great numbers of these birds, killed in various Of the United States, from Lake Ontai-io to the Oiaha river, hut never found a grain of Indian yi Oi their stoniaidis. I’ileated woodpecker is not migratory, but braves Vaf’^l'-emes of both the arctic and torrid regions. 'O' is he gregarious, for it is rare to see more than •tc,,'’!' two, or at the most three, in company^ For- H F ti'fiV wore mimerous in the iieiglihourhood of tL ■'"lolphia ; but gradually, as tlic old timber fell, and tk '.'‘outry hocaine better cleared, they retreated to ’’''Uii At present few of those birds arc to he "’ithin ten or lifteeii miles of the city. >ti,}Oeir imst is built, or rather the eggs are deposited, hole of a tree, dug out by themselves, no other 140 PICUS PILEATUS. materials being used but the soft chips of rotten ^ The female lays six large eggs of a snowy whiten® and, it is said, they generally raise two hroods in same season. This species is eighteen inches long, and tW®’’j;ii eight in extent ; the general colour is a dusky bro"'" ^ black ; the head is ornamented with a conical bright scarlet; two scarlet mustaches proceed tile lower mandible ; the chin is white ; the are covered with brownish white hair-like featn^j and this stripe of white passes from thence don'n side of the neck to the side.s, spreading under the the upper half of the wings are white, but concf'|,( bjr the black coverts ; the lower extremities of j wings are black, so that the white on the wing ji seen but when the bird is flying, at which time n.^ very prominent; the tail is tapering, the feathers •’‘ijii very convex above, and strong ; the legs are of a 1®“* gray colour, very short, scarcely half an inch ; the very long; the claws strong and semicircular, and pale blue ; the bill is fluted, sharply ridged, very ' ' at the base, bluish black above, below and at tlie bluish white ,- the eye is of a bright golden colour- - pupil black; the tongue, like those of its trib®!,)! worm-shaped, except near the tip, where for one-e>?!^ of an inch it is horny, pointed, and beset with barbs'll, The female has the forehead, and nearly to the of a light brown colour, and the mmstaches are d*’ instead of red. In both a line line of white scpn®‘# the red crest from the dusky lino that passes ove® eye. GOLD-WINGED WOODPECKER. 141 ' ^ICVs JVEATUS, LINS.BIIS. GOLD-WINGED WOODEBCKEE. "■lli PLATE III. FIG. 1. — EDINBDRGII COLLEGE MUSEUM. ^*'>s elfiirant bird is well known to our farmers and Dior “ - - - sportsmen, who take every opportunity of de- Cy'Dg him ; the former, for the supjiosed trespasses bs'^'amits on their Indian corn, or the trifle he will Of"? in market, and the latter for the mere plcasu^ w I'^struction, and perhaps for the favour of his tlesh, t ' ^i> is in o-eneral esteem. In the state of Pcmisyl- o>> i>e ran scarcely he called a bird of fiassagc, as, C' in severe winters, they may ho found within a tC'ailes of the city of Philadelphia; and 1 have known exposed for sale in market every week during tlm u "Ills of November, December, and January, and that, v’, in more than commonly rigorous weather. They V % ■ .... :""ia. ""nht, however partially, migrate, even here ; being iia 1 *"nre numerous in spring and fall, than in winter. tCV in the month of April, they begin to prepare tif Qt'st, w'liich is built in the hollow body, or branch ^ sometimes, though not alw ays, at a considerable t|,' ?"l'^from the ground ; for 1 have_ frequently ''ail , **om lae grouiiu , im a imvaL Ilia, on the trunk of an old apple tree, at not more 'a foet from the root. The sagacity of this bird tri,J’*"'Overing, under a sound bark, a liollow limb or fop O a tree, and its perseverance m perforating it nil, purpose of incubation, is truly surprising; the " anil female alternately relieving and ciicoiwaging libi purpose "11 1! female , . . C "filer, by mutual caresses, renewing their labours P(,J«Veral days, till the object is attained, and the place At sufficiently capacious, convenient, and secure. Hi f'Us employment they are so e.xtremely intent, that Uh,^ “'."y in* heard till a very late hour in the evening, ""ipiiig like carpenters. 1 have seen an instance I 142 PICtJS AURATUS. where they had dug first five inches straight and then dou nward more than tuice tliat through a solid black oak. They carry in no for their nest, the soft chips and dust of the '' serving all their purpose. The female lays sis eggs, almost transparmit, very thick at the greater and tapering suddenly to the other. The young leave the nest, and, climbing- to the higher branr ai'e there feil by their parents. ^,(<1 The food of this bird varies with the season. jii( the common cherries, bird cheiTies, and berries j sour gum, successively ripen, he regales plentifinO, them, particularly on the latter ; but the chief fi’® |||! this species, or that which is most usually found >'* ^ stomach, is wood lice, and the j'oung and cOl ants, of which he is so immoderately fond, that I fre()uently found his stomach distended with a these, and these only, as large nearly as a ])hiinb- the procuring of these insects, nature has remafh*'^ fitted him. The bills of woodpeckers, in gencrah straight, grooved or channelled, >vedge-shaped, ‘ ^ compressed to a thin edge at the end, that thcy,''J||( the easier penetrate the hardest wood; that of j gold-winged woodpecker is long, slightly bent, only on the toj), and ta|)ering almost to a poinb -ji,, still retaining a little of the wedge form tlnu-e. however, are admirably adapted for the peiudiar wii'’® , ea(!h has of |>rocuriug its food. The former, jji! powerful Avedge, to penetrate the dead and decar j branches, after worms and insects; the latter, I'yjil long iiud sharp pickaxe, to dig up the hillock'jjj, pismires, that inhabit old stumps in prodigious toO ^ tudes. These beneficial services would entitle h'W’^j ' il some regard from the husbandman, were he not and perhaps not without just cause, of being too 1>* jjv to the Indian corn, when in tliat state which is called roastin^-ears. His visits are indeed nathei quent about tliis time ; and the farmer, suspecting " is going on, steals through among the rows with GOLD-WINGED WOODPECKER. 143 oil vengeance, and, forgetful of the benevolent ‘‘"lont of the^poet, that Just as wide of ju-^tice he must fall, ^ Who thinhs all nuitle for one, not one for all. ^M .^^^rniers, in general, arc not much versed in poetry, " '‘11 acipiaintcd with tlie value of eoru, from i^iird iaiiour requisite in raising it. t) '■auibUng through the woods one day,^ I happened f these birds, ' ' Fiiidiiijj liiiH tuu leamcr, autl seem- laliour requisite i j I '■auibling through th ... Hij ,'«ot one of these birds, and woiuided him slightly 'tsi 'ring. Finding him in lull feather, and seem- itit ^ little hurt, I took him home, and put him I* ^ a large cage, made of willows,^ intending to keep iny own room, that we might become better Hi y|'''.'‘'nted. As soon as he found himself enclosed on C'>«s, he lost no time in idle llntteriug, hut, throwing O^lf against the bars of the cage, began instantly v/''Hiolish the willoivs, battering them vvith great (iL J:*^onco, iiml uttoi'ing’ a loud piteous kind of cackling, ! . to that of a heii when she is alarmed, uud takes Sr Poor Baron Trenck never laboured with diligence at the walls of his prison, than )i(j of the forest in his exertions for liberty ; and his powerful bill w ith such fonie, digging 1ft ■sticks, seining and shaking them so from side that he soon opened for himsclt a passage ; ‘ ' thoiijrh I repeatedly* repaired the breach, and • ^ ■ I could, -"i. J'ftt every opening, in the best luainuu’ itj* Ou rjj return into the room, I alvrays found him I • xi. _ about the moving forward, and sidewise, vviu. ...e same Ha' it hoeame difficult to get hold ot him again to placed him in a strong wire cage, he seemed of making his escajie, and soon s of Im tlm berries of the sour gum oliinbiug up the chairs, or riinuing about tt W’ " here, from the de.vterity of his inotioii.s, movii f»(i|j^‘H'd, forward, and sidewise, vvith the sani Hp all hopes I'ftft. ® Verv fnn»o r ft "'Hy tame ; fed on young ears of Indian corn ; K,lil “I'ples, hut ate tlie herr , tfi "l.y, small winter grapes, and several other kinds '■‘'‘es ; exercised himself frequently in climhing, or 144 PICUS AURATUS. rather hopping perpendicularly along the sides cage ; and, as evening drew on, lixed himself in jjj hanging, or perpendicular position, and slept head in his wing. As soon as dawn anpeared, « before it was light enough to perceive nim distn'^^jj',. across the room, he descended to the bottom o’ cage, and began his attack on the cars of Indian j,, rapping so loud, as to be heard from every the house. After this he would sometimes his former position, and take another nap. beginning to become very amusing, and even when, after a lapse of several weeks, be (|f drooping, and died, as 1 conceived, from the efte'O’ his w'ound. Some European naturalists, (and, among the t ^ Linnaius himselt^ in his tenth edition of <5!!/* ||,s NaturcB,') have classed this bird with the genus or cuckoo, informing their readers, that it many of the habits of the cuckoo ; that it is ” Jljct always on the ground ; is never seen to climb '‘.^1 like the other woodpeckers, and that its bill is alto)?®’ unlike theirs ; every one of which assertions, I ® ^ say, is incorrect, and could have only proceeded ' an entire nnacquaiutance with the manners of bird. E.vcept in the article of the bill, and that, jt been before observed, is still a little wedge-forni‘’‘‘[,i' the point, it differs in no one characteristic rest of its genus. Its nostrils are covered with ' ji of recumbent hairs, or small feathers ; its tong'”j^,j. round, worm-shaped, tlattened towards the tip, and furnished with minute barbs ; it is also .,)i missile, and can be instautaneously protruded t” uncommon distance. The os hydides, or internal P 0 of the tongue, like those of its tribe, is a substauc* strength and elasticity, resembling wlialebone, .jujt into two branches, each the thickness of a ki” pyc needle, that pass, one oti each side of the neck, t** 0 hind head, where they unite, and run up alo”? ,if skull in a groove, covered with a thin membrao > 3 GOLD-WINCED WOODPECKER. 145 j ; descend into the upper niaiidible by the right ? of the right nostril, and reach to within half an l,y of the point of the bill, to which they are attached another extremely elastic membrane, that yields the tongue is thrown out, and contracts as it is i^^tcted. In the other woodpeckci-s we behold the 1^0 apparatus, differing a little in different species, these cartilaginous substances reach only to of the cranium ; in others, they reach to the ; and, in one species, they are wound round the tL 0 of the right eye, which projects considerablj^ more tile left, for its accommodation, tongue of the gold-winged woodpecker, like the tiy also supplied with a viscid fluid, secreted by at ? glands that lie under the ear on each side, and are Oti '■‘ast five times larger in this species than in any of its size ; ndth this the tongue is continually so that every small insect it touches in.stantly ^ ^•■es to it. The tail, in its strength and poiutedness, (jjl'oll as the feet and claws, prove that the bird was for climbing ; and in fact I have scarcely tli^l^Oen it on a tree five minutes at a time without lujO’og; hopping not only upward and downward, spirally ; pursuing and playing with its follow in ^J^Uner round the body of the free. I have also fl'em a hundred times alight on the trunk of the tree, tl “O*"® frequently aliglit on the branches ; liij. I “t they climb, construct like nests, lay the same and the like coloured eggs, and have the Knd habits of the woodpeckers, is notorious to V American naturalist; while neither in the form somewhat bent, and the toes placed two before behind, have they the smallest resemblance yto'- ■ .ft -'‘tever to the cuckoo. tv! not be improper, however, to observe, that Nd* “"other species of woodpecker, called also 'tvinged,# which inhabits the counfyy near the * Piews va/er, Turton’s Linn. K 1 . 146 PICUS AURATUS. Cape of Good Hope, and resembles the present, it j I said, almost exactly in the colour and form of its 1” ’ and in the tint and markings of its plumage, with ta ditference, that the mustaches arc rod, instead of h'a^ ’ and the lower side of the wings, as well as their sha* are also red, where the other is golden yellow. also considerably less. With respect to the habit-'' this new species, we have no particular account ; a ^ there is little doubt that they will be found to coiT*‘ pond with the one we are now describiii". The abject and degraded character which the CaJ'pj i de Buffon, with equal eloquence and absurdity) drawn of the whole tribe of woodpeckers, belong® to the elegant and sjiriglitly bird now before us. ^ j far it is apjilicable to any of them will be exani'®jj hereafter. He is not “ constrained to drag out an existence in boring the bark and hard fibres of tf*a’ ^ extract his prey,” for he frequently finds in the 1®.^^^ mouldering ruins of an old stump (the capital of a ns*-',., of pismires) more than is siilUcient for the want® whole week. He cannot be said to “ lead a mean gloomy life, without an intermission of labour,” " j,,. usually feasts by the first peep of dawn, and spend® early and sweetest hours of morning on the hig'‘‘jj< peaks of the tallest trees, callitig on his mate or J panions, or pursuing and gamboling with them fj the larger limbs and body of the trc(! for hours togeth t for such are really his habits. Can it be said, “ necessity never grants an interval of sound repf'^i to that bird, who, while other tribes are exposed b’ ^ the peltiiigs of the midnight storm, lodges dvy „ (,f secure in a snug chamber of his own constructing , that “ the narrow circvimferencc of a tree circum®‘b ,, | his dull round of life,” who, as sel^®oies; hut Buffou had too often a favourite theory to tb**' ’*P> that led him insensibly astray; and so, forsooth, " ^*®te fixmily of woodpeckers must look sad, sour, |ii ? be miserable, to satisfy the caprice of a whimsical 5.jh*>*opher, who takes it into his head that they are, fought to he so 1 'It the Count is not the only EurojUian who has Ii ^''epresented and traduced this beautitul bird. One him browu legs;* another a yellow neck;f tft“"’d has de(dared him a cuckoo ; | and, in an English lV|‘'-''hition of Linnseu-s’s System of Nature, lately pub- characterized as follows: “ Body, striated tlilll ^hick and gray ; cheeks, red ; (diiu, black ; never ilfii "tid ........ bijj, de; never n alks on foot, &c. The piiges of natural should resemble a faithful mirror, in which Ofjlj. '"d may recognize the true iniiiges of the living tb|,^*"tls; instead of which, we liud this department of on trees ;”ji which is just as correct as if, i iHo®*'‘hiug the human species, we should say — ski in skin with black and green; cheeks, blue; chin. *** too often like the hazy and rough medium of b(;J ®hed windoM'-gla-ss, through whose crooked iirotu- every thing appears so strangely distorted, Itiil scarcely knows tlieir most intimate neighbours ■j,.'‘'"luaiutauces. "1)0^ gold-winged woodpecker has the back and wings (lijjJ® of a dark umber, transversely marked with eijui- Ton streaks of black ; upper part of the head, an ff^ay ; cheeks and parts surrouudiiig the eyes, a Hrit. Art. Picus. f Latham. **• griseo iiigromic transversim striatus” *0 non scandit.’’— Lad. Oru. vol. I, p. 242. j Klein. ■“ truooos 148 PICUS AUHATUS. fine cinnamon colour ; fi-om the lower mandible a stnj. of black, an inch in length, passes down each sio the throat, and a liinatcd spot, of a vivid Wood covers the bind head, its two points reaching | half an inch of each eye ; the sides of the neck, ^ this, incline to a bkiisli gray ; throat and chin, a ' light cinnamon or (awn colour ; the breast is ornanied vi'ith a broad crescent of deep black ; the belly and white, tinged with yellow, and scattered with imp ^ rablo round spots of black, every teather haviOr distinct central spot, those on the thighs and vent be -j heart-shaped and largest; the longer or inner side j the wing and tail, shafts of all the larger feathers, 'j, indeed of almost every feather, arc of a beautiful S,^(j | yellow'; that on the shafts. of the primaries being distinguishable, even when the wings^ are shut , .p rump is w’hite, and remarkably jirominent ; the * coverts white, and curiously serrated with black ; side of the tail, and the tip below, black, I lio-ht loose lilameiits of a cream colour, the two P^t? feathers, serrated with whitish ; shafts, black toh* A the tips, the two middle ones, nearly w'holly so ; an inch and a half long, of a dusky horn colour, s« what bent, ridged only on the top,' tapering, but nd* (, a point, that being a little wedge-formed ; legs light blue ; iris of the eye, hazel ; length, twelve extent, twenty. The female difi'ers from the chiefiy in the greater obscurity of the tine colours> in wanting the black mustaches on each side 0*^,1- throat. This description was talceii from a very b tiful and jierfect specimen. Though this species, generally speaking, is m’?'? yet they often remain with us in J’ennsylvama d ^ the whole winter. They also inhabit the contni* North America, from Hudson’s Bay to (Jeorgi» > have been found by voyagers on the north-west n, 1 of America. They arrive at Hudson’s Bay I and leave it in September. Mr Hearne, * 1 ® |p| 0 s' 1 informs us, that “ the gold-winged w oodpecker is * 149 red-headed woodpecker. only species of woodpecker that ndnters near ^ttdson’s Bay.” The natives tliere call it Ou-thee- ^'*aii^nor-ow, from the golden colour of the shafts and ’‘’’der side feathers of the wings. It has numerous ’,*^»viucial appellations in the different states ot tlie ”iiou such as “ Hi''h-holc,” from the situation ot its “'Hittock,””* Yucker,” “ Piut,” “ Flicker’’ 1^7 ''“ieh last it is usually known in Pennsylvania. These ffnies have probably originated (rom a fancied resem- “We of its notes to the sound of the words ; for one its most common cries consists of two notes, or Ji'Uables. freouently repeated, which, by the help of the Ver’s imagination, may easily be made to resemble ‘*'^y or all of them. 41. ricas KurTnnocETnAi-vs, i.innjeus — bed-headed WOODPECKER. '^iesoh, VI.ATE IX. rm. i. —Edinburgh coleege museum. There is perhaps no bird in North America more "^iverrally knowii than this. His tri-colourcd plumage, white, and black, glossed with steel blue, is so ^''liking, and cliaracteristic ; and his predatory habits the orchards and corulields, added to his numbers, *‘''1 fondness for hovering along the fences, so very ,'®torious, that almost every child is acquainted nutn fc. 1 . .1 V 1 T-- . .S'. 1 VI ciH 111 A ndfi*'n* I '• *eu-neaueu woouuecu^i. xu Sirhood of our large cities, where the old timber is ®'hctly cut down, he is not so frequently lound ; and at this preseiff time. June, 1808, I know ot several 'i* «>eir nests within the boundaries of the city of Phi a. r'^lphia. Two of these are in button-wood trees (pfa- occidental^,) and another in the decayed limb a largo elm. The old ones, 1 observe, make their *jtcursious re"ularly to the woods beyond the bchuylkill .out a mile distant; preserving groat silence and ^•■cmnspection in visiting their nests,— precautions not “‘“ch attended to by them in the depth ot the woods, 150 PICUS ERYTIIROCEPHALUS. because there the prying' eye of man is less to dreaded. Towards the mountains, particularly in vicinity of creeks and rivers, these birds are extreme/ abundant, especially in the latter end of sunnn‘'’j Wherever yon travel in the interior at that season, j;®, hear them screaming from the adjoining woods, rattJn'o on the dead limbs of trees, or on the fences, where are perpetually seen flitting from stake to stake, on t**, roadside, before you. Wherever there is a tree, ® trees, of the wild cherry, covered with ripe fruit, you see them busy among the branches; and, in pasf'*^ orchards, you may ea.sily knou' where to find the carli*^^ ’ sweetest apples, by observing those trees, on or n^j which the red-headed woodpecker is skulking; for *’ is so excellent a connoisseur in fruit, that wherever apple orpeartree isfound broached by him,it is sure to among the ripest and best flavoured : when alarmedi seizes a capital one by striking; his open hill deep hn it, and hears it off to the woods. When the Indian eo''' is in its rich, succulent, milky state, he attacks it n"'* Sfreat eagernes.s, opening a passage through the rous folds of the husk, and feeding on it with voi'ae’l^ Tlie girdled, or deadened timber, so common anio,''.' cornfields in the hack settlements, are his faroui’’ . retreats, whence he sallies out to make his depredatio"* He is fond of the ripe berries of the sour gum, and pretty regular visits to the cherry trees, when load*'® with fruit. Towards fall he often ap])roaches the oi- farm house, and raps on the shingles and we8tl'‘’j hoards : he is of a gay and frolicsome disposition ; *J’* half a dozen of the fraternity .are frequently seen di''"'e and vociferiiting around the high dead limbs of large tree, pursuing and playing with each other, amusing the passongei- with their gambols. Their n<»’ or cry is shrill and lively, and so much resembles t"* of a species of tree-frog, which frequents the same tre > that it is sometimes difficult to distinguish the one fro”* the other. Such arc the vicious traits, if I may so .speak, iu j , character of the red-headed woodpecker ; and I doi* RED-IIEADED WOODPECKER. L'jl but, from what has been said on this subject, that ^tae readers would consider it meritorious to extermi- j'ate the whole tribe as a nuisance: and, in fact, the '^S'slatures of some of our provinces, in ibnncr times, ^acred premiums to the amount of twopence per head their destruction.# Hut let us not condemn the **Pecics unlieard : they exist ; they must therefore he '“''eessary. If their merits and usefulness be found, on ^ibnination, to pre|)onderate against their vices, let us *''i‘il ourselves of the former, while we guard as well as can against the latter. f Thoineh this bird occasionally regales himself on yet his natural and most usual food is insects, j’ffticularly those numerous and destructive species : ‘»t penetrate the bark and body of the tree to deposit ‘'‘«ir p,ro^ and larv®, the latter of which are well known luak” immense havoc. That insects are his natural P od is evident from the construction ot his wedge- J'^'^ied bill, the length, elasticity, and figure of his '’'"sue, and the strength and position of his claws ; as '''«U as from his usual habits. In Act, insects form least two-thirds of his subsistence ; and his stomach ;? scarcely ever found without them, lie searches for ueiti with a dexterity and intelligence, 1 may safely more than human; he perceives, by the exterior ?PPearance of the bark, where they lurk below ; when 1 ? ’s dubious, he rattles vehemently on the outside with J’* Itill, and his acute ear distinguishes the terrified iTtmiu shrinking within to their inmost retreats, wtmre pointed and barbed tongue soon reaches them. 1 he Nsses of bugs, caterpillare, and otliew larvte, which I taken from the stomachs of these birds, have surprised me. These larvm, it should be remem- I ‘■C'l. feed not only on the buds, leaves, and blossoms. Oil the verv vp"-etable life of the tree, the alburnum, ficwly foriniiw bark and wood ; the consequence is, Wole branches and whole trees decay under the ‘‘cut ravages of these destructive vermin; witness » Kalm. 152 PICUS ERYTHHOCEPIIALUS. the late destruction of many hundred acres of trees, in the north-eastern parts of South Cai'oliu®' and the thousands of peach trees that yearly from the same cause. Will any one say, that, takuV; half a dozen, or half a hundred, apples from a ti’C® equally ruinous with cutting it donm p or, that ta^ services of a useful animal should not be rewarded ''h a small portion of that which it has contributed preserve ? We arc told, in the l)enevolent languag® ® the Scriptures, not to muzzle the mouth of the ox th® treadeth out the corn ; and why should not the sa®*^ ffencrous liberality be extended to this useful family birds, which forms so powerful a phalanx against tw inroads of many millions of destructive vermin ? Tlie red-headed woodpecker is, properly speaki®?’ a bird of passage ; though, even in the eastern stat®^j individuals are found during moderate winters, as as in the states of New York and Pennsylvania;/® Carolina they are somewhat more numerous dun®# that season, but not one-tenth of what are found 1® smumer. They make their appearance in Pcnnsylva®'. about the 1st of May, and leave us about the middle <>1 October. They inhabit from Canada to the Gulf ^ Mexico, and are also found on the western coast,*® North America. About the middle of May they beg'® to construct their nests, which, like the rest of h'® genus, they form in the body or large limbs of trC* taking in no materials, but smoothing it within t® the proper shajje and size. The female lays six eg?®' of a pure white, marked, chietiy at the great e,®®i with reddish spots; and the young make their appearance about the 20th of June. During the ht® season the head and neck of the young’ birds are blacki'®’ gray, which hits occasioned some European writei’s t" raistiikc them for females ; the white ou the wing. also spotted with black ; but in the succeeding spr'®!" * In one place, on a tract of two thousand acres of pine lamb ^ the Sanipit river, near Georgeto-ivn, at least ninety trees in evi^ r hundred were destroyed by this pernicious insect : "a small, hW 'winged bug, resembling the weevil, but somewhat larger. RED-HEADED WOODPECKER. 153 I receive their perfect plumag-e, and the male and ®’'iele then differ only in the latter being rather smaller, its colours not quite so vivid ; both have the head neck deep scarlet ; the bill light blue, black towards extremity, and strong; back, primaries, wing- j^'^erts, and tail, blade, glossed with steel-blue ; rump, ®'vcr part of the back, secondaries, and whole under fj'fts from the breast downward, white ; legs and feet, ‘dsh green ; claws, light blue ; round the eye, a dusky pTuw skin, bare of feathers ; iris, dark hazel ; total nine inches and a half; extent, seventeen inches. Notwithstanding the cai'e which this bird, in com- with the rest of its genus, takes to place its young .^yoiul the reach of enemies, within the hollows of yet there is one deadly foe, against whose depre- ssions neither the height of the tree, nor the depth of j « cavity, is the least security. This is the black :{J*ke (coluber constrictor,) who frequently glides up ;?« trunk of the tree, aud, like a skulking savage, enters g Woodpecker’s peaceful apartment, devours the eggs A i'elpless young, in s|)ite of the cries and ilutterings L. ^e parents; and, if the place be large enough, coils ^•^nself up in the spot they occupied, where he will ]j®'*'etimcs remain for severd days. The eager school- > after hazarding his ueck to reach the woodpecker’s u'* at the triumphant moment when he thinks the j,is own, and strips his arm, lanching it (®^n into the cavity, and grasping what he conceives “6 the callow young, starts with horror at the sight d; hideous snake, aiid almost drops from his giddy ''•lacle, retreating down the tree with terror and j ^'-■'pitatiou. Several adventures of this kind have a?,®® to mv' knowledge ; and one of them that was '^^nded with serious consequences, where both snake l^oy fell to tlie ground ; and a broken thigh, and ly''S confinement, cured the adventurer completely of ** ambition for robbing woodpecker’s nests. 154 PICUS CAROLINUS. 42. FICUS CABOLIlfUS, UNN IIED-BEIHED WOODPECKER' WILSON, PLATE TII. FIO. 11.— EDINBOllBH COLLEGE MOSEO>'' This species pos.?esses all the restless and noisy so characteristic of its tribe. It is more shy and 1^'’, | dome.stic than the red-headed one (P. e.rijthroce.j)hol^^^’' or any of the other spotted woodpeckers. It is more solitary. It prefers the largest, high-tinihe*'® woods, and tallest decayed trees of the forest; s®' appearing near the ground, on the fences, or in orchai<^ or open tiehls ; yet where the trees have been deadfU^.^ and stand pretty thick, in fields of Indi.an corn, n® common in new settlements, I have observed it tn ^ very numerous ; and have found its stomach soraetii'^^^ completely tilled with that grain. Its voice is | than any of the others ; and its usual note “ chow,” ‘'jj often reminded me of the barldng- of a little lapdo^- ^ is a most exjiert climber, possessing extraordi"'* 'j strength in the muscles of its feet and claws, .and about the body and horizontal limbs of the trees, " equal facility in all directions. It rattles, like the of the tribe, on the dead limbs, — and with such viol«*'‘||j as to be heard, in still weather, more than h.alf a off, — and listens to hear the insects it has alarmed. the lower side of some lofty branch that makes a derable angle with the horizon, the male and feinalRi^j^ oonj unction, dig out a circular cavity for their v<>- soraetimes out of the solid wood, but more into a hollow limb, twelve or fifteen inches where it becomes solid. This is usually pertoi'^’^j.^ early in April. The female lays five eggs of a P* white, or almost semitransparent; and the young rally make their appearance towards the latter May, or beginning of June, climbing up to the parts of the tree, being as yet unable to fly. I® situation they are fed for several days, and o become the prey of the hawks. From seeing the HED-BELLIED WOODPECKER. 156 continuing- their caresses after tliis period, I be- i'®’'’e that they often, and perhaps always, produce two ^•'•'ods in a season. During the greatest part of the J’^Rinjer, tlie young have the ridge of the neck and *'®'td of* a dull brownish ash ; and a male of the third has received his complete colours. I’he red-hellied woodpecker is ten inches in length, ^*><1 Seventeen in extent ; the bill is nearly an inch and Half in length, wedged at the point, but not quite so Nch grooved as some others, strong, and of a bluish colour ; the nostrils are placed in one of these poves, and covered with curving tufts of light brown ending in black points ; the feathers on the front : j *^*1 nioro ftrcct than usual, aud arc of a dull yellou'- n'l-ed; from thence, along the whole upper part of t « head and neck, down the back, and spreading round , the shoulders, is of the most brilliant golden glossy the whole cheeks, line over the eye, and under I of the neck, is a pale huff colour, n hich, on the /''■‘St and belly, deepens into a yellon ish ash, stained f** the belly with a blood red ; the vent and thigh ^thers are dull white, mar-ked down their centres Iji th heart-formed and long ari’ow-pointed spots of The back is black, crossed with transverse enr- l’’’? lines of white; the wings are also black; the wing-coverts circularly tipt, .and the whole pri- v?^es and secondaries beautifully crossed u ith bars ol in* ^0*1 “1*0 tlpt with the same ; the rump is white, w,®*^persed with touches of bhack ; the tail-coverts, f„ *’lo near the extremities ; the tail consists ot ten Hll'ers, the two middle ones black, their interior n ebs '’“nes white, crossed with diagonal spots ot black ; when the edges of the two feathers just touch, , ’“cide, and form heart-shaped spots ; a nan-ow sword- ,rP®d line of white runs up the exterior side ot the of the same feathers ; the next four feathers, on side, are black; the outer edges of the exterior barred with black and white, which, on the lower rH seems to cross the whole vane; the extremities of ® ’^hole tail, except the outer feather, are black. PIOUS CAROLINUS. 156 sometimes touched with yellowish or cream colo»J^J the legs and feet are of a hluish green, and the lO® the eye red. The tongue, or os hyiiides, passes up _ the hind head, and is attached, by a very elastic tile membrane, to the base of the right nostril ! *■ j extremity of the tongue is long, hornj-, very and thickly edged with barbs, the otlier part of * j tongue is worm-shaped. In several specimens, I the stomach nearly filled with pieces of a specie®. fungus, that grows on decayed wood, and, in all, " j,, great numhers of insects, seeds, gravel, &c. The differs from the male in having’ the crown, for an of a fine ash, and the black not so intense ; the reddish as in the mule, and the whole hind head, o® p to the hack, likewise of tlie same rich red as his. the bird, from which this latter description was f® I found a large cluster of minute eggs, to the niiD* p of fifty, or upwards, in the beginning of the JO®** of March. . ^jl This species inhabits a large extent of country', >" ,) of which it seems to he resident, or nearly so. 1 1®'‘ j|) them abundant in Upper Canada, and in the nort® parts of the state of New York, in the month of vember ; they also inhabit the whole Atlantic stat®?j^ far as Georgia, and the southern extremity of F*®*^’*! as well as the interior parts of the United States, ^ west as Chilicothe, in the state of Ohio, and, accor® ly to Buffon, Louisiana. They are said to he the ® j, woodpeckers found in Jamaica ; though I queiitly perforate the timber in pursuit of thpe ^^fmin, but this is almost always in dead and decaying of the tree, which are the nests and nurseries of IJ'.Uions of destructive insects. Considering matters in 3 light, I do not think their services overpaid by all Cars 'of Indian corn they consume; and w'ould •"■“tect them, within my own premises, as being more '***fnl than injurious. ficus FASIUS, LISNJECS. —YELLOW-BELMEI. WOODrECKEB. ''■tSOK, PL. IX. FIG. n.— ADULT MALE. —EDINBURGH COLLEGE MUSEUM. , This beautiful species is one of our resident birds ‘‘visits our orchards in the month ot October in great Vbers, is occasionally seen during the whole winter mnn'*ekoned bv Georgi among the birds that frequent the BaikaT, in Asia,f but their existence there has not satisfactorily ascertained. ^ * 1 . ), The habits of this species are similar to those of the ^»-y and downy woodpeckers, vntli which it generally ^heiates The only nest of this bird which I have with was in the'body of an old pear-tree, about ten eleven feet from the groinid. The hole vv^is almost i^^etly circular, smaU for the size of the bird, so that ‘‘evept in and out with difficulty; but suddenly ^’dened, descending by a smaU angle and then rounding f Ibid, * Latbam. 158 PICUS VAKIUS. downward about fifteen inches. On the smooth sol'^ wood lay four white eggs. This was about the 23t of May. H.aving no opportunity of visiting it aftC' wards I cannot say whether it add(Hl any more eggs the number ; I rather think it did not, as it appear® at that time to be sitting. The yellow-bellied woodpecker is eight inches and*v variegated with white; ninip, white, bordered "d black ; belly, yellow ; sides under the wings, more du^‘‘^ yellow, marked with long arrow-heads of black; l®^jj and feet, greenish blue ; tail, black, consisting of *.® ( feathers, the two outward feathers on each side t'P with white, the ue-xt totally black, the fourth edged ® its inner vaue half way down with white, the nijd‘fi one white oir its interior vane, and spotted with bh‘®^ tongue, flat, horny for half an inch at the tip, podd® and armed along its sides with reflected barlis; other extremities of the tongue pass up behind t® • This circumstance seems to have been overlooked by naturali**®' hairy woodpecker. 159 in a groove, and end near the right nostril ; in of the first and second year they rea(!h only to crown ; hill, an inch long, channelled, wedge-formed the tip, and of a dusky horn colour. The female is o^kcd nearly as the male, but wants the scarlet on throat, which is whitish ; she is also darker under wings and on the sides of the breast. The young the first season, of both se-ves, in October, have the ^*"’n sprinkled witli black and deep scarlet; the ^’‘' let on the throat may he also observed in the young ^8.1es. The principal food of these birds is insects ; N they seem particularly fond of frequenting orchards, ^tinir the trunks of the apple trees in their eager *»rch after them. On opening them, the liver appears larn-e, and of a dirty gamboge colour ; the stomach “'■ongly'’niuscular, and generally filled \vith fragments '^^**cetles and o-ravel. In the morning they are extremely in the“orchards, and rather shyer than the rest « their associates. Their cry is also different, but, f ®Ugh it is easily distinguishable in the woods, cannot described by words. PICVS VILLOSUS, LINXiEUS. — HAIRY WOODPECKER. '''■'Son, PL. IX. J-IG. HI. MALE. EMKBDEGH COLLEGE MUSEUM. r ^His is another of our resident birds, and, like the . *hter, a haunter of orchards and borer of apple trees, ... *ager huater of insects, their eggs and lar\ le in old and old rails, in rotten branches and crevices of bark ; havinv all the characters of the woodpecker ^tcongiy marked. In the month of May he retires |,^b his mate to the woods, and either seeks out a i>ich already hollow, or cuts out an opening for 'boself. In the former ease I have known his nest than five feet distant from the mouth of the hole ; in the latter he digs first horizontally, if in the y of the tree, six or eight inches, and then down- '“'d. obtusely, for twice that distance ; carrying up 160 PICUS VILLOSUS. the chips with his bill, and scraping' them out with hi^ feet. They also not unfrequently choose the orchai for breeding in, and even an old stake of the which they excavate for this purpose. The feinah lays five white eggs, and hatches in June. This sp<'‘''‘’j is more numerous than the last in Pennsylvania, more domestic; frequently approaching the farm-ho'"’ and skirts of the tou n. In Philadelphia I have iua"J. times observed them examining old ragged trunk'’/’ the willow and poplar while people were j)a.s6”'j immediately below. Their cry is strong, shrill, tremulous ; they have also a single note or chuck, wh*'-’ they often repeat, in an eager manner, as they k**! about, and dig into the crevices of the tree. Th‘’{ inhabit the continent from Hudson’s Bay to Carol'® and Georgia. The hairy woodpecker is nine inches long, and fift‘’'’_ in extent ; crown, black ; line over and under the white ; the eye is placed in a black line, that ividens * it descends to the back ; hind head, scarlet, sonieti'’’ intermixed with black ; nostrils hid under remarUao'jj thick, bushy, recumbent hairs or bristles ; under the i® are certain long hairs thrown forward and upn o''^' bill, a bluish horn colour, grooved, wedged at the e",! straight, and about an inch and a quarter tong ; touck*'* of black, proceeding from the lon er mandible, cud k' , broad black strip that joins the black on the shouldf’"' back, black, divided by a broad lateral strip of n'k’ the feathers composing which are loose and unwebk*’ J resembling hairs, whence its name; rump and should®'^ of the wing, black ; wings, black, tipped and with white, three rows of spots being visible on/^, secondaries, and five on the primaries^ greater ” coverts also spotted with white ; tail, as in the cuneiform, consisting of ten strong-shafted and pu’!' ||y feathers, the four middle ones black, the next white, the two exterior ones white, tinged at the with a brownish burnt colour ; tail-coverts, bk" whole lower side, pure white; leg's, feet, and light blue, the latter remarkahly large and strong; i®* HAIRY WOODPECKER. 161 ’’f the mouth, flesh coloured ; tong-ue, pointed, beset J'ith barbs, and capable of being protruded more than inch and a half; the os hyoidcs, in this species, passes each side of the neck, ascends the skull, passes down '"Wards the nostril, and is wound round the bone of Ijie right eye, which projects considerably more than '"e left for its accommodation. The great mass of hairs ^"at cover the nostril, appears to he designed a.s a pro- tection to the front of the head, n-hen the bird is engaged 'a digging holes into the ivood. The membrane which encloses the brain in this, as in all the other species of J'Oodpeckers, is also of extraordinary strength, no doubt ^ prevent any bad effects from violent concussion while bird is employed in digging for food. The female ^■ants the red on the hind head ; and the white below 1“. tinged with brownish. The manner of flight of these *ifds has been already described under a former .species, consisting of alternate risings and sinkings. The hairy "oodppckers generally utter a loud tremulous scream '''' they set olF, and when they alight. They are hard kill ; and, like the red-headed woodpecker, hang by {■'c claws, even of a single foot, as long as a spark of Uc remains, before they drop. I This species is common at Hudson’s Bay ; and has 'ately been found in England. Dr Latham examined a f^ic which were shot near Halifax, in Yorkshire; and Comparing the male with one brought from North oiuerica, could perceive no difference, but in a slight Ijterruption of the red that marked the hind head ot ,c former; a circumstance which I have frequently ""Served in our own. The two females corresponded '"'actly. ^OL. I. L 6 162 PICUS PUBESCENS. 45. FICUS PUFESCENS, UNNJEUS DOWNY WOODPECKER. WILSON, PLATE IX. FIG. IV. 5IALE. . — EDINBURGH COLLEGE SIKSEUM. This is the smallest of our ivoodpeekers, and s® exactly resembles the former in its tints anil marking^’ and in almost every thing excqit its diminutive si*‘’> that I wonder how it passed through the Count de Buffon’s hands witliont being branded as a “ spuriou* race, degenerated by the intluencc of food, climate, o!" some unknown cause.” But, though it has escap®^ this infamy, charges of a innch more heinous natut have been brought against it, not only by the write above mentioned, but by the w hole venerable body e zoologists in Europe, who have treated of its historj'i viz. that it is almost constantly boring cud digging iot® apple-trees; and that it is the most destructive of whole genua to the orchards. The first part ol t’O’ charge 1 shall not pretend to deny ; how far the otb*^^ is founded in truth will appear in the sequel. the two former species, it remains w-ith us the year. About the middle of May, the male and feins* look out for a suitable place for the reception of the*’^ eggs and young. An apple, jiear, or cherry-tree, otte" in the near neighbourhood of the farm-house, is geO?' rally jiitched upon for this purpose. The tree minutely reconnoitred for several days previous to tb operation, and the work is first begun by the niaw' who cuts out a hole in the solid wood as circulaE a* if described witli a pair of compasses. He is occasioj’' ally relieved by tlic female, both parties working «'it the most indefatigable diligence. The direction of 1“ hole, if made in the body of the tree, is generally do’J' ' wards, by an angle of thirty or forty degrees, for distance of six or eight inches, and then straight don for ten or tw'clvc more ; within roomy, capacious, a' as smooth as if polished by the cabinetmaker ; but entrance is judiciously left just so large as to admit t^^ bodies of the owners. During this labour, they reg DOWNY WOODPECKER. 163 carry out the chips, often strewing' them at a '‘'stance to prevent suspicion. This operation some- [-"nes occupies the chief part of a week. Before slie '*gins to lay, the female often visits the place, passes ?«t and in, examines every part both of the exterior and '■'terior, with great attention, as every prudent tenant a new house ought to do, and at length takes complete P<;ssession. The eggs are generally six, pure white, and ‘"ul on the smooth bottom of the cavity. Tlie male '*toasionally supplies the feimile with food while she is '*dting; and about the last week in .lime the youinr are Perceived making their way up the tree, climbing ”vith 'Considerable dexterity. All this goes on witir great Pognlarity where no interruption is met with; but the ?onse wren, who also builds in the hollow of a tree, ^Ot ^rho is neither furnished with the necessary tools ??'' strength for excavating such an apartment for j "bsclt; allows the woodpeckers to go on, till he thinks t 'vill answer his purpose, then attacks them with ,‘olence, and generally succeeds in driving them off. Saw some weeks ago a striking example of this, Oere the woodpeckers we are now describing, after v'''nnieucing in a cherry-tree within a tew yards of the j^bse, and having made considerable progress, were - ''"cd out by the wren; the former beg-au again on a ''"'-tree in the garden, fifteen or twenty yards off ^ '®"ee, after digging out a most complete apartment, 111-'* being laid, they were once more assaulted the same impertinent intruder, and finally forced to '"'don the place .111 - - ^:|.*he principal characteristics of this little bird are e 'fh'uce, familiarity, perseverance, and a s **'t?y in the head and muscles of the neck, which are strength and Hg . "’'tonishing. Mounted on the infected branch of fy !?ld apple-tree, where insects have lodged their cor- Ou"'’ destructive brood in crevices between the 'be . labours sometimes for half an hour ifi^^l'^bantly at the same spot, before he has succeeded in ^^'"'ging and destroying them. At these times you y "'alk up pretty close to the tree, and even stand PICUS PUBESCENS. 1(54 PICUS PUBESCENS. immediately liolow it, within five or six feet of the hird. without in the least embarrassing him ; the st^^e, his hill are distinctly heard several hundred and I have known him to he at work tor t wo no toirether on the same tree. Biiffou calls this “ incessa toll and slavery,” their attitude “ a painful and their life “ a dull and insipid existence;” expressio improper, because untrue; and absurd, because co tradictory. The posture is that for which the wu% oroanization of his frame is particulai'ly adapted ; ^ though, to a wren or a hnmming-hird, the labour wo , be both toil and slavery, yet to him it is, I ^ as pleasant and as amusing, as the sports of the cl to the hunter, or the sucking of llowere to the hn ming-hird. The eagerness with which he traver. the upper and lower sides of the branches ,• the chee fulness of his cry, and the liveliness ot his motio while digging into the tree and dislodging the veim iustify this belief. He has a single note, or which, like the former species, he frequently rept» And when he flies off, or alights on another tree, utters a rather shriller cry, composed of nearlV ^ same kind of note, quickly reiterated. In fall ‘ , M-inter, he associates with the titmouse, creeper, *>1. both in their wood and orchard excursions ; and leads the van. Of all our woodpeckers, none rid t apple-trees of so many vermin as this, digging ofl luoss which the negligence of the proprietor had s fered to accumulate, and probing every tiict, the orchard is his favourite resort m aU seaso and his industry is unequalled, and almost incessi ^ which is more than can be said of any other spe we have. In fall, he is particularly fond of boring ,, apple-trees for insects, digging a circular hole thro ^ the bark just suflicient to admit his hill, after tim ^ second, third, &c. in pretty regular horizontal cn round the body of the tree; these parallel circle holes are often not more than an inch or an inch * half apart, and sometimes so close together, that f ‘ covered eight or ten of them at once with a dollai’. DOWJiY WOODPECKER. 165 ''sarly the surface of the ground up to the first fork, ^Rd sometimes far beyond it, the whole hark of many ®Pple-trees is perforated in this manner, so as to appear “•s if made by successive discharges of buck-shot ; and little woodpecker, the subject of the present ac- •^aunt, is the principal perpetrator of this supposed fiiischief, — 1 say supposed, for so far from these perfo- •^tions of the bark being ruinous, they are not only Wmless, but, I have good reason to believe, really *'6neticial to the health and fertility of the tree. I ^«ave it to the philosophical l)Otanist to account for ^*iis; hut the fact 1 am confident of. In more than fifty orchards which I have myself carefully examined, those trees which were marked by the woodpecker (for some trees they never touch, perhaps because penetrated by insects,) were uniformly tlie most thriviiiir, and seemingly the most productive; many ot these vvere upwards of sixty years old, their trunks completely covered with holes, while the branches "'ere broad, luxuriant, and loaded with fruit, fit fiocayed trees, more than three-foiu-ths were untouched hy the woodpecker. Several intelligent farmers, with '"hom I have conversed, caiididljr aclpowlcdge the truth of these observations, and with justice look npon^ these oftds as beneficial ; but the most common opinion is, (hat they bore the trees to suck the sap, and so destroy >ts Vegetation ; though pine and other resinous trees, O" the juices of which it is not pretended they fceil ">•« often found equally perforated. Were the sap of ‘he tree their object, the saccharine juice o* t“e uircli, ‘he suo-.ar maple, and several others, would be much •"ore inviting, because more sweet and nourishing than ‘hat of either the pear or apple-tree ; but I have not "hserved one mark on the former for ten thousand that *"ay be seen on the latter; besides, the early part of *P'-iug is the season when the sap flows most abiin- ''"ntlV ; whereas it is only during the months of iM'p- f-eniber October, and November, that woodpeckers are ""en so indefati’gahly engaged in orchards, probing *"ery crack and crevice, boring through the hark, and 166 PICUS PUBESCENS. what is worth remarkiujj, chiefly on t!ie south and southwest sides of the tree, for the eggs and larvi* deposited there by the countless swarms of suninic*' insects. These, if .suffered to remain, n onld prey upoo the very vitals, if 1 may so express it, of the tree, and in the sueceeding summer give birth to myriads morn of their race, equally destructive. Here, then, i.s a whole species, I may say, genus, oi birds, n hich Providence seem.s to have formed for th*’ protection of our fruit and forest trees from the ravagns of vermin, which every day destroy' millions of thosn noxious insects that would otherwise blast (he hop«* of the husbandman; and nhich even promote the fer* tility of the tree ; and, in return, are proscribed by thosn who ought to have been their protectors ; and iucitr' meuts and reivards held out for their destruction ! I-nJ us examine better into the operations of nature, and many of onr mist.aken opinions and groundless |ireju' dices will be abandoned for more just, enlarged, and humane modes of thinking. The length of the downy woodpe<;ker is six inchfi® and three quarters, and its extent twelve inches; (Ton'll, black ; hind head, deep scarlet ; stripe over the white ; mjstrils, tliickly covered with recumbent hairs, or small feathers, of a cream colour; these, as in preceding species, are thick and bushy, as if desigiu.'d t** jireserve the forehead from injury during the violen* action of digging; the back is black, and divided by lateral strip of white, loose, doivny, unwebbed feathers i wings, black, spotted with white ; tail-coverts, riiuip, and four middle feathers of the tail, black ; the ofb«f three on each side, white, crossed with touches of blacb'5 whole under parts, as well as the sides of the ne('b'> white ; the latter marked with a streak of black, P*'*’" ceeding from the lower mandible, exactly as in fb® hairy woodjiecker ; legs and feet, bluish gia-en ; cla'"'*‘», light blue, tipt with black ; tongue, fornuMl like that ot the preceiliug specie.s, horny towards the tip, where, f'®’’ one-eighth of an inch, it is barbed ; bill, of a bluish hnj'*' colour, grooved, and wedge-formed, like most of RED-COCKADED WOODPECKER. 167 S®nus ; eye, dark hazel. The female wants the red on ^l>e hind head, having; that part white ; and the breast ®nd belly are of a dirty n hite. This, and the two former species, are ffenerally deiio- **'>nated sap-suckers. They have also several other P'’ovincial appellations, equally absurd, which it may, P<^rhaps, be more proper to suppress than to sanction **y repeating. ricus QUEltULVS, WILSON. RED-COCKADED WOODPECKER. WILSON, PLATE XV. FIG. I. This new species I first discovered in the pine woods Korth Carolina. The singularity of its voice, which ^'■■eatly resembles the chirping of young nestlings, and red streak on the side of its head, suggested the 5>ecific name I have given it. It also extends through ^'•nth Carolina and Georgia, at least, as far as the ptaniaha river. Observing the first specimen I found, ® be .so slightly marked with red, I suspected it to be ^ young bird, or imperfect in its plumage ; but, the P®at numbers I afterw ards shot, satisfied me that this ® peculiarity of the species. It appeared exceedingly j.’*'*tless, active, and clamorous ; and every where I "’•"d its manners the same. ..Tills bird seems to be an intermediate link between 1 0 red-bellied .and the hairy n'oodpecker. It has the cf former, and the white belly and spotted of the latter; but wants the breadth of red in '‘•h. and is less than either. .1 .This woodpecker is .seven inches and a half long, and Ir’^een broad ; the upper part of the head is black ; back barred with twelve white transversely semi- JJ''=ular lines, and as many of black, alternately ; the .I**eks and sides of the neck arc white ; whole loiver *“*■18 the same ; from the lower mandible, a list of black l^'^ses towards the shoulder of the wing, where it is lost small black spots on each side of the breast; the 168 FICUS TORQUATUS. wings are black, spotted with white ; the four tail feathers, black ; the rest white, spotted with ^ riunp, black, variegated with white; the vent,wlii. ’ spotted with black ; the hairs that cover the nostr ^ are of a pale cream colour ; tlie bill, deep slate. what forms the most distiuguishing peculiarity ot th*- l)ird, is a fine line of vermilion on each side of the ’ seldom occupying more than the edge of a single teathc ^ The female is destitute of this ornament ; but, in t > rest of her plumage, differs in nothing from the nio The iris of the eye, in both, was hazel. ji The stomachs of all those I opened were filled n i small black insects, and fragments of large beetl The posterior extremities of the tongue reached near ) to the base of the upper mandible. 47. rJCCS TOIiQUATUSf wilson. — lewis's WOODYECKEB* WILSON, TLATE XX. FIG. III. This liird, and one or two others which w ill aft«''' wai'ds be given,* were discovered in the remote reginU’ of Louisiana, by an exploring party, under tbe comma” of Captain George Merriwether Lewis, and Lieutenan ’ now General, William Clark, in their memorable , dition across the continent to the Pacific Ocean. Tln'^'^^ birds are entitled to a distinguished place in the pa?*^, of American Ormtholouv, both as being, till »”’’[■ i altogether unknown to naturalists, and as natives ^ , what is, or, at least will be, and that at no distant pen” ’ | ])art of the western territory of the United States. . ^ Of this very beautiful and singularly marked spee'^j I am unable to give any farther account than as rela;^^ to its external appearance. Several skins of this sp”®' i were preserved, all of which I examined with care, a found little or no difference among them, either in ' tints or disposition of the colours. These are Clark's Crow, and the Louisiana Tanugrf' 169 lewis’s woodfeckee. I The leno-th of this was eleven inches and a half ; the wings, and tail were black, with a strong gloss 'f.S''een;” upper part of the head, the same; front, f 'n, and cheeks, beyond the eyes, a dark rich red ; the neck passes a broad collar of white, which 5l*'''^ads over the breast, and looks as if the fibres of the '''Others had been silvered : these feathers are also of a {'“'ticular structure, the fibres being separate, and of a ^‘‘''•-like texture; belly, deep vermilion, and of the ‘“'he stronn- hair-like feathers, intermixed with silvery vent’, black; legs and feet, dusky, inclining to ^^^nisii blue ; bill, dark horn colour. vor a more particular, and doubtless a more correct f>unt of this and the others, the reader is referred to P^'ieral Chu-k’s History of the Expedition. The three I shaU introduce, are but a small part of the valuable ^^^lection of new subjects in natural history, discovered Preserved, amidst a thousand dangers and difliculties 7 these two enterprizing travellers, whose intrepidity only equalled by their discretion, and by their active q laborious pursuit of whatever might tend to render journey useful to science .md to their country. It . the request and particular wish of Captain Lewis, to me in person, that I should make drawings of such ‘ the feathered tribes as had been preserved, and were K®"- That brave soldier, that amiable and excellent .■’ll, Over whose solitary grave in the wilderness I have . shed tears of affliction, having been cut off m the of his life, I hope I shall be pardoned for conse- jiT'ng this humble note to his memory, until a more pen shall do better justice to the subject. tribe II. AMB ULA T ORES, Illiger. FAMILY VI. ANGULIROSTRES, Ii-uger. GENUS VII. — ALCEDOy Linn,eus. 4S. ALCEDO ALCTON, LINN.^US. — BELTED KINGSFISHEl^* WIESON, PL. XXIII. FIG. I FEMALE EDINBURGH COLLI'^* MUSEUM. Tins is a general inhabitant of the banks and of all our fresh water rivers, from llud.son’s Bay . Mexico ; and is the only species of its tribe found vrirf'.’* the United States. This last circnmstance, and ' . characteristic appearance, make it as universally kiio"' here, as its elegant little brother, the common kiii.istisl* ( of Europe, is in Britain. Like the love-lorn swain-S '' whom poets tell ns, he delights in murmuring streams falling waters ; not, however, merely that they may s®? i his ear, but for a gratilication somewhat more substaii*'!' Amidst the roar of the cataract, or over the foam torrent, he sits perched upon an overhanging boi'f', ' glancing his piercing eye in every direction bclo»’ his scaly priiy, H'hich, with a sudden circular plunge> ” . sweeps from their native element, and swallows instant. His voice, which is not unlike the twirlifr^’, a watchman’s rattle, is naturally lond, harsh, and siidd^’’'^ but is softened by the soiind’of the brawling strea]*^ and cascades among which he generally rambles. courses along the windings of the brook or river, a* small height above the surface, sometimes suspend^I’e himself by the rapid action of his wings, like cerW BELTED KINGSFISHER. 171 of hanks, ready to pounce on the frjr below ; (j^'''and then settling on an old dead OTerhanging limb t(ij'''‘eonnoitre. Mill-dams are particularly visited by weathered fisher; and the sound of his pipe is as * known to the miller, as the rattling of his own p.|'!''*r. Ra))id streams, with high perpendicular banks, 4), “«ularly if they be of a hard ebyey, or sandy nature, aUo favourite phices of resort for this bird ; not only in such places the small fish are more exposed hut because those steep and dry banks are the situations for his nest. Into these he digs with ft), claws horizontally, sometimes to the extent of t|| Or live feet, at the distance of a foot or two from 41 '^'•rface. The few materials he takes in are not 'til?? *he extremity of the hole, that he i|'' his mate may have room to turn with convenience. r^J^oggsare five’ pure white, and the first brood usually Os out about the beginning of June, and sometimes according to that part of the country where ’’eside. On the shores of Kentucky river, near ill *own of Frankfort, I found the female sitting early lifij^pril. They are very tenacious of their haunts, for several successive years in the same hole, not readily forsake it, even thongdi it be visited. I'd, '"telligent young gentleman informed mo, that having " here a kingsiislier built, he took away its eggs li^ i-itne to time, leaving always one behind, until he At ^’'hen no less than eighteen from the same nest, to o''®le of these visits, the female, being within, retired "!>„ *® extremity of the hole, while he withdrew the laiJi next day, when he returned, he found she had >|,*!?ain as usual. 11(1? fabulous stories related by the ancients of the ^() t J^^nner of hatching, &c. of the kingsfisher, are Ills '’’’•iing to be rei>ealed here. Over the winds and till, "’•■'ties the humble kingsti-shers of onr days, at least k „ ?P<'eies now before ns, have no control. Its nest l(i(,„®‘ther constructed of glue nor fish bones ; but of Aiff'' Rfass and a few feathers. It is not thrown on the of the water to float about, with its proprietor. 172 ALCEDO ALCVON. at random, but snu<,dy secured from the winds and weather in the recesses of the earth ; neither is head or its feathers believed, even by the most ijb ^ rate of our clowns or seamen, to be a charm for W a protection ajjainst witchcraft, or a security for V,, weather. It is neither venerated, like those ot Society Isles, nor dreaded, like those of some 0} j, countries ; but is considered merely as a bird that tr® j on fish ; is g’cnerally fat ; relished by some as eatinw ; and is now and then seen exposed tor saw our markets. jii Thoujrh the kingstisher jfenerally remains with n*’ Pennsylvania, until the commencement of cold weat it is seldom seen here in winter; but returns to j early in April. In North and South Carolia"’ observed numbers of these birds in the month® gi February and March. I also frequently noticed to on the shores of the Ohio, in February, as high ‘'I' the mouth of the Muskingum. ^gjfi I suspect this bird to be a native of the Islands, as u'cll as of our continent. In passing bet'' jy, these isles and the Florida shore, in the month ot a kingsfisher flew several times round our ship; afterwards shot oflf to the south. The length of this s^iecies is twelve inches and a w extent twenty; back and whole upper parks. li?' bluish slate colour ; round the neck is a collar white, which reaches before to the chin ; head, ' jj|( crested ; the feathers, long and narrow, black centre, and generally erect ; the shafts of all the f®** .^iit except the white plumage, are black ; belly and ' g; white ; sides under the wings, variegated ndth gt round the upper part of the breast passes a ha^’^p;: blue, interspersed with some light brown feat jj,,.!' before the eye is a small spot of white, and immediately below it ; the bill is three inches luaif. (,.(!• the point to the slit of the mouth, strong, sharp-pe*'|||if. and black, except near the b.ase of the lower niaa“^iej and at the tip, where it is of a horn colour ; and interior webs of the secondaries, black, ®P BELTED KINGSFISIIER. 1 / >3 white ; the interior vanes of the tail feathers, I ®Santly spotted with w'hite on a jet black ground; side, light coloured ; exterior vanes, blue ; wing- and secondaries, marked w'ith small s])ecks of ; len-s, extremely short ; when the bird perches, Soticraliy rests on the lower side of the second joint, G®'<‘b is thereby thick and callous ; claws, stout and r ; whole leg, of a dirty yellowish colour ; above the , bare of feathers for half an inch ; the two exterior united together for nearly their whole length. ,,1’he female is sprinkled aU over with specks of ; the band of blue around the upper part of the ,^»st is^iearly half reddish brown; and a httle below '•"b passes a band of bright reddish bay, spreading on side under the ivings. The blue and rufous Others on the breast are strong, like scales. The is also of a mucli darker blue tlian the back, and • « white feathers on the chin and throat of an exqui- fine glossy texture, like the most beautiful satin. PAJIILY VII. GA.RI If Ili.iger, GENUS VIII — STUJiWS, LiMXjifs, 49 . STURXUS LVDOyiCIANUS, LINN ALAUDA SIAGNA, MEADOW LARK. WILSON, PLATE XIX. ITO. II. EDINBURGH COLLEGE ML'SEL'^'’ Though this well known species cannot boast of powers of son;? which disting'uish that “ harbinger day,” the sky lark of Europe, yet in richness of pliim8g'*| as well as in sweetness of voice, (as far as his few' not'’'' extend,) he stands eminently its superior. He diffrP from the greater part of his tribe in wanting the le"*; straight hind claw, w'hich is probablv the reason w'lO he has been classed, by some naturalists, w'ith starlings. But, in the iiarticular form of his bill, in manners, plumage, mode and place of bnildino- his m’Sh nature has clearly pointed out his projier family. This species hiLs a very extensive range: liavn’o myself found them in Upper Canada, and in eacJi o' the btates from New Hampshire to New Orleans. Bartram also informs me, that they are equally abu"' dant in East^Florida. Their favourite jilaces of retrco' are pasture fields and meadows, particularly the lattof’ which have conferred on them their specific naino' and no doubt supplies them abundantly with particular seeds and insects on which they feed. Th^.’ are rarely or never seen in the depth of the woodO' unless where, instead of underwood, the ground covered with rich grass, as in the Chactaw and CIiicl'‘‘[ saw countries, whore I met with them in considerah^ numbers in the months of May and June. The e.xto''' sive and luxuriant prairies between Vincennes and ** Louis also abound with them. i It is probable that, in the more rigorous region® ^ MEADOW LARK. 175 north, they may be birds of passage, as they are ™tuilly so here ; thoug-h 1 have seen them among the ^Sadon-s of New Jersey, and those that border the Delaware and Schuylkill, in all seasons ; even l“t“n the ground wits deeply covered with snow. is searcelj' a market day iu Philadelphia, from ^I'teniber to M.areh, but they may be found in market, are generally considered, for size and delicacy, inferior to the fjuail, or what is here usually called I'f partridge, and valued accordingly. I once met n itli ‘•iw of these birds in the month of P’ebruary, during- '^eep snow, among the heights of the Alleghany, (l®*"ee,i Shij)pensburgh and Somerset, gleaning on n *' •’oad, iu company « ith the small snow-birds. In Estate of South Carolina and Georgia, .at the same ?^on of the year, tlu-y swann among the rice planta- running about the yards and out-houses, accom- "■Jicd by the'’killdeers, with little appear-ance of fear, ^ ‘*‘ lining and edge of the wing, the same; an oblo®^. crescent of deep velvety black ornaments the lo"'*' part of the throat ; lesser wing-coverts, black, bro**^ '1^ bordered with pale ash ; rest of the wing featb^’’^ light brown, handsomely serrated with black ; a of yellowish white divides the crown, bounded on e#*^ side by a stripe of black, intermixed with bay, another line of yellowish white passes over each backwards ; cheeks, bluish white ; back, and rest ^ the upper parts, beautifully variegated with bh't ' bright bay, and pale ochre ; tail wedged, the fcatbC- neatly pointed, the four outer ones on each side, ne!'^ all white ; sides, thighs, and vent, pale yellow streaked with black ; upper mandible, brown ; lo’'.'‘.’ bluish white; eyelids, furnished with strong black ha'’^' The female has the black crescent more skirted ■■ ^ gray, and not of so deep a black. In the rest of legs and feet, very large, and of a pale flesh colour. ^ The female has the black cvp^cput et-ir+ed n* ^ the plumage differs little from that of I markings, umu irom mat ^ male. 1 must here take notice of a mistake comnid ,.j by Mr Edwards in his History of Birds, vol. vi, p- where, on the authority of a bird dealer of London> describes the c in some specimens, the two middle feathers have been found partly black, in others wholly so ; the black on the throat does not descend so lar as in the male, is of a lighter tinge, and more irregular; bill, legs, and claws> light blue. Buftbu .and Latham, have both described the male of the bastard Baltimore, {oriolus spurius,) as the fennik’ Baltimore. Mr Pennant has committed the same miS' take ; and all the ornithologists of Europe, with whose works I am acquainted, who have undertaken to figure and describe these birds, have mistaken the proper males and females, and confounded the two species together in a very confused and extraordinary manner, for which, indeed, we ought to pardon them, on account of their distance from the native residence of these birds, and the strange alienations of colour which the latter are subject to. This obscurity I h.ave endeavoured to clear up in the I plate containing the male and female of the oriolu'^ spurius in their diliirent changes of dress, as well <'u^ in their perfect plumage ; and by introducing repr®' | sentations of the eggs of both, have, I hope, put the identity of these two species beyond all future dispute or ambiguity. BALTIMORE ORIOLE. 179 Almost the whole genus of orioles belong to Amerioi, ^>id, with a few exceptions, build pensile nests. Few If them, however, equal the Baltimore in the construc- hon of these receptacles for their young, and in giving them, in such a superior degree, convenience, warmth, *nd security. For these purposes he generally fixes on the hin-h bending extremitic.s of the branches, fastening Strono''’strings of hemp or flax round two forked twigs, toiTespondiug to the intended width of the nest ; with the same materials, mixed with quantities of loose tOAV% he interweaves or fabricates a strong firm kind of cloth, *iot unlike the substance of a hat in its raw state, form- it into a pouch of six or seven inches in depth, I'uing it substantially with various soft substances, well woven with the outward netting, and, lastly, tinishes 'vith a layer of horse hair ; the whole being shaded •rom the sun and rain by a natural pent-house, or canopy «f leaves. As to a hole being left in the side for the young to be fed and void their excrements through, as ^enuaut and others relate, it is certainly an error : 1 have never met with any thing of the kind in the nest of the Baltimore. Though birds of the same species have, generally H'eakiug, a common form of building, yet, r.outrary to Ihe usually received opinion, they do not build exactly jo the same raannci'. As much difference will be found hi the style, neatness, and finishing of the nests of the ®altimores, as in their voices. Some appear for siipe- fior workmen to otliers : and probably age may improve *hem in this, as it does in tlieir colours. I have a Oiunber of their nests now before me, all completed, ^Rd with eo’crs One of these, the neatest, is ill the form Rf a cylinder of five inches diameter, and seven inches h> depth rounded at bottom. The opening at top is "arrowed, by a horizontal covering, to two imdies and a half in diameter. The materials are flax, hemp, tow, '■"ir, and wool, woven into a complete cloth ; the whole hghtly sewed’ through and through with long horse ^'airs, several of which measure two feet in length, "^he bottom is composed of thick tuffs of cow hair. 180 ICTERUS BALTIMORUS. sewed also wit^ .sfronrr horse hair. This nest ivas him? on the extremity ot the horizontal hraneh of an apple tree fronting the southeast, was visible a hundred vard.s Oft, thoiigl. shaded from the snn; and wa.s the n ork of a very bean fi fill and perfect bird. The eggs are five, white, slightly inged with flesh colour, nia^ed on the greater end with purple dots, and on the other parts with long hair-hke lines, intersecting each other in a variety of directions. I am thus minute in these parti- culars, from a wish to point out the specitic difference between the true and bastard Baltimore, which Dr hatham and some others, suspect to be only the same bird in dift(?rt*nt stajr<*s of colour. So solicitous is the Baltimore to procure proper m iterials for his nest, that, in the season of buildimr, the n omcn in the country are under the necessity of narron ly watching their thread that may chance to be out bleaching, and the farmer to secure hii yoiiiio- grafts ; as the Baltimore, finding the former, and the strings which tie the latter, so well adapted for his purpose, fi'e(,uently carries oft both ; or, should the one be over heavy, and the other too firmly tied, he will tug at them ’ r gives lip the attempt. fJ n.T f! ' “ 1 “'* i'“ve been often hu nd, .ifter the leaves were ftillen, hanging round the B.iltimoies nest; but so woven up, and entangled, as to be entirely irreclaimable. Befire the introduction of Europeans no such material could have been obtained here; but, with the sagacity of a good architect, he has improved this circumstance to his advantage ; and the s longest and best m.nterials are uniformly found in those parts by which the whole is supported. 1 heir jirincipal food consists of caterpillars, beetles, and bugs, particularly one of a brilliant glossy ht on the subject,) 1 will add, that I conclude this (""d to be speciiically different fiom the Bjiltimore, *'Ju the following circumstances: its size — it is less, 'd more slender; its colours, which .ire different, and differently .disposed ; the form of its bill, which is fc-pP'-r pointed, and more bent ; the form of its tail, ^ .rich is not even, but wedged; its notes, which are Cither so full nor so mellow, and uttered wilh much ra])idity; its mode of building, and the materials ui^'^’n's, both of which are different; and, lastly, the evP'-' and colour of the eggs of each, which are i/'dentiv unlike. If all these circumstances — and I j^ald eiiiimjwiite a great many more — be not sufficient j riesiyu-jt,, this as a distinct species, by what criterion, ^'Vuuld ask, are we to discriminate between a variety ri an original species, or to assure ourselves, that the ICTERUS SPUR I US. 18G "rcat honied owl is not, in fact, a bastard froose, or th'’ carrion crow a mere variety of the humming-bird ? These mistakes have been occasioned by several causes. Principally by the changes of colour to whic'* the birds are subject, and the distance of Europeaiu from the country they inhabit. Cateshy, it is troej while here, described and figured the Baltimore, aU* perhaps was the first who published figures of either species ; hut he entirely omitted saying any thing " the female, and, instead of the male and female of t‘‘* present species, as he thought, he has only figured tl>r male in two of his different dresses ; and succeedii'r compilers have followed and repeated the same error* Another cause may be assigned, viz. the extreme shj' ness of the female orchard oriole. This bird hi** hitherto escaped the notice of European naturalist*^ or has been mistaken for another species, or perhap* for a young bird of the first season, which it .aUuo* exactly resembles. In none of the numerous works o'* ornithology has it ever before appeared in its pro]>rr character ; though the nuile has been known to Eur*' peans for more than a century, and has usually be«‘^ figured in one of his dresses as male, and in another i*-^ female; these varying according to fhe lluctuati‘*r opinions of different writers. It is .amusing to see h<>|' gentlemen have groped in the d.ark in pairing thc*^ two species of orioles, of which the following exampi'-" may be given. Buffon’a and Latham’s Bal- / timore oriole. \ Spurious Baltimore of ditto. J Pennant's Baltimore oriole. Spurious oriole of ditto. -< Catesby’s Baltimore oriole. 4 Spurious Baltimore of ditto. Male — IMale Baltimore. Female — Male orchard oriole* Male — Female Baltimore. Female — Male orchard oriole* Male — Male Baltimore. Female — Yoiinsr male Baltio^^** Male — Male orchard oriole. Female — Ditto ditto. Male — Baltimore. Female — Not mentioned. Male — IMale orchard oriole. Ditto ditto. ORCIIAUD ORIOLE. 187 Among- all these authors Catesby is doubtless the ^‘'ost inexcusable, having lived for several years iu America, where he bad an opportunity of being more •‘orrect : yet, when it is considered, that the female of lliis bird is so much shyer than the male, that it is seldom '’’^en ; and that, while the males are ilying around and '•ewailing an apjiroach to their u(!st, the females keep ®loof, watching every movement of the enemy iu rest- '*8s but silent anxiety ; it is less to be wondered at, I that two birds of the same kind, but diti'ei-eut in plumage, making their appearance together at such ^'Uies should be taken for male and female of the same "sst, uHthout doubt or examination, as, from that strong '*yn>pathv for each other’s distress which prevails so 'Uiivei-sally among them at this season, it is difficult "umetimes to distinguish between the sufferer and the ’'JUnpathizing neighbour. The female of the orchard oriole is six inches and a ^^If in length, and eleven inches in extent, the colour "'•Ove is a yellow olive, inclining to a brownish tint on back ; the ivings are dusky brown, lesser wing- ’’"verta tipt with yellowish white, greater coverts and "^^ondaries exteriorly edged with the same, primaries *‘'ghtly so; tail, rounded at the extremity, the two ^^terior feathers three quarters of an inch shorter than I * middle ones ; whole lower parts, yellow ; bill and light blue; the former bent a little, -very sharp l**inted, and black towards the extremity ; iris of the "ye, hazel ; pupil, black. The young male of the first !^Uson corresponds neai'Iy with the above description. “I't in the succeeding spring he makes his appearance "'ith a laro-e patch of black marking the front, lores, ‘'"'1 throat? In this stage, too, the black sometimes ^akes its aiipearance on the two middle feathers ot the *^'1; and slV'ht stains of reddish are seen commencing the sides ?ind belly. The rest of the plumage as in •“e female : this continuing nearly the same, on the "'‘lUe bird, during the remainder of the season. At the I’^Uie time, other individuals are found, ii hich ai c at ®ast birds’ of the third summer, These are mottled 188 ICTERUS SPURIUS. with black and olive on the upper parts of the hack; and with reddish bay and yellow on the belly, sidt’Si and vent, scattered in the most irregular manner, not alike in any two individuals ; and, generally, the t»'0 middle feathers of the tail are black, and the othet* centred with the same colour. When this bird approaching to its perfect plumage, the black spread^ over the whole head, neck, upper piirt of the back) breast, ivings, and tail ; the reddish bay, or brigl't chestnut occupying the lower part of the breast, th* belly, vent, rump, tail-coverts, and three lower rok^ of the lesser wing-coverts. The black on the head i* deep and velvety; that of the wings inclining to browo! the greater wing-coverts are tipt with white. In tb®. same orcharil, and at the same time, males in each oi these states of plumage may be found, united to then respective plain-coloured mates. I may .add, that 5'!’^ Charles W. Pealc, proprietor of the museum in Phil*'*'' dclphia, who, as a practical naturalist, stands desct' vedly tirst in the lirst rank of American connoisseur'^' and who has done more for the promotion of tb*® sublime science than all our speculative theorists gcther, has e.\-pres.sed to me his ])erfcct conviction the changes which these birds pass throu""!! ; havinl’ himself examined them both in spring and tou ards th« latter part of summer, and having at the jiresent tiin"; in his possession thirty or forty individuals of t*'”* species, in .almost every gradation of change. , In all these, the manners, mode of building, fe® J and notes are, generally speaking, the same, differing no more than those of any other individuals helougin? to one common species. The female appears aln'**.'” nearly the same. I have said that these birds construct their very difiereutly from the Baltimores. They are | particularly fond of frequenting orchards, that scarce .f one orchard in summer is without them. They usuahj suspend their nest from the twigs of the apple treC' and often from the extremities of the outward branchej^’ It is formed exteriorly of a particular species of OnCHARD ORIOLE. 189 and flexible grass, knit, or sewed tlirongh and rough ill a thousand direetions, as if actually done 'fh a needle. Au old lady of my acquaintance, to ,,. "***> I was one day shewing this curious fabrication, er admiring its texture tor some time, asked me, in .tone betneeii joke and earne.vt, whether I did not .j^'nk it possible to learn these birds to darn stockings ? ftis nest is hemispherical, three inches deep by four in j''radth; the concavity scarcelj^ two inches deep by two diameter. I had the curiosily to detach one of the . “res, or stalks of dried grass, from the nest, and found i. to measure thirteen inches in length, and in that ’stance was thirty-four times hooked through and .^turned, winding round and round the nest! The P^'ide is usually composed of the light downy appen- ytSfes attached to the seeds of the Vlaiumis occidcntalis, jf hutton-wood, ivhich form a very soft and commo- 'ous lied. Here and there the outward work is J^teiided to an adjoining twig, round which it is wongly twisted, to give more stability to the whole, '‘d prevent it from being overset by the wind. ^ when they choose the long pemlent branches of the Roping willow to build in, as they frequently do, the though formed of the same materials, is made ^^le.h deeper, and of slighter texture. The circumfe- is marked out by a number of these pensile that descend on each side like ribs, sujiporting whole ; their thick foliage, at the same time, com- (ljP*'*l}' concealing the nest from view. The depth in case is increased to four or live inches, and the Ij^dole is made much slighter. These long- pendent ji^'*®ches, being sometimes twelve and even lifteen feet % '■'igth, have a large sweep in the wind, and render *'''’‘t of these precautions necessary, to prevent the ^ .VORog from being thrown out ; and the close fjiptor afforded by the remarkable thickness of the is, no doubt, the cause of the latter. Two of nests, such as I have here described, are now before me, and exhibit not only art in the con- ‘‘otion, but judgment in adapting their fabrication 190 ICTERUS SPURIUS. SO judiciously to their particular situations. It’ tb^ actions of birds proceeded, as some would have believe, from the mere impulses of that thing calk® instinct, individuals of the same species would uniformly build their nest in the same manner, wherever the/ might hajipen to fix it; but it is evident from thos® just mentioned, .and a thousand such circumstance* that they reason « priori, from cause to consecpience » providently managing with a constant eye to futut* necessity and convenience. The eggs are usually four, of a very pale bluish tim> with a few small specks of brown, and spots of dare purple. The orchard oriole, though partly a dependant on tk industry of the farmer, is no sneaking pilferer, hut a open, and truly beneficent friend. To all those count' less multitudes of destructive bugs and caterpillars thn^ infest the fruit trees in spring and summer, preying the leaves, blossoms, and embryo of the fruit, he , deadly enemy; devouring them wherever he can n" ■ them, and destroying, on an average, some hundreds n them every day, without oll'ering the slightest injury *j the fruit, however much it may stand in his way- ^ have witnessed instances where the entrance to his nc* was more than half closed up by a cluster of appk'' which he could have easily demolished in half a minut®' but, as if holding the property of his patron sacred, considering it as a natural bulwark to his own, he sUj out and in with the greatest gentleness and caution- am not sufficiently conversant in entomology to p® ticularize the different species of insects on which feeds, but I have good reason for believing that th ■■ are almost altogether such as commit the greatest dep^^^ datious on the fruits of the orchard ; and, as he v‘r ^ us at a time when his services .are of the greatest ' j J and, like a faithful guardian, takes up his station " * the enemy is most to he expected, he ought to be b ^ in respectful esteem, and protected by every considem.^ husbandman. Nor is the gaiety of his song one ot ^ least recommendations. Being an exceedingly ORCilAUD ORIOLK. 191 Jfig'htly, and- restless bird, he is oil the ground— on j 6 trees — hying and carolling in his hurried manner, almost one and the same instant. His notes are shrill lively, but uttered with siicli rapidity, and seeming ^tifusion, that the ear is unable to follow them dis- ®ctly. Between these, he has a single note, which is ISfeeable and interesting. Wherever he is protected. shews his conhdeiiee and gratitude by his^ numbers ^•1 familiarity. In the botanic gardens of niy worthy *•1 scientific friends, the Messrs Bartraiiis of Kingsess, aich present an epitome of almost every thing that is useful, and beautiful in the vegetable kingdom of Western coiitiueut, and ivhere the murderous gun i_’^ce ever intrudes, the orchard oriole revels without ll^lraint through thickets of aromatic flowers and l'‘®tsoms, and, heedless of the busy gardener that labours '“low.hangs his nest, in perfect security, on the branches his head. 0 The female sits fourteen days ; the young remain in nest ten days afterwai'iLs, before they venture ''Oad, which is generally about the middle of June, of this species, with eggs, are sometimes found so as the-20th of July, which must either belong to ^*1 many of them raise two brood of young in the season, though 1 am not positive of the fact. Ij/he orchard orioles arrive in Pennsylvania rather than the Baltimores, commonly about the first in May, aud extend as far as the province of 3'ne. They are also more numerous towards the ,.J’*'ntains than the latter species. In traversing the 1 near the Blue ridge, in the mouth of August, seen at least five of this species for one of the 1 ,^'more. Early in September, they take their de- ^PUre for the south; their term of residence here i|,. '*S little more than four months. Previous to their harture, the young birds become greprious, and fre- lief’'’' rich e.Ytensive meadows of the Schuylkill, iiji Philadelphia, in flocks of from thirty to forty, or 'tvds. They are easily raised from the nest, and 192 STURNUS PREDATORIUS. soou become ai^rceable domestics. One Tvliicli I , and kept through the winter, whistled with grca^ j clearness and vivacity at two months old. It had ■'*’ odd manner of moving its head and neck slowly ft*' regularly, and in various directions, when intent 0.^ observing any thing, without stirring its body. Th'- motion was as slow and regular as that of a suakf’ When at night a caudle W'as brought into the room, became restless, and evidently dissatisfied, lluttermr about the cage, as if seeking to get out ; bixt, when th.^ cage was placed on the same table with the candle, ' seemed extrx'racly well pleased, fed and drank, , shook, and an-anged its plumage, sat as close to m | light as possible, and sometimes chanted a few' broke > irregular notes in that situation, as I sat writing ® reading beside it. I also kept a young female of i same nest, dui-ing the greater part of winter, but coi* i not observe, in that time, any change in its plumag<‘- SUBGENUS III. — JANTTTORNUS. 52 . ICTFiRUS PHj^yiCEUS,TiAVT). STURNUS rRBDATORlUSf wii'®' REn-WUiGET) STARLISO. WILSON, plate XXX. FIG. I MALE. —FIG. XI, FEMAI*' This notorious and celebrated corn thief, the 1"''^ reputed plunderer and jiest of our honest and lakof’^^j farmers, now presents himself before us, with his copartner in iniquity, to receive the chai-acter their verv axitive and distinguished services. In tigating the nature of these, I shall endeavour to strict historical justice to this noted pair; adlicrnV the honest injunctions of the poet. Nothing extenuate, Nor set down aught in malice. ket the reader divest himself e<|Uiilly of prejudice) 81 ' RED-WINGED STARLING. 193 ^’e shall be at no loss to ascertain accurately their true character. The red-w inged starlings, though generally migratory 'u the States north of Maryland, arc found during winter in immense flocks, sometimes associated with the purple grakles, and often by themselves, along the whole lower parts of Vii-ginia, both tiarolinas, Georgia, and Louisiana, particularly nesm the sea coast, and in the vicinity of large rice and corn iields. In the *nonths of January and February, ivhile passing through the former of these countiics, I was frequently enter- tained with the aerial evolutions of these great bodies nf starlings. !>onietimcs they appeared driving about hke 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 glittering of innumerable wdngs cf the brightest veiTnilion amid the black cloud they formed, produced on those occasions a very striking ^nd splendid ettect. Then descending like a torrent, *ind covering the branches of some detached grove, or clump of trees, the whole congregated multitude com- •Oenced • one general concert or chorus, that I have plainly distinguished at the distance of more than two 'odes ; and, when listened to at the intermediate space of about a quarter of a mile, with a .slight breeze of "and to swell and soften the flow of its cadences, was h> me grand, and even sublime. The whole season of "'inter, that, w ith most birds, is past in struggling to **hstain life in silent melancholy, is, with the red-wdngs. Ole continued cnruival. The profuse gleanings of the old rice, com, and buckwheat fields, supply them w'ith "bundant food, at opce ready and nutritious ; and the '"termediate time is spent either in aerial mameuvres, in grand vocal performances, as if solicitous to ^opply the absence of all the tuneful summer tribes, "od to cheer the dejected face of nature with their Whole combined powers of harmony. •A-bout the "JOth of March, or earlier, if the season be "Pen, they begin to enter Pennsylvania in numerous, "OL. I. N 7 194 ICTEHUS PREDATORIUS. though small parties. These mi* large quantity, and w-ell lined with very tiiu! bent. Th« rushes, forming the exterior, are gonerally extended to several of the adjoining twigs, round which they are repeatedly and securely twisted ; a precaution abso- lutely necessary for its preservation, on account of tbo flexible nature of the bushes in which it is placed. Tbo same caution is observed when a tussock is chosen, by tastening the tops together, and intertwining the niatO' rials of which the nest is formed with the stalks oi rushes around. When placed on the ground, less cat® and few’cr materials being necessary, the nest is ffluob simpler .and slighter than before, the female lays eggs, of a very pale light blue, marked with faint tiuge-^ of light purple and long straggling lines and d.ashps of bkek. It is not uncommon to find several nests k the same thicket, within a few feet of each other. During the time the female is sitting, and, still mot® RED-WINGED STARLING. 195 particularly after the young' are hatched, the male, like hiost 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, t'ike the lapwing of Europe, lie Hies to meet the in- truder, hovers at a short height ovisr-head, uttering h>nd notes of distress; and, while in this situation, displays to great advantage the rich glowing scarlet of hi.s wings, heightened by the jetty black of bis general plumage. As the danger increases, bis cries become hiore shrill and incessant, and his motions rapid and testless ; the whole meadow is alarmed, and a collected ®rowd of his fellows hover around, and mingle their totes of alarm and agitation with his. When the young *te taken away, or destroyed, he continues for several days near the place, restless and dejected, and generally tecommeuces building soon after, in the same meadow, fowards the beginning or middle of August, the young drds begin to tly in Hocks, and at that age nearly tesemble the female, with the exception of some reddish tr orange, that marks the shoulders of the males, and "hich increases in space and brilliancy as n inter ^Pproaches. It has been frequently remarked, that, at *l*is time, the young birds cliieHy associate by them- *olves, there being sometimes not more than tu'o or hree old males observed in a Hock of many thousands. * hcse, from tin; su|)erior blackness and rich red of tlnur plumage, are very conspicuous. Before the beginning of September, these flocks have dpcome numerous and formidable ; and the young ears **1 maize, or Indian corn, being then in their soft, Succulent, milky state, present a temptation that cannot resisted. Reinforced by numerous and daily flocks 'rom all jiarts of the interior, they pour down on the *uw countries in prodigious multitudes. Here they are like vast clouds, wheeling and driving over the ''•padows and devoted corn Helds, darkening the air '?’*th their numbers. Then commences the work of “*struction on the corn, the husks of which, though ’^'•mposed of numerous cnvelopcments of closely wrapt 196 ICTERUS PHEDATORIUS. leaves, are soon completely or partially tom off ; whH* ' from all quarters myriads continue to pour down like » tempest, Llackenin}; half an acre at a time ; and, if no* disturbed, repeat their depredations till little remains hut the cob and the shrivelled skins of the "rain ; what little is left of the tender ear, beiu" exposed to the rains and weather, is "enerally much injurea. All the attacks and havoc made at this time amou" them with the gain, and by the hawks, — several species of which ar* their constant attendants, — has little effect on the I remainder. When the hawks make a sweep amoo? them, they suddenly ojjen on all sides, but rarely | time to disa|)p()int them of their victims ; and, though repeatedly tired at, with mortal effect, they only remove from one field to an adjoining one, or to auothef quarter of the same enclosure. From dawn to nearlj' sunset, this open and daring devastation is carried oHi i under the eye of the proprietor ; and a farmer, who ha-** I any considerable extent of com, w’ould require hall-®' dozen men at least, with guns, to guard it ; and eveP then, all their vigilance and activity ivould not preveD*' a good tithe of it from becoming the prey of the black' birds. The Indians, who usiially plant their corn one general field, keep the w'hole young boys of th* village all day j)atrolliug round and among it;* and ead* being furnished w'ith how and arrows, with which thef are very expert, they generally contrive to destroy gv**’’ numbers of them. . It must, however, be observed, that this scene d pillage is principally carried on in the low countrie*’ not far from the sea-coast, or near the extensive fi®'’ that border our large rivers ; and is also chiefly e®®" fined to the months of Augu-st and September, i this period, the corn having acquired its hai-d shelly j coat, and the seeds of the reeds or wild oats, w ith a pv®" | fusion of other plants, that abound along the river .shore*‘j being now ripe, and in great abundance, they pvesf® a new- and more extensive field for these luaraudifk multitudes. The reeds also supply them with cony.®^ j nient roosting places, being often in almost unappi’0®d* , RED-WINGED STARLING. 197 *l*le morasses ; and thither they repair every evening- *'om all quarters of the country. Iii some places, how- ®^er, when the reeds become dry, advantage is taken this circumstance, to destroy these birds, by a party *^cretly approaching the place, under cover of a dark ***?ht, setting fire to the reeds in several places at once, '''aich, being soon enveloped in one general flame, the uproar among the blackbirds becomes universal ; and, “ythe light of the conflagration, they are shot down in ^*st numbers while hovering and screaming over the Pl^ce. Sometimes straw is used for the same purpose, ?**ng previously strewed near the reeds and alder, .ttshes, M'here they are known to roost, which being ''‘stantly set on fire, the consternation and havoc is t'Jodigious ; and the pai-ty return by day to pick up slaughtered game. About the iu-st of November, fliey begin to move oflf to-wards the south ; though, l!far 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 ^'^d-winged starling ; but there remain some facts to he '®*titioned, no less authentic, and well deserving the ^ftsideratign of its enemies, more especially, of those ^hose detestation of this species, would stop at nothing dort of total extirpation. It has been already stated, that they arrive in Penn- yivania late in March. Their general food at this ,^on, as well as during the early part of summer, the crows and purple grakles are the principal Pysts in planting time,) consists of grub-worms, cater- Wlars, and various other larva;, the silent, hut deadly **iemics of all vegetation, aud whose secret and insidious jf^acks are more to be dreaded by the husbandman than j * combined forces of the whole feathered tribes ^Sfether. For these vermin, the starlings search with ?^cat diligence ; in the ground, at the roots of plants, j** orchards, and meadows, as well as among buds, ,?'*''es, and blossoms ; and, from their known voracity, multitudes of these insects which they destroy "hist be immense. Let me illustrate this by a short 198 ICTERUS PREDATORIUS. computation : If n e suppose each hird, on an averager to devour fifty of these larvae in a day, (a very moderate allowance,) a single pair, in four months, the usual tim® such food is sought after, will consume upwards tu elve thousand. It is believed, that not less than “ million pair of these birds are distributed over the whol*! extent of the United States in summer; whose fooJ> being nearly the s.ame, would swell the amount vermin destroyed to twelve thotisand millions. Bu* the number of young birds may be fairly estimated double that of their parents ; and, as these are coO' stantly fed on larvm for at least throe weeks, makiu? only the same allowance for them iis for the old ones> their share would amount to four thousand two hiiO' di ed millions ; making a grand total of sixteen thousaiw two hundred millions of noxious insects destroyed i" the space of four months by this single species I Tb*^ combined ravages of such a hideous host of vernii’' would be sufficient to spread famine and desoliitin^ over a wide extent of the richest and best cultival** country on earth. All this, it may he said, is mere suf position. It is, however, supposition found<‘d on kno'**' and adcnowledged facts. I have never disse(Ted aPf of these birds in spring without receiving the nJO*' striking and satisfactory proofs of these tacts ; though, in a matter of this kind, it is impossible t;! ascertain precisely the amount of the benefits derive" by agriculture from this, and many other sjiecies of birds, yet, in the present ca.se, I cannot resist the bel'e” that the services of this species, in spring, are far mee" iniportaut and beneficial than the value of all that l>f' tion of corn which a careful and active farmer perini*^ himself to lose by it. The great range of country frequented by this bir" extends from Mexico, on the soutli, to Labrador. late enterpriziug travellers across the continent to tb" Pacific Ocean, observed it numerous in several of fb" valleys at a great distance up the Missouri. 'VVli"" taken alive, or reared from the nest, it soon becon)"’ familiar, sings frequently, bristling out its featheV^’ EED-WIKGED STARLING. 199 something in the manner of the cow bunting. These notes, tlioug'h not remarkably various, are very peculiar. The most common one resembles the syllables conh- quer-rce ; other.s, the shrill sounds produced by filing a saw : some are more guttural ; and others remark- ably 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 dis- tinctly ; and, (^ontraiy to what is observed of many bird.s, the male loses little of the brilliancy of his plumage by confinement. A very remarkable trait of this bird is, the great dif- ference of size between the male and female; the former being nearly two inches longer than the latter, and of proportionate magnitude. They are known by various names in the ditt'erent 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 neighbourhood of London ; and, on being opened, its stomach was found to be filled with grub-worms, caterpillars, and beetles ; which BuflVm seems to wonder at, iis, “ in their own country,” he observes, “ they teed exclusively on grain and maize.” Hitherto this species has been generally classed by naturalists with the orioles. By a caretul comparison, however, of its bill «'ith those of that tribe, the simi- larity is by no means snllitaent to justify this airange- ment ; and its manners arc altogether different. 1 can find no a-enus to n'hich it makes so near an approach, both in the structure of the hill 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 fore- going' pages will he sufficient to satisfy him ot their similarity of manner. For the satisfaction of those who axe unacquainted with the common starling of Europe, I shall select a few sketches of its character. 200 ICTERUS PEEDATORIUS. from the latest and most accurate publication I hare seen from that quarter.# Speaking of the stare, or starling, this writer observes, “ In the winter season, these birds fly iu vast flocks, and may be known at a great distance by their whirling mode of flight, which Biitfon compares to a sort of vortex, iu which the collective body performs an uniform circular revolution, and, at the same time, continues to make a pro^rressive advance. The evening is the time wlieii the stares assemble in the greatest numhers, and betake themselves to tile feus and mai'slies, where they roost amonj^ reeds : they chatter much iu the evening and morning, both when they assemble and disperse. So attached arc they to society, that thej' not only join those of their own species, hut also birds of a ditferent kind ; and are frequently seen in company with redwings, (^a species of thrush,) fleldtares, and even with crows, jackdaws, and pigeons. Their principal food consists ot worms, .snails, and caterpillars; they likewise eat various kinds of grain, seeds, and berries.” lie adds, that, “ in a confined state, tliey are very docile, and may easily he taught to repeat short phrases, or whistle tuueN with grccat exactness.” The red-winged starling is nine inches long, and fourteen inches in extent ; the genend colour is a glossy black, \vith the exception of the whole lesser wing-coverts, tlie first, or lower row of ivhich is of a reddish cream colour, the rest a rich and splendid •scarlet; legs and bill, glossy brownish black; irides, hazel ; bill, cylindrical above, comjiressed 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 hill, taperiug and lacerated at the end ; tail, rounded, the two middle feathers also somewhat shorter than those immediately adjoining. The female is seven inches and a quarter iu length, and twelve inches in extent; chin, a pale reddish * Bewick’s British Birds, part i, p. 119, Newcastle, 1809. HED-WINGED STARLING. 201 J^feam ; from the nostril over the eye, and from the ‘0«-er mandible, run two stripes of the same, speckled '*'ith black ; from the posterior angle of the eye back- wards, a streak of brownish black covers the anriculars ; faroiit, and whole lower parts, thickly streaked with pack and white, the latter inclining to cream on the “■■east ; whole plumage above, black, each feather “Ordered with |)ale brown, white, or hay, giving the aird a very mottled appearance ; lesser coverts, the ***>ie ; bill and legs as in the miile. , The young birds at first greatly resemble the female ; ?’>t have the plumage more broadly skirted with brown, .'e red early shews itself on the lesser wing-coverts the males, at first pale, inclining to orange, and jj^ftiallv disposed. The brown continues to skirt the ,‘ack plumage for a year or two, so that it is rare to '’*d an old male altogether destitute of some remains ; but the red is generally complete in breadth and “'■'lliancy by the succeeding spring. The females are tutiroly destitute of that ornament. • The flesh of these birds is but little esteemed, being, general, black, dry, and tough. Strings of them however, frequently seen exposed for sale in our •Markets. SUBGENUS IV. — EJaUERIZOtDES, ICTERUS rECORISi TEMM. EMBERIXA FECORlSj WILSON. COW BUNTING.* ''*ILSON, PLATE XVIII. FIG. I. MALE FIG. II. FEMALE. COHERE is one striking peculiarity in the works of great Creator, which becomes more amazing the V* Tlie Americau cuckoo (cuculus Carolinensis) is by many tCP'® called the cow bird, from the sound of its notes resembling in' "’“rds cow, cow. This bird builds its own nest very artlessly ij ? cedar, or an apple-tree, and lays four greenish blue eggs, which latches, and rears its young with great tenderness. 202 ICTERUS PECORIS. more we reflect on it ; namely, that he has formed n® species of animals so minute, or obscure, that are not invested with certain powers and peculiarities, both of outward conformation, and internal faculties, exactly suited to their pursuits, siiflicient to distinractice it has of droi)p'"^ its e^gs into the nests of other bii-ds, instead of biiildi"? and hatching for itself; and thus entirely abaudonii'c its progeny to the care and mercy of straiigers. Mof** than two thousand years ago, it was well known, those countries where the bird inhabits, that the cuckoo of Europe (ciiculns canorus) never built herself a nes*’ but di-opt her eggs in (he nests of other birds ; huh among the thousands of ditlerent si)oeies that sprc"“ over that and other p.irts of the globe, no other instan'l^ j of the same uniform habit has been found to exist, i"’*'!- discovered in the bird now before us. Of the reality the former there is no doubt; it is known to evctl schoolboy in Britain ; of (he truth of the latter I myself speak with confidence, from personal observatim'' and from the testimony of gentlemen, niiknow" each other, residing in different and distant i)arts "j the United States. The circumstances by which became first acquainted with this peculi.ar habit of bird are as follows : — ^ I had, in numerous instances, found in the nests o cow BUNTING. 203 three or four particular species of birds, one egg, much laroer, and ditForeutlv marked from those beside it ; I had remarked, that these odd-looking eggs were aU of the same colour, and marked nearly in the same man- ner, in whatever nest they lay ; though frequently the eggs beside them were of a quite different tint ; and I had also been told, in a vague way, that the cow bird laid in other birds’ nests. At length I detected the female of this very bird in the nest of the red-eyed flycatcher, which nest is very small, and very singularly constructed; suspecting her purpose, I cautiously with- drew' without disturbing her ; and had the satisfaction to find, on my return, that the egg which she had just dropt corresponded as nearly as eggs of the same species usually do, in its size, tint, and markings, to those for- merly taken notice of. Since that time, l^haie found the v'oung cow bunting, in many instances, in the nests of one or other of these small birds; 1 have seen these last followed by the young cow bird calliug out cla- morously for food, and often engaged in feeding it ; and 1 have now, in a cage before me, a very fine one, which six months ago, 1 took from the nest of the Maryland yellow-throat. I claim, however, no merit for a discovery not originally my own, these singular habits having long been known to people of observation resident in the country, whose iufonnatiqn, in this case, has preceded that of all our school philosophers and closet naturalists, to whom the matter has till now been totally unknown. About the 25th of March, or early m April, the cow- pen bird makes his first appearance in Pennsylvania from the south, sometimes in com]iaiiy with the red- Wimr.ul blackbird, more frequently in detached parties, restmo- early in the morning, an hour at a time, on the tops of trees near streams of water, appearing solitary, silent and fati'«-ucd. They continue to be occasionally seen, in small soUtary parties, particularly along creeks and banks of rivers, so late as the middle of June ; after " hich w'e see no more of them until about the begin- ning or middle of October, w'hen they reappear in much 204 ICTERUS PECORIS. larger flocks, generally accompanied by numbers of the redwings ; between whom and the present species there is a considerable similarity of manners, dialect, and personal resemblance. In these aerial voyages, like other experienced navigators, they take advantage of the direction of the wind; and aUrays set out with a favourable gale. My vencral)le and observing friend, Mr Bertram, writes me, on the lath of October, as follows : — “ The day before yesterday, at the height of tlie northeast storm, prodigious numbers of the cow-pen birds came by us, in several flights of some thousands in a flock ; many of them settled on trees in the garden to rest themselves ; and then resumed their voyage southward. There were a few of their cousins, the redwings, with them. We shot three, a male and two females.” From the into every convenient receptacle ; that in the States ol Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, and Penn- cow BUNTING. 207 ?ylvaiiia, they Hiiiformly retain the same habits ; and, 'ft short, that in all these places I have never yet seen ftft heard of their nest; reasoning from these facts, I think I may safely conclude, that they never hnild one, ftftd that, in those I'cmoto northern regions, their manners ftre the same as we find them here. What reason nature may have for this extraordinary deviation from lier general pratdice, is, 1 confess, alto- gether beyond my comprehension. There is nothing *'ngul,-u' to be observed in the anatomical structure of the bird that would seem to prevent, or render it ’ftcapable of, incubation. The extreme heat of our ftlimate is j)robably one reason why, in the months of •^ftly and August, tliey arc rarely to be seen here. Yet ""e have many other migratory birds that regularly pass through Pennsylvania to the north, leaving a few •■esidents behind them ; who, without exception, build their own nests and rear their own yoiino. This part ftf the country also abounds with suitable food, such •fti they usually subsist on. Many conjectures, indeed, •ftight be formed as to the probable cause ; but all of them, that have occurred to me, are unsatisfactory and 'ftconsistent. I'utnre, and more numerous observations, 'ftade with care, particularly in those countries where they most usually pass the summer, may throw more hght on this matter; till then we can only rest satisfied ''■ith the reality of the fact. This species winters regularl}!' in the lower parts of "Orth and South Carolina and (xeorgia; 1 have also *ftet with them near Williamsburg, and in several other ports of Virginiii. In January, 1809, I observed strings ®t' them for sale in the market of Charleston, South ^rolina. The}’^ often frequent corn and rice fields, in 'ftftipany with their cousins, as Mr Bartram calls them, the red-winged blackbirds; but are more commonly mund accomp.anyiug the cattle, feeding on the seeds, ^’orms, &c. which they pick up amongst the fodder and trom the excrements of the cattle, which they scratch "P for this purpose. Hence they have pretty generally fthtained the name of cow-pen birds, cow birds, or cow 208 ICTERUS PECORIS. blackbirds. By the naturalists of Europe they hav^ hitherto been classed with the finches ; though inipro' perly, as they have no family resemblance to that trih* suflBcient to justify that arrangement. If wo are to h® directed by the conformation of their bill, nostril-S tongue, and claws, w’e cannot hesitate a moment i® classiiig them with the red-winged blackbirds, orioh‘^ phcenicens ; not, hovi ever, as orioles, but as buntin^^’ or some new intermediate genus ; the notes or diale<-'‘ of the cow bunting and those of the redwings, as as some other peculiarities of voice and gesticulatiO'' being strikingly similar. Respecting this extraonliuary bird, I have receive^ communications from various fpiarters, all corroborative of the foregoing particuhrrs. Among these is a letter from Dr Potter of Baltimore, which, as it eontaios some new and interesting facts, and several amusio? incidents, illustrative of the character of the bird, 1 shall with pleasure lay Ijefore the reader, apologizii'? to the obliging writer for a few unimportant omission'' which have been anticipated in the preceding pages. “ I regret exceedingly that professional avocation* have put it out ot my power to have replied earlier t® your favour of the 19tli of September; and although J shall not now reflect all the light vou desire, a faithM transcript from memoranda, noted at the moment ot observation, may not be altogether uninteresting. “ The friuyilla pecoris is generally known in Mar?" land by the name of the cow blackbird; and none but the naturalist view it as a distinct .species. It appear* about the last of March, or first week in April, though sometimes a little earlier when the spring is unusually forward. It is less punctual in its appearance thau many other of our migratory birds. “ It commonly remains with us till about the last ot October; though unusually cold weather sometime* banishes it much earlier. It, however, sometime* happens that a few of them remain with us all winteti and are seen hovering about our barns and farm-yar“* cow BUNTING. 209 ■w hen straitened for sustenance by snow or hard frost. It is remarkable that in some years I have not been able to discover one of them during- the months of July and August; when they have suddenly appeared in September in great numbers. I have noticed this fact always immediately after a series of very hot weather, and then only. The general opinion is, that they then retire to the deep recesses of the shady forest; but, if this had been the fact, I should probably have dis- covered them in ray rambles in every part of the woods. 1 think it more likely that they migrate farther north, ^ they find a temperatui-e more cougeniid to their feelings, or find a richer repast in following the cattle 'Q a better pasture.* “ In autumn, we often find them congregated with tbe marsh blackbirds, committing their common depre- dations upon the ears of the Indian corn ; and at other Seasons, the similarity of their pursuits in feeding Introduces them into the same company. I could ne-ver observe that they would keep the company of any other bird. “ The cow-pen finch differs, moreover, in another tespect, from all the birds with which I am acquainted. ■After an observance of many years, I could never dis- cover any thing like pairing, or a mutual attachment oetweeu the sexes. Even in the season of love, -n-hen * “It may not be improper to remark here, that the appearance ^ this bird in spring is sometimes looked for with anxiety by the drrniers. If the horned cattle happen to be diseased in spring, they ^'leribe it to worms, anil consider the pursuit of the birds as an joterring indication of the necessity of medicine. Although this l‘)T)othesis of the worms infesting the cattle so as to produce much "teease is problematical, their 8nj)erabundance at this season cannot denied. The larva! of several species otc deposited in the y^getables when green, and the cattle arc fed on them as fodtier Winter. This furnishes the principal inducement fiir the bird follow the cattle in spring, when the aperient effects of the Steen grasses evacuates great numbers of worms. At this season ‘be peeoris often stuffs its cro]) with them till it can contain no tiore. There are several species, but the iiuist numerous is a small "'bite one, similar to, if not the same as, the ascaris of the human *Pacies.” VOL. I. O 210 ICTERUS PECORIS. other birds are separated into pairs, and occupied in the endearinif office of providing a receptacle for their offspring', the fringillse are seen feeding in odd as well as even numbers, from one to twenty, and discovering no more disposition towards perpetuating their species than birds of any other sj>ecies at other seasons, excej)ting a promiscuous concubinage, which pervades the whole tribe. When the female separates from the company, her departure i.s not noticed ; no gallant partner accompanies her, nor manifests any solicitude in her absence ; nor is her return greeted by that gratulatory tenderness that so eminently cliaracterizes the males of other birds. The male proffers the same civilities to any female indiscriminately, and they are recipi-ocated accordingly, without exciting either resent- ment or jo.alousy in any of the party. This want of sexual attiichmeut is not inconsistent with the general economy of this singular bird ; for, as they are neither their own architect, nor nui'se of their own young, the degree of attachment that govenis others would be superiluous. “ That the fringilla never builds a nest for itself, you may assert without the haz.ard of a refutation. I once offei’ed a premium for the nest, and the negroes in the neighbourhood brought me a variety of nests; but they W'cre alwmys traced to some other bird. The time of depositing their eggs is from the middle of April to the last ot M.ay, or nearly soj corresponding with the season of laying observed by the small birds on whose property it encroaches. It never deposits but one egg in the same nest, and this is generally after the rightful tenant begins to deposit hers, but never, I believe, after she has commenced the process of incubation. It is impossible to say how many they lay in a seasoib unless they could be wmtehed when conlined in a" aviary. “ By a minute attention to a number of these birds when they feed in a particular field in the layiug season, the deportment of the female, when the tini« of laying draws near, becomes particularly interesting- cow BUNTIMG. 211 She deserts her associates, assumes a drooping-, sickly aspect, and perches upon some eminence where she can reconnoitre the operations of other birds in the process of nidilication. If a discovery suitable to her purpose Cannot be made from her stand, she becomes more rest- less, and is seen flitting from tree to tree till a place of deposit can be found. 1 once had an opportunity of witnessing a scene of this sort, which I cannot forbear to relate. Seeing a female prying into a bunch of bushes in search of a nest, 1 determined to see the I result, if practicable ; and, knowing how easily they are disconcerted by the near approach of man, 1 mounted luy horse, and proceeded slowly, sometimes seeing and sometimes losing sight of her, till I had tr.avelled nearly two miles along the margin of a creek. She entered every thick place, prying with the strictest I scrutiny into places where the small birds usually build, and at last darted suddenly into a thick copse of alders and briers, where she remained five or six minutes, when she returned, soaring above the underwood, and '■etumed to the company she had left feeding in the field. Upon entering the covert, I found the nest of a yellow-throat, with an egg of each. Knowing the precise time of deposit, I noted the spot and date, with a view of determining a question of importance, the time required to hatch the egg of the cow bird, which I supposed to commence from the time of the ycllow- fhroat’s laying the last egg. A few days after, the ttest was removed, I knew not bow, and I was disap- pointed. In the progress of the cow bird along the creek’s side, she entered the thick boughs of a small ccdai-, and returned several times before she could prevail on herself to quit the place and, upon exami- nation, I found a sparrow sitting on its nest, on which ^he no doubt would have stolen in the absence of the cwner. It is I believe, certain, that the cow-pen finch never makes’ a forcible entry upon the premises, by attacking other birds, and ejecting them from their rightful tenements, although they are all, perhaps, inferior in strength, except the bluebird, which. 212 ICTERUS PECORIS. altlioRgh of a mild as well as affectionate disposition, makes a vigorous resistance when assaulted. Like most other tyi*auts and thieves, they are cowardly, and accomplish by stealth what they cannot obtain by force. “ The deportment of the yeUow-throat on this occa- sion is not to be omitted. She retnrned while 1 waited near the spot, and darted into her nest, hut returned immediately, and perched upon a hough near the place, remained a minute or two, and entered it again, returned, and disappeared. In ten minutes she returned with the male. They chattered with great agitation for half an hour, seeming to participate in the aftront, and then left the place. I believe all the birds thus intruded on manifest more or less concern at finding the egg of a stranger in their own nests. Among these, the sparrow is particularly punctilious ; for she sometimes chirps her complaints for a day or two, and often deserts the premises altogether, even after she has deposited one or more eggs. . The following anec- dote will shew not only that the cow-pen finch insinuates herself slyly into the nests of other birds, but that even the inost pacific of them will resent the insult : A bluebird had built for three successive sca.sous in the cavity of a mulberry tree near my dwellino. One day, when the nest was nearly finished, I discovered a female cow bird perched upon a fence stidie near it, with her eyes apparently fixed upon the spot, while the builder was busy in adjusting her nest. The moment she left it, the intruder darted into it, aud, in live minutes, returned, and sailed off to her companions with seeming delight, which she expressed by her gestures and notes. The bluebird soon returned, and entered the nest, but instantaneously fluttered back with much apparent hesitation, and perched upon the highest branch of the tree, uttering a rapidly repeated note of complaint and resentment, which soon brought the male, who recipro- cated her feelings by every demonstration of the most vindictive resentment. They entered the nest together, and returned several times, uttering their uninterrupted cow BUNTING. 213 complaints for ten or fifteen minutes. The male tlien darted away to the neiu-hbonring trees, as if in quest of the oflfender, and fell upon a cat-hird, which he chastised severely, and then returned to an innocent sparrow that was chanting its ditty in a peach tree. Kotwithstanding the affront was so |)assionately re- sented, I found the bluebird had laid an egg the next day. Perhaps a tenant less attached to a favourite Spot would have acted more fastidiously, by deserting the premises altogether. In this inkance, also, I determined to watch the occurrences that were to follow, but, on one of my morning visits, I found the Common enemy of the eggs and young of all the small birds had despoiled the nest, — a coluber ^v•as found Coiled in the hollow, and the eggs sucked. “ Agreeably to my observation, all the young birds destined to cherish the j^oung cow bird are of a mild and affectionate disposition ; and it is not less remark- able, that they are all smaller than the intruder ; the bluebird is the only one nearly as large. This is a good natured mild creature, although it makes a vigo- rous defence when assaulted. The yellow-throat, the sparrow, the goldfinch, the indigo-hird, and the blue- bird, are the only birds in whose nests I have found the eggs or the young of the cow-pen linch, though doubt- less there are some others. “ What becomes of the eggs or young of the pro- prietor ? This is the most interesting question that appertains to this subject. There must be some special law of natiu-e which determines that the young of the pro|)i-ietors are never to be found tenants in common "'ith the young cow bird. I shall offer the result of *ay ow'u experience on this point, and leave it to you a>id others, better versed in the mysteries of nature flian 1 am, to draiv your own conclusions. Whatever ffieory may be adopted, the facts must remain the same, paving discovered a sparrow’s nest with live eggs, lour and one, and the s])arrow sitting, 1 watched the »est daily. The egg of the cow bird occupied the oentre, and those of the sparrow were pushed a little 214 ICTERUS PECORIS. lip the sides of the nest. Five days after the discovery, I perceived the shell of the finch’s egg broken, and the next the bird was hatched. The sparrow returned while I was near the nest, with her month full of food, with which she fed the young cow bird, with every possible mark of aftection, and discovered the usual concern at my approach. On the succeeding day only two of the sparrow’s eggs remained, and the next day there were none. I sought in vain for them on the ground, and in every direction. “ Having found the eggs of the cow bird in the nest of a yellow-throat, I repeated my observations. The process of incubation had commenced, and, on the seventh day from the discovery, I found a young cow bird that had been hatched during my absence of twenty-four hours, all the eggs of the proprietor re- maining. I had not an opportunity of visiting the nest for three days, and, on my return, there was only one egg remainiug, and that rotten. The yellow-throat attended the young interloper with the same apjiarent care and affection as if it had been its own offspring. “ The next year my first discovery was in a blue- bird’s nest, built in a hollow stump. The nest con- tained six cg'gs, and the process of iniMibation was going on. Three or four days after my first visit, I found » young cow bird, and three eggs remaining. I took the eggs out ; two contained young birds, apparently conie to their full time, and the other was rotten. 1 found one of tlie other eggs on the ground at the foot of the stump, differing in no respect from those in the nest, no signs of life lieing discoverable in either. “ Soon after this, I found a goldfinch’s nest with one egg of each only, and I attended it carefully till the usual complement of the owner were laid. Being obliged to leave home, I could not a.scertain precisely when the process of incubation commenced ; but fro*® my reckoning, 1 think the egg of the cow bird mus* have been hatched in nine or ten davs from the coffl' mencement of incubation. On my return, I found the young cow bird occupying nearly the w hole nest, ao® cow BUNTING. •215 the foster mother as attentive to it as she could have been to her own. I ought to acknowledge here, that, in none of these instances, could I ascertain ex- actly the time required to hatch the cow bird’s eps ; and that of course none of them are decisive ; but is it not strange that the egg of the intruder should be so Uniformly the lirst hatched? The idea of the egg being larger, and therefore from its own gravity finding the centre of the nest, is not sufficient to explain the phenomenon j for in this situation the other egg.s Would be proportiouably elevated at the sides, and therefore receive as much or more ivarmth from the body of the incumbent than the other.# This principle Would scarcely apply to the eggs of the bluebird, for they are nearly of the same size ; if there be any dif- ference, it ivould be in favour of the eggs of the builder of the nest. How do the egg-s get out of the nest ? Is it by the size and nestling of the young cow bird ? This cannot always be the case ; because, in the instance of the bluebird’s nest in the hollow stump, the cavity Was a foot deep, the nest at the bottom, and the ascent perpendicular; nevertheless, the eggs were removed, although tilled with young ones; moreover, a young cow-pen finch is as helpless as any other young bird, and so far from having the power of ejecting others from the nest, or even the eggs, that they are sometimes found oil the ground under the nest, especially when the nest happens to be very small. 1 will not assert that the eggs of the builder ot the nest are never hatched; but I can assert, that I have never been able to find one instance to prove the affirmative. If all the eggs of both birds were to be hatched, in some cases the nest would not hold half of them; for instance, those of the sparrow, or yellow-bird. 1 will not assert, that the siipjiosititious egg is brought to perfection in less time than those of "the bird to which the nest * TKe ingcnimis writer seems not to be aware that almost all birds are in W b.ibit, while sitting, of ehaiiging the eggs from the centre to the cireumferenee, and vice ea-sii, that all of them may receive an equal share of warmth. 216 ICTERUS PECORIS. belongs; but from the facts stated, I am inclined to adopt such an opinion. How are the eggs removed after the accouchement of the spurious occupant? By the pro- prietor of the nest unquestionably; for this is consis- tent with the rest of her economy. After the power of hatching them is taken away by her attention to the young stranger, the eggs would be only an encumbrance, and therefore instinct prompts her to remove them. I might add, that I have soraotiracs found the eggs of the sparrow, in which were unmatured young ones, Ijdng near the nest containing a cow bird, and therefore 1 cannot resist this conclusion. Would the foster parent feed two species of young at the same time ? I believe not. I have never seen an instance of any bird feeding the young of another, unless immediately after losing her own. I should think the sootv-looking stranger would scarcely interest a mother while the cries of her own offspring, always intelligible, were to be heard. Should such a competition ever take place, I. judge the stranger would be the sufferer, and probably the species soon beconae extinct. Why the lex natural conservatrix should decide in favour of the surreptitious progeny is not for me to determine. “ As to the vocal powers of this bird, I believe its pretensions are very humble, none of its notes deserving the epithet musical. The sort of simple cackling com- plaint it utters at being disturbed, coustitutes also the expression of its pleasure at finding its companions, varying only in a more rapidly nqjeated monotony. The deportment of the male during bis promiscuous intercourse with the oth«>r sex, resembles much that of a pigeon in the same situation. He uses nearly the same gestures; and by attentively listening, you nill hear a low, guttural sort of muttei-ing, which is the most agreeable of his notes, and not unlike the cooing of a pigeon. “ This, sir, is the amount of my information on this subject; and is no more than a transcript from my notes made several years ago. For ten years past, since I have lived in this city, many of the impressions of cow BUNTING. 217 Mature have been effaced, and artificial ideas have occu- pied their places. The pleasure I formerly received in ■''iewing and examining the objects of nature, are, how- ever, not entirely forgotten ; and those ivhich remain, *f they can intei est you, are entirely at your service. With the sincerest n ishes for the success of your useful and arduous undertaking, — I am, dear sir, yours, very fespectfully, Nathaniel Potter.” To the above very interesting detail, I shall add the following recent fact, which fell under my own observa- I f'on, and conclude mv account of this singular species. In the month of .luly last, 1 took from the nest of the Maryland yellow-throat, whiidi was built among the dry leaves at the root of a brier bush, a young male cow •'Untino-, which filled and occupied the whole nest. I had previously watched the motions of the foster parents W imwe than an hour, in order to ascertain whether '‘tly more of their young were lurking about or not ; ?iid was fully satisfied that there were none. They had, ’1 all probability, perished in the manner before raen- f’oned. I took' this bird home with me, and placed it ’Q the same cage with a red-bird (loxia cardinalis^, I ''"lio, at first, and for several minutes after, examined it I tlosely, and seemingly with great curiosity. It soon hecame clamorous for food, and, from that moment, the ’’t^d-bird seemed to adopt it as his own, feeding it with ®ll the assiduitv and tenderness of the most aflcct.ionate durse. When'he found tliat the gi-asshoppcr which he "ad broue-ht it was too large for it to swallow, he took fl'e insect from it, broke it in small portions, chewed I f'>em a little to soften them, .and, u ith all the gentleness and delicacy imaginable, put them separately into^its *"outh lie often spent several minutes in looking “t and’ examining it aU over, and in iiickiug off any ! particles of dirt that he observed on its plmuagc. In ^^acliiuo* and eiiconra^inj^ it to loaru to cat ot itself, ho "Iten reminded me ol the lines ol (.Toldsmith, He tried each art, reproved enrb dull delay, Allured to fav' rite food," and led the way. 218 ICTERUS PECORIS. This COW bird is now six months old, is in complete plumage, and repays the affectionate services of his foster parent with a frequent display of all the musical talents with which nature has gifted him. These, i* must be confessed, are far from being ravishintrj yet, for their singularity, are worthy of notice. lie spreads his wings, swells his body into a globular form, bristlintf every featlier iu the manner of a turkey cock, and. with great seeming difficulty, utters a few low, splutter- ing notes, as if proceeding from his belly; always, oo these occasions, strutting in front of the spectator witb great consequential affectation. I To see the red-bird, who is himself so excellent a performer, silently listening to all this guttural splutter, reminds me of the great Handel contemplating a n retched | catgut scraper. Perhaps, however, these may be meant for the notes of /one and f/ratitude, which are sweeter te the ear, and dearer to the heart, than all the artificial solos or concertos on this side heaven. The length of this species is seven inches, breadth . eleven inches ; the head and neck is of a very mige is heau- tifnl his song highly musical, and his flesh excellent. I mio-ht also add, that the immense range of his migrations, and the havoc he commits, are not the least interesting parts of his history. . The winter residence of this species 1 suppose to be from Mexico to the mouth of the Amazon, from whence, ‘0 hosts innumerahle, he regularly Issues every spring; Perhaps to both hemispheres, cxteiiding liis migrations northerly, as far as the Illinois, and the shores of the St Lawrence. Could the fact he ascertained, uhich has been asserted hy some writei's, that the emigration of these birds was altogether unknown in this part of the continent, previous to the introduction of iicc plantations, it would certainly he interesting. Yet 'vhy should these migrations reach at least a thousand miles beyond those places where rice is now planted; and thm not in occasional excursions, but regularly to breed, and rear their young, where rice never was, and nrohahly, never will he cultivated ? Their so ^oc.;nt arrival on this part of the continent I believe to to he altogether imaginary, because, though there were 220 ICTERUS AGRIPENNIS. not a Single gram of rice cultivated within the United btetes, the country produces an exuberance of food of which they are no less fond. Insects of various kinds, CT-ubs, May-ilies, and caterpillars, the young ears of Indian corn, and the seed of the wild oats, oV, as it is ^lled in Pennsylvania, reeds (the zizania ammtica of Liiinieus,) winch grows in prodigious abundance alon? tile marsly shores of our large rivers, furnish, not only them, but millions of rail, with a delicious subsistence tor several weeks. I do not doubt, however, that the imroduction of nee, but more particularly the nro«Te.sS of agriculture in this part of Ameiica, has grSatlV increased their numbers, by multiplying their sources of subsistence fifty fold within the same extent of country. In the month of April, or very early in May, the nee bunting, male and female, .arriye within the soiitherii boundaries of the Uuited States; and are seen around ^e town of Savannah, in (Jeorgia, about the 4th of May, sometimes lu separate p.arties of males and females, but more generally promiscuously. They remain there but a short time; and, about the 12th of May, make t ^v ™ l‘onnsyl/auia, as they did at havaunah. While here, the males are eX- nTwIvnlo Tl "ift la** M fretes, uttered with such seeming confusion and rapi- '••ty, and continued for a considerable time, that it appears as if half a dozen birds of different kinds were singing together. Some idea may be formed of this Song ky striking the high keys of a piauo-forte at ’'"•ndom, singly, and quickly, making as many sudden I'ontrasts of high and low notes as possible. Many of ‘lie tones arc, in themselves, charming ; hut they suo ’•oed each other so rapidly that the ear can hardly **parate them. Nevertheless the general effect is good ; *ud, when ten or twelve arc all singiug on the same Jl'ee, the concert is singularly pleasing. 1 kept one of •best' birds for a long time, to observe ils im.ange of dolour. During the whole of Aju'il, May, and .lune, it *|*'ig almost continually. In the month of June, the Colour of the male begins to change, gradually assimi- *ling to that of the female, and, before the beginning August, it is difficult to distinguish the one from the Uier. At this time, also, the young birds are so much “he the female, or rather like both parents, and the jh'^les so different in appearance from what they were ” spring, that thousands of people in Pennsylvania, this day, persist in believing- them to he a different species altogether ; while otlnu-s allow them, indeed, “• he the same, but confidently assert that they are all !*>Uales — none but females, according to them, rcturn- **11 in the fall ; what becomes of tfie males they are ••tally at a loss to conceive. Even Mr Mark Cateshy, •'ho resided for years in the country- they inhabit, and bo, as he himself informs us, e.\amincd by dissection ^*at numbers of them in the fall, and repeated his ?*periment the succeeding year, lest he should have ••en mistaken, declares that he uniformly found them •• he females. These assertions must appear odd to 222 ICTERUS AGRIPENXIS. the inhabitants of the eastern States, to whom the change of plumage in these birds is familiar, as it passes imme- diately under their eye ; and also to those who, like myself, have kept them in cages, and witnessed their gradual change of colour. That accurate observer, iVlf William Bartrara, appears, from the following extract, to have taken notice of, or at least suspected, this change of colour in these birds, more than forty years ago- “ Being in Charleston,” says he, “ in the month of June, I observed a cage full of rice birds, that is, of the yellow or female colour, who were very merry and vociferous, having the same variable music with the pied or male bird, which I thought extraordinary, and, observing it to the gentleman, he assured me that they were all of the male kind, taken the preceding spring, but had changed their colour, and would be next spring of the colour of the pied, thus changing colour with the seasons of the year. If this is really the case, appears they are both of the same species intermixed, spring and fall.” Without, however, implicating tb® veracity of Catesby, who, I have no doubt, believed a* he wrote, a few u ords will easily explain why he wa* deceived : The internal organization of undomesticated birds, of all kinds, undergoes a remarkable change every spring and summc'r j and those who wish to ascertaio this point by dissection will do well to remember, that in this bird those parts that characterize the male are. in autumn, no laj-ger than the smallest pin’s head, and in young birds ol the. first year can scarcely be dif covered ; though in spring their magnitude in each at least one hundred times greater. To an unacquaint' auce with this extraordinary circumstance, I am p®*”' suaded, has been owing the mistake of Mr Catesby. that the females only return in the fall ; for the sam® opinion I long entertained myselfi till a more particulaf examination shewed mo the source of my mistak®- Since that, I have opened and examined many hundred* of these birds, in the months of September and Octobe®. and, on the whole, have found about as many males females among them. The latter may be distinguish®® RICE BUNTING. 223 ^•"om the former by heintr of a rather more shining' yellow on the breast and belly ; it is the same with the young birds of the first season. During the breeding season, they are dispersed over he country ; but, as soon as the young are able to fly, 'ey collect together in great multitudes, and pour own on the oat fields of New Knglaud like a toirent, ‘‘epriving the ])roprictors of a good tithe of their harvest ; but, in return, often supply his table with a 'firy delicious dish. From all parts of the north and '''estem regions, they direct their course towards the *Outh ; and, about the middle of August, revisit Penn- *ylvauia, on their route to winter (juartiws. For several hays, they seem to confine themselves to the tields and hplands ; but, ns soon as the seeds of the reed are ripe, they resort to the shores of the Delaware and Schuylkill h' multitudes ; and these places, during the remainder hi their stay, appear to be their grand rendezvous, ll'e reeds, or 'wild oats, furnish them with such abun- hance of nutritious food, that in a short time they heeome extremely fat ; and are supposed, by some of j^hr epicures, to be equal to the famous ortolans of ~hrope. Their note at this season is a single chink, ^"d is heard over-head, with little intermission, from 'frning to night. These are halcyon days for our ^nners of all descriptions, and many a lame and rusty Ipn-barrel is put in requisition ior the sport. The hport of musketry along the reedy shores of the ehuylkill and Delaware is almost incessant, resijmbling “ ’'mining fire. The markets of Philadelphia, at this *hsson, exhibit proofs of the prodigious havoc made ""Rong these birds; for almost every stall is ornamented ''’’th strings of reed birds. This sport, hoivever, is '^"sidered inferior to that of rail shooting, which is ^'■ried on at the same season and places, with equal fighter. Of this, as well as of the rail itself, we shall wVe a particulai' account in its jiroper place. ^Vhatever apology the people of the eastern and ^niithcrn States may have for the devastation they Ptead among the rice and reed birds, the Pennsyl- 224 ICTERUS AGRIPENNIS. vaiiians — at least those living in this part of it — have little to plead in justification, hut the pleasure of destruction, or the savoury dish they fui'nish their tables with ; for the oat harvest is generally secured before the great body of these birds arrive, the Indian corn too ripe and hard, and the reeds seem to engross all their attention. But in the States south of Mary- land, the harvest of early wheat and barley in spring) and the numerous plantations of rice in fall, suffer severely. Early in October, or as soon as the nights begin to set in cold, they disappe,ar from Pennsylvania) directing their course to the south. At this time they swarm among the rice fields ; and appear in the Island of Cuba in imm(!use numbera, in seaixh of the same delicious grain. About the middle of October, they visit the Island of .Jamaica in equal numbers, whore they ai’o called butter birds. They feed on the seed of the Guinea grass, and are also in high esteem there for the table.* Thus it appears, that the regions north of the fortieth degree of latitude, are the breeding places of these birds; that their migrations northerly are performed from March to May, and their return southerly from August to November ; their precise winter quarters, of farthest retreat southerly, is not exactly known. The rice bunting is seven'inches and a half long, and eleven and a halt in extent ; his spring dress is 3* follows: — Upper p,art of the head, wings, tail, and sides of the neck, and whole lon er parts, bl.ack ; th« feathers fre(|ueutly skirted with bi-on nisli yellow, 3* he passes into the colours of the female; b.ack the head, a cream colour; ba(dv, black, seamed with brownish yellow; scapulars, pure uhite, rump and tail' coverts the same ; lower part of the back, bluish white ; tail, formed like those of the woodpeckrt genus, and often used in the s.ame manner, bein? thrown in to support it while ascending the stalks the reed ; this habit of throwing in the tail it retain^ * Renners Hist. Jam. RUSTY GRAKLE. 225 even in the cage ; legs, a bron'iiish Hcsh colour; hind heel, very long ; hill, a bluish horn colour ; eye, hazel. In tile mouth of June thi.s plumage gradually changes to a brownish yellow, like that of the female, which has the hack streaked with brownish black; whole lower parts, dull yellow ; hill, reddish flesh colour ; legs and eyes as in the male. The young birds retain the dress of the female until the early part of the succeed- ing spring; the plumage of the female undergoes no material change of colour. GEXUS X, — QUISCALUS, ViEiLL. 56 . QUISCALUS FEBRUGIXEUSj BONAPARTE. GRACULA FERRUGINEA^ WILS. RUSTY GRAKLE. WILSON, PLATE XXI. FIG. III. —ADULT MALE IN SPBING. Here is a single species described by one of the most judicious naturalists of fireat Britain no less than ftve different times! — the greater part of these des- criptions is copied liy succeeding naturalists, whose synouymes it is unnecessary to repeat : so great is the uncertainty in judging, from a mere examination of their dried or stuffed skins, of the ])articular tribes of birds, many of which, for several years, are constantly Varying in the colours of their plumage, and, at different Seasons, or different ages, assuming new and very dif- ferent appearances. Even the size is by no means a safe criterion, the difference in this respect between the male and female of the same species (as m the one Row before us) being sometimes very considerable. This bird arrives in Pennsylvania, from the north early in October; associates with the redwings, and, cow-pen buntings, frequents corn fields, and places Where grasshoppers are plenty ; but Indian corn, at that season, seems to be its principal food. It is a very silent bird, having only now and then a single note, or Uiucli. We see them occasionally until about the VOL. I. P ® 226 QUISCALUS FERRUGINEUS. mitWle of November, when they move oif to the south. On the 12th of January I overtook great numbers of these birds in the woods near Petersburg!!, Virginia, and continued to see occasional paz'ties of them almost eveiy day as I advanced southerly, particularly in couth Carolina, around the rice plantations, where they were numerous, feeding about the hog pens, and t-vlierever Indian corn was to he procured. They also extend to a considerable distance westward. On the 5th of March, being- on tlie banks of the Ohio, a few miles below the mouth of the Kentucky river, in the midst of a heavy snow storm, a flock of these birds alighted ncai- the door of the cabin where I had taken shelter, several of which I shot, and found their stomachs, as usual, crammed with Indian corn. Early III April they pass hastily through Pennsylvania, on their return to the north to breed. From the accounts ol persons who have resided near Hudson s Bay, it appears that these birds arrive there in the beginning ol June, as soon as the ground i.s thawed sufficiently for them to procure their food, which is said to he worms and maggots ; sing with a hue note till the time of incubation, when they have only a chucking noise, till the young take their flight ; at which time they resume their song. They build their nests in trees, about eight feet from the OTound, forming them with moss and grass, and lay five eggs of a dark colour, spotted with black. It is added, they Wher in great flocks, and retire southerly in Septemher.* The male of this species, when in perfect plumage, IS nine inches in length, and fourteen in extent; at a small distance appears wholly black ; hut on a near ex- amination IS of a glossy dark green ; the irides of the eye are silvery, as in those of the purple grakle ; the bill is black, nearly of the same form with that of the last mentioned species; the lower mandible a little rounded, with the edges turned inward, and the upper one furnished with a sharp bony process on the inside. * Arctic Zoology^ p. 259. PURPLE GRAKLE. 227 exactly like tliat of the purple species. The tongaie is slender, and lacerated at the tip ; legs and feet, black and strong; the hind claw the largest; the tail is slightly rounded. This is the colour of the male u'hen of full age ; but three-fourths of these birds u hich vve meet with, have the whole plumage of the breast, head, neck, and back, tinctured with brown; ever^ feather being skirted with ferruginous ; over the eye is a light line of pale brown, below that one of black passing through the eye. This browiiness gradually goes on towards spring, for almost all those 1 shot in the southern states Avere but slightly marked Avith ferru- ginous. The female is nearly au inch shorter ; head, neck, and breast, almost Avholly broAvn; a light line over the eye ; lores, black ; belly and rump, ash ; upper and under tail-coverts, skirted Avith brown; Aviugs, black, edged Avith rust colour ; tail, black, glossed Avith green ; legs, feet, and bill, as in the male. These birds might easily be domesticated. Several that I had AA’inged and kept for some time, became in a feAV days (juite familiar, seeming to be very easily reconciled to confinement. 57. qUISCALUS VERSJCOLORi\\^l\.lr, — QRACULA (HJISCALA, -WlhS, PURPLE GRAKLE. W ILSON, PLATE XXI. FIG. IV. — MALE. This noted depredator is well known to every care- ful farmer of the northern and middle states. About the 20th of March the purple grakles visit Pennsylvania from the south, fly in loose flocks, frequent SAvamps and meadoAVS, and follow in the furrows after the plough ; their food at this season co!isistiug of AA-orms, grubs, and caterpillars, of which they destroy prodi- gious numbers, a-s if to recompense the husbaudraau keforehaud for the havoc they intend to make among Ins crops of Indian corn. ToAvards evening they retire to the nearest cedars and pine trees to roost, making a Continual chattering as they fly along. On the tallest 228 QDISCALUS VERSICOLOR. of these trees they generally build their nests in com- pany, about the hcginiiiug or middle of April ; some- times ten or fifteen nests being on the same tree. One of these nests, taken from a high pine tree, is now before me. It measures full five inches in diameter within, and four in depth ; is composed outwardly of mud, mixed with long stalks and roots of a knotty kind of grass, and lined with fine bent and horse hair. The eggs are five, of a bluish olive colour, marked w ith large spots and straggling streaks of black and dark brown, also with others of a fainter tinge. They rarely produce more than one brood in a season. The trees where these birds build are often at no great distance from the farm house, and overlook the plantations. From thence they issue, in all directions, and with as much confidence,’ to make their daily de- predations among the surrounding fields, as if the whole were intended for their use alone. Their chief atten- tion, how'ever, is direided to the Indian corn in all its progressive stages. As soon as the infant blade of this grain begins to make its appearance above ground, the grakles hail the welcome signal with screams of peculiar .satisfaction, and, without ivaiting for a formal invita- tion from the proprietor, descend on the fields and begin to pull up and regale themselves on the seed, scattering the green blades around. While thus eao-crly employed, the vengeance of the gun sometimes over- takes them ; but these disasters are soon forirotten, and those who live to get away, Return to steal, aiiotlier day. About the beginning of August, when the young ears are in their milky state, they are attacked with redoubled eagerness by the grakles and redwings, in formidable and combined bodies. They descend like a blackening, sweeping tempest on the corn, dig off the external covering of twelve or fifteen coats of leaves, as dexte- rously as if done by the hand of man, and, having laid hare the car, leave little behind to the fanner but the cobs, and shrivelled skins, that contained their favourite PUHPLE GRAKLE. 229 f.ire. I have seen fields of corn of many acres, where more than one-half was thus ruined. Indeed the fai-Biers in the immediate vicinity of the rivers Dela- ^vare and Schuylkill, generally allo(v one-fourth of this crop to the blackbirds, among whom our grakle comes iu for his full share. During these depredations, the gun is making great havoc among their numbers, which has no other cli'ect on the survivors than to send them to another field, or to another part of the same field. This system of plunder and of retaliation continues Until Xoveiuber, when, towards the middle of that mouth, they begin to sheer otf to\var(ls the south. The lower parts of Virginia, North and South Carolina, and Georgia, are the winter residences of these docks. Hero numerous bodies, collecting together from all (juarters of the interior and northern distri(;ts, and darkening the air with their numbers, sometimes form oi\c congregated multitude of many hundred thousands. A few ]uiies from the banks of the lloanoke, on the 20th of January, I met with one of those prodigious armies of grakles. Tliey rose from the surrounding fields with a noise like thunder, and, descending on the length of road before me, covered it and the fences completely with black, aud when they again rose, and, after a few evolutions, descended on the skirts of the high timbered woods, at that time destitute of leaves, they produced a most singular and striking efifect ; the tvhole trees for a considerable extent, trom the top to the lowest branches, seeming as if hung iu mourning; their notes and screaming the meanwhile resembling tile disfiuit sound of a groat cataract, but in more musical cadence, swelling and dying away on the ear, according to the finctnatioii of the breeze. In Kentucky, and all along the Mississi]>pi, from its juncture with the Ohio to the Balize, 1 found numbers of these birds, so that the purple grakle may he cousiilercd as a very general inhabitant of the territory of the United States. Every industrious farmer complains of the mischief committed on his corn l)y the crow blackbirds, as they are usually called ; though, were the same means used. 230 QUISCALUS VERSICOLOR. as vith pig-eons, to take them in clap nets, multitudes i of them might thus be destroyed ; and the products of them in market, in some measure, indemnify him for their depredations. But they are most numerous and most destructive at a time when the various harvests of the husbandman demand all his attention, and all his hands to cut, cure, and take in • and so they escape with a few sweeps made among them by some of the younger boys with the gun ; and by the gunners from the neighbouring towns and villages; and return from their winter quarters, sometimes early in March, to renew the like scenes over again. As some consolation, however, to the industrious cultivator, I can assure him, that were I placed in his sitnatioii, I should hesitate whether to consider these birds most as friends or enemies, as they are particularly destnictive to almost all the ^noxious worms, grubs, ami cater[)illars, that ^ infest his fields, which, were they allowed to multiply unmolested, would soon consume nine-tenths of all the production of his labour, and desolate the country with the miseries of famine! Is not this another striking proof that the Deity has created nothing in vain ; and that It is the duty of man, the lord of the creation, to avail himself of their usefulness, and guard against then; bad eflects as securely as possible, without in- i cliil^in^ in tiie barbai'ous and even impioUvS U'ish for their utter extermination ? The purple grakle is twelve inches long .and eio-hteen in extent ; on a slight view, seems wholly black, but jilaccd near, in a good light, the whole head, neck, and breast, appear of a rich glossy steel blue, dark violet, and silky green ; the violet prevails most on the head and breast, and the green on the hind part of the neck. The back, rum]i, and whole lower parts, the breast (wcepted, reflect a strong coppery gloss ; wing-coverts, secondaries, and coverts of the tail, rich liglit violet, in which the red prevails ; the rest of the wings, and rounded tail, are black, glossed with steel blue. All I the above colours are extremely shining, varvinn- as I differently exposed to the light ; iris of the eye, silvery ; I PURPLE GRAKLE. 231 bill more than an inch lon^, strong, and furnished on the inside of the upper mandible with a sharp process, like the stump of the broken blade of a penknife, in- tended to assist the bird in macerating' its food ; tongue, thin, bifid at the end, and lacerated along the sides. The female is rather less, has the upper part of the head, neck, and the back, of a dark sooty brown j chin, breast, and belly, dull pale brown, lightest on the former ; wings, tall, lower parts of tlie back and vent, black, with a few reflections of dark green ; legs, feet, bill, and eyes, as in the nwle. The purple grakle is easily tamed, and sings in con- finement. They have also m several instances been taught to articulate some few words pretty distinctly. A singular .attachment frequently takes place between this bird and the fish hawk. The nest of this latter is of very large dimensions, often from three to four feet in breadth, and from four to five feet high ; com- posed, externally, of large sticks, or fagots, among the interstices of which sometimes three or fom- pair of crow blackbirds will construct their nests, while tlu> hawk is sitting or hatching above. Here each pursues the duties of incubation and of rearing their young; living in the greatest harmony, and mutually watching and protecting each other’s property from depredators. GENUS Xl. — COJtrUS, Linnj!U3. suBGEsns I conrvs, eriss. 58. CORVUS COllAX. — RAVEN. WILSON, PLATE LXXV, FIG, III. A KNOWLEDGE of tliis Celebrated bli'd has been handed down to us from the earliest ages; and its historv is almost coeval with that of man. In the best and most ancient of all books, wo learn, that at the end of forty days, after the great flood had covered the 232 CORVUS CORAX. earth, Noah, rvishiiig; to ascertain w hether or no the waters had abated, sent forth a raven, Inch did not return into the ark.* This is the first notice that is taken of this s])eeics. Thouifh the raven wa-s declared unclean hy the law of Moses, yet we are informed, that, when the ju'ophet Elijah provoked the enmitv of Ahah, by prophesymxhibited as much folly, through the impious Curiosity of prying into futurity, as the Romans them- ®alves. " It is true that modern nations have not insti- h'ted their sacred c,olleges or sacerdotal orders, for the Purposes of divination ; but, in all countries, there have •U*en self-constituted augurs, whose interpretations of Uuieiis have been received with religious resjiect by the '^'■cdulous mnltilmlc. Even at this moment, in some Parts of the world, if a raven alight on a village church, ?*e whole fraternity is in an uproar; and Heaven is ’.'Uportunod, in all the ardour of devotion, to avert the ''Upending calamity. ^''’ination. Dmit. chap, xvlii. The Romans derivetl tlieic knnw- -Wse of aiwary chiefly from the Tuscans or Etrurians, who pi ac- it in tTic earliest times. This art was known in Italy hefore i^r time of Romnhis, since that ]iririce did not commence the ji'ding of Rome till he had taken the aup:uries. The successors koinulus, from a cnnvirtioii of the nsefulness of the science, and f ‘Pe same time not to reader it contemptible hy ln■conli^g too puiiliar, employed the most skilful augurs from Etruria to intro- the practice of it into their religious ceremonies. And, hy a jf'Uee of tlie .senate, some of the youtli of the best families in ,'‘e Were aiiiiiially sent into Tuscany to he instructed in this art. ''''ide Ciceron. de Divm . ; also Calmet and the Ahbd Baniev. 234 CORVUS CORAX. The poets have taken advantage of this weakness of human nature ; and, in their hands, the raven is a ht instrument of terror. Shakespeare puts the followiOp niiilediction into the mouth of his Caliban; — As wicked dew, as e’er my mother brush’d, M ith ravca’s feather, from unwholesome fen, Drop on you both ! * The ferocious wife of Macbeth, on beingf advised the approach of Duncan, whose death she had conspiretb thus exclaims : — The raven himself is hoarse, That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan Under my battlements ! f The Moor of Venice says, — It comes o’er my memory, As doth the raven o’er the infected house, Boding to all. ^ e The last quotation alludes to the supposed habit 0‘ this bird’s flyiujr over those houses which contain th* sick, whose dissolution is at hand, and thereby nounced. Thus Marlowe, in the Jew of Malta, as cite* by Malone: — The Slid presaging raven tolls The sick man’s passport in her hollow beak ; And, in the shadow of the silent night, Doth shake contagion from her sable wing. But it is the province of philosophy to dispel thes* illusions which bewilder the mind, by pointing out simple truths which nature has been at no pains ** conceal, but which the folly of mankind has shroud* in all the obscurity of mystery. . The raven is a general inhabitant of the UnH* States, but is more common in the interior. On tj* lakes, and particularly in the neighbourhood of * Tempest, act i, scene 2. t Othello, act i, scene 4. f Aet i, scene 5. RAVEN. 235 Palls of the Niagara river, they are numerous ; and it is a remarkable fact, that where they so abound, the Common crow (c. corone) seldom makes its appearance ; Ijeiuo- intimidated, it is conjectured, by the superior size\ud strength of the former, or by an antipathy "’hicli the two species manifest towards each other. This I had an opportunity of observing myself, in a journey during the months of August and September, ^ong the lakes Eric and Ontario. The ravens were ^eeii every day, prowling about in search of the dead fish which the w.avcs are continually casting ashore, 'ind which afford them an abund.auce of a favourite food • but I did not see or hear a single crow within several miles of tlie lakes, and but very few through the whole of the Gennesee country. , ... The food of this species is dead animal matter ot all hinds, not excepting the most putrid carrion, which it fievours in common with the vultures ; worms, grubs, teptiles, and shell fish, the hast of which, in the maimer of the crow, it drops from a considerable height in the 'lir on the rocks, in order to break the shells ; it is fond of bird’s eggs, and is often observed sneaking ’•'•oiind the farm house in search of the eggs of the 'lomestic poultry, which it sucks with eagerness ; it is fihewise charged with destroying young ducks and ^^ickens, and lambs w^hicb have been y(?aned in a sickly The raven, it is said, follows the hunters of deer fot the purpose of falling heir to the offal ;♦ and the ,fiuntsmeii are obliged to cover their game, when it is !«ft in the woods, 'with their hunting frocks, to protect from this thievish connoisseur, who, if he have an '•Pportunity, will attack the region of the kidneys, and "“angle the saddle without ceremony. , Bufton says, that “ the raven plucks mtt the of hffaloes, and tMen, fixing on the back, it tears off the ■flffih dcHheratehn and wh.at renders the ferocity more **etcstable, it is not incited by the cravings ot hunger, , • This i, the ease in those parts of the United States where the "““t are hunted without dogs : where these are employed, they are ^feneraJly rewarded with the offal. 236 CORVUS CORAX. but by the appetite for earnage ; for it can subsist on fruits, seed ot all kinds, and indeed may be considered as an omnivorous animal.” This is mere fable, and of a piece n-ith many other absurdities of the same romau- cinw author. This species is found almost all over the habitable globe. We trace it in the north from Norway to Green- land, and hear of it in Kamtschatka. It is common every ndiere in Russia and Siberia, e.xcept within the Arctic circle;* and all through Europe. Kolbcn enumerates the raven among the birds of the Cape of Good Hope;-j- De Grandpre re|)reseuts it as numeroin* in Bengal, whert; they arc said to be protected for their iisetulness ; f and the iiafortunate La Rerouse .saw them at Baie dc Castries, on the east coast of Tartary ; like- wise at Port de.s Francois, ,58“ 87' north latitude, and 139° oO' we.st longitude; and at Monterey Ba}-, North California. (J The English cirenmnavigators met with them at Nootka Sound ; || and at the Sandwich IslaudSj two being seen in (he village of Kakooa ; also at O whyhee, and supposed to he adored there, as they were called Eatooas. H Our intrepid American travellers) under the command of Lends and Clark, shortly after they embai'ked on the Columbia river, saw abundance of ravens, which n'cre attracted thither by the immense ijuantity of dead .salmon ndiich lined the shores.** They are found at all seasons at Hudson’s Bay;ff are frequent in Mexico and it is more than prUabR that they inhabit the whole continent of America. The raven mcasure.s, from the tip of the bill to the end of the tail, twenty-six inches, and is four feet id e.xteut ; the bill is large and strong, of a shining black) notched near the tip, and three inches long ; the ceta- ceous feathers which cover the nostrils extend half il® * Latham. ^ Afudley’s Kolbon, vol. ii, p. 13<5* i Voy. in the Indian Ocean, n. l48. § Voy. par I. F. G. De la Peronse, ii, p. 129. 20.3. 443. Cook’s last voy. ii, p. 236. Am. ed. t Idem, hi, p. 329. ** Gass’s Journal, p. ff Charlevoix. Kalm. Flearne’s Journey. H FernandeZ' RAVEN. 237 length ; the ej'cs are black ; the general colour is a deep glossy black, with steel-blue reflections ; the lower parts *rc less glossy ; the tail is rounded, and extends about t'vo inches beyond the wings j the legs are two inches ^d a halt' in length, and, with the feet, are strong and I'lack ; the claws arc long. This bird is said to attain to a great age ; and its plumage to be subject to change from the inllueuce of years and of climate. It is found in Iceland and Green- land entirely white. The raven was the constant attendant of Lewis and Clark’s party in their long and toilsome journey, tluriu"' the winter, at Fort Mandan, they M ere observed In immense numbers, notwithstanding the cold was so excessive, that on the 1 7th December, 1804, the ther- niometer stood at 45“ below 0. Like the crow, this species may be easily domesti- cated, and in that state would afford amusement by It.s familiarity, frolics, and sagacity. B\it such noisy and mischievous pets, in common with parrots and ■noukeys, arc not held in high estimation in this ((uarter nf the globe ; and arc generally overlooked for those Universal favourites, which either gratify the eye by 'lie neatness or brilliancy of their plumage, or gladden ear by the simplicity or variety of their song. 59. cosrus corone, i,inx.®os — ciiow. WILSON, PLATE XXXVI. FIG. III. This is perhaps the most generally known, and least “Goved, of all our land birds ; having neither melody song, nor beauty of plumage, nor excellence ot flesh, **nr civility of maimers, to recommend him ; on the Contrary, he is branded as a thief and a plunderer; a glod of black-coated vagabond, who hovers over the ■'elds of the industrious, fattening on their labours; ^<1, by his voracity, often blasting their expectations, ^uted as he is by the farmer, watched and persecuted 288 CORVUS CORONE. by almost every bearer of a gun, who all triumph in his destruction, had not Heaven bestowed on him intelli' gence 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. In the interior of the forest he is more rare, unless during the season of breeding. He particularly attached to low flat corn countries, lyiiiiT in the neighbourhood of the sea, or of large rivers ; and more numerous in the northern than southern states, where vultures abound, and with whom the crows arc unable to contend. A strong antipathy, it is also said, prevails between the crow and the raven, insomuch, that where the latter are numerous, the former rarely resides. Many of the first settlers of the Gennescc country have informed me, that, for a long time, raven.s were numerous with them, but no crows ; and even now the latter are seldom observed in that country-. In travelling from Nashville to Niitchez, a distance ol 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 the/ are dispersed over the woods in pairs, and roost in tlW neighbourhood of the tree they have selected for their nest. About the middle of March they begin to build, f enerally choosing a hi"h tree; though I have alsa nown them prefer a middle sized cedar. One of their nests, now before me, is formed externally of sticlcv wet moss, thin bark mixed with mossy earth, and linea with large quantities of horse hair, to the amount oi more than half a pound, some cow hair, and some wool, forming a very soft and clastic bed. The eggs four, of a pale green colour, marked w-ith numeroi'^ 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 observe* CROW. 239 * person approaching, he gives the alarm, when both ’JJale and female retire to a distance till the intruder aas gone past. He also regularly carries food to his •ttate, while she is sitting ; occasionally relieves her ; »nd when she returns, again resigns his post. At this JjTOe, also, as well as until the young are able to fly, ^hey preserve uncommon silence, that their retreat may ‘'ot be suspected. It is in the month of May, and until the middle of ji'ine, that the crow is most destructive to tlie corn “'aids, digging up the newly planted grains of maize, pulling up by the roots those that have begun to ^®gct.atc, and thus frequently obliging the farmer to J'Splant, or lose the benefit of the soil ; and this some- ‘*hies twice, and even three times, occasioning a consi- ^rahle additional expense, and inequality of harvest, ^o mercy is now shewn him. The myriads of worms. Joules, mice, caterpillars, grubs, and beetles, which he destroyed, are altogether overlooked on these 'Occasions. Detected in robbing the hens’ nests, pulling ^P the corn, and killing the young chickens, he is j^Usidered as an outlaw, and sentenced to destruction. "Ut the great difficulty is, how to put this sentence in ^ecution. In vain the gunner skulks along the hedges u fences ; his faithful sentinels, planted on some com- ®uding point, raise the alarm, and disappoint vengeance 'ts object. The coast again clear, he returns once ^*"0 in silence to finish the repast he had begini. ^•Uptimes he approaches the farm house by stealth, in ^ui’ch of young chickens, which he is in the habit of J^utehing off, w'hou he can elude the vigilance of the pother hen, who often proves too formidable for him. .lew days ago, a crow was observed eagerly attempting f ®eize some young chickens in an orchard, near the where I write ; but these clustering close round ; ® I'en, she resolutely defended them, drove the crow an apple tree, whither she instantly pursued him ‘th such spirit and intrepidity, that he was glad to a speedy retreat, and abandon his design, fhe crow himself sometimes tails a prey to the 240 CORVUS CORONE. superior strength and rapacity of the great owl, whoi’^ weapons of offence are by far the more formidable o’ the two.* * “A few year^f ago,” says an obliging correspomlent, “ ^ resi(Iecrceived that their food, and their mode of procuring it, were also both different : their favourite haunts heitifr about the banks of the river, alon^- which they usually sailed, dexterously snatching U|>, with their claws, dead iish, or other garbage, that tioated on the surface. At the country seat of .Stephen Klliot, Es(i. near the Ogechee river, I took notice of these crows frequently perching’ on the hacks ol the cattle, like the maopie and jackdaw of Britain ; hut never mingling with the common crows, and differing from them in this particular, that the latter generally retire to the shore, the reeds, and marshes, to roost, n hile the lish- crow always, a little before sunset, seeks the interior high woods to ri^pose in. .... On my journey through the Mississippi territory last year, I resided for some time at the seat of my hospi- table friend. Dr Samuel Brown, a few miles from Fort Adams, on the Mississijipi. lu my various excursions there, among the lofty fragrance-hreathiug magnolia wood's, and m.igniliceut scenery, t hat adorn the luxuriant face of nature in those southern regions, this species of crow freqinmtly made its appearaiiee, distinguished by the same voice and habits it Inid in Oeorgia. 1 here is, ill many of the ponds there, a singular kind of lizard, that swims about, with its head above the. surface, makiiiu’ a loud sound, not unlike the harsh jarring of a door.” These the crow iioiv before u.s would frequently seize with his claws, as he flosited in Mr Peale’s museum : .This bird mea-sures thirteen inches in length ; the the two middle tail feathers, and the interior ^""es of the next, (except at the tip,) are black, glossed "h steel-blue ; all the secondaries, except the three "’‘4 the bod 3 ’-, are tvhite for an inch at their extre- jy'f’e.s, forming a large spot of white on that part, when ho wing is shut; the tail is rounded; yet the two j |ddle feathers ore somewhat shorter than those ad- JO'iiing; all the rest are pure white, except as already ‘"scribed ; the general colour of the head, neck, and ho* 7^0 exploring party, under Captains Clark and Lewis, men- at p. 16S, by which this bird was discovered. 250 convus PICA. body, above and beloiv, is a lig-ht silky drab, darkening almost to a dove colour on the breast and belly ; vent, white ; claws, black, large, and hooked, particularly the middle and hind claw ; legs, also black ; bill, a dark liorii colour ; iris of the eye, unknown. In the state of Georgia, and several parts of West Florida, T discovered a crow, not hitherto taken notice of by naturalists, rather larger than the present species, but much resembling it in the form and length of its wings, in its tail, and i)articularly its claws. This bird is a constant attendant along the borders of streams and stagnating ponds, feeding on small lish and lizards, wliicli I Iiave many times seen him seize as he swept along the surface. A well ])rcservcd .specimen of this bird was presented to Mr Peale, and is now in hiS musetim. It is highly probable, that, n ith these ex- ternal resemblances, the habits of both may he nearly alike. SUBGENOS II. P/Ca, BRISSON. 62 . CORVVS FICA. MAGPIE. WILSOM, PLATE XXXV. FIG. II. Tins bird is ranch better known in Europe than n’ this country, where it has not been long diseovered! although it is now found to inhabit a wide extent c* territory, and in great iiumliers. The description vvaS taken from a very beautiful S|)eeimeu, sent from th® Mand.an nation, on the Missouri, to Mr Jelfer.son, an* by that gentleman to Mr Peale of this city, in whose museum it lived for several months, and where I had i’*’ opportunity of examining it. On carefully compai’in? it with the European m.agpie in the same collection, material difference could be perceived. This bird unites in its character courage and cunuiiirj turbulence and rapacity. Not inelegantly formed, n>'‘. distinguished by gay as well as splendid plumage, has long been noted in those countries where he cc"*' monly resides, and his habits and manners are thor MAGPIE. 251 ^**niliarly known. He is particularly pernicious to plantations of young oaks, tearing up tke acorns ; and ^Iso to birds, dc.stroying great numbers of their eggs ^nd young, even young chickens, partridges, grouse, ^•>d pheasants. It is perhaps on this last account that llie whole vengeance of the game laws has lately been J^t loose upon him in some parts of Britain, as appears “y accounts from that quarter, where premiums, it is *aid, arc offered for his head, as an an li poacher ; and Paiudties inflicted on all those who permit him to breed their premises. Under the lash of such rigorous persecution, a few years will probably exterminate the ''’hole tribe from tlie island. He is also destructive to Hardens and orchards ; is noisy and restless, almost Constantly living from jilace to place ; alights on the , acks of the cattle, to riil them of the larvm that fester Jo the skin ; is content with cai-rion ivhcn nothing oetter offers ; eats various kinds of vegetables, and 'lovours greedily grain, worms, and insects of almost description. When domesticated, he is easily ^aght to imitate the human voice, and to articulate Jcords pretty distinctly ; has all the pilfering habits of o's tribe, filling every chink, nook, and crevice, with "'hatever he can carry off; is subject to the epilepsy, Cc some similar disorder; and is, on the whole, a crafty, Costless, and uoi.sy bird. , Pic generally selects a tall tree, adjoining the farm Ijouse, for his nest, which is placed among the highest “'■auches ; this is large, composed outn ardly of sticks, '•'ots, turf, and dry weeds, and well lined with wool, ’•'•''v hair, and feathers ; the whole is surrounded, roofed, ’"*<1 hiirricaded with thorns, le.aving only a narrow ^''trance. The eggs arc usually five, of a greenish .'•'our, marked with numerous black or dusky spots. the northern part.s of Europe, he migrates at the '^"•Umeucement of winter. l« this country, the magi)ie was first taken notice of the factories," or trading houses, on Hudson’s Bay, ^here the Indians used sometimes to bring it in, and it the name of Heart-bird, — for what reason is 252 COKVUS PICA. uncertain. It appears, however, to be rather rare in that quarter. These circumstances are taken notice ot by Mr Peun.ant and other British naturalists. In 1804, the cxplorinjf party under the command of Captains Lewi.s and Clark, on their route to the Paciti*' Ocean across the continent, first met with the rnagpi* somewhere near the great bend of the Missouri, anil found that the number of these birds increased a.s thejf advanced. Here also the blue jay disappeared ; as the territorial boundaric.s and jurisdiction of these two tioisy and voracious families of the same tribe had been mutually agreed on, and distinctly settled. Bid the magpie w.is found to be far more daring than the jay, dashing into their very tents, and carrying oil' the meat from the dishes. One of the hunters who accoiii' panied the expedition 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 foo* or two of his head. On the shores of the Kooskoos-ki^ river, on the west side of the great range of rocky mountain.s, they were found to be equally numerous. It is highly probable that those vast plains or prairieSi abounding with game and cattle, frequently killed fC the mere hides, tallow, or even marro«' bones, may bi^ one great inducement for the residency of these birds> so fond of llesh and carrion. Even the rigorous severity, of winter in the high regions along the head waters n* Rio du Rord, the Arkaasaw, and Red River, seetf® insufficient to force them from tliose favourite liaunts* though it appears to increase their natural voracity h* a very uncommon degree. Colonel Pike relates, thst in the month of December, in the neighbourhood of tb® North Mountain, N. lat. 41° long. .04°, Reaumur '’ thermometer standing at 17° below 6, these birds wer^ seen in great numbers. “ Our horses,” says “ were obliged to scrape the snow away to obtain thek miserable pittance ; and, to increase their misfortune^’ the poor animals were attacked by the magpies, " bi'' attracted by the scent of their sore backs, alighted n>' BLUE JAY. S53 tl'ciii, and, in defiance of their ivincing- and kicking', picked many places quite raw. The difficulty of pro- curing food rendered those birds so bold, as to alight on Cur men’s arms, and eat meat out of their hands.”# Tlie magpie is eighteen inches in leng'th ; the head, •'cck, upper part of the breast and back, are a deep '■elvety black ; primaries, brownish black, streaked ^ong their inner vanes with white; secondaries, rich purplish blue ; greater coverts, green blue; scapulars, iorver part of the breast and belly, white; thighs and ^«nt, black ; tail, long; the two e.vterior feathers scarcely ^f the length of the longest, the others iucreasiiig the two middle ones, which taper towards their Cstremities. The colour of this part of the plumage is '^ery splendid, being glossy green, dashed with blue and '‘right purple; this hast col our bounds the green; nostrils, Covered with a thick tuft of recumbent hairs, as are ulso the sides of the mouth ; bill, legs, and feet, glossy ‘‘lack. The female differs only in the less brilliancy of her plumage. SCIiCESa’S 11. — GAnBUI.US, bbisson. 63. COBruS CBISTATBS, WBIS BLUEJAV. WILSON, PLATE I. FICl. I. This elegant bird, •which, as far as I can learn, is Peculiar to North America, is distinguished as a kind of beau among the feathered tenants of our woods, by fhe brilliancy of his dress; and, like most other cox- Oombs, makes himself still more conspicuous by his "Oquacity, and the oddness of his tones and gestures. ”ho jay measures eleven inches iii length; the head is OiTianiented with a crest of light blue or jmrplo feathers, JJ’hich he can elevate or depress at jileasure ; a narrow o.Ue of black runs along the frontlet, rising on each ®'le higher than the eye, but not passing over it, as f-'atesby has represented, and as Pennant and many * Pike’s Journal, p. 170. 254 CORVUS CRISTATUS. others have described it; back and upper part of th? neck, a iine light purple, in which the blue predominates! a collar of black, proceeding from the hind head, passes with a graceful curve down each side of the neck to the upper part of the breast, where it forms a crescent ! chin, cheeks, throat, and belly, white, the three formef slightly tinged with blue ; greater wing-coverts, a rich blue ; exti'rior sides of the primaries, light blue, thos« of the secondaries, a deep purple, except the three feathers next the body, which are of a splendid light blue; all these, excej/t the primaries, are beautifully barred with crescents of black, and tipt with white! the interior sides of the wing feathere are dusky black! tail long and cuneiform, composed of twelve feathers ot a glossy light blue, marked at half inches with transverse curves of black, each feather being tipt with white, except the two middle ones, which deepen into a dark purple at the extremities. Breast and sides under the wings, a dirty white, faintly shiiued with purple ; inside of the mouth, the tongue, bill, legs, and claws, black! iris of the eye, hazel. The blue jay is an almost universal inhabitant oj the woods, frequenting the thickest settlements as wch as the deepest recesses of the forest, where his squalliui voice often alarms the deer, to the disappointment an® mortification of the hunter, — one of ivhom informci me, that he made it a point, in summer, to kill everV jay he could meet with. In the charming season 0‘ spring, when every thicket pours forth harmony, the part performed by the j. ay always catches the car. appears to be among his fellow musicians what the trumpeter is in a band, some of his notes having h® distant resemblance to the tones of that instrument- These he has the faculty of changing through a great variety of modulations, according to the parliculftt humour ho happens to bo in. BHien disposed fot ridicule, there is scarce a bird whose peculiarities ot song he cannot tune his notes to. When engaged in th® blandishments of love, they resemble the soft chattet' ings of a duck, and, while he nestles among the thick BIUE JAY. 255 l)ratichcs of tho cedar, are scarce heard at a few paces distance ; but he no sooner discovers your approach than he sets up a sudden and vehcineftt outcry, fij'ing’ t>ff, and screaniiuy with all his luig-ht, as if he called tile whole feathered tribes of the neijU'lihourliood to tfitness some outrageous usage he had received. When he hops undisturbed among the high branclies of the J*ak and hickory, they become soft and musical ; and his calls of the female a stranger would readily mistake tor the repeated screakings of an uiigreased wheel- harrow. All these he accompanies with various nods, Jocks, and other gestieulatious, for which the whole tribe of jays arc so remarkabh!, that, with some other peculiarities, they might have very well justified the b'ceat Swedish naturalist in forming them into a sepa- cate genus by themselves. The blue jay builds a large nest, freijnently in the eedar, sometimes on an api)le-tree, lines it with dry hbrous roots, and lays five eggs of a dull olive, spotted 'vith brown. Tbe male is. jiarticuhirlj'- careful of not heiug heard near the phua;, making his visits as silently Olid secretly as possible. His favourite food is chestnuts, Oeorus, and Indian corn. He occasionally feiuls on bugs '‘•Id caterpillars, and sometimes jiays a plundering visit ••> tho orchard, cherry rows, and potato patch ; and has •cen known, in times of scarcity, to venture into tho •Urn, through openings between the weather boards. ^•i these cases he is extremely active and silent, and, if Surprised in tho fact, makes his escape with ])recipita- •k>n, but without noise, as if conscious of his crimi* ••ality. Hf all birds he is the most bitter enemy to the owl. *0 sooner has he discovered the retreat of one of these, than he summons the whole feathered fraternity to his Assistance, who surround tin- glimmering aolitaire, and Attack him from all sides, raising such a shout as may lieurd, iu a still day, more than half a mile oft'. When, 'A my hunting excursions, 1 have jiassed near this fK*”® of tumult, 1 have imagined to myself that I heard insulting party venting theij' respective charges COnVUS CRISTATUS. 256 with all the viriilency of a Billingsgate moh ; the owl, meanwhile, returning every compliment with a broad goggling stare. The war becomes louder and louder, and the owl at length, forced to betake himself to flight, is followed by his whole train of persecutors, until driven beyond the boundaries of their jurisdiction. But the blue jay himself is not guiltless of similar depredations with the owl, and becomes in his turn the very tyrant he detested, n hen he sneaks through the woods, as he frequently does, and among the thicket.s and hedge-rows, plundering every nest he can find of its eggs, tearing up the cjillow young by piecemeal, and spreading alarm and sorrow around him. The cries of the distressed parents soon bring together a number of interested spectators (for birds in such circumstances seem truly to sympathize with ea<,-h other,) and he is sometimes attacked with such spirit as to be under the necessity of making a speedy retreat. He will sometimes assault small birds, with the inten- tion of killing and devouring them ; an instance of which I myself once witnessed, over a piece of woods near the borders of Schuylkill; where I saw hiin engaged for more than five minutes pursuing what I took to be a species of motacilla (?/i. maculosa, yello"' rump,) wheeling, darting, and doubling in the air, and, ait last, to ray great satisfiiction, got disappointed, iu the escape of his intended prey. In times of great extremity, when his hoard or magazine is frozen up, buried iii snow, or perhaps exhausted, he becomes very voracious, and will make a meal of whatever carrion or othet animal substance comes iu the way, and has been found regaling himself on the bowels of a robin (turebi^ mif/ratorius) in less than five minutes after it was shot- There are, however, individual exceptions to this general character for plunder and outrage, a proneness for which is probably often occasioned by the wan^ and irritations of necessity. A blue jay, which I ha'’^ kept for some time, and with whom I am on terms d femiliarity, is in reality a very notable example of ness of disposition and sociability of manners. ^ BLUE JAY. 257 accident in the woods first put me in possession of this bird, while in full plumage, and in high health and spirits ; I carried him home Avith me, and put him into a cage already occupied by a golden-Avinged woodpecker (^picus auratus,) where he Aras saluted Avith such rude- ness, and rcceiA'ed such a drubbing from the lord of the manor, for cuitering his premises, that, to save his life, I was obliged to take him OAit again. I then put him into another cage, Avhere the oidy tenant Avas a female orioltts spurius (bastard baltimore.) She also put on airs of alarm, as if she considered herself endangered and insulted by the intrusion ; the jay, meanwhile, sat mute and motionless on the bottom of the cage, either dubious of his OAvn situation, or Avilling to alloAv time for the fears of his neighbour to subside. Accordingly, in a few minutes, after displaying various threatening gestures (like some of those Indians Ave read of in their first iutervieAA’S AA'ith the Avhites,) she began to make her approaches, but AA’ith great circumspection, and readiness for retreat. Seeing, hoAvcvcr, the jay begin to pick up some (trumbs of broken chestnuts, in a humble and peaceable Avay, she also descended, and began to do the same ; hut, at the slightest motion of her neAv guest, wheeled round, and ])ut herself on the defensive. All this ceremonious jealousy vanished before evening ; and they now roost together, feed, and play together, in perhjct harmony and good humour. When the jay goes to drink, his messmate very impu- dently jumj)s into the saucer to wash herself^ thrOAving the Avater in shoAvers over her companion, Avho hears it all patiently ; venturing noAV and then to take a sip between every splash, Avithout betraying the smallest token of irritation. On the contrary, he seems to take pleasure in his little felloAA'-prisoner, aUoAving her to pick (Avhich she does very gently) about his Avhiskers, and to clean his cIuaa's from the minute fragments of chestnuts Avhich happen to adhei'e to them. This attachment on the one part, and mild condescension on the other, may, perhaps, he partly the effect of Bautual misfortunes, Avhich are found not only to knit VOL. I. R 9 258 COEVUS CRISTATUS. mankind, Init many species of inferior animals, more closely together; and shews that the disposition ot the blue iay may be linmanized, and rendered susceptible of affectionate impressions, even for those birds which, in a state of nature, he w'ould have no hesitation in making a meal of. He is not only bold and vociferous, but possesses a considerable talent for mimicry, and seems to enjoy great satisfaction in moihing and teasing other birds, particularly the little haw-k (/ Sparverius,) imitating his cry wherever he sees him, and squealing out as it cauo-ht : this soon brings a number of his own tribe around him, who all join in the frolic, darting about the haw'k, and feigning the cries of a bird sorely wounded, and already under the clutches of its de vourer ; while others lie concealed in bushes, ready to second their associates in the attack. But this ludicrous tarce often terminates tragically. The hawk, singling out one of the most insolent and provoking, sweeps upon him in an unguarded moment, and offers him up a sacri- fice to his hunger and resentment. In an instant the tune is changed ; all their buffoonery vanishes, and loud and incessant screams proclaim their disaster. Wherever the jay has had the advantage of educa- tion from man, lie has not only shewn himself an apt scholar, but bis suavity of manners seems equalled only by his art and contrivances ; though it must be confessed, that his itch for thieving keeps pace with all his other acquirements. Dr Mease, on the authority of Colonel Postell, of South Carolina, informs me, that a blue jay which was brought up in the family ot the latter gentleman, had all the tricks and loquacity ot a parrot; pilfered every thing he could conveniently carry oft', and hid them in boles and crevices ; answered to his name with great sociability, when called on; could articulate a number of w irds pretty distinctly; and, when he heard any uncommon noise, or loud talk- ing,’ seemed impatient to contribute his share to the general festivity (as he probably thought it) by a display of all the oratorical powers he was possessed ot BLUE JAY, 259 Mr Bartram relates an instance of the jay’s sagacity, worthy of remark. “ Having caught a jay in the winter season,” says he, “ I turned him loose in the green-house, and fed him with corn, (zea, maize,) the heart of which they are very fond of. Thi.s grain being ripe and hard, the bird at first found a difficulty in hreakiiig- it, as it would start from his hill when he struck it. After looking about, and, as if considering for a moment, he picked up liis grain, carried and placed it close u[) in a corner on the shelf, between the wall and a ])laut box, where, being confined on three sides, he soon effected his purpose, and continued afterwards to make use of this same pra(d.ical expedient. The jay,” continues this judicious observer, “ is one of the most useful ag(mts in the economy of nature, for disseminating I'orest trees, and other ruciferous and hard-seeded veg-etables on which they feed. Their chief employment, during the autumnal season, is foraging to supply their winter stores. In performing this neces.sary duty, they drop abundance of seed in their flight over fields, hedges, and by fences, where they alight to deposit them in the post holes, &c. It is remarkable what numbers of young trees rise up in fields and pastures after a wet winter and spring. These birds alone are capable, in a few' years’ time, to replant all the cleared lands.” * The blue jays seldom associate in any considerable numbers, except in the months of September aird October, when they hover about, in scattered parties of from forty to fifty, visiting the oaks, in search of their favourite acorns. At this season they are less shy than usual, and keep chattering to each other in a variety of strange and querulous notes. I have counted fifty-three, hut never more, at one time; and these generally following each other in struggling irregularly from one range of woods to another. Yet W'e are told by the learned Dr Latham, — and his statement has been copied into many respectable European publications, — that the * Letter of Mr M'illiam Bartram to the author. 260 CORVUS CRISTATUS. blue jays of North America “ often unite into flocks of twenty thousand at least ! which, alighting on a field of ten or twelve acres, soon lay waste the whole.” * If this were really so, these birds would justly deserve the character he gives them, of being the most destructive s)>ecies in America. But I will venture the assertion, that the tribe oriolus phwnicens, or red-winged black- birds, in the environs of the river Delaware alone, devour and destroy more Indian corn than the whole blue jays of North America. As to their assembling in such immense multitudes, it may bo sufficient to observe, that a flock of blue jays of twenty thousand would bo as extraordinary an appearance in Amerit^a, as the same number of magpies or cuckoos n'ould be in Britain. It has been frequently said, that numbers of birds are common to the United States and Europe ; at present, however, I am not certain of many, ('omparing the best descriptions and delineations of the European ones with those of our native birds, said to be of the same species, either the former are very erroneous, or the difference of |)lumage and habits in the latter justifies us in considering a great proportion of them to be really distinct species. Be this, however, as it may, the blue jay appears to belong exclusively to North America. I cannot find it mentioned by any H'riter or traveller among the bii’ds of Guiana, Brazil, or any other part of South Ameritia. It is equally unknown in Africa, In Europe, and even in the eastern parts of Asia, it is never seen in its wild state. To ascertain the exact limits of its native regions, would be diflicult. These, it is highly probable, will be found to be bounded by the extremities of the temperate zone. Dr Latham has in- deed asserted, that the blue jay of America is not found farther north than the town of Albany. j- This, how- ever, is a mistake. They are common in the eastern * Synopsis of Sirds, vol. i. p. 387. See also Eneyclopmdia Eritamnca, art, Corvus. f Synopsis, vol. i. p. 387. BLUE JAY. 261 States, and are mentioned by Dr Belknap in his enume- ration of the birds of New Hampshire.* * * § They are also natives of Newfoundland. I myselt have seen them in Upper Canada. Blue jays and yellow birds were found by Mr M'Kenzic, when on his journey across the continent, at the bead waters of the Un- jigah, or Peace river, in N. lat. 54°, W. Ion. 121°, on the west side of the f^reat rangfe of stony mountains, j- Steller, who, in 1741, accom]>anied Captain Behring in his expedition, for the discovery of the northwest coast of America, and who wrote the journal of the voyage, relates, that he himself vvent on shore near cape'^St Elias, in lat. 58° 28' W. Ion. 141° 46', according^ to his estimation, where he ohserved several species of birds not known in Siberia ; and one, in particular, described by Catesby, under the name of the bluejiiy.j: Mr William Bartram informs me, that they are numerous in the peninsula of Florida, and that he also found them at Natchez, on the Mississi])pi. Captain Lewis and Clark, and their intrepid companions, in their memo- rable expedition across the continent of North America to the Pacilic ors streaked u ith lateral bars of yellow ; the nostrils, covered with bristles ;* the feathers on the chin, loose and tufted ; the win;,rs, black ; and , the raarkinirs of white and black on the sides of the head different from the American, which is as follows : — Length, seven inches, extent, eleven inches; head, neck, breast, upper part of the back and wing-coverts, | a dark fawn colour; darkest on the back, and brightest on the front ; head, ornamented with a high pointed, I almost upright, crest; line from the nostril over the eye to the hind head, velvety black, bordered above with a fine line of white, and another line of white I passes from the tower mandible; chin, black, gradually | brightening into fan n colour, the feathers there lying I extremely close ; bill, black ; upper mandible, nearly ' triangular at the base, ivithont bristles, short, rounding at the point, ndiere it is deeply notched ; the lower scolloped at the tij), and turning up ; tongue, as in the rest of the genus, broad, thin, cartilaginous, and lacerated at the end; belly, yellow; vent, white; wings, deep slate, except the ttvo secondaries next the body, w'hose exterior vanes are of a fawn colour, and interior ones, white ; forming two tvhitish strips there, which are very conspicuous ; rumi) and tail-coverts, pale light blue ; tail, the same, gradually deepening into black, and tipt for half an inch with rich yellon'. Six or seven, and sometimes the whole nine, secondary feathers of the wings, are ornamented at the tips with small red oblong appendages, resembling red sealing-wax ; these ^ appear to he a prolongation of the shafts, and to be intended for preserving the ends, and consequently the vanes, of the quilLs, from being broken and worn away * Turton. CEDAR BIRD. 269 by the almost continual fluttering' of the bird among thick branches of the cedar. The feathers of those birds, which are without these appendages, are uni- formly found ragged on the edges ; but smooth and perfect in those on whom the marks ai’e full and numerous. These singular marks have been usually considered as belonging to the male alone, I'rom the circimistance, perhaps, of finding female birds without them. Tlu^y are, however, common to both male and female. Six of the latter are now lying before me, each with large and numerous clusters- of eggs, and having the waxen appendages in full perfection. The young birds do not receive them until the second fall, when, in moulting time, they may be seen fully formed, as the feather is developed from its sheath. I have once or twice found a solitary one on tlie extremity of one of the tail feathers. The ej'e is of a dark blood colour ; the legs and claws, black ; the inside of the mouth, orange ; gap, wide ; and the gullet capable of such distension as often to contain twelve or fifteen cedar berries, and serving as a kind of