eee | Pp, ee aay i Wl ee io ie rr; ene o ae | rete. = = nee, Oa a et caus tag = Sdarreahaee Sa Bae F eee. = — oS es rte Perseus, les oo. Ed oe Se Wine oS; — is ~. ~ - ee sae Fe ei Fen pal pear see Soa end Se he Sedat A) RES ey 2 se ece: Paris a eit Pian ie J we + ANNOUNCEMENT. ee To disseminate and promote natural science information as well as to gratify a universal taste, the undersigned take pleasure in placing before the public, under its auspices, a work containing artistically colored illustrations of over seven hundred different species of birds, comprising most all that are known to exist on this Continent, including Mexico and Central America, accompanied by a copious text giving a popular account of their habits and characteristics, and embracing in general the observations made by the most eminent writers on Ornithology. The original drawings for the work were made from nature, by THEODORE JASPER, A. M., M. D., an Artist of superior capabilities, who has made Ornithology a life-study. Revised by JOHN GRAHAM BELL, EsqQ., Audubon’s com- panion in the field, and a well known Ornithologist and Taxidermist. The Systematic Table, arranged according to the classification adopted by THE AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGISTS’ UNION, which was prepared by FRANK M. CHAPMAN, ESQ. Assistant Ornithologist at THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY, New York, includes all the additions and corrections of our NORTH AMERICAN SPECIES which have been made to date, with an Index, to page, plate, and figure, of each species according to the A. O. U. Number. There is no more attractive study than Ornithology, the department of zoology which treats of the structure, habits, and classification of birds. The graceful forms, movements, and habits of the feathered tribes have been celebrated in all ages by poets and artists, and have furnished the instructors of mankind with lessons of wisdom. But this admiration is not confined to the poet, the artist, or the sage; it is universal. Wherever human beings are found, the forms, the plumage, the songs, the migrations, the loves and contests of birds awaken curiosity and wonder. No similar work, con- taining so many beautiful and faithful pictures of living birds, and so much descriptive and scientific information, is now extant, or has ever been published in this or any other country. The work is an Imperial quarto volume, and is sold to subscribers, handsomely and substantially bound at prices as follows :—In full Turkey Morocco, Russia, or Seal, Gold gilt edges, $45.00; Half Turkey Morocco, Russia, or Seal, Gold gilt edges, $40.00; Cloth, uncut. Gold top, $40.00. THE NATURAL SCIENCE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA, 114 FirrH AVENUE, New York, July 26, 1903. eS COPYRIGHT, 1888, By JACOB H. STUDER, NEW YORK. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE BIRDS OF NORTH AMERICA ONE HUNDRED AND NINETEEN ARTISTIC COLORED PLATES REPRESENTING THE DIFFERENT SPECIES AND VARIETIES DRAWN AND COLORED FROM NATURE INCLUDING A COPIOUS TEXT GIVING A POPULAR ACCOUNT OF THEIR HABITS AND CHARACTERISTICS, BASED ON OBSERVATIONS MADE IN THE FIELD BY THE MOST EMINENT WRITERS ON ORNITHOLOGY PREFACED BY A SYSTEMATIC TABLE AND INDEX TO PAGE, PLATE AND FIGURE é ARRANGED ACCORDING TO THE CLASSIFICATION ADOPTED BY THE AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGISTS’ UNION BY JACOB H. STUDER NEW-YORK, U.S. A. PUBLISHED UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE NATURAL SCIENCE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA 1903 his Work is TO THE UNSEEN PRESENCE OF MY GOOD WIFE CAROLINE BUSS STUDER THB BUILDER OF MY HOPES WHO PASSED FROM OUR VIEW SEPTEMBER SECOND, A. D. 1871, AGED THIRTY YEARS AND TO MY DAUGHTERS MARY FRANCISCA AND ANNA REGINA TH3 SWEET COMFANIONS OF MY LABO!'s WHO DIED RESPECTIVELY APRIL SECOND AND EIGHTH, A. D. 1876, AGED ELEVEN AND THIRTEEN YEARS TO MY SON JOHN BERNARD STUDER WHO PASSED FROM THIS LIFE THE ELEVENTH DAY OF MAY, 1901, AGED THIRTY-TWO YEARS “Dobely and comely in thelr life, eben in death they were not Dibived."—=m1 KINGS: 1, 23. “HAanibugs dato lilia plenis,”—viRGIL. JACOB H. STUDER A SYSTEMATIC TABLE OF THE BIRDS OF NORTH AMERICA ARRANGED ACCORDING TO THE CLASSIFICATION ADOPTED BY THE AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGISTS’ UNION AND INCLUDING ALL THE ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS WHICH HAVE BEEN MADE SINCE THE PUBLICATION OF THE UNION’S “ CHECK-LIST” IN 1886. PREPARED BY FRANK M. CHAPMAN, ASST. ORNITHOLOGIST AT THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY, NEW YORK CITY. ORDER PY GOPODES-—_DiV-IN GG BIRDS. A.O.U.| 6d a B FAMILY. GENUS. SEE CEES. SUBSPECIES. ENGLISH NAMES. No, < < R B | E = Ppocierpidee, = (res Wao, cee tess ZEchmophorus...... occidentalis..... Western Grebe...A...... I 160] 106] 7 Colyibuss aa hélbesthis—- 5. = der oilorses Komes acs jee eee 2 | 160} 106] 6 AUCIMS sc. iorheds Giseies sae ee 3 159} 106] 2 nigricollis....... californicus.......]/American Eared Grebe...| 4 | 160) 106] 5 ; dominicus .o..24% St. -Jomineo-Grebe.....s 5 | 159} 106). 3 Podilymbus...,.... POciGepsasce ses Pied-billed Grebe....... 6 | 160} 106} 4 Uraratoridas Loong, 222 Gs ees Wirin ator = ss koe HN PEhs<0 Koa ot Ae LOT. = kee ee i CAT HC AMISHs =o, Yellow-billed Loon...... 8 | 160} 106] 9 SRetICUS Sse Black-throated Loon.....} 9 160} 106/10 PaCS =. sores Pacine 2000s. ca .5ee IO | 176) 116) 9 lemme: Soo ses Red-throated Loon...... II 128) 83) 4 Alcide. Auks, Murres, and Puffins.|Lunda............. Gi rhatat ka sifted ute Cosa ose 12 | 116) 75) 5 Praterculais.gieus-... .. 20 "OyoiG SIN Sop Sean gira Ba lieeers peaks f Black Guillemot......... 27 128} 383) 3 iat Mandt’s Guillemot....... 28 columba, js... . Pigeon Guillemot........ 29 162) 108) 8 Ghia ee cetencee e oe tL OieaS ay See Whit 6s sae is ee S0ms SANS Sa7e le californica........ California—VWarres- =. a 302 fotiividie sete Brunnich’s Murre........| 31 | 162] 108) 6 Biase oe Pee Palhass—Mutrer< =.=. — Tie? Pal Cate es as ae tordds- =< ene Razor-billed Auk........ 32 94, 65] 3 Plautuss nS es impennis.... Genin ieee el ee 33 Ti4, 75) 1 Aull bee tet, a ee Dbvekiecs sa es oe 34 | 163} 108/18 ORDER LONGIPENNES. LONG-WINGED SWIMMERS. ASO, | ee at FAMILY. GENUS. SPE Cros SUBSE CiES, ENGLISH NAMES. No. 2 < = Same Stercorariide. Skuas and Jaegers...|Megalestris......... | anh ear. Care MSEC Ie Song ar sere Gans Te ea 35 Steredtarts: --.sa2- pomarinus ...... Pomarine Jaeger......... 30 | 177| 116]17 parasiticus....... Parasitic Jaeger ........ 37 162} 108] 4 ; longicaudus...... Long-tailed Jaeger...... 38 | 177| 11618 Farida -GuilssandTers..5 2.04. \Gavia <2 = Soe 2s a bO ive teagan ees lroty= Gulle= is eee 39 | 176) 116} I tea Rese ee eee Se meee Oe fridaety ats . Kotha ker oes AO 94} 66} 1 pollicatiss 4 ==. Pacific Kittiwake........ 4o® | 176) 116\14 brevirostris . .... Red-legged Kittiwake...| 41 ans ee rss BEV Gi saree ‘{Glaucous Gull........... A2 | 176) 116} 7 barrovianus. .... Point Barrow Gull. ...... 424s leucopterus.. .... beclavid= Gils ae Seta os 43 176| 116] 6 glaucescens..... Glaucous-winged Gull...| 44 | 176) 116] 5 kumlieni........ iComiten’s Gulla = AS ie Nelson's (Gull: = Se 40 Waris. Great Black-backed Gull.| 47 | 113] 74) 3. ORDER LONGIPENNES, LONG-WINGED SWIMMERS.— Continued. aAa.u.| a> | 8 | & FAMILY. GENUS. SPECIES. SUBSRE GIES: ENGLISH NAMES. mat 2 < 2 ALE aries =-Gmllssand —Leris = 42 .0,5% PS MIS fe orga ts Ve es schistisagus..... Slaty-backed Gull. ...... 48 occidentalis ..... Wkeerernm= Gralla, tose sscbeeee 49. -|-113|-—74| 2 QE Sects ac Serrano rite 50 argomtatis.<-7.a 5. fect e Gallant 51 smithsonianus....|American Herring Gull..| 512 80} 54] 2 VELL ie cee cee | eck eusiaced Sauk rer eera) ae areas 52 californicus .... . Gatifornia- Gillis, 53 | 176) 116) 3 delawarensis .... Ring-billed Gull........ | 54 | 176] 116) 4 brachyrhynchus . Short-billed Gull........ 55 | 176) 116/13 GATNIS sie stan a IY WES S51 can Se 2a ae ee 56 NVSCS) ea sn dh ah eer re are Heermann’s Gull........ 57 atricila ana. . Leatenting Gil Lise 58 94; 65] 2 franikling. 5% Pranislin’s Grubln i572 «3: 59 | 176) 116\12 philadelphia..... Bonaparte s Gully; cn.) OOn |) OO) sas IPAS s fe eee: Pea eset leas os pea 60%s Rhodostethia,...... ROSCA eater | Eee yoiciee S.1 d ae eerey nae 61 86] 60) 3 Deides tls Ee paper crear er Pie 1100 Ae ane Se ey solace COU) Oe pats e a Merreeraren O24 SLL — 94) = Gelochelidot, 2.5. . GML OLICA wane ees Gullepilied Perms 2. 63 86} 60 Stoic. hare ons = tschicoravad aaees Caspiath, Ler aS a5. aba 64 saab eg 0 Neh ror ENO Wah ASOT Mis. rs Soe iets ahs 65 87| 61) 3 Cleese tia Biegants Gserty sachs a. 66 | 182} 11q16 sandvicensis..... acuflavida........ Cabot's: Jeri yt 67 PEL SC Ein ny tee Feces il BriguyatevenUifsyes Bre atari ale are O5m | 12 370) ap ILO PAH eas he erp Ierohaciecieice dl Wei mainee appease ere 69 99| 60} 2 IAIURTCL Os 29a eae Coinhionte Rerin, 22 lett 70 Zia rra3 paradisa a) 2k ENC CCICMD OG .£ee. yee 71 dougalltins. a5 .0: iosedie Pern a sata ass 72 89) 62] 6 EW USTENS (Gre ey ee Re Plettiatn betiin Stas ee 1 73 162] 107| 9 antillarum..2.... eastern aece e 74 81} 54) 5 fUliCiNOSa...42 sie BOGOR = Sri ak ie ees 75 123} 79) 3 anzethetus., .....: Bseiged ero ki Res in mete Ae tetera ene 76 | 170) 112,12 Hydrochelidon..... Wea snc ead Bie} surinamensis..... ICI Streit heals Oe Tie g 8) 4 leucoptera....... White-winged Black Tern| 78 | 169] 112] 2 PRMOUSS 5 Acsna rn Sto ligdars.-.4-215 NOt eb hgs ee cbs 79 | 176) 116\10 Rhynchopide. Skimmers....... albsthaiianteloroh ote, rematch ein ae eee en Biaek SKUMNMEL y5.4-08 25 80 | 170] I12/10 ORDER TUBINARES. TUBE-NOSED SWIMMERS. ASOF Ui) s a FAMILY. GENUS. SPECIES. SUBSPECIES. ENGLISH NAMES. Stes o < 2 Ay ay ra Diomedeide. Albatrosses......... PTOUMEM eas 2) Sig 2, MUESTRA Oe ak ees oe Black-footed Albatross...| 81 | 146; 99 I feb 6 alle niiciiren aaa Wandering Albatross....| 814s alba tisee cmon we Short-tailed Albatross ...] 82 149} 102] I melanophrys... Spectacled Albatross... | 824#s Thalassogeron. ..../culminatus..... Yellow-nosed Albatross. .| 83 130| 86] I Pine betries soa ae. fulisinosace: a2.5 4 Sooty Albatross......... 84 149} 102] 4 Procellariide. Fulmars and Shear- Se Mendes Peten RAL Ain sc et 5 OSsiraee. whl weno sigatites .. 222.53 ianat Helier, fs . Sis cs 85 15) 73-3 EMU MAUS pet hs. ces, Saciglisnn seo. Buln enter ot ore, mnteteet of eae dan 86 116) emer iarS) TENOR Pye oc eel oe ne WesserePlinaiy ne. e a aece: 862 elapiselia: tac. -n Paciie uyliiar oo) <4 86% | 161] 107] I / HOG Mersin ae ee Rodwerso Rirbmar, iia... 86¢ | 161} 107] 2 glacialoides..... Slender-billed Fulmar...| 87 | 161] 107] 3 Puitinsy 02 1c. 22 borealis On pik ptesitey Cory’s Shearwater. ..... 88 MajOr.....-...5. Greater Shearwater...... 89 | I61} 107] 6 puffinus -......,: Manx Shearwater........] 90 | 161] 107|13 creatopus....... Pink-footed Shearwater ..| 91 | 161] 107/10 auduboni........ Audubon’s Shearwater... .| 92 SPAN oa soens eyesore Black-vented Shearwater.| 93 | 161] 107\14 stricklandi...... Sooty Shearwater........] 94 | 161] 107/12 ID Abe Dark-bodied Shearwater .| 95 | 161] 107/15 tenuirostris,..... Slender-billed Shearwater] 96 | 161] 107/16 CIE ECUG ark aot: Black-tailed Shearwater..| 97 | 161] 107/15 OEE SECO Lela tees sides aes hasitata.....5.... Blacked-capped Petrel...| 98 | 162] 107|17 Sulla ter ie ewes Betpelin. atres mat OO) RSHLSr He ieee os, Piste sch ebtele sero. 100 Bulweria peat ae rete DiGi 2s vtere Bulwer’s Petrel.... ..|TOI es tr eteee es Bas eRe Pintado Petrel...... .|102 162] 107] 7 een wveeeee aes Se eases de Ceci an ethcle oes eet 103 | 160) 106/15 Oceanodroma ...... fares eset Poe’ eee peas Bee ee it SOU CGA sar erases ork-tailed Petrel......./105 | 160] r1o6|r1 eueOrh Game aco Beach's Petele 2.2. 106 | 160] 106|18 macrodactyia ....|Guadaloupe Petrel....... 1062 inelaiias san sa. Mackerel > tere 5 107 homochroa...... Prsiiy2DCt pel, soso se, oo 108 | 160| 106|13 ORDER TUBINARES. TUBE-NOSED SWIMMERS.— Continued. FAMILY a.o.u.| a | Bo| LY. GENUS. SPECIES. SUBSPECIES. ENGLISH NAMES. Na: < < R Be | Procellariidz. Fulmars and Shear- sg oy CoN ee eae, Me i es eet WreCamites. = casas nk OCCAMICIS-e. uae, Wuson sPétrel. 2: tases 109 162} 107] 8 Gyamockronratae |, ts (er aulllerniavecy sees White-bellied Petrel. ....|110 | 176} 116; 8 Pelagodroma....... iMclile. wor ee White-faced Petrel...... Ill ORDER STEGANOPODES. TOTIPALMATE SWIMMERS. a.o.u.| & | B | 2 FAMILY. GENUS. SPECIES. SUBSPECIES. ENGLISH NAMES. No. 5 < = Tail eee Phacthontidze.. “Uropic- Birds. 24). Phaethons. c/a MANAPOSOLISs, yc. %n 2 Yellow-billed Tropic Bird.|112 83) 57| 1 FelAN (Si Rei wee tent Red-billed Tropic Bird... |113 Sulidce - Kraginets Me lates e cons SUE ESOS, Se ares bree CPAMOPS : sas. leap Blue-faced Booby........ 114 Sula Hitonses ures BOODi 5-5 a ae pee anes Tiss {E182 BrO}-o Pistator =< t. Red-footed Booby....... 116 bassanar ose Ganness cua ee ee I17 98} 69} I muianineiclens “antares si... Sa paws li aWau cVbatcrc Menem mee tent gS eVOUANIN SDs ogee om AE eg S OUaHR ELSES Wires ie clase aN oh 118 92] 64] 2 Phalacrocoracide. Cormorants... |Phalacrocorax...... Cat Ora = pars Barrow’s Golden-eye ....)152 | 137) 91} 5 Charitonetta. ...... sie Glare ecules Bullle=head = oss. eases 153 | 86| 60) 4 Ghatiomitiedertarse a hyemalts. --= 4. Ole sana W. = e 154 ee Dee | Puistrionics .-.. 2.22 histrionicus-sc,.. HarlequinsDuck sc; as .3 155 94) 65) 5 Camptolaimus.. ... labradorius.. .... Labrador Ducks... 156 | 182) 119} 3 Eniconettao. -o5.ces stellere oes Stetlers Duck. === .3.—, 157 181] 118|18 Arctonetta.. =... 5 "Scher = eae Spectacled Eider........ 158 | 162] 108} 3 Somuatetia-...22.5.04% POCA US Bb oss ose Pidet = a 159 Q93| 65) I dVeSSEM wice ee American Hider <5... 160 WM Sta sa as Pacihe Fideresc eae 161 182} I19\14 Specta Dilis— a ox Kite Paden oot sas 162 | 162] 108] 5 Gidemia ca aINStiCa NA: snes American Scoter...... ..|163 | 128) 83] 5 ORDER ANSERES. LAMELLIROSTRAL SWIMMERS.— Continuea. : A.O.U.| I 5 FAMILY. GENUS. SPECIES. SUBSPECIES. ENGLISH NAMES. No. : < = soe bes Anatide. Ducks, Geese, and Swans./Oidemia........... FuSCr ees WeEIVED pCOLEIs ayy ees 164 eCerauk 39408 eee ee White-winged Scoter....|165 94, 65) 4 perspicillata..... Hr COLCE ra ea 5 8 166 Biismidtitaias css 1 ig uiS)gc bs oReerareate e-em Rotddy Ducky oie. v0 5 TOY S12 oh -63| 2 ROTI OFF Seep oe eat dominicus....... Masked Duck ss. 23:55 168 | 182) 119/12 CReper sree tea cuerulescens .... Bere OGne ti eacist es fas. tot 16825) 162] 108] 2 hyperborea ... Lesser Snow Goose. ....|I 9 | 177] T16|/16 : Puiyeel Se ee ceees Greater Snow Goose..... 169% | 113] 74| 4 ROSSI gy wath tetas Ross’s Snow Goose...... 170 HeN (Se) ore ies Se eee ebbifOns 4... White-fronted Goose. .... 171 | PANT Oe ss sage Am/’n White-fronted Goose}171¢ S74 6) I Brattain ken cng = ce canadensis,...... Canada Goose. be, ee 172 | 180} 118|11 hutchinsii........ Hutchin’s Goose....-.... 1722 | 180) 118|14 occidentalis... White-cheeked Goose. ..|172? ig tig) US yearetere aera Cackling-Goose.,5 aaa5 172¢ Sr ancl: ager ees s S12 OCU Dee eS er ci See 173 i273 Ck NISTiCans...2 522. | ONS Ke: eid Buc? eae reer ee eae 174 | 182] 119] 8 lGHCOPSIS see Barnacle Goose... 3. 175 181] 118|13 Rivlacter act © aks CAWAG ICAL area eo EE Maperot-GOOse. a sacs: 176 162} 108] 1 Dendrocygna...... autumnalis ..... Black-bellied Tree-Duck.|177_ | 181] 118/17 RitlivateessS ya to Fulvous Tree-Duck...... 178 181} 118/16 ile are oor Sve Missa a8 Whooping Swan ... ....|179 columbianus. .... Whistling Swan......... 180 86} 60) I buccinator....... Liimpebet awe, ayes et 181 80| 54] I ORDER ODONTOGLOSSA. LAMELLIROSTRAL GRALLATORES, i A. 0. U.| 3 fs a FAMILY. GENUS. SPECIES. SUBSPECIES. ENGLISH NAMES. No. g < 2 Bisel & Phoenicopteride. Flamingoes. ....|Phcenicopterus......|ruber. ... ..... American Flamingo. ....|182 97| 68 ORDER HERODIONES. HERONS, STORKS, IBISES, ETC. : A.O.U,| = EF FAMILY. GENUS. SPEECHES. SUBSPECIES. ENGLISH NAMES. No. g < 2 i) A, ze Plataleidz. Spoonbills. .......... RNAse naieh ee ee MID IA ee eteat, Bees Roseate Spoonbill. ...... TGA et 26) OS et Pigiidicea, = LOISeas 5 =e ws hs Geuictere ts 0s ae § BUA. avert test = Sscaears White US <5. Shas Ae ee LOA WaEP Al. Sole S10) 2 ere Se SS Selig eit nihsecws Rapa oe eee 185 124) 80) 3 PIE GACIS © ape eS, autumnalis...... Glossy Ubiss 0.4 reser ISG, | 51936] — -O1) 4 guarauna ........ White-faced Glossy Ibis../187 | 169] 112) 9 Ciconiide. Storksand Wood Ibises./Tantalus........... Loci atOf sc. 5 oe VOCUS LIS ree, ak tone, © 188 So] 44 ' Mycteria...... RIES. Aine Flea Wel. ape: PDIP we, cays a td Se ae 189 Ardeidz.» Herons, Bitterns, etc, ..|Botaurus........... lentiginosus. .... American Bittern. ...... 190 PPG ettan Ae ee ce ee exch is Ne see sa ae | east Bitterti= sea oss. IgI NeOxeiide 5. = Cory’s Least Bittern. .... peice jeer. ls de me occidentalis. .... Great White Heron...... I92 | 130| 85) 2 EET ou ieee en oe Ward’s Heron........... 193 herodigis-<—. can: Great Blue Heron...... 194 | 124} 80) I ClNChea ta ces European Blue Heron... .|195 Caretta. sas Sees. mmerican-Eeret.. 5 «)... 2 £QG- aN 232) 276).-1 candidissima..... SNOW Volt etn, 2. st. 197 84) 57] 2 rulescens* =n Reddish Egret.......... 198 170) 2s EiGcolgT seo TUCOWS. oe es, Louisiana-Heron....>..>. LOO= We E27) = 621 64 Gost eis wee, Little Blue Heron. . |201 169) 112] 5 VIfe€SCenS a o.ans Green Meron4 5, Sa SOT Sin eal GEA Zales cos ns Pa, Frazar’s Green Heron.. . ./2014 INCH Ora fe ce use nycticorax. 2. as, WEVA S Selo ors BY’k-crowned Night Heron/202 | 126] 82) 2 violaceus. ... Yel.-crowned Night Heron|203 | 127| 82] 4 ORDER PALUDICOLA. GRANTS, =RAIES= EI: A.0.u.,| ¢ | & | 8 FAMILY. GENUS. “SPECIES. SUBSPECIES. ENGLISH NAMES. io) g S No. = 4 e SC SORES at <3 SAE STC ac eter SN a aoe mar (SUS Sonn Ree eee americana. ...... « |\Whoopine Crane 42.25: : 204 7 Ree. canadensis... .. Little Brown Crane..,. [20% | ' HIexicatione oes mamdhilsCrate 7 223.5. 206 | 129) 85] I Aramidee.- -Coutlans 5. sn... os PAAUNGUS 5-52 a cn tie ee PISANCCUS=.. 5 \ dete CiL< be Wye eee ieee ee ere 207 | 129] 84| 2 Rallide. Rails,Gallinules and Coots/Rallus............. SIROISe2) hoy eee AE ISitere ca aes ae eee ae 208 | 179] 118] 9 ORDER: PALUDICOLAZ. CRANES, RAILS, ETC.— Continued. FAMILY. GENUS. Rallide. Rails,Gallinules and Coots/Rallus............. | RIBY iS te ge ee ee Pe Se ie as See bonoriise=os. 455. Gra hee ere Puskiceae sa". ee Gates ORDER LIMICOLA:, FAMILY. GENUS. Phalaropodide. Phalaropes.. .....|Crymophilus. ...... Phalaropus'soccteans Recurvirostride. Avocetsand Stilts|Recurvirostra....... jaBseeves janeselereay eee Scolopacide, Snipes,Sandpipers,etc.;\Scolopax........... . dfsloUB Co sad Ee eee oe Galhitiaco spa Macrorhamphus .. Micropalama. ..... POR AES Erin eee Eurynorhynchus.... BPCUnetes. fe) aa Symphemia........ Heteractitis....5 <.; Pavoncella == se Brerainiids so Pye Ss ae as PCTS = Sao er Charadriide. Plovers............. Neaielbise. ¢-.o =. Black-tailed Godwit. .... nebularius-.< <3 Greene ao ee melanoleucus.... Greater Yellow-legs. .... Havines uate ss Yellow-legs...... wee Solitarius=.-...%2% Solitary Sandpiper.. .... ochropus..... me Green Sand piper 1 semipalmata ... ANAC ees oe speculiferus eo ae Western Willet. th Be ena [CATS 5. oe Wranderine “Fatler- 2.57. PUPNAX . Sea. ees Suge teen See eo Saas longicauda...... Bartramian Sandpiper. .. subruficollis. .... Buff-breasted Sandpiper. . macularia. ...... Spotted Sandpiper. ..... longirostris. .... Long-billed Curlew...... hudsonicus. ..... Hudsonian Curlew. ...... DSI eAlis, amet. Eskimo Curlew... cas. pheopus........ ice ChE (Oa SIGS: aie See enn ere tahitiensis....... Bristle-thighed Curlew... peated jet pete eee Lapwing ss co ss sQuatarola <3 c2s. Black-bellied Plover...... apricarius. ...... relen— Oca eee ee a | & Ig} 19 44 4 3} 4 137; 91 137; 91 169} 112 179} 118 170| 112 58) 42 17} 17 are a | 87| 61 [i273 81} 54 87| 61 137\— 91 170| 112 Io} 9 88} 62 II2| 73 129} 84 57|. 41 QI} 63 76| 52 63| 46 I8I} 119 89} 62 57| 41 177| 116 eK BE 170] 112 55} 40 91] 63 170] 112 85| 58 170] 112 2 Bes 62 (Zt 161} 106 62} 46 149] 102 161} 106 179} 118 8g] 62 84) 57 62| 46 Ol} 45 61} 45 169} I12 58} 4I FIGURE, I COnwWwWw Fer ORDER LIMICOLAZ. SHORE BIRDS.— Continued. | A.O.U.|. = eB FAMILY. GENUS. SPECIES. SUBSPECIES. ENGLISH NAMES. No = < 2 aie he Charadiusdes,—P lovers <2 seen sa ae Ghatattus. a5 cae f: dominicus....... American Golden Plover ./272 57| 41! 3 FUP Csi vrais Ot 3 eee Pacific Golden Plover... .|2724 Hie Steels & see de sc WOCMGhdas = ower IST ACC nee whee ee 273 56] 40} 3 semipalmata. ... Semipalmated Plover ....|274 56) 40} 5 syste iol ois epee Pine PlGVEr necks He os 275 dubiaccs.4 Pen eee bittesking Ploveriz a: = 276 melodag aan. PigieaklOvGrs gaits es 277 56} 40} 4 circumcincta...... Belted Piping Plover..... 2774 TEVOS diesen ee oe HOWE a dOVCIi ger alt siete 4 278 149} 102] 3 MOnOOlA. ce. Mongolian Plover. ...... 279 Wilsonia jen. fx. Wilson’s Plover..... .... 280 92! 63|10 THOM Ca Was Mauser Mountain Plover. .c..).. 281 149} 102) 2 Aphrizidz. Surf Birds and Turnstones|Aphriza....... .... Wat aa ae = ee POA G2) BS Aa Ep eae eer ew ner ee i 282 | 177| 116/20 Peden icine" eee ae UMherOPessc, a annen Giitrrist OMe maaan. 283 60) 45) I melanocephala... Black Turnstone..cis.., 284 89] 62) 9 Hematopodide. Oyster-catchers../Hamatopus.. ...... Ostralesus 2a Oyster-catchet> 4 oa. 285 palltatuss wes wc. American Oyster-catcher.|286 53|.- 42 Pa Atl Seis ek Frazar’s Oyster-catcher. .|2864 bachimant, ss. Black Oyster-catcher....|287 | 139) 93! 9 JAeanide = -laGanas. =) easy fatsseus. SaCa ay «ieee aig. SPMNOSdes ise Sa Mexican Jagana.......... 288 ORDER GALLINA. GALLINACEOUS BIRDS. Actor We) or sl is FAMILY. GENUS. SPECIES: SUBSPECIES. ENGLISH NAMES. No g < = coals jee Tetronidee.. sGrouse; Partrideés, ete.i\Golinus,..... ..... oa. virginianus...... BO a Witter. cues alive eerie 289 Zoe HOreanus... 22 suk Florida Bob-white. ...... 2892 | 164] 109 7 texanusya. =... | lexan=Bob-white: 22. . <: 280! i) 2514. asa Columbas2% 2. cc: PAS CA beac enct ees Band-tailed Pigeon...... ae 163} 109] 3 VIOSCH pt sae ous Viosca’s Band-tailed Pig’n 312 flavirostris...-2s.- Red-billed Pigeon. ..... 1313 163] 109} I leucocephala... White-crowned Pigeon ..'314 | 122) 78 2 BGO DISheS. 49a a a3 migratorius ..... Passenger Pigeon. 245.5 315 321-820 CONAIGULA Sopa, en es WiaCtOUra maa Mourning Dove. ... 310 74, 50| 6 Pea oi oa eee PENA. eka here ZLendida Wove.. sa. oa as at: 173, 114/25 Eno pila, es aes aDIEOUS tee Gee White-fronted Dove. ..../318 Melopelia a3 oss: lencoptera =.= White-winged Dove...../319 | 163] 109, 2 Columbigallina. ....|passerina........ Ground: Dove sia5 =<4 ss: 230% A PAI T1333 Scakdadtellas 75 =o ere ig (ay Grete te eye iReven my Olen deere ee Bir 321 174) 114/31 Geotarcon = (5% 7a.5: MaArtNTCAs.. sels 2 Key West Quail-dove. ../322 | 174) 114/30 Srarneancds.j! 2 a8 cyanocephala. . Blue-headed Quail-dove .)323 174) 114/32 ORDER RAPTORES. BIRDS OF PREY. A,O. U.| a fA FAMILY. GENUS. SPECIES. SUBSPECIES. ENGLISH NAMES. No. Z < P A fe Cathartide. American Vultures. ..|/Pseudogryphus. ....|californianus..... Calitormiar Vulture =: =e: 324 | 168] I11| I Catherteg si... 2ee as Aas ake eee eg ures y mation, =seou< 325 168] 111) 3 Catharistaqa.c.o ss, alitalacwcnrew toe coke Black Vulturers--f-) a2 21326 168] 111} 2 Falconide. Vultures, Falcons, Hawks, Hacles, etext ava .swJeeleos Hiadiordes: S24 bands forficatts <0. <> Swallow-tailed Kite. ....|327 144] 98] I LICE sqr scamome ge mera. | leucurus 2.2.3. White-tailed Kite........ 328 | 166, 110] 6 Petiniaca gs sa 354? nate> aie snalue aan ae Prattiesl al eatiee. > ss 61355 TAT = Oo) PeresrTinus;.7a SATU; so a ee IMC lek ene erate 356 7 6 PeAlet tras Pedlesal alean: qe =: 3562 columbarius.. .. Pigeon Hawk... 4 2c. «1357 40) 32)3-4 SiUeKIe yl sees Black Merit aq 6.2 ose 357% | 177\ 117-3 richardsoni...... Richardson’s Merlin...... 358 166} I10| 2 reguls:- =. <2 =. SLGHih ese oe oeseees 358% fusco-ccerulescens Aplomado Falcon....... 359 | 166] 110) I Hununcani = European Kestrel........ 359% Sparveriusas2 es. American Sparrow Hawk.|360 54| 39)1-2 sparveroides Mane > Cuban Sparrow Hawk. .. 361 Poly petite 7 vee cheriway ssa = Audubon’s Caracara. ....|362 | 177| 117| 9 lLutosns Guadalupe Caracara. ....|363 PaaLOU:. halisetus ss carolinensis...... American Osprey........1364 16} 16 ORDER RAPTORES. BIRDS OF PREY.—Continued. A.O. U.| a s FAMILY. GENUS. SPECIES. SUBSPECIES. ENGLISH NAMES. No < < 2 Ps 2 Stiie theses barir Owls ae Stet serie yee Se gee Pratiico lasers American Barn Owl. ..../365 142} 95| 2 Bubonide. Horned Owls, etc...... PRG IO ere avant tes wilsonianus ..... American Long-eared Owl)366 LAE L a accipitrinus. ... Short-eared-Owl- 5 2.2 267 =| 124) — Si, 2 Syrnitin 393 nebulosum ,..... IB Ueligo 10 hOUANe bee eae eee ne 368 er) LOM etsy tact ae Florida Barred Owl. ....|3682 occidentale. .:.. Spotted-Owl 9, Sk. ees 369 eral & eA R A PCO MADEN aacte wa CHIELE AS ears es Great Gray Owl. ...0.5, 270" | 71) £13) <4. fap POR Gas aa. ie AANA) WE le ep eee OF IN Ota hae eos tengmalmi...... PheHAreSONIceuse wens Richardson’s Owl. ...... 371 [ZT 11 32\>3 BCACIC Hes acs CAE DSO) Ws oes 372 166] 110) 7 HIMES ASCO US ciao v sas ALORS ee tice aaa Screech -Owl 3c cya 373 124; 81] I feridanus:,¢ na tie Flomda-SerecchsOwl. 5 S730). 177 FIRS fhecalisite, Gases, Texan Screéch Owl = .5.1372% | 167) 110) 8 eiicinet= s.r. ote California Screech Owl. . .|373¢ kennicottii......../Kennicott’s Screech Owl .|373¢ | 167) 110) 9 inasewellice noe Rocky Mountain Screech LON See ee see Ps 73¢ trichopsis........ Mexican Screech Owl. ../3737 flammeolus...... Flammulated Screech Owl)374 I7I| 113] 6 | SHEL S18) eee cere Serie virginianus..... Great Horned Owl....... 375 5 SET subarcticus ...... Western Horned Owl... .|3754 SPE CIG Merona ioe, Arctic Horned Owl...... Cea Pa ee aos 6 bee SVin (56 cb Geer eae ee Dusky Horned Owl...... 375° INGE ise Sree mare ORO ese meer reer ee SOW OWL Soares 376 iy Sao pet ith inn aes ie oa ues area SS Mela Re) Wile ak Seeks cancels. 77 Caparocit. ate. American Hawk Owl ....|377¢ | 171] 113) 1 SpeOurto - ar mans ss Cuno thats 9 ee Wy POS eas Aca as Burrowing Owl..... .... 378 142| ~O5| 5 RVG acaleN hie ceeh rs eee Florida Burrowing Owl . .|3782 GraiGiditmss =n =e. =; COL a parte oe ey ecno bias Cabo ao, See enn pete 379 TAD) 05123 HOSTANSi 4-0-3. Hoskin’s Pygmy Owl ... .|379¢ phalenoides..... Ferruginous Pygmy Owl./380 142| 95] 4 Micrathene: iA tae ct Witte yi-sjac. sa 1S HOLLIE A [Aare i 381 108} 92!/ 9 ORDER PSITTACI. PARROTS, MACAWS, PAROQUETS, ETC. g Aeocu,\ ese (ee 21 28 FAMILY. GENUS. SPECIES. SUBSPECIES. ENGLISH NAMES. ne Z < = Ay 3 Bsittacides. = Arr OUSs bsg ota ee-. ees Conutus ss - 5e e carolinensis. .... Carolina Paroquet....... 382 164! 109) 10 Rhynchopsitta...... pachyrhyncha. .. Phick=billed Parret. +... 38205 ORDER COCCYGES. CUCKOOS, ETC. “i A.O.U.| la fe FAMILY. GENUS. SPECIES: SUBSPECIES. ENGLISH NAMES. No : 2 eee ee Cuculide. Cuckoos, Anis, etc. ....|Crotophaga........ Migs agi ar ateh = Fig Gb Spare ret Sc Oe Maen ee ea 383 178) TI7I15 sulcirostris ...... Groove-billed Ani. ...... 384 reOCOCEYS wear.) es californianus Road-runner 3s. 25.1545 385 178! 118) 2 Caccyeus..3.. i.e ns WAUOL Pees a ae Mangrove Cuckoo. ...... BOO" ech 8 | Teal 7 imayarandis ye: Maynard’s Cuckoo. ...... 3865s americanus...... Yellow-billed Cuckoo.. ../387 30| 28). 1 occidentalis,..... Western Yellow-billed Cuakogeterrs ane, .. ./3874 erythrophthalmus Black-billed Cuckoo. ....|388 175] 115] 8 Trogonidz.--“Trogons 2.1 ens cas POS Gir he Sees yincen ambiguus. ...... Coppery-tailed Trogan ..|389 143] I17/ 1 PelGeiitees. Kainenishers: 52s veto (SE Ss oe tar are nt Giles AOTIe Samo, Belted Kingfisher. ..... 390 20) = =EOi 2 Cabatisiiesst. -. Texan Kingfisher ....... 391 178) 1r7|14 ORDER PICI. WOODPECKERS, WRYNECKS, ETC. ; AcOnUL- 1 fa Fl FAMILY. GENUS. SPECIES. SUBSPECIES. ENGLISH NAMES. No g < = \e | ee |g Pilea eV OO OPEC MET Ga. eee re Campephilus.., ....|principalis....... Ivory-billed Woodpecker.|392 25| 26) I Dryobates\= pao Villosus > en5 Hairy Woodpecker...... 393 18} 18] 2 leucomelas... ....)Northern Hairy Wood- pPeChete Ss a wees Ss SISOS audubonii.. ....../Southern Hairy Wood- PeGieie iy pea oe 393° Heit Sites ees, o.oo are Harris’s Woodpecker... .|393° | 93! 93] 2 ORDER PICI. WOODPECKERS, FAMILY. GENUS. Picide. Woodpeckers..... FAMILY. GENUS SPECIES, Caprimulgide, Goatsuckers, etc..... Antrostomus. ..... >\carolinensis. .... MOG RerUS . ses Phalenoptilus.. 2. nuttall ws. see Nyctidromus. ...... albic¢o lite hae Ghordejles—-..5...0 virginianus...... fesensisa.c. Mictopodidie.. “ Switts ic. a4. Cypseloides........ MIQEh eet ees (iheatutass. 4 hbase Pelavicass 55 VaAURIE igs etna MACYO DUS, <5. ~ css melanoleucus. ... Trochilida. Hummingbirds....... HUusenes ers. 2 veh PLO ENS: eens Cosligena-. cst 4a Glemetieies. 7c. PEPOCINIUS aoe. "pec eee Golubrise. 2 Sis alexandtis.- sss violajuglum. .... COstis ome os GNA 2 ieee err platycercusis—..28 AOEGSTL Re. © da PEAS pany see EATS) ieee ier egieresnee ls DOIN os ae CaO pes t5 45 eeeerven RENOPlCWGass issnas 5 Picoides. eoceee ere eo Sphyrapicus.. .. CeOpuivemss an. sass WMelanerpess, os Colaptes. ooeree rh eeee SPECIES. thryoideus. . PENCAENS He go, oe erythrocephalus.. formicivorus. .... erga bugs We kcrear ana ees GATOS: . 90. 0s EULER QUIS oo in -c e's Sac uropygialis...... AUPE US ace ae ae CieysSOMles.a0. me: culipileticn.< oe SUBSPECIES. eecerevsve ee eo eevveee ATASCCTISISics:5 eee we yb feel 2 Dhoni de I saturatior ’ WRYNECKS, ETC.— Continued. ORDER MACROCHIRES. GOATSUCKERS, SWIFTS, HUMMINGBIRDS, ETC. —_ SUBSPECTES. ecee eevee eeeeec er ee coe e ee oe ees ereeee : tl el ENGLISH NAMES. ee e |e | 8 i) Ay fe Downy Woodpecker. ....|394 27| 26| 2 Gairdner’s Woodpecker. .|3942 | 131} 87] 4 Red-cockaded Wood- HeCMCES 20. Lis wan-caesee 395 95| 66) 5 Texan Woodpecker...... 3960 | 148) I01| 6 St. Lucas Woodpecker. ..|396% | 158] 105/22 Nuttall’s Woodpecker..../397 | 158} 105/28 Arizona Woodpecker... .|398 White - headed Wood- DEGICT as eta erey See 399 | 134| 89) 3 Arctic Three-toed Wood- pecker. 7 ins. chee 400 79\ 53] 2 American Three - toed Woodpecker {4.-fa 55 401 176] I15|12 Alaskan Three - toed Woodpeckers 42. ars 4014 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.|402 IO} = 9)3-4 Red-naped Sapsucker....|402% | 158} 105/31 Red-breasted Sapsucker. .|403 134| 89) 2 Williamson’s Sapsucker..|404 | 158) 105|30 Pileated Woodpecker... .|405 iS aol 2 Red-headed Woodpecker.|406 2) 2|3-4 California Woodpecker.. .|407 135} 90} 6 Narrow - fronted Wood- PSCkCh ce ios tee secs 4074 Lewis’s Woodpecker..... 408 --| TIO -273\-2 Red-bellied Woodpecker.|409 41| 32|2-3 Golden - fronted Wood- DECKEE ce tages ae 410 | 158] 105/27 Gila Woodpecker........ 4Il 158| 105/29 Lolekiete ss 72) see aoe 412 B\- ~ _k Red-shafted Flicker..... ATS Aa 7S Northwestern Flicker... .|413¢ Cailded, Plicker,2 <0 ws 414 | 164} IOQ|II Guadalupe Flickers. 5.4 415 : (ea) I ENGLISH NAMES. ["y'='| 8 | & | & AY Py fo Chuck-will’s-widow. ....|416 | 106) 72] 2 Whip-poor-will.......... ATS Oy le pez ies Stephens’ Whip-poor-will.|417¢4 Poor wali sc ee ee 418 | 178] 117|II Frosted Poor-will........ 4182 Merrill’s Parauque....... 419 NDS t Na wiles see g-ae ee 420 | 107| 72/ 4 Western Nighthawk......|420¢ | 157) 105|16 Cuban Nighthawk. ...... 4204 Sennett’s Nighthawk.”....|420¢ Chapman’s Nighthawk. ../420¢ Texan Nighthawk...... 421 | 157} 105/15 Black wilt, -ayea ean 422 | 157| 105| 9 Chimney Swit. ns su AZ3. 2 \=3T8l= 7Ol-7 AA SS Witte, BS ees 424 | 157| 105/18 White-throated Swift....|425 | 144] 97) 7 Rivoli Hummingbird..... 426 | 156) 105) 8 Blue-throated Humming- laid Sara ere eee 427 Ruby-throated Humming- Dies Sea eee es 428 | 108] 72/ 6 Black-chinned Humming-| Birdies 6 eee 429 | 132| 88) 4 Violet - throated Hum- WN eMed. 4 tee ees 429°%5 | Costa’s Hummingbird..../430 | 143] 97| 3 Anna’s Hummingbird.... |431 III] 73] 4 Broad - tailed Humming- bites. ce Se 432 147} 100) 6 Floresi’s Hummingbird. . .|4324 Rufous Hummingbird... ./433 133} 88 7 Allen’s Hummingbird... .|434 178} 117 Heloise’s Hummingbird... |435 | 156, 105|r-2 (Calliope Hummingbird... 436 | 148] 101| 8 10 ORDER MACROCHIRES. GOATSUCKERS, SWIFTS, HUMMINGBIRDS, ETC.— Continued. Trochilidz. a.o.u.| @ | # | 8 FAMILY. GENUS. SPECIES: SUBSPECIES: ENGLISH NAMES. No. 2 < 2 B | Hummine birds....s...\Lrechilus......-... Tweet: eae es Lucifer Hummingbird... .'437 PIAA WN aetan ene chee HUSGECH MCA bas ne Rieffer’s Hummingbird. . .'438 cerviniventris.... Buff-bellied Hummingbird '439 sBi hold € 0g 0k oes rare ATCUSH yous 16 x Xanthus’s Hummingbird.|440 | 156) 105] 7 DT ACISCS lense any et ara latirostris. 12.5: Broad - billed Humming- Lei ces ee a es See 441 ORDER PASSERES, PERCHING BIRDS. ; ; ADO. U.| coe FAMILY. GENUs. .- SPECIES. SUBSPECIES. ENGLISH NAMES. No 2 < p Tyrannide. Tyrant Flycatchers.../Milvulus..... ..... EV PANTS: 30 5-e5-7 as Fork-tailed Flycateher ../442 | 117} 76 1 foriic ats. 4. . 3 Scissor-tailed Flycatcher ./443 EE7| -76) 2 aE ra rins =. case EVE OMITUS 2 os soca. USS cred Oh 6 creepers, aeayeer a er meagan 444 38} 311-2 dominicensis .... Grayaiincbird... 25s ssc 445 117| 74) 4 melancholicus. ..jcouchii.......... Couch’s Kingbird....... 446 | 158] 105,21 Verticals, 2 s<. Arkansas Kingbird..... 447 IAS! = “76|=6 vociferans....... Cassin’s Kingbird. ...... 448 | 158] 105/22 | exheeng esate aw eee GOT Olson 1 Derby Flycatcher........1449 Myiozetetes. ...... EGXGHS{Giasss aes 5 Giraud’s Flycatcher. ....|450 Myiodynastes...... luteiventris...... Sulphur-belliedFlycatcher|451 Evia Ch WS i .- cc. etait otisertes one Crested Flycatcher ...... 452 41| 32) I WIGRACANUS 4 s-.cd, Mexican Crested Fly- Cate hers 75 Ste pte oe ep 53 Ta SIsbett pass oe Arizona Crested Fly- CAN CSIs, oe ua iain th 532 cinerascens. .... Ash-throated Flycatcher./454 | 158] 105/20 JaAWEGBCEN. 2.5. Lawrence’s Flycatcher.../455 | 158] 105/23 olivascens. ...... Olivaceous Flycatcher. ..|455¢ Sehyloia it Cees orcas Societe, Peet BGC eB ey een fe ere aes 456 74, 50! 5 BEV cs Pee regis ate Says PCB eee. «amir eg Loewe AT ea OA| oe Hiovicans: 25s. <7 leeks PGs be a4 bt ca. lt: 58 | 118} 76) 5 Comtopus in. rire botedlis« ten sceas Olive-sided Flycatcher.../459 | 117] 76] 3 leit lileece cme ys ei@oues s biycatcher. 22... 460 | 154] 104/18 MALES Salah. ei wich Wood Pewees so ae eh 401 73); 50) 3 richardsonii. .... Western Wood Pewee....|462 | 154] 104/17 Bmpidonax. ) 051%. flaviventris...... Yellow-bellied Flycatcher|463 154| 104|19 Cues wea), ees Baird’s Flycatcher....... 404 CINEMAS. cota ae.-a St. Lucas Flycatcher..... 464 ois ACACIEWS.. on. o. Acadian Flycatcher...... 405 154} 104/20 USING. e-ce oe ithe hycatcher PF .a0 466 154} 104/21 PEAriL oe eee Trails llycatcher. 3... 4662 | 74) 50) 4 TURIGMUS 2 ee aoa Least Piycatehers ons... 467 72| 49/10 hammondi....... Hammond’s Flycatcher. .|468 147| 100) 8 GBSCHEUS Ss ar: sts Wright's Flycatcher..... 469 | 147| 100] 9 fulvifrons........ Fulvous Flycatcher...... 70 pygmeus........ Buff-breasted Flycatcher.|470¢ | 148! 101] 3 Pyrocephalus...... FUbINEUS. o.6% 54.3 iMexicanus =, 440s Vermilion Flycatcher....|471 | 133) 88) 9 Ormithion- (sauce oat HM Der Det naa Beardless Flycatcher ..../472 ridgwayi.... ....|/Ridgway’s Flycatcher. ..|472¢ TAGE 56) fe Dene Ore 0d ac resem nee eR ran aD PRIATIGES, 2 ioe AUG RSIS sa yes POR a elnlage Peat ae csee es 473 OEOCOLIS c-Si alpestris. >... 0... Phorned atk t<. ee. MONtiCola. ses. : OC NLACCA: faces hala SOCIAHS tom2.ia MS 23 ALN ONS 5 sas ase ok pallida. -a.ie. DFEWEFL 2 «0258 eu PUSTEL re seme dee vests ATCTRACCA nec ce wes wortheni........ atrigularis....... Ase Tile. ee a ee Ipyemalise.c.+ 3. OréPONUS>... 2... carolinensis...... ANNECTENS: 2. 1. 4 CANNES )Set ony ee CINEKCUS. 553 se (OGUWES oP oes es GORSAMES . a.'esst Prva OFS U 6) a ea HSU etbISe o_o se bilineata..-< ao? loves oat ; nevadensis. ...... PO SIV ALIS! ele1c yo bachmanit..o iss 3 Mexicana s, Sete CASSINAM ~~ Aatiemene Garpaliss.. ow. 4a. BURCENSL = Shor DOUCARET. 2... 55.68 COLE y its Soe fasctatass} "se fe. TAMAR Fong. et neope -o montana. +... es heermanni. ...... BaHMelis..-. P14 5 FS CUCU 0 haere es ee PENNE. faeces CiINCLeds en ees Min COMING os. . oo ae ecorgiana..... + iliaca eee e OP Bee A. 0. U, ENGLISH NAMES. No. Smith’s Longspur........ 537 Chestnut-collared Long- SOMO eres eed teaser eid eh 538 McCown’s Longspur...../539 540 5407 Ipswich Sparrow........ 541 Sandwich Sparrow....... 542 Savanna Sparrow........ 5424 Western Savanna Sparrow|5424 Bryant’s Marsh Sparrow. ./542¢ Belding’s Marsh Sparrow .|543 Large-billed Sparrow... .|544 St ibiteas- parr Ow ns, «= 5442 Baird's Sparrow. ...:4..«. 545 Grasshopper Sparrow. ...|546 Western Grasshopper So DECI Oa ne eee a 5467 Henslow’s Sparrow...... 547 Leconte’s Sparrow. ..... 548 Sharp-tailed Sparrow ....|549 Nelson’s Sparrow.... ..|549% Acadian Sharp-tailed Spar- Te OWie ieee akc aceasees teense Marshes 549? measide Sparrow ....,.- - 550 Scott’s Seaside Sparrow. .|5507 Texan Seaside Sparrow . .|550? Dusky Seaside Sparrow ..|551 atle Spartow.,2s2...8 ss 552 Harris’s Sparrow.........|553 White-crowned Sparrow .|554 Intermediate Sparrow....|555 Gambel’s Sparrow. ...... 550 Golden-crowned Sparrow.|557 White-throated Sparrow. .|558 Tice Sarl OWae.ci eno: 559 Western Tree Sparrow. ../5597 Chipping Sparrow.......2; 560 Western Chipping Spar- ROWS Ns shoelace ey 5604 Clay-colored Sparrow. ..|561 Brewer’s Sparrow........ 562 Picld Sparvowe.+ wa. 4-254 563 Western Field Sparrow . .|5632 Worthen’s Sparrow...... 564. Black-chinned Sparrow ..|565 White-winged Junco..... 566 Slate-colored Junco...... 567 GeeSoM, YUItCOr tee es 3 5674 Garelina: Juncot.. 04. 5672 Pink-sided Junco........ 568 Grey-headed Junco...... 569 Arizona MNGOL N43) ce... 570 Red-backed Junco....... 5704 Darvas [UNC 2.52 ie eae t 571 Guadalupe J unico:.t 2.465 572 Black-throated Sparrow. .|573 Belliss Sparrows. o.. tc. 574 Magic SPALhOW yp —a.are a: 702 | 173] 114} 19 Mockingbird...... evees 1703. 1 150! 1033 FAMILY. Troglodytidz. Wrens,Thrashers,etc.|Galeoscoptes.. .... Certinida. = “Creepers2 &.. 25 scame: Paride. Nuthatches and Tits Sylviide. Warblers, Kinglets, Gnat- GENUS. Harporhynchus..... Campylorhynchus... STE Cra) Syd tc Rees ea ee Cather pes. supa Lhryothorus... 2... MiP ROLY POS siccey ass Cistothorusses. = Certhia Gitta ==. eee Chea aes esse eee Psaltriparus eecooveee Auriparus $+. s3-00 CACCHELS acs face ene eee pees Phyllopseustes. ... ORDER PASSERES. PERCHING BIRDS.— Continued, 15 SPECIES. SUBSPECIES. carolinensis. .... PUINSs 2 aaa ® longirostris. 2.4 | SENnetit. see curvirostris. ss. Paliheri. (iad bendirei......... CINEreuS.. ss. eee rediviVUS ...... 6.5 lecontet.... 28.468 Cisse Soe bees brunneicapillus .. PIERS 0 eee er obsoletus. ...... guadeloupensis .. mexicanus....... conspersus. ...... ludovicianus. ....| _ : MMUAMIETISIS, 2.5 & DEW it-sns ata eees SpuliEnsias sana WIENS tae ae oe brevicaudus. .... AC CONG Sees patient. .cees AALCCIG hiemaliss.. s.5.2. PacifiCUSes+.is.08 alascensis. ...... Stellarisr au palustris...3S<2- MAriANIZe| cess fern arises eee AIMeriG tide vente Meéexitatias , «aicne carolinensis. .... aculeata &., i ss023 canadensis .S. pusillg j..cetae PY OMiced oe ce ee big@horteie a fEXENSIS. i... aes AtELCris tats sare castaneifrons..... INOFNATUS <4. e520 ORISCUS nun Se oe CIMETAGCUS ssa wollweberi. ..... atricapillus...... septentrionalis..., octiderttalis2.c.5 3 carolinensis. .... PIGS motte ever eee meridionalis..... Pampelin te... sen CinctiS=s4 <2 GbtCCGUSs o Sasa ce hudsonicus...... SLOELC Views = tas Hufes ens. sis neclectis.— 5s s.8 fascinates? (oss es Nétisha wij. 0e ses MMIMUS 6. ioe CalilOriicus.,-..--- STM ak canes plumbeus loydics Sss5 Ges melanotis 2.445 ; HeVICEDS 3a oe borealis. ........ SH GbA Pp see-5 peas OUVACEUS... GS caléndtila.=...5- obscurus.. ...... cerulea sis. plumben. ..s.505 Californica-s.. ss A.O.U ENGLISH NAMES. No. Sere) os 6 Geen Peas ee Pee 704 Brown-Fhrasher i. 5 =. 705 Long-billed Thrasher.. . .|706 Curve-billed Thrasher. ..|707 Palmer's ‘¥hrashet.+= <5 3° 7074 Bendire’s Thrasher ...... 708 St loticas—. hrashers = 709 Californian Thrasher. .... 710 Leconte’s Thrasher...... 711 Crissaib nrasier ee 712 Cactus Wen s hee ee 713 St. Lucas Cactus Wren ../714 Rocle Wrens ci. sees 715 Guadalupe Rock Wren. , ./716 White-throated Wren.. ..|717 Canon, Wrens <222- oo pare Carolina AV ren. ne 718 Elotida-Wren..-e5-cu Ss 718% Bewick’s Wren.......... 719 Viseus Wren. 7, .seee 719% Daite Savy feline eee 719° Guadalupe Wren........ 720 House Wren..... ¢..2- 721 Parkman’s Wren......... F214 .|Western House Wren... .|7214 WWAINteE VV EER a eeeoee oe 722 Western Winter Wren. ..|722¢ Alaskan Wren. iia. 4... 723 Short-billed Marsh Wren.|724 Long-billed Marsh Wren.|725 _ Marian’s Wren. 5.2.4... 725% BrowneCree per cece penn 726 Mexican Creeper........ FIO White-breasted Nuthatch.|727 Slender-billed Nuthatch .|7272 Red-breasted ‘Nuthatch. .|728 Brown-headed Nuthatch. |729 Pygmy Nuthatch........ 730 Pulted Pimousesz..- 732 Texan Tufted Titmouse .|7317 Black-crested Titmouse. .|732 Chestnut-frontedTitmouse|7 327 Plain-litmousess=.—ss-- 733 Gray Titmouse... ......: 733° Ashy Titmouse. ........ 733° Bridled Titmouse........ 7 34 Chivkadersag toi con ake 735 Long-tailed Chickadee. . .|7357 Oregon Chickadee....... Fane Carolina Chickadee...... 730 Plumbeous Chickadee... .|7362 Mexican Chickadee...... 737 Mountain Chickadee. ...|738 Siberian Chickadee....:. 739 Hudsonian Chickadee... .|740 Kowak Chickadee. ......|740°* Chestnut-backed Chicka- (Sl ee ert ee pe ee 741 Californian Chickadee.. ..|7414 Weis tet ee 742 Palitd Wrenedit ==. 7420 Bush=itiecs it = once 43 Californian Bush-Tit..... 743? Grinda’s Bush-Tit....... 743° Lead-colored Bush-Tit... 744. Lloyd’s Bush-Tit,....... 744%5 Blete ee ee 47 Golden-crowned Kinglet.|748 Western Golden-crowned elt ee Ruby-crowned Kinglet... Dusky Kinglet.......... Blue-gray Gnatcatcher... Plumbeous Gnatcatcher.. Black-tailed Gnatcatcher. 7484 749 750 751 752 753 139 CON O co. Own wu 0Out He Om ON =] rl (- FAD 72| 8 103} 19 103} 4 103 103 103 1O4|2 103 97 103 aft 88 52 71 103 103} I SO S7 103} 22 36, 8 103) 21 61; 2 4\6-7 ae, 2|5-6 103} IO 50] 2 64, 4 103| 9 25\= 3 103) 15 104; 4 92) 5 32| 4 115} 11 103) 14 72| 5 891 5 B3i- 3 ees 89) 7 go! 8 Q2| 3 92) 4 114) 9 47| 5 47| 6 Ry Ate | 93; 4 16 ORDER PASSERES. PERCHING BIRDS.—Continued. | FAMILY. GENUS. SPECIES. SUBSPECIES. Turdidez. Thrushes, Stonechats,' Blnebirds;- lesa cise 3 Fa \Myadestes..... .... townsendii...... SEMRQUS Gas io 3s 5s rs .jmustelinus ...... fuscescens....... SaliClCOlNSinaS-cr as WiC lees 5 vs te Dieltiellisgaa sees uSttlatuss... sae SWainSONntl <- ss aca aonalaschke.. ... audubont..2%. 7408 pallasi Sasa MidCOS es ev acs MEER iar oie ss migratoria....... propinguia...3 c. 4 CUTTS 3 se Hesperocichla ..... GSW IAs «eats oaetst Cyan etila sa y.ics8 SuSCIGHS. 3 t5 Fes Saxicolais ees cenanthe 27S Sins Sialtaness cen crosses: SigliGens bs gare AZULECA. co ae hae mexicana. ...... APCUCAs > seaon es 19 Peges. L. &. Posrer N.Y... Electrotyper. a.o.u.| & | & ENGLISH NAMES. No. < < Townsend’s Solitaire. .... PSA | 73) T14 WGod=1 AOUSh 23.28 ssa e 766 22) - 23 Azure Bluebird........... 7664 Western Bluebird........ 707 Mountain Bluebird....... FOG2 |= 10271 | FIGURE. 21 II 4 fe ey Pie] ius 4 Hk ‘PoE BiRDS“OF ~- NORTH =AMERIC*® mp ree Popular History. we oe PLATE I. The White-headed or Bald Eagle. (Aaliaétus leucocephalus.) Tuts noble bird being the adopted emblem of our beloved Re- public, it is first introduced to the kind reader; and he is indeed fully entitled to a particular notice, as he is the most beautiful of his tribe in North America. The Bald Eagle has long been known to naturalists, being com- mon to both Continents, and has occasionally been found in very high northern latitudes, as well as near the borders of the torrid zone, Chiefly in the vicinity of the sea or on the shores and cliffs of lakes and large rivers. His food consists chiefly of fish, of which he seems to be very fond, but he will not refuse, when driven by hunger, to regale himself on a lamb or young pig; he will even, ‘‘in hard times,” snatch from a vulture the carrion on which he is feeding. The ardor and energy of the Bald Eagle might awaken a full share of deep interest, were they not associated with so much robbery and wanton exercise of power, for he habitually despoils the Osprey or Fish-hawk of his prey. Of the singular manner in which he does this, Alexander Wilson, in his work on North American birds, says: ‘¢ Elevated on a high dead limb of some gigantic tree, that com- mands a wide view of the neighboring shore and ocean, he seems calmly to contemplate the motions of the various feathered tribes that pursue their busy avocations below—the snow-white Gulls, slowly winnowing the air ; the busy Tringz (Sandpipers) coursing along the sands ; trains of Ducks, streaming over the surface ; silent and watchful Cranes, intent and wading; clamorous Crows, and all the winged multitudes that subsist by the bounty of this vast liquid magazine of nature. High over all these hovers one whose action instantly arrests his whole attention. By his wide curvature of wing and sudden suspension in the air, he knows him to be the Fish-hawk, settling over some devoted victim of the deep. His eye kindles at the sight, and balancing himself with half-opened wings on the branch, he watches the result. Down, rapid as an arrow from heaven, descends the distant object of his attention, the roar of his wings reaching the ear, as it disappears in the deep, making the surges foam around. At this moment, the eager looks of the eagle are all ardor, and leveling his neck for flight, he sees the Fish-hawk once more emerge struggling with his prey and mounting in the air with screams of exultation. These are the signals for our hero, who, launching into the air, instantly gives chase, and soon gains on the Fish-hawk; each exerts his utmost to mount above the other, displaying in these rencounters the most elegant and sublime aerial evolutions. The unincumbered Eagle rapidly advances, and is just at the point of reaching his opponent, when, with a sudden scream, probably of despair and honest exe- cration, the latter drops his fish; the Eagle, poising himself for a moment, as if to take a more certain aim, descends like a whirl- wind, snatches it in his grasp ere it reaches the water, and bears his ill-gotten booty silently to the woods.” Dr. Franklin is rather severe on this emblem of our National Union. He says: ‘For my part, I wish the Bald Eagle had not been chosen as the representative of our country. He is a bird of bad moral character ; he does not get his living honestly. "You may have seen him perched upon some dead tree, where, too lazy to fish for him- self, he watches for the labors of the Fishing-hawk, and when that diligent bird has at length taken a fish, and is bearing it to his nest for the support of his mate and young ones, the Bald Eagle pursues him, and takes it from him. With all this injustice, he is never in good case, but like those among men who live by sharping and robbing, he is generally poor, and very often lousy. Besides, he is a rank coward; the little King-bird, not bigger than a sparrow, attacks him boldly, and drives him out of the district. He is, therefore. by no means a proper emblem for the brave and honest Cincinnati of America, who have driven out all the King- birds from our country, though exactly fitted for the order of knights which the French call Chevaliers d’Industrie.” The Falls of Niagara are one of his favorite haunts, on account of the fish caught there, and the attraction presented by the nu- merous remains of squirrels, deer, and other animals, which perish in attempting to cross the river above the cataract. The nest of this species is generally fixed on a very large and lofty tree, often in a swamp or morass, and difficult to ascend. It is formed of large sticks, sods, earthy rubbish, hay, corn-stalks, rushes, moss, etc., and contains, in due time, two eggs of about the size of a goose egg and of a bluish white color. The young are at first covered with a whitish or cream-colored down and have light bluish eyes. This cream color changes gradually into a bluish gray ; as the development of the feathers advances, the light blue eyes turn by degrees to a dark hazel brown; when full grown, they are covered wholly with lighter or darker brown feathers, un- til after the third year, wheu the white of the head and tail grad- ually appears; at the end of the fourth year he is perfect and of an appearance as seen on our plate, his eyes having changed to a bright straw color. The Bald Eagle is three feet long, and measures from tip to tip of the wing about seven feet. The conformation of the wing is admirably adapted for the support of so large a bird; it measures two feet in breadth on the greater quills and sixteen inches on the lesser; the larger primaries are about twenty inches in length and upward of one inch in circumference where they enter into the skin; the broadest secondaries are three inches in breadth across the vane; the scapulars are very large and broad, spreading from the back to the wing, to prevent the air from passing through Another range of broad flat feathers, from three to ten inches long, extends from the lower part of the breast to the wing below for the same purpose, and between these lies a deep triangular cavity ; the thighs are remarkably thick, strong, and muscular, covered with long feathers pointing backward. The legs are half covered be- low the tarsal joint; the soles of the feet are rough and warty. The male is generally three inches shorter than the female; the white on the head and tail is duller, and the whole appearance less formidable; the brown plumage is lighter, and the bird himself is less daring than the female, a circumstance common to all birds of prey. 2 WOODPECKER—NUTHATCH. PLATE II. This plate represents a scene which was witnessed by Dr. Jasper, resting near a patch of woods, between the Scioto river and the canal, about two miles and a half south of Columbus, Ohio, on one of his shooting excursions in the month of May. A pair of Red-headed Woodpeckers had a nest in the old stump of a decayed tree; the entrance to it undoubtedly had been made by the Yellow Hammer, as the size of it indicated, it being consid- erably larger than the Red-heads usually make. I had pre- viously examined this nest; there were four eggs in it at the time. At first a male Yellow Hammer tried his best to force an entrance, but was effectually repulsed by the Red-heads. The female Yel- low Hammer was during this time most indolently sitting on an- other stump of a broken tree, seeming not to take any interest in the doings of her mate; but some time after, perhaps pressed by the necessity of laying her egg, she too took an active part against the Red-heads, and the united strength of both finally overpowered them, and they had to abandon their nest and eggs to the Yel- low Hammers, who, in their turn, after having thrown out the eggs of the Red-heads, installed themselves in the nest. The two Nuthatches which we see in the plate were led only by curiosity ; they merely wanted to see what the racket was about. The Gold-winged Woodpecker. (Colaptes auratus.) Fig. 1, The male. Fig. 2, The female. Though this species, generally speaking, is migratory, yet they often remain north during the whole winter. They inhabit the continent of North America from Hudson’s Bay to Georgia; they have even been found on the northwest coast of the continent. ' They generally arrive at Hudson’s Bay in the middle of April, and leave in September. The natives there call them Ou-thee-quan- nor-ow, from the golden color of their shafts, and the lower side of the wings. This bird has numerous provincial appellations in the States of the Union, such as ‘‘ High-hole,” from the situation of its nest, and ‘‘ Hittucks,” «*‘ Yucker,” “‘ Piut,” ** Flicker,” ‘* Yel- low Hammer,” etc. Most of these names have probably originated from a fancied resemblance of its notes to the sound of the words; for the most common cry of the Gold-winged Woodpecker con- sists of two notes or syllables, often repeated, which, by the help of the hearer’s imagination, may seem to resemble any of them. The Gold-winged Woodpecker builds his nest about the middle of April, usually in the hollow body or branch of a tree, at con- siderable height above the ground, but not always, for I found the nest of one in an apple tree, less than three feet above the ground. The female lays five or six white, almost transparent eggs, very thick at one end and tapering suddenly toward the other; the young leave the nest early, climbing to the higher branches, where they are fed by the parents. Their plumage, in its color and mark- ings, resembles that of the parent birds, with the exception that the colors are less brilliant, and the dots appear less frequently on the breasts of the young than on those of the old birds. The food va- ries according to seasons, and consists of worms, berries, seeds, Indian corn, etc., and this is perhaps the reason why farmers de- stroy this bird whenever they have a chance. Formerly he was classed by many of the ornithologists among the Cuckoos, which was an absurdity, as he has no resemblance to them. The tongue is constructed like that of all the Wood- peckers, and he has no resemblance to the Cuckoo, except that two of his toes are placed before and two behind; he not only alights on the branches of a tree, but most frequently on the trunk, on which he will climb up or down or spirally around it, just as his fancy may be; when on the ground, he hops; his flesh is in quite good esteem. ne —— The Red-headed Woodpecker. (J/elanerpes erythrocephalus.) Fig. 3, The male. Fig. 4, The female. This bird is more universally known than any other bird in North America. His plumage, red, white, and black, glossed with violet, added to his numbers and his peculiar fondness for hovering along the fences, is so very notorious that almost every- body is acquainted with him. His food consists chiefly of insects, of which he destroys a large quantity daily; but he is also very fond of cherries, pears, sweet apples, and other fruit; wherever there is a tree covered with ripe cherries, you may see him busy among the branches; in passing an orchard, you may easily know where to find the earliest and sweetest apples, by observing those trees on or near which the Red-head is skulking, for he is an ex- cellent connoisseur of good fruit; when alarmed on such occasions, he seizes a capital one, by sticking his open bill into it, and bears it off to the woods. He also likes Indian corn, when in its rich, succulent, milky state, opening with great eagerness a passage through the numerous folds of the husk. The girdled, or dead- ened timber, so common among corn-fields, is his favorite re- treat, whence he sallies out to make his depredations. He is of a very gay and frolicsome disposition; half a dozen are frequently seen diving and vociferating around the dead high limbs of some large tree, pursuing and playing with each other, amusing the passenger with their gambols. The cry of the Red-headed Wood- pecker is shrill and lively, and resembles very much the cry of the tree-frog. | Farmers generally hate and destroy him whenever they have a chance; but whether this is just or not we will leave to them. It is stated above that he also destroys thousands and thousands of destructive insects and their larve, and therefore we would say to the farmer, in the benevolent language of the Scriptures, not to ** muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn;” and the same liberality should be extended to this useful bird that forms so powerful a defense against the inroads of many millions of de- structive vermin. Properly speaking, the Red-headed Woodpecker is a bird of passage. They inhabit North America from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, and have also been found on the northwestern coast. About the middle of May they construct their nests, which they form in the body or large limbs of trees, taking in no materials, but smoothing the nests to the proper shape and size. The female lays six eggs of a pure white, and the young make their appear- ance about the 20th of June. During the first season, the head and neck of the young birds are blackish gray, the white on the wing is also spotted with black, but in the succeeding spring they receive their perfect plumage, as on our plate. female differ in nothing except that the female is a trifle smaller. The White-breasted, Black-capped Nuthatch. (Sztta carolznensis.) Fig. 5, The male. Fig. 6, The female. The White-breasted Nuthatch is common almost everywhere in our woods and may be known at a distance by his peculiar note— quank, quank—frequently repeated, as he moves up and down in spiral circles, around the body and larger branches of the tree, probing behind the thin, scaly bark, shelling off considerable pieces of it in search of spiders or other insects and their larve. He rests and roosts with his head downward, and appears to pos- sess an uncommon degree of curiosity. Frequently I have amused myself, when in the woods, imitating the voice of a bird in distress, to see who would be the first to appear, and invariably the Nuthatch made his appearance first to see what was the matter. Frequently he will descend very silently within a few feet of the root of the tree where you happen to stand, stopping head downward, stretch- ing out his neck in a horizontal position, as if to reconnoiter your appearance, and after several minutes of silent observation, The male and . Pi | « =f ei RINNE 20. on Srnerer tia) mah ier vane mu) : apt tres mde tp —~ - d rae ag Ee WHITE OR WHOOPING CRANE—RAIL. 3 wheeling round, he again ascends with fresh activity, piping his ‘¢quank, quank,” as before. He is strangely attached to his native forests and seldom forsakes them ; amidst the rigors of the severest winter weather his lively quank, quank is heard in the bleak and leafless woods. Sometimes the rain, freezing as it falls, incloses every twig and even the trunk of the trees in a hard transparent coat or shell of ice; on such occasions we observe his anxiety and dissatisfaction, as being with difficulty able to make his way along the smooth surface. At such times he generally abandons the woods and may be seen gleaning about the stables, around the house, mixing among the fowls, entering the barn and examining the beams and rafters and every place where he can pick up a subsistence. The name Nuthatch is very erroneously bestowed on this family of birds. It was supposed that they could crack the hardest nuts with their bills by repeated hammerings; soft-shelled nuts, such as chestnuts, hazel-nuts, and a few more of this description, they may perhaps be able to demolish, but I never have seen them do it. Hard-shelled nuts, such as walnuts, hickory-nuts, etc., they are perfectly incapable of breaking, as their bills are not at all shaped for that kind of work. This absurd idea may have had its origin in the circumstance that we frequently observe the Nuthatch busily searching for insects in heaps of shells of broken nuts, lying on some old stump of a tree, or around it, brought there or broken by the squirrels, whilst ignorance ascribed the broken nuts to the doings of the feeble little bird. This bird builds his nest early in April, in the hole of a tree, in a hollow rail of a fence, and sometimes in the wooden cornice under the eaves ; the female lays five eggs of a dull white, spotted with brown at the greater end. The male is the most attentive husband and supplies his beloved mate, while setting, regularly with sustenance, stopping frequently at the mouth of the hole, call- ing and offering her what he has brought. At other times he seems merely to stop and inquire how she is, and to cheer up the tedious moments with his soothing chatter. He seldom goes far from the spot, and when danger appears, regardless of his own safety, he flies to alarm her. When both feed on the trunk of the same tree or on adjoining ones, he is perpetually calling on her, and from the momentary pauses he makes, it is evident that he feels pleased to hear her reply. The female differs very little from the male in color, the black being only less deep on the head and wings. PLATE III. The White or Whooping Crane. (Grus [Ardea] americana.) In former times the Cranes were classed with the Herons, to which they bear a certain alliance, but were afterward, with propriety, separated from them, and now form a very natural division in that great class. They are all at once distinguished from the Herons (Ardez) by the bald head and the broad, waving, and pendulous form of the greater coverts, and the shortness of the hind toe. The Crane is found in every part of the world, but the group is, not- withstanding, limited to a few species. Our species, the Whooping Crane, is the tallest and most stately of all the feathered tribes of North America. He is the watchful inhabitant of extensive salt marshes, desolate swamps, and open morasses in the neighborhood of the sea and large rivers. He is migratory, and his migrations are regular and most extensive, reaching from the shores and inundated tracts of South America to the Arctic Circle. In these immense periodical wanderings, they rise to such a height in the air as to be seldom observed, and form at such times regular lines in about a sharp angle, frequently changing their leader, or the one that flies foremost. They have, however, their resting stages on the route to and from their usual breeding-place, the more northern regions; and during their stay, they wander along the muddy flats in search of worms, sailing occasionally from place to place with a low and heavy flight a lit- tle above the surface, and have at such times a very formidable appearance. Their cry is loud and piercing, and may be heard at a distance of two miles; they have various modulations of this singular cry. When wounded, they attack the gunner or his dog with great resolution, striking with their sharp and formidable bills. They are extremely watchful, but not shy. When alone, they are constantly on the alert, and a flock of them has always regular guards. When alarmed, they never return to the same place without sending out a number to reconnoiter. As cautiously as he avoids man, he becomes as closely attached to him, when once brought into his companionship; he learns to understand every action of his master, knows his voice and shows his satisfac- tion when he sees him: he not only regards him as his master, but as his friend; society seems to be a necessity to him. One that I received from Dubuque, Iowa, which was caught on the Mississippi by a trapper, and has been living with me nearly four years, was at first very ferocious and could only be approached with great difficulty, but is now perfectly tame. It became in a very short time reconciled to its imprisonment, and is now very much attached to me. The Cranes sometimes rise spirally in the air to a great height, the mingled noise of their screaming, even when almost out of sight, resembling that of a pack of hounds in full cry. On such occasions they fly around in large circles, as if reconnoitering the country to a vast extent for a fresh quarter to feed in. At other times, they assemble in great masses, forming in regular lines and standing erect, with their bills resting on the throat, whilst one will step out, open his wings and dance in the most ridiculous way be- | fore the others—the people on the Mississippi call this ‘‘ preach- ing;” at other times several will dance regularly around each other with outspread wings. They live chiefly on vegetable food, such as Indian corn; but readily swallow mice, rats, moles, etc., with great avidity. They build their nest on the ground, about one foot in height, and lay two pale blue eggs, spotted with brown, as large as a goose egg, but more lengthened. The Cranes, as above stated, are distinguished from the other families by the bald- ness of their heads, the broad flag of plumage projecting over the tail, and in general by their superior size. They also differ in their internal organization, in the conformation of the windpipe, which enters the breast in a cavity fitted to receive it, and after several turns goes out again at the same place, and thence de- scends to the lungs. Unlike the Herons, they have not the inner side of the middle claw pectinated; and the hind toe is very short, scarcely reaching the ground. The brown Crane (Grus Cana- densis) is no other than the young of the Whooping Crane. All the descriptions of former ornithologists are exactly corre- spondent with the above. Ina flock of ten or twelve Whooping Cranes, three or four are usually of that tawny or reddish-brown tint on the back, scapulars, and wing-coverts, but are evidently yearlings of the Whooping Crane, and differ in nothing but in that and in size from the others. They are generally five or six inches shorter, and the primaries are of a brownish cast, and their legs are also a trifle darker. PLATE IV. The Rail. (Crex carolinus.) Fig. 1, Male. Fig. 2, Female. The Rail, or as it is called in Virginia, the Sora, and in South Carolina the Coot, belongs to a genus of birds, of which, as nearly as can be ascertained, about thirty-two different species are known to naturalists, and those are distributed over almost every region of the habitable parts of the globe. The general character of them is everywhere the same. They run swiftly, but their flight is 4 VIRGINIA RAIL—SONG SPARROW. slow, and with the legs hanging down; they become extremely fat, and fond of concealment, and usually prefer running to flying. Most of them are migratory and abound during the summer in certain countries, the inhabitants of which have very rarely an opportunity of seeing them. The Rail usually builds his nest in a tussock of grass; the nest is formed of a little dry grass. The female lays from four to six eggs of a dirty whitish color with brown or blackish spots; the young ones run off as soon as they are hatched: they are covered with a perfectly black down, and run about among the grass like mice. The Rails arrive at Hudson’s Bay, and other northern parts, early in June, breed there, and leave again for the south early in autumn. But it is certain that some of them remain with us, as I have caught young Rails myself in the latter part of the month of June on the Connecticut river, just a little above the town of Wethersfield, in a swampy or reedy place, called there the Weth- ersfield Cove. I have also been informed, by persons of credit and intelligence, in several places of the Union, that they had found nests, as well as young Rails; but what is singular, none of them had ever seen at that time the old ones. The Rails, as well as the Bobolinks, are very fond of the seeds of two different kinds of reeds, which grow up from the soft muddy shores of the tide water, and are alternately dry and then covered again with four or five feet of water. They rise with an erect, tapering stem to the height of six or eight feet. They grow up so close together that a boat can only with difficulty make its way through them at or near the time of high water. The seeds are produced at the top of the plant, the blossoms occupying the lower branches of the panicle and the seeds the higher. These seeds are nearly as long as an ordinary pin and very slender, white, and sweet to the taste; also very nutritious, as ap- pears by the effect they have on the various birds that at this time feed on them. When the reeds are in this state, the Rails take possession of them in great numbers. At this season, as you walk along the embankment of a river where these reeds grow, you can hear the Rails squeak in every direction like young pup- pies. Ifa stone be thrown among them, there is a general outcry and a reiterated ‘‘keek, keek, keek,” somewhat like that of a Guinea fowl; any other sudden noise, as the discharge of a gun, produces the same effect. In the meantime none are to be seen, unless it be at or near high water; for when the tide is low, they universally secrete themselves among the interstices of the reeds, and you may walk past or even over them—where there are hun- dreds—without seeing a single one. On their arrival they are generally lean and unfit for the table, but as the seeds of the reeds ripen, they fatten rapidly, and from about the middle of September to the middle of October, are excellent and eagerly sought for. Their flight among these reeds is usually low, and shelter being abundant, it is rarely extended to more than from ten to fifty yards. When winged and uninjured in their legs, they swim and dive with great rapidity, and are seldom seen to rise again. I have found them several times, on such occasions, under the water, clinging with their feet to the reeds. They are very feeble and delicate in every part, except the legs, which seem to possess great strength; their bodies being remarkably thin and com- pressed, measuring not more than an inch and a quarter through transversely, they are enabled to pass between the reeds like rats. When seen, they are almost constantly jetting up the tail. Flut- tering as their flight appears in the reeds, I have seen them at other times rise to a considerable height, stretching their feet be- hind them and flying to such distances that I really lost sight of them. In the State of New Jersey, where this particular kind of reed does not grow, we find no Rails. Most of them leave the Middle States before the end of October, and the Southern States early in November, though some are found lingering in the warm southern marshes the whole winter. Numbers of them have been found in the West Indies at the time of our winter season, which makes it evident that they migrate across that part of the sea be- tween the mainland and the islands; and why should this be im- possible? As the Rail can swim and dive well and fly at pleasure, he seems to me well fitted for such an undertaking. The young Rails, the first season, resemble the females. Some modern ornithologists have classed this bird under the genus Gallinule; but this seems to me altogether wrong, as all Rails are destitute of a frontal plate, which characterizes the Gal- linule; they otherwise have certainly a strong resemblance to them. The Virginia Rail. (Radlus virginianus.) Fig. 3. This elegant little bird is far less numerous in this part of the United States than the preceding, but inhabits more remote north- ern regions. He is frequently seen along the borders of our salt marshes, which are rarely visited by the Sora; he breeds there as well as among the meadows that border our large rivers. He is met with in the interior, as far west as the Ohio river; also in Ken- tucky in the groves and wet places, but only in the spring. He feeds less on vegetable and more on animal food than the com- mon Rail. The food of this species consists chiefly of small snail shells, worms, and the larve of insects that it extracts from the mud with its long bill, which is wonderfully adapted to it. On this account its flesh is much inferior to the former; otherwise, its habits, its thin compressed body, its aversion to take to the wing, and the dexterity with which it runs and conceals itself among the grass, are exactly similar to those of the common Rail, from which genus, notwithstanding the difference of its bill, it ought not to be separated. Some people call this bird the Fresh Water Mud Hen. The epithet ‘* fresh water” is given to it because of its frequenting only those parts of the marsh where fresh water springs rise through the bogs into the salt marshes. In such places it usually con- structs its nest, which is composed altogether of old dry grass and rushes. The female lays from six to ten eggs of a dirty white or cream color, sprinkled with specks of reddish and pale purple, most numerous near the greater end. They commence laying early in May, and probably raise two broods in the season. ‘The young ofthis species are also covered with a pure black down, and have a white spot on their bill, and a soft and piping note. The female is about half an inch shorter than the male, the color of the breast is paler, and a little more white on the throat and chin. These birds, like the preceding, stand and run with the tail erect, which they frequently jerk upward; they also fly exactly like them, with the legs hanging down, but only a short distance, and the moment they alight run off with great speed. The Song Sparrow. (JZelospiza melodia.) Fig. 4, Male. Fig. 5, Female. The Song Sparrow may be found in all parts of the United States; he is the earliest, sweetest, and most lasting singer of all the Sparrows. We may call them partially migratory, for the most of them pass to the south in the month of November; but many remain with us all winter, in the low sheltered meadows and swamps. He is the first singing-bird in spring, taking precedence of the Peewee and Bluebird. His song, resembling the beginning of the Canary’s song, or perhaps rather the song of the European Yellow Hammer (Emberiza Citrinella), is very short but exceed- ingly sweet, and frequently repeated, generally from the branches of a bush or small tree, where he sits, chanting for an hour at a time. He is very fond of frequenting the borders of rivers, mead- ows, swamps, and other like watery places. He is found, witha multitude of other kinds of Sparrows, in the great Cypress swamps PL. [IV cai Tae se PL.V Be ro.r Te >. Ly MARSH WREN—GREAT HORNED OWL. 5 of the Southern States, which seem to be the places of their grand winter rendezvous. The nest of the Song Sparrow is built in the ground under a tuft of grass, and is formed of fine dry grass, lined with horse- hair and other material; it lays four or five eggs of a bluish white, thickly covered with reddish-brown spots. It raises usually three broods in the season. There are young ones often found in the nest as early as the latter part of April, and as late as the tenth of August. Sometimes the nest is built in a cedar tree, six to eight feet from the ground, which seems to be very singular for a bird that usually builds on the ground; but this same habit is found in another bird—the Red-winged Starling, which sometimes builds its nest in the long grass or swamps, or in the rushes, and at other times in low trees or alder-bushes. ‘The male and female are so nearly alike as to be scarcely distinguished from each other. The Marsh Wren. (C%stothorus palustris.) Fig. 6, Male. Fig. 7, Female. The Marsh Wren arrives from the South about the middle of May; as soon as the reeds and a species of Nymphica, usually called ‘* Splatter-dock”—which grow in luxuriance along the tide- water of our rivers—are sufficiently high to shelter it. In such places he is usually found, and seldom ventures far from the river. His food consists of insects and their larve, and a kind of small green grasshopper that inhabits the reeds and rushes. His notes or chirp has a crackling sound, resembling somewhat that produced by air-bubbles, forcing their way through mud, or boggy ground when trod upon, and can hardly be called a song. But low as he may stand as a singer, he stands high as an architect, for he excels in the art of design, and constructs a nest, which, in durability, warmth, and convenience, is far superior to the most of his musical brethren. The outside is usually formed of wet rushes, well inter- mixed with mud and fashioned into the shape of a cocoa-nut; a small round hole is left two-thirds up for his entrance, the upper edge of which projects like a pent-house, over the lower, prevent- ing the admittance of rain. Inside it is lined first with fine dry grass, then with cow’s hair and sometimes feathers. This nest, when once dried by the sun, will resist any kind of weather, and is generally suspended among the reeds and tied so fast to the sur- rounding ones as to bid defiance to the wind and waves. The female usually lays six eggs of a fawn color, and very small for the size of the bird. They raise usually two broods in a season. He has a strong resemblance to the house Wren and still more to the winter Wren, but he never associates with either of them; and the last named has left before the Marsh Wren makes his appearance, which is about the beginning of September. The hind claw of this little bird is large, semicircular, and very sharp; his bill slender and slightly bent; the nostrils prominent; the tongue narrow, very tapering, sharp-pointed, and horny at the extremity ; and for this reason he ought to be classed—as some naturalists really have done with good cause—among the true Certhiadz, or Creepers. His habits are also like those of the Creepers, as he is constantly climbing along the stalks of reeds and other aquatic plants in quest of insects. PLATE V. The Great Horned Owl. Fig. 1. (Bubo virginianus.) This well known formidable Owl is found in almost any part of North America, from the icy regions to the Gulf of Mexico; also on the Western coast, but most abundantly in the central part of this continent. His favorite resorts are the dark solitudes of swamps covered with a growth of gigantic timber, which he makes resound with his hideous cries, as soon as night sets in. At times he sweeps down from a tree, uttering his loud Waugh O! Waugh O! so close to you, and so unexpectedly, that you can not help be- ing startled. Besides this favorite note of his, he has other noctur- nal solos, just as melodious, especially one that resembles very strikingly the half-suppressed screams of a person being nearly suffocated; but after all, his peculiar cry is very entertaining. Another of his notes sounds like the loud jabbering and cackling of an old rooster pursued by a dog, and is kept up sometimes for half an hour. You will always take pleasure in observing him, and often, when quietly sitting under a tree, he will sweep so close by you as almost to touch you with his wings; but generally he shuns the presence of men, and seems to know that man is the worst of his enemies. At night he is very cautious, and even in the day-time he suffers no one to approach—unlike the rest of the Owls, which allow the gunner to approach them without showing signs of being alarmed. The Great Horned Owl is rarely seen in day-time, the peculiar coloring of his feathery dress agreeing perfectly with the bark of the tree on which he sits, almost motionless. It sometimes hap- pens, however, that one of the smaller warblers discovers him, and alarms, by his cries, the whole feathered population of the forest, which now tease and keep on annoying him till he is at last com- pelled to leave his resting-place in disgust. But it is a different thing at night; then he is lord. His flight, which, in day-time, appears rather awkward, is then silent and very swift. Sweeping low above the ground, generally, like the rest of the Owl tribe, he rises also, with ease, to great heights, and his movements are so quick that he catches regularly any bird he has scared up from sleep. Any bird—the smallest warbler as well as a chicken or a duck—will serve him for a meal; and this may ac- count for the circumstance that all birds, without an exception, hate him. He lives also on squirrels, rats, and mice, of which he destroys great numbers. He pairs usually in February. At this time the male, after hav- ing performed the most ridiculous evolutions in the air, alights near his chosen female, whom he delights with his boundings, the snap- ping of his bill, and his extremely ludicrous movements. This style of love-making he practices in day-time as well as at night. His nest, which is proportionally very large, is usually built on a thick horizontal branch of a big tree, close to the trunk. It has been found in the crevice of a rock. It is composed of crooked sticks and coarse grasses, fibers, and feathers, inside. The eggs, which number from three to five, and even six, are almost globular, rough, and of a dirty white color. ‘The male assists the female in sitting on the eggs. ‘The young are covered at first with a thick white down, and remain in the nest until fully fledged. Even then they follow their parents for a long time and are fed by them, ut- tering a mournful, melancholy cry, perhaps to stimulate them to pity. They are much lighter colored than the old ones, and ac- quire their full plumage in the following spring. Although the Great Horned Owl, as above stated, prefers retire- ment, he sometimes takes up his abode in the vicinity of a detached farm, and causes great havoc among the poultry, especially the young poultry, of the farmer, by occasionally grasping a chicken or Guinea fowl with his talons, and carrying it off to the woods. When wounded, he exhibits the most revengeful tenacity of spirit, disdaining to scramble away like other Owls, but courageously facing his enemy, producing his powerful talons and snapping his bill. At such times his large eyes seem to double their usual size, and he shuts and opens them alternately in quick succession as long as his enemies remain in his presence. The rising of his feathers on such an occasion gives him a very formidable appear- ance, and makes him look nearly twice as large as usual. In former times, this Owl, as well as Owls in general, was re- garded with a great deal of superstition, and we often find the Owl 6 GROSSBEAK—AMERICAN RED START—BLUE WARBLER. introduced in gloomy midnight stories and fearful scenes of nature, to heighten the horror of the picture; but knowledge of the gen- eral laws and productions of Nature has done away with this su- perstitious idea, as well as with so many others. With all his gloomy habits and ungracious tones, there is nothing mysterious about this bird, which is simply a bird of prey, feeding at night and resting during the day. The harshness of his voice is occasioned by the width and capacity of his throat. The voices of all car- nivorous birds and quadrupeds, are likewise observed to be harsh and hideous. The Great Horned Owls are not migratory; they remain with us during the whole year. The female is, like all birds of prey, considerably larger than the male, but the white on the throat is not as pure, and she has less of the bright ferruginous or tawny color below. | The Rose-Breasted Grossbeak. (Coccoborus ludovicianus.) Fig. 2, the Male. Fig. 3, the Female. This elegant species of the Parrot Finches (Pityli) is found most abundant in the New England States, especially Massachusetts, but with the exception of the extreme western parts and coast of Georgia and the Carolinas, they are met with, at certain seasons, in almost every part of the United States. His wanderings extend as far up, asNew Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland, where he has been observed to breed. He leaves early in the fall to take up his abode in warmer regions and as soon as spring sets in, commences his wanderings eastward again. Heis seen in Ken- tucky as early as the 16th of March, on his eastern travel. His flight is steady, and at a considerable height. At times he will lower himself and take a rest in the top branches of a high tree. Before taking a new start he will utter a few very clear and sweet notes. You may hear the same, at times, during his flight, but not when he is resting. At about sundown he chooses one of the highest trees to sit upon, in a stiff and upright position, and after a few minutes repose retreats into a thicket to spend the night. His food consists of grass and other seeds, buds of trees, tender blossoms, and berries, especially those of the Sour Gum, on which he eagerly feeds; he also subsists partly on insects, which he often catches on the wing, as most of the Finches do. In the third year he arrives at his full plumage. The younger birds have the plumage of the back variegated with light brown, white, and black, a line of which extends over the eye. The rose- color reaches to the back of the bill, where it is speckled with black and white. Our plate shows the full-plumaged female, who, therefore, differs considerably from the male. The Rose-Breasted Grossbeak is, in common opinion, one of the sweetest singers of this continent. His song is rich and melodious, and he sings at night as well as in day-time. His notes are clear, full, and very loud, suddenly changing, at times, to a plaintive and melancholy, but exceedingly sweet, cadence. One loves to observe him on such occasions, and can not help thinking that he must himself be fully aware of his good singing talent, from his gestures and the positions he takes while pouring forth the sweet notes from the depth of his breast. In captivity he sings fre- quently and just as well, though not so loud. His nest is found from the latter part of May to the beginning of July. It is fixed on the upper forks of bushes, on apple trees, or even higher trees, mostly in the neighborhood of water. It is composed of thin branches, intermixed with dry leaves and the bark of the wild grape, lined inside with dry roots and horse-hair. The female lays four eggs of a bluish white color, sprinkled with oblong specks of a brownish purple, especially at the larger end. They are hatched alternately by both male and female. The young are fed with insects exclusively, as long as they are little; then as they grow, with seeds also, which were previously soaked in the crops of the parents. The American Red Start. (Setophaga rutzcilla.) Fig. 4. This little bird has been classed by several of our best ornithol- ogists among the Sylvicoline (Warblers). We will not, therefore, venture to remove him, though we would rather have him placed among the Muscicapide (Fly-catchers), as there is hardly any other in the whole tribe that has the characteristic marks of the genus Muscicapa more distinct than he. The formation of his bill, the forward-pointing bristles, and especially his manners, stamp him a Fly-catcher. He is in almost perpetual motion, and will pursue a retreating party of flies from the top of the tallest tree to the ground in an almost perpendicular but zigzag line, while the clicking of his bill is distinctly heard. He certainly secures a dozen or more of them in one descent, lasting not over three or four seconds, then alights on an adjoining branch, traverses it lengthwise for a few moments, and suddenly shoots off in a quite unexpected direction after fresh game, which he can discover at a great distance. | His notes or twitter hardly deserve the name of song. They resemble somewhat the words, Weese! Weese! Weese! often re- peated as he skips along the branches; at other times this twitter varies to several other chants, which may easily be recognized in the woods, but are almost impossible to be expressed by words. In the interior of the forest, on the borders of swamps and meadows, in deep glens covered with wood, wherever flying insects abound, this little bird is sure to be found. He makes his appearance in Ohio in the latter part of April, and leaves again for the South at the be- ginning of September. Generally speaking, he is met with all over the United States, and winters chiefly in the West Indian is- lands. The name Red Start is evidently derived from the Dutch ‘* Roth Start” (Red Tail), and was given to him by the first settlers, from his supposed resemblance to the European bird of this name, the Motacilla Pheenicurus; but he is decidedly of a different genus, and differs not only in size, but in manners and the colors of the plumage. The Red Start builds his nest frequently in low bushes, in the fork of a small sapling, or on the drooping branches of the elm, a few feet above the ground. ‘The exterior consists of flax, or other fibrous material, wound together and moistened with his saliva, in- terspersed here and there with pieces of lichen; inside it is lined with very fine soft substances. The female lays five white eggs, sprinkled with gray and little blackish specks. The male is ex- tremely anxious about them, and, on a person’s approach will flirt within a few feet about the nest, seemingly in great distress. The female differs from the male, in having no black on the head and back. Her head is of a cinerous color, inclining to olive. The white below is not as pure. The lateral feathers of the tail and breast are of a greenish yellow; those of the middle tail, of a dark brown. ‘That beautiful aurora color on the male is, on her, very dull. The young males of the first season look almost exactly like the females, and it is not until the third season that they receive their complete colors. Males of the second season are often heard in the woods crying the same notes as the full-plumaged males, which has given occasion to some people to assert that the females of this bird sing as well as the males. The Black-Throated Blue Warbler. (Dendroica canadensis.) Fig. 5. This bird is one of those transient visitors that, at about the end of April or the first week of May, pass through Ohio, on their route to the north to breed. He reminds one, in his manners of the Fly-catcher, but the formation of his bill as well as his gen- eral appearance, places him unmistakably among the Warblers. PL. V eed Pi Pree eae a an See eaiee iartecieds > pret sete hy 5 CREEPER—W ARBLER—HAWK. - 7 But little can be remarked here concerning this bird, as it is only to be met with now and then in spring, and during a sojourn of nearly eight years in Ohio, the writer has seen it only twice in the fall; but as the woods are then still thick with leaves, and the bird perfectly silent, it is more difficult to get sight of him, and he probably makes a shorter stay than in spring. Although no pains were spared to find his nest, here as well as in more north- ern distric:s, still the search has not been successful. During summer not one single individual of this species has been ob- served. Our plate shows the male. The female has a kind of a dusky ash on the breast, and some specimens which had been shot were nearly white. The Black and White Creeper. (A@zcotil/a varia.) Fig. 6. This is also one of the little birds which ought to be respected by farmers and husbandmen generally, on account of his extreme usefulness. He clears their fruit and forest trees of myriads of destructive insects, particularly ants, although he does not sere- nade them with his songs. He seldom perches on the small twigs, but circumambulates the trunk and larger branches, in quest of ants and other insects, with admirable dexterity. He is evidently nearer related to the Creepers than to the Warblers, for his hind claw is the largest, and his manners, as well as his tongue, which is long, fine-pointed, and horny at the extremity, characterize him strongly as a true Creeper. He arrives in Missouri, toward the latter part of April, and begins soon afterward to build his nest. One which we had the good luck to discover was fixed in the crack of the trunk of a large tree, and was composed of some fibers and dry leaves, lined with hair and a soft cotton-like down. It contained five young ones recently hatched. This was on the 28th of April. At about the beginning of October, the whole tribe leave again for warmer climates, probably the West Indies, though we have been informed that at least several of them have been perceived in the Gulf States during the whole winter. The male and female are nearly alike in colors. The Yellow-Throated Warbler. (Dezdroica superciliosa.) Fig. 7. The habits and manners of this splendid little bird are not con- sistent with the shape and construction of his bill, his ways being those of the Creepers or the Titmouse, while the peculiarities of his bill rank him with the Warblers. His notes, which are loud and spirited, resemble strongly those of the Indigo Blue Bird (Cyanospiza Cyanea). He utters them every three or four minutes, while creeping around the branches or among the twigs in the manner of the Titmouse. On flying to another tree, he frequently alights on the trunk and creeps nimbly up and down or spirally around it, in search of food, like a Creeper. He leaves the North for a short time only in winter, and can not, therefore, migrate very far South. They have been seen inthe North as late as the middle of November, and as early again in the spring as the 12th of March. Inthe State of Connecticut, on the banks of the Connecti- cut river, great numbers of them have been observed as late in the fall as the roth of October. They are rarely met with there in the spring, but why, we are unable to state. They seem to be rather partial to running waters, in the vicinity of which they are invari- ably found; sometimes on trees, sometimes hanging on fences, head downward, like the Titmouse, or searching among the dry leaves on the ground. The bird on our plate is the perfect male. As to the female, her wings are of a dingy brown, and her colors in general, particu- larly the yellow on the breast, much duller. The young birds of the first season are without the yellow. PLATE VI. The Wandering Falcon, or Great-Footed Hawk. (Zalco peregrinus.) The Wandering Falcon, Mountain Falcon, Rock Falcon, Duck Hawk, or Great-footed Hawk, justly deserves his names. He roams almost all over the world. His home extends from the northeast of Asia to western Europe, and the question is yet to be solved whether our American bird is a different species or not. It is evident he is not; for the size, as well as the general characteris- tic traits of both the American and the one described by European writers, agree almost to minuteness. Some of the European orni- thologists differ somewhat in the description of his coloring; but these discrepancies seem to have been occasioned by specimens of different ages, more than by any other cause. He is also found in the interior of Africa, and, according to Jerdon, in India. This ex- cellent observer says: ‘* The Wandering Falcon is found through- out India, from the Himalaya to Cape Comorin, but only during the cold season; especially plentiful near the sea-coasts, or on the shores of large rivers. He does not breed there, as far as I can ascertain, but is only a winter visitor, who appears in October and leaves again in April.” In America he extends his wanderings far to the South; whether they reach to South America has not been ascertained, but it is certain that he flies across the Gulf of Mex- ico. To his immense faculty of flying, a distance of a few hun- dred miles is mere fun. He inhabits large forests, especially those interspersed with high steep rocks, but is occasionally found close 1o habitations, and even large cities. The one that served for our drawing was, for instance, shot in the neighborhood of Colum- bus, Ohio, on the Scioto river, in the month of September. Heis a powerful, daring, and extremely agile bird, and experience shows that he knows, too, how to make use of his natural gifts. His flight is extremely swift, mostly close to the ground, in spring only rising to heights immeasurable and almost out of sight. He sel- dom is sailing but rapidly flapping his long wings. Before rising, he flies a short distance low above the ground and with expanded tail. He is very shy and cautious, choosing the densest pine forests to pass the night, and if such be too far to be reached, prefers sit- ting on a piece of rock in an open field. His voice is strong and penetrating, sounding somewhat like Kajak! Kajak! The Wandering Falcon attacks birds only, from a Wild Goose down to a Meadow Lark. Among Pigeons, Quails, and Grouse he makes the greatest havoc, but is especially fond of Ducks, which he pursues with untiring tenacity. Water-fowls, when approached by a gunner, usually take to the wing; not so if our Falcon is vis- ible. Then they make all speed to the water and dive, and those only which are on land or in shallow water fly off, till they reach deep water, then suddenly drop and dive also; but this caution orf their part is of no avail, for the Hawk will hover above the water till they are exhausted, then strike down upon them and pick them up. All birds seem to know him, for not one attacks him, not even the otherwise courageous Crows. All are anxious to save them- selves as soon as he isin sight. He usually strangles his prey in the air, before it can even reach the ground. Larger birds, such as the Wild Goose, which he has seized, are tormented by him in the air until they drop down with him, and thenare killed. By throw- ing himself with full force upon his victim, the latter is stunned by the concussion, and drops. This is probably the reason he never attacks a bird thatis sitting on the ground, as he would run the risk of killing himself by the concussion. Small birds he carries away to a convenient place; larger ones he eats on the spot where they dropped, plucking off some of their feathers before he begins. Small birds he devours, together with the intestines, which he re- jects in the bigger ones. In his attacks he very seldom fails, and they seem to be but play to him. His nest is chiefly built in cracks of steep rocks, difficult, if not 8 DUCK—TEAL—HERON—CAT BIRD. impossible, to ascend; sometimes also in high trees. It is care- lessly constructed of thicker or thinner branches and fibers. The eggs, three or four in number, are laid at the beginning of June, and are of a reddish yellow color, sprinkled with brown, more thickly so at the larger end, and the female hatches alone. The young ones are fed at first with half-digested food from the crops of the parents, afterward with different kinds of birds. When they are able to fly they are instructed by the parents in the art of hunting. It is a well-known fact that all true Falcons, when attacked, drop their booty and leave it to the attacking party, and the beggars among the birds of prey, being aware of this, profit by it. There they sit, those stupid, lazy fellows, watching the Hawk till he has struck down a bird, when suddenly they assault him. Our hero, otherwise afraid of no bird, drops his prey at their approach, and with an indignant Kajak! Kajak! up and off he goes. The bird of which the Hawk has taken hold in our Plate is— The Pin-tail Duck. (Azas—Dajfila acuta.) The Pin-tail is acommon and well-known Duck, much esteemed _ for its excellent flesh, which is generally in good order. Itis a shy and cautious bird, feeding in mud flats and shallow fresh-water marshes, but is rarely seen on the sea-coast. It has a kind of clat- tering note, is very noisy and vigilant, and usually gives the alarm at the approach of the gunner. Some of the Duck tribe, when alarmed, disperse in all directions, but the Pin-tails cluster confusedly, giving the expert gunner a cap- ital chance to rack them with advantage. They do not dive ex- cept when winged. They inhabit the whole northern part of this continent, as well as the corresponding latitudes of Asia and Europe. Great flocks of them are sometimes observed on the rivers near the coasts of England and France. Our plate shows the male. The female has the crown of a dark brown color; the neck of a dull brownish white, thickly speckled with dark brown ; breast and belly of a pale brownish white, inter- spersed with white ; back and root of the neck above black, each feather elegantly waved with broad lines of brownish white. These wavings become rufous on the scapulars, vent white, spotted with dark brown; tail dark brown, spotted with white, the two middle feathers only half an inch longer and more slender than the rest. The other two birds on the Plate are the male and the female Blue-winged Teal. (Azas—Querquedula discors.) The Blue-winged Teals are the first that return to the Central States from their breeding-place in the North. They arrive as early as the middle of September, and usually sit on the mud, close to the border of the water, generally crowded together, so that gun- ners often kill a great number at one shot. Their flight is very rapid; when they alight they drop suddenly among the reeds or on the mud, in the manner of the Snipe or Woodcock. They live chiefly on vegetable food and are especially fond of the seeds of reeds or wild oats. Feeding on such they become extremely fat in a short time. Their flesh is excellent for the table. The first smart frosts drive them to the South, for they are delicate birds and very susceptible to cold. They abound in the inundated rice-fields of the Southern States, where they are caught in vast numbers in hollow traps, commonly called ‘‘ figure four,” and placed here and there on dry spots rising out of the water, and strewn with rice. In April they pass through the Central States again, north- ward bound, making only a short stay. PLATE VII. The Green Heron. (Ardea—Putorides virescens.) Fig. 1. Public opinion shows but little liberality toward this bird, havy- ing stigmatized him with a vulgar and indelicate nickname, and treating him as perfectly worthless and with contempt. This is injustice; he keeps himself as clean as any other of the whole Heron tribe, lives in exactly the same way as they do, and at the same places with them, but he is most numerous where cultivation is least known or cared for. He makes his first appearance in the Central States early in April, as soon as the marshes and swamps are completely thawed. There, among the ditches and amidst the bogs and quagmires, he hunts with great cunning and dexterity. Frogs and small fishes are his principal game, but on account of their caution and facility of es- cape their capturing requires all his address and quickness. With his head drawn in, he stands on the lookout, silent and motionless, like a statue, yet ready for an attack. ‘The moment a frog or min- now comes within his range, with one stroke, quick and sure as that of a rattlesnake, it is seized and swallowed in a wink. He also hunts for the larvee of several insects, especially those of the dragon- fly, which lurk in the mud. When alarmed, he rises with a hollow guttural scream, but does not fly far, and usually alights on a fence or an old stump and looks out with extended neck, but now and then with his head drawn in so that it seems to rest on his breast. When standing and gazing on you this way, he is often jetting his tail. Sometimes he flies high, with doubled neck and his legs extended behind, flapping his wings bravely, and traveling with great expedition. He is per- haps the most numerous and the least shy of all our Herons, and is found in the interior as well as in the salt marshes. At the latter part of April he begins to build, sometimes in sin- gle pairs in swampy woods, often in company with others, not un- frequently with the Night Heron. The nest, which is fixed on the limb of a tree, consists wholly of small sticks lined with finer twigs loosely put together, and is of considerable size. The female lays three or four eggs, of an oblong form and a pale blue color. The young do not leave the nest until perfectly able to fly. The Cat Bird. (A@émus carolinensis.) Fig. 2. This is a very common and very numerous species in this part of the Continent, well known to everybody. In spring or summer, when approaching thickets of brambles, the first salutation you re- ceive is from the Cat Bird. One unacquainted with his notes would conclude that some vagrant kitten had got bewildered among the briers and was in want of assistance, so exactly alike is the call of this bird to the cry of that animal. Of all our summer visitors he is the least apprehensive of man. Very often he builds his nest in the bushes close to your door, and seldom allows you to pass without paying you his respects in his usual way. By this famili- arity he is entitled at least to a share of hospitality, but is often treated with cruelty instead. It is true he steals some of the best and earliest of the farmers’ strawberries and cherries, but he lives mostly on insects, of which he destroys incredible numbers. Besides, he is one of our most interesting singers. He usually sings early in the morning before sunrise, hovering from bush to bush, hardly distinguishable in the dark. His notes are, however, more remarkable for their singularity than for melody. He chiefly imitates the song of other birds, frequently with perfect success. Sometimes he seems to be at a loss where to begin, and pours out all the odd and quaint passages he has been able to collect. In un- PL. Vil : PL. VUI ean apeiron . YELLOW THROAT—DUCK—TERNS. settled parts of the country he is rarely or never found, but seems to prefer the company of men. His nest is built in briers or black- berry bushes, and is composed of thin branches and roots, stuck together with mud, lined inside with hair and finer fibers. The female lays five eggs, of a bluish tint. He leaves in September to winter in warmer latitudes. The Maryland Yellow Throat. (Geotklypis trichas.) Fig. 3, Male. Fig. 4, Female. This neat little bird inhabits chiefly such briers, brambles, and bushes as grow luxuriantly in low, watery places, his business and ambition seldom leading him higher than to the tops of the under- wood, and he might properly be denominated ‘‘ Humility.” In- sects and their larve are his principal food. He dives into the thicket, rambles among the roots, searching around the stems, ex- amining both sides of the leaves, raising himself on his legs to peep into every crevice, and amuses himself with a simple, but not at all disagreeable twitter, ‘ ‘ whit-ti-tee ! whit-ti-tee !” which he re- peats in quick succession, pausing, now and then, for half a min- ute. He inhabits the States from Maine to Florida, and westward to the Mississippi. He is by no means shy, but unsuspicious and deliberate. He often visits the fields of growing rye, wheat, or barley, and is of much service to the farmer by ridding the stalks of vermin that might destroy his fields. He lives in obscurity and peace, and seldom comes near the farmhouse or the city. He builds his nest about the middle of May, in the midst of a thicket of briers, among the dry leaves on the ground. Sometimes it is arched over, and but a small hole left for entrance. It con- sists of dry leaves and fine grass, lined with coarse hair, etc. The female lays five eggs, semi-transparent, marked with specks of brown and reddish brown. The young leave the nést in the lat- ter part of June, and a second brood is sometimes raised in the same season. ‘They return to the South early in September. PLATE VIII. The Wood Duck, or Summer Duck. (Azx sfonsa.) Fig. 1, Male. Fig. 2, Female. This is the finest of all our Ducks, and the beauty of its dress is in perfect harmony with its gentle manners. A characteristic trait is the moving of its tail from one side to the other, which some- times looks almost like wagging. It swims with as much ease and grace, and seemingly with as little effort, as it flies among the branches and trunks of trees. The cry of the female is a long- stretched ‘* Pi-ai-wee-wee-wee ! ” and the warning sound of the male a not less melodious ‘‘ O-eek ! O-eek !” It seems to shun the neigh- borhood of men less than any other Wild Duck, and is by no means in a hurry to leave its breeding-place, even if buildings are in con- struction close by. Easier than the rest of the tribe, the Wood Ducks get reconciled to, and regularly breed in, captivity, if a suitable chance is offered them. They live mostly on grain, several aquatic plants, chestnuts, acorns, beech-mast, etc., also on worms, snails, and other insects, which they pick up among the dry leaves or catch in the air. Their full beauty and loveliness shows itself best shortly before and during mating time. ‘Toward March the flock separates, and every single pair now looks out for a convenient breeding-place. To this end the male roams about the woods, alights on a high tree in which he expects to find a hole for a nest, walks easily on its limbs, inspecting every hole he can find, and is often perfectly satisfied with a hole made by the fox squirrel, or even acleft inarock. The temale squeezes herself with astonishing ease through the entrance, which often seems to be a great deal too narrow for her. The male _keeps watch outside during inspection by the female, encouraging her by his tender chatterings, or warning her of supposed danger by his timely ‘‘O-eek ! O-eek!” after which both quickly take to flight. If they have once built a nest they return to it every year. The male, although very peaceful, is very courageous when his jealousy is aroused. Any other male coming near him is always kept at a proper distance by unmistakable signs and motions. The female begins to lay in the first days of May. The eggs, seven to twelve in number, are small, oblong, and perfectly white. The hatching-time lasts, as with most of the Duck tribe, twenty-seven or twenty-eight days. When the last egg is laid, the female lines the nest with the soft down of her breast, and covers the eggs with the same when she flies out. While she takes all the parental cares to herself, the male repairs to a suitable watery place to pass through his moulting time, which begins in July, and is ended in the first part of September, giving him a dress distinguished from that of the female only by the white marking of his throat and the greater brilliancy of his plumage. The nest of the Wood Duck is sometimes at a considerable dis- tance from any water, and quite high from the ground. From the entrance to the nest itself, it is sometimes over six feet. As soon as the young ones are all hatched, the female carries them, one by one, in her bill, to the water, leaving them to the care of the male. till she has brought the last one, when she herself takes care ot them again. If the tree on which the nest is, happens to overhang the water, she merely tumbles them out of the nest. “Wood Ducks generally live together in small flocks of from six to twelve—occa- sionally they are seen in flocks of more than a hundred; this occurs chiefly in the fall. Toward October the young ones begin to moult ; at the same time the male parent, who reappears now in his bridal dress, joins them again. The flesh of the Wood Duck is very tender and in good esteem. The Short-tailed Tern. (Aydrochelidon plumbea.) Fig. 3. This bird is often observed in fresh-water marshes, in flocks num- bering from four to ten ; it is seldom seen in salt-water marshes. Its flight is very graceful. Its food consists of grasshoppers and insects generally, which it picks up, while on the wing, from grasses or rushes, as well as from the surface of the water. It frequently ‘associates with The Black Tern. (Aydrochelidon nigra.) Fig. 4. The Black Tern is a little less in size than the preceding, which it resembles in every respect. They are found on fresh-water | marshes, mill-ponds, etc., and are most numerous on the marshes of the Mississippi and its tributaries. ‘Their nests are very art- lessly constructed, in large tussocks of rank grass, and contain each four eggs of a greenish buff color, spotted with amber and black, chiefly at the larger end. The young ones of the first season (Fig. 5) have the head white, and the neck and breast ir- regularly spotted with black and white. It was found, on dissecting these birds, that they feed exclusively on insects, their stomachs never containing any small fish. Mr. Audubon, in his valuable work on ‘* Birds of North Amer- ica,” writes as follows of this bird: ‘¢ The Black Tern begins to arrive from the Mexican territories over the waters of the Western country about the middle of April, and continues to pass for about a month. At that season I have observed it ascending the Mississippi from New Orleans to the head waters of the Ohio, then culling over the land, and arriving at the Great Lakes, beyond which many proceed still farther 10 northward. But I have rarely met with them along our Atlantic shores until autumn, when the young, which, like those of all other Terns with which I am acquainted, mostly keep by them- selves until spring, make their appearance there. Nor did I see a single individual when on my way to Labrador, or during my visit to that country. Often have I watched their graceful, light, and rapid flight, as they advanced and passed over in groups of twenty, thirty, or more, during the month of May, when nature, opening her stores anew, benignly smiled upon the favored land.” PLATE. IX. The Woodcock. (Philohela minor.) This bird, so universally known to our sportsman, is represented at the bottom of the plate. It arrives in the Central States in March, and if the weather is mild, even earlier, and stays till the first frosts forbode the approach of winter. It is sometimes found here in December, and it may be that in mild winters, some of these birds remain until spring. During the day the Woodcocks keep to the woods, or wooded swamps and thickets ; toward evening they usually fly out to the broad open glades, which lead through the woods, or to meadows and swampy places in the neighborhood. A carefully hidden observer can see the Woodcock pushing his long bill under the decayed leaves and turning them over, or boring one hole close to another in the damp soft ground, as deep as his soft, flexible bill will permit, to get at the larvae, bugs, or worms hidden beneath. In a similar manner he examines the fresh cow-dung, which is soon populated by a multitude of larve of insects. He never tarries long at any place. lLarve of all kinds of insects and naked snails, especially angle-worms, form his principal food. If in hot seasons his favorite resorts in watery recesses inland are generally dried up, he descends to the marshy shores of our large rivers. The female Woodcock usually begins to lay in April; the nest is built in a quiet, retired part of the wood, frequently at the roots of an old stump; it is constructed of a few withered leaves and stalks of grass put together with but little art. The eggs are four or five in number, about an inch and a half long, and about an inch in diameter, tapering suddenly at the small end; they are of a dun clay color, thickly marked with brown spots—particularly at the large end the spots are interspersed with others of a very pale pur- ple. The young Woodcocks, when six to ten days old, are cov- ered with down of a brownish white color, and are marked from the bill along the crown to the hind head with a broad stripe of deep brown; another line of the same color curves under the eyes and runs to the hind head; another stripe reaches from the back to the rudiments of the tail, and still another extends along the sides under the wings. ‘The throat and breast are considerably tinged with rufous, and the quills at this age are just bursting from their light blue sheaths, and appear marbled 4s on the old birds. When taken they utter a long, clear, but very feeble ‘* peep,” not louder than that of a mouse. They are, on the whole, far inferior to young Partridges in running and skulking. The Woodcock is a nocturnal bird, seldom stirring about before sunset, but at that time, as well as in early morning, especially in spring, he rises by a kind of spiral course to great heights, uttering now and then a sudden ‘“‘ quack ;” having gained his ut- most height he hovers around in a wild irregular manner, produc- ing a sort of murmuring sound, and descends with rapidity in the same way he arose. The large head of the Woodcock is of a very singular confor- mation, somewhat triangular, and the eyes set at a great distance from the bill, and high up in the head; by this means he has a great range of vision. His flight is slow; when flushed at any i} WOODCOCK—WOOD THRUSH—WOODPECKER. time he rises to the height of the bushes or the underwcod, and usually drops down again at a short distance, running off a few yards as soon as he touches the ground. The Wood Thrush. (Turdus mustelinus.) Fig. 1, Male. Fig. 2, Female. The Wood Thrush is one of our best and sweetest singers. Au- dubon writes of him as follows: *« The song of the Wood Thrush, although composed of but few notes, is so powerful, distinct, clear, and mellow, that it is impos- sible for any person to hear it without being struck by the effect which it produces on the mind. I do not know to what instru- mental sounds I can compare these notes, for I really know none so melodious and harmonical. They gradually rise in strength, and then fall in gentle cadences, becoming at length so low as to be scarcely audible, like the emotions of the lover who, at one mo- ment exults in the hope of possessing the object of his affections, and the next pauses in suspense, doubtful of the result of all his efforts to please. ««Several of these birds seem to challenge each other from differ- ent portions of the forest, particularly toward evening, and at that time nearly all the other songsters being about to retire to rest, the notes of the Wood Thrush are doubly pleasing. One would think that each individual is anxious to excel his distant rival, and I have frequently thought that on such occasions their music is more than ordinarily effective, as it then exhibits a degree of skillful modu- lation quite beyond my power to describe. These concerts are con- tinued for some time after sunset, and take place in the month of June, when the females are sitting.” The Wood Thrush inhabits almost the whole continent of North America, from Hudson’s Bay to the Gulf. The very next morn- ing after his arrival he will mount to the top of some small tree and announce himself by. his sweet song, which, although not contain- ing a great variety of notes, is exceedingly mellow and melodious, poured forth in a kind of ecstacy, and becoming more charming at every repetition, especially if several of them are heard at the same time, in different parts of the wood, each trying to outdo the other. He is always in good humor, and his voice is often heard on rainy days, from morning to nightfall. His favorite retreats are thickly shaded hollows, through which meander small creeks or rills, over- hung with alder bushes and wild grapes. It is in such places, or near them, that he builds his nest, a little above the ground. It is constructed outwardly of withered leaves to prevent dampness; on these are layers of knotty stalks of withered grass mixed with mud and smoothly formed ; the inside lining consists of fine dry roots of plants. The female lays four, sometimes five, light blue eggs. The Wood Thrush is a shy and unobtrusivebird, appearing either single or in pairs, and feeding on different kinds of berries, as well as on beetles or caterpillars. On his migration to the South he never appears in the open plains, but hops and flies swiftly through the woods. Occasionally he takes a rest on a low branch, uttering a low chuckling sound, and jerking his tail up and down at each note; then for a few mo- ments he keeps perfectly still, with the feathers of his neck and back a little raised. The Yellow-bellied Woodpecker. (Sphyrapicus varius.) Fig. 3, Male. Fig. 4, Female. This is one of our resident birds, and is often to be met with in the thickets of the woods in midwinter. It is generally considered a handsome bird, and in its manners and mode of living resembles the small spotted Woodpeckers. He is frequently seen in their company, especially in the fall, % SCARLET TANAGER—SNOW OWL—SNOW BUNTING. 11 when visiting the orchards. Its nest is usually in a dry old tree, or in a large fallen branch, the entrance to which is small for the size of the bird, and passing down in a slanting direction it expands toward the place where the eggs lay, which are from three to four in number and of a pure white color. Nests containing eggs are invariably to be found from about the middle of May to the first of June. This bird is met with almost everywhere, but not in great aumbers, from Hudson’s Bay to the Gulf of Mexico. Its food, like that of all the Woodpeckers, consists chiefly of insects and their larvez, and to some extent of berries. The Scarlet Tanager. (Pyranga rubra.) Fig. 5. This beautiful bird is an ornament to our woods. It is almost destitute of song, being endowed with a few notes only, which re- semble those of the Baltimore Oreole. It may be found in all parts of the United States, even as far up north as Canada. It rarely visits the habitations of man, but frequently orchards, where it sometimes settles down on an apple or peartree. Its nest, which it builds in the middle of May, on a horizontal branch, consists of stalks of broken flax and other dry fibrous matter loosely woven together. The eggs, three or four in number, are of a dull bluish color, spotted with brownish purple. | It seems not to be very shy, but allows you to approach it very near, and is frequently sitting right above your head while you are looking for it in the distance, misled by its notes, ‘‘ chip, cheer,” which seem to come from a great distance. The female is green above and yellow below ; the wings and tail brownish black, edged with green. The male has a spring and a summer dress. Our plate shows him in the spring dress. This changes, soon after the young are hatched, into one similar to that . of the female—green above and yellow below; and in the time between this and his bridal dress, he is often speckled with red, which is produced by the red points of the feathers: for, with the exception of the points, these feathers are of a bluish and some- times a yellowish white; but they lie so regularly on the living bird that the white parts are invisible. PLATE X. The Snow Owi. (lVyctea nzvea.) Fig. 1. The Snow Owl, the largest of all the so-called Day Owls, inhabits all parts of the North. However near men have approached to the pole, they have seen this Owl, not only on the land, but they have observed him likewise sitting on icebergs; or flying close over the water with powerful flapping of the wings. It is, therefore, proba- ble that they inhabit not only the whole of North America, but also the corresponding latitudes of Europe and Asia. In extremely cold winters they regularly wander southward, and are by no means scarce in Illinois. Several of them were shot near Chicago, in the winter of 1871-72. Our drawing was prepared from a beautiful female specimen. A gentlemen from Cuba assures us that he has frequently seen this Owl there. Some ornithologists of Europe hold that the color and markings of this species are different at different ages, and that some are like the one on our plate, while others are almost or perfectly white. It may be so; but on dissection the white ones have been invaria- bly found to be males and the others to be females. The white Owls are the smaller. During the summer they generally keep in the mountainous part of the North; in winter they take up their abode in the plains. In his manners, the Snow Owl has many peculiarities. In his quiet sitting position, his resembles all other large Owls; but his move- ments are quicker and more graceful, his flight being like that of the slow-flying birds of prey. In boldness and tenacity he sur- passes all the rest of the Owl tribe. His food consists chiefly of small quadrupeds, such as the muskrat; partly also of fish, which he catches with great skill, in nearly the same manner as the Fish-hawk, sitting on a projecting rock and watching for them, until they come to the surface of the water. In winter he prefers the evening or the night to day-time for hunting. His cry is a rough, harsh ‘* craw! craw!” The eggs are laid in the month of June. Their number varies from five to ten—a remarkable number for a large bird of prey like the Snow Owl; they are oblong and of a dirty white color. The nest consists of a small cavity in the ground, lined with with- ered grass and a few feathers from the mother bird. Both parents are much attached to the young, and on the approach of man, the female flies off a short distance from the nest, and, feigning lame- ness, remains with spread wings, lying on the ground, in order to coax the enemy away from the nest. It has been tried many times to keep Snow Owls in cages; but they invariably died in a short time without any apparent cause. The Snow Bunting. (Plectrophanes nivalis.) Fig. 2. The Snow Bunting inhabits, like the Snow Owl, the northern regions not only of this continent, but also of Europe and Asia. His home is in the mountains, where he builds his nest in crevices of rocks or under stones; the outside of it is composed of dry grass, moss and lichen, the inside of feathers and soft down: the entrance to it is always narrow; the eggs, five or six in number, are so ir- regularly marked and colored that a description of them is almost impossible. The song of the male‘is very pleasant but short. The young birds, when fully fledged, remain for a short time in their old home, then form large flocks and begin their regular wander- ings. As hardly any other birds fly in as large flocks, at least not in northern regions, their wanderings attract the attention, not only of naturalists, but of almost everybody. In Indiana they appear only in small groups of from sixteen to fifty. aa travel also considerable distances over the sea. In their manners, Snow Buntings resemble Larks. ‘They fly easily, with little flapping of the wings, in long curving lines, gen- erally at considerable heights, and sometimes just above the ground. They are of a lively, frolicksome disposition, and seem to be in good humor even on the coldest winter days. In summer they sub- sist chiefly on insects; in winter they feed also on several kinds of seeds. It is very amusing to see a flock of them in winter, on the snow-covered fields, on a foraging tour. They hover over the ground, a part of them alighting to pick up what little seed they can find on such withered plants as extend above the snow, the reg flying just over them a little further along, and then alighting also, after a while the first party fly over the others, and in this way they go over the whole field. Their cry on such occasions sounds like <<‘ fit ;? sometimes it isa shrill <‘ tzirr,” uttered during the flight. Our plate represents this bird in its winter dress. ‘The summer dress of the old male is really handsome, notwithstanding its plain colors. The whole middle of the back, the tips of the primaries, and the middle of the tail feathers are black. There is also a black spot on the metacarpus. All the rest of the plumage is snow white. 12 SNIPE—SAND PIPERS—SEA SWALLOW—ORIOLE, SS i PLATE XI. The Yellow-shanked Snipe. (Gambetia—Scolopax —/lavipes.) Fig. 1. The Yellow-shanked Snipes arrive in the Northwestern States between the middle of April and the early part of May, on their way to the North, where they breed; and return as early as the latter part of August, or the beginning of September, making only a short stay. All the birds of this genus seem only to go northward to breed, and to return southward as soon as the young are able to _ fly. Single ones are to be met with in summer, or at almost any season; but as all of them are male birds, it is to be presumed they are either old bachelors or widowers, who can not bear to see the happiness of those who are mated, and therefore wander off toward the sunny South. There is more dignity in the manners and hab- its of the Snipes than in those of the Sand-pipers. Their flight is easy, and when they alight they flap their wings, and before lay- ing them together, stretch them straight up, so that the tips touch each other. Incase of need they swim and dive tolerably well. Their chief resorts seem to be the sea-coast and salt-marshes, as well as the muddy flats at low water, where they delight to wade in the mud; but it is rather the abundance of food they find there than the mud, that attracts them. They live on insects and all kinds of larvae. You may sometimes meet with single ones, which show no shyness at all} but when in flocks they shun the gunner care- fully and seem to distinguish him from less dangerous persons. It may be on account of these qualities that numbers of different kinds of Sand-pipers are found in their company, and seem to follow them as their leaders with great confidence. As a delicacy for the table, they are held in high esteem. The Semi-palmated Sand-pipers. (Zriénga—Actitis Semi-palmata.) Fig. 2. The principal places which these neat little birds inhabit, are the sea-shores. ‘Their legs are rather short in proportion to the sizeof the bird. They live on the same food asthe Yellow-shanks. These birds inhabit almost every part of the North American continent. They migrate North in the spring, and should the season be open, remain quite late in autumn, when they depart for their winter-- quarters at the South. They congregate in large flocks on the beaches and sand-bars, and meadows, along the sea-coast and on the shores of the interior lakes and streams. When feeding, they scatter about in small parties; when surprised, they run with a rapid movement, collecting in such close bodies that as many as twenty, and sometimes more, are killed at a single shot. When closely pursued, they run off in one mass uttering a chirping note. If this note be imitated, they will shortly obey the call. They breed at the far North, the female laying four or five white eggs, spotted and blotched with black. On their wanderings southward they sometimes penetrate far in- land, following the sandy and muddy banks of rivers. In swim- ming they constantly move their heads backward and forward like Ducks. A heavy down under the feathers of the breast makes them ap- pear round and plump. In the fall the male and female are marked exactly alike. The Great Tern, or Sea Swallow. (Sterna hirundo.) Fig. 3. The Sea Swallows inhabit the northern parts of the temperate zones. They are found in great numbers on the North American lakes. In their wanderings they fly, at a considerable height, from one sheet of water to another, following, when it is possible, the course of rivers, and occasionally coming down to feed or rest. Their voice sounds like ‘‘ kraa,” and when frightened, like ‘‘kick’” or ‘‘ krick.” Their food consists of small minnows, young frogs or tadpoles, worms, crickets, etc. They catch their prey when it is in the water by suddenly plunging down upon it; when they find it on the ground, they pick it up while on the wing. They build their nests on low islands, the shores of rivers, or the coast gener- ally, but not on sandy ground. They make small holes, or use such as they happen to find, for their nests, without lining them. The eggs are laid about the last of May, and are of a light yellow- ish brown color, speckled with purplish, reddish, and dark brown round or oblong spots. The female sits on them during the night, and the male occasionally in the daytime. During the warm sun- shine the eggs are left uncovered. ‘The young, which are hatched in about sixteen or seventeen days, soon leave the nest, hiding themselves, in case of danger, among the pebbles, and only betray- ing their presence by their melancholy piping, when the parents are shot. ‘The upper part of these birds is covered with a grayish white down, and on the lower part the down is white. They always turn their heads toward water when sitting on the nest. Their-flight is extremely graceful. The young grow rapidly, and when only three weeks old are able to follow their parents. PLATE XII. The Baltimore Oriole. (Ordolus—LIcterus Baltimore.) Fig. 1, Male. Fig. 2, Female. The Baltimore Oriole inhabits North America as far as the fifty- fifth degree of latitude. It is chiefly found in the vicinity of rivers, and seems to prefer a hilly country. It is only a summer visitant in the Northern States, where it makes its appearance in pairs, during the latter part of April or the beginning of May. It com- mences at once to build its nest, the material and construction of which vary according to climate and circumstances. In the Southern States, it consists of ‘* Spanish moss,” put together so loosely that the air can pass through it; itis never lined, and is al- ways placed on the north side of a tree. In the Northern and Western States, it is hung on such twigs as are most exposed to the rays of the sun, and lined with the warmest and finest material. The bird, in constructing the nest, ties the material to the twigs with his bill and claws, weaving it strongly together, and giving the whole the shape of a hanging bag, as shown on the plate. In constructing its nest, he makes use of any material he deems suitable. A lady in Connecticut, while sitting at an open window, engaged in sewing, was called away for a few moments. A Balti- more Oriole, in the meantime, entered the window, and carried off her thread and several yards of small tape to the nest he was then building. ‘The lady suspected the mischievous bird, and, on going to the nest, found him weaving in hertape. This she succeeded in recovering ; but the silk thread was so perfectly wound in that it could not be disentangled. The female lays four and sometimes five or six eggs, of a light gray colorand marked with dark spots, dots, andlines. The young are hatched in a fortnight, and in three weeks more are fully fledged. Before they fly out they often hang or climb around the nest like Woodpeckers. They are fed by their parents fora couple of weeks, and then left to take care of themselves. The food of the Baltimore Oriole consists of mulberries, cherries, and similar fruit. In the spring they chiefly subsist on insects, which they pick up on leaves and branches or catch flying. Toward fall they commence their return southward, flying high in the air, and al- ways in the daytime. They generally fly singly with loud cries, and apparently in great haste. At sunset they alightcn a suitable reg Wo.8 | PL.XII va Te Cate gp =e PL. XI ORIOLE—BLUE BIRD—FLY-CATCHER—CORMORANT. 13 tree, take a little rest, and, having quickly picked up some food, goto sleep. Next morning after a slight breakfast, the journey is resumed. The movement of these birds is pleasant and easy ; their flight straight, and their walk on the ground quiet. They mani- fest great skill in climbing branches; in this respect almost surpass- ing the Titmouse. The Orchard Oriole. (Ordolus—Icterus Spurius.) Fig. > This bird chiefly frequents orchards, whence the name. It is gay and frolicksome, and seems tobe always in great haste, hopping among the branches or upon the ground, and flying in the air. Its notes are short but lively, and uttered with such rapidity that it is difficult to follow them distinctly. Sometimes it utters only a single note, which is very agreeable. Its food generally consists of in- sects and their larvee. Of the insects that infest fruit trees, they destroy great quantities, and are therefore benefactors to farmers and fruit-growers. The Orchard Oriole builds his nest similar to that of the Balti- more. For material it uses a long fibrous grass, and generally hangs the nest on the outward branch of an apple tree. The nest is semi-globular in shape, about three inches deep and two wide; the inside is lined with wool or a down from the seeds of the pla- tanas accidentalis, or buttonwood tree. The eggs are commonly four in number, having a pale bluish tint, with a few small specks of brown and dots of purple. The female sits fourteen days; the young remain from two to three weeks in the nest, which they leave about the middle of June. The upper portion of the female is col- ored with a yellowish olive, inclining to a brownish tint on the back; the wings are dusky brown, and the lesser wing coverts tipped with yellowish white; the tail is rounded, the two exterior feathers three-quarters of an inch shorter than the middle ones; the lower parts of the body are yellow. The plumage of the male nearly corresponds with that of the female. The indigo Blue Bird. (Cyanospiza cyanea.) Fig. 4. This beautiful little bird inhabits, it seems, all parts of the North American continent from Mexico to Nova Scotia, and from the sea-coast west, beyond the Appalachian and Cherokee Mount- ains. It is chiefly seen in gardens, fields of clover, on the borders of woods, and on roadsides, where it is often observed perched on fences. It is very neat and agile, and a good singer. Mounting to the highest top of a tree it sometimes chants for half an hour ata time. Its song consists of short notes often repeated: the first ones are loud and rapidly succeed each other; then they are gradually dropped until they are hardly audible, the little singer appearing to be quite exhausted; but after a pause of about half a minute, he begins again as fresh, lively, and loud as at first. The song is heard during the months of May, June, July, and August. When frightened it utters a single chirp, sounding almost like two pebbles struck together. The color of its plumage is changeable, depend- ing on the lightin which itis seen. Instead of indigo blue, it some- times appears in a verdigris dress; at other times the dress appears green, and at others blue. Its head is of a deep blue, and its color is not changeable like that of the rest of the body. Its nest is usu- ally built in rank grass, grain, or clover, andis generally suspended between two twigs, one passing on each side; itis composed of flax or other fibrous material, with an inside lining of fine dry grass. The eggs, numbering five, are light blue, with a purplish blotch on the larger end. Insects and a variety of seeds constitute its prin- cipal food. ‘The female is of a light flaxen color; her wings are of a dusky black, and the cheeks, breast, and the lower portions of her body are clay-colored, streaked with a darker color under the wing's, tinged so as to be bluish in several places. Toward fall, after moulting, the male appears almost in the same colors as the female. The Indigo Blue Bird is frequently kept in cages; and those taken in trap-cages soon become reconciled to their captivity, but never sing so well nor so loud as those reared by hand from the nest. They are fed with different kinds of seeds, such as rape, turnip, hemp, and canary seed. In Europe they are invariably found in every collection of birds. The Hooded Fly-catcher. (A@usicapa—Setophaga mitrata.) Fig. 5. This bird is chiefly found in the southern parts uf North Amer- ica, abounding in the Gulf States. It is a lively bird, and has in a good degree the manners of a true Fly-catcher, while in some respects it resembles the Warbler. It is in an almost constant chase after insects, its principal food, uttering now and then a very lively ‘* twee, twee, twitchee.” In the Northern States it is rather scarce, and when met with there it is shy and timid, like a stranger far from home. It spends the winter in Mexico and the West India islands. The nest of the Hooded Fly-catcher is very neatly and compactly built in the fork of a small bush: it is on the outside composed of flax and other fibers, and moss, or pieces of broken hemp; the inside is nicely lined with hair and feathers. The eggs are five in num- ber, grayish white, with reddish spots on the larger end. In the United States itis a bird of passage. The female nearly resem- bles the male, except that the yellow of her throat and breast has a slight blackish tint; the black does not reach so far down on the upper part of the neck as in the male, and it is also of a less deep color. PLATE XIII. Townsend’s Cormorant. (Phalacrocorax townsendid.) Fig. 1. Cormorants are generally found in all parts of both hemispheres ; in middle Asia, and, in winter, in great numbers in Africa. They are most numerous in rivers bordered by large forests. Thousands congregate on the Columbia river. The bird from which the draw- ing is made, was presented to us by Dr. W. T. Shepard, who shot it in the ** Reservoir,” in Licking county, Ohio. It proved, 9n dis- section, to be a female. Cormorants are common in winter-in all the southern seas—in Greece, in China, and India. Wherever water and fish are to be met with, Cormorants are seen. These birds manifest many pecu- liarities. ‘They are gregarious, usually congregating in flocks, and sometimes in considerable numbers. They are seldom seen singly or in pairs. Almost all the different kinds of Cormorants are often collected in the same flock. , During the morning hours, Cormorants are busy in fishing. The afternoon is generally devoted to repose. ‘Toward evening another fishing excursion is made, and after this they retire to sleep. For this purpose, they select, in the interior of the country, high trees on islands, or those standing in lakes or rivers. Such trees also serve them for breeding-stations. On the coast or on the ocean, they choose a rocky island, affording a wide range of vision, and also a harbor, from whose every side they can easily take flight and return. Such islands can be seen and recognized from a distance, as they are literally covered with the white excrements of these birds. Ship-loads of guano could be collected on these islands, if it could only be dried by the tropical sun of Peru. Such a sight in mid-ocean never fails to attract the attention of the mariner or the 14 CORMORANT—DIVER LOON. traveler ; but the island is, of course, most attractive when it is occu- pied by Cormorants. There they sit arranged in rows or lines, on the rocks, in the most picturesque positions, and all facing the sea. Rarely can one be seen sitting apart from the rest. They usually wear a stiff, statue-like appearance; but sometimes each bird is seen to move some part of the body, either the neck, wings, or tail. The object of these movements doubtless is to dry their feathers. After ten or fifteen minutes, they become quiet, merely basking in the sun. On such occasions, each Cormorant seems to have a par- ticular place which he always occupies. Cormorants walk with extreme difficulty. Some observers have said that these birds can only walk when they support themselves by their tails. This supposition has evidently arisen from the fact that the tail portion of the Cormorant’s body is stiff, like that of the Woodpecker. Cormorants, when hanging by their short, round claws at the entrances to crevices or hollows in rocks, support them- selves by their tails as Woodpeckers do. The walk of Cormorants is a mere waddling, and yet they make more rapid progress than an observer would at first sight suppose. They are not made for locomotion on land; but in swimming and diving they are experts. When a boat approaches their resting-place, they stretch out their necks, take a few irregular steps, and turn as if for a general flight ; but only a few take to flying, bravely flapping their wings for a short time. ‘These maneuvers are followed by a regular sail in the air; while others fly round in circles, rising higher and higher like the Hawk or Kite. ‘The majority, however, do not take to the wing at all, but let themselves down into the water, head foremost, like frogs, diving and rising at a great distance off. Then, looking for a moment at the boat with their green eyes, they dive and rise again, and so keep doing till they reach a place of safety. There is probably no bird that can surpass the Cormorant in diving and swimming under water. Frequent trials have been made to get ahead of them with a light boat or canoe; but the practiced oarsman, though exerting himself to the utmost, could make only half the distance on the surface that the Cormorants made in the same time under water. They dive to great depths, and re- main a long time under water; then coming up to the surface, they hastily draw in a fresh supply of air and dive again. When pur- suing their prey in the water, they stretch themselves out and swim with sturdy strokes, pushing themselves through the water with an arrow-like velocity. It may be reasonably inferred from the penetrating green eyes of Cormorants that their sense of vision is well developed. Their hearing is also acute, and they do not lack the sense of feeling. But they are too voracious to possess much discrimination in the sense of taste. It is true they feed on one kind of fish more than on any other; but this preference is probably not so much due to their taste, as to the fact that such fish are more easily caught than others. The fish alluded to is the so-called alewife, a kind of her- ring, found in great numbers, swimming near the surface. Cor- morants are shy and distrustful. ‘Toward other birds, with whom they come in contact, their behavior is that of tricksters and ras- cals. The Chinese train Cormorants for fishing. ‘The young intended for this use are hatched by domesticated hens. The following is the mode of fishing with Cormorants: The fisherman employs a raft from fifteen to twenty feet in length, and from two and a half to three feet in width, made of bamboo, and furnished with an oar and rudder. Arriving on the fishing ground, he drives the Cor- morants from the raft into the water, and they all dive at once. As soon as a Cormorant has caught a fish, rising with it to the sur- face, he swims toward the raft, merely with the intention of swal- lowing the fish. He is prevented by a brass ring or string around his neck from accomplishing this feat. The fisherman hurries to- ward the bird, throws a net over him, drags him to the raft, and secures the fish. He then sends the Cormorant back into the water for more booty. ; In the interior of a country, Cormorants in a very short time _ destroy all the fish in the lakes andrivers. ‘Their voracity exceeds comprehension. A single Cormorant devours daily from sixteen to twenty good-sized herring. They catch, it is said, young aquatic birds, Ducks, Coots, Rails, etc. The writer has found in a Cormorant’s stomach the remains of a young Gallinula. Cormorants prefer trees for nest-building, but also make use of hollows in rocks. Their nests are formed of a few dry rushes, fibrous roots, etc. Crows and Herons are often expelled from their nests by Cormorants, who appropriate the nests to their own use. Toward the close of April, the female Cormorant lays three or four bluish green eggs, of an oblong shape, and small in proportion to the size of the bird. The male and female sit alternately on the eggs, and usually hatch them out in about twenty-eight days. They also take turns in feeding the young. These grow rapidly, and are well taken care of by their parents, who, however, do not try to defend them, at least not against man. On arriving at the nest from a fishing excursion, the parent birds empty their crops and stomachs, which sometimes contain several dozen small fishes. Many of these fall over the border of the nest to the ground; but the Cormorants never take the trouble to pick them up. Toward the middle of June the young are able to fly, and the old birds be- gin raising a second brood. ‘The flesh of Cormorants is not gener- ally considered fit for food; but Laplanders and other northern people pronounce it delicious. The Double-crested Cormorant. (Phalacrocorax dilophus.) Fig. 2. This bird is represented on the plate in its summer plumage, having two elongated tufts of feathers behind each eye. It inhab- its all parts of this country from Maryland to Labrador, but in no way differs from other Cormorants. ‘The specimen that served for the drawing, was shot in the ‘* Licking Reservoir,” heretofore re- ferred to, among a flock of the common Cormorants (/%alacro- corax Carbo). PLATE XIV. The Great Northern Diver Loon. (Colymbus glactalis.) Fig. Te The great Northern Diver, Loon, or Stutter, as this bird is called in northern Europe, is a regular sea-bird, living on the coast, but frequenting large fresh-water lakes and ponds in the interior for the purpose of breeding. These birds, on their migration southward, late in the fall, and on their return northward, in April or May, visit our rivers and mill-ponds. They are very shy, wary, and difficult to kill, eluding the sportsman by their astonishing dexterity in diving and swimming under water, even against the current. They can remain a good while beneath the surface, often six or eight minutes at a time, and swim long distances with incredible rapidity, and without any apparent exertion. They sometimes lie flat on the surface of the water, or sink themselves in it, so that only a small portion of their backs and their heads and necks can be seen. They sometimes swim in a slow, quiet way. Their diving is accomplished without making any noise, or any commotion in the water, by stretching themselves up, bending the neck in a curve forward, and then plunging down. Under water they stretch out to their full length, press wings and feathers close to the body, and, moving their feet only, shoot onward like an arrow through the water. Sometimes they swim in one direction, and then in an- other ; sometimes just beneath the surface, and then at a depth of several fathoms. They swim or race with fish, their usual food, and catch them while swimming. From the very first day of their lives, they swim and dive, and seem to feel safer in water than when flying high in the air. scones aa eae Nalion Seat sae Penrnenise a o sgenpet Soy EUS TPh, Wines t TELL-TALE—SEA EAGLE. . 18 EE Fee ee Oe ee ae These birds are quite helpless on the surface of the ground, which they avoid as much as possible. They can not walk as other birds do, or even hardly stand upright. They crawl along instead of walking, supporting themselves by their bills and using their wings to aid a forward movement. Their flight is much better than one would suppose it could be, with their heavy bodies and small wings. To get fairly on the wing, they make a long preliminary movement; but as soon as they have gained a certain height, they speed quickly forward, although compelled to flap their short wings in rapid succession. Loons are distinguished from all other sea- birds by their loud and sonorous voice. Many ornithologists speak of the voice as harsh and disagreeable ; but the writer can not avoid confessing to a partiality for the loud morning call of the Loon. Its voice, especially at night, resembles a long drawn out ‘‘Aaweek ! Aaweek!” So penetrating is it as sometimes to produce an echo in the surrounding rocks or mountains, sounding like the ery of a man in imminent peril of life. Loons are shy and cautious, trusting no one. Strange creatures they avoid as much as possible, and do not seem to care much even for their own kind. They are often found single, and, during the breeding season, in pairs, greatly attached to each other. It is seldom that two pairs are seen on the same pond, and more rarely still can even a single pair be seen on a pond occupied by other birds. During their migrations, or when in captivity, they always keep at a distance from other birds, and snap at them if they come near. When brought to bay, Loons fiercely defend themselves, inflicting ugly wounds with their strong, sharp bills. They swallow small fish whole; but, as such as are of the size of the herring cause them trouble, larger ones are torn into small pieces and so devoured. It has been observed that captive Loons never pick up a dead fish; while freshly caught birds, placed in a large reservoir well stocked with fish, commence immediately to dive, chase, and catch and eat the fish. Fishermen on Lake Erie are in the habit of inclosing a small piece of water, three or four feet deep, with a kind of network reaching above the surface, for the purpose of keeping fish for market. Oftentimes, a Loon, attracted by the multitude of fish, alights in one of these inclos- ures, and is easily caught, as it can not again get on the wing, for want of a place from which to make its launch into the air. These birds select for their breeding-places quiet fresh-water ponds or lakes, often preferring those situated at a considerable ele- vation above the level of the sea. During the breeding season, their loud, sonorous voices are oftener heard than at other times. The nests are usually found on small islands, but in case there are no such islands, the birds build nests on the shore near the border of the rushes, constructing them of rushes and rank grass, carelessly put together. No attempt is made at concealment, and the female bird, sitting on the nest, can be seen from a great distance. She lays two eggs of an oblong shape, with a coarse-grained shell, and of an oil green color, sprinkled with dark gray and reddish brown specks and dots. Both the male and female sit alternately on the eggs, and mutually feed and take care of their offspring. The eggs are usually laid in the latter part of May, and the young are to be seen by the end of June. If food is lacking in the pond or lake where the nest is located, one of the parents takes care of the young while the other flies off to some point on a fishing excur- sion. As soon as the young birds are fledged, they leave the home of their infancy, and follow their parents to the larger lakes or the sea. The flesh of the Loou is unfit for human food; it is rancid to the taste, and its odor is disgusting. The natives of Greenland use the skins of these birds for clothing, and the Indians about Hudson’s Bay adorn their heads with circlets of Loon feathers. Lewis and Clarke’s exploring party saw, at the mouth of the Columbia river, robes made of Loon skins. While they wintered at Fort Clatsop, on that river, they observed great numbers of these birds. The female is smaller than the male Loon. The bill is yel- lowish, and only the upper ridge and the top black, or of a black- ish horn color; the crown, back, and part of the neck and the whole upper parts are pale brown; the plumage of a part of the back and scapulars is tipped with pale ash; the throat, lower side of the neck, and the whole underparts are white, but not so purely white as in the male, as these parts in the female have a dirty yel- lowish tinge. The quill feathers are dark brown. The female has neither the streaked bands on her neck nor the white spots on her body. The Tell-tale, Tattler, or Godwit. (Gamdetta Melano leuca.) Fig. 2. This bird is well known to our gunners along the sea-coast and marshes. They stigmatize it with the name of Tell-tale, for its faithful vigilance in alarming the Ducks on the approach of the hunter, with its loud and shrill cry. This cry consists of four notes, uttered in rapid succession, and so loud and shrill as to alarm any Duck within hearing. But gunners, aware of this fact, look out in the first instance, for this bird, and often hush its warning voice forever, before it is aware of their stealthy approach. This elegantly formed bird appears on our coasts about the be- ginning of April, breeds in the marshes, and leaves for the South in the middle of November. Not only do these birds build nests in salt-water marshes, but also in fresh-water swamps; sometimes on the dry ground, and even in an old stump. ‘The nest is simply a hollow, made usually in a tussock of rank grass, inlaid with a few dry leaves of grass, a little moss, and with pine needles or leaves. The eggs, four in number, are proportionally large, pear- shaped, and of an oil green color, sprinkled with brownish gray specks and dots. The female bird hatches the eggs; but her mate is always at hand and on the watch. The young run about, fol- lowing their parents, as soon as they are out of the shell, and con- ceal themselves, as all their kindred do, on the approach of danger, by lying flat on the ground, or in the grass or weeds. As soon as they are full-fledged, they look out for themselves, but remain with the old birds, flying at will from place to place, making longer and longer excursions, and at length, on some fine evening, setting out for a grand wandering tour. In their winter-quarters, Tattlers associate with many other birds, but seldom form large flocks. It seems as if the company of strangers suited them better than that of their own kind. Their manner is pleasing; their walk elegant, quick, and striding, and their flight easy and rapid. ‘They wade in deep water, and swim if necessary. They are generally seen, either searching for food or standing on the watch, alternately raising and lowering the head, and, on the least approach of danger, uttering a shrill whistle, their warning cry, and then rising on the wing, generally accompanied by all the shore birds in the vicinity. Occasionally they rise to a great height, and their whistle can be distinctly heard, when the birds are beyond the reach of the eye. ‘They become very fat in the fall, and their flesh is in high esteem for the table. Nature seems to have intended this bird as a kind of guardian or sentinel for all other shore or aquatic birds. They feed on the shore, or in the bogs or marshes, with a feeling of perfect security, so long as the Tattler is at hand, and is silent; but the moment his whistle is heard, there is a general commotion, and directly not a bird is to be seen, the disappointed gunner, inhis vexation, uttering between his teeth something the reverse of a prayer. PLATE XV. The Gray or Sea Eagle. (/Zalcaétus leucocephalus.) This formidable Eagle lives in the same countries, on the same fooa, and frequents the same localities as the Bald or White-headed 16 FISH HAWK. Eagle, with which it often associates. In fact, the Sea Eagle so much resembles the Bald Eagle, in the form of the bill, in its size, in the shape of the legs and claws, differing from the latter only in color, that it seems at once to be the same bird, distinguished from the Bald Eagles previously observed simply by its age or stage of color. Another circumstance corroborating such an in- ference, is the variety of the colors of Sea Eagles; scarcely any two of them are found to be colored alike, the plumage of each being more or less shaded with light color or white. On some, the chin, breast, and tail coverts are of a deep brown; on others, these parts are much lighter, sometimes whitish, with the tail evi- dently changing in color, and merging into white. In former times some of the best informed ornithologists insisted that Sea Eagles must be of a different kind from:Bald Eagles, as, on examination of the nests of each, it was found that both the par- ent Sea Eagles were different in color from the parent Bald Eagles. But it takes the Bald Eagles full four years to perfect their plum- age, though the younger ones begin to breed in the second year. These young ones passing for Sea Eagles, it is supposed that there are a great many more Sea Eagles than Bald or White-headed Eagles. Almost everybody has heard or read stories of very young chil- dren having been seized and carried off by a Bald or Sea Eagle. But it is doubtful whether any of these terror-exciting tales would bear a very close or critical examination. While the writer was stopping at an inn in the Tyrol, the landlord entered the room one afternoon in great haste, and, opening a window, discharged his short rifle at a bird that was flying at too great a distance to be even alarmed. He explained, by saying that he made it a point to kill, or at least to shoot at, every Lammer-geier that came within sight, as one of them had carried off the child of his best friend. The name and residence of that friend having been given, he was vis- ited, and the information imparted by him was, that a child had in reality been carried off by a Lammer-geier—not one of his chil- dren, as had been erroneously stated, but the child of an innkeeper residing some fifteen miles distant. On visiting the innkeeper, it was ascertained that the story was wholly without foundation in fact. The Sea Eagle isacoward. ‘The present writer once climbed to an Eagle’s nest on a lofty yellow pine tree, standing near the bank of a small creek, in the northern part of the State of New York. During the progress of the climbing, the old Eagle flew about the tree, screaming and making a hissing sound, but keeping at a re- spectful distance from the climber. On reaching the nest, it was found to consist of a large pile of sticks, cornstalks, rushes, and some fibrous materials. ‘The different layers showed that it had answered a similar purpose for several successive years. It con- tained two young Eagles that threw themselves at once upon their backs and showed fight when they saw their visitor looking at them, striking at him with their claws, making a peculiar rattling with their beaks, opening them, and suddenly shutting them with a snap. Not even when their young were lifted out of the nest and exam- ined, did the old Eagles venture to attack the intruder, though they sometimes came toward him in a direct line, with open beaks, with their head feathers all erect, and seemingly in a terrible rage. But when within four or five yards of the object of their fury, they sud- denly turned off at a right angle, either to the right or left. After the young Eagles had been examined for a quarter of an hour, they were put back into the nest, and their visitor descended the tree, to the great relief of their afflicted and fussy parents. PLATE XVI. The Fish Hawk. (Paxdion haliaetus.) The Fish Hawk bears also the name of Osprey, Fish Eagle, and Fish Kite. Up to the present time it has been regarded as belong- ing among the Eagles, from whom it differs in many respects. Its right position seems to be that of a connecting link between Eagles and Kites. Fish Hawks are migratory birds, usually arriving on the North American lakes in the latter part of March, sometimes later, and departing during the closing days of September. They live ex- clusively on fish, and of course their haunts are where their food abounds. They build nests on high trees, constructed of stout sticks, rushes, moss, seaweed, etc. ‘The female lays two, some- times three, handsome, oblong eggs, of a grayish white color, and speckled all over with light reddish dots. Their long wings enable Fish Hawks to continue with ease a long time in the air. At the start for an excursion, they soar to a great height, and then letting themselves down gradually, they begin just above the level of the water their inspection for fish. This in- spection is not, however, entered upon while there isa mist hang- ing over the water. They come tothe fishing-place by a circuitous route, and ascertain, by cautiously looking about, whether any dan- ger is to be apprehended. Alternately lowering themselves and soaring to a height of fifty or sixty feet, they sometimes poise them- selves to take a better aim at a fish seen in the water, and then dart down with legs stretched forward in an oblique direction, disap- pearing for a short time in the water, and then reappearing on the surface, flapping their wings and shaking the water from their feathers. If unlucky, away they fly, to return and try their for- tune again. Whether lucky or not, they usually leave the smaller ponds after their first endeavor. Their peculiar mode of fishing necessitates the making of many a plunge to no purpose; but this does not at all discourage them : their motto alwaysis, ‘‘Try again.” They seldom suffer want, except when, on their arrival at the North, they find the lakes and ponds still covered with ice. When a Fish Hawk pounces upon a fish, he drives his claws with such force into its back that they are not easily or very quickly withdrawn. Very often, miscalculating the size and weight of the fish, he endangers his own life, and sometimes loses it altogether, by being drawn under the water by a heavy fish, and drowned. On fish caught by this bird, there have been observed two holes on each side of the back. This is explained by the fact that the Fish Hawk can turn the outer toe either forward or backward, and that in seiz- ing a fish, he turns this toe backward so as to get a firmer hold. He flies off to the woods with such fish as he can conveniently carry, to feast upon them there at leisure and in safety, but heavier fish he drags to the shore. Fish Hawks are never known to attack quadrupeds or birds for the purpose of obtaining food. All aquatic birds are so well ac- quainted with the Fish Hawk that they are never alarmed at his approach. Grackles very often build their nests in the interstices between the sticks in the Fish Hawks’ nests, and both kinds of birds live together in harmony. But other birds of prey, as the White or Bald Eagles, or Sea Eagles, torment the Fish Hawk. As soon as a Bald Eagle sees the Hawk with a fish, he chases, attacks, and compels the Fish Hawk to drop his hard-earned booty, which the robber Eagle seizes and appropriates to his own use. Fish Hawks are greatly attached to their young, and defend them to their utmost against both men and birds of prey. One of the parents always remains near the nest, while the other is out fish- ing. Itis remarkable that the tree on which the nest of a Fish Hawk is built, and where the young are reared, always withers and dies in a short time afterward. Whether this is owing to some poison imparted to the tree by the birds, or to the salt water con- stantly dripping from the heavy moss of the nest, or to some other cause, has not been satisfactorily settled. On dissecting a Fish Hawk, there were found the two glands on the rump, which supply the bird with oil wherewith to lubricate its feathers, in order to protect them from injury by being frequently wet. ‘These glands were remarkably large, and contained a great quantity of white greasy matter as well as yellow oil. The gall was very small; but the intestines, with their numerous windings- Ch! f oar mick yas Ah TAX "Td CINEREOUS COOT—PILEATED WOODPECKER. 17 ee ee a ie ee ee ee ee NET measured full nine feet, and were extremely thin. The crop or craw was of proportionate size, and the stomach large, resembling an oblong pouch. Both crop and stomach contained half-digested fish. The heart and lungs were large and strong. There was no muscular gizzard. The female bird is about two inches longer than the male. The upper portion of her head is less white than that of the male, and her breast is marked with brown streaks. PLATE XVII. The Cinereous Coot. (/alica americana.) This species was formerly, by some ornithologists, classed among the Natatores, or swimming birds proper; but its form, the com- pressed body, and especially its mode of living, designate it clearly as a connecting link between the Gallinules and the swimming birds. It has a very strong resemblance, in the formation of its whole body, to the Gallinules, except that its feet are lobed. The Cinereous Coot usually makes its appearance in the State of Ohio about the middle of April, stays the whole summer, and leaves for the South when the rushes are destroyed by severe frosts. This bird is found almost everywhere in Europe, but is repre- sented in the southern parts by a related kind. It has been found in middle Asia, and in its winter-quarters, in the interior of Africa. It is probable, however, that one or the other observer may have in- termixed the different related kinds, not having taken the trouble of a close examination. In Great Britain it is said to be found at all seasons, and does not seem to migrate to other countries, but merely changes its station in autumn from the lesser pools orloughs, where their young are reared, to the larger lakes, where these birds as- semble in winter in large flocks. They are also found in Ger- many. ‘They avoid rivers and brooks as well as the sea, and pre- fer still waters, whose borders are overgrown with rushes and reeds. They are consequently most numerous in the marshes of the larger lakes, and on the larger ponds. The time of their appear- ance in the spring depends chiefly, it seems, on the melting of the snow and ice. They remain in the same place during the whole summer, and in autumn begin to wander, assembling sometimes in immense flocks on the larger sheets of water, whence they migrate to the South, usually in the latter part of October and in Novem- ber. The Coot is oftener seen on the water than on land, but frequents the latter, especially during midday, to take a rest, and to clean and put its plumage in order. Though the feet of the Coot are rather awkwardly constructed for running, it runs tolerably well on the ground; but spends by far the greater part of its life in swim- ming. Its feet are excellent rudders, for what their swimming lobes are lacking in breadth, is made up by the length of the toes. The Coot is also an expert diver, and contests the palm, in this re- spect, with many real swimming birds. It dives to considerable depths, and swims, with the help of its wings, great distances under water. To escape danger, it always sinks itself in deep water. Before it rises for a flight, it flutters for a great distance over the surface, striking the water so violently with its feet that the noise of the splashing can be heard at a great distance. The Coot is very loquacious, chattering to its companions almost incessantly. Its voice is a shrill ‘* Kuw,” and the shrillness, in time of anger, is doubled or even trebled. It also utters a short, hard ‘* Pitts,” and at times a hollow guttural sound. It is a very sociable bird among its own kind, except in the breeding season, when each pair always strive to keep a certain district for them- selves, into which they never suffer any other birds to enter. Even in their winter-quarters, Coots do not like to see other swimming birds, and make it a special point to drive away Ducks. Aquatic insects and their larve, worms and small shells, and several kinds of vegetable matter, which they find in the water, form the principal food of Cinereous Coots. They pick up their food in swimming and diving, either from the surface, or by diving after it to the bottom. Some Coots, kept in captivity, lived for a whole winter exclusively on grain, and although they were occasionally fed with small minnows, which they readily ate, they seemed to prefer the grain. Whenever the Coot has settled on the smaller ponds or swamps it begins to build its nest, which is formed in the rushes near the water’s edge. It is built on the trampled down stocks of weeds and rushes, and is composed of the dry stocks of the same. The upper layers and the interior consist of a little finer material, such as the finer weeds, dry grass, and fibers. The female lays,,in the latter part of May, from seven to tweive eggs, rather large in proportion to the size of the bird, having a fine but hard shell, of a yellowish brown color, sprinkled over with dark ash colored and blackish brown dots, chiefly on the large end. The eggs are hatched in about twenty or twenty-one days. As soon as the young quit the shell and are dry, they plunge into the wate, and dive and swim with the greatest ease, but always cluster again about the mother, taking shelter under her wings, while the male warns and protects them from danger. For a considerable time they return nightly to their nest; but gradually they separate more and more from the parents. Long before they are fully fledged, they become independent of parental care. The female Coot frequently breeds twice in a season, but may be called lucky if she raises one-half of the young she hatches. Great havoc is made among them, before they have learned by ex- perience to defend themselves, by the Marsh Hawk and other kinds of the Hawk tribe, as well as by turtles. A Coot is found in Europe, the /ulica Aira, resembling the American, though differing from it in having the bill and frontal plate perfectly white, while on the American Coot the frontal plate is always of a bright chestnut color. The Coot’s gizzard is strong - and muscular, like that of a common hen. The male and female are colored alike, except that the black on the head and neck of the female is less brilliant. The flesh of the Coot, even that of the young, makes an unsavory dish for the table. PLATE XVIII. The Pileated Woodpecker. (/ylatomus pileatus.) Fig. 1. This Woodpecker, second only in size to any other, is a true American bird, and may be called the chief of all northern Wood- peckers. His range extends from Upper Canada, all over the United States, to the Gulf of Mexico. He abounds most in the North, in forests of tall trees, particularly in the neighborhood of large rivers, where he is noted for his loud cries, especially before wet weather. At such times he flies, restless and uneasy, from tree to tree, making the forest echo with his outcries. In the State of Ohio, and generally in all the Northern States, he is called the Black Woodcock ; in the Southern States they call him the Log- cock. Every old trunk in the forest where he resides, bears more | or less the marks of his chisel-like bill. Whenever he finds a tree beginning to decay, he subjects it to a close examination, in order to find out the cause, going round and round it, and pulling the bark off in strips often several feet long, laboring with astonishing skill and activity. He has frequently been seen to strip the bark from a dead pine tree, eight or ten feet down, in less than fifteen minutes. Whatever he is doing, whether climbing, stripping off bark, or digging, he seems to be always in great haste. He is ex- tremely watchful and shy, and is consequently difficult tokill. He clings closely to the tree after having received his mortal wound, and does not even quit his hold with his last breath. If shot at or 18 HAIRY WOODPECKER. oe oe re Soap ee iy or ode foe ite > ee et hee the wing, and only one wing is broken, as soon as he drops to the ground he makes for the nearest tree and climbs on it high enough to be out of reach. When wounded, and lying on the ground, he strikes with great fierceness at the hand stretched out to seize him. He is one of the few birds that are never content when caged or confined. This bird is now in one part of his district and then directly in another part, roaming through the whole of it in an incredibly short time. In the course of a few minutes, his cries are heard in differ- ent places, remote from each other. He utters three principal cries—two in flying, and the other when sitting or climbing: the former sounding like «*‘ Kerr, Kerr,” and ‘‘ Kleeck, Kleeck ;” the latter like ‘‘Kluh,” lengthened out and penetrating, or like ‘‘Kleha, Kleha.” Besides these cries he has several others, which he utters for the most part when near his nest. His flight is different from that of other Woodpeckers. He does not, like them, fly by starts, or in alternately ascending and descending lines, but wavelike for- ward in a straight direction, spreading his wings far apart and strik- ing the air hard, so that the points of the larger quills appear to be bending upward, causing his flight to resemble that of the Jay. It is, however, more gentle than that of the other Woodpeckers, and seems to require less exertion. ‘The distinct whirr which we hear in their flight, we do not hear in his. Although he seems averse to _ long flights, he has been observed flying directly forward, without stopping, for the distance of about half a mile. He hops rather awkwardly on the ground, where he is frequently seen examining the ant-hills in quest of the larve or eggs, of which he seems to be extremely fond. In climbing, and boring with his chisel-like bill, he is very expert. “When he climbs, he puts both feet forward like all other Woodpeckers. He may therefore be said to hop up the trees, and this he does with great force, so that one can distinctly hear his claws striking into the bark. While climbing he keeps his breast away from the trunk, bending his neck backward. His food consists of ants and their larve, which he picks up with his sticky tongue. He also devours the larve of beetles found in pine forests, and to get at them he chisels large holes in the trees. The mating season of these birds is in April, early or late, according to the season. ‘The male at that period flies after the female, crying aloud, and coming up to her, or becoming tired of flying after her, he alights on the withered top of a tree and begins to drum. He chooses on the tree a place where the beating of his bill will resound the loudest. Pressing his tail hard against a dead limb, he raps so quickly and forcibly upon it with his bill, that the noise made sounds like a continued ‘ Er-r-r-r-r-r-r.”_ The rapid motion of the red top on his head appears like a glowing spark on the end of a burning stick, moved quickly to and fro. The female makes her appearance after the drumming, or sometimes answers by quickly repeated ‘*Kluck, Kluck, Kluck.” The male also keeps up his drumming while the female is sitting on the eggs. For their nests these birds seek a decayed or hollow tree, choos- ing a knot-hole for the entrance. This hole is widened by the female, so as to make it sufficiently large for going in and out with ease. The inner part of the tree is then hollowed out with pecu- liar dexterity. This process seems to be very difficult for the female, as there is not room enough for working with her bill. The sounds made are very dull, the chips small, and the work progresses slowly ; but as soon as she has gained more room, she is enabled to dig out larger chips, and the work goes on more rapidly. Chips have been found under a tree where she was at work, from four to five inches long and half an inch in breadth and thickness. The female only works in the forenoon, going out in the afternoon after food. After laboring hard from ten to sixteen days, she has the nesting-place prepared. Itis from fifteen to twenty inches deep and from eight to ten inches in diameter, the sides being very smooth, and the bottom bowl-shaped and covered with fine chips. On these chips the female lays three, four, and sometimes five eggs, which are rather small and of a brilliant white color, looking like enamel. The nest is usually built high up on a tree, generally on a pine tree. The same nest is used for several years, but is usually cleaned out and enlarged. The male assists the female in hatching, the fe- male sitting on the eggs during the night and the early morning hours. The newly hatched young are ill-shaped, being sparingly covered on the upper part of the body with a grayish black down, and the head being very large and the bill thick and clumsy. The parents seem to be very fond of their young, and utter mournful sounds when any one approaches the nest, and risk even their own lives in defense of their brood. The young are fed from the crops of the old birds, and their food consists chiefly of the so-called eggs of the black ant. If not disturbed, they remain in the nest until perfectly fledged; but befo.e that time they often climb up to the entrance and take a look at the outside world. The Hairy Woodpecker. (Picus vzllosus.) Fig. 2: This species may be regarded as a true type of the Woodpeck- ers (Picz). They are found almost exclusively on the trunks of trees, and are seldom seen on the ground. They are resident birds, and rarely missed in the orchards, where they are always busily engaged in boring apple trees, eagerly hunting for insects, their eggs or larve, in old withered stumps, rotten branches, and crevises of the bark. They inhabit North America from Hudson’s Bay to the Carolinas and Georgia. In May, this Woodpecker re- tires to the groves and deeper forests with his mate to breed, though they frequently choose the orchard for that purpose, and select a suitable apple or pear tree. ‘They seek a branch already hollow, or dig out an opening for their nest. The nest has been found more than four feet from the mouth of the hole. They dig first horizon- tally, if in the trunk of a tree, for six or seven inches, and then ob- liquely down for twelve or fifteen inches, carrying the chips out with their bills or scraping them out with their feet. A nest is now made with fine chips at the bottom of the hole. The female lays from four to five bluish white eggs and hatches them outin June. Their residence in summer is limited to a comparatively small extent of country; but in the fall and winter they roam about in a larger dis- trict, and usually in company with Nuthatches, Creepers, Titmice, and Golden-crested Wrens. In summer they never suffer another bird of their kind to come within their district. They make their appearance in a moment, as soon as they hear a knocking resem- bling that of another Woodpecker. In their roamings they fly chiefly from tree to tree, avoiding large open spaces. These Woodpeckers are lively, active, and daring. ‘Their con- trasted colors make them look beautiful, even when seen from a distance, and especially when they are flying. It is a fine sight when on a clear, sunny day they chase each other from tree to tree, or climb swiftly up in the sunshine on the branches or the trunk of a tree, or when they bask in the sunlight on the tops of high trees, or on a withered limb execute their playful drumming. They are almost constantly in motion, and enliven the forests, especially the dark pine woods, ina most agreeable manner. Their flight is swift and produces a humming ; but it is usually not farextended. They rarely come down to the ground, but when on it, hop about with con- siderable skill. They prefer to sit on the tops of the trees, repeating their ** pick, pick, pick,” or ‘* kick, kick, kick.” Their sleeping- places, like those of all Woodpeckers, are hollow trees, and to these they retire when wounded. Such is their conduct toward their own kind and toward other birds that they can not be called sociable. “ They can be easily deceived by imitating their drum- ming, especially in the spring-time, as at that time, besides their desire for food, jealousy is brought into play. In summer, when thus deceived, they appear close before you, climbing about on all the branches to get a sight of the supposed rivals or intruders; on such occasions both the male and female make their appearance. PL.AVIL. a iuig: Esiint hit PL.XIX, Sans bi Ay Nok, ns eat Sale i . nisin CLAPPER RAIL. ; 19 a a FS ee ee Their food consists of different kinds of insects, their eggs and larvee, and also of nuts and berries. It is principally gathered from trees. For their young, they chiefly pick up small caterpillars. They are very useful in forests and orchards, as they destroy the insects that infest the trees. Frequently, after a few hard raps with their bills on a small limb, they run round to the opposite side to pick up the insects that the jarring has started out. The male and female alternately sit on the eggs, and the young break out of the shell in fourteen or sixteen days. They are at first helpless and deformed, but are most tenderly taken care off by their parents, who, when there is any seeming danger, wail piteously and never leave the nest. For a long time after the young are fully fledged, they are guarded and fed by the parents until perfectly able to find their own food and take care of themselves. The male and fe- male birds are alike in color, except that the female lacks the red on the hind head, and the white below is tinged with brown. The name of Hairy Woodpecker is doubtless bestowed upon this bird on account of the white lateral spot on the back, composed of loose feathers resembling hair. This bird usually utters a loud tremu- lous cry in starting off, and when alighting. When mortally wounded it will hang by the claws, even of a single foot, while a spark of life remains. PLATE XIX. The Clapper Rail. (/tal/us crepitans.) Fig. 1. The Clapper Rail, designated by different names, such as the Mud Hen, Meadow Clapper, Big Rail, and several others, is a well-known and very numerous species, inhabiting the whole At- lantic coast from Florida to New England, and probably still more northward. Although they chiefly inhabit the salt-marshes, these birds are occasionally found on the swampy shores and tide waters of our large rivers, as well as on the lakes. They, as well as other rails, are birds of passage, arrivingon the coasts the latter part of April, and leaving late in September. They have been observed in great numbers at the mouth of the Savannah river, in the months of January and February, and it is therefore very prob- able that some of them winter in the marshes of Georgia and Flor- ida. ‘They are often heard to cry while on their spring migrations, pretty high up in the air, generally a little before day-break. The shores, within the beach, consisting of large extents of flat marsh overgrown with rank and reedy grass or rushes, occasionally over- flowed by the sea, by which they are cut into numberless small islands with narrow inlets, are the favorite breeding-places of the Clapper Rails, which are found there in double the number of all other marsh-birds. The arrival of the Clapper Rail is announced by his loud, harsh, and incessant crackling, which bears a strong resemblance to that of the Guinea-fowl. Itis generally heard during the night, and is greatest before astorm. Toward the middle of May the Clapper Rails begin to construct their nests and lay their eggs. . They drop their first egg in a cavity lined with only a little dry grass, to which is gradually added, as the number of eggs increases, more and more grass, so that by the time the number of eggs reaches the full com- plement, usually nine or ten, the nest has attained a height of ten or fourteen inches. The reason for building the nest so high is doubt- less to secure them from the rising of the tides. The large rank marsh-grass is skillfully arched over the nest, and knit at the top, in order to conceal the nest from view, and afford shelter against heavy rains; but instead of concealing the nest, it enables the experi- enced egg-hunter to find it more easily, for he can distinguish the spot when it is at a distance of from thirty to forty yards, although an unpracticed eye would not be able to discern it at all. The eggs are of a pale clay color, sprinkled over with numerous small spots or dots of a dark red. They measure fully an inch and a half in length by one inch in breadth, and are obtuse at the small end. They are considered exquisite food, far surpassing the eggs of the domestic hen. The proper time for collecting these eggs is about the beginning of June. The nests are so abundant, and some per- sons are so skilled in finding them, that sometimes from forty to fifty dozen are collected in one day by a single individual. The Crows, Minks, and other animals hunt their eggs and de- stroy, not only a great number of them, but many of the birds also. Heaps of bones, feathers, wings, and eggs of the Clap- per Rail are often found near the holes of Minks, by which these animals themselves are in turn detected, driven out, and killed. The poor Clapper Rails are subjected to another calamity of a more serious and disastrous nature. It happens sometimes, after the greater part of the eggs are laid, that a violent northeast storm arises, and drives the sea into the bay, overflowing the marshes, and destroying all the nests and eggs. Besides, vast numbers of the birds perish, as the water rushes in suddenly, and the birds being entangled are unable to extricate themselves in time to escape drowning. Hundreds of these birds may be seen at such timc: floating over the marshes in great distress, a few only escaping to the mainland. On such occasions great numbers may sometimes be seen ina single meadow, bewildered and not trying to conceal themselves ; while the bodies of female birds that perished in their nests are washed to the shore, with scarcely a male among the dead bodies. After such an occurrence the birds go to work again as soon as the water subsides, and in about a fortnight the nests and eggs are about as numerous as they were before the calamity. Instances have occurred when such a disaster happened twice in a breeding-season, and yet the Clapper Rails were not discouraged, but commenced building nests and laying eggs for the third time. The young of the Clapper Rails bear a strong resemblance to the young of the Virginia Rails, although they are somewhat larger.. They are covered, as well as the young Virginia Rails, with a soft black down, but differ from the latter in having a whitish spot on the auriculars, and a whitish streak along each side of the breast, belly, and fore part of the thigh. The legs are of a blackish slate color. These birds have a little white protuberance near the tip of the bill, and they are also whitish around the nostrils. They run with the greatest facility among the long grass and reeds, and can only be caught with great difficulty. Several young Clapper Rails caught in the marshes in New Jersey, about the middle of July, corre- sponded with the above description, the males and females being marked alike. The extreme nervous vigor of its limbs, and its compressed body, which enables it to run among the grass, reeds, and rushes with the greatest rapidity, seemed to be the only means of defense of this bird. Almost everywhere among the salt- marshes are covered passages under the flat and matted grass, through which the Rail makes its way like a rat, without being noticed. From nearly every nest runs one or more of these cov- ered roads to the water’s edge, by which the birds can escape un- seen. If closely pursued, the Rail will dive and swim to the other side of the pond or inlet, rising and disappearing with celerity and in silence. In smooth water the Rail swims tolerably well, but not fast; he sits rather high in the water with the neck erect, strik- ing out with his legs with great rapidity. On shore, he runs with the neck extended, frequently flirting up his erect tail, and running on smooth ground nearly as fast as a man. These birds are always very difficult to catch on land even when their wings are broken. They can remain under water four or five minutes, clinging closely to the roots of rushes with the head bent downward. Their flight resembles that of a Duck. They gener- ally fly low above the ground, with the neck extended, and with great velocity ; but like all the Rail tribe they have a dislike to take wing, and whenever you traverse the marshes and accident- ally start one Clapper Rail, you may be sure that there are hun- dreds of these birds, which, if hunted by a dog, will lead him 20 BELTED KINGFISHER—BLACK-CAP HAWK. threugh numberless labyrinths, and only flush when he is just at the point of seizing them. The male and female Clapper Rails are colored nearly alike; but the young birds in the first year differ somewhat from them in color. The upper parts of these young birds are of a brownish olive streaked with a pale slate color; the wings are of a pale brown olive; the chin and throat, white; the breast, pale ash colored, and tinged with yellowish brown; the legs and feet are of a light horn color. These birds are never found at a great distance from the lakes or large rivers in the interior part of the country ; on the lakes they are frequently found, but never in great numbers. The Clapper Rail feeds chiefly on small shelled fish, especially on those of that form of snail found so abundant in the marshes; but he also eats worms, which he digs out of the mud, and for which work his bill is wonderfully adjusted. He also feeds on small crabs. In the month of October, Clapper Rails migrate to the South, never in flocks, but singly or in pairs, flying high up in the air. None of them remain North during the winter, though one of them was killed in the Reservoir, about thirty-three miles north- east from Columbus, Ohio, in the latter part of November; but on a close inspection, it was found that the bird had been crippled. The Belted Kingfisher. (Ceryle alcyon.) Fig. 2. The Belted Kingfisher is an inhabitant of the shores and banks of ali our fresh-water rivers from Hudson’s Bay to Mexico. He seems to love running streams and falling waters, like the whole of his tribe. At such places, resting on an overhanging bough above a cataract, he will remain for hours, glancing around with piercing eyes in all directions, seeking to discern in the water be- low small minnows, which, as soon as seen, with a sudden circular plunge, executed with the velocity of an arrow shot from the bow, he sweeps from their element and swallows in an instant. The voice of the Belted Kingfisher resembles the sound of a child’s rattle; it is sudden, harsh, and very loud, but in a certain degree softened by the murmuring of the brooks, or the sound of the cas- cades or brawling streams, among which he generally rambles. He courses up and down the stream, along its different windings, at no great height above the water, sometimes poising himself by the rapid action of his wings, in the manner of some of the Hawk tribe, in order to pounce down into the water on some small fish, which he frequently misses. After such a miss he usually settles, with a dissatisfied look, on an old dead overhanging limb of a tree to shake off the water from his plumage and to reconnoiter again. Mill-dams are frequented by him, as the neighborhood usually abounds with small fish. Rapid flowing streams, with steep high banks of a clayey or gravelly nature, are also his favorite places of resort, as on such steep and dry banks he usually digs a hole for his nest. This hole ne digs with his bill and claws, extending it horizontally, sometimes to four or even six feet, and about half a yard below the surface, with a small cavity at the bottom for the nest. This is composed of a few fibers, a few dried fish-bones, and a little dry grass. The female lays five pure white eggs, compar- atively of rather a large size. The young are hatched about the beginning of June; but the time differs according to the climate of the country where the breeding takes place. In the southern parts of the United States, the female Kingfisher has been found sitting on her eggs as early as the beginning of April, while in Ohio the Kingfishers’ nests, with the birds sitting on the eggs, are not usually found till toward the end of May. They occupy the 1% iygic dog several years asa breeding-place, and will not readily “sake it, even though it should be visited. There are accounts of people taking away the eggs of a Kingfisher, leaving one in the nest, and repeating this till they had collected twelve, or even eighteen eggs, the female always laying regularly one egg every day. Such accounts being doubted, an experiment was made, by taking from a nest-hole in the steep bank of the Connecticut river, a little below Middletown, Connecticut, the second egg laid; but instead of laying another egg, the birds abandoned the nest alto- gether. A similar experiment was tried in Ohio, with a like result. In the Eastern and Western States, the Kingfisher generally re- mains until the commencement of the cold season, when he leaves for warmer regions, though he is occasionally seen in the North- ern States in the middle of winter. He is found in the Souther States during nearly the whole winter. The Belted Kingfisher is like all the rest of the Kingfisher tribe, not much inclined to society, but is generally seen singly or in pairs, or in small groups of three or four. When crossing from one brook or river to another, or from one lake to another, which the Kingfisher frequently does, he passes over cities or forests in a bee-line, not unfrequently for a distance of ten or twenty miles. At such times his motions consist of five or six flaps, followed by a glide without making any undu- lations like the Woodpecker. In May, 1850, on a little creek in Connecticut, called the Hockanum, a Belted Kingfisher was ob- served on the ground, flapping his wings and seemingly in great distress. On coming up to him the observer found that his bill was stuck fast in a large clam. He had probably seen the clam on the muddy bank of the creek, with the shell partly open, and, in the attempt. to pull the clam out, the shell had closed upon his bill. The passer-by of course liberated the poor bird, which kind act he acknowledged by biting his benefactor on the thumb, and by springing his rattle at him most indignantly as he flew away. PLATE XX. The Ash-colored or Black-cap Hawk. (Astur atricapillus.) This beautiful Hawk has been confounded by many Ornitholo- gists with the Goose Hawk of Europe; but there is such a differ- ence between them that it is really wonderful how the two birds could be supposed to be identical. The greatest difference between these birds is in the markings of their breast and under parts, and this difference is so distinct as at once to strike the beholder. On our Hawk the under parts are of a uniform pale grayish white, each feather having in the center a black streak; this extends to the feathers in the center of the belly, after which the streak is hardly any more visible: besides this, every feather is marked trans- versely with fine, irregular zigzag bars of dark gray. In the European bird, each feather on the breast and lower parts is marked with a dark shaft, not exceeding its own breadth, and has besides two decided transverse bars, giving the bird, at a first glance, a very different aspect from the American Hawk. The upper parts of the latter are of a blue shade, and the markings of the head are darker and more decided. Some Ornithologists have classed this Hawk with the genus Astur, while others make it a sub-genus of Accipiter, in which the Sparrow Hawk and lesser species have been placed. Although there is some difference in the formation of the tarsi, the habits and forms are in general nearly similar. The Broad-winged Hawk (Astur Pennsylvanicus) is an example of the one, and our Hawk that of the other. The Black-capped Hawk is very spirited, and his general form and aspect denote great strength; his legs are very strong, and his claws rather large in proportion, the claws of the inner toes being as large as those of the great toe; his Wings are short and rounded, showing, when expanded, a considerable inner surface, very favor- able to a smooth sailing flight, which is greatly aided by the lengthened tail. His favorite abodes are forests or well-wooded countries, where he can be seen hunting his prey about the skirts of the woods. In such places he builds his nest, usually on a high PL. XX : nae ay Price seep NGAI Reena pan Bs Mite Mes eee TXX Td - ) i. | Bet praise : Barty ech M35 ES hagas Ne Bana ae sie oe Sasol iane sg oar oes ” as LONG-TAILED DUCK—BARRED OWL. 31 Te hE ee eS ee ee re nn ee ae Se ee tree, the nests differing in nothing from those of other Hawks. The female lays two and sometimes three dirty white eggs, which are disproportionately thick on the round end and suddenly taper- ing toa point. The flight of this Hawk is a sailing in circles, or a skimming near the ground in search of prey, at which he darts with great celerity either on the ground or on the wing. It is areal curiosity to see him pick up a bird, when flying near the ground, 80 quickly that it is seldom noticed when he stoops and clutches it, as he seems to fly along as if nothing of the kind had happened. His long and expanded tail serves him as an excellent rudder, when threading dense woods, which he performs with great dexterity. When resting he assumes a very erect position. The young of the first season are destitute of the fine zigzag markings on the breast and belly; but each feather is marked with a broad longi- tudinal streak of dark brown, while the head is of the same color without distinctness in the markings. PLATE XXI. The Long-tailed Duck. (arelda glacialis.) The Long-tailed Duck passes on the eastern coast of the United States under the name of South-Southerly, from the singular re- semblance of its cry to those words. The people inhabiting or living near the coasts say that when these ducks are very clamor- ous, it betokens a southerly wind or storm. In New Jersey and in the State of New York they are usually called Oldwives. They are a regular salt-water Duck, inhabiting bays and coasts only late in the fall or in winter. They are rarely found in the marshes, and very seldom ramble far from the sea, keeping always to the channel, where they may be seen constantly diving for small shelled fish, which seem to be their principal food. When passing from one bay to another, often in large flocks, their loud and clamorous cry can be heard at a great distance, especially toward evening. They are lively and restless, and in their swift flight usually make but short excursions. They inhabit corresponding latitudes in both America and Europe, where great numbers of them remain the whole winter, or rather, the whole year round, only a few of them, comparatively speaking, wandering off toward the south in the cold season. Flocks of these Ducks have been found, in the months of October, November, December, January, February, and March, in the Orkney islands. They have also been frequently found in Sweden, Lapland, and Russia. One of their chief breeding-places is Hudson’s Bay. They make their nests among the long grass near the sea; these are composed of dry rushes and grass, lined inside with a fine soft down from the breast of the female. ‘Toward the middle of June, the latter lays from ten to fourteen bluish white eggs, of about the size of those of a pullet. The young, as soon as they are hatched, follow their mother to the water, never returning to the nest again. On the whole, the Long-tailed Ducks are pretty hardy birds and most excellent divers. Their flesh is not heldin great esteem, as it is rather dry, and has, besides, a sedgy taste. Their feathers, and especially those of the breast, and their down, are of the best qual- ity for bedding. The wind-pipe of this Duck is similar to that of other Ducks, and rather curiously formed; the labyrinth is large and is partly of a circular form, and the wind-pipe immediately above it has an expansion of double its usual diameter, which continues for about an inch anda half. This is flattened on the side next the breast, making an oblong space like a window, which is crossed with fine narrow bars, and covered with a thin semi-transparent skin. A similar skin is spread over the external side of the labyrinth. This singular conformation is, as in all other Ducks, peculiar to the males of this species, which have the wind-pipe of nearly the same thickness throughout. On dissection the length of the intes- tine was found to be five feet and seven inches, and the liver rather large. On our plate the full-plumaged male is represented on the right hand, giving a side view, while the female pilots her young about on the water. Both male and female are in their summer dress. On the left hand of our plate the male and female Long-tailed Duck are represented in their winter dress. In conclusion, it may be remarked that the singular voice of this Duck was supposed by some Ornithologists to be occasioned by the peculiar construction of its wind-pipe; but this can not be the case, for the simple reason that the female of this species is the most noisy, and yet is partially destitute of that peculiarly formed wind-pipe. : PLATE XXII. The Barred Owl. (Syrndum nebulosum.) This is one of our most common Owls, and more frequently than any other is seen late in the fall or in winter, especially near the borders of creeks or rivers, or near swamps bordered by woods. In summer it is generally found in dense forests, flying about from place to place during the entire day, seeming not to be a nocturnal bird, but to see better in the day-time than any other Owl. It is by no means a shy bird, but will often, at night, come close to a lonely camp-fire, exposing itself to the glare of the fire, without showing the slightest token of alarm. It will turn its unusually thick head toward you, and scrutinize you with its large black eyes. In Louis- iana these Owls seem to be the most abundant, and in passing through the dense woods the traveler may often count six or eight in the distance of a few miles, and at the approach of night, their cries can be heard from every patch of woods near the plantations. In dark and cloudy days, indicating an approaching rain-storm, their cries are multiplied during the day, and are louder than usual. On the coming on of a storm, they respond to each other in such unearthly and strange tones, that one can not help thinking that something extraordinary is taking place among them. Their mo- tions and gesticulations are, on such occasions, stranger and more lively than usual. On approaching the bird, it at once changes its perpendicular position to a horizontal one, throwing the lateral feathers of the head forward, so as to make it appear as if sur- rounded by a broad ruff, moving it round, and backward and for- ward so quickly as to cause it to look as if it were dislocated from the body. All motions of the intruder are looked at with eyes that seem as if they were half-blind, and with a suspicion of treacher- ous intentions. The bird flies off to a short distance, alighting with its back toward the intruder, but immediately turns to begin its scrutiny anew. If you do not shoot at it, you may follow it in this way for a long distance; but if shot at and not wounded, it will fly off to such a distance that you will lose sight of it, though you may hear its pompously uttered ‘‘ wha, wha, wha,” from time to time. The flight of this Owl is light, smooth, and perfectly noiseless, so much so that not the slightest rustling of the wings can be heard, even if it flies only a couple of yards above your head. If the occasion requires it, their flight can be greatly protracted, as they have been noticed to fly on one stretch a distance of over two miles. The writer has noticed the Barred Owl several times in the day-time sailing about in the air in small circles, in a manner sim- ilar to the hawk, rising to a great height and then flying off to a distance, in an irregular zigzag line, while briskly flapping its wings. He also several times found the nest of that Owl contain- ing eggs, the number of which, when the bird was sitting, was invariably three. These were of the size of a hen’s egg, but more globular, and had a coarse rough shell of a pure white color. All the nests found were snugly built in the fork of some large tree, and among its thick foliage. The nest was, however, rudely 22 SONG OF THE OWL—BLUE-BIRD. constructed, being composed outwardly of sticks, interspersed with dry grass and dry leaves, and lined with small twigs, fibrous roots, and a few feathers. The food of these birds consists chiefly of mice, moles, frogs, lizards, snakes, and sometimes fish. The young birds have been often taken from the nest and placed in a room with the window open, and, in all such instances, the young ones have been found by their parents the very first night, although the distance of the room was, in one case, over two miles from the nest. The parent birds brought plenty of food to their young, so that almost every morning, a great many frogs, mice, etc., had to be thrown out. Only once, in all these experiments, did the old birds bring a partridge; but this, on close inspection, was found to be in a far-advanced state of decay. The previous night had been very dark and stormy, perhaps the old birds had not been able to catch any live prey, and had brought the dead partridge to serve as food for their young in case of extreme need. The young are, for some time after birth, covered with a fine white down, which gives them a peculiar, but not an uninteresting appearance. Their call or cry is a singular hissing sound, which can be heard at a great distance. These birds, like most other Owls, are clothed with feathers of very different shape and texture. Those surrounding the bill are similar to bristles; those around the region of the eyes are unwebbed and extremely open, and are bounded by a set proceeding from the external edge of theear, small and velvety, consisting of exquisitely fine fibers, almost invisible to the naked eye. The outward plumage of these birds has one gen- eral character at the surface, calculated to repel rain and moisture ; but toward the roots of the feathers, it is composed of a very soft, loose, and downy substance, so that we may touch without feeling it, ‘The webs of the wing-quills are also of a delicate softness, covered with exceedingly fine hair, and edged with a fine, loose, silky down. All this enables the Owl to pass through the air with- out disturbing, in the slightest degree, the most profound stillness. The long bristly feathers around the bill and the eyes serve to guard the latter from injury, when the Owl sweeps rapidly through a thicket, as on the slightest touch at the point of any of these bristles, the nictitating membrane is instantly drawn over the eye. There is often a remarkable difference in size between the male and female, and between the birds generally of this species. The usual length of the female is about twenty-two inches, though I have shot one that measured twenty-eight inches. The usual aver- age of the male is seventeen inches, by thirty-eight inches in cir- cumference. The Owl represented on our plate is a female in full plumage. SONG OF THE OWL. BY MRS. HEWITT. Tu-whit! tu-whoo !—in my ancient hall, In my old gray turret high, Where the moss is thick on the crumbling wall, A king—a king reign I! Tu-whoo ! I wake the wood with my startling call To the frighted passer-by. The ivy-vines in the chink that grow, Come clambering up to me; And the newt, the bat, and the toad, I trow, A right merry band are we. Tu-whoo ! : Oh, the coffined monks in their cells below, Have no goodlier company. Let them joy in their brilliant sunlit skies, And their sunset hues, who may ; But softer by far than the tints they prize, Is the dense of the twilight gray. Tu-whoo ! Oh! a weary thing to an owlet’s eyes Is the garish blare of day. RS When the sweet dew sleeps in the midnight cool, Some tall tree-top I win; And the toad leaps up on her throne-shaped stool, And our revels loud begin— Tu-whoo! While the bull-frog croaks o’er his stagnant pool Or plunges sportive in. As the last lone ray from the hamlet fades In the dark and still profound, The night-bird sings in the cloister shades, And the glow-worm lights the ground— Tu-whoo! And fairies trip o’er the broad green glades, To the fire-fly circling round. Tu-whit! tu-whoo! all the livelong night, A right gladsome life lead we ; While the starry ones from their azure height, Look down approvingly. Tu-whoo ! They may bask who will in the noonday light, But the midnight dark for me. PLATE XXIII. The Blue-bird. (S¢adza szalis.) The gentle and sociable disposition and the peculiarly pleas ing manners of this beautiful little bird entitle it to particular attention. Being one of the first messengers of spring, it brings the glad tidings of the approach of warm weather to our very thresholds. As everybody, old or young, has been expect- ing this pleasing visitor, he is met everywhere with a most hearty welcome. His gentle, quiet song is extremely soft and agreeable. It consists of an oft-repeated warble, uttered with open quivering wing, and very pleasing. In his manners and general bearing he always reminds me of the House Red Start of Eu- rope, to which in his motions and general character he bears a very strong resemblance. Like that bird he is quiet and confiding, and of a very peaceable disposition, never quarreling or fighting with other birds. His presence is not only desired, but generally courted in rural districts ; few farmers, or their boys, failing to pro- vide, in some suitable place, a nice snug little house ready fitted up for him. In his turn he repays the good farmer tenfold for his kind- ness, by his cheerful song, and by daily destroying a multitude of insects, that might otherwise ruin the farmer’s whole fruit crop. The song of the Blue-bird changes in the month of October to a single plaintive note, which is most noticed when he flies over the yellow and reddish colored woods, this melancholy air reminding us of nature’s gradual decay. Even after the trees are completely bare of leaves, he seems to dislike leaving his native fields, but lingers around until the heavier frosts. Want of food finally compels him to leave. This happens about the latter part of No- vember, when only a few or no Blue-birds are to be seen; but they reappear, at least in this part of the country, on every return of open and mild weather, so that we hear their plaintive notes in the fields, or in the air over our heads; and they seem never totally to forsake us, but merely to follow fair weather in their wanderings until the return of spring. Even in the midst of winter, when the whole earth is covered with deep snow, small groups of Blue-birds are frequently met with conducting themselves as usual, seemingly unconcerned about the inclement weather. The Blue-bird is generally regarded as a bird of passage ; but if the weather is at all favorable, he reappears as early as the middle of February, fluttering about his wonted haunts, the barn, the house-top, the orchard, or the fence-posts. Deep snow-falls, o1 stormy weather, drive him away again, but only for a short time, a. yor . SONG OF THE BLUE-BIRD—MEADOW LARK. 23 as he regularly returns about the middle of March. At this time, the male and female are seen together examining the box or hole in the apple-tree where they raised their young the previous year. It is not only amusing but interesting to observe the courtship of the male bird, and the pains he takes to win the tender regard of the female. Always sitting near her, he makes use of the most tender expressions, and sings to her his most endearing warbles. If he spies an insect which he knows is pleasing to her taste, he at once flies down and picks it up; flying back to her and spreading his wings he puts it in her bill. No sooner does a rival make his ap- pearance than he quits her fora moment, and goes after the in- truder from place to place, expressing his jealousy in unmistakable notes, driving his rival with reproof beyond the boundaries of his territory, and immediately returning, warbling his triumph in the sweetest and tenderest notes to his beloved mate. After the settling of preliminaries both birds begin to clear out the old nest, removing the rubbish of last year, and go to work to construct a new nest, the home of their future offspring. In this business they are often annoyed by the little House Wren, just now returned from winter-quarters, who watches his opportunity, and, in the momentary absence of the Blue-bird, pops in, slyly pulling out some sticks, and taking special care to make off with them as fast as he can before the tenants return. When the nest is completed, the female lays usually five, and, occasionally, six eggs, of a delicate pale blue color. They raise two and, when circumstances are favorable, three broods in one season. The male takes particular charge of the last brood while the female is sitting again. The principal focd of the Blue-bird consists of insects, particu- larly large beetles, arc) other coleoptera that lurk among decaying trees or fences, etc. Jie also makes use of spiders. In the latter part of autumn he regales himself on several kinds of fruits and berries, as ripe persimmons, the berries of the sour gum, or even the berries of the red cedar, and onseveral other seeds and berries. It is a well-known fact that a great many birds are afflicted with a species of tape-worm; but I have never found these worms so fre- quently in any as in the Blue-birds and Woodcocks. In these, tape-worms are sometimes found in great numbers and of a very large size; but the poor birds are also tormented by numerous in- sects infesting their plumage. Several kinds of Blue-birds are found in North America, which will be figured and described hereafter. ‘They are very interest- ing links in the natural system, although it seems to the writer that some of them ought to be placed among the Saxzcoline. In the summer and fall whole families of Blue-birds are found frequenting open pastures, perching on the stalks of the great mul- len ( Verbascum nigella), on the lookout for passing insects. On such occasions, the object seems to be the instruction of the young in dexterity. The old bird can see at a great distance an insect crawling among the moss or grass, and flying to it and feeding on it, he returns in an instant to his former position. This is exactly the manner of the Saxicoline. The Blue-bird, in the winter, migrates to the South, sometimes even as far as the West India islands; but some doubtless re- main in the southern parts of the United States, and, in unusually mild winters, some remain even in the Northern States, coming out in mild weather to the open plains from their sheltering thickets, and retiring to them in cold and stormy weather. In the woods of the Southern States I have frequently met with large flocks. They are found in all the United States, and also in the Bahama islands, in Mexico, Brazil, and Guiana. It is very common to see large flocks of Blue-birds passing at considerable heights in the air, in’a northern direction, in the spring, and in a southern direction in autumn. I have several times observed such flocks descending a little after sunrise from great heights, and settling on the top of some high detached tree. Judging from their sedateness and silence they were tired strangers. After resting a few minutes, they invariably began to dress and arrange their plumage, continuing that operation for about a quar- ter of an hour. After a few warning notes had been uttered, as it seemed to me, by the leader of the flock, the whole party re- ascended to a vast height, and continued their flight. It does cer- tainly seem a great task for so little and feeble a creature as the Blue-bird to migrate to the West Indies; but if he should fly at the rate of one mile per minute, and he flies swifter than that, as has often been observed, it would only require from ten to eleven hours to reach the Bermudas, which are about six hundred miles from the nearest point of the mainland. Besides, he would have many chances to rest by the way, on the masts and yards of the numer- ous vessels generally navigating those waters. SONG OF THE BLUE-BIRD. BY ALEX. WILSON. When winter’s cold tempests and snows are no more, Green meadows and brown furrow’d fields reappearing, The fishermen hauling their nets to the shore, And cloud-cleaving Geese to the north are all steering ; When first the low butterfly flits on the wing, When red glow the maples, so fresh and so pleasing, O then comes the Blue-bird, the herald of spring! And hails, with his warblings, the charms of the season. He flits through the orchard, he visits each tree, The red-flowering peach, and the apple’s sweet blossoms, The fruit-bearing products, wherever they be, And seizes the caitiffs that lurk in their bosoms; He drags the vile grub from the corn it devours, The worms from their beds where they riot and welter ; His song and his services freely are ours, And all that he asks is, in summer, a shelter. The plowman is pleased when he gleans in his train, Now searching the furrows, now mounting to cheer him The gardener delights in his sweet simple strain, And leans on his spade to survey and to hear him; The slow, lingering school-boys forget they ’ll be chid, While gazing intent as he warbles before them, In mantle of sky-blue, and bosom so red, That each little loiterer seems to adore him. But when the gay scenes of the summer are o’er, And autumn slow enters, so silent and sallow, And millions of warblers, that charm’d us before, Have fled in the train of the sun-seeking Swallow, The Blue-bird, forsaken, yet true to his home, Still lingers and looks for a milder “to-morrow,” Till, forced by the rigors of winter to roam, He sings his adieu in a lone note of sorrow. While spring’s lovely season, serene, dewy, warm, The green face of earth, and the pure blue of heaven, Or love’s native music, have power to charm, Or sympathy’s glow to our feelings is given, Still dear to each bosom the Blue-bird shall be; His voice, like the thrillings of hope, is a treasure ; For, through bleakest storms, if a calm he but see, He comes to remind us of sunshine and pleasure. PLATE XXIV. The Meadow Lark. (Sturnella magna.) The position of this bird, although assigned by Linnzus, the father of systematic classification in natural history, to the Alaude (Larks), has often been questioned among ornithologists. Swain- son puts the bird down as Sturnella Ludoviciana; Bonaparte, 24 GOOSANDER. as Sturnus Ludovicianus (sub-genus Sturnella) ; while others have placed it in the genera Turdus, Alanda, Sturnus, Cassicus, to all of which it is somewhat allied, but to none of them can it rank as acongerer. Itis classed here as Sturnella, by which appellation it is known to most American ornithologists. This well-known bird, with his beautiful plumage, and his sweet- ness of voice, is a general favorite, and particularly to the inhab- itants of the rural districts. Although his song consists only of a few melodious notes, he always meets with a hearty greeting on his arrival. In the more rigorous regions of the North he is a regular bird of passage, though he is met with in the Middle States, occa- sionally in the heart of the severest winters, when the ground is covered with deep snow. I have found these birds in the month of January, during a deep snow, on the heights of the Alleghany Mountains, gleaning on the roadside together with a flock of snow- birds. They have been found in winter in South Carolina, among the rice plantations, running about the yards and out-houses, in com- pany with Killdeers and other birds, as unconcerned and showing as little appearance of fear as if they were completely domesticated. The range of the Meadow Lark is very extensive, they having been found from Upper Canada through most of the States of the Union down to the Gulf of Mexico. Their favorite places of re- sort are pasture fields and meadows, especially the latter, from which circumstance they claim their specific name. The reason of their preference for meadows is that these supply them most abun- dantly with the seeds and insects on which they chiefly subsist. They are never found in the depths of the woods, except in places where the ground, instead of underbrush, is covered with grass, where sometimes a single one or a pair may be found. They are seen most abundantly on the extensive prairies near St. Louis, and in similar localities below, on the Mississippi river. The Meadow Lark builds his nest in the month of May, in or below the thick tussock of grass. It is composed of fine dry grass bent and laid at the bottom, and wound all round, leaving only an arched entrance level with the ground. The inside is lined with stalks of the same material, and occasionally with a few horse- hairs and other fibrous substances, disposed with great regularity and care. The full complement of eggs consists of four, some- times, but rarely, of five; these are white, marked with specks, dots, and several larger blotches of a reddish brown color, chiefly at the rounder end. The young remain in the nest until fully fledged, and are carefully fed by both parents. After the hatching season is over, they collect in flocks, but never fly in a compact body. Their flight somewhat resembles that of the Grouse and Quail ; it is laborious and steady, alternately chang- ing from a sailing to the renewed rapid motion of the wings. They alight on trees or bushes as well as on the ground, but in the former case always on the tops of the highest branches, preferring the dry ones, whence they send forth their long, clear, and somewhat melancholy notes, which, for sweetness and tenderness of expression, can not be surpassed by any of our best warbling birds. Some- times these long-strained notes are followed by a low chattering, which is the special call of the female, after which the clear and plaintive strain is repeated. The food of the Meadow Lark, or, as the Virginians call him, the Old Field Lark, consists chiefly of caterpillars, worms, beetles, and different grass seeds, mixed up with a considerable portion of fine gravel. ‘Their flesh is of very good esteem. As the size of the bird is about that of the Quail, while the taste of its flesh is not at all inferior to the latter, they are readily sought for and shot by our gunners, to whom they afford considerable sport, being easily shot on the wing. ‘They frequently squat in the long grass and spring within gunshot. Our plate represents the male and female, the latter being distinguished from the male, in her outward appear-- ance, by having the black crescent on the breast of a lighter black and more skirting with gray; the yellow on the breast is somewhat less; otherwise, the markings of her plumage differ but little from those of the male. PLATE XXV. The Goosander. (AZerpgus merganser.) This splendid bird is not only called Goosander, but also Water Pheasant, Sheldrake, Fisherman, Diver, Saw-bill, etc. He is a true representative of the second family of the sixth group, be- longing to the fourteenth order of the fifth class. Our plate rep- resents him in full plumage, or in his bridal dress. The goosander is an inhabitant of the northern part of this con- tinent, and also of the corresponding latitudes of Europe and Asia. In all these countries he is found in about equal numbers. The proper district of his range may be said to be the belt of the globe between the thirty-second and sixty-eighth degrees of north lati- tude. In his wanderings, which are more regular than with his kindred, he has sometimes been observed in northern parts of India and Southern China, and almost everywhere in North America. The Goosander is ranked as one of the most handsome among swimming birds. His splendid plumage, whose chief colors are beautifully contrasted, attracts the attention of all scientific and other observers. His unusual vivacity and his rapid motions in- crease this attraction. His proper element is the water, on which he is almost constantly seen, except about midday, which he gen- erally spends on a dry sandy spot on the shore, taking a rest. His walk on land is an unwieldy waddle; on wing in the air his flight appears to be quite swift, but it is performed with great exertion. He swims with the greatest ease, and dives noiselessly and as easily as he swims. When swimming quietly on the surface, he paddles with slow but powerful strokes of his broad webbed feet, and makes very good headway, but if he natices one of his asso- ciates has taken a fish and is about to swallow it, ‘he goes for him,” and shoots over the water with almost the rapidity of an at- row, producing a considerable splash. When swimming under the surface, the Goosander appeared to me like a fish, as he passed right under my canoe, for he shot for- ward with the like velocity. His stay under water is only about . one minute, and at the longest, not much over two minutes; but even in this short time he often rises to the surface at the distance of over a hundred paces from the spot where he dived. This is quite a feat, when we take into account that he fishes under water, and is consequently obliged to make many zigzags. On coming to the surface he usually flaps his wings and immediately dives again. - His voice is a peculiar humming or rattling sound, which bears some resemblance to the sound of a Jew’s-harp. The single sounds are somewhat like ‘‘ carr” and ‘‘corr;” but these sounds are so blended together that they are best represented by the notes of the Jew’s-harp. His senses are very acute, and his observations very quickly made. In watching him one can not fail to be struck with his intelligence, caution, and peculiar shyness, together with his cunning and craftiness. He is not asociable bird, and never asso- ciates with any of his relatives, but only with birds of his own kind. Even among themselves, Goosanders never-take much notice of each other, except by showing constant signs of envy; but this does not prevent them from helping one another in fishing, as they dive all at the same time, and thereby drive the fish from one bird to another. The food of the Goosander consists chiefly of fish, and he always prefers the smaller ones, from three to six inches in length, though he will sometimes catch and devour larger ones. He also feeds on large aquatic insects. The pairing of these birds begins in the winter; but their nest- building is not commenced in the North until June. The nests are built in different places, often in hollows in the ground, sometimes under shrubbery, among rocks, in the stump of an old tree, or in an abandoned nest of a Crow or a Hawk. The nest is composed of twigs, stalks, grasses, rushes, leaves, and lichen, very artlessly Pi AXX Td oe aa se i Bie EAT a taint a: eas iene Pl. XXVI. Reed Pusee nee IVORY-BILLED WOODPECKER. put together; but the inside is always lined with dry and warm material, such as fine feathers. The eggs number from ten to fourteen, of an oblong form, and a light greenish color, having a strong shell of a fine grain. The young, which run about as soon as they are hatched, soon take to the water. Those that are hatched in nests on rocks tumble themselves down from consider- able heights, lower and lower, until they reach the water. I have seen young Goosanders tumble themselves down from heights of ten or twelve feet, so that they lay below for more than a minute in a stunned condition; but as soon as they recovered, they shook themselves and made ready for another tumble. It seems that the heavy down with which they are covered gives them a certain de- gree of elasticity, and thereby shields them from injury. The young Goosanders live at first exclusively on aquatic insects, and keep on the surface of the water; but after a period of three days they begin to dive, and, after 2 few days of practice, they be- come as expert fishers as their parents. In their movements and behavior, they at first resemble young Ducks; but after the first eight days they exhibit the peculiar movements of the old birds. Up to this time they take shelter under the wings of the mother- bird to warm themselves after their fishing exercises; but they grow very rapidly, and soon become so independent as to take no heed of the mother or she of them. To produce warmth, they huddle close together, forming a sort of roundheap. In about six weeks they are full grown, but not able to fly, as the growth of the quill feathers does not quite keep time with the growth of the body. The male bird takes no care of the young, except to act as a sentinel, giving a warning on the approach of an enemy. The young of the Goosander suffer but little from the enemies that threaten other young swimming-birds. This is due to their strength and rapid motion. The old ones suffer but hile from en- emies, as they are very cautious and shy, and their flesh is not very desirable food, having a strong fishy taste. Their feathers are considered inferior to those of the Goose or Duck. The eggs of the Goosander are collected in the northern regions by trappers and fishermen, who are said to take from one of the same nest successively over two dozen eggs, the mother-bird always re- placing the egg that was taken away; but the egg must be pulled out of the nest with a stick, and not taken by the bare hand, as in that case the bird would abandon the nest. PLATE XXVI. The Ivory-billed Woodpecker. (Campephilus Principalts.) Fig. I. This most beautiful, formidable, and majestic Woodpecker is the second in size of all our American species, there being but one surpassing him in size in this country. The Imperial Woodpecker of California (Campephilus Imperialis) stands at the head of all Woodpeckers hitherto discovered. ‘The beautiful dress of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, his superb carmine crest, his ivory-white bill, his beautiful white and black body, his brilliant and piercing yellow eye, and especially his graceful flight, entitled him to par- ticular notice. The illustrious Audubon, in his poetic style of com- position, compares the distribution of the brilliant-colors on our Ivory-billed with the style and coloring of that inimitable artist, Van Dyke; and indeed those who are familiar with the paintings of that great master, will readily acknowledge-that Audubon is perfectly right. The manners of the Ivory-billed have a dignity about them far superior to the herd of common Woodpeckers. To the latter, trees, shrubbery, orchards, fences, fence-posts, or even old logs lying on the ground, are all alike interesting in their inde- fatigable search after prey ; but the Ivory-billed is not satisfied with — 25 things of such an humble character, for he delights in selecting the most towering trees of the forests in his exploring expeditions after food or amusement. The Ivory-billed is not met with in any of the Middle States of the American Union; probably for the reason that the woods of these States are not suited to the peculiar habits of this bird. Sometimes a single individual of this species is met with on the Atlantic coast, in Maryland,and a few more in the Carolinas; but the lower parts of the latter and of Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, and especially of Mississippi, may be regarded as his favorite resorts. In these States he resides permanently, breeding there, and leading a life of tranquil enjoyment, and finding an abund- ance of food for his subsistence in the woods that cover the dark, gloomy, and deep swamps and morasses frequently occurring in these States. On the west side of the Mississippi, he is found in all the forests, which border the tributaries of that river, all the way down the Rocky Mountains. His favorite haunts are those gloomy swamps and morasses overshadowed by dark, gigantic cypresses, stretching their bare and blasted branches, as it were, midway to the skies. It is dangerous to penetrate into such swamps; and were it not of strong desire to learn their hidden secrets, no one would encounter the hardships and risk connected with such an enterprise. For miles upon miles the dangerous morass stretches out, and progress toward the interior is not only baffled by low, projecting arms of the gigantic trees, but often by the thorny under- brush, interwoven with a dense growth of climbing and winding plants of different kinds, and also obstructed by countless dead and decaying trunks of fallen trees, stretching their dry and withered branches heavenward in the most fantastic way. By far the great- est difficulty to the explorer is the yielding and treacherous ground, whose surface is covered with a beautiful carpet of splendid mosses, water-lilies, sword lilies, and other kinds of flowers and piants. For a time the explorer may walk safely enough on this beautiful carpet; but let him tread as lightly as he may, on a sudden he breaks through, and he sinks in the morass up to his body with the consciousness that there is an almost bottomless quagmire under- neath. Involuntarily grasping the overhanging branches, he drags himself out, finding his legs covered with dark mud, emitting a most disagreeable odor. Having thus had a practical warning of the danger that lurks under his feet, the traveler proceeds, if pos- sible, more cautiously, and this retards his progress still more. Here and there his onward course is interrupted by suddenly com- ing to a pond of considerable size, filled with dark, muddy water, emitting a horrible stench, that almost benumbs the senses. Such places are the favorite residence of the Ivory-billed. To him there is no danger. He is high above the reach of foul air, and, owing to his mode of locomotion, swamps and morasses do not interfere with his progress from place to place. The flight of this bird, although short, generally not extending over a hundred yards at a time, is extremely graceful. When crossing a large river, he shoots forward in beautiful undulations, spreading out his wings fully, and only flapping them when he intends to give a more vigorous push to his forward movement. His flight from tree to tree is accomplished with a single sweep, and in a most graceful curve, as he comes down from the highest top of one tree and alights on another, on the lower part of the trunk—no matter whether the trees are only twenty yards or a hundred and fifty apart. On such occasions, he appears most amiable to the beholder, and his beautiful colors and markings show him off to the greatest advantage. I never heard his voice while he was on the wing, except in mating time, when his sonorous voice is occasionally heard, while executing some beautiful evolutions in the air. As soon as he reaches the lower part of the trunk of a tree, and is ascending it in a spiral line, his remarkably clear, loud, and pleasing voice is heard from the distance of over half a mile. The sound of his call, which strongly resembles the word ‘‘ pat, pat, pat,” is so often repeated that it seems as if the bird was uttering the sound during 26 IVORY-BILLED WOODPECKER. the whole day, with the exception of the little intervals when he flies from one place to another. This habit often leads to his destruction, and, as he is everywhere regarded as a destroyer of trees, his extermination is eagerly sought. To this it may be added that the beautiful feathers of his crest are used by Indians for war ornaments, and large numbers of the birds are killed to obtain their feathers. J have seen Indian warriors with their girdles and the tops of their quivers ornamented alternately with the crests and the bills of this Woodpecker. Indian women also use the crests for ornaments. Wherever the Ivory-billed frequents, he leaves behind him many mementos of his industry. In such places may be seen gigantic pine-trees, with cart-loads of bark and chips lying around them on the ground, impressing one with the idea that half a dozen wood- cutters must have been at work there for at least half the day. This is all the work of our Ivory-billed Woodpecker, as well as the numerous large excavations with which the trunk of the tree is disfigured. ‘This gives an idea what destroyers of the most useful of our forest trees these Woodpeckers, endowed with so much strength and with such an apparatus for doing work, would neces- sarily be if they were numerous. On the other hand, however, I may say that hundreds of such trees, on which the Ivory-billed had been at work, were closely examined by me, with the conclusion that neither mischief nor amusement was at the bottom of his pro- ceedings. I never found a single sound and healthy tree attacked by him ; but close examination proved clearly that he selected trees for stripping off the bark or excavating the trunks, which were infested with insects and on the way to rapid decay. The deadly crawling vermin form a lodgment under ‘the bark of the trees, and what the proprietor of the forest deplores as the destruction of his timber is caused by their ravages. Hundreds and thousands of pine-trees—many of them from two to three feet in diameter, and over a hundred and fifty feet high—are destroyed in one season by an insect, or rather by the larve of an insect not larger than a grain of rye. Large spaces covered with dead pine-trees, stripped of their bark, their branches and bare trunks bleached by the rain and the hot rays of the sun, and tumbling to ruin at every blast, present to the beholder frightful pictures of desolation. Yet preju- dice and ignorance stubbornly persist in condemning the Ivory- billed as the destroyer of property, while he is really a benefactor, as he is the constant and deadly enemy of those destructive insects. We ought to be thankful to him, as he shows us by his work where those vermin are causing a destruction in our forests. Until a more effectual preventive of the ravages of these insects is found out and applied, we ought to protect not only the Ivory-billed, but the whole tribe of Woodpeckers. Like other Woodpeckers, the Ivory-billed live usually in pairs; at least until the young are old enough to take care of themselves, and probably during life. The male and female are always seen together; the latter being distinguished by having no red crest, but with the whole head black, inclining to a greenish glass color, and by being more clamorous, less shy, yet more cautious than the male. The time of breeding begins earlier with them than with pther Woodpeckers, usually in the month of March. The nest is generally built in a live tree, and at considerable height from the ground—an ash or hagberry tree being preferred. As these birds seek retirement and shelter from the access of water during violent rain-storms, they are very particular as to the position of the tree and the ‘‘ boring” of their nest-hole. The latter is generally dug immediately under the junction of a large branch with the trunk. It is first bored for a few inches horizontally, and then downward in a direct line, sometimes only a foot, and sometimes between one and three feet deep. The difference in these depths of the nest- hole may be the result of the more or less immediate necessity under which the female may be of depositing her egg. The diam- eter of the cavity of the nest is-about eight or nine inches, and its entrance just large enough to admit the passage of the bird. Both male and female work at this excavation alternately. While the one is at work, the other will sit outside, encouraging its mate with its chatter. They never make a regular nest; but the bottom of the cavity is bowl-shaped, and covered with a few small chips, like coarse saw-dust. On this the eggs are deposited, usually five or six in number, and of a clear white color. The young can be seen, a couple of weeks before they are able to fly, creeping out of the hole, and moving about, but returning to the nest again in case of danger. The dress of the young is nearly like that of the female; but later in the fall this difference vanishes. The young males exhibit the beauty of their plumage in the next spring. After the breeding season, the old pair retire for the night to their nest-hole to sleep. The food of the Ivory-billed consists chiefly of beetles or their larvee ; but they also feed «n different kinds of berries and fruits, such as mellow persimmons or hagberries. They are particularly fond of ripe wild grapes. I have noticed them, in company with other birds, fluttering about and hanging on the vines in the manner of the Titmouse. Although the Ivory-billed is sometimes seen at work in corn-fields, on standing dry and withered trees, he never meddles with the corn, or with any field or garden fruits. If winged, he runs for the nearest tree in quick hops, and in almost a twinkling he is out of reach, climbing spirally round the trunk, uttering at each leap his ‘‘ pat, pat, pat,” to the top, and there squatting down under the protection of some branch, and keeping perfectly silent. If mortally wounded, he clings to the bark of the tree, and remains hanging there, often for hours after he is quite dead. When the hunter takes him alive and lays hold of him by the hand, he tries to use his bill in the best manner he can in his defense, often inflicting very severe wounds. On such occasions he utters a most piteous cry, not unlike that of a child. Wilson, in his account of this Woodpecker, has the following : ‘¢In looking over the accounts given of the Ivory-billed Wood- pecker by naturalists of Europe, I find it asserted that it inhabits from New Jersey to Mexico. I believe, however, that few of them are ever seen to the north of Virginia, and very few of them even in that State. The first place I observed this bird at when on my way to the South, was about twelve miles north of Wilmington, in North Carolina. There I found the bird from which my drawing was taken. This bird was only wounded slightly in the wing, and on being caught, uttered a loudly reiterated, and most piteous note, exactly resembling the violent crying of a young child; which ter- rified my horse so as nearly to have cost me my life. It was dis- tressing to hear it. I carried it with me, in the chair, under cover to Wilmington. In passing through the streets, its affecting cries surprised every one within hearing, particularly the females, who hurried to the doors and windows with looks of alarm and anxiety. I drove on, and, on arriving at the piazza of the hotel where I intended to put up, the landlord came forward, and a number of other persons who happened to be there, all equally alarmed at what they heard. This was greatly increased by my asking whether he could furnish me with accommodations for myself and my baby. The man looked blank and foolish, while the others stared with still greater astonishment. After diverting myself for a minute or two at their expense, I drew my Woodpecker from under the cover, and a general laugh took place. I took him up stairs and locked him up in my room, while I went to see my horse taken care of. In less than an hour I returned, and on opening the door, he set up the same distressing shout, which now appeared to proceed from grief that he had been discovered in his attempts at escape. He had mounted along the side of the window, nearly as high as the ceiling, a little below which he had begun to break through. The bed was covered with large pieces of plaster; the lath was exposed for at least fifteen inches square, and a hole, large enough to admit the fist, opened to the weatherboards; so that, in less than another hour, he would certainly have succeeded in making his way through. I now tied a string around his leg, and, fastening it to the table, again left him. I wished to preserve his life, and had gone off in search of suitable food for him. As IJ DOWNY WOODPECKER. 271 Sr a Be ee ee eS eee a ee ee reascended the stairs I heard him again hard at work, and, on en- tering, had the mortification to perceive that he had almost entirely ruined the mahogany table to which he was fastened, and on which he had wreaked his whole vengeance. While engaged in taking the drawing, he cut me severely in several places, and on the whole displayed such a noble and unconquerable spirit, that I was fre- quently tempted to restore him to his native woods. He lived with me nearly three days, but refused all sustenance, and I witnessed his death with regret.” The Downy Woodpecker. (Picus Pubescens.) Fig. 2. This really beautiful little Woodpecker is, in several of the West- ern States, called the Sapsucker, perhaps from his habit of boring several rows of holes around a tree, one above another, at almost regular distances apart. The question might be asked for what purpose should he bore through the apparently healthy bark of a tree, if not in order to obtain the sap. But the little bird knows better for what purpose he does the work, as whenever he is seen so engaged, we may rest assured that there is a grub-worm under the bark, and the whole story of his sap-seeking is a mere figment of the imagination. If he were seeking sap, he would certainly prefer the juicy maple or birch to any other tree; but these are seldom, or never, attacked by him, because there are hardly ever any worms to be found under their rind. Familiarity, diligence, perseverance, and a surprising strength and energy in the head and neck, are the principal characteristics of this frolicsome little bird. He may be seen sometimes for half an hour at the same spot on an infested branch of an old apple-tree, working incessantly until he succeeds in dislodging and destroying the destructive brood of insects sheltered in the crevices between the bark and the wood. When he is so engaged, you may approach him pretty close, and stand within a few feet of him, directly under the tree where he is working, without embarrassing him in the least. Sometimes he will spend two hours on the same tree, all the time at work, while the powerful and rapid strokes of his bill can be distinctly heard at the distance of several yards. His favorite haunts are the woods on the borders of streams, for- ests, or single groves; but he is also often found, especially in fall and winter, in our orchards and gardens. During the summer he keeps company only with his own kind, and moves about in a com- paratively small district; but in the fall and winter, he is generally found in company with other birds, as the Titmouse, Nuthatch, Creeper, and Golden-crested Wren. In both his wood and orchard excursions, he usually leads the van; but he is never much inclined to be amiable toward his companions of other kinds, nor does he take any notice of them, a disposition that seems to be the result of a mere desire for food. He will, for the same reason, come to the spot, when, by beating on a dry limb, you have imitated his drumming. This desire for food will make him believe that another of his kind, whom he is not much inclined to favor, has had better luck than he. In his ramblings he avoids, like the Hairy Woodpecker, flying across open plains, and as the sole object of his ramblings is to find more plentiful food, he does not regard roundabout ways. He is very lively, always in motion, and seemingly always in a hurry to get through with what he is engaged in, and contributes, by this and his thin but shrill voice, ‘‘krick, krick, krick,” or ‘‘ tick, tick, tick,” a great deal to enliven the forest, especially a dark pine-forest, in the most pleasant man- ner. His flight is by starts, swift and whirring, but not far extended. When seen on the ground, which seldom happens, he performs his hopping with great care. He prefers to sit on the highest branches of a tree, uttering his lively ‘‘krick, krick, krick,” which he frequently repeats. When he flies off, or alights on another tree, he utters a rather shriller cry, consisting of the same notes, quickly reiterated. For the night’s rest he retires to a hollow tree, and conceals himself also in such a place when he is wounded. It is very amusing to observe this Woodpecker at the time of mating. At that time he is peculiarly lively, and usually two males are seen paying court to one female, both flying very often above the tree, and chasing each other around it. If one gets tired of flying about, he suddenly lights on some dry withered branch, and commences drumming for spite. Then the other male begins the same operation, and this they keep up sometimes for hours. As soon as one of them observes the female, who is never far off, he leaves his place, flying toward her, and these two chase each other round and round, uttering a strong ‘‘kack, kack, kack,” or ‘¢krick, krick, krick.” As soon as the other male hears this he appears on the scene, and the two males now chase the female, or engage in a fight with each other. This amusement lasts till about seven or eight o’clock in the evening, and is kept-up till one of¢ them has become victorious in driving the other entirely away. In making his nest-hole, this Woodpecker seems to be rather at a loss how to proceed. He begins a great many excavations before he finishes one, and always prefers to find, if possible, a hole in which either he or some of his kindred have already reared their young. About the middle of May the male and female begin to look out for a suitable place for their eggs and young. Some tree—generally an apple, pear, or cherry tree, often in the neigh- borhood of a farm-house—is usually selected for this purpose. For several days previous to beginning the operation of digging the hole, the tree is minutely examined, and then the digging is com- menced by the male, who excavates a circular opening, so per- fectly circular that it seems as if it must have been marked out with a pair of compasses. Afler he has wrought for a time, and become tired, he is relieved by the female, and so both continue the work with indefatigable diligence. The direction of the hole, if in the trunk of a tree, is usually downward, in an oblique direction, for a few inches, and then straight down for about eight or ten inches more. Within it is roomy, capacious, and as smooth as if it were made by a cabinet-maker. The entrance is just large enough to admit the passage of the owners. The chips are carried out to some distance, so as to conceal all traces of the nest. The opera- tion of preparing the nest-hole occupies sometimes a whole week, sometimes less. The female, before beginning to lay, visits the hole often, minutely examining both the interior and exterior before taking possession. As in the case of all Woodpeckers, there is no regular nest; but a few fine sawdust-like chips are left at the bottom of ‘the hole as a substitute for a nest, and on these the female lays, toward the latter part of May, generally six eggs, of a pure white color. The male frequently supplies the female with food while she is sitting. The young begin to make their appearance in the latter part of June, when they may be seen leaving the hole, making their way up the tree, and already climbing with great dexterity. The little House Wren, who also builds his nests in hollows in trees or cracks in walls, and who is, on account of the formation of his bill, unable to build a nest-hole for himself, often drives the Downy out of his home by the most violent attacks, and, after succeeding, builds his nest in the ill-gotten premises. The food of this species of Woodpecker, as with all other Wood- peckers, consists chiefly of insects and their larvae. Besides these, he regales himself with different kinds of fruits and berries; but his principal food is a kind of beetle that lays its eggs in cracks in the bark of trees, its larve working or boring long and winding burrows under the bark close to the wood. In order to reach these, our little Woodpecker works very hard, and on pine-trees he strips off the bark in large quantities; but he never strips it off from a healthy pine-tree, and only from such as he is sure are infested with grub-worms. He destroys an immense number of caterpillars, which he uses as food for his young. He has also this peculiarity, like others of this goup of birds, that, when he has hammered or drummed on a dead limb, he will, on a sudden, run to the opposite side to look after beetles or worms, which he may have started, and 28 AMERICAN QUAIL OR PARTRIDGE. which -in their turn, being aware of the close proximity of their deadliest enemy, try to save themselves by running away. Farm- ers and proprietors of orchards should not regard the Downy Wood- pecker as a destroyer of their fruit-trees, but bestow on him a special protection, as it is certain that he picks out of fruit-trees myriads of insects or their offspring. I have observed that just such trees as had his marks or bored holes in the bark, and especially such as had the trunk on all sides marked with his holes, so that they appeared as if loads of buckshot had been fired into them from all sides, had the healthiest and thriftiest appearance of all the trees in the orchard. I also noticed that such trees were not only the heav- iest laden with fruit, but that the fruit was of a better quality. In the months of September, October, and November, these Wood- peckers are seen indefatigably engaged in orchards, probing every crack and crevice, and boring through the bark in quest of the larves and eggs of the summer insects, chiefly so on the south and southwestern sides, the warmer sides of the tree. Of these larve or eggs he destroys countless numbers, that would otherwise give birth to myriads of their race in the succeeding summer, preying upon the very vitals of the tree, and destroying not only the fruit crop, but the very tree itself. The smaller birds of the Hawk tribe are the enemies of the Downy Woodpeckers, and many of these fall a prey to the former ; but the Downies generally escape’ their enemies by their skill in running around the tree, or by concealing themselves in cracks or holes. Their young are often destroyed by weasels or squirrels, and the latter, when they approach the nest, are attacked with lamentable outcries, for the Downy loves his young most tenderly, notwithstanding their ugly, unwieldy, and shapeless forms, and even feed them long after they are full fledged and flying about. The Downy Woodpeckers are easily kept in cages, and become soon accustomed to the artificial food given them in addition to dif- ferent seeds, fruits, and berries. They are very amusing, always living on the best terms with other small tenants of the same cage. Their cage must be rather high, and have a small trunk on which they can climb, and have a chance for boring and hammering. They must not be exposed to strong currents of air, which invariably kill them. The female is distinguished from the male in outward appearance, by having no red on the hind head, that part being white and her breast and belly being of a more dirty white color. PLATE XXVII. American Quail or Partridge. (Ortyx Virginianus.) The Quail inhabits this continent as far as Nova Scotia. Its limit on the east is the Atlantic ocean, on the south the Gulf of Mexico, andon the west the Rocky Mountains. It is also found on some of the islands of the Gulf, in the warmer parts of North America. The Quail is a regular resident, but in the northern or colder portions it performs regular annual excursions toward the South on the approach of severe frosts, and these excursions some- times assume the character of migrations. This explains why in some places Quails are sometimes found in incredibly great num- bers where they have been seldom seen before. The Quail prefers open fields, interspersed with brushwood or grass edges, and similar places, for protection. They are occasion- ally found in the heart of a dense forest. During the night they retire to a sheltered place on some grassy plain, or to the weedy borders of the woods, where they cluster close together. They are also found roosting on trees during the night, but this appears to be the case only exceptionally. During the day they perch on trees, and very often, when alarmed or chased by dogs, they fly to the trees and alight on the middle branches. On such occa- sions they may be seen to walk and run on the branches with perfect ease. Theyrun on the ground with great dexterity and considerable elegance. Their flight is steady and rather swift, accompanied, especially at the start, with a loud whirring sound—perhaps occa- sioned by the shortness, concavity, and rapid motions of the wings when frightened. When flying off without being frightened, this whirring sound is only just perceptible. The voice of this bird consists of two sounds, resembling the words ‘‘ Bob White,” or ‘‘ Bob, Bob White,” sometimes uttered with an introductory bird- note, and very often repeated. ‘The expression of tenderness is a soft twittering sound; when frightened, it is a lamentable whistling. Quails live together in coveys or flocks from summer through the winter; but as soon as the spring opens the coveys separate, and each male chases and wins his female, but often only after hard fighting. They now begin to look out for a suitable habita- tion, and this makes the scene at that time very lively, for the ex- citement of the male is not only expressed by continuous cries, but by fighting with other males. Toward evening they may be seen on the fences, usually on the top of the posts or poles, trying to make themselves conspicuous, and, by their loud calling, to induce other males to approach them for a fight. After the fight they re- turn to their high seats. Later, but seldom before the first of May, the female begins to build the nest. The place for the nest is chosen with great caution, and is usually hollowed out in a tussock of grass or weeds. It is curiously formed of grass-stalks and leaves, and is usually deep enough to admit the entire body of the sitting bird. As the surrounding grass grows more and more, it covers and shields the nest from intrusion, forming sometimes on that side, where the female passes in and out, a regular archway. The eggs are roundish, the shells being thin and of a clear white color, though sometimes a little dotted with clay-colored or yellowish specks. The number of eggs varies, being sometimes twelve, sometimes twenty, and even more. Both male and female sit alternately ; but, besides, the male sits as awatch. After about twenty-three days the handsome young birds break the shell and make their appearance. They are covered with a close down of a rufous color, streaked above longitudinally with buff and dark brown. The lower part, with the exception of the throat, which is yellowish, is of a grayish color. The young are able to run about as soon as they are out of the shell, but usually remain in the nest for some time. Both parents take care of them, and lead them about; both squat down to receive them, when cold or tired, under their bodies and wings. In such case the head of one parent-bird is usually turned in the direction opposite to that of the other, and, in this position, they warm their numerous brood. When the family runs about, the male, true to his office as senti- nel, can be seen running ahead of them, while the female follows in the rear, at some distance off. The male strides along with a haughty step, turning his head from side to side, and eying every- thing about him. Should any other bird come in his way it alarms him, and the stranger is regarded as an enemy. If he thinks he can conquer the newcomer, he attacks him and drives him off, feeling himself bound to keep the road clear. It is very interest- ing to see such a family of Quails. In cases of real danger, the male parent exposes himself to the enemy, while the mother-bird leads the young off, as quickly as possible, to a place of safety. In case she should be deprived of her mate, the young squat dowt in the grass, or find, in the low ground, some small cavity or other suitable place for concealment, while the mother tries to mislead the enemy by feigning lameness, but always managing to elude the grasp of theenemy. After she has coaxed, in this manner, the real or supposed foe to some distance away, and the young have run oft to a safe hiding-place, on a sudden she rises and flies in a direction opposite to the place where her young are concealed. After all dan- ger is over, she returns and calls her brood together again. In about three weeks the young are able to fly, and this, of course, diminishes the dangers that threaten them; for then, on the ap- proach of an enemy, the whole family rise, and each of the young tries to reach a place of safety as soon as possible, while the parent- PY XXVIL AMERICAN QUAIL OR PARTRIDGE. 29 a a re ae Uae LE eR ES ar ee birds resort to their various tricks of deception. But later, when the power of flight is more fully developed in the young, they all, including the parents, fly to the trees, if any are near, and conceal themselves in the branches. During summer, Quails subsist chiefly on insects and different vegetable matter, and also on grain. In the fall the latter, espe- cially Indian corn, forms their principal food. In summer, old and young lead a gay life, without any special cares; but, as soon as winter begins, they often experience bitter want, and this fre- quently causes them to wander to more southern regions. Many of them perish on such wanderings, as they are constantly exposed to enemies, man especially using all his skill to secure this deli- cious game. In the month of October, Quails settle in great num- bers on the banks of the larger rivers, enlivening the woody shores and crossing daily from one side of the stream to the other. Later they appear on the roads, searching in the manure of horses for food. But when deep snow covers the road, they are driven by hunger to the neighborhood of the settlements, and even to farm- yards, where they mix with the poultry and are satisfied to pick up the crumbs they may by chancefind. If the inmates of a farm- house treat them with hospitality, they will remain in the neigh- borhood, and their confidence will continue to grow so that some- times single ones become more than half-domesticated. Our Quail is wonderfully adapted for domestication, and for be- coming acclimated in other countries. Captive Quails, which at the beginning were treated with a little care, soon got reconciled to their confinement, losing all their natural shyness, and getting used, in a very short time, to the hand that fed them; but such as are raised from birds already tamed become far more easily domes- ticated. It is said that, in New England, eggs of the Quail have been sometimes placed in the nests of domestic hens, and were | hatched together with the hen’s eggs. At first the young Quails behaved like the chickens, coming at the call of the hen, and en- tering the farm-yard and buildings; but later their wild nature got the upper hand, and they invariably flew away. In a case that came under our notice, fifteen eggs were placed in the nest of the sitting hen, of which fourteen were hatched. The hen was put in a box with laths nailed in front, so that she could not leave the box and roam about with the young Quails; but these could run in and out as they pleased. They acted precisely as young chickens, obeying the call of the hen until nearly full grown, when, instead of going into the cage at night, they formed a close cluster outside and in front of it, and so spent the night—in regular Quail-like style. Attempts were made to get them to go to the roost with the hens, which were surprisingly successful; but when the winter was over, and the days began to grow warmer, the young Quails divided off into pairs, and one pair after another took to the fields, never to return. At one time, a boy brought me a pair of Quails, a male and fe- male, which he had caught in a trap. It was in the latter part of February. I made a large inclosure for them in my garden, about eight feet long by four wide and about four feet high. It was made of common lath. About the middle of May, the female made aregular nest and began to lay. After she had laid eighteen eggs, she commenced sitting, the male pretty regularly relieving her. On the twenty-third day, I observed the heads of some young ones peeping out under the breast-feathers of the hen. The next day, on coming to the inclosure, I found the hen had left the nest with her eighteen young ones following her. Every egg was hatched. At first, the young appeared more shy than com- mon chickens are; but, as they were never suffered to be scared, they soon became quite familiar with me, the old as well as the young ones. When I attempted to put my hand under the mother bird, she became quite infuriated and bit my hand as well as she could. The young remained with the parents through the winter, and when spring came, I took the old pair and all the young ex- cept two pairs, and liberated them. I had expected some of them would return, attracted perhaps by the loud ‘* bob, bob white” of the two pairs that were kept in the same old place, but not one of them everreturned. In due time my Quails began to mate and build nests; but it seems they became somewhat confused, and ~ laid their eggs in one and the same nests, while the males kept up almost incessant fights with each other. To stop this, one pair was removed ; the consequence was that they abandoned the nest and eggs. I removed nest and eggs, and about three weeks after, the female began to build a new nest, but in the meantime she dropped several more eggs onthe ground. After she had laid her full com- plement, she began to sit and hatched her young. For many a year I raised my young Quails without any trouble. They roamed about the yard like other poultry, and did not seem inclined to run away. Alexander Wilson has the following: ‘* The Partridge has some- times been employed to hatch the eggs of the common domestic hen. A friend of mine, who himself made the experiment, in- forms me, that of several hens’ eggs which he substituted in place of those of the Partridge, he brought out the whole; and that for several weeks he surprised her in various parts of the plantation with her brood of chickens, on which occasions she exhibited all that distrustful alarm, and practiced her usual maneuvers for their preservation. Even after they were considerably grown and larger than the Partridge herself, she continued to lead them about; but, though their notes or call were those of common chickens, their manners had all the shyness, timidity, and alarm of young Partridges, running with great rapidity and squatting in the grass exactly in the manner of the Partridge. Soon after this they dis- appeared, having probably been destroyed by dogs, by the gun, or by birds of prey. Whether the domestic fowl might not by this method be very soon brought back to its original savage state, and thereby supply another additional subject for the amusement of the sportsman, will scarcely admit of a doubt. But the experiment, in order to secure its success, would require to be made in a quarter of the country less exposed than ours to the ravages of guns, traps, dogs, and the deep snows of winter, that the new tribe might have full time to become completely naturalized and well fixed in their native habits.” Hunting the Quail affords much amusement to our sportsmen, but requires no little skill. When these birds can nat escape by run- ning away, they squat, and in case of extreme danger one will spring up here and another yonder at the same time, and usually close before the feet of the sportsman, who must be a good marks- man in order to bring down one or two of these quickly flying birds. ‘The hunting becomes more difficult after the Quails have reached the woods, as they then take to the trees, where no dog can find them by the scent, and the disappointed hunter can seldom see one of them, but only hear now and then their loud whir when they fly off in the opposite direction. If the sportsman, however, understands how to imitate their call, he may be more successful, as they invariably answer the call. The male may be considered a beautiful bird, although the color- ing of his plumage is not gay. All the feathers of the upper part are reddish brown, spotted and dotted with black, and banded and seamed with a yellowish hue. Those of the lower or under side are yellowish white, streaked longitudinally with reddish brown — penciled with black. A white band, beginning on the front, runs over the eye toward the hind part of the neck. The throat is snowy white and circled with a band of black, which begins be- fore the eye, near the corner of the mouth. The white line over the eye is also banded with black, while the sides of the neck are beautifully marked with black, white, and red-brown spots. The predominant color of the upper wing-coverts are reddish brown; primaries are dark brown, their outer vane having bluish seams. The secondaries are irregularly banded with saffron; the tail feathers are sprinkled with grayish blue, with the exceptiou of the two middle ones, which are yellowish gray sprinkled with black, and the feathers of the breast have a kind of vinaceous gloss. The eye is hazel, the bill ~rown, and the legs grayish. ‘The female is ~is- 380 YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO—CRESTED TITMOUSE. . tinguished from the male by a duller coloring of the plumage, es- pecially by the color of the throat, which, as well as the line over: the eye, is, in her, of a loam-yellow color. The young of the first year resemble the female in color and markings, but can be easily distinguished by having their colors or markings more or less in- distinct. ‘The wing from its bend to its tip is four and a half inches, and the tail two and a half inches long. PLATE XXVIII. The. Yellow-billed Cuckoo. (Coceygus Americanus.) Fig. 1. The Yellow-billed Cuckoo is also called the Caw Crow and Rain Crow. The latter name is probably given it on account of its being most noisy just before or after a shower of rain. The name Caw Crow it takes fromthe peculiar sound of its voice, which strongly resembles the words ‘‘ caw, caw, caw.” These it utters at first slowly, increasing in rapidity until they ‘seem to run into each other. Itis difficult to see the bird when he utters his “‘* caw, caw, caw,” as he sits at such times perfectly still, the sound seeming to - come from a great distance. This Cuckoo is a solitary bird, but not very shy. He makes his appearance in Ohio, from the South, in the latter part of April, but more regularly at the begin- ning of May, and retires, after raising his young, about the mid- dle of September, frequenting in the meantime the borders of sol- itary swamps, hedges, or apple-orchards. The European Cuckoo (Cuculus Canorus) never constructs its own nest or rears its own young, but simply drops its eggs into the nests of other birds, leav- ing to others the task of hatching and bringing up the young Cuckoos. It always drops but one egg into one and the same nest. This practice has caused the whole tribe of Cuckoos to be stigmatized as destitute of all parental affection. In truth, our Yellow-billed Cuckoo is not entirely clear of this charge, though, as a rule, it builds its own nest, hatches its own eggs, and rears its own young; yet sometimes an egg or a young one of this spe- cies is found in the nest of another, as in that of a Robin Red- breast or of a Brown Thrush. These birds which have to raise the strange foundling, seem to be very fond of it, and bestow as much parental care on it as on their own offspring. The Yellow-billed Cuckoo is nowhere rare, and for those well- acquainted with its habits, it is not difficult to observe the bird. The pairs generally settle in the dense forests, but single ones are fre- quently found in the immediate neighborhood of human _habita- tions, chiefly in orchards, where they make themselves conspicuous by their guttural ‘‘ caw, caw, caw,” which they utter almost in- cessantly for hours, especially on damp, warm days, and sometimes during the night. This Cuckoo is a regular slipper, but in no- wise a runner. Among tlie branches of trees he moves like a Titmouse with the greatest ease, seldom coming to the ground, and, if he does so for a change, he moves about in an exceedingly awk- ward manner, elevating his long tail high in the air. His flight is swift and noiseless, rarely far extended, being interrupted by the first tree. He seems to feel safer in the closely leaved crowns of trees, and therefore does not like to expose himself by continuous flight. While passing among the branches on a foraging tour, he sometimes shows his upper and sometimes his under side. His food consists of insects and fruits, such as butterflies, grasshoppers, caterpillars, etc., and in the autumn, different kinds of berries. There is a strong suspicion against him that he plunders the nests of other small birds; but although I have often closely watched him, I have never caught him committing such an outrage. Itisa very remarkable fact of this bird that the female begins to sit as soon as she has laid her first egg, and the consequence is that the ‘of small fruits and berries. young appear irregularly one after another, so that in the same nest may sometimes be found eggs and half-fledged and full- fledged young ones. This Cuckoo begins to pair in the early part of May. . This process is usually celebrated by obstinate battles among the males. Soon after pairing, they begin to build their nests. The nest is commonly placed among the horizontal branches of an apple-tree; sometimes on a thorn, cedar, or other bush, usually in a retired part of the wood. The nest is artlessly con- structed, and has hardly any cavity at all. It is composed of fine sticks and twigs, intermixed with weeds and fibers, and usually with blossoms of the maple-tree. The eggs are generally four, sometimes but three, and occasionally five. They are of a greenish- blue color, and of a size proportioned to the size of the bird. The male is usually near while the female is sitting, and gives the alarm when an enemy approaches. While the female is sitting, you can almost reach her with your hand; but then she will sud- denly precipitate herself to the ground, feigning lameness, fiutter- ing, trailing her wings—in fact, she will use all the tricks that some other birds practice, as Quails, Woodcocks, and several others. Both parents provide the food for the young. Notwithstanding his plain colors, the Yellow-billed Cuckoo is a very handsome bird and of a fine shape. His whole upperparts are of a dark glossy-drab, or of what we may call a Quaker hue, with some greenish silken reflections; to this the inner vanes of the wing-feathers are exceptions, these being of a red- dish cinnamon color. The tail is long, and usually consists of ten feathers, sometimes of twelve—the two middle ones being longest, and of the same drab color as the back, though a little darker toward the tip; the others, which gradually shorten to the outer ones, are black, largely,tipped with white; the two outer feathers are hardly half as long as the middle ones. The whole lower parts are white, excepting those of the fore part of the breast and neck, which incline somewhat to a bluish-gray. The feathers . covering the thighs are prolonged like those of the Hawk tribe. The legs and feet are of a light-blue color; there are four toes, two placed forward and two behind, as in all other Cuckoo birds. The bill is rather long 1% proportion to the size of the bird, very broad at the base and a little bent; it is of a dusky-brown color above and yellow below. The color of the iris is hazel, and the feathers reach close to the eyelid, which is yellow. ‘The female differs but little from the male, except that the four middle feathers of the tail are of that drab color and the white on her is not so pure, while the grayish on the fore breast is darker and further extended. The Yellow-billed Cuckoo is entitled to protection, as he destroys innumerable obnoxious larve and insects, and is thus a benefactor to the farmer and gardener. ‘Whe inner membrane of the gizzard, which in many other species is very hard and muscular, is in this bird soft and lax, and therefore capable of great extension. It is covered with a growth of fine hair of a fawn color, and is perhaps intended by nature as a protection against the irritating effect, which would otherwise be produced by swallowing hair-covered caterpillars. The Crested Titmouse. (Lophophanes bicolor.) Fig. 2. This noisy bird often associates with the Black-capped Tit- mouse, but is more suspicious and less active. Its notes are more musical, and there is more variety in its tones. At times its voice is not louder than the squeaking of a mouse, while at other times the sounds are loud and clear, resembling the whistling for a dog. It often keeps up its whistling for more than half an hour at a time, while its high-pointed crest gives it a neat and elegant appearance. Its food consists of all kinds of insects and their ees as well as As the muscles of its neck possess considerable strength, it digs almost continually into acorns, nuts, PI. XXVIII - crevasses, and rotten bark, without the least fatigue, searching out insects or their eggs or larvae. This species inhabits almost the whole of North America. In the United States it is more numerous in the Middle and Western than in the Soxthern States. It has been noticed, in mild winters, in the southern part of Ohio. On the approach of cold, frosty weather it generally migrates toward the South. If this bird is taken hold of, by the hand, when winged, it will fight dexterously and with great spirit. In confinement, it easily becomes recon- ciJed and familiar, and will subsist on hemp-seed, cherry-kernels, apple-seeds, and the kernels of broken hickory-nuts; but it re- quires a cage made altogether of wire, as it will chip its way, in true Woodpecker style, through the wooden part of ordinary cages. The whole upper parts of the Crested Titmouse are of a dark cinereous or lead color, except the front, which is black, tinged with reddish. The whole lower parts are of a dirty white, except- ing the sides under the wings, which are of a reddish-brown color. The legs and feet are light blue; the bill black, short, and pretty strong. The wing-feathers are relieved with a dusky hue on the inner vane. The eyes are dark hazel, and the lores white. The head is, as already remarked, ornamented with a high crest, pointed, and almost upright. The tail is somewhat forked, and considerably concave below, and of the same color above as the back. ‘The tips of the wings are dusky ; the tongue is very short, truncated, and ends in three—sometimes four—sharp points. The female can not be distinguished from the male by the plumage. Both male and female have the same markings, as well as the red- dish brown on the sides under the wings. The nest is built in the hollow of atree. The cavity is often dug by itself, and the nest consists of some dry fibrous roots of grass, the cast-off exuviz of snakes, horse-hair, and féathers inside. The female begins to lay early in May. The eggs, usually five or six in number, are of a pure white, with a few small reddish spots on -the larger end. The whole family may be seen, in the month of July, hunting to- gether, the parent birds keeping up a continual chatter—perhaps to encourage and direct their inexperienced brood. The Cardinal Grosbeak. (Cardinalis Virgintanus.) Fig. 3, Male. Fig. 4, Female. This elegant bird, in his bridal dress, is beautifully but uniformly colored. His soft and slightly glossy plumage is very even dark red—highest in the head and breast. ‘The face and throat are deep black. The inner veins of the quill-feathers are light brown, the shafts dark brown, and the bill of a coral-red color. The iris of the eye is dark hazel, and the feet brownish gray. The plumage of the female is lighter colored and less red, with a more reddish hue predominant. The head and crest are red, but the back is brownish, and the breast of a dull loam. color. The front or face and throat are not black, but of a dark ash color or gray. The bill is also a little lighter coral-red. The Cardinal is a common bird in the Southern States, and is found in great numbers in the Middle and Western States. When the winters are mild, he remains in the Middle aud Western States all the year round, but in severe winters wanders toward the South. _ He is a very pleasing bird, and, by his splendid colors, is an orna- - ment to the forest, especially in winter, when his beautifully red color contrasts finely with the dull appearance of the leafless trees. In day:ime he loves to roam about in shrubbery interwoven with briers and other winding plants. From such places he makes his excursions to the neighboring fields and gardens, if the forests fail to yield him sufficient food. He is just as often met with in the nighborhood of cities as in the depths of the most solitary forests. In the Southern States, he is sometimes seen in the interior cities and villages, and it is seldom that one can step into a garden in those States without seeing the ‘‘ Redbird” slipping through the bushes. Wherever he is, he is welcome, for he is a pet with every- * in every direction. CARDINAL GROSBEAK. 31 body—his beautiful plumage, his rich song, and melodious whis- tling giving him a ready introduction everywhere. During the summer, the Cardinal is only found in pairs, but in fall and winter he is to be seen in small societies. He lives in harmony with most of the smaller birds, but not so with birds of his own kindred, especially during the mating and breeding season. When he remains during the winter, he often comes to the farm- yard, hopping around with Sparrows, Pigeons, Snow-birds, and Buntings, and picking up seeds, examining the hedges of gardens and fields for such food. With his strong and thick bill he skill- fully cracks the hard corn or husks out of the kernels of oats, and grinds the grain of wheat, and is therefore pretty certain to find subsistence during winter. He takes his nights’ rest in a neigh- boring hay-stack or a well-sheltered tree, and so manages to out- live the otherwise fatal winter. He is a restless bird, remaining only a few minutes in the same place, but flying or hopping about On the ground he hops tolerably well, but among the branches he moves skillfully and with perfect ease. His flight is by starts, rather hard and quick, as well as noisy, but usually not far extended. In severe winters the Cardinal emi- grates, as already stated, roaming about the country, but with the beginning of March returning to his old habitation. He performs his journeys, as one might say, on foot, at least for a great part of the distance, as he hops and skips from bush to bush and from forest to forest, until he arrives at his destination. As with many other birds, the male Cardinal appears a few days earlier than the female. Soon after their arrival, they begin to mate, and the males, inspired with jealousy, commence fighting each other. They are so quarrelsome that they ferociously attack any in- truder, whom they will follow from bushto bush, sometimes fighting him in the air, but never giving him any rest until he is successfully driven out of their view. They then return to their former place, expressing their joy with a loud and quavering song. The strongest attachment is found between the male and female. Their resting-place is a bush, a tree in the neighborhood of the farm, or in the midst of a field, on the border or in the middle of a forest. The woody borders of rivers seem to be the favorite place for building their nests. ‘The nest is often found in the immediate neighborhood of a farm, and in many instances only a few yards from that of the Mocking-bird. The nest consists of dry leaves and fine branches, especially some thorny branches, interwoven with stalks. The lining inside is made of fine dry grass. The full complement of eggs is from four to six. The color of them is a dirty white, spinkled all over with olive-brown spots; but it is curious that scarcely ever two eggs are found alike in the nest, but that they all differ in coloring as well as in their marking. In the Middle and Western States, the Cardinal breeds but once in aseason ; in the Southern States, twice regularly, and sometimes three times. The young, after they are full fledged, are fed a few days more by their parents and then left to take care of themselves. Several kinds of grains, seeds, berries, and perhaps insects serve them as food. In the spring, they live on the flowers of the maple; in summer, on elder and other berries ; in fall, grain and corn, and in winter, whatever they can obtain. The Cardinal Grosbeak may be ranked among the best singing- birds of this continent. His notes are clear and loud, resembling the notes of a flageoletto at first, and gradually declining until they appear as a mere whisper. During the season of love-making they give free play to their most powerful notes. Being conscious of his great power he swells his throat and breast, spreads his tail, flaps his wings, turning alternately his head to the right and left, so as to make known to others his own ecstasy at the melodious beauty of his voice. These notes and gestures are frequently repeated, the bird during the time pausing only to take breath. The beautiful tunes of the Cardinal can be heard long before sunrise. During the heat of the day heis silent, but as soon as the heat begins to pass off, he renews his song with more vigor apparently than in the morn- ing, and does not cease until surrounded by the shades of night. 32 PASSENGER PIGEON. ee _D $$$ He seems to sing forhis own amusement. As soon as he suspects that he is being observed, he will stop altogether or utter a call re- sembling somewhat the words ‘‘ dihu, dui, dui, dui, dui, dui, dui, dui, dui.” When alarmed, he will utter a short ‘‘ zip” or ‘* tip.” The Cardinal Grosbeak is easily kept in cages, and is satisfied with the simplest kinds of grain. He is a hardy bird, and may be brought to breeding in captivity by giving him more freedom in a large room. It will never do to place him in a room or cage with other birds, as it appears impossible for him to keep peace with them. PLATE XXIX. The Passenger Pigeon. (2ctopistes migratorius.) The Passenger Pigeon, or, as it is commonly called, the ‘* Wild Pigeon,” are the gypsies among birds. ‘They are everywhere and nowhere. From Hudson’s Bay down to the Gulf of Mexico, and from the Rocky Mountains to the eastern coast, and in all the States of North America, is found the Passenger Pigeon—at no time in equal numbers, generally more in number in the Eastern and Middle than in the Northern and Southern States. Audubon and, before him, Wilson relate the most wonderful stories concerning the numbers of these Pigeons during their wanderings. We quote from Audubon as follows : ‘‘ Their great power of flight enables them to survey and pass over an astonishing extent of country in a very short time. Thus, Pigeons have been killed in the neighborhood of New York with their crops full of rice, which they must have collected in the fields of Georgia and Carolina; these districts being the nearest in which they could possibly have procured a supply of food As their power of digestion is so great, that they will decompose food entirely in twelve hours, they must, in this case, have traveled between three and four hundred miles in six hours, which shows their speed to be, at an average, about one mile ina minute. A velocity such as this, would enable one of these birds, were it so inclined, to visit the European continent in less than three days.” ‘¢In the autumn of 1813, I left my house at Henderson, on the banks of the Ohio, on my way to Louisville. In passing over the barrens, a few miles beyond Hardinsburgh, I observed the Pigeons flying from northeast to southwest in greater numbers than I thought I had ever seen them before. I traveled on, and still met more the farther I proceeded. The air was literally filled with Pigeons. The light of the noonday was obscured as by an eclipse. The dung fell in spots not unlike melting flakes of snow; and the con- tinued buzz of the wings had a tendency to lull my senses to re- pose. «¢ Before sunset I reached Louisville, distant from Hardinsburgh fifty-five miles. The Pigeons were still passing in undiminished numbers, and continued to do so for three days in succession. The people were all in arms. The banks of the Ohio were crowded with men and boys, incessantly shooting at the pilgrims, which there flew lower as they passed the river. Multitudes were thus destroyed. For a week or more, the population fed on no other flesh than that of Pigeons. The atmosphere was, during this time, strongly impregnated with the peculiar odor which emanates from the species.” In estimating the number of these mighty flocks, and the food consumed by them daily, he adds: ‘*Let us take a column of one mile in breadth, which is far below the average size, and suppose it passing over us at the rate of one mile per minute. This will give us a parallelogram of 180 miles by one, cov- ering 180 square miles; and allowing two Pigeons to the square yard, we have one billion one hundred and fifteen millions one hundred and thirty-six thousand Pigeons in one flock; and as every Pigeon consumes daily fully half a pint, the quantity re- quired to feed such a flock, must be eight millions seven hundred and twelve thousand bushels per day.” «¢ Let us now, kind reader, inspect their place of nightly rendez- vous: It was, as is always the case, in a portion of the forest where the trees were of great magnitude, and where there was little underwood. I rode through it upward of forty miles, and, crossing it at different parts, found its average breadth to be rather more than three miles. Few Pigeons were to be seen before sunset ; but a great number of persons, with horses and wagons, guns and ammunition, had already established encampments on the borders. Two farmers from the vicinity of Russellsville, distant more than a hundred miles, had driven upward of three hundred hogs, to be fattened on the Pigeons which were to be slaughtered. Here and there, the people employed in plucking and salting what had al- ready been procured, were seen sitting in the midst of large piles of these birds. The dung lay several inches deep, covering the whole extent of the roosting-place, like a bed of snow. Many trees, two feet in diameter, I observed were broken off at no great distance from the ground; and the branches of many of the largest and tallest had given way as if the forest had been swept by a tornado. Everything proved to me that the number of birds re- sorting to this part of the forest, must be immense beyond concep- tion. As the period of their arrival approached, their foes anxiously prepared to seize them. Some were furnished with iron pots con- taining sulphur, others with torches of pine-knots, many with poles, and the rest with guns. The sun was lost to our view. yet not a Pigeon had arrived. Everything was ready, and all eyes were gazing on the clear sky, which appeared in glimpses amidst the tall trees. Suddenly there burst forth a general cry of ‘Here they come!’ The noise which they made, though yet dis- tant, reminded me of a hard gale at sea, passing through the rig- ging of a close-reefed vessel. As the birds arrived and passed over me, I felt a current of air that surprised me. Thousands were soon knocked down by polemen. The current of birds, how- ever, still kept increasing. The fires were lighted, and a most magnificent, as well as a wonderful and terrifying sight, presented itself. The Pigeons coming in by thousands alighted everywhere, one above another, until solid masses, as large as hogsheads, were formed on every tree, in all directions. Here and there the perches gave way under the weight with a crash, and falling to the ground, destroyed hundreds of the birds beneath, forcing down the dense groups with which every stick was loaded. It was a scene of up- roar and confusion. I found it quite useless to speak, or even to shout, to those persons who were nearest me. ‘The reports, even, of the nearest guns were seldom heard; and I knew of the firing only by seeing the shooters reloading. No one dared venture within the line of devastation; the hogs had been penned up in due time, the picking up of the dead and wounded birds being left for the next morning’s employment. The Pigeons were constantly com- ing, and it was past midnight before I perceived a decrease in the number of those that arrived. The uproar continued, however, the whole night; and as I was anxious to know to what distance the sound reached, I sent off a man, accustomed to preambulate the forest, who, returning two hours afterward, informed me he had heard it distinctly when three miles from the spot. ‘Toward the approach of day, the noise rather subsided; but long ere objects were at all distinguishable, the Pigeons began to move off in 4 direction quite different from that in which they had arrived the evening before; and at sunrise, all that were able to fly had dis- appeared. The howlings of the wolves now reached our ears; and the foxes, lynxes, cougars, bears, raccoons, opossums, and polecats were seen sneaking off from the spot, whilst Eagles and Hawks of different species, accompanied by a crowd of Vultures, came to supplant them, and enjoy their share of the spoil. It was then that the authors of all this devastation began their entry among the dead, the dying, and the mangled. The Pigeons were picked up and piled in heaps, until each had as many as he could possibly dis- pose of, when the hogs were let loose to feed on the remainder.” PLL. X XIX PASSENGER PIGEON. Sto) Now this sounds fabulous, but we will not dispute its truth, al- though it is notin accordance with our observations. We have in our rambles through the United States frequently met even with very large flocks, but they certainly did not reach to one-quarter the number mentioned by Audubon. Several roosts were visited at different places, but they fell considerably short of the above ac- count, although persons with whom we conversed at these roosts fully corroborated Audubon. The immense numbers of Wild Pigeons that flew over my head toward the roost would appear al- most incredible to those who have never observed it. As regards the rapidity of the flight of the Passenger Pigeons, we relate an incident that occurred in the spring of 1849, in New York city. About two dozen Wild Pigeons, who had their crops filled with rice, were shot by me, and they certainly had only early that morning fed in the rice-fields of Carolina. It was about 10:30 A. M. when they were shot, but they appeared tired, and did not show theér usual shyness. Dr. Geo. W. Hill, of Ashland, Ohio, in one of his contribu- tions, ‘‘ Recollections of Pioneer Life,” to the Cincinnati Com- mercial, relates the following incident about the Wild Pigeon, the particulars for which were furnished by William A. Adams, Esq. : «¢ Several species of birds, formerly very numerous in this State, are becoming less abundant. The Wild Pigeon, once seen in count- less millions, is not so numerous as during the period of the beech- nuts. Mr. Adams, in 1806, witnessed at Marietta, Ohio, a flight of pigeons so remarkable that the school children were dismissed to see the wonderful sight. ‘They were actually so numerous as to obscure the light of the sun like a cloud. This continued for some time. ‘The sand-bar at the foot of the island above Marietta con- tained about fifty acres of land. Far above the island the birds checked their flight, and began to descend upon he bar in a dense mass. The descent, at a distance, appeared like an inverted cone, or an enormous water-spout, as an old sailor describes it. The birds apparently came down to the bar for water and sand. ‘They crowded the shore, and dipped their beaks into the water, and took to the air again, and continued their flight. The whole town turned out to witness the novel spectacle, and many persons hastened to the sand-bar, and large numbers of the birds were killed with sticks. Their crops were supplied with small gravel and sand. Their roosts were equally strange. They came together from all quarters in such numbers that it was dangerous for man or animal to venture beneath their roost. The noise of their wings, their fluttering, and the cracking of timber beneath their weight, kept up a constant roar, not unlike the sound of battle at a distance. There is a tract of land in the northwest part of Muskingum county, formerly called ‘Dennison’s Plains,’ rich and rolling, but destitute of timber. There was full proof that the timber on that land had once been a pigeon-roost, and had been. broken down and destroyed by the weight of the pigeons. This was confirmed by some Indians who were on the land about 1813. The nestings of these birds were equally strange and curious. The nests were fixed on the top of horizontal limbs, and some- times from fifty to one hundred were placed thereon. Here the young were hatched. When partially grown, their weight would frequently crush the limb, and vast numbers of squabs would fall down to become the prey of hawks, owls, foxes, men, and boys. The young squabs were fat, and esteemed a luxury for the table.” The following additional account of this remarkable bird is taken from the work entitled ‘* Wilson’s American Ornithology,” Thomas M. Brewer, editor: ‘©The Wild Pigeon of the United States inhabits a wide ar 4 extensive region of North America, on the side of the great Stony Mountains, beyond which, to the westward, I have not heard of their being seen. According to Mr. Hutchins, they abound in the country round Hudson’s Bay, where they usually remain as late as December, feeding, when the ground is covered with snow, on the buds of the juniper. They spread over the whole of Canada; were seen by Captain Lewis and his party near the Great Falls of the Missouri, upward of 2,500 miles from its mouth, reckoning the meanderings of the river; were also met with in the interior of Louisiana by Colonel Pike, and extend their range as far south as the Gulf of Mexico, occasionally visiting or breeding in almost every quarter of the United States. ‘¢ But the most remarkable characteristic of these birds is their associating together, both in their migrations and also during the period of incubation, in such prodigious numbers as almost to surpass belief, and which has no parallel among any other of the feathered tribes on the face of the earth with which naturalists are acquainted. These migrations appear to be undertaken rather in quest of food than merely to avoid the cold of the climate, since we find them lingering in the northern regions, around Hudson’s Bay, so late as December, and since their appearance is so casual and irregular, sometimes not visiting certain districts for several years in any considerable numbers, while at other times they are innumerable. I have witnessed these migrations in the Genesee country, often in Pennsylvania, and also in various parts of Vir- ginia, with amazement; but all I had then seen of them were mere straggling parties when compared with the congregated millions which I have since beheld in our Western forests, in the States of Ohio, Kentucky, and the Indian Territory. These fertile and extensive regions abound with the nutritious beech-nut, which constitutes the chief food of the Wild Pigeon. In seasons when these nuts are abundant, corresponding multitudes of pigeons may be confidently expected. It sometimes happens that, having con- sumed the whole produce of the beech-trees in an extensive dis- trict, they discover another at the distance perhaps of sixty or eighty miles, to which they regularly repair every morning, and return as regularly in the course of the day, or in the evening, to their place of general rendezvous, or, as it is usually called, the roosting- place. These roosting-places are always in the woods, and some- times occupy a large extent of forest. When they have frequented one of these places for some time, the appearance it exhibits is surprising. The ground is covered to the depth of several inches with their dung; all the tender grass and underwood destroyed ; the surface strewed with large limbs of trees, broken down by the weight of the birds clustering one above another; and the trees themselves, for thousands of acres, killed as completely as if girdled with an ax. ‘The marks of this desolation remain for many years on the spot; and numerous places could be pointed out where, for several years after, scarcely a single vegetable made its appearance. ‘«¢ When these roosts are discovered, the inhabitants, from con- siderable distances, visit them in the night with guns, clubs, long poles, pots of sulphur, and various other engines of destruction. In a few hours they fill many sacks, and load their horses with them. By the Indians, a pigeon-roost, or breeding-place, is con- sidered an important source of national profit and dependence for that season, and all their active ingenuity is exercised on the occasion. The breeding-place differs from the former in its greater extent. In the Western countries above mentioned, these are gen- erally in beech-woods, and often extend, in nearly a straight line, across the country for a great way. Not far from Shelbyville, in the State of Kentucky, about five years ago, there was one of these breeding-places, which stretched through the woods in nearly a north and south direction. It was several miles in breadth, and was said to be upward of forty miles in extent. In this tract, almost every tree was furnished with nests, wherever the branches could accommodate them. ‘The Pigeons made their first appearance there about the roth of April, and left it altogether, with their young, before the 25th of May. ‘¢ As soon as the young were fully grown, and before they left the nests, numerous parties of the inhabitants, from all parts of the adjacent country, came with wagons, axes, beds, cooking-utensils, many of them accompanied by the greater part of their families, and encamped for several days at this immense nursery. Several of them informed me that the noise in the woods was so great as 34 PASSENGER PIGEON. SS aa oS a” Le Cl SS Se Sa en aR a a nr ae a ne to terrify their horses, and that it was difficult for one person to hear another speak without bawling in his ear. The ground was strewed with broken limbs of trees, eggs, and young squab Pigeons, which had been precipitated from above, and on which herds of hogs were fattening. Hawks, Buzzards, and Eagles were sailing about in great numbers, and seizing the squabs from their nests at pleasure; while from twenty feet upward to the tops of the trees, the view through the woods presented a perpetual tumult of crowding and fluttering multitudes of Pigeons, their wings roaring like thunder, mingled with the frequent crash of falling timber; for now the ax-men were at work, cutting down those trees that seemed to be most crowded with nests, and con- tinued to fell them in such a manner that, in their descent, they might bring down several others; by which means the falling of one large tree sometimes murdered two hundred squabs, little inferior in size to the old ones, and almost one mass of fat. On some single trees, upward of one hundred nests were found, each containing oxe young only—a circumstance, in the history of this bird, not generally known to naturalists. It was dangerous to walk under these flying and fluttering millions, from the frequent | fall of large branches, broken down by the weight of the multitudes above, and which, in their descent, often destroyed numbers of the birds themselves ; while the clothes of those engaged in traversing the woods were completely covered with the excrements ef the Pigeons. ‘«‘ These circumstances were related to me by many of the must respectable people of the community in that quarter, and were confirmed in part by what I myself witnessed. I passed for sev- eral miles through this same breeding-place, when every tree was spotted with nests, the remains of those above described. In many instances I counted upward of ninety nests on a single tree; but the Pigeons had abandoned this place for another, sixty or eighty miles off, toward Green river, where they were said at that time to be equally numerous. From the great numbers that were con- stantly passing overhead to or from that quarter, I had no doubt of the truth of this statement. ~The mast had been chiefly con- sumed in Kentucky, and the Pigeons, every morning a little before sunrise, set out for the Indian Territory, the nearest part of which was about sixty miles distant. Many of these returned before ten o’clock, and the great body generally appeared, on their return, a little after noon. ‘*T had left the public road to visit the remains of the breeding- place near Shelbyville, and was traversing the woods with my gun, on my way to Frankfort, when, about one o'clock, the Pigeons, which I had observed flying the greater part of the morning north- erly, began to return in such immense numbers as I never before had witnessed. Coming to an opening by the side of a creek called the Benson, where I had a more uninterrupted view, I was aston- ished at their appearance. They were flying, with great steadiness and rapidity, at a height beyond gunshot, in several strata deep, and so close together that, could shot have reached them, one discharge could not have failed to bring down several individuals. From right to left, far as the eye could reach, the breadth of this vast procession extended, seeming everywhere equally crowded. Curious to determine how long this appearance would continue, I took out my watch to note the time, and sat down to observe them. It was then half-past one. I sat for more than an hour, but instead of a dimunition of this prodigious procession, it seemed rather to increase both in numbers and rapidity; and, anxious to reach Frankfort before night, I rose and went on. About four o’clock in the afternoon I crossed the Kentucky river, at the town of Frankfort, at which time the living torrent above my head seemed as numerous and as extensive as ever. Long after this, I observed them, in large bodies, that continued to pass for six or eight minutes, and then again were followed by other detached bodies, all moving in the same southeast direction, till after six in the evening. ‘The great breadth of front which this mighty multitude preserved would seem to intimate a corresponding breadth of their breeding-place, which, by several gentlemen who had lately passed through part of it, was stated to me at several miles. It was said to be in Green county, and that the young began to fly about the middle of March. On the 17th of April, forty-nine miles beyond Danville, and not far from Green river, I crossed this same breeding-place, where the nests, for more than three miles, spotted every tree. The leaves not being yet out, I had a fair prospect of them, and was really astonished at their numbers. A few bodies of Pigeons lingered yet in different parts of the woods, the roaring of whose wings was heard in various quarters around me. ‘* All accounts agree in stating that each nest contains only one young squab. These are so extremely fat that the Indians, and many of the whites, are accustomed to melt down the fat for domestic purposes, as a sut stitute for butter and lard. At the time they leave the nest, they are nearly as heavy as the old one, but become much leaner after they are turned out to shift for them- selves. ‘‘Tt is universally asserted in the Western countries, that the Pigeons, though they have only one young at a time, breed thrice, and sometimes four times, in the same season: the circumstances already mentioned render this highly probable. It is also worthy of observation, that this takes place during the period when acorns, beech-nuts, etc., are scattered about in the greatest abundance, and mellowed by the frost. But they are not confined to these alone— buckwheat, hempseed, Indian corn, hollyberrries, blackberries, huckleberries, and many others, furnish them with abundance at almost all seasons. The acorns of the live-oak are also eagerly sought after by these birds, and rice has been frequently found in individuals killed many hundred miles to the northward of the nearest plantation. The vast quantity of mast which these multi- tudes consume is a serious loss to the bears, pigs, squirrels, and other dependents on the fruits of the forest. I have taken from the crop of a single Wild Pigeon a good handful of the kernels of beech-nuts, intermixed with acorns and chestnuts. To form a rough estimate of the daily consumption of one of these immense flocks, let us first attempt to calculate the numbers of that above mentioned, as seen in passing between Frankfort and the Indian Territory: If we suppose this column to have been one mile in breadth (and I believe it to have been much more), and that it moved at the rate of one mile in a minute, four hours, the time it continued passing, would make its whole length two hundred and forty miles. Again, supposing that each square yard of this moving body comprehended three Pigeons, the square yards in the whole space, multiplied by three, would give two thousand two hundred and thirty million two hundred and seventy-two thousand Pigeons-—an almost inconceivable multitude, and yet probably far below the actual amount. Computing each of these to consume half a pint of mast daily, the whole quantity at this rate would equal seventeen million four hundred and twenty-four thousand bushels per day! Heaven has wisely and graciously given to these birds rapidity of flight and a disposition to range over vast uncultivated tracts of the earth; otherwise they must have perished in the districts where they resided, or devoured the whole productions of agriculture, as well as those of the forests. ‘* A few observations on the mode of the flight of these birds must not be omitted. The appearance of large detached bodies of them in the air, and the various evolutions they display, are strikingly picturesque and interesting. In descending the Ohio by myself, in the month of February, I often rested on my oars to contemplate their aerial maneuvers. A column, eight or ten miles in length, would appear from Kentucky, high in the air, steering across to Indiana. The leaders of this great body would some- times gradually vary their course until it formed a large bend of more than a mile in diameter, those behind tracing the exact route of their predecessors. This would continue sometimes long after both extremities were beyond the reach of sight; so that the whole, with its glittering undulations, marked a span on the face of the PASSENGER PIGEON. 35 a ee ee ee ee 8 cee ee ok eee heavens resembling the windings of a vast and majestic river. When this bend became very great, the birds, as if sensible of the unnecessary Circuitous course they were taking, suddenly changed their direction, so that what was in column before became an immense front, straightening all its indentures until it swept the heavens in one vast and infinitely extended line. Other lesser bodies also united with each other, as they happened to approach, with such ease and elegance of evolution, forming new figures, and varying them as they united or separated, that I never was tired of contemplating them. Sometimes a Hawk would make a sweep on a particular part of the column from a great height, when, almost as quick as lightning, that part shot downward out of the common track; but, soon rising again, continued advancing ‘at the same height as before. This inflection was continued by those behind, who, on arriving at this point, dived down almost perpendicularly to a great depth, and, rising, followed the exact path of those that went before. As these vast bodies passed over the river near me, the surface of the water, which was before smooth as glass, appeared marked with innumerable dimples, occasioned by the dropping of their dung, resembling the commencement of a shower of large drops of rain or hail. ‘* Happening to go ashore one charming afternoon to purchase some milk at a house that stood near the river, and while talking with the people within doors, I was suddenly struck with astonish- ment at a loud rushing roar, succeeded by instant darkness, which, on the first moment, I took for a tornado about to overwhelm the house and everything around in destruction. The people, observ- ing my surprise, cooly said, ‘It is only the Pigeons ;’ and on run- ning out, I beheld a flock, thirty or forty yards in width, sweeping along very low between the house and the mountain, or height, that formed the second bank of the river. These continued pass- ing for more than a quarter of an hour, and at length varied their bearing so as to pass over the mountain, behind which they disap- peared before the rear came up. ‘‘In the Atlantic States, though they never appear in ‘suca unparalleled numbers, they are sometimes very numerous, and great havoc is then made among them with the gun, the clap-net, and various other implements of destruction. As soon as it is ‘ascertained in a town that the Pigeons are flying numerously in the neighborhood, the gunners rise en masse; the clap-nets are spread out on suitable situations, commonly on an open height in an old buckwheat-field ; four or five live Pigeons, with their eye- lids sewed up, are fastened on a movable stick; a small hut of branches is fitted up for the fowler at the distance of forty or fifty yards. By the pulling of a string, the stick on which the Pigeon rests, is alternately elevated and depressed, which produces a fluttering of their wings similar to that of birds just alighting. This being perceived by the passing flocks, they descend with great rapidity, and, finding corn, buckwheat, etc., strewed about, begin to feed, and are instantly, by the pulling of a cord, covered by the net. In this manner ten, twenty, and even thirty dozen, have been caught at one sweep. Meantime the air is darkened with large bodies of them moving in various directions; the woods also swarm with them in search of acorns; and the thundering of musketry is perpetual on all sides from morning to night. Wagon- loads of them are poured into market, and Pigeons become the order of the day at dinner, breakfast, and supper, until the very name becomes sickening. When they have been kept alive and fed for some time on corn and buckwheat, their flesh acquires great superiority; but in their common state they are dry and blackish, and far inferior to the full-grown young ones, or squabs. *¢The nest of the Wild Pigeon is formed of a few dry, slender twigs, carelessly put together, and with so little concavity that the young one, when half-grown, can easily be seen from below. The eggs are pure white. Great numbers of Hawks, and sometimes the Bald Eagle himself, hover about these breeding-places, and seize the old or the young from the nest amid the rising multitudes, and with the most daring effrontery. The young, when beginning to fly, confine themselves to the under part of the tall woods, where there is no brush, and where nuts and acorns are abundant, search- ing among the leaves for mast, and appear like a prodigious torrent rolling along through the woods, every one striving to be in the front. Vast numbers of them are shot while in this situation. A person told me that he once rode furiously into one of these rolling multitudes, and picked up thirteen Pigeons which had been trampled to death by his horse’s feet. In a few minutes they will beat the whole nuts from a tree with their wings, while all is a scramble, both above and below, for the same. They have the same cooing- notes common to domestic Pigeons, but much less of their _gesticu- lations. In some flocks you will find nothing but young ones, which are easily distinguishable by their motley dress. In others, they will be mostly females; and again, great multitudes of males, with few or no females. I can not account for this in any other way than that, during the time of incubation, the males are exclu- sively engaged in procuring food, both for themselves and their mates ; and the young, being unable yet to undertake these extensive excursions, associate together accordingly. But, even in winter, I know of several species of birds who separate in this manner, particularly the Red-winged Starling, among whom thousands of old males may be found, with few or no young or females along with them. ‘*Stragglers from these immense armies settle in almost every part of the country, particularly among the beech-woods and in the pine and hemlock woods of the eastern and northern parts of the continent. Mr. Pennant informs us that they breed near Moose Fort, at Hudson’s Bay, in N. lat. 51°; and I myself have seen the remains of a large breeding-place as far south as the country of the Choctaws, in lat. 32°. In the former of these places they are said to remain until December, from which circumstance it is evident that they are not regular in their migrations, like many other species, but rove about as scarcity of food urges them. Every spring, however, as well as fall, more or less of them are seen in the neighborhood of Philadelphia; but it is only once in several years that they appear in such formidable bodies, and this commonly when the snows are heavy to the north, the winter here more than usually mild, and acorns, etc., abundant. ‘‘The Passenger Pigeon is sixteen inches long and twenty-four inches in extent; bill black; nostril covered by a high rounding protuberance ; eye, brilliant fiery orange; orbit, or space surround- ing it, purplish flesh-colored skin; head, upper part of the neck, and chin, a fine slate-blue, highest on the chin; throat, breast, and sides, as far as the thighs, a reddish-hazel; lower part of the neck and sides of the same, resplendent changeable gold, green, and purplish crimson, the latter most predominant; the ground color, slate (the plumage of this part is of a peculiar structure, ragged at the ends); belly and vent, white; lower part of the breast, fading into a pale, vivacious red; thighs, the same; legs and feet, lake, seamed with white; back rump and tail-coverts, dark slate, spotted on the shoulders with a few scattered marks of black; the scapulars tinged with brown; greater coverts, light slate; pri- maries and secondaries, dull black, the former tipped and edged with brownish white; tail, long and greatly cuniform, all the feathers tapering toward the point—the two middle ones plain, deep black, and the other five, on each side, hoary white, lightest near the tips, deepening into bluish near the bases, when each is crossed on the inner vane with a broad spot of black, and nearer the root with another of ferruginous; primaries, edged with white; bastard wing, black. ; ‘¢ The female is about half an inch shorter, and an inch less in extent; breast, cinereous brown; upper part of the neck inclining to ash; the spot of changeable gold, green, and carmine, much less, and not so brilliant; tail-coverts, brownish slate; naked orbits, slate-colored; in all other respects like the male in color, but less vivid, and more tinged with brown; the eye not so brill- iant an orange. In both, the tail has only twelve feathers.” The following account is taken from ‘* Nuttall’s Ornithology :” | oo **The Wild Pigeon of America, so wonderful for its gregarious habits, is met with, more or less according to circumstances, from Mexico to Hudson’s Bay, in which inhospitable region they are even seen in December weathering the severity of the climate with indifference, and supporting themselves upon the meager buds of the juniper when the ground is hidden by inundating snows. In the west they are found to the base of the northern Andes or Rocky Mountains, but do not appear to be known beyond this natural barrier to their devious wanderings. As might be sup- posed from its extraordinary history, it is found with peculiar strength of wing, moving through the air with extreme rapidity, urging its flight also by quick and very muscular strokes. During the season ot amorous dress it often flies out in numerous hovering circles; and while thus engaged, the tips of the great wing feathers are heard to strike against each other, so as to produce a very audible sound. ‘* The almost incredible and unparalleled associations which the species form with each other appear to have no relation with the usual motives to migration among other birds. A general and mutual attachment seems to occasion this congregating propensity. Nearly the whole species, which at any one time inhabit the con- tinent, are found together in the same place. They do not-fly from climate, as they are capable of enduring its severity and extremes. They are even found to breed in the latitude of 51 degrees, round Hudson’s Bay, and the interior of New Hampshire, as well as in the 32d degree in the dense forests of the great valley of the Mis- sissippi. The accidental situation of their food alone directs all their movements. While this continues to be supplied, they some- times remain sedentary in a particular district, as in the dense forests of Kentucky, where the great body remained for years in succession, and were scarcely elsewhere to be found; and here, at length, when the mast happened to fail, they disappeared fre several years. ‘‘The rapidity of flight, so necessary in their vast domestic movements, is sufficiently remarkable. The Pigeons killed near the city of New York have been found with their crops full of rice, collected in the plantations of Georgia or Carolina; and as this kind of food is digested by them entirely in twelve hours, they must have traveled probably three or four hundred miles in about half of that time, or have sped at the rate of a mile a minute. With a velocity like this, our Pigeon might visit the shores of Europe in less than three days; and, in fact, according to Flem- ming, a straggler was actually shot in Scotland in the winter of 1825. Associated with this rapidity of flight must also be the extent and acuteness of their vision, or otherwise the object of their motions would be nugatory: so that, while thus darting over the country almost with the velocity of thought, they still keep up a strict survey for their fare; and, in passing over a sterile region, sail high in the air with a widely extended front, but instantly drop their flight at the prospect of food, flying low till they alight near an ample supply. ‘s The associated numbers of Wild Pigeons, the numerous flocks which compose the general swarm, are without any other parallel in the history of the feathered race; they can, indeed, alone be compared to the finny shoals of herrings, which, descending from the arctic regions, discolor and fill the ocean to the extent of mighty kingdoms. To talk of hundreds of millions of individuals of the same species habitually associated in feeding, roosting, and breed- ing, without any regard to climate or season as an operating cause in their gregarious movements, would at first appear to be wholly incredible, if not borne out by the numerous testimony of all the inhabitants of the neighboring districts. The approach of the mighty feathered army with a loud rushing roar and a stirring breeze, attended by a sudden darkness, might be mistaken for a fearful tornado about to overwhelm the face of nature. For several hours together, the vast host, extending some miles in breadth, still continues to pass in flocks without diminution. The whole air is filled with them; their muting resembles a shower of 6 PASSENGER PIGEON. sleet, and they shut out the light as if it were an eclipse. At the approach of the Hawk, their sublime and beautiful aerial evolu- tions are disturbed like the ruffling squall extending over the placid ocean; as a thundering torrent they rush together in a concen- trating mass, and, heaving in undulating and glittering sweeps toward the earth, at length again proceed in lofty meanders, like the rushing of a mighty animated river. The evolutions of the feeding Pigeons, as they circle round, are both beautiful and amusing. Alighting, they industriously search through the with- ered leaves for their favorite mast. Those behind are continually rising and passing forward in front in such rapid succession that the whole flock, still circling over the ground, seem yet on the wing. As the sun begins to decline, they depart in a body for the general roost, which is often hundreds of miles distant, and is generally chosen in the tallest and thickest forests almost divested of underwood. ‘* Nothing can exceed the waste and desolation of these noctur- nal resorts; the vegetation becomes buried by their excrements to the depth of several inches. The tall trees, for thousands of acres, are completely killed, and the ground strewed with mossy branches torn down by the clustering weight of the birds which have rested upon them. The whole region for several years presents a con- tinued scene of devastation, as if swept by the resistless blast of a_ whirlwind.” The migrations of the Passenger Pigeon seem to be undertaken more in search of better feeding-places than of a desire to avoid cold climates. They are found in the northern part of this con- tinent as late as December and January. Their appearance is casual and irregular, like the Crossbills; they visit districts for several consecutive years regular and in large numbers, and then for a time there is not a’single pair of them to be seen. Almost every year large flocks of the Passenger Pigeon can be seen in the several parts of North America, but they are only straggling parties. ‘The large flocks are mostly seen in the Western States, where there is an abundance of food. As a general thing, it creates considerable excitement among the people when a Pigeon- roost is discovered, Parties will come a great distance, armed with any kind of a gun or shooting-arm, to enjoy the sport and procure their part of the spoils. Toward night, when the birds return to the roost from their feeding-places, the shooting com- mences, the sportsman selecting his ground for his particular shooting-place. The Pigeons that are not wounded so as to drop down, fly off soon after the discharge by the gunner; and before the hunter has reloaded his field-piece, others have taken the place, and the shooting is repeated as long as there is light to attend to the guns. Collections are usually made in the morning, the sup- ply generally being sufficient for all. | A curious circumstance regarding these birds is, that in a single tree I found sixty-two nests, and by far the most nests contained but one young Pigeon. Whenever there are two young squabs in the same nest, they are invariably a pair—male and female. The breeding-place of the Passenger Pigeon is always chosen with good judgment, usually a high-timbered forest, where there is an abundance of beech-nuts and acorns, and where water is not far distant. The highest trees are selected to build their nests in. The voice of the bird at this interesting time is soft, resembling the words ‘coo, coo, coo,” while at other times they will utter a quick ‘‘ki, ki, ki.” The male shows at this time a proud carriage, and follows his chosen female, on the ground as on the branches, with spread tail and hanging wing, which he seems to drag after him. The body is carried in a more perpendicular position, the head being pressed forward ; his eyes sparkle; he utters his ‘coo, coo, coo,” lifting now and then his dropping wings, and flies a few yards forward, returning to his beloved female with caresses, and feeding her from his crop. After these preludes they commence to build the nest. This consists of a few dry twigs in the fork of a branch, and is very loosely put together, single trees containing from fifty to a hundred nests. The eggs which the nest contains PL. XXX RED-TAILED HAWK. 37 are much rounded and pure white, the full complement being two to a nest. While the female sits, she is fed by the male, who during this time shows great care and tenderness for his mate. The young are fed by both parents until they are able to take care of themselves, after which they leave their parents and begin to wander. The flesh of the Wild Pigeon is in no great esteem, it being rather dry and of a very dark color, although when kept in cages and fed on corn and buckwheat for some time, their flesh acquires great superiority. In captivity, the Passenger Pigeon is easily kept for a number of years, and readily propagate. There is no zoological garden where this species is wanting. PLATE XXX. The Red-tailed Hawk. (uzeo Borealis.) The Red-tailed Hawk is an inhabitant of a large extent of terri- tory of this continent, but is mostly found from Upper Canada down the whole of the Atlantic coast to the Gulf of Mexico, and is occasionally met with in the Rocky Mountains. ‘The Red- tailed Hawk is not so numerous as some other large Hawks that are found in North America. In winter, it chiefly frequents low, swampy grounds covered by willows, in which four or five of this species may be found eagerly watching on an old stump of a wil- low for small quadrupeds, frogs, etc., which usually form part of their food. This bird of prey will also, when a good opportunity offers, attack poultry, by singling out a chicken, and, sweeping low and swiftly over it, grasp it with its tallows, and bear it off toward the woods for food. Unlike others of his kindred, chicken- hunting is not a regular occupation of this bird; it is only occa- sionally, and then by surprising a stray one. Wilson says:* ‘*I am sorry to say ”—describing his figures— ‘‘are almost all I have to give toward elucidating their history. Birds, naturally thinly dispersed over a vast extent of country ; retiring during summer to the depth of the forests to breed; ap- proaching the habitations of man, like other thieves and plunder- ers, with shy and cautious jealousy; seldom permitting a near advance; subject to great changes of plumage; and, since the decline of falconry, seldom or never domesticated—offer to those who wish eagerly to investigate their history, and to delineate their particular character and manners, great and insurmountable difficulties. Little more can be done in such cases than to identify the species, and trace it through the various quarters of the world where it has been certainly met with. The Red-tailed Hawk is most frequently seen in the lower parts of Pennsylvania during the severity of winter. Among the extensive meadows that border the Schuylkill and Delaware, below Philadelphia, where flocks of Larks (Alauda magna) and mice and moles are in great abundance, many individuals of this Hawk spend the greater part of the winter. Others prowl around the plantations, looking out for vagrant chickens; their method of seizing which is by sweeping swiftly over the spot, and, grappling them with their talons, bear them away to the woods. ‘This species inhabits the whole of the United States, and, I believe, is not migratory, as I found it, in the month of May, as far south as Fort Adams, in the Mississippi territory. The young were, at that time, nearly as large as their parents, and were very clamorous, making an incessant squealing noise. One which I shot contained in his stomach mingled fragments of frogs and lizards.” Thomas Nuttall, A. M., F. L. S., etc., in his ** Manual of the * Page 450. “ . Ornithology of the United States and of Canada,” gives the follow- ing interesting description of the Red-tailed Hawk or Buzzard: ‘¢ This beautiful Buzzard inhabits most parts of the United States, being observed from Canada to Florida; also, far westward up the Missouri, and even on the coasts of the Northern Pacific ocean. The young birds soon become very submissive, and allow themselves to be handled with impunity by those who feed them. The older birds sometimes contest with each other in the air about their prey, and nearly or wholly descend to the earth grappled in each other’s talons. Though this species has the general aspect of the Buzzard, its manners are very similar to those of the Goshawk. It is equally fierce and predatory, prowling around the farm often when straitened for food, and seizing now and then a hen or chicken, which it snatches by making a lateral approach. It sweeps along near the surface of the ground, and, grasping the prey in his talons, bears it away to devour in some place of secu- rity These depredations on the farm-yard happen, however, only in the winter. At all other seasons this is one of the shyest and most difficult birds to approach. They will at times pounce upon rabbits and considerable sized birds, particularly Larks, and have been observed in the Southern States perseveringly to pursue squirrels from bough to bough until they are overtaken and seized in their talons. They are frequently seen near wet meadows, where mice, moles, and frogs are prevalent, and also feed upon lizards, appearing, indeed, often content with the most humble game. ‘«They usually associate in pairs, and seem much attached to each other; yet they often find it convenient and profitable to sep- arate in hunting their prey, about which they would readily quarrel if brought into contact. Though a good deal of their time passes in indolence, while perched in some tall and deadened tree, yet at others they may be seen beating the ground as they fly over it in all directions in quest of game. On some occasions they amuse themselves by ascending to a vast elevation, like the aspiring Eagle. On a fine evening, about the middle of January, in South Carolina, I observed one of these birds leave its withered perch, and, soaring aloft over the wild landscape in a mood of contem- plation, begin to ascend toward the thin skirting of elevated clouds above him. At length he passed this sublime boundary, and was now perceived and soon followed by his ambitious mate; and ina little time, by circular ascending gyrations, they both disappeared in the clear azure of the heavens; and though I waited for their reappearance half an hour, they still continued to be wholly in- visible. ‘This amusement, or predilection for the cooler regions of the atmosphere, seems more or less common to all the rapacious birds. In numerous instances, this exercise must be wholly inde- pendent of the inclination for surveying their prey, as few of them besides the Falcon descend direct upon their quarry. Many, as well as the present species, when on the prowl, fly near to the surface of the ground, and often wait and watch so as to steal upon their victims before they can take the alarm. Indeed, the Condor frequents and rests upon the summit of the Andes, above which they are seen to soar in the boundless ocean of space, enjoying the invigorating and rarified atmosphere, and only de- scending to the plains when impelled by the cravings of hunger.” The nest of this species is built early in March, in the fork of a tree, pretty high from the ground, and is composed of sticks, stalks of rushes, etc., and is lined inside with some fibers, dry rushes, and dry grass, and contains two, and sometimes three, dirty-white eggs, with a coarsely grained shell, and of a rather proportionally large size. The young are at first covered with a soft white down, and have a peculiarly clumsy appearance. They soon develop, and become able to support themselves. In color, the young of this bird are different for the first sea- son, which has frequently caused some Ornithologists to class them as a separate species, under the name White-breasted Hawk, or American Buzzard (falco levertanus). The general appear- ance of the bird indicates that it is no other than the young of 38 KINGBIRD, OR TYRANT FLY-CATCHER. the Red-tailed Hawk. In the old bird,-it is often found that a difference of their colorings exist. For instance, on some the tail is slightly barred with darker color, and also sprinkled over with fine spots of darker color toward the tip; on others, the tail has only, toward the tip, one single darker bar, and on others, the whole of the under side is white. These differences are undoubt- edly the result of age. The full-grown male and female are nearly alike in their colors. shorter than the female, the length of the Red-tailed Hawk being about twenty to twenty-two inches. The coloring of the young of this species is as follows: Cere, pale green; bill, pale blue, black at the point; eye, light amber or straw color; eyebrow, projecting; head, broad, flat, and rather large ; upper part of the head, sides of the neck, and back, brown, streaked and seamed with white; scapulary and wing coverts, spotted with white; quill-feathers, blackish; tail coverts, white, handsomely barred with yellowish brown; tail, somewhat rounded, light brown, or varying to a sorrel color, crossed with nine or ten dark bars, and tipped with white; wings, brown, and barred with dusky; the inner vanes are nearly all white, thinly marked with minute dots of nut color, less bright yellow-feathered half-way down; belly, broadly spotted with black, or deep brown; the tips of the wings reach down to within three inches of the tip of the tail. Plate XXX. gives a correct representation of the colorings of the full-grown male and female Red-tailed Hawk. PLATE XXXI. The Kingbird, or Tyrant Fly-catcher. (Zyrannus Carolinensus.) Fig. 1, Male. Fig. 2, Female. Nuttall says: ‘‘This well-known, remarkable, and pugnacious bird takes up his summer residence in all the intermediate region from the temperate parts of Mexico to the uninhabited and remote interior of Canada, being seen by Mr. Say at Pembina, latitude 49 degrees, and by Dr. Richardson, in the 547th parallel. In all this vast geographical range, the Kingbird seeks his food and rears his young. According to Audubon, they appear in Lou- isiana by the middle of March, and about the 2oth of April, Wilson remarked their arrival in Pennsylvania in small parties of five or six, but they are seldom seen in this part of New England before the middle of May. ‘They are now silent and peaceable, until they begin to pair and form their nests, which takes place from the first to the last week in May, or early in June, accord- ing to the advancement of the season in the latitudes of 40 and 43 degrees. The nest is usually built in the orchard, on the horizontal branch of an apple or pear tree, and sometimes in an oak, in the adjoining forest, at various heights from the ground, seldom carefully concealed, and firmly fixed at the bottom to the supporting twig of the branch. The outside consists of coarse — stalks of dead grass and wiry weeds, the whole well connected and bedded with cut-weed (Guaphalium plantagineum) down, tow, or an occasional rope-yarn and wool; it is then lined with ory, slender grass, root fibers, and horse-hair. The eggs are gen- erally three to five, yellowish white, and marked with a few large, well-defined spots of deep and bright brown. They often build and hatch twice in the season. ‘*‘The Kingbird has no song, only a shrill guttural twitter, some- what like that of the Martin, but no way musical. At times, as he sits watching his prey, he calls to his mate with a harsh tshéup, rather quickly pronounced, and attended with some action. As insects approach him, or as he darts after them, the snapping of his bill is heard, like the snapping of a watch-case, and is the The male bird is about two inches certain grave of his prey. Beetles, grasshoppers, crickets, and winged insects of all descriptions form his principal summer food. I have also seen them collecting the canker-worms from the elm. ‘Toward autumn, as various kinds of berries ripen, they constitute a very considerable and favorite part of his subsist- ence. But with the exception of currants (of which he only eats perhaps when confined), he refuses all exotic productions, con- tenting himself with blackberries, whortleberries, those of the sassafras, cornel, viburnum, elder, poke, and _ five-leaved ivy (Cissus hederacea). Raisins, foreign currants, grapes, cher ries, peaches, peas, and apples were never even tasted, when offered to a bird of this kind, which I had many months as my pensioner; of the last, when roasted, sometimes, however, a few mouthfuls were relished, in the absence of other more agreeable diet. Berries he always swallowed whole; grass- hoppers, if too large, were pounded and broken on the floor, as he held them in his bill. To manage the larger beetles was not so easy. ‘These he struck repeatedly against the ground, and then turned them from side to side, by throwing them dexterously into the air, after the manner of the Toucan, and the insect was uniformly caught reversed, as it descended, with the agility of a practiced cup-and-ball player. At length the pieces of the beetle were swallowed, and he remained still to digest his morsel, tasting it distinctly soon after it entered his stomach, as became obvious ‘by the ruminating motion of his mandi- IMes. When the soluble portion was taken up, large pellets of the indigestible legs, wings, and shell, as likewise the skins and seeds of berries, were, in half an hour or less, brought up, and ejected from the mouth, in the manner of the Hawks and Owls. When other food failed, he appeared very well satis- fied with fresh minced-meat, and drank water frequently, even during the severe frosts of January, which he endured with- out much difficulty, basking, however, like Diogenes, in the feeble beams of the sun, which he followed round the room of his confinement, well satisfied when no intruder or companion threw him into the shade. Some very cold evenings he had the sagacity to retire under the shelter of a depending bed-quilt; was very much pleased with the warmth and brilliancy of lamp- light, and would eat freely at any hour of the night. Unac- quainted with the deceptive nature of shadows, he sometimes snatched at them for the substances they resembled. Unlike the Vzeros, he retired to rest without hiding his head in the wing, and was extremely watchful, though not abroad till after sunrise. His taciturnity and disinclination to friendship and familiarity in confinement were striking traits. His restless, quick, and side-glancing eye enabled him to follow the motions of his flying insect prey, and to ascertain precisely the infalli- ble instant of attack. He readily caught morsels of food in his bill before they reached the ground, when thrown across the room, and, on these occasions, seemed pleased with making the necessary exertions. He had also a practice of cautiously stretching out his neck, like a snake, and peeping about, either to obtain sight of his food, to watch any approach of danger, or to examine anything that appeared strange. At length we be- came so well acquainted, that when very hungry he would ex- press his gratitude on being fed, by a shrill twitter, and a lively look, which was the more remarkable, as at nearly all other times he was entirely silent. ‘* In a natural state, he takes his station on the top of an apple- tree, a stake, or a tall weed, and, betwixt the amusement of his squeaking twitter, employs himself in darting after his insect food. Occasionally he is seen hovering over the field, with beating wing, almost like a Hawk, surveying the ground ot herbage for grasshoppers, which are a favorite diet. At other times they may be observed in small’ companies, flickering over still waters, in the same employment—the gratification of ' appetite. Now and then, during the heat of summer, they are seen to dip and bathe in the watery mirror, and with this wash- KINGBIRD, OR TYRANT FLY-CATCHER. 39 ing, drying, and pluming they appear to be both gratified and amused. During the season of their sojourn, the pair are often seen moving about in company, with a rapid quivering of the wings, and a continued tremulous shrieking twitter. Their en- ergetic and amusing motions are most commonly performed in warm and fine weather, and continue, with little interruption, until toward the close of August. ‘One of the most remarkable traits in the character of the King- bird is the courage and affection which he displays for his mate and young; for, on his first arrival, he is rather timid, and readily dodges before the Swallow and Purple Martin. Indeed, at this season, I have seen the Spotted Sandpiper (Lotanus macularius) drive away a pair of Kingbirds, because they happened to approach the premises of her nest. But he now becomes, on this important occasion, so tenacious of his rights as readily to commence the attack against all his feathered enemies, and he passes several months of the summer in a scene of almost perpetual contest, and, not overrating his hos- tile powers, he generally finds means to come off with im- punity. Eagles, Hawks, Crows, Jays, and, in short, every bird which excites his suspicion by their intentional or acci- dental approach, are attacked with skill and courage. He dives upon the heads and backs of the larger intruders, who become so annoyed and tormented as willingly to make a precipitate retreat. He pursues his foes sometimes for a mile, and at length, assured of conquest, he returns to his promi- nent watchground, again quivering his wings in gratulation, and rapidly uttering his shrill and triumphant notes. He is, therefore, the friend of the farmer, as the scourge of the pil- ferers and plunderers of his crop and barn-yerd. But, that he might not be perfectly harmless, he has sometimes a pro- pensity for feeding on the valuable tenants of the bee-hive; for these he watches, and exultingly twitters at the prospect of success, as they wing their way, engaged in busy employ- ment. His quick-sighted eyes now follow them, until one, tnore suitable than the rest, becomes his favorite mark. This selected victim is by some farmers believed to be a drone, rather than the stinging neutral worker. The selective discern- ment of the eyes of this bird has often amused me: berries of different kinds held to my domestic Kingbird, however similar, were rejected or snatched, as they suited his instinct, with the nicest discrimination. ‘‘As the young acquire strength for their distant journey, they may be seen, in August and September, assembled together, in almost silent, greedy, and watchful parties of a dozen or more, feeding on various berries, particularly those of the sassafras and cornel, from which they sometimes drive away smaller birds, and likewise spar and chase each other as the supply diminishes. Indeed, my domestic allowed no other bird to live in peace near him; when feeding on similar food, and though lame of a wing, he. often watched his opportunity for reprisal and revenge, and became so jealous, that, instead of being amused by companions, sometimes he caught hold of them with his bill, and seemed inclined to destroy them for invading his usurped privileges. ‘‘In September, the Kingbird begins to leave the United States, and proceeds to pass the winter in tropical America. During the period of migration southward, Audubon remarks that they fly and sail though the air with great ease, at a considerable elevation; and they thus continue their silent retreat throughout the night, until about the first of October, when they are no longer to be seen within the limits of the Middle States.” Wilson says: ‘Whatever antipathy may prevail against him for depre- dations on the drones, or, if you will, on the bees, I can assure the cultivator that this bird is greatly his friend, in destroying multitudes of insects, whose larve prey on the har- vests of his fields, particularly his corn, fruit-trees, cucumbers, and pumpkins. Those noxious insects are the daily food of this bird, and he destroys, upon a very moderate average, some hundreds of them daily. The death of every Kingbird is therefore an actual loss to the farmer, by multiplying the num- bers of destructive insects, and encouraging the depredations of Crows, Hawks, and Eagles, who avoid as much as possible his immediate vicinity. ‘¢Wor myself, I must say that the Kingbird possesses no common share of my regard. I honor this little bird for his extreme affection for his young, for his contempt of danger, and unex- ampled intrepidity; for his meekness of behavior when there are no calls on his courage, a quality which, even in the hu- man race, is justly considered so noble: “©¢ In peace there’s nothing so becomes a man As modest stillness and humility ; But when the blast of war,’ etc. But, above all, I honor and esteem this little bird for the mill- ions of ruinous vermin which he rids us of, whose depreda- tions in one season, but for the service of this and other friendly birds, would far overbalance all the produce of the bee-hive in fifty. ‘“‘As a friend to this persecuted bird, and an enemy to preju- dices of every description, will the reader allow me to set this matter in a somewhat clearer and stronger light, by present- ing him with a short practical epitome of the Kingbird’s history : ‘¢¢ Far in the south, where vast Maragnon flows, And boundless forests unknown wilds inclose ; Vine-tangled shores and suffocating woods, Parched up with heat or drowned with pouring floods ; Where each extreme alternately prevails, And nature sad their ravages bewails ; Lo! high in air, above those trackless wastes, With spring’s return the Kingbird hither hastes ; Coasts the famed gulf, and from his height explores Its thousand streams, its long indented shores, Its plains immense, wide opening on the day, Its lakés and isles, where feathered millions play : All tempt not him; till, gazing from on high, Columbia’s regions wide below him lie ; There end his wanderings and his wish to roam, There lie his native woods, his fields, his home; Down, circling, he descends from azure heights, And on a full-blown sassafras alights. ‘“*« Fatigued and silent, for a while he views His old frequented haunts, and shadows recluse ; Sees brothers, comrades, every hour arrive ; Hears humming round, the tenants of the hive: Love fires his breast; he wooes, and soon is blest, And in the blooming orchard builds his nest. *«¢ Come now, ye cowards! ye whom heaven disdains ; Who boast the happiest home—the richest plains ; On whom, perchance, a wife, an infant’s eye Hang as their hope, and on your arm rely ; Yet, when the hour of danger and dismay Comes on your country, sneak in holes away, Shrink from the perils ye were bound to face, And leave those babes and country to disgrace ; Come here (if such we have), ye dastard herd! And kneel in dust before this noble bird. ‘¢¢ When the speckled eggs within his nest appear, Then glows affection ardent and sincere ; No discord sours him when his mate he meets, But each warm heart with mutual kindness beats. For her repast he bears along the lea The bloated gadfly and the balmy bee ; For her repose scours o’er th’ adjacent farm, Where Hawks might dart, or lurking foes alarm: For now abroad a band of rufhans prey— The Crows, the Cuckoo, and the insidious Jay ; These, in the owner’s absence, all destroy, And murder every hope and every joy. 40 PIGEON HAWK. LL LN ane a a SS ASICS aT Sa *¢« Safe sits his brooding mate, her guardian, he,- Perched on the top of some tall, neighboring tree ; Thence, from the thicket to the concave skies, His watchful eye around unceasing flies. Wrens, Thrushes, Warblers, startled at his note, Fly in a fright the consecrated spot. He drives the plundering Jay with honest scorn Back to his woods, the mocker to his thorn; Sweeps ’round the Cuckoo as the thief retreats ; Attacks the Crow, the daring Hawk defeats ; Darts on the Eagle downward from afar, ; And ’midst the clouds, prolongs the whirling war. All danger o’er, he hastens back elate, Co guard his post, and feed his faithful mate. ~ “*¢ Behold him now, his little family flown; Meek, unassuming, silent, and alone.. Lured by the well-known hum of favorite bees, As low he hovers o’er the garden trees, (For all have failings, passions, whims that lead, Some favorite wish, some appetite to feed,) Straight he alights, and from the pear-tree spies The circling stream of humming insects rise ; Selects his prey, darts on the busy brood, And shrilly twitters o’er his savory food. “