espe ee vie eile, owe ovis OE ea eer tete“y as Nant i ar we i oat AWS ive Wy yay i ‘ ( if Simate Creation: POPULAR EDITION OF oiereivING WORLD, Mowe nA HISTORY Tue Rev. J. G. Woop. ( iA ann REVISED AND ADAPTED TO Pi Ne rehO AIN ZOOLOGY, BY JOSEPH B: HOLDER, M-.D., Fellow of the New York Academy of Sciences; Member of the Society of Naturalists, HE. U. 8.; Member of the American Ornithologists’ Union ; Curator of Vertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park, New York. FULLY ILLUSTRATED WITH SCIENTIFIC ACCURACY. VOL. IV. INGE VVa OOH IK : SivleM AR HB S'S. O00 OO COPYRIGHT, 43TH OF OCTOBER, 1898 BY SELMAR HESS. at 2200 og wate ow Kae ons. = Or 2B Rhee enn REM ELECTROTYPED BY GC ; y PRINTED BY G Suira é McDoucGat 2 os Ge >: G. F, CLASS € NEW YORK i < a NEW YORK = HG cig WE EG aes Dee CON EE NES. PAGE Tribe CONTROSTRES; OR CONE-BILLED BIRDs (Continued). Sub-Family GRACULINE; GRAKLES...........+-002005> 317 Mino Bird—Gracula musica... 317 Sub-Family BUPHAGIN®; BEEF EATER African Beef-Eater—Buphayuw erythrorhyncha 318 Sub-Family STURNINZ; TRUE STARLINGS............-- 319 Rose-Colored Pastor—Pastor roseus.........-.+ 319 Common Starling—Sturnus vulgaris............ 320 Sub-Family QUISCALIN®; BOAT-TAILED BIRDS........ 321 Great Boat-Tail —Quiscalus major...........+.- 321 Sub-Family IcTERIN 4; HANG-NEST BIRDS.............. 322 Orchard Oriole—Xanthornis Varius......-..-.. 322 Baltimore Oriole—Yphantes baltimore, or Icte- SraE RAVER UTYUAL sie niet cictelaceinaraiedeintedetarsvioyslaieia sina ee 324 Crested Oriole—Cacicus cristutus, or Ostinops (i WRKis Gop eecoopObORCOeHbORUdD boo JOCGOnTODOGOAG 825 Sub-Family ANGELAIN 2: Cow-Bird—Molothrus pecoris .........20-.000055 326 Red-Winged Starling— 4 gelaius phoeniceus.... 328 Bobolink—Dolichonyx oryzivorus... Family FRINGILLID£ ; FINCHES: Sub- Family PLOCEL Sociable Weaver Bird—Philetaerus socius. Paradise Widabh Kird—Vidua parudisea........ Sub Family CoccOTHRAUSTIN © ; HAWFINCHES........-. 336 Cardinal Grosbeak—Cardinalis virginianus.... 336 Sub-Family TANAGRINZ; TANAGRINE BIRDS........-- 839 Scarlet Tanayger—Pyranga rubra....... sais . 33s Sub-Family FRINGILLINZ ; TRUE FINCHES........- is Gouldian Finch—A madina gowldil... 0... e eee : Goldfinch—Fringilla carduelas.........00000005+ : Sparrow—Passer domesticus ........0...00005+05 346 Seb lve Te Erpated Sparrow—Zonotrichia albicol- US) cabo. cobuabap epee san Dube SRG poraobnernocccdas 347 Sharp-Tailed Finch—A mmodromus caudacutus 348 Sub-Family EMBERIZINA; BUNTINGS.........-.. +. -.. 348 Yellow Bunting—Emberiza citrinella.......... 348 Black-Throated Bunting—Euspiza americana... 351 Snow Bunting —Plectrophanes nivalis.......... 372 Sub-Family ALAUDINA; LARKS..........-.65 354 Sky-Lark—Alauda arvensis .. 354 Pencilled Lark — Otocoris pencillatus........ vee. 306 Sub-Family PYRRHAULIN&: Bullfinch—Pyrrhula rubicilla ...... sqandoocd 358 Sub-Family LOXIAN2; CROSSBILLS.............0eeee eee 361 Crossbill—Lowia curvirostris...........0eeeeee0 j Sub-Family PaYTOTOMIN.Z; PLANT CUTTERS..... Chilian Plant-Lutter—Phytotomarara....... - Family CoLip2: Senegal Coly—Colius Macrourus........06-.005+ 364 Family MusopHacip#®; Sub-Family MUSOPHAGIN ©; PANT ATNHPACR RRS ira ere dete eteteltiefelalelclarelelujels(elsieieielsiele 365 Violet Plantain-Eater—Musophaga violacea.... White-Crested Touraco—Turacus albocristatus. Blue Plantain-Eater—Schizorhis giganteuw...... 366 Sub-Family OPISTHOCOMIN & : Hoatzin—Ovpisthucomus Cristatus... 6.2.60... eeee 367 Family BUCEROTID#; HORNBILLS.............0.2- woes 367 hinoceros Hornbill—Buceros rhinoceros...... 368 Order SCANSORES; or CLIMBING BIRDS.......... 371 Family RHAMPHASTID: Toco—Rhumphust0sS tuc0.......6..-0000+ papcacociil Family PsitTactp®; Parrots; Sub Family PEZzoO- PORIN; GROUND PARRAKEETS.............--- 374 Parrakeet Cockatoo—Nymphicus landiw .........00 mileiere cieteiiom tereisteinteisteciarsiatesl feieie 7 Yellow-Bellied Parrakeet—Platycercus caledon- Uniit Goobancpondic coga6ug po COnOnOCHCODODRDOUDOOOD 376 Ground Parrakeet—Pezophorus formosus..... 377 Ringed Parrakeet—Palucornis torquatus...... 378 Warbling Grass Parrakeet —Melopsittacus un- (HUE Bora Sor cedoua auc SOBCOnUE SBE OOCLON Te Ooon 381 Blue-Banded Grass Parrakeet—Euphema chrys- ostoma...... nopadaanovcoe Shou Conon UOHOUDOOMOODOD Scaly-Breasted Lorrikeet—Trichoglossus chloro- UG NIGHTS Sododoquosbeccd Sub-Family ARAINZ; MACAWS Blue and Yellow Macaw—Ara ararauna...... Carolina Parrot—Conurus carolinensis........ 386 Vor. IV.—N. E. iil PAGE Sub-Family LORINE: LORTES.....0.0.sssereesseeusccoess 389 Papuan Lory—Chiarmosynd papud..........++ 389 Purple-Capped Lory—Lorius domicettus, or Domiceliaatricunvilar ick 0. -cee oe suiee nee 39€ Sub-Family PSITTACINA; TRUE PARROTS .........---++ 39 Gray Parrot—Psittacus erythacus..........+.+. 891 Festive Green Parrot—Chrysotis festivus........ 394 Swindern’s Love-Bird—Psittacui/a swinderniana 396 Sub-Family CACUTUINE:; Ct CRATOOS...........ce0eee- 396. Goliath Aratoo—Microglossus aterrimus......++ 396 Great White Cockatoo—Cacatua cristata, or Plictolophus Moluccensts 2.2 scccsces cavaneccss 398 Philip Island Parrot—Nestor productus.......- 41.0: Helmet Cockatoo—Calyptorrhynchus galeatus 413 Owl Parrot—Strinyops habroptilus......... .. 405 Presquet’s Dasyptilus— Dusyptilus Presquetit.. 405 Family Pictp& ; WoopPECKERS; Sub-Family CAPITON TN AS BARBETS “eyaaeistcletrestetieite erica saat 406 Hair-Breasted Barbet—Laimodon hirsutus.... 406 Sub-Family PICUMNIN A: PICULETS........-++eseeeeees 407 Pigmy Piculet—Picumnus minutus.....-..++++ 407 Sub-Family PicIN&%; TRUE WOODPECKERS.......- -.. 408 Great Spotted Woodpecker..Picus major...... 408 Ivory Billed Woodpecker—Campephilus princi- HHS Seon ocac oUt an den cens nb ohOGonbouEeLGcaoan one. 411 Sub-Family GECININA; GREEN WOODPECKERS.......- 415 Green Wood pecker—Gecinus (or Picus) viridis.. 415 Sub-Family MALANERPIN& ; BLACK WOODPECKERS: Red-Headed W oodpecker—Meclanerpes (or Picus) CrythrocepNalus ....-..02220-ee2seercee peo od oer 41 Sub-Family CoLAPTIN® ; GROUND WOODPECKERS.....- 419 Gold-Winged Woodpecker—Colaptes auratus.. 419 Sub-Family YUNCIN&#: Wryneck—Jynx torquilld......ce cece cece ceeceees 421 Family CucuLip#; Cuckoos; Sub-Family INDICATOR- es ine 9) se onnabodsbodousoropnonadsunecoaqaouodoneaas 2 Great Honey Guide—Indicator major.......--- 423 Sub-Family SAUROTHERIN &; GROUND CUCKOOS.......- 425 Rain-Bird—Saurothera vetuld ... ..-...ee eves 425 Sub-Family Coccyz1n ®; LARK-HEELED CUCKOOS....-- 426 Pheasant Cuckoo--Centropus phasianus.......+ 426 Yellow- Billed American Cuckoo—Coccygus GINGTUCATUNG cae ciewinlals siaieie s[aletsieveintelclsia'eralsialsje\aieiste 427 Sub-Family CROTOPHAGIN®: Savannah Blackbird—Crotophaga ani.... . 428 Channel-Bill—Scythrops nove hollandi@...... 430 Sub-Family CucuLINa; TRUE CUCKOOS...........-+++++ 431 Cuckoo—Cuculu8 CANOTUS ......6. eee eee eee eee 431 Order COLUMBZE; DOVES AND PIGEONS.........- 435, Family CoLumMBip&; Sub Family COLUMBINE: Oceanic Fruit Pigeon—Carpophaga oceanica.. 435 Passenger Pigeon—Ectopistes migratorius...... 436 Stock Dove—Columba Gends..........00e cee eee 442 Top-Knot Pigeon—Lopholaimus antarcticus.. 446 Turtle-Dove—Turtur VULGQTI8 ......0ceess esses 446 Sub-Family GOURIN#: Crested Pigeon—Ocyphaps (or Phaps) lophotes 448 Bronze-Wing Pigeon—Phaps chalcopterd...... 449 Wanya-Wonga Figeon—Leucosarcia picata.... 450 Nicobar Pigeon—Cala@nas nicobarica........+-- 450 Crowned Pigeon—Gawru (or Columba) coronata 451 Sub-Family DIDUNCULIN®: a ; Yooth-Billed Pigeon—Didunculus strigirostris 452 Sub-Family DIMINE .........ce cece cence reece teen eens 453 Dodo—Didus imeptus.........ceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees 453 Order GALLINZ; THE POULTRY....... Baciseaieetes 455 Family CrRactip#; Sub-Family CRACIN#: Crested Curassow—Craw alector...... sole sielaie sie/oh 0D: Family MecApopip&; Sub-Family MEGAPODIN& : Australian Jungle Fowl—Megapodius tumulus 457 Leipoa—Leipod ocellat@........cee see sseeeeeeeee . 458 Sub-Family TALLEGALLIN 4: Brush Turkey—Tallegalla lathami .......+.+-- 459 Family PHAsIANID#; Sub-Family PAVONIN®; PEA- COGES ter natrtoereion ciseissistelesiaielarcielsstotete atciestelsterefelaier=te\= 462 Peacock—Pavo. Cristatus .....0..2ccccccceereeres 462 Crested Peacock Pheasant—Polyplectron napo- VWEONTS ecciceccccrccccevececeececice: sceceeeesioece CONTENTS. PAGE Sub-Family PHASIANINA; PHEASANTS...........+.08- 464 Argus Pheasant—Argus giganteus........-..0++ 464 Pheasant—Phasianus Colchicus.........+.0+000- 465 Sub-Family GALLIN 2 Golden Phausint Gallophasts (or Thawmalea) LOHAN has Rab panandnnoavoodg paponboonaodce. gone Bor 467 Bankiva Jungle Fowl -Gallus Bankiva......-. 471 Horned Trapogan—Ceriornis satyrd........--+- 473 Sub-Family MELEAGRINA:; TURKEYS............00000- 473, Turkey—Meleagris gallopavo .... ccc cece cee e oe 4% Guinea Fowl—Numida pucherani.........2.00+ 417 Sub-Family LOPHOPHORIN 4: Impeyan Pheasant—Lophophorus impeyanus.. 478 Family TETRAONIDA; Sub-Family PERDICINA........ 479 Partridge—Perdix CINETCUS one ons Laljecatete elo Red- Legged Partridge—Caccabis ’ 481 Sanguine Francolin—I/thaqinis cruentus Quail—Coturnix COMMUNI. .... 6.6 cece ee eee oe Sub-Family ODONTOPHORIN & : Virginian Quail—Ortyx virginiana....... 484 Sub-Family TETRAONIN : Capercaillie—Tetrao wrogallas..........0.e eee 487 Willow Grouse—Lagopus albus.........-.+++-+ 495 Sub Family PTEROCLIN & : Sand Grouse—Pterocles erustus........++.+0+++ 498 Family oN &; Sub-Fumily CHIONIDINA ; SHEATH- Me IES LIES Wiarere victaleteiatetete = oie isle arate taisienieinieleterebetastescateierei= oN White sheath: Bill—Chionis alba.........0.+..0- 499 Family TINAMIDA 3; TINAMOUS.......-....0cecscece-eeees 499 Elegant Tina .ou—Tinumotis eiegans........-- 499 Order STRUTHIONES; orn RUNNING BIRDS........ 501 Family STRUTHIONID.®; Sub-Family STRUTHIONIN & : Ostrich—Struthio camels ..........02eeee ee eee 5OL Emeu—Dromaius nove hollandia. 504 Rhea—Rhed@ AMETICANA, .....0. cr ccc ace ecenn ces 505 Cassowary—Casuarius galeatus...........005 ++ 507 Sub-Family APTERYGINE: Apteryx—aA pteryx Australis ...........0eeee rene 511 Sub-Family OTININ 2: Great Bustard—Otis. CaTdd.........ccccccceeeees 514 Order GRALLA; on LONG-LEGGED BIRDS.......- 514 Family CHARADRIAD.®: Sub Family CEDICNEMIN & : Great Plover—(@dicnemus crepitams........-.++ 517 Sub-Family GLAREOLIN & : Pratincole—Glareola pratincold..............-. 518 Sub-Family CURSORIN &: Cream-Colored Conrser—Cursorius gallicus, or PETAVIUSNOL GU DULG crereieiajelaialoiciatotetatelstoestararalelatlaveteloiels\aicle 519 Sub-Family CHARADRIN A: Lapwing— Varnellus cristatus..... .ccccceeeenees 519 Golden Plover—Charadrvus plivialis8.......... 521 Sub-Family H®MATOPODINE : Oyster-Catcher—Hcematopus ostralegus.......- 529 Sub Family CINCLIN ©: Turnstone—Cinclus INter pres. . 1... eeeeeeececees 531 Family ARDEID.©; Sub-Firmily PSOPHIN” : Golden-Breasted Trumpeter—Psophia erepitans 532 Cariama—Curiama cristata, or Dicholophus (HAA en poconopododonncaaodoenodooganucuddouEean 533 Sub-Family GRUIN®: CrADE— GUS ClMVOTEM i slaisio cm cic cieieios lolarsisiecicterateieiees) 533 Demoiselle Crane—Scops (or -Anthropoides) DEN Owe cela a cd leieae as oa acne cielatste ctetelatelaisietatarsieitien kOOD Crowned Crane—Baleurica pavonind ........-. 536 Sub-Family ARDEIN& : American KEyret—Herodias alba egretta, or AR MEWU: CUTEUEC ctoicic,cuisis:s(010's o1e.0 .. 537 Bittern—Botaurus stellaris.........0c.seeceeeees 545 Nankeen Night-Heron—Nycticorax caledonicus 549 Boat Bill—Caneroma cochleared........ 0... eens 550) Spoonbill—Platalea leucorodia,............ 00s 551 Sub-Family CICONIN & ; STORKS: StOrk—CtCOMLaR AUD isc siatratese sy atniee sisis eeticGieciscte 552 Adjutant—Leptoptilus crumenifer.............. 553 Jabirus—M ycteria senegalensis .........0.0 0c ee 555, Whale-Headed Stork—Bala@niceps rex.......... 557 Vou. IV.—-N. E. PAGE SUD-MAMiLy) WAN TIA LINAN Ou BISeomeenacersetecicctenccstesecist. 559 Sacred Ibis—Ibis aethiopica ................... 559 Straw-Necked Ibis—Geronticus spinicollis...... 560 Family SCOLOPACIDA ; Sub-Family LIMOSINA.........+ 562 Curlew—Numenius CUP OWLS ooo tarcrei case s ctetateielersiatels 562 Black-Tailed Godwit—Limosa cegocephala...... 565 Sub-Family TOTANINA; SANDPIPERS............e00-e00 568 Green Sandpiper—Totaunus Ochropus..........-- 568 Common Sandpiper—Tringoides hypoleuca.... 569 Sub-Family RECURVIROSTRIN & : Avocet—Recurvirostra Qv0cettd .........cee eens 569 Stilt Plover—Himantopus candidus...........- 570 Sub-Family TRINGIN & : Rutf—Philomachus (or Machetes) pugnax.... 571 Knot—Iyinoam CaNUiusSieeoetnccect eects 571 Sub-Family SCOLOPACIN & : Great Snipe—Gallinago Major...........-..-+5- 575 Woodcock—Scolopax rusticola.... .....6. see ee 577 Sub-Family PHALAROPODIN &: Gray Phalarope—Phalaropus i aaa sestorersiete 578 Family PALAMEDEID.®; Sub-Family PARRIN & Mexican Jacana— Parra gymnostoma. . ageddd 2 Chinese Jacana—Hydrophasianus Chinensis.... 579 Sub-Family PALAMEDEIN 4; SCREAMERS..... -........+ 580 Horned Screamer—Palameddea cornuta........ 580 Crested Screamer—Chauna cristatus............ 581 Family RALLIDA; RAILS; Sub-Family RALLINA....... 581 Water Rail—Rallus aquaticus.............0..06- 581 Corncrake— Ortyqgometr@ CTX....0. eee ee cere eens 585 Sub-Family GALLINULINA: Hyacinthine Gallinule—Porphyrio veterum..... 586, Water Hen—Gallinula chloropus........-....+.. 587 COOC—_ FUE CON UT Ore einietsieseisrtoversieleteteloteisisieciele cieiereietele 589 Order ANSERES; THE GOOSE, SWAN, DUCK, Etc... 590 Family ANATIDA; Sub-Family PHGNICOPTERIN 4: Flamingo—Phanicupterus Tuber... 6... eee peice DOO, Sub- Family PLECTROPTERIN& : Spur-Winged Goose—Plectrophanes gambensis. 592 Cape Barron Goose—Cereopsis (or Anser) nove La a hs i) aaa Oe RA bon ors c00 coMOmnODontewiesdnr 593 Bernicle Goose—Bernicla leucopsis...........+.+ 594 Sub-Family CYGNIN2: : Mute Swan—Cygnus O17... ...c.-.escecccsccees 597 Sub-Family ANATINZ ; TRUE DUCKS................-.6 601 Mandarin Duck—A ix qalericulata...... 26... 601 Widgeon—Mareca penelope. 601 Mallard—A nis DOSCNUS........0005- 000s 603 Teal—Querquedula ereccea 603 Shoveller Duck—Spatula clypeata .............. 605 SUub-Family HUELG ULNA eltelerepstetetstersietstelelole/evelereicielieleratsiests 606 Pochard Dun-Bird— TO COMLETLTUO ne iatsinelen tie ee 606 Common Dick=Somater ia Mollissimd.........- 610 Sub-Family MERGIN A,....... ec ee eee es shosauenonn -. 612 Goosander— Mergus mergauser ........ ..- -. 612 Smew—Mergellus Qlbewus.......... 0.0.2 cee eee eee 612 Family CoLyMBID&; DIVERS; Sub-Family COLYMBIN& 613 Great Northern Diver—Colymbus glacialis..... 613 Sub-Family PODICEPINE; GREBES............-.6.eeeeee 614 Great Crested Grebe—Podiceps cristatus........ 614 Family ALcID&; Swh-Family ALCINA: AUKS. ........ 615 Great Auk—A/ca (or Plantus) impennis. Bp fanlls) Pufin—Fratercula arcticd.........++++6+ A .. 616 Swb-Family SPHENISCIN 4; PENGUINS.......... S50, (alt? King Penguin—4dA ptenodytes pennantii... 5 ily Sub-Family Urinz : 618 Guillemot G1@ tro ter iicisicle« Marauding Sparrows....... welcia’ste;s 346 PAGE African Beef-Hater ............-+++ 318 Rose-Colored Pastor.........--+.+++ 319 Common Starling, and Unicolored Stanlinwerercee eee siciscietesisccieccicrs 320 Greate Boat- Dall eectaccceiccise aele onic 321 Crested Oriole Cow Troopial Red-Winged Starling......... Rice Troopial, or Bobolink WEAVER BIRDS. Sociable Weaver Bird.............. 333 Gold, and Rufous-Necked Weaver Bind Naccrtccie Br itiesote safarsen va tena 334 Red-Billed, and Alecto Weaver Bird 335 HAWFINCHES, SPARROWS, BUNTINGS, AND LARKS. Cardinal Grosbeak, and Hawfinch.. 337 Wild!Canaryo.ccscces ssecicceeccere 345 Common English Sparrow and Tree SS DATO Wirseiscicictclelelemictenietelemeteisieietiele 346 White-Throated Sparrow.......... 347 Yellow Bunting, or Yellow Ammer 349 Ortolaneee.sct oc slesoreee nese encase 351 Snow Bunting? s..<.:0.s+sce09-- Lapland Longspur Wood-Lark, Sky Lark,and Bonnet- Manca acateciciseaele ss ewsccesnesencs 355 iBencilled@ Wark «..cseereccieceecne 357 PLANT CUTTERS, AND COLYS. Chilian Plant-Cutter .............. 364 SenegallColytsj-seciceceecuseee cect 364 Violet Plantain Fater.............. 366 HORNBILLS. Two-Horned Hornbill.............. 368 MOCO ecnsccercieseuestestersoceec ets 371 PARROTS. Gronpiofs Parrakeets*: os. sie 375 Rose Hill Parrakeet................ 377 Ground! Parrakeet.- 598 IBlackeS wantarcmosecietatecsstintas . 599 Wood Duc Kreme acscsrieiecrcsceldcs 604 ShovellersOUckscpemesrleieieieiericiscisierers 606 PAGE HidereDuckie pe cmancsactieccttecciteice 610 Goosand erik nena. concise ieee ee 612 GREBES, AND AUKS. Great Crested’ Grebe <. 5.2... -e-nic 614 GirestrA nike reieiciviasloroctaciereriostniaisiets 615 Kin geen py wile sreert ciclereicisieteie ers ielereyoi 617 (Gr emo tigerteteyetetaletetetetoteterere icteteless\clelerere 618 PETRELS, GULLS, AND TERNS. 619 Stormy Petrelamine seis crc -sicgie ss MulmariPetreleeeceerc cecil Giants Hulmanteeeerecceaetccntsiel GrouprotiGull seca tems Skual (Gull nssececeretiacse seisenecccte Daption, or Cape Petrel Ross's Gull Apt Gant AK ie. THE Graculine, or Grakles, form the next group of birds. Formerly a very large number of species were ranked among the members of this group, but the naturalists of the present day have restricted the appellation to comparatively few birds. In all the species the bill is broad at the base, with the ridge of the upper mandible slightly curved, and.there is a little notch near the extremity. Tue Mrvno Brrp is very common in many parts of India and the Indian Islands, where it is frequently captured and domesticated. It is a bright and lively little bird, wonderfully intelligent, and even conceiving so great an affection for its master, that it is permitted to fly about at will. Many amusing tricks are often taught to the Mino Bird, and it possesses a talent for talking equal to that enjoyed by the magpie, the raven, the starling, or the parrot. So admirable a conversationalist is the Mino Bird that some writers who have had personal experience of its capabilities, think that it surpasses even the gray parrot in its powers of imitating the human voice. It will repeat many words with extraordinary accuracy, and some specimens have learned phrases and sen- tences of considerable length. The color of the Mino Bird is a deep velvet-like black, with the exception of a white mark on the base of the quill-feathers of the wing. Around the base of the beak and the forehead the feathers are extremely short and have a velvety sensation to the touch. The bill and the feet are yellow, and on the back of the head are two wattles of a bright yellow color. The food of this bird consists chiefly of berries, fruits, and insects, and in dimensions it is about equal to a common thrush. By the Javanese it is known by the titles of Beé and Mencho, and the Sumatrans call it Teeong. THE CROWNED GRAKLE is one of the handsomest of the genus to which it belongs, and on account of the peculiar coloring from which it derives its name is a very conspicuous bird. It inhabits the parts of the jungle where the vegetation is thickest, and interspersed with tall trees, on whose topmost branches the Crowned Grakle loves to settle while engaged in its search after berries, fruits, and the various substances on which it feeds. It is not a very timid bird, and will frequently haunt human habitations, entering the gardens wherever tall trees have been left standing, and whistling cheerily as it flies from one tree or bough to another. When frightened, it signifies its alarm by a harsh, rough screech, but its ordinary notes are full and melodious. The top of the head and part of the nape, together with the chin and a mark on the centre of several of the primary feathers of the wings, are bright ‘“‘king’s’’ yellow. Round the eye Vou, IV. oF 6-vou. Eprtion. 317 318 THE AFRICAN BEEF-EATER. is a large comma-shaped patch of bare pink skin, the point of the comma being directed towards the ear. The general color of the body, as well as the short and square-tipped tail, which looks as if it had been snipped off abruptly by a pair of shears, is a very deep green, ‘shot’ with blue in certain lights, and sooty-black in others. ANOTHER curious group of this large family is known by the name of Buphagina, 7. e., Beef-eaters, or Ox-peckers, a title which they have earned by their habits. They may be easily known by their remarkably shaped bill, which is wonderfully adapted for the pecu- liar duties which it has to perform. One of the most common species of this group is the AFRICAN BEEF-EATER, @ bird which is found in great numbers both in Southern and West- ern Africa. It generally assembles in flocks, and haunts the spots where cattle are kept, alighting upon their backs and setting vigorously to work in digging from beneath their skins the larve AFRICAN BEEF-EATER —Buphaga erythrorhyncha. of the bot-flies which burrow beneath the hide, and may often be seen on the backs of cattle by means of the little hillock of skin which they raise. To extract these deeply-buried creat- ures would seem to be a matter of considerable difficulty, but the Beef-eater manages the matter easily enough, by fixing itself tightly on the animal’s back by means of its extremely powerful claws, and working with its strong and oddly-shaped beak. Other animals besides oxen are subject to the attacks of these insect foes, and are equally visited by the Beef-eater, who pursues his beneficial avocation without the least opposition on the part of the suffering animal. The general color of the African Beef-eater is a dull brown wpon the whole of the upper portions of the body, the chin, and the throat. The breast and abdomen are buff-colored, and the upper and under tail-coverts are nearly of the same hue. The tail is wedge-shaped, and of a grayish-brown color, warming into reddish-brown on the inner webs of the exterior feathers. The basal half of the bill is rich orange, and the curiously squared extremity is searlet. The total length of the bird is between nine and ten inches. cy THE ROSE-COLORED PASTOR. 319 WE now come to the true Starlings, or Sturnine, as they are scientifically termed. In these birds the bill is almost straight, tapering, and elongated, slightly flattened at the top, and with a hardly perceptible notch. Two examples of this group are found in Europe, the first and rarest of which is the RosE-cOLORED PASTOR. These birds are very common in many countries, and in some parts of India are so numer- ous that forty or fifty have been killed at a single shot, and they are said by agriculturists to be hardly less destructive than locusts. Like the common Starling, the Rose-colored Pastor always flies in flocks, and seems to possess many of the habits which belong to the beef-eaters, perching on the backs of cattle and feeding on the parasitic insects and grubs which are gen- erally found in such situations. On account of this habit of frequenting the cattle-field and the sheep-fold, the bird has received the title of Pastor, or shepherd. It feeds chiefly on insects, but in the autumn months varies its diet with ripe fruits. The Rose-colored Pastor possesses a rather flexible voice ; its ordinary cry is rather harsh and grating, but the bird is able to modulate its voice so as to imitate the tones of various ROSE-COLORED PASTOR.—Pastor roseus. other members of the feathered tribe. One of these birds, that was domesticated by a person who had slightly wounded it and afterwards tended it until it had recovered, was so good a mimic that an excellent judge of songsters, who had heard its voice without seeing the bird from which it proceeded, thought that he was listening to a concert of two starlings, two gold- finches, and some songster, probably a siskin. This bird was fed upon insects and barley-meal moistened with milk. It is a remarkably pretty and conspicuous bird ; the beautiful crest which decorates the crown and the delicate tints of the plumage rendering it easily distinguishable from any of its kin. The head is ornamented with a crest of long, flowing feathers, which are of a jetty black glossed with violet ; and the neck, wings, and tail are of the same hue. The chin, throat, front of the neck, thighs, and under tail-coverts are also black, but without the blue gloss. The back, scapularies, breast, sides, and abdomen are of a beautiful rose-pink ; the legs and toes are yellowish-brown, and the beak yellow with a dash of rose. The total length of this species is between eight and nine inches. The bird does not attain this beautiful plumage until the third year; in the first year there is no crest at all, and the plumage is simply colored 320 THE COMMON STARLING. with different shades of brown and white; in the second year the crest is comparatively small and scanty, the dark parts of the plumage have a brown tinge, and the rosy parts are dull and washed with gray or brown. Tire common STARLING is one of the handsomest birds, the bright mottlings of its plumage, the vivacity of its movements, and the elegance of its form rendering it a truly beautiful bird. The color of the Starling is very beautiful, and is briefly as follows: The general tint is an extremely dark purplish-green, having an almost metallic glitter ina strong light. The feathers of the shoulders are tipped with buff, and the wing-coverts, together with che quill- feathers of the tail and wings, are edged with pale reddish-brown. The beak is a fine yellow. : Se ct: SSK Fark Sannin COMMON STARLING and UNICOLORED STARLING.—Sturnus vulgaris and unicolor. The feathers of the upper part of the breast are elongated and pointed. This is the plumage of the adult male, and is not brought to its perfection until three years have elapsed. The first year’s bird, before its autumnal moult, is almost wholly of a brownish-gray, and after its moult is partly brown and partly purple and green. In the second year the plumage is more decided in its tints, but is variegated with a great number of light-colored spots on the under and upper surfaces, and the beak does not attain its beautiful yellow tinge. THE CROW BLACKBIRD. bo — BOAT-TAILED BIRDS. THE Quiscaline, or Boat-tailed Birds, are so named from the peculiar formation of their tails, which, as may be seen on reference to the illustration, are hollowed in a manner somewhat similar to the interior of a canoe. There are several species of Boat-tails, all being natives of America, and being spread over the greater part of our vast country. One of the best known species is the GREAT Boat-TaiL, or GREAT Crow BLACKBIRD, as it is sometimes called. GREAT BOAT-TATL.— Quescatus major. This bird is rather a large one, being between sixteen and seventeen inches in length, and twenty-two inches across the outspread wings. Its general color is black, glossed with blue, green, and purple, in different lights. It is mostly found in the southern portions of the United States, where it passes under the name of jackdaw, and is seen in vast flocks among the sea islands and marine marshes, busily engaged in finding out the various substances that are left by the retiring tide. It preserves its social disposition even in its nesting, and builds in company among reeds and bushes in the neighborhood of forests and marshy lands. The eges are of a whitish color and generally five in number. It is a migratory bird, leaving America for winter quarters about the latter end of November, and returning in February and March. Tue Boat-TAILED GRAKLE (Quiscalus major) is another local name in the southern Atlantic States and the Gulf coast. A species, called Mexican Boat-tailed Grakle, inhabits the southwestern extremity of North America. Tur Crow Biacksrrp (Quiscalus purpureus—formerly versicolor), or PURPLE GRAKLE, is a common bird, in the warmer season, in New England, arriving about the first week in April. It is eminently a social bird, forming flocks, and even breeding in numbers on one tree. It rarely produces more than one brood yearly. At times enormous numbers are seen congre- gating. Vou. Ti.—41. 322 THE ORCHARD ORIOLE. The Bronzed Grakle is a variety of the Purple. It breeds in Maine, and in Illinois it is resident throughout the year. The Florida Grakle is much smaller, and seems to be confined to the peninsula of Florida. It is also regarded as a variety of the Purple Grakle. Tue Rusty BLacksrrp (Scolecophagus ferrugineus) is a visitor in New England during the spring and fall months, when migrating. In Virginia and southwards, these birds are very abundant in the winter. They also extend westward. Occasionally they have been found breeding in Maine. This blackbird is unsocial and retiring, and on that account is not often seen. It visits the low, swampy thickets. Brewer’s BiLacksirp (Scolecophagus brewer’), named for Dr. Brewer, the eminent ornithologist of Boston, Massachusetts, is found on the high, western plains, and thence to the Pacific, and southwards to California and Mexico. It is considerably larger than the preceding. HANG-NEST BIRDS. THE IotERIN®, or Hang-nest Birds, now claim our attention. These birds are remarkable for the hammock-like nest which they construct, and the wonderful skill with which they adapt its structure to the exigencies of the climate or locality. One of the most familiar examples of these birds is the ORCHARD ORIOLE, popularly known by the title of Bobolink throughout the countries which it inhabits. This bird, in common with other allied species, is so extremely varied in its plumage, according to its age and sex, that several species were confounded together in the most per- plexing manner, until Wilson succeeded, by dint of patient observation, in unravelling the tangled web which had been woven by other writers. The nest of the Orchard Oriole is a truly wonderful structure, woven into a bag or purse- like shape from long grasses, almost as if it had been fashioned in a loom, and so firmly con- structed that it will withstand no small amount of rough treatment before its texture gives way. In one of these purse-like nests now lying before me, I find that the bird often employs two and sometimes three threads simultaneously, and that several of these double threads pass over the branch to which the nest is hung, and are then carried to the very bottom of the purse, so as to support the structure in the firmest possible manner. The entrance is from above, and near the mouth ; the nest is comparatively slight in texture, becoming thicker and more compact near the foot, where the eggs and young are laid. The interior of the nest is generally lined with some soft, downy seeds. So admirably does the bird’s beak weave this remarkable nest, that an old lady to whom Wilson exhibited one of these structures, remarked that the Orchard Oriole might learn to darn stockings. The size and form of the nest may vary very greatly according to the climate in which the bird lives, and the kind of tree on which its home is placed. Should the nest be suspended to the firm, stiff boughs of the apple or other strong-branched tree, it is comparatively shallow, being hardly three inches in iength, and rather wider than it is deep. But if it should be hung to the long and slender twigs of the weeping willow, as is often the case, the nest is lengthened until it is four or five inches in depth, the size of the entrance remaining the same as in the shallower nest. This variation in structure is evidently intended to prevent the eggs or young from being shaken out of their home by the swaying of the boughs in the wind. The same amount of material appears to be used in either case, so that the elongated nest is not so thick as the short one. My own specimen is an example of the elongated structure. Moreover, in the warmer parts of America, the nest is always much slighter than in the colder regions, permitting a free circulation of air through its walls. The habits of this bird are very curious and interesting, and are well described by Wilson in his well-known work on the Birds of America :— THE ORCHARD ORIOLE. 323 iy) ‘*The Orchard Oriole, though partly a dependent on the industry of the farmer, is no sneaking pilferer, but an open and truly beneficent friend. To all those countless multitudes of destructive bugs and caterpillars that infest the fruit-trees in spring and summer, preying on the leaves, blossoms, and embryo of the fruit, he is a deadly enemy ; devastating them wherever he can find them, and destroying on an average some hundreds of them every day without offering the slightest injury to the fruit, however much it may stand in his way. I have witnessed instances where the entrance to his nest was more than half closed by a cluster of apples, which he could easily have demolished in half a minute; but, as if holding the property of his patron sacred, or considering it a natural bulwark to his own, he slid out and in with the greatest gentleness and caution. ‘*T am not sufficiently conversant with entomology to particularize the different species on which he feeds, but I have good reason for believing that they are almost altogether such as commit the greatest depredations on the fruits of the orchard ; and, as he visits us ata time when his services are of the greatest value, and, like a faithful guardian, takes up his station where the enemy is most to be expected, he ought to be held in respectful esteem, and pro- tected by every considerate husbandman. Nor is the gaiety of his song one of his least recommendations. Being an exceedingly active, sprightly, and restless bird, he is on the ground—in the trees—flying and carolling in his hurried manner, in almost one and the same instant. His notes are shrill and lively, but uttered with such rapidity and seeming confusion, that the ear is unable to follow them distinctly. Between these he has a single note, which is agreeable and interesting. ‘* Wherever he is protected, he shows his confidence and gratitude by his numbers and familiarity. In the Botanic Gardens of my worthy and scientific friends, the Messrs. Bartrams, of Kingsess, which present an epitome of everything that is rare, useful, and beautiful in the -vegetable Kingdom of this western continent, and where the murderous gun scarce ever intrudes, the Orchard Oriole revels without restraint through thickets of aromatic flowers and blossoms, and, heedless of the busy gardener that labors below, hangs his nest in perfect security on the branches over his head.’’ s Audubon, also, has taken great interest in this bird, and has devoted a considerable por- tion of his work to the elucidation of its habits. ‘*No sooner have they reached that portion of the country in which they intend to remain during the time of raising their young, than the birds exhibit all the liveliness and vivacity belonging to their nature. The male is seen rising in the air from ten to twenty yards in a violent manner, jerking his tail and body, flapping his wings, and singing with remarkable impetucsity, as if under the influence of haste, and anxious to return to the tree from which he has departed. He accordingly descends with the same motions of the body and tail, repeat- ing his pleasing song as he alights. “These gambols and warblings are performed frequently during the day, the intervals being employed in ascending or descending along the branches and twigs of different trees in search of insects or larvee. In doing this they rise on their legs, seldom without jetting the tail, stretch the neck, seize the prey, and emit a single note, which is sweet and mellow, although in power much inferior to that of the Baltimore. At other times it is seen bending its body downwards in a curved posture, with the head gently inclined upwards, to peep at the outer part of the leaves, so as not to suffer any part to escape its vigilance. It soon alights on the ground when it has espied a crawling insect, and again flies towards the blossoms, in which are many lurking, and devours hundreds of them each day, thus contributing to secure to the farmer the hopes which he has of the productiveness of his orchard.” One of these birds that was kept in a cage by Wilson proved to be a very interesting creature, chanting its wild clear notes at an early age, and accommodating itself to its captivity with perfect ease. It had a curious love for artificial light, fluttering about its cage, and becoming uneasy at the sight of a lighted candle, and not being satisfied when its cage was placed close to the object of attraction. In that case, it would sit close to the side of the cage, dress its plumage, and occasionaliy break into snatches of song. 324 THE BALTIMORE ORIOLE. The adult male is nearly black upon its head, neck, back, wings, and tail, a brownish tint being perceptible in the wings. The lower part of the breast, the abdomen, tail-coverts, and some of the wing-coverts, are light reddish-brown, and the greater wing-coverts are tipped with white. The adult female is yellowish olive above, with a brown tinge on the back, and a brown wash over the wings. ‘The whole of the lower parts are yellow, the primary feathers of the wings are slightly edged with yellowish white, and the same color is found on the edges of the secondaries and greater coverts, and on the tips of the lesser coverts. The length of the bird is between six and seven inches. The young male is like the female during his first year, but in his second year sundry feathers of black make their appearance in various parts of the body, and in the third year they spread over the upper surface and breast, as has already been mentioned. The Orchard Orioles arrive in Pennsylvania rather later than the Baltimores—usually about the first week in May. Early in September they take their departure. In New England they are not often seen. They are easily raised from the nest, and prove very agreeable pets. Since the days of Audubon and Wilson, several species have been discovered. The Hooded, Scott’s Waglers, and Bullocks, are among them. The Troopial is another and spien- did species, larger than the others. Another is named for Audubon; all found in the West and Southwest. THE BaLtTiMoRE OrroLE (/ecferus galbula) is an inhabitant of the whole of Northern America, its range extending from Canada to Mexico—even as far south as Brazil. It is a migratory bird, arriving about the beginning of May, and departing towards the end of August or the beginning of September. The name of Baltimore Oriole has been given to it because its colors of black and orange are those of the arms belonging to Lord Baltimore, to whom Maryland formerly belonged. This species is remarkably familiar and fearless of man, hanging its beautiful pensile nest upon the garden-trees, and even venturing into the streets wherever a green tree flourishes, and chanting its wild mellow notes in close proximity to the sounds and sights of a populous city. The nest of the Baltimore Oriole is somewhat similar to that of the preceding species, although it is generally of a thicker and tougher substance, and more ingeniously woven. The materials of which this beautiful habitation is made are flax, various kinds of vegetable fibres, wool and hair, matted together, so as to resemble felt in consistency. A number of iong horsehairs are passed completely through the fibres, sewing it firmly together with large and irregular, but strong and judiciously placed stitching. In one of these nests Wilson found that several of the hairs used for this purpose measured two feet in length. The nest is in the form of a long purse, and at the bottom is arranged a heap of soft cow’s hair and similar substances, in which the eggs find a warm resting-place. The female bird seems to be the chief architect, receiving a constant supply of materials from her mate, and occasionally rejecting the fibres or hairs which he may bring, and sending him off for another load better to her taste. Since the advent of civilization, the Baltimore Oriole has availed himself largely of his advantages, and instead of troubling himself with a painful search after individual hairs, wherewith to sew his hammock together, keeps a lookout for any bits of stray thread that may be thrown away by human sempstresses, and makes use of them in the place of the hairs. Sosharp-sighted is the bird, and so quick are his movements, that during the bleaching season the owners of the thread are forced to keep a constant watch upon their property as it lies upon the grass, or hangs upon the boughs, knowing that the Oriole is ever ready to pounce upon such valuable material, and straightway to weave it into his nest. Pieces of loose string, skeins of silk, or even the bands with which young grafts are tied, are equally sought by this ingenious bird, and often purloined to the discomfiture of the needlewom.n or the gardener. The average size of the nest is six or seven inches in depth, and three or four in diameter. Wilson thinks that the bird improves in nest-building by practice, and that the best speci- mens of architecture are the work of the oldest birds. The eggs are five in number, and their general color is whitish pink, dotted at the larger THE CRESTED ORIOLE. 325 end with purplish spots, and covered at the smaller end with a great number of fine intersecting lines of the same hue. The food of the Baltimore Orioie seems to be almost entirely of an animal nature, and to consist of caterpillars, beetles. and other insects, most of them injurious to the farmer or the gardener. The coloring of this bird is as follows: The head and throat, together with the upper part of the back and the wings, are deep black, with the exception .of an orange bar upon the shoulders. The lower part of the back and the whole of the under surface are bright orange, yvarming into scarlet on the breast. The edges of the secondaries, the exterior edges of the greater wing-coverts, and part of those of the primaries, are white. The tail is rather curiously colored, and thus described by Wilson: ‘‘ The tail-feathers under the coverts, orange ; the two middle ones from thence to the tips are black, the next five on each side black near the coverts, and orange towards the extremities, so disposed that when the tail is expanded and the coverts removed, the black appears in the form of a pyramid supported on an arch of orange.”? The female is dull black upon the upper parts and mottled with brownish-yellow, each feather being marked with that tint upon the edges. The lower part of the back and all the under portions of the body are dull orange, and the tail is mostly olive-yellow. The wings are dull brown, and marked with yellowish-white upon the coverts. From these colors the bird has derived the names of Golden Robin and Fire Bird. Its total length is about seven inches. The Baltimore Oriole belongs to a genus almost wholly American, though what are termed the true Orioles are Old World birds. The song of this bird is a clear, mellow whistle, repeated at short intervals, as he gleans among the branches. There is in it a certain wild plaintiveness and naiveté extremely interesting. It is not uttered with the rapidity of the ferrugineus thrush, and some other eminent songsters, but with the pleasing tranquillity of a careless plough-boy, whistling merely for his own amusement. When alarmed by an approach to his nest, or any such circumstance, he makes a kind of rapid chirping—very different from his usual note. This, however, is always succeeded by those mellow tones which seem so congenial to his nature. High on yon poplar, clad in glossiest green, The orange, black-capped Baltimore is seen. The broad, extended boughs still please him best; Beneath their bending skirts he hangs his nest.—WHILSON, He is several years in getting his full plumage. Onze of the most curious and handsome birds of this group is termed the CRESTED ORIOLE, on account of the sharp, pointed crest which rises from its head. It is a native of tropical America, and seems to be rather a familiar bird, often leaving the forests where it usually dwells, and making its home near the habitations of man. Whether in the vast woods of its native land, or whether in the cultivated grounds, it is always to be found in the loftiest trees, traversing their branches in search of food, and suspending its nest from the extremity of the slenderest twigs. It isa very active bird both on foot and in the air, one quality being needful for its movements among the boughs while getting berries, and the other for the chase of the various insects with which it varies its diet. The nest of the Crested Oriole is a very elegant structure, much larger than that of either of the preceding species, being sometimes not less than three feet in length. It is always hung from the very extremity of some delicate twig, so as to escape the marauding hand of the monkey, or the dreaded fangs of the snake; and as a great number of these are generally found upon one tree, the combined effect, together with the busy scene of the parent birds continually going and returning from their homes, is remarkably fine. The shape of the nest is cylindrical, swelling into a somewhat spheriéal form at the bottom; and it is found that both birds take an equal share of work in its construction. The Crested Oriole is very beautifully as well as curiously colored. The head, shoulders, breast, and abdomen are warm chocolate-brown, and the wings are dark green, changing 326 PHE COW TROOPTAT. eradually into brown at their tips. The central feathers of the tail are dark brown, and the remaining feathers are bright yellow. There is also a green tinge upon the thighs and the middle of the breast. Upon the top of the head there isa long and pointed crest, and the horny CRESTED ORIOLE.—Ostinops cristata. portion of the bill is green, and, as may be seen in the illustration, extends above the eye. The legs and feet are black. The Crested Oriole is larger than either of the preceding species, being about the size of a common jackdaw. In the Cow Biron, or Cow Troopran, of America, we have a curious instance of the fre- quency with which a remarkable habit, supposed to be almost unique, and especially character- istic of some particular species, is found to occur in a totally distinct species inhabiting another continent. That the cuckoo of Europe is no nest-maker, but only usurps the homes of other birds, and forces them to take care of its progeny, is a well-known fact, and it is really remark- able that the Cow Bird, which inhabits the opposite quarter of the globe, and belongs to an entirely different order of birds, should follow the same principle. Before commencing the description of this bird, T must caution the reader against mistak- ing the present species for the American cuckoo, which is by many persons called the Cow Bird on account of its ery, which resembles the word ‘‘cow, cow,’’ frequently repeated. The American cuckoo is free from the intrusive habits of the Cow Troopial, and not only builds its own nest, but rears and tends its young with great affection. The Cow Bird (Molothrus ater) is one of the migrators, arriving in Pennsylvania about the end of March or the beginning of April, and is somewhat gregarious, being found in little HABITS OF THE COW BIRD. 3827 parties, generally accompanied by the red-winged starling, which bird will soon be described. Towards the middle or end of October, the Cow Birds begin to leave the place of their tem- porary residence, and again assembling in flocks, together with the red-winged starling, take their departure for their winter quarters in Carolina and Georgia. While remaining in the country, they are generaily seen near streams, perched on the trees that skirt rivers and creeks. It is a rather curious fact that during the months of July and August, the Cow Troopials sud- denly vanish, and are not seen again till September, when they make their appearance in con- siderable numbers. Whether they take a journey during that time, or whether retire into the depths of the forest, is not clearly ascertained. Unlike the generality of birds, the Cow Bird seems to be actuated by no attachment to those of the opposite sex. No pairing has yet been observed, nor does the male bird take pos- session of a number of females, as is the case with many species. Indeed, there would be no need for such an alliance, for the female Cow Bird makes no nest, neither does she trouble COW TROOPIAL.—Molobrus pecoris. herself about rearing her young, but searching out for the nest of some little bird, she deposits her own egg among the number, and then leaves it to its fate. The remarkable feature in the matter is, that the poor bird on whom this intruder has been foisted invariably takes charge of it in preference to its own offspring, and will always rear the young Cow Bird, even though the whole of its own offspring perish. There seems to be in the Cow Bird an irresistible attractive power, forcing other birds to take charge of it and attend to its wants. This supposition is strengthened by the conduct of a cardinal grosbeak, kept by Wilson, into whose cage was introduced a young Cow Bird just taken out of the nest of a Maryland yellow throat. At first, the grosbeak examined the intruder with some reserve, but as soon as the stranger began to ery for food, the grosbeak took it under its protection, tended it carefully, brought it food, tore large insects to pieces in order to suit the capacity of the young bird’s mouth, cleaned its plumage, taught it to feed itself, and exhibited towards it alla mother’s care. Wilson writes as follows, after describing the singular habits of this bird :— ‘‘From twelve to fourteen days is the usual time of incubation with our small birds ; but, although I cannot fix the precise period requisite for the Cow Bunting’s eggs, I think I can almost positively say that it it isa day or two less than the shortest of the above-mentioned 328 THE RED-WINGED STARLING. species. In this singular circumstance we see a striking provision ; for, did this egg require a day or two more, instead of so much less, than those among which it has been dropped, the young it contained would, in almost every instance, most inevitably perish, and thus, ina few years, the whole species must become extinct. On the first appearance of the young Cow Bunting, the parent being frequently obliged to leave the nest to providesustenance for the foundling, the business of incubation is thus, necessarily, interrupted; the dispcsition to continue it abates. Nature has now given a new direction to the zeal of the parent, and the remaining eggs, within a week or more at most, generally disappear. In some instances, indeed, they have been found on the ground, near or below the nest, but this is rarely the case. I have never known more than one egg of the Cow Bunting in the same nest. The egg is somewhat larger than that of the Bluebird, thickly sprinkled with grains of pale brown on a dirty white brown.”’ The Cow Bird is pretty evenly distributed over the United States, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, though it is rare in Maine, and on the coast of the Pacific is not often seen. The Cow Bird derives its name from its habit of haunting the pasture-lands for the pur- pose of feeding upon the numerous flies and other insects that are always to be found in the vicinity of cattle; it is also known under the titles of Cow Bunting, and Cow-pen Bird. The coloring of the Cow Bird is pleasing, though not brilliant. The head and neck are of a dark drab, and have a kind of silken gloss; the whole of the upper surface and abdomen are black, ‘“‘shot’’ with green, and the upper part of the breast is dark violet. When young it is altogether brown, and the darker tints make their appearance by degrees, showing them- selves in patches here and there, which enlarge as the bird grows older, and finally overspread the entire body. The length of the bird is about seven inches. THE Mrapow Lark (Sféurnel/a). Wilson says of this bird: ‘Though this well-known species cannot boast of the powers of song which distinguishes that ‘harbinger of day,’ the Skylark of Europe, yet in richness of plumage, as well as sweetness of voice, as far as his few notes extend, he stands eminently his superior. He differs from the greater part of his tribe in wanting the long, straight hind-claw, which is probably the reason why he has been classed by some late naturalists with the Starlings. But in the particular form of his bill, and his manners, plumage, mode and place of building his nest, Nature has clearly pointed out his proper family. The species has a very extensive range, having myself found them in Upper Canada, and in each of the States. Extensive and luxuriant prairies near St. Louis, Missouri, abound with them.”’ These birds, after the breeding season is over, collect in flocks, but seldom fly in a close, compact body. Their flight is something like that of the grouse, or partridge, laborious and steady, sailing and renewing the rapid action of the wings alternately. When they alight on trees or bushes, it is generally on the tops of the highest branches, whence they send forth a long, clear, and somewhat melancholy note, that, in sweetness and tenderness of expression, is not surpassed by any of our numerous warblers. This is sometimes followed bya kind of low, rapid chattering, the particular call of the female ; and again the clear and plaintive strain is repeated, as before. Two varieties are noticed—one of them found in Mexico, and the other in the Western States THE RED-WINGED STARLING is one of those birds which may either be looked upon as most beneficial or most hurtful to the coasts in which they live, according to the light in which they are viewed. From the farmer's point of view, it is one of his worst enemies, as it eats vast amounts of grain, and assembles in such enormous flocks that the fields are black with their presence, and the sun is obscured by the multitude of their wings. The soft immature grain of the Indian corn is a favorite food with the Red-winged Starlings, and, according to Wilson, ‘‘reinforced by numerous and daily flocks from all parts of the interior, they pour down on the low coun- tries in prodigious multitudes. Hence they are seen like vast clouds, wheeling and driving THE RED-WINGED STARLING. 329 over the meadows and deserted corn-fields, darkening the air with their numbers. They com- mence the work of destruction on the corn, the husks of which, though composed of numerous envelopments of closely wrapped leaves, are soon completely torn off ; while from all quarters myriads continue to pour down like a tempest, blackening half an acre at a time, and if not disturbed repeat their depredations till little remains but the cob and the shrivelled skins of the grain. From dawn to nearly sunset this open and daring devastation is carried on, under the eye of the proprietor; and a farmer who has very considerable extents of corn would require half a dozen men at least with guns to guard it, and even then all their vigi- lance and activity could not prevent a ground-tithe of it from becoming the prey of the blackbirds.” In consequence of their depredations the Red-winged Starling is persecuted in every possible way. Every man and boy who has a gun takes it and shoots at the ‘‘blackbirds,”’ RED-WINGED STARLING.— A y? generally. The late CHARLES DARWIN writes:—'‘‘ The illustrations are the best I ever saw in any work. CARPEN Sir Joun Lu Wiebe 232-8 Animate Creation, s—=5 Wy have concluded to submit for public patronage a work with the above title, being a series of exquisite Engravings representing the ANIMAL WORLD, executed with great scientific accuracy, and accompanied by full Descriptive Text, written in popular terms, so as to delight and instruct the people. Anyone who has considered the subject must be at a loss to under- stand why an ILLUSTRATED NATURAL HIsToORY, comprehensive and at the same time popular, has not before this been published in this country. Indeed any lover of animals who has visited the great museums and zoological gardens and has had access to books of engravings in the public libraries, could not fail to remark the wealth of material in existence devoted to this subject. Being confirmed in our conviction of the desirability of such a work, we laid under contribution the best existing authorities for the production of most perfect representations of all the more important living creatures, and among the artists whose delineations will delight the reader, we may mention Harrison Weir, Wolf, Coleman, Fr. Specht, and Mutzel. By far the majority of the engravings in these volumes are from drawings made from the /zvzvg animals, many at the Zoological Society’s Gardens in London, England. We purpose that our patrons shall be aided and interested in their study by such an array of pictures as has never before embellished any Natural History. In numerous instances the engraving is printed in oil-colors, and this portion of the illustrations has been taken charge of by Messrs. L. Prang & Co., of Boston, who we believe rank foremost for high artistic results in this department of printing. These Oleographs were copied under the superintendence of Mr. Prang from the renowned “ Tafeln’”’ of ‘ Brehm’s Thierleben,” so that they may be declared perfectly reliable. We sought competent advice from various sources as to the most suitable text that should ac- company this panorama of handsome Engravings. It was found impossible to embody all the present ideas of naturalists in a single work like this on account of the rapid advances and constant changes in their knowledge of, and habits of thought respecting, the Animal World. And it seemed to us cor- rect that the true object of Zoology is not to arrange, to number, and to ticket animals in a formal inventory, but to inquire into their life-nature, and not simply to investigate the lifeless organism. What do we know of “ Man” from the dissecting-room? Is it not Man, the warrior, the states- man, the poet, etc., that we are interested in? With all veneration which attaches itself to those who are the accredited possessors of abstruse learning, their inordinate use of phraseology detracts too much, we fear, from the fascination that the study of the Animal World would otherwise yield, and as we are not content to have our work restricted to a favored few, we thought the task placed in our hands to be to keep the work free from a repellant vocabulary of conventional technicalities. Our endeavor has been to find an author whose work would be noted for its fund of anecdote and vitality rather than for merely anatomical and scientific presentation, and we arrived at the conclu- sion that we could not do better than avail ourselves of the Rev. J. G. Wood’s comprehensive work —a work most popularly approved by speakers of the English language. It would be superfluous to say one word concerning the standard character of his book, from the pages of which old and young at the other side of the Atlantic have obtained so much instruction and rational amusement. Avoid- ing the lengthened dissertations and minute classifications of specialists, he presents to his readers in popular terms a complete treatise on the Animal Kingdom of all climes and countries. The one objection that could be urged against it was, that animal life in America might be treated more fully and American forms given more consideration. In order to obviate this drawback and to do full justice to the creatures of our own country, we secured the aid of Dr. J. B. HOLDER, of the Ameri- can Museum of Natural History in New York, an undoubted American authority, who has adapted Wood’s work to American wants and given prominence to American forms of Animal life. The splendid work on Rodentia, by Allen, Coues, and others, will be fully consulted. The valuable work on North American Birds, by Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway, will be the guide in the treatment of birds. The late arrangement of the classification and nomenclature of North American Birds, by Mr. Ridgway, and the Committee on that subject of the Ornithologists’ Union, will be utilized in full. The arrangement of Mammals will be after the latest classification by Professor Flower, of the Zoological Society of London. So that this will be the first popular Natural History worthy of the name that has made its appearance here, which gives due and full recognition to the animate world surrounding us. : Terms of Publication. The extent of the work will be 68 parts of 28 pages, at the price of 25 cents each. The entire publication will contain $4 Oleographs and 68 Full Page Engravings on Wood, besides many hundreds of exquisite Illustrations interspersed through the text. The parts will be issued every two weeks, and are payable only as delivered. No subscriber’s name will be received for less than the entire work, and anyone removing, or not regularly supplied, will please address the Publisher by mail. N.E. SELMAR HESS, Publisher, New York. THE CARDINAL GROSBEAK. 337 to another. Still, its musical powers are sufficiently marked to earn for the bird the title of Virginian Nightingale, and it isa curious fact that the female often sings nearly as well as her mate. : This bird seems to be of a very tender-hearted disposition, and given to the adoption of other birds when young and helpless. Wilson mentions that he placed a young cow bird in <— Hy Te SN ReY HS RABKIN CARDINAL GROSBEAK and HAWFINCH.—Cardinulis virginiunus aud Coccothraustes vugaris. the same cage with a Cardinal Grosbeak, which the latter immediately adopted, and reared the poor, helpless little creature that had appealed so suddenly to its compassionate feelings. Mr. Webber, moreover, in his account of the Birds of America, gives an anecdote of a Scarlet Grosbeak belonging to an old woman in Washington City, which used to make a regular busi- ness of rearing the young of other birds which were placed under his charge, and thereby earning a considerable sum of money in the course of a season. She had often been offered a high price for her bird, but always refused to sell him, impelled either by hope of gain or by love of the bird ; we may hope that the latter feeling predominated. . In its native land the Cardinal Grosbeak is most common in the Southern States, and in some localities is migratory, while in others it remains throughout the year. ‘‘In the Northern States,’’ says Wilson, ‘they are migratory, but in the lower parts of Pennsylvania they reside during the whole year, frequenting the borders of creeks and rivulets, in sheltered hollows covered with holly, laurel, and other evergreens. They love also to reside in the vicinity of fields of Indian corn, a grain that contributes their chief and favorite food. The seeds of apples, cherries, and of many other sorts of fruit are also eaten by them, and they are accused of destroying bees.”’ Vor. IL.—43, 338 THE HAWFINCH, Ok GROSBEAK. Many of these splendid birds are now brought to Europe as inhabitants of the aviary, and are found to be hardy birds, able to withstand the inclemency even of the English climate. It is a remarkable fact, that in confinement the Cardinal Grosbeak is very apt to change its color, the bright scarlet and vermilion fading to a dull whitish red ; probably the effect of insufficient or improper food. When carefully tended, it is a really healthy and long-lived bird, having been known to survive for a space of twenty years in a cage. The nest of the Cardinal Grosbeak is generally placed in a holly, cedar, laurel, or other thick evergreen, and is made of slender sticks, weeds, strips of bark, and fine grass-stems. The eggs are generally five in number, and their color is dull gray-white, covered with numer- ous blotches of brownish olive. There are generally two broods in the season. The Cardinal Grosbeak is the most familiar example of a group of birds whose plumage is quite suggestive of the tropics. It is called in the Southern States Red-bird, and as such is in great request as a singing bird. The male is very rich in color, much of the plumage being in singular contrast to that of most of our North American birds. ‘To the name, Virginian Nightingale,’ says Dr. Latham, ‘‘they are well entitled, for the clearness and variety of their notes, which, both in a wild and domestic state, are very various and musi- cal. Many of them resemble the high notes of a fife and are nearly as loud. In the Northern States they are migratory, but in the lower parts of Pennsylvania they are resident the whole year.”’ In confinement these birds are known to have lived twenty-one years. A specimen is in the old Peale’s Museum, in Philadelphia; such a fact is recorded with the stuffed specimen. One peculiarity is that the female often sings as well as the male. A variety of this bird is called Saint Lucas Cardinal. There is also another species named Texan Cardinal. Tur ROsSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK (Zamelodia ludoviciana) is one of the most beautiful of American birds. It is seen in New England during the summer and fall. The male has most beautiful markings of pink and white upon his breast; and being of considerable size, as com- pared with most of our songsters, is notably handsome and conspicuous. THE BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK is another species of about the same size, and though very handsome in coloration, is much less brilliant than the preceding. The Blue Grosbeak is smaller, and is of a rich purplish blue. It inhabits the Southern States. THE PINE GrRosBEAK (Pinicola enucleator) is a large, stout bird, of plain olive and red plumage, and is one of the most attractive birds that visit the colder regions of America. They breed about Hudson's Bay, and visit New England during the more severe winters. Its notes are regarded as sweet and mellow. Another species is the EVENING GRosBEAK, inhabiting the Southern States. EUROPE possesses a good example of this group in the well-known HawrFincu, or GrRos- BEAK. This bird was once thought to be exceedingly scarce, but is now known to be anything but uncommon, although it is rarely seen, owing to its very shy and retiring habits, which lead it to eschew the vicinity of man and to bury itself in the recesses of forests. So extremely wary is the Hawfinch that to approach within gunshot is a very difficult matter, and can seldom be accomplished without the assistance of a decoy-bird, or by imitating the call-note, which bears some resemblance to that of a robin. It feeds chiefly on the various wild berries, not rejecting even the hard stones of plums and the laurel berries. In the spring, it is apt to make inroads in the early dawn upon the cultivated grounds, and has an especial liking for peas, among which it often works dire havoc. it is a gregarious bird, associating in flocks varying in number from ten to two hundred, and always being greatest after the breeding season. According to Mr. Doubleday, it is not migratory. Forests with berries of various kinds are its chief strongholds. When in the THE SCARLET TANAGER. 339 forest, the bird generally perches upon the extreme top of some lofty tree, from whence it keeps so complete a watch that hardly a weasel could steal upon it without being perceived and its presence reported by an alarm note, which is perfectly understood not only by other Grosbeaks, but by all the feathered and some of the furred tribes. The nest of the Hawtinch is not remarkable either for elegance or peculiarity of form. It is very simply built of slender twigs, bits of dried creepers, gray lichens, roots and hair, and is so carelessly put together that it can hardly be moved entire. The eggs are from four to six in number, and their color is very pale olive-green, streaked with gray and spotted with black dots. The birds pair in the middle of April, begin to build their nests about the end of that month, and the young are hatched about the third week in May. The color of the adult male Grosbeak is briefly as follows: The head and nape of the neck are fawn color, deepening towards the shoulders and fading into gray on the other por- tions of the neck, and the chin and throat are velvety black. The upper part of the body is chestnut-brown, and the wing-coverts are variegated with white, black, and fawn. The primary feathers of the wing are deep blue-black, white on the inner webs. The upper tail- coverts are fawn, and the tail itself is black and white, with the exception of the two central feathers, which are grayish-brown, tipped with white. The sides of the neck, the breast, abdomen, and whole of the under parts are brown of a lighter and paler hue than that of the back, and the under tail-coverts are white. The female is similarly colored, but the hues are much duller than in her mate. The total length of the bird is seven inches. On examining the wings of this bird, the observer will be struck with the curious shape of the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth primary feathers, which are not pointed, but are larger at the ends, rounded and hooked in a manner which is well compared by Yarrell to the head of an ancient battle-axe. Perhaps the Jedburgh axe is more like the shape of these curious feathers. ALTHOUGH not possessed of the glowing scarlet hue which decorates the cardinal Gros- beak, the BLACK AND YELLOW GROSBEAK is quite as remarkable and scarcely a less handsome bird. Its ordinary habitation is in the northern parts of India, but it is a bird of strong wing, and often wanders as far as Central India in search of food. Like others of the same group, it mostly feeds on berries and various stone-fruits, crushing even the hard-shelled seeds and stones in its thick and powerful beak. Even at a distance, this bird is very conspicuous on account of the bold and dashing manner in which the whole of the plumage is variegated with black, white, and yellow, all these colors being of the purest and brightest quality. The whole of the upper surface and the breast are deep jetty black, with a slight silken gloss when the bird is in good condition. A few snowy-white spots appear on the basal por- tions of the four central primary feathers of the wing, and several of the primaries, together with the whole of the secondaries, are edged with the same hue, thus presenting a very strong contrast to the jetty feathers of the back. The lower part of the breast and the abdomen are bright golden yellow, so that the bird is colored only with these three decided hues, without any gradation through intermediate hues, as is generally the case in birds of bright plumage. The female is easily distinguished from her mate, as the upper surface is dusky black, largely mottled with yellow upon the head, neck, and back. The breast and abdomen are grayish yeliow, profusely covered with black spots resembling the ‘‘tears”’ in heraldry. The quality of the hue is rather variable, as in some specimens the black is of the deepest, and the yellow of the richest, glossiest gold, whereas in some individuals—probably the young mate just entering his perfect plumage, or the old male getting feeble with age—the black has a dirty look, and the yellow is nearly white. In size this bird is about equal to the cardinal Grosbeak. THE Tanagrine birds are well represented by the ScARLET TANAGER of America. It is a very handsome bird, decorated with liveiy scarlet and deep black, and is possessed of a tolerable, though not especially musical voice. This is one of the migratory species, arriving in the northern portions of the United States about the end of April, and remaining 340 THE SCARLET TANAGER. until the breeding season is over. The nest is made of rather rough materials, such as flax- stalks and dry grass, and is so loosely put together that the light is perceptible through the interstices of the walls. The number of eggs is generally three, and their color is dullish blue, variegated with brown and purplish spots. While engaged in the business of incubation, both birds are extremely terrified at the presence of any strange object, and if a human being approaches the nest, the male flies to a little distance and keeps cautiously aloof, peering through the boughs at the foe, and constantly fearful of being seen. The female also leaves the nest, but continues to fly restlessly about her home, hovering over the eggs or young in great distress. When, however, the young are hatched, the male parent takes his full share in attending upon them, and cares nothing for being seen. The attachment of the male bird to his young seems to be very strong, as is shown by the following account, extracted from Wilson :— ‘* Passing through an orchard, and seeing one of these young birds that had but lately left the nest, I carried it with me about half a mile to show it to my friend, Mr. William Bartram, and having procured a cage, hung it up on one of the large pine-trees in the Botanic Garden, within a few feet of the nest of an orchard oriole, which also contained young, hopeful that the charity and kindness of the orioles would induce them to supply the cravings of the stranger. But charity with them, as with too many of the human race, began and ended at home. ‘*The poor orphan was altogether neglected, notwithstanding its plaintive cries, and as it refused to be fed by me, I was about to return it to the place where I found it, when towards the afternoon a Scarlet Tanager, no doubt its own parent, was seen fluttering round the cage, endeavoring to get in. Finding this impracticable, he flew off and soon returned with food in his bill, and continued to feed it till after sunset, taking up his lodgings on the higher branches of the same tree. In the morning, almost as soon as day broke, he was again seen most actively engaged in the same affectionate manner, and, notwithstanding the insolence of the orioles, continued his benevolent offices the whole day, roosting at night as before. “On the third or fourth day he appeared extremely solicitous for the liberation of his charge, using every expression of distressful anxiety, and every call and invitation that nature had put in his power for him to come out. This was too much for the feelings of my venerable friend ; he procured a ladder, and mounting to the spot where the bird was suspended, opened the cage, took out the prisoner, and restored him to liberty and to his parent, who, with notes. of great exultation, accompanied his flight to the woods.” The tail is forked, and very slightly tipped with white. This plumage is, however, only donned during the breeding season, for in the autumnal moult a number of greenish yellow feathers make their appearance, giving the bird a uniformly dappled or mottled aspect. ‘The female is a comparatively soberly clad bird, being green above and yellow beneath, with wings and tail brownish black, edged with green. The total length of the Scarlet Tanager is between six and seven inches. They may readily be distinguished from the other Fringillidee by the notched upper mandible, and by the triangular base and arched ridge of the beak. Most of them are pos- sessed of musical powers; one species, the ORGANIST TANAGER (Huphonia musica), deriving its popular and scientific title from its rich full tones. The colors of the Tanagers are gen- erally brilliant, scarlet, black, and orange being the ordinary hues with which their plumage is bedecked. The Scarlet Tanager is one of five species inhabiting the United States. The family of Tanagers is especially American. The larger number of these species are found in South America, where they abound. Many of them excel, in beauty and richness of plumage, any known bird. Wilson says of our visitor, the Scarlet Tanager: ‘‘ He is dressed in the richest scarlet, set off with the most jetty black. Among all the birds that inhabit our woods, there is none that strikes the eye of a stranger, or even a native, with such brilliancy as this. Seen among the green leaves, with the light falling strongly on his plumage, he is a superb creat- > The Louisiana Tanager is native to the Southwestern United States. A Western species is known ; and one, called the Hepatic TanaGer, inhabiting Mexico. ure.’ FINCHES. THE CHAFFINCH. 341 THE SumMER Rep Birp (Pyranga estiva). This is a favorite cage bird in the Southern States. The male is wholly of a rich vermilion color, most brilliant on the lower parts, except the inner vanes and tips of the wings. The female is of a sober brown color, or olive-brown. Tt remains in the north until August, when it retires southward, having raised its young, one brood. The note is a strong sonorous whistle, resembling a loose trill, or shake on the notes of a fife, frequently repeated ; that of the female is rather a kind of chattering. She is, how ever, rarely seen, and is usually mute, and scarcely to be distinguished from the color of the foliage at a distance ; while the loquacity and brilliant red of the male make him very con- spicuous. This bird is very abundant in the Gulf States. It is a rare summer visitor as far north as New England. Its food consists of insects, and berries are eaten in the season. THE true Finches are known by their rather short and conical beak, their long and pointed wings, and the absence of nostrils in the beak. Europe possesses many examples of these birds, several of which are celebrated for their beauty of plumage and powers of song. AmoneG the most beautiful of these birds, the Goutptan Frycu holds a high place, its plumage being decorated with the softest and most harmonious hues, the feathers glowing with delicately opalescent shades of lilac, green, and golden yellow. This exquisite little bird is a native of New South Wales, and although not very scarce in the district which it frequents, is yet decidedly local in its habits. It is seldom seen in the open country, preferring to haunt the thicket and edges of forests, where it may be seen hop- ping easily among the branches, in little bands of from four to seven or eight in number. The voice of this finch is not remarkable for force or beauty, being little more than a querulous kind of twitter, which it utters mournfully when disturbed, at the same time flying to the summit of the nearest tree, and there sitting until the cause of alarm is removed. The color of this bird is as follows: The head and throat are deep velvet-black, the back and wings are soft yellowish-green, and a stripe of bright verditer-green runs from behind the eye down the sides of the neck, until it is merged in the yellow-green of the back. Across the breast runs a broad band of purple, yellow, or lilac, and the whole of the under surface is golden-yellow, with a kind of waxen gloss. The bill is scarlet at the tip, and white at the base. These tints belong only to the adult bird, the young being soberly clad in gray, buff, and olive. On the colored illustration of the Finches, one represents the GoLtprrnon. It is one of the most familiar and prettiest songsters of Europe. The CHAFFINCH, another representative of the same species, is one of the commonest field birds, being spread over the whole of Europe in very great numbers, and frequenting hedges, fields, and gardens with equal impartiality. It is a most gay and lively little bird, and whether singly, or assembled in large flocks, it always adds much life to the landscape, and delights the eye of every one who is not a farmer or a gardener, both of which personages wage deadiy war against the bright little bird. For the Chaffinch is apt at times to be a sad thief, and has so strong a liking for young and tender vegetables, that it pounces upon the green blades of corn, turnips, radishes, and similar plants, as soon as they push their way through the soil, and in a few hours destroys the whole of the seedlings. In one instance, a few Chaffinches settled upon a piece of ground about one hundred and twenty yards square, that had been planted with turnips, and before the day had closed, they had pulled up every young shoot and eaten a considerable amount of them. As, however, is the case of the rook, the chief food of the Chaffinch consists of insects which would be most noxious to the agriculturist, and in all probability the harm which they do in eating young plants and buds is more than counterbalanced by the benefit which they confer in destroying myriads of dangerous insects. 342 THE AMERICAN GOLDFINOG. The specific title of Celebs, which is given to the Chaffinch, signifies a bachelor, and refers to the annual separation of the sexes, which takes place in the autumn, the females departing to some other region, and the males congregating in vast multitudes, consoling themselves as they best can by the pleasures of society for the absence of the gentler portion of the community. Very large flocks of these birds appear towards the end of autumn, and seem at first to be wholly composed of females. It is, however, more than probable that they consist of the females together with their young families of both sexes, and that the immature males have not as yet assumed their perfect plumage. The flocks are generally seen about hedge-rows and stubble-fields ; and if the weather should be very severe, they adjourn to the vicinity of human habitations, haunting the gardens and farm-yards, and often rivalling the sparrows in their boldness of demeanor. The note of this bird is a merry kind of whistle, and the call-note is very musical and ringing, somewhat resembling the word ‘‘pinck,’’? which has therefore been often applied to the bird as its provincial name. The nest of the Chaffinch is one of the prettiest and neatest. It is deeply cup-shaped, and the materials of which it is composed are moss, wool, hair, and lichens, the latter sub- stances being always stuck profusely over the surface, so as to give it a resemblance to the bough on which it has been built. The nest is almost invariably made in the upright fork of a branch, just at its junction with the main stem or bough from which it sprang, and is so beautifully worked into harmony with the bark of the particular tree on which it is placed, that it escapes the eye of any but a practised observer. Great pains are taken by the female in making her nest, and the structure occupies her about three weeks. The eggs are from four to five in number, and their color is pale brownish buff, decorated with several largish spots and streaks of very dark brown. The color of this pretty bird is as follows: At the base of the beak the feathers are jetty black, and the same hue, but with a slight dash of brown, is found on the wings and the greater wing-coverts. The top of the head and back of the neck are slaty-gray, the back is chestnut, and the sides of the head, the chin, throat, and breast are bright ruddy chestnut, fading into a colder tint upon the abdomen. The larger wing-coverts are tipped with white, the lesser coverts are entirely of the same hue, and the tertials are edged with yellowish white. The tail has the two central feathers grayish black, the next three pairs black, and the remain- ing feathers variegated with black and white. The total length of the bird is six inches. The female is colored something like the male, but not so brilliantly. Or all the Finches, none is so truly handsome as the GoLDFINCH, a bird whose bright yellow orange hues suffer but little even when it is placed in close proximity to the more gaudy Finches of tropical climates. Like the chaffinch, it is spread over the whole of Europe, and may be seen in great numbers feeding on the white thistledown. There are few prettier sights than to watch a cloud of Goldfinches fluttering along a hedge, chasing the thistledown as it is whirled away by the breeze, and uttering all the while their sweet merry notes. The birds are not very shy, and by lying quietly in the hedge the observer may watch them as they come flying along, ever and anon perching upon the thistle tops, dragging out a beakful of down, and biting off the seeds with infinite satisfaction. Sometimes a Goldfinch will make a dart at a thistle or burdock, and without perching snatch several of the seeds from their bed, and then alighting on the stem, will run up it as nimbly as a squirrel, and peck away at the seeds, quite careless as to the attitude it may be forced to adopt. These beautiful little birds are most useful to the farmer, for they not only devour multitudes of insects during the spring months, but in the autumn they turn their attention to the thistle, burdock, groundsel, plantain, and other weeds, and work more effectual destruction than the farmer could hope to attain with all his laborers. Several Goldfinches may often be seen at one time on the stem and top of a single thistle, and two or three are frequently busily engaged on the same plant of groundsel. THE AMERICAN GoLpDFINCH (Astragalinus tristis) is a pretty and familiar little bird. In SELMAR HESS, PUBLISHER, N. Y. GROUP OF FINCHES THE BROWN LINNET. 343 New England it is called Yellow-bird. It is a rich lemon-yellow, with wings of black. The great resemblance of this bird to the canary induces people to keep them. They often pair with the canary, as they are easily domesticated. The song of the Yellow-bird resembles that of the Goldfinch of Europe. Several other species of Goldfinch are found in the Southern and Western States. THE SISKIN, or ABERDEVINE, is one of the European birds which performs an annual migration either partial or complete, a question about which there has been some controversy, and one which may fully receive a solution from the supposition that some birds remain in the countries of that part of the world throughout the year, retiring no farther to the north than Scotland, while others pass to Norway and Sweden for the purpose of nidification, and do not return to a warmer climate until the autumn. They are lively little birds, assembling in small flocks of eight or ten in number, and: haunting the edges of brooks and streams for the purpose of seeking the seeds of the elder and other trees, on which they chiefly feed. Along the banks they are quick and active, fluttering from one bough to another, and clinging in every imaginable attitude, with a strength of limb and briskness of gesture much resembling the movements of the titmice. While thus engaged, they constantly utter their sweet and gentle call note, which is so soft that bird-dealers are in the habit of pairing the Siskin with the canary, in order to obtain a song-bird whose voice is not so ear-piercing as that of the pure canary. The coloring of this bird is remarkable for the very peculiar green with which most of its plumage is tinged, and which is spread over the whole of its back and the upper portions of its body. The centre of each feather of its back is dark olive-green. THe GREENFINCH is one of the commonest birds, being a resident in European countries throughout the year, and not even requiring a partial migration. It is mostly found in hedges, bushes, and copses, and as it is a bold and familiar bird, is in the habit of frequenting the habitations of men, and even building its nest within close proximity to houses or gardens. During the mild weather, the Greenfinch remains in the open country, but in the severe winter months it crowds to the farm-houses, and boldly disputes with the sparrows the chance grains of food that it may find. When young, the bird is fed almost wholly upon caterpillars and various insects, and not until it has attained its full growth does it try upon the hard seeds the large bill which has obtained for it the title of Green Grosbeak. The voice of the Greenfinch is very ordinary, being possessed neither of strength nor melody, so that the bird is in very little demand as an inhabitant of the aviary. The nest of this bird is generally built rather later than is usual with the Finches, and is seldom completed until May has fairly set in. Its substance is not unlike that of the chaffinch, being composed of roots, wool, moss, and feathers. It is not, however, so neatly made, nor so finely woven together, as the nest of that bird. The eggs are from three to five in number, and the color is bluish-white covered at the larger end with spots of brown and gray. In the adult male bird, the head, neck, and all the upper parts of the body are yellow with a green wash, and the wings are partly edged with bright yellow. The primary feathers of the wings are gray-black, edged for a considerable portion of their length with brilliant yellow. The greater wing-coverts, together with the tertiaries, are gray; the chin, throat, breast, and under parts of the body are yellow, falling into gray on the flanks. With the exception of the two short middle feathers, which are gray-brown throughout, the tail-feathers are yellow for the first half of their length, and gray-brown for the remainder. The female is of much more sober colors, being greenish brown on the back and under surface, and the yellow of the wings being very dull. The total length of the bird is about six inches, the female being little less than her mate. TEE common LINNE? is sometimes called the BRown LINNET, in contradistinction to the preceding species, or the GREATER ReEDFrincn, in allusion to the vermilion-tipped feathers the crown. 344 THE BLACK SNOW BIRD. Few birds are better known than the Linnet, although the change of plumage to which it is subject in the different seasons of the year has caused the same bird, while in its winter plumage, to be considered as distinct from the same individual in its summer dress. Except during the breeding season, the Linnets associate in flocks, flying from spot to spot, and feed- ing upon the seeds of various plants, evidently preferring those of the thistle, dandelion, and various cruciferous plants. It is a very lively bird, and is possessed of a sweet and agreeable, though not very powerful song. THE PurpLe Fincu (Carpodacus purpureus). This is a winter bird of passage, coming to us in the Northern States in September and October. Great numbers remain during the winter as far south as Pennsylvania, feeding on the seeds of buttonwood, cedar, etc. Tn severe seasons they are found farther south. They return north to breed in May. The Purple Finch is a hardy, vigorous bird, and very quarrelsome if placed with other birds as pets. A Californian variety is known, and three other species of the genus Carpodacus. THE CANARY, THE SPARROWS, AND THE BUNTINGS. Tue Snow Brrp, which is not to be confounded with the Snow Bunting, hereafter to be described, is an inhabitant of America, and has a very large range of country. According to Wilson’s lively description of this bird, ‘‘at first they are most generally seen on the borders of woods among the falling and decayed leaves, in loose flocks of thirty or forty together, always taking to the trees when disturbed. As the weather sets in colder, they venture nearer the farm-houses and villages, and on the approach of what is usually called ‘falling weather,’ assemble in larger flocks, and seem doubly diligent in searching for food. This increased activity is generally a sure prognostic of a storm. ‘* When deep snow covers the ground, they become almost half domesticated. They collect about the barns, stables, and other out-houses, spread over the yard, and even round the steps of the door; not only in the country and villages, but in the heart of our large cities ; crowd- ing around the threshold early in the morning, gleaning up the crumbs, and appearing very lively and familiar. They also have recourse at this severe season, when the face of the earth is shut up from them, to the seeds of many kinds of weeds that still rise above the snow, in corners of fields, and low sheltered situations, along the borders of creeks and fences, where they unite with several species of sparrow. They are at this time easily caught with almost any kind of trap, are generally fat, and it is said are excellent eating.”’ At the very beginning of summer, as soon as the weather begins to be warm, the Snow Bird retires from its winter quarters, and migrates to the higher regions of the earth, for the purpose of breeding. Even in the business of rearing their young, the Snow Birds are very gregarious, placing the nest upon the ground, or on the grass, in close proximity to each other. The head, neck, and upper parts of the body, and the wings, are very deep, slaty-brown, either color predominating according to the age of the individual and the season of the year. The lower parts of the breast and the abdomen are pure snowy-white, and the two exterior tail-feathers are of the same hue, the secondaries being dark slate. The female has but little of the slaty-blue, and is almost wholly brown. The total length of this species is about six inches. THE Biack Snow Brrp (Junco hyemalis—formerly fringilla) is a cheery, pretty little winter visitor from the far north, and is by far the most numerous and widely disseminated of all the feathered tribes that come from that direction. Their migrations extend from the Arctic Circle to Mexico, and from the Atlantic Ocean to Louisiana. As the winter lengthens, this bird, in flocks, approaches the farm-houses, and even the dwellings in towns. They are lively and familiar little creatures. Oe y Wy yy) y ] Vip Wy fii) Wii Wu ay) Wy i) ST BREAKFA LY EAR * THE CANARY. 345 Several species are known, inhabiting the southern country, as the Mexican and the Gaudeloupe Snow Birds. ALLIED to the preceding are numerous species of Towhees. The CHEWmK, or TOWHEE (Pipilo erythropthalmus) is the more familiar species in New England and the Northern States. It is quickly recognized, if present, by its curious habit of scratching among the dried leaves of the forest. Four other species are known. One, the Oregon Towhee, inhabits the far west, on the Pacific slope. Another is the Gaudeloupe Towhee, inhabiting the extreme southern limits of North America. Others and varieties are found in the canons of Colorado, and in California. The Towhees are especially interesting birds ; are shapely, and though the plumage is sober in color, it is nevertheless pleasing. The cheery, busy Northern Towhee, as he is seen and heard scratching among the leaves of the forest during the fall months, is always pleasing. We must now pass on to another species, which everywhere has become so far naturalized, that to many eyes it is even more familiar than the sparrow. THE pretty little Canary Brrp, so prized as a domestic pet, derives its name from the locality whence it was originally brought. Rather more than three hundred years ago, a ship was partly laden with little green birds captured in the Canary Islands, and having been wrecked near Elba, the birds made their escape, flew to the island, and there settled themselves. Numbers of them were caught by the inhabitants, and on account of their sprightly vivacity and the brilliancy of their voice they soon became great favorites, and rapidly spread over Europe. The original color of the Canary is not the bright yellow with which its feathers are gener- ally tinted, but a kind of dappled olive-green, black, and yellow, either color predominating WILD CANARY.—Serinus canarius. according to circumstances. By careful management, however, the bird-fanciers are able to procure Canaries of every tint between the three colors, and have instituted a set of rules by which the quality and arrangement of the coloring is reduced to a regular system. Still, the original dappled green is always apt to make its appearance ; and even when two light-colored birds are mated, a green young one is pretty sure to be found in the nest. For my own part, I care little for the artificial varieties produced by the fanciers according to their arbitrary Vox, If.—44. 346 THE TREE SPARROW. rules, always subject to variation ; and to my mind, an intelligent bird and a good songster is not one whit the less attractive because the colors of its plumage are not arranged precisely according to the fanciers’ rules, Tu noisy, familiar, impatient Sparrow is one of those creatures that has attached itself to man, and follows him wherever he goes. Nothing seems to daunt this bold little bird, which is equally at home in the fresh air of the country farm, in the midst of a crowded city, or among the strange sights and sounds of a SSA KIRAN THE COMMON ENGLISH SPARROW and THE TREE SPARROW.—Passer domesticus and montanus. large railway station ; treating with equal indifference the slow-paced wagon horses, as they deliberately drag their load over the country roads, the noisy cabs and omnibuses as they rattle over the city pavements, and the snorting, puffing engines, as they dash through the stations with a velocity that makes the earth tremble beneath their terrible rush. Tne TrRep Sparrow may readily be distinguished from the preceding species by the chestnut head, the triangular patch of black on the cheeks, and the browner white of the lower surface of the body. This bird is not nearly so common as the house Sparrow, and generally places its nest in trees in preference to thatch and walls. Sometimes, however, it follows the common Sparrow in the building of its domiciie, and has been known to place its nest in the deserted home of a crow or rook, making a dome like that of the common Sparrow when building in trees. Occa- MARAUDING SPARROWS. THE WHITE-THROATED SPARROW. 347 sionally it has been observed to build its nest in the hollow of a tree, and to take possession of a hole that had formerly been occupied by the woodpecker. The eggs are different in hue from those of the common Sparrow, being dullish white, covered entirely with very light dots of ashen-brown. ‘Their number is generally from four to six. Lately was published a short communication from a gentleman residing at Penzance. ‘“A Norwegian brig put into Penzance a few days since, and among other incidents of the voyage between Norway and England, the master of the vessel mentioned that midway between the two countries, thousands of small Sparrows paused and alighted on the ship, covering the deck and rigging. The birds were exhausted and soon died, and some half-dozen were kept from mere curiosity to show to friends. These were brought for my inspection, a day or two since, by a person who begged them of the captain to show me. The six specimens were all Passer montanus, the Tree Sparrow, the Mountain Sparrow of Bewick.”’ Besides the markings which have already been mentioned, the Tree Sparrow has a streak of white, marking the boundary between the chestnut of the neck and the red hue of the back and wings. The lower wing-coverts are not so broadly tipped with white as in the common species, but are of a deep black, with a very narrow edging of white. Below the eye and over the ear-coverts, there is a narrow black streak, and the breast and abdomen are white, with a brown tinge, deepening on the flanks. In size the Tree Sparrow is not so large as the common species, by nearly half an inch of length. WHITE-THROATED SPARROW.— Zonotrichia albicollis. THe WHITE-THROATED SPARROW is an inhabitant of America, and is one of the partial migrators, passing to and from the northern and southern portions of that continent, accord- ing to the season of the year. Of this bird Wilson speaks as follows: ‘‘This is the largest as well as the handsomest of all our Sparrows. It resides in most of the States south of New England. From Connecticut to Savannah I found these birds numerous, particularly in the neighborhood of the Roanoke river and among the rice plantations. In summer they retire to the higher inland parts of the country, and also farther south, to breed. According to Pennant, they are also found at that season in Newfoundland. During their residence here in winter they collect together in flocks, always preferring the borders of swampy thickets, creeks, and mill-ponds, skirted with alder bushes and long rank weeds, the seeds of which form their principal food. 348 THE YELLOW BUNTING, OR YELLOW AMMER. ‘‘ Karly in the spring, a little before they leave us, they have a few remarkably sweet and clear notes, generally in the morning a little after sunrise. About the twentieth of April they disappear, and we see no more of them until the beginning or second week of October, when they again return, part to pass the winter with us, and part on their return farther south.” The coloring of this bird is very graceful. The upper surface of the body and the lower wing-coverts are rather agreeably mottled with black, ashen-brown, bay, and clear ash, the breast is ash, and the chin and under portions of the body are pure white. The head is striped with black and white, and another white streak which passes over the eye warms into orange- yellow between the eye and the nostril. The female is easily distinguished by the lighter breast, the drab wash upon the white, and the smaller size of the orange line on the head. The legs are flesh-colored, and the bill has a bluish tinge. The total length of the White-throated Sparrow is about six and a half inches. Tue SHARP-TAILED Fincu derives its popular and appropriate title from the peculiar shape of its tail. It is an interesting little bird, remarkably swift of foot, and a very excellent climber of reeds and rushes, two accomplishments which are very seldom combined in the same species. The sea-shore is the favorite haunt of this bird, which seems to depend wholly upon the waves for its subsistence. While feeding, it courses along the edge of the water with wonderful celerity, pecking here and there at the little fish and crustaceans which have been flung ashore by the water, and would make good their escape were not they interrupted by the ready beak of their destroyer. As it trips over the sands it has all the appearance of the sandpipers and other shore-living birds, although its legs are shorter and its dimensions smaller, The low coral-covered islands that edge the Atlantic coast of America are the favored resorts of the Sharp-tailed Finch, which seldom quits these places of safety, unless driven by continuous and wild easterly gales, which drive the sea over the islands and render them untenable for the time. The bird then flies over to the main land, but still remains close to the sea, preferring to roost on the ground and run about after dark. On examining the stomach of several of these birds, Wilson found that they contained fragments of shrimps, very small mollusks, and broken limbs of small crabs, no other substances ever being found in their interior. Owing to this diet, the flesh of this species is not at all fitted for the table, being rank and fishy. The crown of the head is olive-brown divided laterally with a streak of slaty-blue or light ash. ‘The head and sides of the face are marked with several streaks of white, one of which becomes orange-yellow near the beak. The whole of the upper parts are brownish olive with a perceptible blue wash, the chin and abdomen are pure white, the breast is ashen-gray streaked liberally with buff, and the under tail-coverts are buff streaked with black. All the wing- coverts are tipped with narrow white bands, and the wings are rather richly variegated with yellow. The total length of this bird is rather more than six inches. Tue Buntings are known by their sharp conical bills, with the edges of the upper mandi- ble rounded and slightly turned inwards, and the knob on the palate. They are common in most parts of the world, are gregarious during the winter months, and in some cases become so fat upon the autumn grain that they are considered great dainties. Onze of the most familiar of all these birds is the YeLLtow Buntrne, or YELLOW AMMER, as it is often called. This lively bird frequents our fields and hedge-rows, and is remarkable for a curious mix- ture of wariness and curiosity, the latter feeling impelling it to observe a traveller with great attention, and the former to keep out of reach of any missile. So, in walking along a country lane, the passenger is often preceded by one or more of these birds, which always keeps about seventy or eighty yards in advance, and flutters in and out of the hedges or trees with a pecu- liar and unmistakable flirt of the wings and tail. It possesses but little song, and is conse- quently of no value as a cage-bird, remaining scathless while many a poor goldfinch, lark, or SONILNOG HO dNoOuD ZZ LL Wy THE YELLOW BUNTING, OR YELLOW AMMER. 349 thrush falls a victim to the bird-catcher, and passes the remainder of its life cooped in the narrow precincts of a cage. The song—if it may so be called—of the bird is set in the minor key, and has a peculiar intonation, which is almost articulate, and is variously rendered. For example, it is well represented by the words, ‘‘A little bit of bread and no cheese!’ the last syllable but one being strongly accented. In Scotland it assumes a sense quite in accordance with the character of its surroundings, and is supposed to say, ‘‘ De’il, de’il, de’il fake ye.’ So, in revenge for the sentiment by which the bird is supposed to be actuated, the rustics persecute the bright little creature most shamefully, killing the parents, breaking the eggs and destroying the nests, whenever they can find an opportunity. Mr. Thompson says that, to his ears, the ery of the Yellow Bunting is of a mournful character, in which opinion I cannot at all agree with him, having many a time been cheered by the odd little tones that were poured forth close to my ear. The nest of the Yellow Bunting is generally placed upon or very close to the earth, and YELLOW BUNTING, OR YELLOW AMMER.—&mberiza citrinella. the best place to seek for the structure, is the bottom of a hedge, where the grass has been allowed to grow freely, and the ground has been well drained by the ditch. In rustic parlance, a “rough gripe”? is the place wherein to look for the Yellow Ammer’s nest. It is a neatly- built edifice, composed chiefly of grasses, and lined with hair. The eggs are five in number, and their color is white, with a dash of very pale purple, and dotted and scribbled all over with dark purple-brown. Both dots and lines are most variable, and it also frequently hap- pens that an egg appears with hardly a mark upon it, while others in the same nest are entirely covered with the quaint-looking decorations. Generally the nest is built later than that of most small birds, but there are instances when it has been completed and the five eggs laid as early as January, or even December. * Both parents are strongly attached to each other and to their young, and during the last few days of incubation the mother bird becomes so fearless that she will sit in her nest even when she is discovered, and in some instances has even suffered herself to be touched before she would leave her charge. 350 THE COMMON BUNTING. About the end of autumn, all the young birds have been fully fledged, and instead of haunting the hedge-rows, they assemble in considerable flocks, and visit the fields in search of food. In the winter, should the weather be severe, they become very bold, and joining the sparrows, and other little birds, enter the farm-yards and cultivated grounds, and endeavor to pick up a subsistence. When food is plentiful, the Yellow Ammer becomes very fat, and in some instances is killed for the table, being thought nearly as good as the celebrated ortolan, to which bird it is closely allied. The reader may probably have remarked, that I have called the bird Yellow Ammer, and not Yellow Hammer, as is mostly the case. The correction is due to Mr. Yarrell, who well observes that, ‘‘I have ventured to restore to this bird what I believe to have been its first English name, Yellow Ammer, although it appears to have been printed Yellow Ham and Yellow Hammer from the days of Drs. William Turner and Merrett to the present time. The word Ammer is a well-known German term for Bunting in very common use. Thus Bechstein employs the names Schnee-ammer, Grau-ammer, Rohr-ammer, Garten-ammer, and Gold- ammer, for the Snow Bunting, Corn Bunting, Reed Bunting, Ortolan or Garden Bunting, and Yellow Bunting. Prefixing the letter H to the word appears to be unnecessary and even erroneous, as suggesting a notion which has no reference to any known habit or quality in the bird.” The general color of this bird is bright yellow, variegated with patches of dark brown, and having a richly mottled brownish-yellow on the back, with a decided warm ruddy tinge. The primary feathers of the wing are black, edged with yellow, and the remainder of the feathers throughout, with all the wing-coverts, are deep brown-black, edged with ruddy brown. The chin, throat, and all the under parts of the body are bright, pure yellow, sobering into rusty- brown on the flanks. The female is similarly marked, but is not so brilliant in her hues. The total length of the bird is about seven inches, THE ORTOLAN, or GARDEN BuNTING, is widely celebrated for the delicacy of its flesh, or rather for that of its fat; the fat of the Ortolan being somewhat analogous to the green fat of the turtle, in the opinion of gourmands. The Ortolan is most frequently found on the European continent, where its advent is expected with great anxiety, and vast numbers are annually captured for the table. These birds are not killed at once, as they would not be in proper condition, but they are placed in a dark room, so as to prevent them from moving about, and are fed largely with oats and millet, until they become mere lumps of fat, weighing nearly three ounces, and are then killed and sent to table. The net and decoy-bird are the means that are generally employed for their capture. The nest of the Ortolan is placed on the ground, generally among corn, and upon a sandy soil, where some slight defence helps to conceal the nest, and to afford a partial shelter from the wind. ‘The materials of which it is made are grasses of different degrees of fineness, and a few hairs which are placed in the interior. The number of eggs is five or six, and their color is pale bluish-white, covered with spots of black. The nest is generally begun in the early part of May. The Ortolan has no real song, its voice being limited to a few monotonous chirping notes. The coloring of this bird is as follows: The head is gray with a green tinge, and the back is ruddy brown, beautifully mottled with black. The wings are black, with brown edges to the feathers ; the chin, throat, and upper portions of the breast are greenish-yellow ; and the abdomen is warm buff. The total length of the Ortolan is rather more than six inches. As the Common Buntrine is not so brilliant a bird as the Yellow Bunting, it is less noticed, though quite as plentiful. It is a thick-set and heavily made bird, not being possessed of the elegant shape which is found in its yellow relative. During the spring and summer, the Bunting is generally found in the corn-fields, from which habit it is sometimes termed the Corn Bunting, and is but seldom seen among trees, or on open pasture-lands. Its food chiefly consists of various grass seeds, THE BLACK-THROATED BUNTING. 351 especially those of the stronger species, so that it often does good service to the farmer, by preventing the increase of these very stubborn weeds. The millet is a very favorite article of food, as may be supposed from the specific name of miliaris, which has been given to the bird by systematic zoologists, and considerable injury is often done to the millet crops by the attacks of the Bunting. THE BLACK-THROATED BUNTING is a native of America, and is rather less than the pre- ceding species. Of this bird and its habits, Wilson writes as follows :— “They arrive in Pennsylvania, from the south, about the middle of May, descend in the neighborhood of Philadelphia, and seem to prefer level fields covered with rye grass, timothy or clover, where they build their nest, fixing it on the ground, and forming it of fine, dried grass. The female lays five white eggs, sprinkled with specks and lines of black. Like most part of their genus, they are nowise celebrated for musical powers. Their whole song consists of five notes, or more properly of two notes, the first repeated twice, and slowly, the second ORTOLAN.— Emberiza hortulana. thrice, and rapidly, resembling ‘chip-chip, che-che-che.’ In their shape and manner they very much resemble the yellow ammers of Britain; like them, they are fond of mounting to the top of some half-grown tree, and there chirruping for half an hour at a time. “Tn travelling through different parts of New York and Pennsylvania in spring and summer, whenever I came to level fields of deep grass, I have constantly heard these birds around me. In August they become mute, and soon after, that is, towards the beginning of September, leave us altogether.”’ The top of the head is greenish-yellow, the neck is dark ashen-gray, and the back rusty red, touched with black, the same color extending to the wings and tail, but of a darker hue, without the black spots. The chin is white, and the throat is marked with a heart-shaped patch of deep black edged with white. The breast is yellow, and a line of the same hue extends over the eyes and into the lower angle of the bill. The lesser coverts are bay, and the abdomen grayish-white. The total length of the bird is about six inches and a half. 352 THE SNOW BUNTING. THE Snow Buntrine, or SNow FLEcK, is one of our winter visitors, and is known by a great variety of names, owing to the manner in which its plumage is colored, according to the time of year or age of the individual. In some places it is called the Tawny Bunting, White Lark, or Pied Finch; in others, the Mountain Bunting, because it is usually found upon the hilly ranges of the countries which it frequents. it is an interesting bird, and has engaged the attention of almost every practical orni- thologist. It generally arrives in the northern regions of Europe at the end of autumn, and remains during the winter; the oldest birds always leaving last and keeping towards the north, while the young birds arrive first, and go farther southward than their elderly relatives. They generally congregate in little flocks, and may be seen scudding over the snow-clad hills, - their black wings and tail contrasting strangely with the pure white surface over which they pass. Colonel Montague once shot more than forty out of the same flock, and found that there were hardly any two specimens whose plumage was precisely alike, the feathers varying from the tawny hue of the young bird to the pure white and black of the adult in full winter dress. While treating of this bird, Mudie gives the following interesting remarks: ‘‘There is another trait in the natural history of birds, which, although it may be observed in them all, resident as well as migrate, is yet so conspicuous in the Snow Bunting that this is the proper place for noticing it. The male is the most sensitive to heat, and the female to cold. That difference appears, whether the result of the action of heat be change of place or change of plumage. The males of all our summer birds arrive earlier than the females, and in all resi- dent birds the change of plumage and voice of the male are among the first indications of the spring, taking precedence of most of the vegetable tribes, for the redbreast and the wren sing before the snowdrop flowers appear. ‘Tt seems, too, that the song and the attractions of the male are accessories in aid of the warmth of the season, to produce the influence of the season upon the female; and even as the season advances, the female remains a skulking and hideling bird throughout the season, at least until the young have broken the shell and require her labor to feed, and her courage (which she sometimes requires to a wonderful degree at this time) to protect them. Whether it be that instinct leads the female to husband her heat for the purpose of hatching her eggs, or simply that the thinning of the under plumage, which takes place at that time, is the more conspicuous the more closely the bird sits, it is certain that the females of most birds avoid the sun, and that all cover their eggs from the light during the period of incubation.”’ Wilson says of this species that it makes its appearance in the northern states early in December, coming in flocks of different sizes, and flying closely together at some little elevation from the ground. They seem to be restless in their disposition, seldom staying long in one spot, and resuming their flight after a short repose. The nest of the ‘Snow Bunting is made in the most retired mountainous districts, and is placed in the cleft of a rock at some distance from other habitations of the same species. It is built of grass and feathers, and is lined with down or the fur of different quadrupeds; the fox and the hare being the most usual. The number of eges is five, and the color is white spotted with brown. The song of the Snow Bunting is feeble but pleasing, and is continually uttered while the bird is sitting near its nest. There are, besides, several notes peculiar to this bird ; one, a sweet, short call, and the other a harsh, ringing scream of alarm. In several countries this bird is valued for its flesh, which when it is fat is thought to be very delicate, and in Greenland it is captured in great quantities and dried ; the Laplanders have an idea that it fattens on the flowing of the tide and grows lean on the ebb. The food of this bird is rather various, but greatly consists of seeds. According to Wilson, it ‘“‘ derives a considerable part of its food from the seeds of certain aquatic plants, which may be one reason for its preferring those remote northern countries, so generally intersected with streams, ponds, lakes, and sheltered arms of the sea, that probably abound with such plants. in passing down the Seneca river towards Lake Ontario, late in the month of October, I was surprised by the appearance of a large flock of these birds feeding on the surface of the water, supported on the top of a growth of weeds that rise from the bottom, growing so close together THE LAPLAND LONGSPUR. 353 that our boat could with great difficulty make its way through them. They were running about with great activity ; and those I shot and examined were filled, not only with the seeds of this plant, but with a minute kind of shell-fish that adheres to the leaves. In this kind of aquatic excursion they are, doubtless, greatly assisted by the length of their hind heel and claws. Ialso observed a few on Table Rock, above the Falls of Niagara, seemingly in search of the same kind of focd.”’ As has already been noticed, the plumage of the Snow Bunting varies greatly in its coloring, passing through every imaginable stage between the winter and summer dress. The winter plumage of this bird is briefly as fol- lows: The back and part of the wings are dark black-brown, and the whole of the remaining feathers are pure snowy-white. In all cases the amount of black is very variable, and in some instances the entire plumage has been white. In the summer, the color is a tawny-brown, speckled with white, and the back is black, mottled with brown. The quill-feathers of the wing and tail are black, variegated with bay and white, and the under surface dull white, deepening into tawny on the flanks. The length of the bird is about seven inches. Besides the examples already given, there are very many other species of Bunting scattered over the surface of the globe, whose history is equally interesting, but cannot be given in a work of the present dimensions. The species, however, which have already been mentioned are good examples of the group, and will serve as types by which the character of the sub-families may be known. SNOW BUNTING.—Piectrophanes nivaias. THe Snow Buntine (Plectrophanes nivalis) is common to both hemispheres. The entire Arctic circle is inhabited by flocks of this bird during the summer. Se Wap =p 4 oe ce Ss = LAPLAND LONGSPUR.—Centrophanes lapponicus. THE Lapianp Lonespur, Smith’s Bunting, Chestnut-collared Bunting, McCowans, are closely allied species, with similar habits and localities. Vou. IL—45 354 THE SKY-LARK. A LARGE number of Sparrows inhabit the North American continent. Allied to these are certain Finches and Buntings. Besides those already enumerated, there are forty-six distinct species. Among them the CHIPPING Sparrow (Spizella domestica) is an interesting and very familiar species. It is a migrating bird; spending his summer in the north, and sojourning in the south during the winter season. The Tree Sparrow, Field Sparrow and Song Sparrow are also familiar and welcome visitors in the summer season. Wilson says of the latter: ‘‘ Of all our Sparrows, this is the most numerous, the most generally diffused over the United States, and by far the earliest, sweetest, and most lasting songster. It is only partially migratory, some staying in the north during winters, in secluded places. It is the first singing-bird in spring, taking precedence even of the Pewee and Blue-bird. Its song continues occasionally through the entire summer and fall, and is sometimes heard even in the depth of winter. The notes or chant are very sweet, but short, resembling the beginning of a canary’s song, and frequently repeated, generally from the branches of a bush or small tree, where it sits chanting for an hour or more. THE LARKS: THE Larks may be readily recognized by the very great length of the claw of the hind toe, the short and conical bill, and the great length of the tertiary quill-feathers of the wing, which are often as long as the primaries. The first example of these birds is the well-known Sky-LaRkK, so deservedly famous for its song and its aspiring character. This most interesting bird is a native of Europe, and has cheered many a sad heart by its blithe jubilant notes as it wings skyward on strong pinions, or flutters between cloud and earth, pouring out its very soul in its rich wild melody. Early in the spring the Lark begins its song, and continues its musical effort for nearly eight months, so that on almost every warm day of the year on which a country walk is practicable the Sigel s happy notes may be heard ring- ing throughout the air, long after the bird which utters them has dwindled to a mere speck, hardly distinguishable from a midge floating in the sunbeams. The natural impulse of the bird to hurl himself aloft while singing is so powerful, that when kept in confinement it flings itself against the top of the cage, and would damage itself severely were not a piece of green baize strained tightly as a roof, so as to take away the shock of the upward spring. In a state of nature, the Sky-lark sometimes sings while on the ground, and has been seen to sit on the top of a post, and from that point of vantage to pour forth its light sparkling melody. Although it is by no means a familiar bird, nor does it seek the society of human beings, it is marvellously indifferent to their presence, and exhibits no discomposure at the close vicinity of the laborer, springing from the ground close to his feet, and singing merrily as it passes by his face. When pressed by danger, it has even been known to place itself under human protection. A gentleman was once riding along a road, when a Sky-lark suddenly dropped on the pummel of his saddle, where it lay with ontspread wings, as if wounded to death. When the rider tried to take it up, it shifted round the horse, and finally dropped under the legs of the horse, where it lay cowering, evidently smitten with terror. On looking up, the rider saw a hawk hovering above, evidently waiting to make its swoop, as soon as the Lark left her place of refuge. The Lark presently remounted the saddle, and taking advantage of a moment when the hawk shifted its position, sprang from the saddle, and shot into the hedge, where it was safe. The following curious instance of a Lark’s intelligence I had from the lady who was an eye-witness of the scene. A pair of Larks had built their nest in a grass field, where they hatched a brood of young. Very soon after the young birds were out of the eggs, the owner of the field was forced to set the mowers to work, the state of the weather forcing him to cut his grass sooner than’ usual. As the laborers approached the nest, the parent birds seemed to take alarm, and at last the THE SKY-LARK. 355 mother bird laid herself flat wpon the ground, with outspread wings and tail, while the male bird took one of the young out of the nest, and by dint of pushing and pulling, got it on its mother’s back. She then flew away with her young one over tlie fields, and soon returned for another. This time, the father took his turn to carry one of the offspring, being assisted by the mother in getting it firmly on his back ; and in this manner they carried off the whole brood before the mowers had reached their nest. This is not a solitary instance, as I am acquainted with one more example of this ingenious mode of shifting the young, when the parent-birds feared that their nest was discovered, and carried the brood into some standing wheat. WOUD-LARK, SKY-LAKK, and BONNET-LARKK.—