IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) III 1.0 I.I Hi jll^ 1 2.5 '' IM iijii^ 2.0 1.8 1.25 1.4 i.6 ^ 6'' ^ V2 ^ /}. '<^. ^: a r le locali- :at. as, in the Eastern ritory of I Dakota r British loted for 'ers, it is ise birds all kan- nesting, a float- he eggs )ng the nemies, tt, pro- leut for known le eggs Dakota ley are led by Hected are as 5. 1-79 ta has ding the e ex- tending from tt e Valley of the Rio Grande southward into the tropical regions, nesting in the wild herbage of the lakes and ponds of Mexico and Central America, in many of the islands of the West Indies, and the sloughs of th>i immense level, tropical plains and pampas of South America. Its entire life is spent in the water, and it possesses the same aquatic habits peculiar to all the Grebes. Dr. James C. Merrill was the first to establish the claim of this species as belonging to our North American fauna. He found it a rather common resident in Southwestern Texas. On May i6, 1877, he found several nests, undoubtedly belonging to this species, in a salt marsh a few miles from Fort Brown. *' They were made of water plants and pieces of reeds slightly fastened to one or two tule stalks, and forming a wet, floating mass. No eggs were obtained."* The eggs are described as a " pale, chalky, greenish white," with the usual discolorations. They vary in size from 1.25 to 1.50 long by .85 to 1. 00 broad. 6. Podilymbus podiceps (Linn.) [735.] Pied-bllled Grebe. Hab. British Provinces southward to Brazil, Buenos Ayres, and Chili, including the West Indies and the Bermudas, breeding nearly throughout its range. Thick-billed and Carolina Grebe, Pied-bill Dabchick, Dipper, Water-witch, "Devil-diver," and *' Hell-diver" are some of the names applied to this Grebe. Most of these refer to its wonderful powers of disappearance under water, and by one or more of these names it is known to every boy who has wandered with a gun along any of our creeks and rivers. It is a common bird throughout its range. The nest of the Dabchick is a little floating island of decaying rushes, reeds or grass, mixed with mud and debris brought up from the bottom of the slough or reedy pool in which it is built. The structure is fastened to the flags and aquatic plants ; these are pulled down and piled upon each other till the nest rises two or three inches above the water. Mr. A. M. Shields informs me that in the neighborhood of Los Angeles, Cal., this species is very abundant — any lake or pond without the presence of two or three little Grebes seems very barren indeed. It nests about the middle of May. The number of eggs laid by this species ranges from six to nine ; the complement, however, is usually seven, and their average size is * Notes on the Ornithology of Southern Texas, being a list of Birds observed in the vicinity of Fort Brown, Texas, from February, 1876, to June, 1878. By James C. Merrill, Assistant Surgeon U. S. Army. Proceedings of the United States National Museum. Vol. I, pp. 118-173. 6 NESTS AND EGGS OF 1.72 X 1. 1 7. In Kansas, in the latter part of May, a number of nests were found containing from five to ten eggs each.* This species, like other Grebes, during the process of incubation, conceals its eggs with a covering of weeds and other vegetable material during the day, *' and they are uncovered at dusk by the bird, who in- cubates them until the morning sun relieves her of her task." 7. Urinator imber (Gunn.) [736.] liOon. Hab. Northern part of Northern Hemisphere. In North America breeds from the Northern States northward ; ranges in winter south to the Gulf of Mexico. The Loons ate large, heavy birds, with flattened bodies and rather long necks ; the legs are placed far back in the body, giving them great propelling power in the water. They are the most expert of all divers, disappearing beneath the water at the flash of a gun. In North America the present species is found from the Atlantic to the Pacific, breeding from about latitude 42° northward within the Arctic circle. Mr. Edson A. McMillan informs me that they are quite common in the lakes of the Adirondack mountain region during the breeding season, which is about the first part of June. Here they breed on the same islands occupied as breeding grounds by the Amer- ican Herring Gull, Larus argentatus smithsonianus . He says that of nine difierent Loons' nests which he examined, none of them con- tained material of any kind ; they were simply hollows in the sand where the eggs were deposited. In Maine, Michigan and Wisconsin and other localities the birds are known to build a roughly-formed hollow of sticks, weeds, sod and water grass. The Loon's eggs are very dark-looking, of an olivaceous brown, sometimes olivaceous drab, spotted and blotched with a very dark brown. In shape they are narrowly oval, occasionally very much lengthened. The number laid is two, sometimes three ; in size they vary from 3.40 to 3.90 long by 2.10 to 2.38 broad. Two eggs in my possession collected by Mr. McMillan measure 3.63 x 2.26, 3.44 x 2.25. 8. [737-] I i Urinator adamsii (Gray). Tello'w-'billed Loon. Hab, Arctic America, west of Hudson's Bay. Casual in Northern Europe and Asia. This species is also known as the White-billed Loon. The bill is of a light yellowish color, and the general dimensions of the bird are greater than those of the last species. It breeds in the large lakes and ponds west of Hudson's Bay, northward to the shores of the Arctic ♦"Ornithologist and Oologist," a monthly magazine devoted to the study of Birds, their Nesti and Eggs. Volume X, p. 165. Published by Frank B. Webster, Boston, Mass. NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 7 Ocean. In the large bodies of waters throughout Alaska it is said to be common, where its melancholy cry can be heard during the breed- ing season. In its nesting and general habits it resembles the com- mon Loon, and the eggs are said to be indistinguishable except in their size, which, like the bird, average a little larger. 9. Urinator arcticus (Linn). [738.] Black-throated Loon. Hab. Northern part of the Northern Hemisphere. In North America migrating south in winter to the Northern States. The Black-throated Diver is a bird which is more or less common in the northern regions of the globe. It breeds commonly throughout the interior of Norway and Sweden, and far up into Lapland. In most parts of the British Islands this Loon is considered of rare occurrence. On the little islands of the fresh water lochs, from the middle portion of Scotland northward to the islands beyond John O'Groat's House — the Orkeny and Shetland — this species is known to breed as well as on the Hebrides on the west coast. In North America it occurs as far south as the United States. On the Pacific coast it is replaced by the next species, U. pacificus. Like all the Loons, its home is on the water ; it is awkward and almost helpless on land. Its progress under water has been estimated to be not less than eight miles an hour. The Black-throated Loon constructs its nest of a small quantity of herbage, in which is formed a hollow, on the sandy banks of small islands in lakes. A set of two eggs of this species collected June 5, 1884, in Iceland, is in the collection of J. Parker Norris. These are " hair brown " in color, marked with small spots of olive. They meas- ure, respectively, 3.40 x 2.11, 3.37 x 2. 15. 10. Urinator pacificus (Lawr.) [739.] Paoiflo Ian and Southern California. On the Pacific coast of North America this species is found breed- ing from San Nicholas Island northward to the islands of Bering Sea. Dr. Leonhard Stejneger says that it is a very common bird on Bering and Copper Islands ; its eggs were collected at the latter place June i6th.t It is quite common on the Farallones. Mr. Emerson says egg- laying begins about the first of May, or shortly after, and continues into July. Two eggs is the number laid, and they are deposited in the crevices of rocks or in dark nooks under boulders, often near the water's edge. If the eggs are laken the foolish bird will lay again in the same place. The favorite resting place of these birds is on the rocks just above the foaming surf, where they sit in pairs and " con- verse " with one another in low whistling notes. , In a large series of eggs the ground color varies from light pearl gray to greenish-blue; their general shape is like that of the Gulls' eggs, rounded oval at the large end and pointed at the smaller. The 4* See " Notes on Some of the Birds of Grand Manan," by C. H. Andros, Ornithologist and Oologist. Vol. XII. pp. I71)-180. t Bulletin of the United States National Museum. No. 29. Results of Ornithological Explorations in the Commander Islands and Kamtschatka. By Leonhard Stejneger. Washington, Government Printing Office, 1885. P. 21. NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 16 markings are of two shades of lilac ; in some they are thickly spread over the entire surface ; in others they fonn a circle about the larger end. Mr. Bryant gives the average measurement of twenty-five sets of two eggs each in Mr. Emerson's collection as, 61.6 by 41.4 mm.* Ex- tremes in size, 66.5 by 41.5, 58.5 by 41 millimeters.f 30. Uria troile (Linn.) [763.] Mnrre. Hab. Coasts and islands of the North Atlantic, southward on the coast of Nortn Ame.ica in winter to Southern New England; breeding from Nova Scotia northward. Like all of the Auks, Murres and Puffins, this species is eminently gregarious, particularly in the breeding season. It is found in great numbers throughout the Arctic Ocean and on nearly all the islands north of Asia, Europe and America. On this side of the Atlantic it breeds from Nova Scotia northward. Tens of thousands of these birds congregate to breed on the rocky islands, depositing and incubating their single egg close to one another on the shelves of the cliflFs. The birds sit side by side, and although crowded together, never make the least attempt to quarrel. Clouds of birds may be seen circling in the air over some huge, rugged bastion, forming a picture which would seem to belong to the imagination rather than the realistic. They utter a syllable which sounds exactly like mnrre. The eggs are so numerous as to have commercial value, and they are noted for their great variation in ground color and mark- ings. They vary from white to bluish or dark emerald-green in ground color ; occasionally unmarked specimens are found, but they are usually handsomely spotted, blotched, lined in various patterns of lilac, brown and black over the surface. In some the marking are confused zigzag lines that look like hieroglyphics. The eggs are large for the size of the bird, measuring from 3. to 3.50 long by 1.95 to 2.10 broad; pyri- form in shape. 30a. Uria troile californica (Bryant.) [763 a.] California Mnrre. Hab. Coasts and islands of the North Pacific, breeding from California north to the Prybilof Islands. Mr. Emerson says that the California Murre is the most common sea fowl on the Farallone Islands, and they do not seem to diminish in number, notwithstanding the wholesale destruction of their eggs for commercial purposes. The birds begin to lay by the middle or latter part of May. Fresh eggs can be found as late as August. This is due, more or less, to the many robberies to which the birds are sub- * 2.43xl.fl2. t'2.(!2xl.«3,2.8Uxl.61. 16 NESTS AND EGGS OF jected, and they are compelled to lay several times before they are left undisturbed by the eggers. So telling is the effect due to constant laying that the eggs deposited in the latter part of the season are perceptibly smaller. The Western Gull, Larus occidentalism is another enemy of this Murre ; it carries off and devours both eggs and young. So it would seem that the chances for the Murre to rear its young and launch them into the deep, blue sea, where they can take care of themselves, are not very favorable, yet these birds are found in countless numbers on the islands of the Pacific coast. Mr. Bryant, in his excellent paper,* says: " The gulls pick a murre's ^^g up bodily and carry it away in their capacious mouth, but do not stick their bill into it to get hold, as is stated by some writers, whose observations must have referred to the eggs already broken by the gulls or eggers." This species lays a single pear-shaped egg on the bare rock, often on the narrow shelves of cliffs, where the bird has just room enough to sit, and if unmolested will rear two and three young in a season. Like the eggs of the last species, they show a wonderful diversity of color and markings ; the ground color is white, buff, greenish of several shades, yellowish, and cinnamon. They are either unspotted or blotched or streaked with zigzag markings of brown and black. They measure from 3.30 to 3.50 long by 1.90 to 2.05 broad; occasionally as small as 2.05 in length by 1.45 in breadth. 31. Uria lomvia (Linn.) [764a.] Brnimioh's Murre. Hab. Coasts and islands of the North Atlantic and Eastern Arctic Ocean, south on the Atlantic coast of North America to New Jersey. Breeding from the Gulf of St. Lawrence northward. This Species has the same general habits and characteristics as the common Murre, Uria troile. Its distribution in the breeding season is about the same, and the eggs are indistinguishable. It is an abundant bird on the islands of the North Atlantic. 31a. Uria lomvia arra (Pall.) [764.] Pallas's BIarr«. Hab. Coasts and islands of the North Pacific and Western Arctic Ocean. The great *' egg bird " of the North Pacific, swarming at its breed- ing places on the rocky islands and shores in myriads. Its habits and nesting are the same as those of the foregoing, the eggs averaging larger, 3.21x2.01. * Birds and Eggs from the Farallon Islands. •e they are left :onstant laying tre perceptibly nemy of this So it would 1 launch them emselves, are numbers on paper,* says: iway in their -t hold, as is ferred to the 2 rock, often n enough to n a season, diversity of h of several 'Spotted or ack. They isionally as e Atlantic coast itics as the : season is abundant ^s breed- bits and ^eraging NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. ll 32. Alca torda Linn. [742.] Ramor-bUled Ank. Hab. Coasts and islands of the North Atlantic, south in winter on the North American coast to Southern New England. The Razor-billed Auk is abundant on the coasts and islands of the North Atlantic and some parts of the Polar seas. The Razor- billed Auk is about eighteen inches long, with a pointed tail and flatly compressed bill ; the plumage is brownish-black above and white beneath, the black bill having a white curved line and the back part of the wing is edged with white. It breeds from the northeastern coast of Maine northward. Mr. Frazar found it common everywhere in Labrador, more so even than the Murre, f/rm troile^ owing to its habit of breeding in less frequented places — concealing its eggs in the cracks and crevices among the rocks, where it was not apt to be disturbed. It frequents the rocky shores, and deposits its eggs in June and July, often in deep fissures of the rocks and in caverns. It very frequently lays its eggs at the entrance of inhabited puffin's burrows. Generally one egg is laid, but in about twenty in- stances Mr. Frazar found two. These are white with a creamy or bluish tint, spotted and blotched with dark brown or black, the spots often becoming confluent and generally forming a circle toward the large end; pyriform to oval in shape; size about 3.00x2.00. The eggs exhibit a great variety in the distribution and style of markings. In shape they are not distinguishable from some types of the common Guillemot, but are generally more or less ovate or elongated pear- shaped. The Razor-billed Auk breeds sparingly on the outlying rocky islands of Nova Scotia, as on Devil's Limb and Gannet rock. The bird is about eighteen inches long. In life it is said to have a particularly trim and elegant form, and its feathers are always kept perfectly clean, smooth and glossy. This Auk is said to be of quarrel- some disposition, seldom allowing a puffin or murre to alight near it without opening its bill at the intruder and disclosing a bright orange mouth. The Razor-bill rides lightly on the water and dives well. 33. Plautus impennis (Linn.) [741 ] Great Ank. Hab. Formerly the coasts and islands of the North Atlantic, from Massachusetts and Ireland north- ward nearly to the Arctic Circle. Believed to be now extinct. Ornithologists generally agree that the Great Auk has disap- peared from the face of the earth. Within the present generation it is one of the birds that has doubtless become extinct through the agency of man. Like the penguin, which it much re.embles in general form, 18 NESTS ANI> EGGS OK it did not possess wings suitable for flight, those members being of very small size and only useful as fins in the water. The specific name, impennis^ or wingless, is not really a correct term. The bird was easily captured when on land. A specimen is said to have been taken at St. Kilda in 1822 ; and it was once a well known bird in the Orkneys. The last specimens of the Great Auk, two in number, were taken by a party of men in an excursion to a rocky island on the coast of Ireland in 1844. The bird formerly inhabited the coast of Massachu- setts and northward to Greenland and Iceland, as we are assured by the earlier observers, and by the quantity of bones in shell-heaps. There are four preserved specimens in this country, and about seventy skins and eggs in the various museums of the world. This interesting bird is said to have once been found on Bird Rocks in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, but those who visited this place as far back as 1835 do not mention the " Penguin " as occurring there. On the American coast the last living example is thought to have appeared on a small island off the southern coast of Newfoundland. About twenty years ago the Great Auk, it is said, was still to be found on the Penguin Islands, 250 miles north of Cape Norman, New Found- land, but of this there seems to be no satisfactory evidence. Mr. R. Dean records one ** found dead in the vicinity of St. Augustine, Lab- rador, in 1870."* This one, though in poor condition, sold for $200, and was sent to Europe. Concerning the character, date and dis- position of the specimen, however, there appears to be some question, and it is not likely that the bird lived down to so recent a date. The bird is said to have been a remarkable swimmer, moving upon and under the water with extraordinary rapidity, a specimen in one in- stance having been pursued by a six-oared boat and crew for hours in vain. The Great Auk, the largest of the family, measures about thirty inches in length, the wing six, tail three, bill along the gape four and a quarter. The general color of its plumage is dark above, and the under parts white, extending to a point beneath the throat; the ends of the secondaries are white. There is a white oval spot between the eyes and bill. The egg of the Great Auk w:js laid on the bare rock without any attempt at a nest. The egg is like that of the Razor-billed Auk, but of course much larger. Prof. Robert Ridgway gives the average size as 4.67 X 2.91.1 * American Naturalist, Vol. VI, p. 368. t Manual of North American Birds, p. 19. .- .«*.n^i'..waaMW*'^*i »*^ w I'M I' NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 19 34. Allealle (Linn.) [752.] Dov«kie. Hab. Coasts and islands of the North Atlantic and Eastern Arctic Ocean ; in North America, south in winter to New Jersey; breeds in high northern latitudes. The little Ice-bird of the fishermen and the Sea Dove of ornithol- ogists. Its entire life is spent on the open sea, rarely visiting land ex- cept during the breeding season or when driven thence by severe storms. It breeds in the Arctic regions of America and Europe, the islands of the Arctic Ocean, and in the northwestern portion of Asia. The head and bill of this bird are formed almost exactly like that of a quail. It is very abundant at its breeding grounds in the far north, and is one of the most boreal of birds ; nesting chiefly on islands, or always in places near the sea, depositing its single pale, greenish-blue egg in the crevices of rocky cliflfs. The eggs measure from 1.80 to 1.90 in length by 1.25 to 1.30 in breadth. 35. Megalestris skua (Brunn.) [696.] Skna. Hab. Coasts and islands of the North Atlantic. South to Spain and Massachusetts. Rare on the coast of North America, The Skua Gull may well be called the feathered pirate of the seas. It does not congregate in flocks ; two or more pairs are seldom seen together. It is noted for its courage and daring, attacking and harass- ing gulls, forcing them to disgorge the fish which they have swal- lowed. In the Island of Unst, the most northern one of the Shetland group, it has been found breeding. The bird was given a place in the fauna of North America on the ground of its occurrence in Greenland, where its eggs are said to have been taken. The nest is simply a shal- low cavity in the long grass, lined with grass stems. The eggs are two or three in number, with an olive-green or drab ground-color, marked by irregular dark olive-brown and chocolate-colored blotches ; they measure from 2.75 to 3.00 in length, by 1.50 to 2.00 in breadth. 36. Stercorarius pomarinus (Temm.) [697.] Pomarine Jaeger. Hab. Seas and inland waters of northern portions of Northern Hemisphere, south to Africa and Australia, and probably South America. Not known to occur in winter on the Atlantic coast of North America north of Long Island. Another of the falcon-like sea fowls, commonly called the Gull Hunter by the fishermen. Resident throughout the summer in high northern regions, chiefly within the Arctic Circle. In winter it is a great wanderer, and is known to occur on the Great Lakes, and as far as the above habitat indicates. The bird is said to live chiefly by plun- dering the Kittiwake Gull; but will attack other species, even the ml 20 NESTS AND EGGS OF I I 1 I r I I- largest. Comparatively little is known of its breeding habits; it breeds in remote places, and is said to form a rude nest of grass and moss, situated on dry elevated spots in marshes. The eggs of all the Skuas are very similar in appearance — pale olive-green or yellowish- gray in ground-color — irregularly blotched and spotted with two shades of brown ; those of the present species are said to be thinner in form and more pointed than those of the others. Dr. Brewer describes an egg procured in Greenland as rounded-ovoid; its ground-color, deep olive-drab, sparingly spotted with slate-color and two shades of umber, chiefly at the larger end, where they become confluent. There are also a very few scattered dots of black. Size, 2.25 by 1.70. 37. Stercorarius parasiticus (Linn.) [698.] Paraaitio Jaeger. Hab. Northern part of Northern Hemisphere, southward in winter to South Africa and South Amer- ica. Breeds in high northern districts, and winters from the Middle States and California southward to Brazil and Chili. The Parasitic Jaegar, like the others of this family, is eminently rapacious, and it is known as the " Man-of-War," from its habits of pursuing and robbing the terns and smaller gulls. It breeds in the interior of Arctic America, and is especially abundant in the Anderson River region. A common bird in the more northern portion of Asia and Europe. So far as known, its general habits do not differ from those of the Pomarine. It is given as the most common of the Skuas off the coast of Norway, but does not go far inland to breed. The nest of this species is made on islands or on the margins of lakes ; it is a mere depression in the ground, lined with a few grasses and withered leaves. In Greenland it is said to be a resident species, and it breeds in Iceland on the moors far inland. In the Shetland Islands this bird breeds in communities, fifty or more pairs congregating at the same place. The eggs are usually two in number, sometimes three, and are as variable in ground color and markings as those of the Eskimo Curlew. They vary from olive drab to green, gray and brown, marked with several shades of chocolate, brown and an obscure stone gray, distributed over the entire egg. Size from 2.00 to 2.40 long, and from 1.50 to 1.70 broad. 38. Stercorarins longicaudus Vieill. [699.] Long-tailed Jaeger. Hab. Northern part of Northern Hemisphere, south in winter to the Gulf of Mexico. The same plundering habits mark the character of this bird as are peculiar to any of the Jaegers or Skuas. It is distributed in the breed- ing season throughout all parts of the region near the Arctic Circle, in ■Cf?MKI-^*ewr '.-r»j«--' ■"*•*" J^l^ NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 21 Siberia, Northern Asia, Europe and America, and on the islands of the Arctic Ocean. It breeds in Greenland and Iceland, is abundant throughout the Barren Grounds of the Arctic coast, and is said to be very numerous in the vicinity of Fort Anderson, also on the shores of Franklin Bay. It is also found breeding on several of the Orkney and Shetland Islands. Nests found in the Arctic regions are mere depres- sions in the soil, scantily lined with dry grass and leaves. Some are placed far inland near small lakes, and often there is really no nest, the eggs being laid on the bare ground. The eggs are said to be not always distinguishable from those of the Parasitic Jaeger, but average smaller; exceptionally large specimens of 5". longicaudus are some- times as large as exceptionally small ones of S. parasiticus They range from 1.95 to 2.18 long, and from 1.45 to 1.55 broad. 39. Gavia aM (Gunn.) [657.] Ivory Onll. Hab. Arctic Seas, south in winter on the Atlantic coast of North America to Labrador and New Foundland, casually to New Brunswick, and on the Pacific side to Bering Sea. A bird that is resident in the Arctic regions of both hemispheres, only occasionally visiting the more temperate zones. It is said to breed the farthest north of all the gulls. Noted for its ravenous appe- tite, gorging itself with the flesh of the seal and the blubber of the whale. On the islands and along the coasts of Spitzbergen it breeds sparingly ; in like places on the coast of Northern Siberia it is abund- ant. The bird is a resident of Greenland, and the breeding season there begins about the middle of June. The nest is built on some inaccessible rock or clift ; it is made of dry grass and lined with moss and a few feathers, forming quite a hollow. An egg is described as oblong-oval in shape, with a ground color of light yellowish-olive with small blotches of dark brown scattered over the surface. These are intermingled with more obscure brown and cloudings of lilac. Size 2.45 long by 1.70 broad. 40. Rissa tridactyla (Linn.) [658.J Kittlwake. Hab. Arctic regions, south in Eastern North America in winter to the Great Lakes and Middle States. The Kittiwake Gull is a northern species, found in the Atlantic waters of Europe and America. On the Pacific coast it is represented by the next form, pollic%ris. It is one of the commonest resident species of Greenland, and according to observers it inhabits nearly all parts of the Arctic regions. Breeds on the islands of the Atlantic coast of North America, from New England northward ; an abundant species, 22 NESTS AND EGGS OF nesting not always on the ground like most gulls, but on rocky cliffs overhanging water. On Gannet Rocks of the St. Lawrence this noisy Gull is especially numerous, where its nests are found on narrow ledges ; they are composed of grass and seaweed. Some of the nests are quite flat, while others are several inches in thickness and deeply hollowed, new material being added each year, and they are sometimes so numerous that the breeding places become very filthy and emit an intolerable odor. The eggs are two and sometimes three in number, and have a ground-color of yellowish buff, brownish-gray or pale greenish-gray, marked with irregular spots of varying shades of brown and lilac. The' average size is 2.26 x 1.61. 40a. Rissa tridactyla poUlcaris Ridgw. [6580. ] Paoifio Kittiwake. Hab. Coasts of North Pacific and Bering Sea. This form of the Kittiwake is abundant on the islands of the North Pacific. Dr. Leonhard Stejneger records it as a common breed- ing bird, both on the islands and along the Kamtschatkan coast, and in all places suitable for rookeries they are found in astonishing num- bers. For the purpose of nesting they select the shelves and projec- tions of cliffs, the tops of walls that rise perpendicularly out of the deep sea, and especially on the high pinnacles standing lonely amidst the foaming breakers. The nesting is precisely the same as that of R. tridactyla^ and the eggs are indistinguishable, except that in a large series they are said to be more uniform in their markings. 41. Rissa breviroatris (Bruch.) [659.] Red-legged Klttiiv^ake. Hab. Coasts and islands of Bering Sea. The living bird of this species has coral-red legs and feet, which contrast richly with the snowy white plumage of the head, neck and under parts. An abundant species on the islands of Bering Sea. On the Prybilof group it swarms by tens of thousands to breed in the first part of May. It is especially abundant on St. George's and St. Paul's Islands. The nests, like those of the Pacific Kittiwake, are placed on almost inaccessible shelves and projections, so that seldom is a nest reached unless a person is lowered down to it on a rope passed over the cli**" Dry grass and moss cemented with mud are the materials which con- stitute the nests. The Red-legged Kittiwake is common on the islands along the NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 23 an rocky cliffs ace this noisy ^ on narrow e of the nests s and deeply re sometimes and emit an ands of the mon breed- i coast, and 5hing num- md projec- out of the ely amidst that of i?. in a large et, which aeck and 3ea. On ^ the first >t. Paul's n almost reached the cli«" ich con- ing the Kamtschatkan coast, notably on Copper Island, where it breeds in company with pollicaris. The eggs have a ground-color of brownish white, varying to light drab and buff, marked with blotches, sepia-brown and umber ; these are underlain by subdued shades and cloudings of lilac-gray. The average size of the egg is 2.28 x 1.66. 42. [660.] Lams glaucQS Brunn. Gli\noiu Onll. Hab. Arctic regions, south in North America to the Great Lakes and Long Island. North Pacific. One of the largest of the Gulls, equal in fact, to the Great Black- backed Gull, L. marinus. It is a bird of high northern range during the breeding season — inhabiting the Arctic regions of Europe and Asia and the more north- ern portions of North America. In Spitzbergen it is said to breed in immense numbers, placing the nests on the shores or low rocks and even on masses of ice. They are large structures, made of sea weed and moss. The Burgomaster Gull, as it is called, feeds on crabs and fishes ; it attacks smaller birds and also robs them of their eggs and young. It attends fishing boats for the purpose of devouring the offal which may be thrown overboard. The bird is recorded as a constant resident of Greenland. In Hudson's Bay it builds its nests on the islands in lakes and rivers, and the young are hatched in June. Wal- rus Island, one of the Prybilof group in Bering Sea, is a favorite breeding place of this gull ; here the nests are built of sea ferns and dry grass, placed among the gra'^sy tussocks in the center of the island. The eggs are two, and sometimes three in number ; their gen- eral shape is spherically oval, and the ground color dark grayish- brown, pale ash, pale clay or a pearly white. The markings are small patches of light brown and brownish black. The sizes range from 2.95 to 3.15 long by 2.18 to 2.25 broad. * * Larus barrovianus Ridgw. Point Barrotr Gull. Hab. Bering Sea and adjacent waters, northeastward to Point Barrow, southwest in winter to Japan. This new species of Gull,* whose plumage is described as resemb- ling that of the Glaucous and Iceland Gulls, and whose size is inter- mediate between these two species, is found on the islands of Be- ring Sea, and its range extends as indicated in the habitat. Specimens that served for description were from the Island of St. Michaels and Point Barrow.f •Described since the publication of the A. O. U. Check List. t For details see Auk, III, p. 330, or Ridgway's Manual N. Am. Birds, p. 26. ;i 24 NBSTS AND BGGS OP .Its general habits, nesting, eggs, etc., are doubtless similar to those of other Gulls. Prof. Ridgway gives the average measurement of its eggs as 3.05 x 2.03. 43. Lams leacopterns Faber. [661.] Iceland Onll* Hab. Arctic Regions, toutb in winter in North America to Maiiachutetti, and further. This Gull is precisely like the last, but smaller, and it is difficult to distinguish the two at a distance. Another common name for it is White-winged Gull. It is an Arctic species, and its distribution dur- ing the breeding season is nearly identical with that of the Burgo- master, being found in the northerr parts of Europe, Asia and North America. The two species are often found nesting in the same places, and the nests are of the same construction. The eggs, however, are smaller, measuring 2.79 x 1.85. 44. Larus glaucescens Naum. [662.] Olanooiu-winged Onll. Hab. Pacific coast of North America, from Alaska south to California; on the Asiatic side south to Japan. Almost as large a species as the Glaucous Gull or Burgomaster. It breeds on the islands of the Pacific coast from Washington Terri- tory northward. The nests are not always built on the shelving rocks of high clififs. On the Aleutian Islands they are found among the tall grass on the highest parts of the islands, while others are built on pro- jections of rocks. Sometimes there is little or no attempt at nest- making, the eggs being laid in a slight depression of the ground. On Bering Sea and Copper Islands, on the Kamtschatkan coast, this species breeds all around the shores. Eggs have been found as early as the middle of May. These are said to be of a more greenish tinge and the spots more numerous and better defined than in those of the glauctis. Size 2.88 x 2.03. 45. Larus knmlienl Brewst. Knmllen'B Gvll. Hab. North Atlantic coast of North America; south in winter to the coast of the Middle States. This new species of Gull, first described by Mr. William Brew- ster,* is like glaucescens^ but somewhat smaller. It is recorded as being quite common in the upper Cumberland water, where it breeds, placing the nests on shelving rocks of high clifiFs. The eggs are said to be the same as those of glatuescens. *Bull. Nutt. Club., Vol. VIII., p. 216. NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 25 53 similar to neasurement her, t is difficult me for it is ibution dur- the Burgo- L and North ame places, 3wever, are ic side south to rgomaster. ton Terri- -'ing rocks ig the tall It on pro- t at nest- und. ^an coast, found as greenish in those e States. 1 Brew- rded as breeds, tre said 47. Larofl marlniu Linn. [663.] Or««t Blaok-bAoked Onll. Hab. Coasts of the North Atlaniic; south in winter to Long Island and Italy. The large and powerful Black-backed Gull, or Saddle-back, inhab- its the Atlantic waters of Europe and North America. Breeds in great numbers on the coast of Norway as far as North Cape. In various parts of the British Islands it is found throughout the year, especially on the islands around the coasts of Scotland, where it breeds in abun- dance. On the American coast it breeds from the Bay of Fundy north- ward to Greenland. Years ago it was known to breed quite commonly on the islands ofiF the coast of Nova Scotia. In Labrador it is common everywhere. Mr. M. Abbott Frazar found it breeding on the small islands, placing its nests generally on some elevated spot. He seldom found more than a half dozen pairs breeding on a single island. The nests were built of dry grasses, were very bulky and deeply hollowed. He found no nests containing more than three eggs. During the breeding season the birds feed largely upon the eggs of other birds, especially upon those of the Murre and upon young Eider ducks.* The eggs of this Gull vary from a bluish-white or olive-gray to a deep yellowish brown, and are irregularly spotted and blotched with reddish-brown and lilac of different shades. The sizes vary from 2.70 to 3.20 long by 2.05 to 2.25 broad. 49. Larus occidentalis Aud. [664.] Western Onll. Hab. Pacific coast of North America, breeds from Southern California northward. The most abundant species of Gull on the California coast, breed- ing on all suitable islands. It is the only gull which breeds on the Farallones. Mr. Emerson states that on these islands the nest is built either on high ridges or low places near the shore. The material used is a dry, rank weed ; with this they construct their rather bulky nest and repair or rebuild it each year. Of their general habits Mr. Bryant says: "The gulls are indiscriminate feeders; in addition to their usual articles of diet, th'^y subsist largely upon eggs during the summer. They do not eat the eggs of their own species, nor do they trouble the cormorants after the murres have commenced laying. Sea urchins, crabs, young murres and rabbits, and fish stolen from the cormorants* nests are eaten. Not being quick enough to swoop upon the rabbits, " Ornithologist and Oologist, Vol. XII., p. 17. m 'i.i .1 " t, ■J ;. 26 NESTS AND EGGS OF I ! i 1 they catch them by patient watching at their burrows, and will perse- vere for fifteen minutes to swallow a squealing young rabbit, and finally fly away with the hind feet protruding. The dead bodies of Murres are also eaten ; they detach pieces of flesh by backing away and dragging the body, meanwhile shaking their head, till a piece breaks off"." The eggs are deposited as early as the first part of May on the Farallones, and laying is sometimes continued into July. The usual complement is three ; but from constant robberies by the eggers, who collect eggs for the San Francisco market, often only two are laid. The same variation of ground-color and markings are to be found in these eggs as is common to all those of the gulls ; light grayish olive, clay color, bluish-white and deep yellowish-brown, spotted and blotched with umber-brown, blackish and lilac of varying shades. The average size of fifty specimens is, 2.76 x 1.94; the largest 2.99 x 2.01 ; the small- est 2.56 X 1.89. [50] Larus afflnls Reinh. [665.] Siberian Ovll. Hab. Greenland; Alia; Europe, southward in winter to North Africa. The Siberian Gull is a rare or occasional visitor in Greenland, whereupon it claims a place in the fauna of North America. It breeds in the extreme north of Europe, notably on the shores and in the lagoons of the Petchora River in the northern part of Euro- pean Russia. The eggs are said not to differ from those of the Herring Gull. 51. Larus argentatus Brunn [666] Herring Onll. Hab. Old World, south to the Azores; Cumberland Sound; occasional on the eastern coast ot the United States. The European Herring Gull is known as an occasional visitor to the coast of Eastern North America. On the Azores, a cluster of nine islands in the Atlantic, eight hundred miles due west of Portugal, this Gull is very common, breeding on some of the islands in immense numbers. In Great Britain it is a familiar bird everywhere. It breeds in the islands on the coast of Scotland, especially the Hebrides, Shetland, Orkney and the Faroe Islands ; thence northward to Iceland. One of the most common Gulls along the coast of Norway, as far as North Cape, where they breed by thousands. Its nesting habits and its eggs are the same as those of the American bird, smithsonianus. Eggs 2.91 X 1.98. NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 27 :oa«t o( the 51a. Lariu argentatns gmithsonianiis Coucs. [d66a.] AuMriemn Harrlns Onll. Hab. North America gtnerilly. Breedi on tha Atlantic coail from Maina northward. In North America this Gull is a common bird throughout its range, particularly coast-wise. It is also more or less abundant on the inland lakes and rivers during its periods of migration, and in many of these places it is found breeding. At Moosehead Lake, Me., where a few pair breed, the eggs are laid in the latter part of May, or in the first week of June. In the interior this Gull is found breeding on the lakes and larger bodies of water, as far north as the Mackenzie and Anderson River regions. On many of the large prairie lakes of Mani- toba it breeds in great numbers. Mr. Frazar mentions this species as the most common of all the gulls inhabiting Labrador, breeding in colonies and placing their nests on the ground.* In many places where the Herring Gull has suffered persecution, it has been knc n to depart from its usual habit of nesting on the open seashore, and \ , e its nest on trees sixty and seventy-five feet from the ground. At Grand Manan and in Labrador, in some of the old breed, grounds, its human foes have brought about this change in its habits- Some of the nests built on the ground are merely a shallow depression with a slight lining, others are large and elaborately made of grass and moss. Those built in trees are said to be strongly interwoven and very compact. The complement of eggs is normally three ; they vary from bluish- white to deep yellowish-brown, irregularly spotted and blotched with brown of different shades ; in a large series a great diversity of ground- color and markings exists. Mr. Elwin A. Capen in his superb workf figures three prevailing types of coloration. The sizes range from 2.73 to 2.91 long by 1.64 to 194 broad. 52. Larus cachinnans Pall. [667.] Pallas's Onll. Hab. Asia, from the Red Sea to the Pacific and Arctic Oceans; coast of Alaska, south in winter to California. In the Old World this Gull has been found breeding on the shores and islands of the Red Sea, the Mediterranean and Black Seas, and at the mouths of the Rivers Volga and Ural ; on the shores and islands of the Caspian Sea, thence eastwardly and northerly on the inland lakes and rivers through Asia to the Pacific and Arctic Oceans. In " Ornithologist and Oologist, Vol. XII, p. 18. t Oology of New England: a description of the eggs, nests and breeding habits of the birds known to braed in New England, with colored illustrations of their eggs. By Elwin A. Capen. Boston, 1886. M \ V I f 11- li 28 NHSTS AND EGGS OP North America it is a common species of the Northern Pacific, from California to Alaska. It breeds on the islands of the Upper Yukon River, in the first part of May, depositing its eggs in slight depressions of the bare ground. The eggs are not distinguishable from those of the Herring Gull, L. argentatus. 53. [668.] Larus californicns Lawr. Callfomta Onll. Hab. Weitero North America. The California Gull is found along the Pacific coast in winter, but retires to its breeding places in the summer months. Its breeding grounds seem to be inland, on the lakes and large bodies of water. It breeds abundantly on Great Salt Lake and Pyramid Lake, Utah, and on Lake Malheur, in Eastern Oregon. It has been found nesting as far north as Great Slave Lake, Fort Resolution, Fort Simpson and the Lower Anderson River. The nests of this species are made on the ground, or built on rocks and, sometimes where the birds are breeding in vast colonies, the nests are placed on stunted sage or greasewood bushes. They are built of sticks, grass and a few feathers. The eggs are usually three or four in number, occasionally five. Prof. Marcus E. Jones informs me that at Great Salt Lake this Gull generally lays five eggs. These are deposited in a little bare spot surrounded by a few twigs, the hollow just deep enough to keep the eggs from rolling out. The nests are made on the sand or any other bare spot on islands far out I' the lake. The eggs are laid about the middle of May. They vary from a bluish-white to a deep brownish-clay color, spotted and blotched with dark brown, slate and blackish zigzag markings. Sizes range from 2.50 to 2.70 long by 1.65 to 1.95 broad. 54. Larus delawarensis Ord. [669.] Ring-biUed OnU. Hab. North America at large; south in winter to Cuba and Mexico. This Gull inhabits the entire Continent of North America, and is, on the whole, the commonest species both coastwise and in the interior, it breeds in the United States and far nonh, placing its nest on the ground or on cliflfs. Mr. Stebbins found this species and the Common Tern occupying an island of about an acre in extent in Devils Lake, Dakota, in the first week of June. The entire island was covered with eggs of the gulls and terns. Mr. Stebbins says : "I don't suppose you could lay down a two-foot rule anywhere without each end of it striking a nest. It was common to find the terns and gulls breeding side by side. Most of the gulls' nests were in the grass, while those NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 29 of the terns were in the sand. I did not find a gull's nest with more than three eggs, and a very few with two; whereas, several hollows were found with as many as eighteen terns' eggs in them, which had rolled together." Mr, Frazar observed a few colonies of this species breeding in I^abrador, nesting like other gulls, and the nests never contained mc, than three eggs. These have the usual variations in color to be xound in eggs of the terns — bluish-white to dark brown, spotted and blotched with brown and lilac of various shades. Sizes from 2.75 to 2.80 long by 1.60 to 1.75 broad. 55. Larus brachyrhynchus Rich. [670.] Short-liilled OnU. Hab. Arctic America and Pacific coast to Southern California. In the breeding season the Short-billed Gull occurs in the north- ern regions of North America. It has been found nesting on the ground in the small lakes in the vicinity of Fort Anderson, and in the Mackenzie River Valley. Breeds in great abundance at the mouth of the Yukon. It also was observed nesting along the streams in the Barren Grounds of the Arctic regions. Its nest is made of hay or wiry grass, and is sometimes placed on stumps and in trees. The eggs are usually three in number ; greenish ot olive brown, with vari- ous markings, but chiefly small spots of reddish-umber. Sizes vary from 2.00 to 2.35 long by 1.45 to 1.70 broad. [56.] [671.] Larus canus Linn. Mew Gnll. Hab. Europe and Asia; accidental in Labrador. This is the Sea-mew or Sea-mall of Europe. In Great Britain it breeds more or less abundantly along the entire coast, and is especially common on some of the smaller islands in the Hebrides ; on the north coast of Scotland it is found on the Orkney and Shetland Islands. It breeds on inland lakes as well as on the sea-coast, building its nest on the grassy summits of precipitous rocks near the sea or on moorland locks far inland, and even on high mountain ranges. It is abundant on the coast and on the fresh-water lakes of Norway. A common species, and breeds in nearly all parts of Central and Northern Russia. Abund- ant on the Prussian coast and on the northern coast of France. The nests are made of grass and vegetable substances. The usual num- ber of eggs is three; yellowish-brown, olive-brown, and whitish to greenish-gray, irregularly marked with dark brown and purplish-gray. The size varies from 3.08 to 2.25 long by 1.40 to 1.58 broad. ,- it l^: ti li'"' ' i i.; i ill- ! il'l!M 30 NESTS AND EGGS OF 57. Larns heermanni Cass. [672.] • Heerman's Onll* Hab. Pacific coast ox North America, from British Columbia to Panama. This is said to be one of the handsomest birds of the family to which it belongs, and is commonly called the White-headed Gull. It is a common species along the Californian coast and is most abundant in winter. At the Farallone Islands it is occasionally seen, but does not breed there. It probably breeds on the Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa Islands, as it does on others farther south. The general habits of this species are the same as those of other gulls. One particular trait, however, marks this species — that of fol- lowing flocks of pelicans and robbing them of a portion of the fish which these birds carry in their pouches, seizing upon the fishes which fall out or hang outside. The food of this Gull is almost exclusively fish, which it also procures by diving. It also feeds ou small Crustacea and mollusca. The eggs of this species are described as having a yellowish-drab ground-color, over which is scattered spots and mark- ings of lilac and different shades of brown. The average size is 2.45 by 1.50. 58. Larus atricilla Linn. [673.J I^anghing Oull. Hab. Eastern tropical and warm temperate America, chiefly along the sea coast, from Maine to Brazil; Pacific coast and Middle America. The Laughing or Black-headed Gull is more of a southern species, particularly one of the Gulf and South Atlantic States, but is found breeding as far north as the coasts of New England. It is an abundant and a resident species on the coasts of Florida, along the whole extent of the Gulf of Mexico; and also on the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of Central America. " Mr. Maynard says : *' The notes of Gulls are loud and startling, but those of the Laughing are the most singular of them all, for their cries, especially when the bird is excited, sound like loud peals of prolonged and derisive laughter."* Mr. R. C. Stuart, of Tampa, Fla., writes that this species nests in large communities, on grassy islands along the Gulf coast in May and June, placing the nest in tussocks of grass ; the cavity is nicely lined with fine, dry grasses. The eggs are from three to five in number. In color they vary from bluish-white to greenish-ash, spotted und blotched with brown, umber and lilac of varying shades ; the usv^al variations in size, ground color and markings are to be found in ii <'Birds of Eastern North America. U! NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 31 the family to ied Gull. It 3St abundant en, but does i Santa Rosa ose of other -that of fol- i of the fish fishes which exclusively ill Crustacea as having a 5 and mark- i size is 2.45 t, from Maine to a southern States, but d. It is an , along the Pacific and i startling, 11, for their d peals of es nests in a May and icely lined amber. )otted and the usual bund in a large series of these eggs; sizes from 2.00 to 2.28 long by 1.50 to 1.65 broad. &9. Larus franklinii Sw. & Rich. [674.] Franklin's GnU. Hab. Interior of North America, breeding from the northern border of the United States northward; south in winter to Central and South America. In North America this Gull is confined to the interior, chiefly west of the Mississippi, breeding from the northern border of the United States northward. Mr. J. W. Preston found it nesting in the marshes of western Minnesota, about the middle of May.* I am informed by Mr. H. J. Wallace that it breeds abundantly in the marshes of the Red River Valley of Western Manitoba. He found this beautiful Gull breeding in large communities, in marshes and wooded swamps, making its nest of wet grasses and sedges on the tops of broken down stalks. The eggs are described as closely resembling those of the Eskimo Curlew in size, shape and color, though the dark splashes are more evenly distributed over the surface. The ground-color varies from dirty white to olive-drab and light brown, with all the shades ot" the lighter tints of green and ashy. They are usually marked with numer- ous and bold splashes and zigzag lines of umber-brown and different depths of chocolate, particularly at the larger end. The eggs average about 2.12 X 1.40 ; they are three in number. Three eggs in my possession, collected at Heron Lake, Minnesota, on the 9th of May, measure as follows: 2.06x1,41, 1.98x1.45, 2.03 x 1.47. These are olive-drab with bold spots and blotches of light and dark brown ; there are no zigzag lines. 60. Larus Philadelphia (Ord.) [675.] Bonaparte's Onll. Hab. Entire North America, breeding chiefly north of the United States; south in winter to Mexico and Central America. This handsome little Gull is a common species throughout North America, from the Atlantic to the Pacific coasts. It is especially abun- dant along the Atlantic coast during its periods of migration. Breeds Northward, nearly to the Arctic Ocean. Its flight is described as being light, airy and very graceful, resembling that of the Terns. Its prin- cipal food is small fish. On many of the large lakes and marshes in the prairie regions of Manitoba it breeds in great numbers, from thence northward and throughout all parts of the Fur Countries it is found breeding in suitable places. In the marshes of the wooded regions bordering the Mackenzie River it breeds in the latter part of June. "Ornithologist and Oologitt, Vol. XI., r;>. 6 greenish- ' the same ; The aver- ts of the United ily called, L., it nests id George th Sterna shes, near -pressions ["his Tern :o, in the ler south, 3ias, it is - in num- greenish, lly about Mw. m m m ml !i Copyright iSSb. PLATE II PIED-BILLED GREBES AND NEST. {Pcdilymbut fodicepi.) Page 6, NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 33 the larger end, but, like the eggs of all terns, are extremely variable. The average size is 1.75x1.30. This is the only species of tern having the bill shaped in a noticea- ble degree like that of a gull — hence its common name. Marsh Tern is another name by which it is known, but this is not regarded as exactly correct. According to the best authorities the Gull-billed Tern is a species of wide distribution and is characteristic of no particular region, breed- ing alike in the islands of the Indian Ocean and in those of the Gulf of Mexico, the islands and the coasts of Jutland in Denmark and along the coast and the interior in the marshes and lagoons of southern South America. A few specimens have been taken on the coasts of France and Germany, and it is recorded as being common in Hun- gary, Greece, and Asia Minor, where it breeds. It is known to breed in various other portions of Southern Europe, and also in the northern parts of Africa. Its flight is spoken of as easy and graceful, partaking of the elegance which is characteristic of these birds when on the wing. 64. Sterna tschegrava Lepech. [680.] Caspian Tern. Hab. Nearly cosmopolitan; in North America brei ing southward to Virginia, Lake Michigan, Texas, Nevada and California. This is the largest of these elegant and graceful birds, the Terns ; it measures from twenty to twenty-three inches in length! The bill of this bird in life is of dark vermilion-red, growing lighter towards the tip ; the pileum and occipital crest is glossy, greenish-black, ex- tending to the lower line of the eyes. The back and upper parts of wings are pearl-blue, the whole underparts are white. The legs and feet are black. The extent of wings in the adult bird is from fifty to fifty-five inches. It is nearly cosmopolitan in its distribution, being found in greater or less abundance in various portions of the globe. At a distance it is often mistaken for the Royal Tern, but may be distinguished from the latter by its more robust form and less deeply forked tail. The bird is also known as the Imperial Tern ; irregularly distributed throughout North America , but chiefly in the Arctic regions, where it breeds, and along the entire Atlantic coast. Eggs and young have been taken on Cobb's Island, Va., in July. Dr. Merrill observed it breeding on Padre Island, near Fort Brown, Texas, in May. Mr. B. F. Goss found it nesting on the islands of Lake Michigan. Large numbers of this species are said to breed on Pelican Island in the r'n m 1 Hi' 34 NESTS AND EGGS OF Gulf of Mexico. The nests are mere hollows scooped in the dry sand, in which the birds deposit two or three eggs. These vary from white to greenish-buff, spotted and blotched with brown and lilac of different shades ; broader and more elliptical than those of the next species ; size 2.66x1.77. 65. Sterna maxima Bodd. [681.] Royal Tern. Hab. Tropical America and warmer parti of North America, northward to Massachusetts, the Great Lakes .■\nd California. West coast of Africa north to Tangiers. This handsome Tern, next in size to the Caspian, breeds in large colonies along the Atlantic coast, from New Jersey southward, depositing from one to three or four eggs on the bare sand. It breeds abund- antly along the coasts and on the marshes of Florida. On some of the islands in the Gulf of Mexico it nests in immense numbers. Very abundant on many of the lagoons and marshes of Southern Texas. Prof. Robert Ridgway records the Royal Tern breeding on Cobb's Island, Va., in the first part of July. In an area of about an eighth of an acre the eggs were so numerous that it was almost impossible to walk through the nesting site without crushing a greater or less num- ber ; many of the eggs were covered by the drifting sand.* The eggs are described as being narrower, and especially more pointed and rougher, than those of the Caspian Tern. They are yellowish-drab, irregularly blotched with dark umber and lilac of various shades; sizes range from 2.67 to 2.75 long by 1.70 1.75 broad. IHI,, 1^ |l' Hab. 66. Sterna elegans Gamb. [682.] Elegant Tern. Pacific coast of America from California to Chili. Dr. Coues describes this Tern as a " truly elegant species, resemb- ling the Royal Tern, but easily distinguished." It is a Mexican and Central American species, rarely occurring on the Californian coast. An egg is described as having a ground-color of pinkish-white, with bold and distinct markings of deep black and burnt sienna and subdued shell-markings of lavender-gray; size 2.20 by 1.45. 67. Sterna sandvicensis acuflavida (Cabot.) [683. 1 Galiot's Tern. Hab. Tropical America, northward along the Atlantic coast, irregularly, to Southern New England. The beautiful Sandwich Tern has an extensive distribution. In North America it has been observed as far north as Southern New England, and is known by the name of Ducal Tern. Breeds in large >»Bull. Nutt. Club, Vol. V, pp. 221-223. In article on the eggs of S/erua taspia. NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 36 usetts, the Great colonies, like most of the teras, depositing the eggs in the dry sand. It nests on the small sandy islands off the coast of Cape Sable in the latter part of June. Breeds commonly on the coasts of Central America, and on some of the larger West India islands. The eggs vary from white to buff, irregularly spotted and blotched with brown, umber, bluish and reddish ; rather pointed; two or three in number; size about 2.10 by 1.40. 69. Sterna forsteri Nutt. [685.] Forster'a Tern. Hab, North America generally, breeding from Manitoba aouthward to Virginia, Illinois, Texas, and California ; in winter southward to Brazil. Like all the terns, this one is noted for its graceful flight and, with them, it shares the name of Sea Swallow — a name which belongs more particularly to the next species. Forster's Tern was once thought to breed only in the interior of North America. The above habitat, however, indicates clearly the range throughout which this species is found breeding in all suitable places. It nests on the grassy islands among the lagoons and marshes of Southern Texas, thence northward irregularly to British America. In Manitoba, on the islands and marshes of the lakes and rivers, it nests abundantly. Breeds in colonies, oiten in company with the Common and Gull-billed Terns, the Laughing and Bonaparte's Gulls. When its nesting places are disturbed it is said to be very noisy, utter- ing a grating, monotonous note, and at the same time attacking the intruder on all sides, often darting close to his head. In some localities this species constructs its nest in a turf of dry grass, upon the sand, or among stones. It breeds chiefly in grassy marshes, building its nest of flags, water-plants, lining them with finer reeds. The eggs are two or three in number, with an average size of 1.85x1.35. In color they vary from nearly pure white and pale green to warm brownish-drab, irregularly spotted and blotched with brown, umber and lilac. [686.] In North America chiefly confined to 70. Sterna hlrundo Linn. Common Tern. Hab. Greater part of the Northern Hemisphere and Africa, the Eastern Pruvince, breeding variously throughout its range. Sea Swallow, Wilson's Tern, Red-shank, "Mackerel Gull" and "Summer Gull" are the names by which this beautiful species is known in various localities. It is an abundant bird throughout its North American range, breeding on many of the inland lakes and marshes as well as along the coasts. In various places on the Atlantic coast it breeds in company with other species, such as Forster's, Arctic, 1 ■■' 11 1 i 1 jl'' ' ' '■':: i I'll '' 1 t 36 NESTS AND EGGS OF and Roseate Terns, the Laughing Gull and others. Mr. W. W. Worth- ington, of Shelter Island, New York, writes me the following : "Although a few Wilson's Terns breed on nearly every sandy point near here, Gull Island, situated a mile or so cast of Plum Island, is their chief breeding ground in this section. Here they breed by thousands, fairly filling the air when you land and disturb them. Their nests are always placed on the ground or rocks, and are usually com- posed of a few pieces of grass and seaweed. They place their nests all over the Island above high water line, on the beach, on the sides of the bluflfs, all around, and in the garden cultivated by the light-house keeper. Fresh eggs can be obtained there from the loth of June to the middle of July, as egging parties keep them cleaned off about as fast as they are laid. I collected a set of /our eggs of this species on Gull Island, last spring (i88i), which is the only set I ever saw con- taining more than three eggs, which is the usual number laid." The eggs vary from greenish to deep brown, spotted and blotched with brown, blackish and lilac; they vary in length from 1.49 to 1.75 by 1. 18 to 1.30 broad. 71. Sterna paradisBBa Brunn. [687. "I Arctic Tern. Hab. Northern Hemisphere; in North America breeding from Massachusetts to the Arctic regions •nd wintering southward to Virginia and California. In its general appearance and habits, its mode of nesting, flight, and other characteristics, this species closely resembles the Common Tern. Its distribution is, however, more northern, breeding in the most northern latitude, where 6". hirundo is found only in limited num- bers. The eggs are indistinguishable. ;r:.;iii. v._ 72. Sterna dougalli Montag. [688.] Roseate Tern. Hab. Temperate and tropical regions; north on the Atlantic coast of North America to Massachu- setts, and casually to Maine. On the Atlantic coast of North America this beautiful species is found breeding from Maine southward to Florida. It is known also by the name of Paradise Tern. On some of the islands of the New England coast this species breeds in abundance, notably on Muskegat, Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard and Elizabeth Islands. In many places it breeds in colonies with the Common and Arctic Terns and the Laughing Gull. On a small island, called Goose Island, about three- quarters of an acre in extent, situated in Long Island Sound, and a short distance from Faulkner's Island, Mr. M. B. Griffing found this species nesting in abundance. The high land is from two to six feet NORTH AMKRICAN BIRDS. 37 e Arctic regions a to Massachu- above the beach, and is covered with a thick growth of weeds and grass ; in this some of the nests were concealed ; others were in plain sight; they were so numerous as to fairly cover the ground. They were nothing more than slight hollows lined with dry grass, and con- tained usually two eggs. Mr. Griffing says he is satisfied that this is the usual number laid by this species, as there were but two sets con- taining three eggs in the hundreds of nests observed ; incubation had begun in nearly every set, and many were almost hatched. Some of the eggs were laid on the shore just above high water mark. Mr. Griffing says that the eggs differ from those of the Common Tern, being less pointed at the small end ; the markings are usually much finer and more numerous. By placing a tray of the eggs of each species side by side the difference is very marked. They vary in size from 1.55 to 1.75 in length by i.io to 1.25 in breadth. Mr. Griffing states the birds are very noisy when their nests are being disturbed ; hovering overhead they utter a harsh gutteral cry, peculiar to the species. They also have a note which sounds like the syllable tip^ tip^ tip. 73. Sterna aleutica Baird. [689.] Aleutian Tern. Hab. Coast of Alaska, from the Island of Kadiak to Norton Sound. This Tern has been found nesting in various parts of Alaska; on the Island of Kadiak, and on some of the Eastern Aleutian Islands. So far as known, its habits do not differ essentially from those of other terns. The eggs measure from 1.65 to 1.85 long by no to 1. 15 broad. They have a ground color, varying from brownish-white to greenish- olive, with bold marking of light reddish and chestnut brown. 74. Sterna antillarum (Less). [690.] Leaat Tern. Hab. Northern South America, north to California and New England, and casually to Labrador, breed- ing nearly throughout its range. This pretty little Sea Swallow breeds on the Island of Cuba, and other islands of the West Indies, along the coasts of Central America and Mexico. Mr. Stuart says it breeds abundantly on the white sand beaches of the Gulf Coast, and on the islands of the Atlantic coast of Florida. The eggs are laid on the bare sand in May and June. The *' Little Striker," as it is called, is found nesting on the At- lantic coast as far north as Massachusetts ; a few, however, breed a little farther north. The eggs are difficult to observe on the breeding grounds, their color being very similar to the sand and broken shells in which they are laid. They are two or three, and seldom four in 1 r. I s •M- I il i;:- mil ;! 38 NESTS AND EGGS OF number. They vary from pale greenish to drab or buff, spotted and blotched pretty evenly with brown, umber and lilac of various shades, with an occasional tinge of yellowish ; in some the markings tend to form a wreath about the larger half. The average size is 1.25X.95. 75. Sterna fallginosa Gmel. Sooty Tom. [691.1 • om Chili to Western Mexico and Hab. Tropical and sub-tropical consts of the Globe. In Am the Carolinas; casually to New England. The Sooty Tern is found both in temperate and tropical regions almost everywhere throughout the world. It breeds abundantly on the rocky islets off the coast of the Island of St. Helena, and on Ascen- sion Island, which is farther north and west ; in favorite spots at the latter place it is said to breed in countless numbers. The eggs are re- garded by some as a great delicacy, and are so numerous that they are an important article of commerce. This species is said to be semi-nocturnal in its habits, being able to fly by night as well as by day, going out to sea to feed long before daylight. It is " the egg-bird " of Jamaica. Breeds on the islands in the Gulf of Mexico, about the middle of May, nd on the small islands south of Key West, Fla., early in May. In some places the eggs are deposited l e bare ground or on rocks ; in others a nest is made in the long grass under bushes. This species lays but a single egg. Audubon states that the Sooty Tern always lays three eggs, but more recent observers say that in thousands of nests examined there were only two instances of two eggs being found together. It is a handsome egg, pinkish or creamy white,, spotted and blotched with a rich reddish -brown, tinged with lilac. Sizes vary from 1.95 to 2.12 long by 1.45 to 1.50 broad. Hab. [76.] Sterna ansethetus Scop. Bridled Tern. Tropical regions; casual in Florida. [692.] The Bridled Tern is especially abundant in the West India Islands, where it is the " egg-bird " par excellence^ and is often confounded with the Sooty Tern. It is noted for its social peculiarities, always nesting in company with the Roseate, Sooty and Noddy Terns. The single egg of this species is deposited on ledges of rocks or in the cavities among loose bowlders along the sea-shore. The egg has a ground- color of a rich cream, with large blotches and smaller spots of reddish- brown, with confluent shell-markings of dull lilac. The blotches are usually confluent at the large end, while others are scattered over the entire surface. Average size about 2.05 x 1.42. estern Mexico and NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 89 77. Hydrochelidon nigra surlnamensis (Gmbl.) [693]. Bl«ok Tern. Hab. Temperate and tropical America, from Alaska and fur countries into South America; bread- ing from the Middle United State* northward. The Black or Short-tailed Tern is distributed throughout North America at large, both along the coast and in the interior ; breeding anywhere in colonies, in marshes and reedy sloughs, where it deposits the eggs on dead reeds, which are often floating. It is known to breed abundantly in various marshes of Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Dakota, Oregon and California. It has exceedingly long wings, and in its pursuit of insects in the air its flight and evolutions resemble those of a swallow. Mr. Frank W. Langdon observed this species to be a very common summer resident of a marsh in Northern Ohio.* He found it '* nesting, or rather laying its eggs, on the little islands of decaying vegetation and mud formed by sunken muskrat houses. Three eggs constitute a full set, and they are apparently rolled about in the mud purposely until well coated, so as to hide the markings, and thereby make them less conspicuous." Mr. I^angdon says that in two or three instances an attempt at nest building was noticeable, con- sisting merely of a few fragments of grasses, so disposed as to prevent the eggs from rolling. Two broods are reared in a season, as eggs were taken in ^Tay, and Mr. Langdon cpllected fresh eggs in July. They vary fron. brown to greenish; thickly spotted and blotched with brown and lilac of various sizes, but mostly bold, large and of light and blackish brown, thickest around the larger end. They re- semble some of the sandpipers' eggs in size, shape and color. Average size 1.35 X .98. 78. Hydrochelidon leucoptera (Meisn & Schinz.) [694] 'White-winged Black Tern. Hab, Eastern Hemisphere; accidental in North America. A single example of this European species was taken on Lake Koshkonong, Wisconsin, in the first week of July, 1873. The ovaries of this specimen contained small eggs. It occurs occasionally in Great Britain, and is accidental in Sweden. On the lakes, rivers and marshes of the countries of the Alps it is said to be very common, and also in the bays and inlets of the Mediterranean Sea. Its nesting and general habits are said to be like those of H. nigra surinamensis. The eggs, however, as a general rule, have a lighter ground color, and average slightly larger than those of the American bird. <■ Summer Lirds of a Northern Ohio Marsh. !:*, I 40 NESTS AND EGGS OP vv ■Mil! i I ( ill 79. Anons stolidns (Linn.) [695.] Noddy. Hab. Tropical and sub-tropical regions; in America, from Brazil and Chili north to the Gulf and South Atlantic States. Dr. Brewer says : ** The common Noddy Tern appears to be an inter-tropical species, and to be found round the entire surface of the globe, both north and south of the equator, at a distance from it of rarely exceeding thirty degrees north or south." On the Island of St. Helena it is a common species, and it also breeds on Ascension Island. It breeds in profusion on several of the West Indies. On the Bahamas the nests are built of sticky, leaves and grai,j, and they are placed in the branches of trees. In some of the islands of the tropics this species places its nest on the top branches of cocoanut trees and the outer branches of mangroves. It lays but a single egg; this will vary from ashy-yellow to bufiF or cream color. The spots are small and scattered, dark chestnut, with subdued shell-markings of lavender gray; average size 2.00 x 1.35. 80. Rynchops nigra Linn. [ 656.] Black Skimmer. Hab. Warmer parts of America, north on the Atlantic coast to Nery Jersey, and casually to the Bay of Fundy. In summer the Black Skimmer is abundantly distributed from New Jersey southward, and is strictly maritime. It may be known by its singularly shaped bill, the under mandible of which is much longer than the upper, and compressed like a knife blade, the end being ob- tuse. The bird seems to feed as it skims low over the water, the under mandible grazing the surface. L^ike the terns, the Skimmers breed in communities. This species is known by several names, such as " Razor-bill," "Cut-water," " Shear- water," "Sea Crow" and "Sea Dog;" the latter name it receives from its cries, which resemble somewhat the barking of a dog. It breeds on Cobb's Island, Va., in the last of June. Mr. R. C. Stuart informs me that this species nests along the Gulf coast of Flori- da in May and June, depositing in hollows of the sand from three to five eggs. He says he has frequently taken sets containing five eggs. Mr. C. S. Shick, of Sea Isle City, N. J., writes me that he has taken eggs as early as May 26, on the New Jersey coast. His experience is that four eggs are oftener laid than three, which is generally stated to be the usual number. The eggs are among the most beautiful of all eggs ; they are white and pale buff, rather coarsely spotted and blotched with brown, blackish-umber and lilac of varying shades, with neutral- , ^.. NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 41 I to the Gulf and tint shell blotclies; sizes range from 1.65 to 1.98 in length by 1.31 to 1.40 in breadth. **Diomedea exulans Linn. . 'Wandering Albatron. Hab, Southern seal, north very irregularly to Florida (Tampa Bay) and coast of Washington Ter- ritory. This Albatross wanders over the vast waters of southern seas ranging as far north on the Atlantic coast of Africa as the Canary Islands, on that of South America to Trinidad Island and beyond. The bird has been taken in Europe, and it is admitted to the North American fauna on the grounds of its occurrence as stated in the hab- itat. It has been found breeding on various islands of the South At- lantic and Indian Oceans, on Prince Edwards, Crozete, and Kergue- len Islands lying southeast of Africa, and on the Island of Tristan d' Acunda to the southwest. At the latter place it breeds in January, nesting on the highest ledges of the cliffs. Dr. J. H. Kidder met with a number of these birds nesting on Kerguelen Island on the 2nd of January. The nests were upon tall mounds, built up of grass to the height of two or more feet from the ground, and, being of different heights, seemed to have been used again and added to year after year. Dr. Kidder counted twenty-three birds in sight at one time, each perched upon its nest. Driven from the nests and compelled to walk, the birds looked not unlike overgrown geese.* The single egg is white, minutely sprinkled over the large end with brownish. Various specimens measure from 4.80 to 5.21 long by 3.08 to 3.25 broad; the average size is about 4.79 x 3.15. 81. Hab. Diomedea nigripes Aud. [700.] Blaok-footed Albatroia. North Pacific, including west coast of North America, The Black-footed Albatross is an abundant bird of the North Pacific Ocean. Like others of this family, it is noted for its protracted powers of flight, following vessels for hundreds of miles and subsisting on the refuse thrown overboard, which, with crabs, etc., is its main food. Very little is known concerning the nesting habits of this species. It is said to breed on the small guano islands south-west of the Sand- wich group in the North Pacific, depositing a single white egg in a depression of the soil, surrounded with a little sea-weed. 82. Diomedea albatrus Pall. [701.] Short-tallad AlbatroM. Hab. Pacific Ocean, including western coast of America, northward to Bering Sea. This Albatross inhabits the Pacific Ocean at large. It breeds on * Bulletin No. 2, United States National Museum, p. 20. Ii i'^ 42 NESTS AND EGGS OF the lonely islands west of the Sandwich group. It is also supposed to breed on some of the islands off the coast of China and Japan and on some of the Aleutian Islands. This species requires many years before it attains perfect plumage, but the young are said to be easily distin- guished from nigripes. It is a constant attendant of whaling vessels, feeding on the scraps of blubber or refuse thrown from the ships. It is easily caught with hook and line, and when taken on board is said to be unable to rise from the deck, as it requires a long range of surface on which to flap its wings. The single egg which this species deposits is white, equal-ended, and measures 4.20 x 2.60. It is laid on the bare ground. [83.] Thalassogeron culmlnatus (Gould.) [702.] Yello'^-sosed Albatross. Hab. Indian and South Pacific Oceans; casual off the coast of Oregon. Supposed to be a rate visitant on the Pacific coast north of the equator. A dead specimen answering the description of this species was washed up on the beach near the Golden Gate, and an e.:- ample is said to have been taken as far north as the mouth of the Columbia River, Oregon. It breeds on the islands of the Southern Indian and South Pacific Oceans. A single egg is laid. Mr. J. Parker Norris has a specimen of the egg of this species, which was collected by Captain Thomas B. Lynch, at Diego Ramirey Islands, near Cape Horn, February 8, 1886. It measures 4.30 x 2.72, and is dull white, faintly speckled with lavender and purplish. The specks form an indistinct wreath at the larger end, in the same manner that the eggs of Leach's Petrel are often marked. In fact, Mr. Norris says that this specimen looks like an egg of the latter seen through a powerful magnifying glass. Incubation in this case was slightly advanced. The nest consisted of mud scraped together in a heap on the ground. Mr. Emerson has an egg of this Albatross which meas- ures 4.68x2.68; it was taken by Captain Lynch at Diegos Kavnen's rocks, S. by E. fifty-two miles from Cape Horn, January 12, 1880. The egg was fresh. The nest was composed of grass and mud on the out- side, and lined with fine grass and feathers. The diameter outside at the top 12 inches, and at the base 18. Inside it wa-i 10 inches broad by 5 deep. It was built on the top of rocks on a loamy plain. The data accompanying ^^ r. Emerson's specimen states that the nests are placed close together, and they are very nicely and solidly built, lasting two or three seasons even in that hot climate.* Prof. Ridgway gives the average size of the egg as 4.18 x 2.63. tOrnithologist and Oologist, Vol. XI, pp. ^1-22. NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 43 84. PhoBbetria faliginosa (Gm.) [703.] Sooty AlbatroBB. Hab. Oceans of the Southern Hemisphere, northward to the coast of Oregon. A great ocean wanderer, more common in the South than in the North Pacific regions. A rare visitor to the coasts of North America. This dusky species breeds on the islands off the coast of China and southward. It nests commonly on the islands that lie southeast of Africa, namely, Prince Edwards, Crozete, Kerguelen Islands and others. Here they breed in October and November, placing the nest in the cavity of some high, perpcdicular rock. The nest is a conical mound, 7 or 8 inches high, hollowed at the top and rudely lined with grass. The single egg which this species lays is described as white, very long in proportion to its thickness ; sometimes it is marked with spots about the larger end ; size 3.95 x 2.63. The cries of this Albatross are said to be very loud, and not unlike the calls of a cat. 85. Ossifraga gif?antea (Gm.) [704.] Giant Fulmar. Hab. Southern oceans; casual off the coast of Oregon. The largest of the Petrels, known as "Mother Gary's Goose,'* *' Giant Petrel" and " Bone-breaker." In size it equals many of the Albatrosses, measuring about three feet in length, with a spread of wings measuring seven feet. The Albatrosses and Petrels are noted birds, of gull-like form, variegated with black and white or uniformly sooty in color. They are birds of the ocean, rarely landing except to breed. Among the seamen and whalers this large species is known as "Molly-hawk," "Gong," "Glutton Bird" "Nelly." It breeds on the islands of the South Seas — Bouvets, Prince Edwards, Crozete and Kerguelen Islands are some of its breeding places. Said to breed late in December, making the nest on elevated ground some dis- tance from the sea. The Giant Fulmer Petrel also nests on the Falk- land Islands, which lie east of the entrance of the Strait of Magellan in Southern South America. Dr.. J. H. Kidder found this species in considerable numbers in the vicinity of Kerguelen Island, feeding on the carcass of the sea- elephant. Its voracity and filthy habits reminded him strongly of the vultures. Like vultures, the birds so crammed themselves that they were unable to rise from the ground.* The egg is described as dirty white in color, rough to the touch, and its shape like that of a common goose ; size 4.25 x 2.66. ■''' Bulletin of the National Museum No. 2, page 24. ifti'' •Ki liiiiii I if'*: 44 NESTS AND EGGS OF 86. Fnlmarus glacialis (Linn.) [705.] Fulmar. Hab. North Atlantic, south on the American coast to Massachusetts. This species is commonly called Fulmar Petrel. It is found in light and dark phases of dress. Abundant in the North Atlantic and in the Arctic Oceans of America, Europe and sia. The Fulmars constantly attend whaling ships out at sea and feed on the blubber of the whale, which they devour with voracity. This species is exceed- ingly numerous in the North Atlantic, congregating in thousands at St. Kilda, the most western of the Hebrides, on the west coast of Scot- land. Others of its favorite breeding places are the Faroes, which are farther north ; Iceland, Spitzbergen and Greenland. On some of the rocky islands ofiF the coast of Spitzbergen thou- sands of Fulmars breed in company with Brunnich's Guillemot, Black Guillemot, and the Kittiwake Gull. The abundance of the Fulmar at some of its breeding places in Greenland is something astonishing, nesting as they do in myriads on the inaccessible cliffs in mountain- ous places, depositing the single white egg in the crevices or on the ledges of rocks f?. jing the sea. The young are at first fed by regurg- itation, upon oil which is of a clear, amber color. This the birds, old and young, vomit upon the slightest provocation, imparting to them, their nests, and even their breeding grounds a disagreeable odor. The oil is one of the important commercial productions of St. Kilda. The single egg is pure white; in shape resembling a hen's; shell brittle. Four eggs from Iceland measure 2.96 by 2.04, 2.74 by 2.91, 2.99 by 2.02, 2.97 by 2.01. Besides the typical ^. glacialis in the Atlantic, there is also a smaller race, F. g. minora Lesser Fulmar,* which occurs as far south on the American side as the coast of New England. 86^. Pulmarus glacialis glupischa Stejn. [7osa.] Paoiflo Fulmar. Hab. North Pacific, south on the American coast to Mexico. This race is also known in light and dark phases of plumage. Dr. Leonhard Stejneger found it breeding in enormous numbers in suitable places on the islands in Bering Sea off" the coast of Kamtschatka. Their rookeries were in high and steep rocky bluffs and promontories, rising out of the sea 300 to 800 feet. Dr. Stejneger says: "I have spent hours under their rookeries listening to their whining voice and watching their high and elegant flight in sailing out and in and around the cracked rocks, like bees at an immense bee-hive." The egg is « No. 86a, A. O. U. Check List. NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 45 single and pure white. Five eggs collected on Copper Island, July I2th and i3tli, exhibit the following dimensions: 75 by 49, 71.5 by 48.5, 71.5 by 51, 68 by 50, 71.5 by 48.5 mm* These eggs all belonged to the dark phase of birds. SQc Fnlmarus glaclalls rodgersii (Cass). [705/J.] Rodger's Fnlmar. Hab. Berlnt Sea. Rodger's Fulmar is similar to the preceding, but there is no dark phase known. Its habitat seems to be restricted to the islands of Bering Sea and some portions of the North Pacific, nesting especially in great abundance on the islands of the Prybilof group. Its general habits, nesting, eggs, etc., are the same as those of the preceding. Size of egg 2.83X 1.91. 89. Pufflnus major Faber [709.] Greater Shearwater. Hab. Atlantic Ocean. A wanderer over the entire Atlantic Ocean, and sometimes seen in immense flocks skimming the billows in its light and graceful manner, similar to the smaller Petrels. Its flight is described as most beautiful, gliding as it does through the air without visible motion of its wings. It also swims and dives with ease. Common Atlantic and Wandering Shearwater are other names by which it is known. There appears to be very little knowledge in the regard to the nesting habits of the Greater Shearwater. It is known, however, to breed in the islands of the North Atlantic and is often confounded with other species of Shearwaters. Dr. Brewer describes an egg of this bird, collected on an island of South Greenland, as being nearly oval in shape, with a ground color, originally white, but soiled by the peaty black earth from which it was excavated; size 2.88x2.00. Another from the same locality is of smaller size, and vellowish-white, which measures 2.75 x 1.85. [90.] Pufflnus pufflnus (Bkunk). [711.] Manx Shearwater. Hab. North Atlantic, chiefly the eastern side; rare or casual off the North American coast {?). In many places in the regions of the Mediterranean and Adriatic Seas and the Grecian ii/^hipelago this is a common species. It is said to wander to Greenland. Breeds on the islands of Pantellaria, Gozo, Malta, and other smaller islands of the Mediterranean, depositing a single pure white egg on the bare ground, in crevices, or under frag- ments of rocks. This species also breeds on the islands off the i^outhern coast of *a,95 by 1,92, 2.86 by 1.90, 2.86 by 2.00, 2.67 by 1.96, 2.85 by 1.90. 15 \i ^i:'l 46 NESTS AND EGGS OP .:.ilii .b\ ill: ! France, where it nests in cavities under rocks, laying upon the ground. The eggs are described as pure white, sometimes tinted with gray, measuring 2.36x1.62. The principal food of this bird is fish, mol- lusks and crustaceans, which it collects from the surface of the water. 92. Pufflnus auduboni Finch. [712.] Audnbon's Shearwater. Hab. Atlantic Ocean, from New Jersey southward. Audubon's Dusky Shearwater is found on the Atlantic coast of the United States from New Jersey to Florida. It wanders to the coast of Africa, where it is said to breed on the islands lying on the west coast. It breeds in the Bermudas and the Bahamas, and nests especially in abundance on most of the uninhabited Keys of the latter group ; here they breed in March, depositing the single white egg in holes in the rocks. A nest is made consisting of a few dry twigs. Both sexes incubate and when caught on the nest the birds do not offer any resistance. The egg of this species is of a clear chalky white color, oval in shape and measures from 1.90 to 2.32 long by 1.30 to 1.45 broad. 93. Pufflnus gavia (Forst.) [713.] Blaok-vented Shearmrater. Hab. Pacific Ocean, chiefly southward. This species is supposed to occur along the whole Pacific coast as far north at least as Oregan, Little seems to be known regarding its general habits ; the eggs are said to resemble those of other members of this family. 94. Pufflnus stricklandi Ridgw. [714.] Sooty Shear'water. Hab. North Atlantic, on the American coast south to the CnroHnas. Here is a Petrel that escaped the observations of the earlier orni- thologists, Wilson, Nuttall, and Audubon. Recent explorers, however, have discovered that it is a common bird off our Atlantic coast, and that far north it breeds in immense colonies on the islands of the sea. It burrows in the ground to the extent of several feet and deposits a single white egg. The average size of the egg is 2.58 x 1,78. 95. Pufflnus griseus (Gmel.) [715.] Dark-bodied Sheamrater. Hab. South Pacific, north to Lower California. The Dark-bodied Shearwater is known to breed on Cornwallis and Chatham Islands, east of New Zealand, in the South Pacific Ocean, and also on other islands lying farther south. The bird burrows in the peaty ground a horizontal hole three or four feet deep and turning slightly to the right or left. At the end of this burrow a rude nest is formed of twigs and dry leaves, where one I v NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 47 white egg is laid; size 2.25x1.45. It is stated that the old birds of this species roost along the shores of the islands during the night and the noise they make is said so be " something absolutely frightful." [101.] Bulweria bulweri (Jard. & Sblby.) Bnlwer's Petrel. Hab. Eastern Atlantic, including coasts of Europe and Africa. [7x8.] This Petrel is known to breed on the Canary and Madeira Islands and others on the northwestern coast of Africa. It is said to be an occasional visitor to the Bermudas and accidental in Greenland. It nests in burrows in the soft earth under overlying bowlder-rocks and in deep crevices in cliffs. The bird is stated to be nocturnal in its habits, never flying about in the daytime. The single egg which this species lays is oval in shape, equal-ended, and pure white in color; sizes range from 1.59 to 1.76 long, by 1.17 to 1.23 broad. 104. Procellaria pelagifta Linn. [721.] stormy Petrel. Hab. Atlantic Ocean ; on the American side from the Newfoundland Banks northward. West coast of Africa and coast of Europe. The " Mother Carey's Chicken " of the sailors. Common in various portions of the Northern Atlantic ; rarely found near land except when breeding or during severe storms. It is not known to breed on the American coast, but it does in various portions of the Atlantic coast of Europe. In the Mediterranean it breeds in abundance. Nests com- monly on nearly all the islands on the coast of Scotland — the Hebrides, Shetland, Orkeys and Faroes ; laying is begun in the latter part of June. Dr. Coues says : "This is the rarest of the three little black white- rumped ' Mother Carey's chickens ' of our Atlantic Coast, easily dis- tinguished by its short legs and square tail ; Leach's, the most numer- ous, is also short-legged, but larger and fork -tailed; Wilson's is inter- mediate, with square tail, but very long, stilt-like legs, flat claws, and a yellow spot on the webs." The single egg is deposited in holes in high clifis or in burrows made by the birds under bowlders lying on the ground. The cavity is lined with twigs and leaves. The egg is white, obscurely dotted with reddish brown on the larger end; sizes range from 1.09 to 1.12 long by . 78 to .83 broad. 105. Oceanodroma furcata (Gmel.) [726.] Fork'talled Petrel. Hab. Pacific Ocean, on the American coast south to Oregon, On all of the less populated islands of the Aleutian group as far 'it If ' f. ir ■ ft ll ' 1 ."J "I'M- , 31 1 p ti ■ ■III m 48 NESTS AND EGGS OF east as Unalashka this species is found breeding in the month of June. The nests are made in burrows or holes about a foot deep in steep banks ; the termination of the cavity being thinly lined with fine roots and dry grass. This species, like Leach's Petrel, when caught has the habit of ejecting a reddish oily fluid which has a strong, disagreeable smell ; the nest, eggs, and even the old dry skins of the bird are forever infected with it. A small colony of these graceful petrels were found breeding on Copper Island, in Bering Sea, by Dr. Stejneger. The eggs were taken July 1 2th, a single one in each nest, were deposited in deep holes in the steep basaltic rocks, three feet or more deep, and it was only with great difficulty that a few could be secured. Some males and some females were taken on the nests. The eggs were in different stages of incubation, white without gloss, with minute dark specks evenly dusted over the blunt end ; in one the specks were a little larger, purplish-black, forming a circle around the blunt end. Three eggs measure 34 x 26, 32. 5 x 25, 34 x 26.5 mm*. 106. Oceanodroma leucorhoa (Vieill.) [723.'I Ijeaoli'a Petrel. Hab. North Atlantic and North Pacific Oceans. Leach's Fork-tailed Petrel at various seasons of the year wanders over a large portion of the watery expanse of the globe. It breeds in the months of March, April, May, June, July and August, according to locality, in the northern latitudes of Europe, Eastern and Western North America. On the Atlantic coast of North America from Maine northward it nests generally in June and July. Thousands breed on some of the islands on the northern New England coast, especially those in the vicinity of Grand Manan and the small islands of Casco Bay. On the Pacific coast Mr. Walter E. Bry- ant records Leach's Petrel nesting in March ; on Guadalupe Island, which is situated two hundred and twenty miles southward and west- ward of San Diego, California, Mr. Bryant found the birds breeding in burrows under bowlders and fallen branches ; these places were from one to three feet in length, at the extremity of which were enlarged chambers where the single egg was laid upon a few pine needles. The egg, Mr. Bryant describes as shaped much like that of a pigeon's, white in color, one end being wreathed with a fine spattering of mi- nute dots of reddish -brown and pale lavender, f The average size of fifty eggs taken March 4th and 5th, is 35.7 by *1.84 X 1.02, 1.28 X 08, 1.84 x 1.01. f Additions to the Ornithology of Guadalupe Island. By Walter E. Bryant. Bulletin 6, California Academy of Science. NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 49 27 mm.* The offensive reddish, oily fluid which this species ahnost invariably ejects when handled or irritated probably serves as food for the young. The male and female assist in the duties of incubation and often both sexes may be found sitting side by side in their burrow. Eggs collected on the Atlantic coast are chalky-white, finely dotted on the larger end, often in a circle, with purplish-red and lilac. Twenty specimens average in size 1.34 x i.oo. On approaching the breeding ground of the petrels, not one of them is to be seen. Many of the birds are far out at sea, and as night comes on those in their bur- rows come forth and those out at sea return, and the air seems alive with them flitting about like bats and uttering their peculiar clatter- ing notes. 108. Oceanodroma homochroa (Coues.) [725] Ashy Petrel. Hab. Cosist of California. This, Mr. Emerson informs me, is the rarest of the birds that breed on the Farallons ; nesting anywhere in cavities under bowlders, laying a single egg. Two eggs collected June 15, 1885, and June 8th, 1886, measure respectively 30x23, 31x23.5 mm.f Mr. A. M. Ingersoll first found the egg of this species on South Farallon in June, 1885. He described the egg as dull creamy-white, with a circle of reddish spots around the large end, so fine as to be almost indistinct. The large end is somewhat flattened, like the large end of an acorn. It measures i.i8x .94.^ 109. Oceanites oceanicus (Kuhl.) [722.] Wilson's Petrel. Hab. Atlantic and Southern Oceans. Wilson's Stormy Petrel is one of the best known and commonest of the smaller petrels. It is to be met with nearly everywhere over the entire watery surface of the world — far north in the icy regions of the Arctic seas and south to the sunny isles of Southern oceans. Its general habits are the same as those of Leach's Petrel. Dr. J. H. Kidder found it on Kerguelen Island, southeast of Africa. He had previously seen them at the sea coast off" the Cape of Good Hope, and, on December 14, saw them out by day feeding on the oily matter floating away from the carcass of a sea-elephant. The * 1.40 X 1.06— Thi« description of the eggs refer to the new subspecies of this Petrel, since described by Mr. Bryant in a. paper read before the California Academy of Sciences July 18, 1887. He has named this local variety, Guadalupe Petrel, Oceanodroma Uucorhoa macrodactfla. It is similar to O. leucorhoa, but larger and darker. White of upper tail coverts more restricted, and the ends of coverts broadly tipped with black. Pileum darker than back, lighter anteriorly. Bill broader and deeper at base than that of Uucorhoa. 1 1-18 X. 91, 1.22 X. 03. X Ornithologist and Oologist. Vol. XI, p. 21. ■t'l 1 1\ 50 NESTS AND EGGS OF I ! 'I''!1 fi'^li birds, he says, frequent the rocky parts of hillsides, and, flitting about like swallows, they catch very minute iusects. Dr. Kidder remarks that he never succeeded in finding the egg, but learned from Rev. Mr. Eaton, who found one on Thumb Mountain December 8, that this species nested under large rocks not far from the beach. The egg found was white. The species was supposed to nest among and under the rocks, habitually, at considerable elevation above the sea. 112. Phaethon flavirostris Brandt. [654.] Tellow-blUed Tropio Bird. Hab. Tropical and sub-tropical coasts of America north to Florida. In appearance this bird resembles a large tern ; the principal ex- ternal peculiarity is its long middle tail-feathers ; the general color of the plumage is white, tinged with salmon. Its habits are similar to those of the terns. It is inter-tropical in its distribution, of a wandering disposition, breeding on the islands of mid-ocean thousands of miles apart. The bird is noted for its elegant, airy and long-protracted flight. On St. Bourdon, Mauritius and other islands east and south of Madagascar, this species breeds in the crevices of the rocks of unaccessible cliffs, and in hollow trees. In the Bermuda Islands it nests about the first of May in holes in high rocky places along the shores. Here its favor- ite resorts are the small islands of Great Sound, Castle Harbor and Harrington Sound. The Phaeton, as this bird is called, breeds in the Bahamas in holes in the perpendicular faces of cliffs and also on the flat surfaces of rocks. A single egg is laid, which has a ground-color of purplish brownish white, covered in some specimens almost over the entire surface with fine reddish chocolate-colored spots ; in some specimens this coloring approaches blackness. The average size of the eggs is 2.21 x 1.54. 113. Phaethon SBthereus Linn. [655.] Red-billed Tropio Bird. Hab. Coast of tropical America, north on the Pacific coast to Lower California. The Red-billed Tropic Bird occurs along the Pacific coast of South America, in the West Indies, and as far north as Cape St. Lucas. In one instance it is said to have straggled to Newfoundland. Breeds on the various islands off" the coast of Mexico. Its breeding habits are said to be like those of the Yellow-billed species. The eggs are creamy-white, with a purplish tinge, marked with fine dots of chestnut-brown. The sizes vary from 2.20 to 2.37 in length by 1.55 to 1.70 in breadth. NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 61 [114.] Sula oyanops Sund. [651.] Blne-f»o«d Booby. H«b. South Pacific, Weit Indies and Southern Florida. The Gannets are birds that resemble very closely the cormorants, and, again, they may be said to look like geese — a name often applied to them. They are large, heavy sea-birds, noted for their vigorous protracted flight. They procure their food by plunging into the water from a height, completely submerging themselves, often for several minutes. The Blue-faced Gannet inhabits the Southern Pacific Ocean as far southwest as Australia. In some of the Islands of the Paumotu Group this species deposits its eggs on the dry sandy beaches of lagoons. Both sexes incubate. When a colony of these birds is dis- turbed none of them leave their nests, but remain gravely at their stations, and hiss at the intruder like a domestic goose. On the Bahamas this species nests in the latter part of March, laying always two eggs. These are white, covered with a calcareous deposite ; sizes range from 2.45 to 2.60 long by 1.67 to 1.75 broad. 115. Sula sula (Linn.) [652.] Booby. Hab. Tropical and sub-tropical coasts and islands of America, north to Georgia. The Booby Gannet is said to breed on some of the islands about the extreme southern coast of Florida. In the Bermuda Islands, and in some of the Bahamas, and many of those along the coasts of Cen- tral and South America, this Gannet congregates by thousands at its breeding places, where it deposits its eggs on the sand of the beaches, or on the bare rock ; no nest whatever is made. The food of this species consists chiefly of flying-fish and small mullets, which they disgorge in a half macerated state into the open mouths of their young. Audubon found mullets weighing more than a half a pound in the bodies of the gannets he examined. In various islands of the southern oceans the Booby constructs its nest of sticks and weeds on bushes and low trees. Here it is said to lay but one egg. Observations of those who have collected in the West Indies dis- close the fact that the complete nest complement is two eggs. These are of a uniform dull, chalky white in color, with great variations in sizes, measuring from 2.16 to 2.64 long by 1.50 to 1.57 broad. [116.] Sula piscator (Linn.) [653.] Red-footed Booby. Hab. Coast and islands of tropical and sub-tropical seas, north to Western Mexico and Fkilda. The Red-footed Booby is characterized by the same general habits ■■); ' ,! ! ' ';i ! 52 NESTS AND EGGS OF as Others of its family. Its nesting is essentially the same as that of the Blue-faced Gannet. Two eggs are laid, white in color, elongate- ovate in shape, with a calcareous deposit on the surface ; size, 2.57x1.80. 117. Sula bassana (Linn.) [650.] Oannet. Hah, North Atlantic; louth in winter to the Gulf of Mexico and Africa. Ureedi from Nova Scotia and Britiih islandi northward. The White Gannet, or Solan Goose, is widely distributed through- out the Northern Atlantic Ocean, and is more or less a resident wher- ever found. Some of the most noted breeding places of this bird are on the islands about the coasts of Scotland, notably the great Bass Rock at the mouth of the Firth of Forth. Here it breeds in tens of thousands, with the Gulls, Cormorants and Puffins that inhabit the rock. Another of its breeding stations is St. Kilda. The precipitous cliffs at this place rise to the height of 1,400 feet. Here the Gannet breeds in countless numbers. This bird also nests in the Faroe Islands and in islands on the coast of Iceland. Small colonies are to be found breed- ing in Labrador. One of its well known breeding places on the coast of North America is *' Bird Rocks," in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The nests are built on the summits and ledges of the rocks. They are made of sea-weed, mud and small stones, raised to about ten inches in height and eighteen in diameter. In some cases the nest is made of straw and other available material. A single egg is laid. It resembles very much the average Brown Pelican egg, with, however, these differ- ences: Its general shape is more elongated, and the calcareous de- posit on it is thicker; the color is chalky-white; sizes range from 3.25 to 3.50 long by 1.65 to 2.05 broad. 118. Anhinga anhinga (Linn.) [649.] Auhinga. Hab. Tropical and subtropical America, north to the Carolinas and Southern Illinoii. Known as the Water Turkey, Darter anri swims with the body submerged, its her 1 n some kind of water serpent — hence looking bird is very common in sui. i in Gulf States to North Carolina, frequcating t swamps. It is a constant resident of Florid amazing ease, and when alarmed will drop from its perch with st a ripple on the surface of the water, and will swim beneath the s to a safe distance before reappearing. It has also the curious ' quietly sinking like a grebe. The nests of the Anhinga are variously placed — sometimes ^ id. It often - in sight like mc This singular- So. .11 Atlantic and - almost impenetrable The bird dives with :ely face it of low NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 63 bushes at an elevation of only a few feet, or in the upper branches of a high tree, but always over water. Sometimes this bird breeds in large colonies with various species of Herons. The eggs are from three to five in number, blui.sh or dark greenish-white, with a white chalky incrustation ; they are narrow and elongated in shape ; the sizes range from 2.00 to 2.30 long by 1.30 to 1.40 broad. 119. Phalacrocorax carbo (Linn.) [642.] Cormorant. Hab. Atlantic coasti of Europe «nd America, louth in winter on the coaxt of the United States, caf- ually, to the Carolinas. The Common Cormorant is very generally distributed throughout nearly the entire northern hemisphere. It breeds in the northern parts of Europe and Asia, and in North America from the Bay of Fundy to Greenland. The Cormorants are curious birds of strange figure ; the outer surface of the plumage, in most species normally is of a dark liistrous greenish-black, but subject to great changes, making their study very difficult. The eyes as a rule are green, a color rarely seen in birds. They feed principally upon fish and their voracity is pro- verbial. This species breeds in vast numbers on the rocky shores of Labrador and Newfoundland ; making the nest upon the tops of ledges or on projections and in the crevices of precipitous rocks, which are covered with the excrement of the birds. It is composed of sticks, kelp and sea weed. Like all the Cormorants this species is gregarious and breed in communities. They are all known under the common name of Shag. Mr. Frazar met with a colony of this Cormorant in company with the Double-crested species on the coast of Labrador. Many of the nests contained large young June 19. Nests of the Double-crested Cormorant were placed wherever the ledges would hold them, while those of the Common species were built close to the top. The nests of the Common Cormorant usually contained four or five eggs, and several sets were taken of six. The eggs average larger than those of the Double-crested; the sizes vary from 2.38 to 2.65 long by 1.29 to 1.60 broad. Color, pale greenish; form, elliptical. 120. Phalacrocorax dilophus. (Sw. & Rich.) [643] Sonble-orested Cormorant. Hab. Atlantic coast of North America; southward in the interior to the Great Lakes and Wisconsin. In Eastern North America the Double-crested Cormorant or "Crow Duck" is a common species, breeding on the coast from the Bay of Fundy northward and in many of the inland lakes, reservoirs and marshes. It is said to have nested years ago in Ohio, at the Licking H Mii ^i I ,1 .:M '1^1 1 64 NESTS AND EGGS OF county Reservoir, and other similar places in the northern part of the State. On some of the rocky islands of the lakes and large, isolated bodies of water in Iowa and Wisconsin, this Cormorant breeds in great numbers. Mr. Frazar met with colonies of it breeding on the islands and cliffs along the coast of Labrador. The nests were placed on ledges of the rocks ; they were composed of seaweed and kelp, freshly pulled from the bottom of the ocean. None of the nests contained more than four eggs. On the islands of inland waters this Cormorant often constructs its nest on low spreading trees. The eggs in number range from two to four; bluish-green in color, with the usual chalky substance over their surface; sizes vary from 2.09 to 2.27 long by 1.35 to 1.50 broad. The eggs are of a more regular oval than those of P. carbo. 120a. Phalacrocorax dilophus floridanus (Aud.) [643a.] Florida Cormorant. Hab. Coasts of the South Atlantic and Gulf States, northward in the interior to Southern Illinois. A smaller and more southern variety of the Double-crested species ; resident in Florida and along the Gulf coast, where it nests in com- munities on the mangrove islands. The nests are always placed in mangrove bushes and are composed of the twigs and very often lined with the leaves of this plant. Mr. Stuart has often observed nests made entirely of the branches of the mangrove, with the green leaves still on them. In the vicinity of Tampa and Charlotte Harbor the birds nest in May and June, and below Cape Sable in the months of October and November The eggs are three or four in number. Six selected specimens measure 2.30x1.43, 2.28x1.38, 2.36x1.45, 2.25x1.40, 2.51 X 1.50, 2.42x1.40. ii'll :!J ! H 120^. Phalacrocorax dilophus cincinatus (Brandt.) \p^^b.\ Whlte-orested Cormorant. Hab. West coast of North America, south to California. Captain Charles E. Bendire met with this variety of the Double- crested Cormorant breeding in large numbers on several low, narrow islands of Lake Malheur, in the southwestern portion of Oregon. The birds began to lay aboiit the 20th of April. The islands were also occu- pied by White Pelicans and Great Blue Herons as a breeding place. About two-thirds of the Cormorants' nests were made on the ground, and they were composed of pieces of drift, small sticks, etc. The balance were placed en low greasewood bushes. They were lined with pieces of bark and tule and coarse grasses, and placed very close NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 55 to the water's edge, so that when the lake was rough the water must have splashed into many of them. The eggs, four or five in number, are described as being of an elongated oval, pale green, covered more or less with chalky coatings. They average 2.42 x 1.48. Captain Bendire states that the largest set in a number exhibits the following measurements: 2.86x 1.60, 2.7OX 1.65, 2.66x1,64, 2.70x1,60. A single egg was found measuring 1.80x1.20.* 120c. Phalacrocorax dllophus albociliatus Ridow, Farallone Cormorant. Hab. Coast of California, south to Cape St. Lucas and islands of the coast of Mexico. This bird is as common on the Farallones as Baird's Cormorant, and it nests on the rough ridges or points of rocks overlooking the isl- ands. About the first of May they may be seen carrying weeds and dry sea kelp to their nesting sites, where they construct a flat, loose and bulky platform, which is, on the whole, quite a shallow structure. Their nesting is similar to that of other Cormorants, and they may be observed sitting on their empty nests for hours at a time, probably, as Mr. Emerson suggests, for the purpose of working out the hollow of their nests with their large feet, for which purpose they are so well suited. By L^e middle of the month they have begun to deposit their lime covered eggs. These compare well with those of Brandt's Cormorant, and are a little larger than the eggs of Baird's. A set of five in Mr. Emerson's possession measure as follows : 60 x 50, 61 x 39, 62 x 39, 60 X 40, 62 X 39 mm.f respectively ; these were taken May 20, 1886 ; their general form is rather ovate oval, and quite round at the greater end. Their color and general characteristics are the same as those peculiar to other Cormorants' eggs — light greenish in color and coated with a chalky substance. ' Four eggs seem to be the number commonly laid ; both male and female assist in the process of incubation, one remaining on the nest or beside it while the other is off on a short fishing excursion,! 121. Phalacrocorax mexicanus (Brandt,) [644.] Mexican Cormoranti Hab, Southern United States, north to the interior of Kansas and Southern Illinois. The Mexican Cormorant is a tropical species found on the coasts and inland marshes of Mexico, Yucatan, and Central and South Amer- ica, where it breeds. It is mentioned by Dr, Merrill as being a common summer resident in Southwestern Texas, in the vicinity of Fort Brown, * Ornithologist and Oologist, VJI, p. IJW. t 2.Sfixl.o7, 2.-»0.' tl'^i 56 NESTS AND EGGS OF ,t ■! ■ :n 'iliil II 1 where it doubtless nests in the dense growth of trees and bushes that border most of the lagoons. The breeding habits of this species are similar to those of/*, d. floridanus — congregating in large communities and nesting in trees or bushes. In some places along the South American seacoast the bird nests on rocks as well as on shrubbery. The eggs are three or four in number, greenish-white in color, with the usual chalky stibstance on their surface; sizes range from 2.10 to 2.35 long by 1.30 to 1.40 broad. 122. Phalacrocorax penicillatus (Brandt.) [645] H,ib. Brandt's Cornior. Phalacrocorax pelagicus resplendens (Aud.) [646a.] Baird'a Cormorant. Hab. Pacific coast of North America, from Cape St. Lucas north to Washington Territory. On the Farallones this species is less common than Phalacrocorax dilophus albociliatus or P. penicillatus. The nests are built more fre- quently on inaccessible places. The same rookeries are used each season, the birds repairing the nests by adding a few pieces of weed or sea kelp. Colonies of eight or ten pairs nest on the shelves of perpen- dicular or overhanging rocks. The birds will occupy the same nest after being robbed, and setting commences after the first ^%'g is laid, in order to protect it from the gulls. Mr. Emerson says that by June the birds have begun to deposit their eggs, which are tjiree or four in num- ber, pale greenish-blue in color, with the usual chalky coating. Mr. Bryant states that the eggs of Baird's Cormorant may usually be known by their small size, the average dimensions of thirty-six specimens (nine sets of four) are 55.5x36.5 mm.,* the largest 59x36, and the smallest 52x35 mm.f 124. Phalacrocorax urile (Gmel.) [647.] Red-faoed Cormorant. Hab. Islands of Bering Sea and coast of Kamtschatka. The Red-faced Cormorant is a common species on the islands of Bering Sea, especially on St. George and St. Paul Islands of the Pry- bilof Group. Breeds commonly on some of the Aleutian Islands. Dr. Stejneger mentions it as being less common on Bering and Copper Isl- ands than P. pelagicus. He states that the eggs of the two species can not be confounded ; those of the Red-faced being considerably larger than those of the pelagicus^ and the green color of the eggs when looked at through the shell is totally different, — much more bluish in the former, against yellow in the latter. The nests are built on the projections of the narrow siielves or ledges along the face of a cliff, the material used being seaweed, ferns, grasses, etc., which are matted together largely with the excrements of the bird itself. The young are fed on small fish, crabs and shrimps, and in a short time the nesting places become very filthy, as a large portion of the food brought by *2.19xl.44. t 2.32x1.42, 2.05x1.38. • I ■!i- '■'liili 58 NESTS AND EGGS OF the old birds is strewn over and around the nests. The eggs vary in size from 2.30 to 2.55 long by 1.50 to 1.55 broad. Three eggs collected by Dr. Stejneger on Copper Island, July 14, measure 61x40, 63.5x39, 66x37 mm.* 125. Pelecanus erythrorhynchos Gmel. [640.] American W^hite Pelioan. Hab. Temperate North America, north in the interior to about latitude 61"', south to Central America ; rare or accidental in the Northeastern States; abundant in the Middle Province and along the Gulf coast; common on the coast of California and Western Mexico. The White Pelican is generally common west of the Mississippi, breeding from Utah northward. It was formally known to breed in various parts of Florida. Captain Charles E. Bendire found it nest- ing in large numbers on several small islands of Lake Malheur, in southeastern Oregon. It is common on various lakes in the Red River Valley, in British America. I am informed by Prof. Marcus E. Jones that several thousand of White Pelicans are permanent residents of Great Salt I^ake, Utah, breeding on the islands twenty miles out in the lake. They begin to lay about the first of May or two weeks earlier, according to the season, and fresh eggs are frequently found as late as July. The usual number of eggs, he says, is two, rarely three or four. The birds make their nests on the ground between the clumps of white sage {Atriplex confertifalia) that grow on the islands. They scrape the sandy soil into a heap about six inches high on the outside of the nests and arrange dry twigs without system ; the nests are about a foot in diameter with a slight depression at the top. Prof. Jones says the birds travel sixty miles to catch fish for themselves and young, and they often vomit up the contents of their stomach on the ground, which, with the great heat on the islands at the nesting time, soon decay. The stench of the rookeries and the noise of the birds are almost intolerable. Captain Bendire found two to be the usual number of eggs laid, although three and four to a nest was by no means rare, and occasion- ally as many as five were found. The egg: are dull, chalky white in color, with a calcareous deposit on then, and always more or less blood stained. Captain Bendire gives the average size to be about 3.45x2.30, and measure- ments of a few selected specimens out of several thousand are as fol- lows: 4.08x2.15,4.04x2.20,4.01x2.19, 3.99x2.20,3.72x2.40, 3.86X 2-55) 3-87x2.32, 3.62x2.40, 3.60x2.40, 3-57x2.35, 3.20x2.51,3.17 X2.23, 3.20x2.21; two runt eggs, 2.69x1.88, 2.46x1.73.! ■:' 2.40x1.57, 2.50x1.54, 2.60x1.46. t Ornithologist and Oologist. Vol. VII., p. 180. \-4-m NOR'f'H AMERICAN BIRDS. 59 126. Pelecanus fuscus Linn. [641.] Illinois. Hab. Brown Pelloaui Atlantic coast of tropical and subtropical America, north to North Carolina; accidental in This Pelican is an abundant bird, and constant resident of Florida and southward into the tropical regions. It is said, when feeding, to plunge for its prey like a gannet, and does not scoop them while swim- ming, like the White Pelican. Like the white species, however, it selects particular localities lor breeding, and will return to them from year to year. Pelican Island, in the Indian River, Florida, is a noted breeding ground, where thousands congregate for this purpose. Here they breed in March and April. Mr. Stuart says they breed in large communities on the islands along the Gulf coast, most always placing the bulky nests in mangrove trees ; often as many as a dozen nests are built in a single tree. They are made of sticks and weeds, lined with grasses. Many nests are also placed on the ground. Along the gulf coast fresh eggs may be found in May and June. From two to five eggs are laid, three being the most common number. Six selected specimens measure: 2.85x1.95, 3.02x2.04, 3.03x1.87, 3.08x1.89, 3.00x2.01, 3.12x1.87. They are chalky white, and in every respect, except size, resemble those of the White Pelican. 127. Pelecanus californicus Ridgw. California Brown Pelican. Hab. Pacific coast, from Washington Territory to Mexico and beyond, and probably to Mexico and Central America. The general habits, nesting and eggs of the Brown Pelican found on the Pacific coast are exactly the same as those of P. fuscus. It is a larger bird and has a red pouch during the pairing season. It is said to breed on islands on the western coast of Mexico, and inland marshes. Breeds abundantly in Honduras, along the coasts and in the interior. 128. Fregata aquila (Linn.) [639.] Man-o'-'War Bird. Hab. Tropical and subtropical coasts generally; in America, north to Florida, Texas, and California, and casually on the Atlantic coast to Nova Scotia. This great bird is known by several names, such as Frigate bird. Frigate Pelican, Man-of- War's bird, and " Hurricane bird." The latter name comes from the West Indies, where its appearance is said to be prognastic of bad weather, always flying low just before a gale. It is a maritime bird inhabiting tropical and subtropical coasts of the globe, but often wanders far from its home in the tropics. A specimen, which is now in the possession of Dr. Renshaw, of Sugar Grove, Ohio, was M H ' i k.*.m!l hA uax- V 60 NESTS AND EGGS OF "< ^! tTl-Miil taken by Mr. Emmet Adcock in Fairfield county, Ohio, in the Spring of 1880. The Frigate bird is occasionally met with on the southern coasts of Europe and on those of Africa — on Ascension Island and the Island of St. Helena. In the Atlantic it visits the Bermudas. On the Pacific coast it wanders as far north as San Francisco, and breeds on islands off the coast of Western Mexico. It is said not to breed anywhere on the Gulf coast except at two points at Key West. This bird is noted for its majestic flight and graceful aerial motions, often soaring to sublime elevations. It may be known by its immense wings and deeply forked tail, and colors of brownish-black, glossed with green. It is a constant resident of the Bahamas, breeding on some of the Keys in March. The nests are placed upon the mangroves, and are composed of sticks loosely thrown together ; sometimes they are made on the bare rocks. The Frigate bird breeds in large communities on the islands off the Pacific coast of Central America, nesting on high trees and low shrubs. A single egg is laid, of a uniform, chalky white color, and oval in shape; sizes range from 2.50 to 2.75 long, by 1.70 to 1.80 broad. 129. Merganser Americanus (Cass.) [636] American Merganser. Hab. North America generally. The Sheldrake, Goosander or Merganser, as it is variously called, is a common bird throughout North America, breeding from the North- ern States northward. It has lately been found breeding in New Mexico ; Mr. N. S. Goss having seen a female with four little ones July 2, on the Pecos River.* Is very abundant on fresh as well as salt waters in spring and fall. The three species of Mergansers or Shel- drakes with the " saw -bill " are commonly called " Fish Ducks." Their flesh is rank and unpalatable. The male may be recognized by his large size, white breast and green gloss on the head and neck, the lat- ter scarcely crested ; the female, which is much smaller than the male, has a deep red head and neck, with the crest better developed ; under parts salmon-tinted. The nest is made in hollow trees, after the man- ner of the Wood Duck, and is composed of moss, leaves and grasses, warmly lined with down from the bird. In Northern Maine eggs are deposited in the latter part of May or the first of June. The eggs are six or eight and sometimes ten in number ; of yellowish or buff color, and measure from 2.50 to 2.80 by 1.70 to 1.80. ' »Auk, Vol. IV, p. Mi. 'A.rif^ NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 130. Merganser serrator (Linn.) [637.] 61 Red-breasted Merganser. Hab. Northern portion of Northern Hemisphere; south, in winter, throughout the United States. An inhabitant of the more northern portions of the Northern Hemisphere, being common to Europe, Asia and North America. In the latter continent it is more abundant than the M. americamis. Very common in the United States in winter, where it is found breeding in suitable localities in the months of May and June. The Red-breasted Merganser breeds abundantly in Newfoundland, Labrador, the fur countries of British America and Alaska. It is a resident of Green- land and Iceland. It nests usually on the ground among brushwood, surrounded with tall grasses and at a short distance from water ; most generally it is concealed by a projecting rock or other object. The nest is made of leaves and mosses, lined with feathers and down, which are plucked from the breast of the bird. The number of eggs in a set varies from six to twelve, usually about nine or ten ; oval or elliptical in shape, and vary in size from 2.48 to 2.65 long by 1.65 to 1.82 broad. The color is a yellowish or reddish-drab, sometimes a dull buify-green. 131. Lophodytes cucuUatus (Linn.) [638.J , , ,. Hab. Hooded Merganser. North America generally, south to Mexico and Cuba. This handsome Merganser is an exclusi\'ely Nortli American species. In suitable places throughout its range, in wooded districts near water almost wherever it occurs, it may be found breeding. It nests in hollows of trees or stumps, lining the cavities with fine grasses, leaves, feathers and down. In some localities the bird is called "Water Pheasant" and "Hairy-head." Anyone can recognize the male of this species by its striking black and white colors and its magnificent, erect, compressed, semi -circular black and white crest. The general color of the head, neck, sides and upper portions of the fe- male are grayish - brown ; white beneath, and the crest is not so promi- nent. As many as eighteen eggs have been found in a single nest ; ten or twelve, however, appear to be the most common numbers, and often as few as six are laid. ,, -^/^ ^ ^ They are of a delicate pearly - white, rounded oval and measure from 2.05 to 2.25 long by 1.70 to 1.75 broad. 132. Anas boschas Linn. [601.] Mallard. Hab. Northern parts of Northern Hemisphere; in America south to Panama and Cuba, breeding southward to the Northern United States. The Green-head, or Mallard, is one of the most highly esteemed t r^ i 1 i 1 i t :l t»; } !' i 4-' ^r "'r^i 62 NESTS AND EGGS OF ducks, its habitat being nearly cosmopolitan, almost everywhere domes- ticated. It is the original of our barn-yard duck. A common bird in North America at large, breeding sparingly throughout the United States. In the sloughs and meadow marshes of the northern tier of states this duck breeds more or less abundantly in the month of June. Rare in New England, scarcely found beyond Massachusetts, and is re- placed farther northeast by the Black Mallard, or Dusky Duck. Mr. A. M. Shields writes me that this is, perhaps, the most com- mon of the ducks in the vicinity of Los Angeles, Cal., breeding from the first of April to the last of June, selecting for its nesting place the tall grass in fields not far from a lake or river. The eggs are six to ten in number, pale, yellowish drab, or olivaceous-green, but most generally the latter color when fresh ; elliptical ; average size, 2.25 x 1.25. 133. Anas obscura Gmel, [602.] Blaok Dnok. Hab. Eastern North America, west to Utah, Texas, north to Labrador, breeding from the Northern United States northward. The Dusky Duck, or Black Mallard, is much less common in the interior than along the Atlantic coast. The characteristic and one of the commonest ducks of New England, where it breeds at large, and from thence northeastward, but is most numerous during the migra- tions. The eggs are from six to twelve in number, usually seven or eight; are elliptical, or nearly so in shape; measure about 2.30 x 1.70, and vary from pale buff to pale greenish-buff. Incubation period is from the last of April to the early part of June. The nest is placed on the ground, in grass or rushes in the neighborhood of ponds, pools, and streams, in meadows and sometimes in swamps. It is a large and neatly arranged structure of weeds and grass, nicely hollowed and lined with down and feathers from the breast of the bird.* In rare instances it has been known to nest in the hollow of a tree, or a " stub " project- ing from the water of a swamp. Mr. Frazar found the nest of this Duck in Labrador usually placed upon the " outreaching branches of stunted spruces," which are seldom higher than four feet. The bird may be known by its resembling the female of the Mallard, A. boschas^ but darker in color. 134. Anas fulvigula. Ridgw. [603.] Florida Dnok. Hab. Florida; Kansas. This is a local, lighter colored species, which is resident in Flor- ida. They are smaller than the northern birds. The eggs are de- posited during the first and second weeks in April. They are similar to those of the Black Mallard, but smaller, averaging 2.15x1.61. * Oology of New England, p. 96. :-==5»*i NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 68 135. Anas strepera Linn. [604.] Oadirall. Hab. Nearly cosmopolitan, In North America breeding chiefly within the United States. The Gadwall, or Gray Duck, is a widely diffused species in most parts of the world. In North America, during the breeding season, it may be found nesting anywhere, especially south of the British Prov- inces. Common in meadows, and in grain fields near marshes and lakes in Minnesota, nesting in the middle of June and depositing from eight to twelve eggs in a cavity of the ground. Mr. A. M. Shields states that this Duck is a re.ndent in the vicinity of Los Angeles, Cal., but is not met with in great numbers. He found a nest containing eleven eggs on April 16, these were apparently about two weeks incubated. The nest was a slight hollow, amongst a thick bunch of weeds, six feet from the water's edge ; it was composed of fine grass and feathers from the breast of the bird. The eggs are clay color or creamy buff, elliptical in shape, and measure 2.09 by 1.57. 136. Anas penelope Linn. [606.] Widgeon. Hab. Northern part of the Old World. In North America breed.s in the Aleution Islands. Occuri occasionally in the Eastern United States, The European Widgeon in its size and general character, resembles the American Widgeon or Baldpate. In the south of Scotland and throughout England it is an abundant winter visitant ; a few remain to breed on the islands of the lochs in the northern portions of Scotland. It breeds in Norway and Sweden, and is the most abundant of the ducks that breed in Lapland, nesting in the grassy swamps and lakes midst tall rushes ; the material for the nest being reeds and grasses, with a warm lining of down and feathers from the bird's body. The eggs are five to eight in number, and their color is pale buff; their average size is 2.23 X 1.53. ; '^ 137. Anas americana Gmel. [607.] . Baldpate. Hab. North America, from the Arctic Ocean south to Guatemala and Cuba, The American Widgeon or Baldpate inhabits North America at large, breeding anywhere in suitable localities. This is one of the neatest of our ducks, and may be known by the spotted neck and head. The latter is white 011 top ; the speculum green and black ; the lower neck, scapulars, sides and upper breast chestnut-red, tinged with ashy, finely banded, all but the breast, with dark brown. The greater upper wing coverts are white, tipped with black, and the under parts are pure white ; the bill and feet are grayish-blue. The female is simi- lar, but lacks the white crown and iridescence on the head. There is J -ffl M I i. 64 NESTS AND EGGS OF iiiii ■ -J' a great variation in the normal coloration of the plumage, aside from age or sex, but as Dr. Coues says : " The bird can not be mistaken under any condition ; the extensive white of the under parts and wings is recognizable at gun-range." The nest of this species is made on the ground in marshes, composed of grass and weeds, neatly arranged and nicely hollowed ; it is usually lined with the down and feathers from the breast of the bird. The eggs are pale buff, eight to twelve in number, measuring 2.cx) by 1.50, with slight variations. [138.] Anas urecca. Linn. [611.] European Teal. Hab. Northern part of the Old World. Casiiul in Eastern North America and the Aleutian Islandi. This duck, which resembles very closely onr American Green- winged Teal, is of irregular occurrence in Eastern North America. In the northern portions of Europe it is very common, especially through- out Norway and Sweden. Breeds in abundance all over Lapland and in Northern Russia. Mr. Matliew Clugston informs me that this duck is quite common in Scotland, where it nests in the grassy herbage about the edges of lochs. A few breed in various places in Great Britian — as far south as Suffolk, England, and also in \ les. It is known to breed on some of the islands on the west coast of Spain and those on the northwestern coast of Africa. The nest is formed of grasses and reeds, warmly lined with feathers. In some places this duck's favorite breeding resorts are the bogs and marshes in grassy fields. The eggs are commonly eight to ten in number; and sometimes as many as fifteen are laid. They are yellowish-white, oval in shape, and measure 1.75 in length by 1.30 in breadth. 139. Anas carolinensis Gmelin. [612.] Oreen-iviiiged Teal. Hab. North America, migrating south to Honduras and Cuba. , This handsome little Duck is exceedingly abundant throughout North America. It breeds from the northern borders of the United States northward to Greenland and Alaska. During the spring and fall migrations it is one of the most abundant of water-fowl, frequenting the small brooks and ponds as well as the larger waters. It may be recognized by its small size ; the primaries of the wing-covets are of leaden-gray; speculum velvety purplish-black on the outer half, the inner half rich green ; bordered in front with chestnut, fawn or whitish tips of the greater coverts, behind by white tips of the secondaries, in- teriorly with purplish-black stripes on the outer webs of the length- NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 65 ened secondaries. The head and upper neck of the male are rich chestnut, blackening on the chin with a glossy green patch behind each eye. There is a white crescent in front of the wing. The female differs in the head markings, but those of the wing are the same. It is a well-known and highly esteemed game bird. The nest is placed on the ground, in a thick growth of grass, and is essentially the same as that of the Blue-winged Teal. The eggs are from five to eight in number, greenish-bufF in color, usually ovoidal in shape, sometimes nearly oval, and vary in size from 1.73 to 1.90 long by 1.22 to 1.32 broad. 140. Anas discors Linn. [609.] Blnc-winBod Teal. Hab. North America, but chiefly the Eastern Province; north to Alaskr. and south to the West Indies and Northern South America. A beautiful little duck, inhabiting North America in general, but chiefly the Eastern portions. During the breeding seasons it is found in the same localities as the Green-wing, but is more abundant in the northern tier of States at that season than the latter. This Duck feeds chiefly upon vegetable matter, and its flesh is tender and luscious. It may be known by its small size, blue wings and narrow bill. The feet are yellowish. The male has a white, crescent-shaped spot in front of the eye. The female is brown throughout, with the feathers edged with whitish which becomes prominent below. The nest is made on the ground, in a thick patch or tussock of grass, usually in meadows, the border of ponds or streams and swampy places. It is composed of soft pieces of grass and weeds, lined with down and feathers from the breast of the bird. The eggs are greenish or bufT, lighter in color than those of the Green-winged Teal ; they vary from ovate to ovoidal, and are sometimes nearly ov.il in shape ; six to ten and twelve in number, and vary in size from 1.30 to 1.35 broad by 1.90 to 1.95 long. 141. Anas cyanoptera Vieill. [610.] Cinnamon Teal. Hab. Western America, from the Columbia River south to Chili, Patagonia and Falkland Islands; east in North / ca to the Rocky Mountains; casual in the Mississippi Valley. Tui. i- ^tty South American Teal is abundant in the United States west of the Rocky Mountains, and breeds anywhere in this range ; Col- orado, Utah, Nevada, California, Idaho, Oregon, etc. In the adult male the head, neck and under parts are rich chestnut, the wing coverts are sky-blue, as in the Blue-winged Teal. The speculum is green and is set between the white tips of the greater coverts and the secondaries. y 4 1. n nil 66 NESTS AND EGGS OP Its habits on the whole do not differ from those of its well-known ally, the Blue-winjj. Mr. A. M. Shields regards it as common in the vicinity of Los Angeles, where it breeds in great numbers ; nesting in the first week of May. Its favorite breeding places are in fields of tall grass or clover, in close proximity to water. He says the complement of eggs ranges from nine to thirteen, and that the nest is so compactly woven of grass, feathers and down that the entire structure may be picked up without its coming apart. The eggs are creamy-white or pale buff; six to twelve; one end smaller than the other. Ten eggs collected by Dr. James C. Merrill, near Fort Klamath, Oregon, June 14, 1887, exhibit the following dimensions: 1.90x1.38, 1.82x1.37, 1.88x1.39, 1.90 X 1.38, 1.92x1.39, 1.88x1.38, 1.85x1.40, 1.94x1.38, 1.89x1.36, 1.83x1.34; the average size is 1.88x1.38. The nest was built at the edge of a marsh ; it was made of grass blades and stems, warmly lined with down. 142. Spatula clypeata (Linn.) [608.] Shoveller. Hab. Northern Hemisphere. In North America. Breeding from Alaska to Texas. Not abundant on the Atlantic coast. The Shoveller, or Spoonbill Duck, is common in the northern portions of the globe. Said to have the most extended distribution of any species of the duck tribe, being more or less common in every portion of Europe and Asia, except in the extreme north ; is foimd in Northern and Central Africa, and other portions of the tropical world. It is not common in England, where it breeds sparingly, but is more abundant in Scotland. In North America this peculiar-locking duck breeds throughout its range in all suitable places ; it winters chiefly in the south. It may easily be recognized by its broad bill, blue wing coverts and green speculum. The iris is yellow and the feet bright orange. The Spoonbill makes his nest on the ground in boggy places which are difficult of access. It is composed of grass and weeds. The eggs are greenish-gray, or faintly bluish ; elliptical ; six to ten in number; averaging in size about 2.10 by 1.50. 143. Dafila acuta (Linn.) [605.] Pintail. Hab. Northern hemisphere. In America migrates south to Panama and Cuba. In North America the Pintail, or Sprig-tail, is a common species everywhere, being found as far north as Greenland and the Arctic ! 1 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 67 coast, and south to the Isthmus of Panama and to Cuba, breeding from the Northern States northward throughout the Fur Countries to Alaska, and in Greenland. It is abundant in the United States during the spring and fall migrations. In the vicinity of Los Angeles, California, Mr. Shields says it is very abundant during the entire winter, and a few remain to breed. The place usually selected for the nest is in tall bunches of prairie grass, seldom far from water. The number of eggs laid is commonly eight or nine ; these are deposited about the middle of May. If the eggs are taken the bird will immediately deposit a second set, which is seldom more than five or six in number. The male bird, inclusive of the long central tail-feathers, is about twenty-nine inches long; the general color of the upper parts is gray- ish, delicately penciled with white ; either sex may be known by the very long and slender neck, but the female is shorter, being about twenty- two inches long, the central tail feathers making a difference of seven inches. In the far north this species deposits as many as twelve eggs in a single nest. These are of a dull grayish olive ; elongate ellipsoidal in shape and measure from 2.10 to 2.30 long by about 1.52 broad. 144. Aix sponsa (Linn.) [613.] "Wood Dnok. Hab. Temperate North America, breeding throughout its range. An exquisite bird, the most beautiful of all our ducks ; in fact, no description can give a sufficient conception of the variety and lustre of its plumage. It is crested, the head iridescent green and purple, with parallel curved white superciliary and post-ocular stripes and a broad white throat patch. The iris and edges of eyelids are red. In the fe- male the head is mostly gray. A freshly-killed specimen has all the variegated tints to be seen in the rain-bow. It is well-named Bridal Duck. It inhabits North America at large and is especially abundant in the United States, breeding almost wherever found. Frequents the wooded portions of the country near water. The nest is made in the hollow of decayed trees, often at the depth of four to six feet. It is composed of twigs, weeds or grass, warmly lined with the down from breast of the bird. What is remarkable about the entrance to the nest is, that it is often so small that it would seem almost impossible for the bird to pass in and out. The tree in which the nest is made is frequently situated a consid- erable distance from water in some retired place. The young are car- ried to water in the bill of the parent bird. The eggs number from eight to twelve, and I have seen several sets of fourteen ; they are of IBHWh llBllll m 68 NESTS AND EGGS OF a pale buff color, averaging in size about 2.00 by 1.50, but there is a great variation in this respect when a large series of specimens from different parts of the country are examined. When robbed of its eggs the bird will often lay a second set. ' , ■ ■:,,■■■ . " [145.] Netta Ruflna (Pall.) Rnfona-orested !Onokt Hab. Eastern Hemisphere: accidental in the United States. The claim of this species to a place in the North American fauna rests on a single specimen obtained in Fulton Market, New York City, February 2d, 1872. It is supposed to have been shot on Long Island Sound. The bird is found in Southern and Eastern Europe, and in por- tions of Africa and Asia. The eggs are described as being of a pale olive-buff and measure 2.19 x 1.68. 146. Hab. Aythya americana (Eyt.) [618.] Redlieadw North America, breeding from California and Maine northward. The Redhead or Poachard, so frequently confounded with th*^ Can- vas-back, is a common duck throughout North America. It breeds in all parts of the Fur Countries, and is very abundant in the marshes of Manitoba throughout the summer months. It nests in suitable locali- ties of various northern states, Maine, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minne- sota and Dakota. The Redhead also breeds in the marshes of California. Mr. Shields mentions it nesting in a swamp near Los Angeles about the middle of June.* The nest is built on the groitnd in thick grass or weeds and is composed of aquatic plant stems and grasses, lined with the down and feathers from the breast of the bird. The nest is often constructed in a mass of reeds over water after the manner of a Coot's. Mr. Shields found the nests to contain from seven to fourteen eggs. Eight or ten are more commonly laid further north. They are creamy- white, elliptical, and average 2. 40 by 1.70, with slight variation. 147. Aythya vallisneria (Wils.) [617.] Canvaa-baok. Hab. Nearly all of Nor.hAmerca. The celebrated Canvas-back Duck is an exclusively North Ameri- can species, found in the interior and on both coasts as far north as the Arctic Ocean and southward to Central America. Breeds on the intedot mi. ', rivers and lakes from the Northwestern States to * Young Oolocist, a magazine devoted to the study '>' birds, their nests and eggs, published by Frank H. Lattin, Albion, N. Y., Vol. I., p. 90. NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 69 Alaska. Nests commonly in many of the lakes and ponds of Mani- toba. On the marshes and lakes in the mountain valleys of Oregon the Canvas-back constructs ics nest at the edge of the water or near it in tall rushes or grass. The Canvas-back is the highly esteemed table duck. When feeding on wild celery the flesh is said to acquire a peculiarly fine flavor, but under other circumstances not one person in- ten thousand can tell it from any other duck, on the table. It is often confounded with the Redhead, but there is no occasion for this, even when the different sexes come to hand in any state of plumage. Although both species ere similar in plumage, their heads alone will differentiate them. The Redhead has a high forehead, while the Canvas-back's head slopes gradually down to the bill and the bill rises high on the forehead. In the male Redhead the entire head is clear chestnut red, with a coppery tint, and the bill pale grayish-blue, with a dark tip. In the Canvas-back nearly the whole head is blackish- brown, and the bill blackish. The general color of the females of both is brownish throughout. The nest of the Canvas-back is generally made on the ground in marshy places; tall, rank grass is usually selected. It is composed of grass and weeds, less thickly lined with feathers than the nests of other ducks are. The eggs ?re from six to ten in number, pale grayish-drab or greenish-buff, elliptical, and measure from 2.25 to 2.50 long by 1.70 to 1-75 broad. 148. Aythya marila nearctica Stejn. [614.] Amerioau Soanp Sack. Hab. North America, breeding f«r north. This and the next species are closely allied, and are variously known as Blue-bills, Raft Duck, Flocking Fowl and Shufflers. This one is called Big Blackhead or Greater Scaup Duck, on account of its size. It inhabits the whole of North America, and breeds far north. It is not so abundant in the United States as the next species. In many of the river valleys and in the lakes of Manitoba it is a common summer resident, where it nests on the ground in swampy places. The nest material is grass and weeds, and the lining is down from the breast of the bird. In the male the head, neck and the front part of the body are black, the former with a green gloss ; the back and sides whitish, finely waved in zig-zag with black ; underneath and speculum of wing is white. The bill is blue, with black nail ; iris yellow. In the female the head and anterior parts brown ; face pure white. The eggs of the American Scaup Duck are of a pale, buffy olive-gray, or ashy-green, elliptical, six to ten in number, size 2.54 x 1.71. f n i I ' ! H 70 NESTS AND EGGS OF 149. Aythya afflnis (Err.) [615.] Lesser Scanp Dnok. Hab. North America in general, migrating south to Guatemala and the West Indies. As its name indicates, this species is smaller than the last, to which it is very similar. Breeds chiefly north of the United States. It is a common summer resident in the lakes, marshes, ponds, and rivers of Western Manitoba and throughout other portions of the fur countries northward. Its nesting habits and its eggs are the same as A. marila nearctica. The average size of the eggs is about 2.25 x 1.58. 150. Aythya collaris (Donov.) [616.] Ring-neoked Dnok. Hab. North America, migrates south to Gautemala and the West Indies. Ring-billed Blackhead, Marsh Blue-bill and Ring-necked Scaup Duck are names by which this species is commonly known. In the United States it is a common spring and fall migrant, and breeds from Maine, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and other northern States northward. In some parts of Manitoba it is very abundant, especially in the Red River Valley, where it breeds in the marshes of the lakes and ponds, among the reeds and thick grasses. The nest is made of fine grasses, and slightly lined with feathers. In its general appearance, the bird is similar to the foregoing, but the adult male has an orange-brown ring around the neck ; the female has no co Jar, and the head and neck are brown. This bird may be known in all stages of plumage by the broad bill and gray speculum. The Ring-neck lays from six to twelve eggs, varying from grayish to bufif color ; they are elliptical in shape, and measure from 2.25 to 2.30 by 1.60 to 1.65. 151. Glaucionetta clangula americana ( Bonap.) [620.] American Golden-eye. Hab. North America, breeding from Maine and the British Provinces northward; migrates south to Cuba. The American Golden-eye, Whistler, Garrot, or " Great-Head," is very similar to the next species. It has a large round white spot before the ey; not touching the base of the bill throughout. It is given the name of Whistler from the peculiar noise of the wings while flying, and Great Head from its large and beautifully created head. It is an abundant species throughout the fur countries, where it frequents the rivers and fresh-water lakes in great numbers. Breeds as far north as Alaska, where, on the Yukon, it nests about the middle of June. Like the Wood Duck, it constructs its nests in hollow trees and decayed trunks. It is made of grass, leaves, and moss, lined with down from the bird's breast. The eggs are from six to ten in number, ashy green in color, NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 71 rounded-oval in shape, and measure from 2.30 to 2.55 long by 1.70 to 1.78 broad. 152. Glaucionetta islandica (Gmel.) [619.] Bax>ro'w'8 Golden-eye. Hab. Northern North America, south in winter to New York, Illinois and Utah. Greenland; Iceland. The Rocky Mountain Garret, or Golden-eye, is almost exclusively a North American species, breeding from the Gulf of St. Lawrence in the east and the mountains of Colorado in the west to high north- ern regions. It k a resident of Greenland and Iceland. It may be known by the large triangular white spot before the eye running up to a point, applied against the entire base of the bill and the division of the white area on the wing. The head is moderately puffy, with an occipital crest, and the color of ^he gloss is chiefly purple and violet. The W\ is black or greenish-dusis.y and the iris golden-yellow. In the female the head is snuff-brown and no white patch in front of the eye. This bird, like the last, makes its nest in hollow trees, of grass, sticks and weeds, lined with feathers. Mr. Edwin Carter was the first to find the nest and eggs of this species in the mountains of Colorado in 1876. From six to U _■- eggs are laid, these are usually elliptical in shape, and measure from 2.25 to 2.30 long by 1.60 to 1.65 broad. 153. Charitonetta albeola (Linn.) [621.] Buffle-head. Hab. North America; south to Cuba jnd Mexico. Breeds from Maine northward, through the Fur Countries and Alaska. This duck is variously named, as Butter-ball, " Dipper," " Butter- box," " Spirit Duck " and " Hell-diver." It dives with the greatest of ease, slipping under the water almost as quickly as a grebe. Its ex- pertness in diving enables it to obtain food in very deep water. The Bufile-head is peculiarly an American species, but of accidental occur- rence in Europe. In Manitoba and throughout all the Fur Countries it is a common summer resident, breeding as far north as Alaska. The nests are concealed in hollows of trees or stumps, near the banks of streams. Th^y are lined with down and feathers. The Butter-ball breeds occasionally in Northern Maine. In the United States it is an abundant spring and fall migrant, and in many places a winter resi- dent. The male is one of the handsomest of our small ducks. The head is particularly puffy, of varied rich iridescence, with a large showy white patch on each side behind the eye. The broad black and white pattern of his upper coat stands out in strong contrast against a glossy white breast. The female is smaller and a very insignificant looking duck ; the head is scarcely puffy, dark gray, with traces of the white auricular patch. 1 72 NESTS AND EGGS OF I The eggs of this duck vary from buff to a creamy-white or gray- ish-olive ; ellipsoidal in form and range from six to fourteen in num- ber; sizes from 1.95 to 2.05 long by 1.35 to 1.50 broad. 154. Clangula hyemalis (Linn.) [623] •?; Old-nqna'Wa ,, ' Hab. Northern hemisphere; in North America south to the Potomac and the Ohio. Breeds far northward. The Long-tailed Duck, Old Wife or South-southerly, as it is vari- ously called, is distributed throughout the northern portions of the globc; making its summer home in Arctic regions. A resident in Greenland and breeds in various places in Iceland. The nests are made on the margins of lakes or ponds, among low bushes or tall grass ; they are constructed of grasses and generally, but not always, warmly lined with down and feathers. The eggs are from six to twelve in number. The Long-tailed Duck inhabits the more northern countries of Europe — a winter visitant to Great Britain, and it is found occa- sionally in Germany and France. Abundant on the sea-coast of Alas- ka, is resident on the Prybilof and Aleutian Islands. In the United States it is found only in winter. The male of the Old-squaw is a handsome duck, and may be recognized by its long tail and peculiar reddish-brown and brownish-black and white markings. The female lacks the lengthened tail-feathers, and is, on the whole, a very inferior looking bird. The eggs of this species average 2.05 by 1.49; they are pale, dull grayish pea-green, varying to dull light olive-buff. 155. Kiatrionicus histrionicus (Linn.) [622.] u . XT u XT u » Harleqnin Dnok. Hab Northern North America. The beautiful and singulary marked Harlequin " is an inhabitant of the southern part of the circumpolar zone." It is not common wherever found. In many parts of the Old World it is only a rare or an occasional visitor; this is the case in Great Britain, France and Germany. At the commencement of the breeding season it leaves the sea-coast and retires to the lakes and rivers of the interior regions. A summary of this bird's breeding range is given by C. Hart IMerriam, as follows: "In Siberia it is known to breed aboui Lake Baikal and in the Bureja Mountains (Radde) ; in Mantchuria and at various points in the great Stanowi R.ange (Von Middendorff ) ; about the Upper Amoor (Von Schrenck), and in Kamtschatka. On the American Continent it has been found breeding along the tributaries of the Yukon in Alaska (Dall) ; in the interior of the Fur Countries and about Hudson's Bay NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 73 (Richardson) ; on the fresh water ponds of Labrador (Audubon), and in the Rocky Mountains within the limits of tho United States (in Mon- tana, Cones). It also nests in Newfoundland, Greenland, and Iceland (Kruper)."* Dr. Merriam says that all accounts agree that this duck nests on the ground in close proximity to swiftly running water, and states that he is also informed that in Newfoundland the nests are built in hollow trees. In some of its breeding groiinds it is said to lead a solitary life, being found alone or in pairs in the most retired places on small streams. The nest is composed of weeds, grass, etc., warmly lined with down and feathers from the breast of the bird. When the female leaves the eggs she carefully covers them up with down. In some places the Harlequins are called '* Lord and Lady Ducks." The male is second only to the Wood Duck in beauty, and the female will bear no comparison to the same sex of that species. . The eggs are six to eight in number, rounded oval, yellowish-buff or greenish yellow, and measure 2.30 x 1.62. 157. Eniconetta Stelleri (Pall.) [625] Steller'i Dnok. Hab. Arctic and sub-Arctic coasts of Northern Hemispnere. The summer home of Steller's Duck is in very high Arctic lati- tudes. It breeds in Northern Russia, in Europe and in Siberia, nesting in the latter part of June, depositing from seven to nine eggs. It is said to breed on the inaccessible rocks of Kamtschatka, on the islands of Bering Sea, and sparingly on some of the Aleutian Islands. In its habits it resembles the Common Eider. The nest is placed on the ground and is made of grass, thickly lined with down and feathers from the breast of the bird. Dr. Coues says the bird is not yet com- mon in collections, though abounding and sometimes gathering in enormous flocks on the islands and both shores of Bering Sea and the Arctic coast of Northeastern Siberia. It winters mainly on the Aleutian Islands, and is usually found in company with the Pacific, Spectacled and King Eiders. The eggs vary from pale olive-buff to pale olive or pale green and measure 2.30 by 1.62. 158. Arctonetta fischeri (Brandt). [626] Speotaoled Eider. Hab. Coast of Alaska, north to Point Barrow. This Eider with a peculiarly dense and puffy patch of velvet feath- ers about the eye, suggesting spectacles, has nesting habits similar to the American Eider, ►S. dresseri. The eggs are also similar. •Bull. Nutt Club, vui, 220. I 3 .!!- 74 NESTS AND EGGS OF II i 1 ,! 'ilV m. It inhabits the islands and coasts from Norton Sound northward to Point Barrow. On St. Michael's Island, Alaska, it breeds in company with the Pacific Eider 5*. v-nigra. The eggs measure from 2.35 to 2.57 long by 1.55 to 1.85 broad. 159. Somateria moUissima (Linn.) [627.] .. > Elder.' Hab. Northern Europe and Northeastern North America, including Greenland and Northern Labra- dor; south in winter on the Atlantic Coast to Maine. The Eider, so famous for its down, which has become an article of commerce and luxury, is common along the Northern Atlantic coasts of Europe and America. The great demand for its down has caused the inhabitants of Iceland, Norway, and other parts of Europe to protect it during the breeding season. In these places the Eider be- comes very tame. It is a resident of Greenland, where it nests in the latter part of June or the first week of July. On some of the small islands on the coast of Iceland it has become almost domesticated, breeding in vast numbers, nesting on the grassy banks, between large stones, on rocks, and in every available hollow which will nold the nest. The nest is made of sea-weed, lined with the down plucked from the breast of the bird. This is augmented as incubation proceeds and the quantity of down often becomes so great that the eggs are con- cealed from view. The eggs range from six to ten in number, greenish drab, and measure 2.97 by 2.01. 160. Somateria dresseri Sharpe. [627a.] American Eider. Hab. Atlantic coast of North America, from M>ine to Labrador; south in winter to the Delaware. The American Eider breeds along the Atlantic coast of North America from Maine to Northern Labrador. On Grand Manan and some of the smaller islands in that vicinity this duck formerly nested in great numbers, but from constant persecution its numbers have been greatly diminished. It is one of the most characteristic summer ducks of Labrador and Newfoundland. Mr. Frazar found this Eider breeding commonly on small islands on the coast of Labrador, making the nest in the short, soft grass. The favorite nesting place was at the foot of some large rock, or in the nooks between rocks, where the birds found shelter from the wind. They were always made of the slate-colored down from the breasts of the birds. Most of the nests contained four or five eggs ; a large number six, two seven and one ''According to Prof. Ridgw.iy the American bird proves not to be the true S. moUissima of Northern Europe, but a fairly ilistinguishable race, called Greenl.ind Eider, 5. moUissima lorcalis Brehm, inhabiting Northeastern North America, including Greenland, etc., as in the above habitat. For description of this race see Manual North American Birds, p. lOU. Bwl'SwMltBliKrfSSifflBRu NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 76 eight.* The eggs are from four to ten in number, but often fewer ; they are plain dull greenish-drab: measuring about 3x2. 161. Somateria v-nigra Gray. [628.] Paoiflo Eider. Hab. Coasts of the North Pacific; in the interior to the Great Slave L.-\ke, and Eastern Siberia. The Pac/'fic Eider is common in suitable places on both coasts and islands of Bering Sea and the polar coasts of Siberia ; replacing the Common Eider, S. molissima^ Spectacled and Steller's Eiders. Dr. Stejneger says it is now rather scarce on the Commander Islands. On Copper Island it breeds only in a few places, and in limited num- bers. It breeds on the Aleutian Islands, the Island of St. Michael's, and in great numbers on the Arctic coast, near the mouth of the Anderson River. Its nesting habits are the same as those of ^. dres- seri^ and the eggs measure from 2.95 to 3.20 long by 1.95 to 2.10 broad. 162. Somateria spectabllis (Linn.) [629.] King Eider. Hab. Northern part of Northern Hemisphere, breeding in the Arctic regions; in North America south casually in winter to New Jersey and the Great Lakes. A beautiful Arctic species, very closely resembling the three last. It is a resident of Greenland, and is found on the Atlantic coasts of Europe and America, and on the Pacific coasts of America and Asia. Abundant in various places along the shores of the Arctic Ocean, thence southward in winter on the Pacific side in great numbers to the Aleutian Islands and beyond. Rare on the Alaskan coast of Bering Sea. The nests of this Eider, found in the islands of the Arctic seas, are placed in depressions of the ground, and composed wholly of down. In Greenland the King Eider breeds in the latter part of June or in the first part of July, nesting in the vicinity of ponds and marshes. Six eggs are the usual number laid, but as many as ten are said to be deposited. They vary from light-olive gray to grayish-green, and measure from 3.10 to 3.15 long by 1.75 to 2.10 broad. 163. Oidemia americana Sw. & Rich. [630.] Amerioan Scoter. Hab. Coasts and larger lakes cf Northern North America; breeds in Labrador and the northern inter- ior; south in winter to New Jersey, the Great l.\kcs »nd California. A few of this species are said to breed in Labrador as they do in the neighborhood of marshes and ponds in the interior, northward. In the Hudson's Bay region the American Scoter nests in June and July. It has been found on islands along the coast of Alaska and at the mouth of the Yukon in June. The Scoter nests similar to the Eider, ♦See Mr. Fraiar's article: Ornithologist aT>d Oologist, Vol. XII., pp. 19-20. i. ' r i- \> Ilr 76 NESTS AND EGGS OF li.J; ,+ i on the ground, near water ; the material used being coarse grass, feath- ers and down. The nests are often well secreted in the cliflfs and hol- lows about steep banks. This Duck is called Sea Coot, Butter-billed and Hollow-billed Coot. The plumage of the adult male is entirely black, and the top of the bill orange ; the color of the female is sooty-brown, becoming paler below. It is much smaller than the male. This Duck, like many others in winter, is sometimes found in great numbers along the entire Atlantic coast. Its food is principally small bivalves, which it secures by diving. The eggs are said to range from six to ten in number. They are of a pale dull buff, jr pale brownish-buff, and measure 2.55 x 1.80. [164 ] Oidemia fusca (Linn.) [631.] Velvet Sooter. Hab. Northern Old World : accidental in Alaska and Greenland. This fine sea duck belongs to the Old World. It is a winter visit- ant on the coasts of England ; a few specimens have been obtained at different times in the London markets. It is recorded as having been taken as far south as Italy. On the Orkney and Shetland Islands it is said to be common. Found in Norway, Sweden and Scandinavia. Said to be abundant everywhere in Lapland, where it nests on hum- mocks, among the willow swamps, in long grass near water, or by the edges of large lakes in mountain districts. The eggs are of a pale cream color, and measure 2.87 x 1.92. 165. Oidemia deglandl Bonap. [632.] 'White-winded Sooteri Hab. Northern North America, breeding in Labrador and the Fur Countries; south to the Middle States, Southern Illinois, and Southern California. Like the Velvet Scoter, O. fusca of the Old World, the American bird is eminently a sea-duck, resorting, however, mainly to inland waters during the breeding season. Its summer home is in the Arctic regions. Found along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, and as far south as the Middle States in the spring, fall and winter. It breeds on many of the lakes, rivers and larger bodies of water in Manitoba. The "White-winged Coot," "Sea Coot," "Black Surf Duck," or Velvet Duck, as it is variously called, has been found breeding quite abundantly on the Lower Anderson river, constructing the nest on the ground near fresh water. The nests contain a lining of down and feathers. Audubon found it breeding in Labrador from the ist to the loth of June. The nests were built by the side of small lakes, two or three miles distant from the sea, and usually placed under low bushes ; NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 77 they were formed of twigs, mo,sses aud various plants matted together. The nests were large and almost flat, several inches thick, lined with some feathers of the female, but without down. The eggs are usually six in number, measuring 2.68 x 1.83. They are of a pale buff, varying to green. 166. Oidemia perspicillata (Linn.) [633.] 7 Surf Scoter. Hab. Coasts and larger inland waters of Northern North America; south to the Carolinas, the Ohio river and Lower Cnlifr>rnia. The Surf Duck and the three preceding species are called Coots by the gunners ; their habits, appearance and general characteristics being similar. It is peculiarly an American species, and is only an occasion- al or accidental visitor in Europe. The plumage of the male of this species is glossy black, no white on the wings, but a triangular white patch on the forehead pointing forward. The female is a sooty-brown, below silvery-gray; side of the head much whitish. It breeds in the far north along the coast and in the interior of the fur countries. Audubon found this species to be the least numerous of the ducks in- habiting Labrador. He discovered a nest in a fresh-water marsh placed among the tall grass and weeds. It was entirely made of withered, rotten weeds, lined with the down of the bird. The nest contained five eggs; they were pale yellowish or cream color, and measured 2.31 by 1.63. The general average is 2.47 x 1.70; pale buff to creamy-bufiF. 167. Erismatura rublda (VVils.) [634.] Ruddy Duck. Hab. North America in general, south to Cuba, Guatemala, and Northern South America. The Ruddy Duck is an American species, and is found breeding throughout most of its range, but more especially from the northern borders of the United States northward. In spring and fall it is an abundant duck on the large bodies of water, as well as rivers, small streams, and ponds. It is exceedingly difficult to kill, being very tenacious of life, and, when wounded, dives with the greatest of ease, remaining under the water for a long time — in fact, no duck excels thib one in diving. Mr. Shields writes that the Ruddy Duck breeds quite commonly in the vicinity of Los Angeles, Cal., depositing from five to eleven eggs about the last of May, and fresh eggs may be taken as late as June 25. He says there is positive proof that this duck prefers the abandoned nests of Coots for nesting purposes to those constructed by itself, and cites several instances in which he took eggs of this species from what appeared to be Coots' nests recon- U X't I nti 78 NESTS AND EGGS OF m, ■m i i! structed. Seven Ruddy Ducks' eggs were found in a Coot's nest, from which, a few weeks previous, a set of the Coot's eggs were obtained. The locality usually selected for a breeding place is some deep, slug- gish stream, lake or pond, and the nests are always built close to the water's edge ; they are composed of reeds, dry rushes and grass. The structure is often made so that it will float, similar to a grebe's nest. The male is a handsome bird ; its general color is glossy chestnut, and the lower parts silvery white ; the chin and sides of the head are dead white, the crown and nape glossy black. The female is brown above, finely dotted, and waved with dusky; below paler and duller. From its peculiar stiff" tail feathers, I have often heard hunters call it the " Sprig-tail," a name, however, applied to the Pin-tail Duck. It is also called Dipper Duck. The eggs are grayish-white, ovoid or oval in shape, with a finely granulated surface ; sizes . ange from 2.35 to 2.50 long by 1.70 to 1.80 broad. They appear large for the size of the bird. 169. Chen hyperborea (Pall.) [sgia.] Iiesser Snoir Oooae. Hab. Pacific coast to the Mississippi Valley, breeding in Alaska; south in winter to Soithern Illinois and Southern California. There are several forms of the Snow Goose which exist in North America ; two are designated by their respective sizes, namely, Lesser and Greater, The Lesser species breeds in Alaska, and occurs through- out the northwestern portions of the continent, and in winter migrates over the whole of the country, from the Pacific coast to the Mississippi Valley. The Greater Snow Goose, Chen hyPerborea nivalis (Forst.), according to Prof. Ridgway, occurs in Eastern North America; its breeding grounds are unknown, but they are probably in the Arctic regions east of the Mackenzie river. In winter it is found in the United States from the Mississippi Valley to the Atlantic coast.* Ross's Snow Goose, C. rossii (Baird), is found in summer in the interior of Arctic America, migrating south in winter to Southern Cali- fornia and eastward to Montana. The Blue Snow Goose, C. ccsrulescens (Linn.),t inhabits the interior of North America, east of the Rocky Mountains, breeding on the east- ern shores of Hudson's Bay, migrating south in winter through the Mississippi Valley to the Gulf coast, and is found occasionally on the Atlantic coast. There seems to be very little known regarding the nidification of the Snow Goose. ^ ♦Manual of N. A. Birds, p. 115. fThis bird is placed in the "Hypothetical List" of the A. O. U. Check List. Prof. Ridgway states that it is beyond question a good species. See Manual of N. A. Birds, p. 115. u- ates NORTH AMHRICAN BIRDS. 79 So far as I can glean, the breeding habits are the same as those of the Canada Goose, nesting by the side of rivers, lakes and in marshes. The eggs of the Lesser Snow Goose are from five to eight in num- ber; their color is yellowish-white, and measure about 3.13x2.12. [171.] Ap?er albifrons (Gm.) [593.] Whlte-^onted Oooa«> Hab. Northern parts of Eastern Heniispliere .uul UreenUnd. The White-fronted Goose of the Old World, which very closely resembles the American species, is distributed in its migrations through- out various sections of Europe, but is more abundant in the eastern than in the western portions. Said to extend its migrations into Cen- tral Africa, almost to the Equator. It breeds near the coast-line of the Arctic Ocean in Europe and Asia, and also on the lakes, larger rivers, bays and inlets. There is no difference between the general habits of this species and those of the American bird. It nests on the ground, in the immediate vicinity of water, making a large structure of sticks and hay which is lined with down. The eggs are from four to six in number, yellowish-white in color, and measure about 3.10x2.05. 171a. Anser albifrons Rambeli (Hartl.) [593(7.] American White-fronted Goose. Hab. North America, breeding far northward ; in winter, south to Mexico and Cuba. Often called "Laughing Goose." It is of large size and robust form, may be known by its white forehead and spotted breast. A very handsome bird and a favorite with sportsmen. Large numbers are often killed on the lakes and reservoirs in spring and fall. The White-fronted Goose is common throughout the whole of North America, but is more abundant on the Pacific coast than in the interior or along the Atlantic. It flies in V-shaped flocks, frequently uttering a loud, harsh cry, which may be heard at a considerable dist- ance. This species breeds in high latitudes and is particularly abund- ant in Alaska, nesting in large numbers along the Yukon river, laying its eggs in depressions in the sand. Said to breed also on Stuart's Island and other islands along the coast. Its favorite resorts are in the vicinity of fresh-water lakes. Along the Lower Anderson river, on the Arctic coast and on the islands of the Arctic Sea this species breeds in abundance in June and July. The nests are made in a depression of the ground, and made of hay, feathers and down. Dr. Brewer states that nests found by Mr. MacFarlane were generally found ':-. wooded districts. . " The eggs are six or seven in number, and measure from 2.90 to Al -..a^ ^. \^ %^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) ^^f 1.0 ^^ I 2.5 IIM - 1^ 2.2 I.I ll£ III 2.0 1.8 1.25 1,4 i'i(S ^ 6" ► V] " ^^ ^o~ I^J 80 NESTS AND EGGS OF 3.30 long by 2.05 to 2.10 broad. They are elliptical in shape, dull greenish-yellow with obscure darker tints. 172. Branta canidensls (Linn.) [594.] Canada Gooae. Hab. Temperate North America, breeding in the Northern (Jnited States and British Provinces; snuth in winter to Mexico. The Common Wild Goose of North America, in its various forms and great extremes of size, is generally distributed throughout the continent at large, B. canidensis proper, breeding, as indicated in the above habitat.* It is the most abundant of our geese Large numbers may be seen during the spring and fall migrations flying overhead in wedge-shaped flocks, with an old gander always in the lead at the apex of the triangle, frequently uttering the sonorous konk^ hottky which is often heard at a great height. In many places they breed in captivity with the common domestic goose, producing a hybrid bird much esteemed for the table. It has been learned from birds in confinement that none of them lay until three years old ; the first season four eggs are laid, five the second season, and when older six and seven. f Dr. Coues alludes to the breeding of the Canada Goose in trees in various parts of the Upper Missouri and Yellowstone regions.! Breed- ing grounds, inundated along the banks of streams, have at times caused the birds to resort to trees for the purpose of nesting, some making use of Herons' and Ravens' ncsts.§ Nests of the Canada Goose in Dakota are usually situated far away from water on the prairies. Dr. Merrill found this species breeding on the Upper Missouri, Yellowstone, and Big Horn Rivers, where their favorite nesting sites were on the numerous low sandy islands in these rivers, covered in the higher parts with a growth of young willows. Their nests were simply a hollow in the sand, around which was placed a few sticks and twigs, and the eggs lay on a layer of gray down. Nests were found on the tops of broken trunks of trees ; one on a rocky ledge three hundred yards from the river ; another was made on a pile of brush that had collected in the top of a fallen tree that had floated down and lodged near the middle of the river ; some nests were placed on the high banks among high grass, or on piles of drift-wood. By the first of May the nests contained the full complement of eggs, generally five ■* The form Branta canieUnsit occidentalit ( Baird ) occurs in Pacific coast region, from Sitka south, in winter to California. I( is larger and the coloration darker, t Wm. Dutcher, in The Auk. Vol. II., p. 111. X Birds of the Northwest. Pp. 554-565. I Capt. Chas. E. Bendire : Bull. Nutt. Club. Vol. I., p. 60. M Copyright l8S^. PLATE Hi. souri, sites ;d in were Is and found I three )rusli and the first ly five south, in ]%i. ':*r !l''1 ! r TUFTED PUFFINS AND NKSTING nURROW. (Lttnda cirrhata.) Page 8. I 1 I NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 81 in number. Dr. Merrill says : " When these geese nest among the branches of a tree I do not think they ever construct the nest entirely themselves, but take possession of a deserted nest of the Fish Hawk, and repair it with twigs and a lining of down. They have been seen to carry small sticks to the nest for this purpose." * The color of the eggs is a pale dull greenish, and their size is about 3.50 x 2.50. 172a. Branta canadensia hutchinsii (Sw. & Rich.). [594a.] Hntohiiu's Ooose. Hab. North America, breeding in the Arctic regions, migrating south in winter, chiefly through the Western United States and Mississippi Valley; Eastern Asia. This bird, which is like canadensis in color, but of smaller size, breeds in boreal regions. Its general habits are the same as those of the common Canada Goose. Breeds abundantly along the Yukon River and on the islands on the coast of Alaska. Nests have been found on the Islands of the Anderson River and on the Arctic coast. In these regions eggs of this species have been taken from Hawks' and Crows' nests built in trees. It nests usually on sand-beaches, depositing from four to six eggs in hollows in which there are more or less leaves, grasses, feathers and down. The eggs are white, and measure 3.18x2.10. In the Arctic re- gions the eggs are laid in June and July. 172r. Branta canadensis minima Ridgw. [594<^.] Caokliim Ooose. Hab. Coast of Alaska, migtating southward into Western United States east to Wisconsin. A smaller bird than Hutchins's Goose. It is abundant in North- ern Alaska, where it breeds, chiefly, however, about the shores of Nor- ton Sound and along the I^ower Yukon, nesting like the foregoing. Its eggs measure 3.02 x 2.00. u i m 173. Branta bernicla (Linn.) [595.] Brant. Hab. Northern portions of the Northern Hemisphere; in North America chiefly on the Atlantic coast, rare in the interior or away from salt water. The Brant Goose is almost cosmopolitan in its distribution. It is found on the sea coasts of Europe and eastern North America, breed- ing only within the Arctic circle. While being more maritime than United States geese generally are, it is also found inland occasionally on lakes and rivers. During the migrations it is abundant, and seems to prefer the coast to the interior, seldom passing over large tracts of land, following the windings of the shore, and nearly always keeping • Bull. Nutt. Club. Vol. VIII pp. 124-125. • i, ! '! 3J- it |l. r 82 NESTS AND EGGS OP over water. The Brant is a particular favorite with sportsmen, and many are shot from points of land which project out into the sea. The common Brant Goose is said to breed in immense numbers in Spitzbergen and on the islands about the coast. The nest is con- structed on the sandy beaches, of feathers and down, the birds deposit- ing from four to six eggs. In Greenland where this species breeds, some of the birds make their nests on cliflfs. The eggs are grayish or dirty-white, and measure 2.92x2.02. 174. Branta nigricans (Lawr.) [596.] Black Brant. Hab. Arctic and Western North America; rare in the Atlantic Statei. The Black Brant is very closely allied to the common Brant Goose; it is found on the Pacific coast, where the latter does not occur. Its summer home is in high latitudes, and in Alaska, the mouth of the Yukon, is said probably to form the extreme southern limit of this bird's occurrence in the breeding season. Breeds in abundance on islands northeast of the mouth of Anderson River, in Liverpool Bay on the Arctic coast, on the shores of Franklin Bay, and on various other parts of the coast, especially in regions west of Anderson River. In these regions, according to Dr. Brewer, nests were found by Mr. MacFarlane on small islets in fresh water ponds ; others on islands in the Anderson neai its mouth ; many were made on the shore or on islands in Franklin Bay, and in various parts of the Arctic Sea. Some of the uests were nothing but mere depressions lined with down, while in others the quantity of down was quite large. The number of eggs in a nest was generally five ; but in one case as many as seven were seen, and in six or seven instances six. The eggs are grayish-white, and range from 2.75 to 2.90 long by 1.80 to 1.85 broad. [175.] Branta leucopsis (Bechst.) [597.] Barnacle Goose. Hab. Northern parts of the OH World; casual in Eastern North America. The Barnacle Goose inhabits the northern pc tions of Europe and is occasionally found on the Atlantic coast of North America. But many of the specimens taken on this side of the Atlantic are birds that are supposed to have escaped from confinement. In great Britain it is a winter visitant. During the migrations it is said to be found in great numbers along the coast of Norway, and at these seasons it is stated to be abundant in Holland, France and Ger- many. It is said to occur during the breeding season in Northern fi' NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 83 by and But lirds Siberia. The shores of the White Sea to the eastward, are supposed to be the great breeding places of this bird.* The eggs are grayish-white and measure 3.71 x 2.38. 176. Phllacte canagica (Sevast.) [598.] Emperor Ooos*. Hab. Coast and islands of Alaska. A notable species known also as the Painted Goose from its varie- gated plumage. It inhabits the coast of Alaska, north of the peninsula, chiefly about the shores of Norton Sound, and is abundant about the mouth of the Yukon. The color of the plumage is a bluish-gray, with lavender shading and positive black crescent-shaped marks. The head is white, often with a yellowish tinge ; the throat black, speckled with white, and the tail is also white ; the feet are flesh-color. It breeds north as far as Bering Strait. Dr. Coues says the eggs of this species are about five in number ; size, 3.35x2.00; white, with fine, pale-brown dotting, giving a general pale, dirty-brown color. 177. Dendrocygna antunmalis (Linn.) [599.] Hab. Blaok-bellled Tree-dnok. Southwestern border of the United States and southward. The Autumnal Tree-duck is a species of variegated plumage and long legs. It inhabits the southwestern border of the United States and southward to Mexico, West Indies, Central and South America. It is commonly called "Long-legged Tree-duck." Along the Rio Grande in Mexico and Texas it is abundant from April to October and later. Dr. Merrill found it common in Southern Texas. He says: " This large and handsome bird arrives from the South in April, and is soon found in abundance on the river banks and lagoons. Migrating at night it continually utters a peculiar chatteriug whistle, which at once indicates its presence. Called by the Mexicans patos maizal, or Corn-field Duck, from its habit of frequenting those localities. It is by no means shy, and large numbers are offered for sale in the Brownsville market. Easily domesticated, it becomes very tame, roosting at night in trees with chickens and turkeys. When the females begin to lay, the males leave them and gather in large flocks on sand-bars in the river. My knowledge of the breeding habits is derived from Dr. S. M. Finley, U. S. A., who had ample opportunity of observing these birds at Hidalgo. The eggs are deposited in hollow trees and branches, often at a considerable distance from water (two miles), and from eight to thirty feet or more from the ground. The eggs are placed on the bare wood, and are from twelve to sixteen in number. Two broods *Yarrell, HI, p. 74. 1 ■t f / ( J I I Ml: 84 NESTS AND EGGS OK ir'i { i f,H are raised, and the parent carries the young to the water in her bill. Twelve eggs received from Dr. Finley average 2.11x1.53, with but lit- tle variation in size ; they are of the usual duck shape, and in color are a rather clear yellowish-white. The birds leave in September, but a few late broods are seen as late as November. The soft parts in a full plumaged living male were as follows: iris, brown; bill, coral-red, orange above; nail of bill, bluish; legs and feet, pinkish-wiiite."* 178. Dendrocygna fulva (Gmel.) [600.] Fnlvona Tree>dnok. Hab. Southern border of the United States: Louisiana, Texas, Nevada, CaliTornia, southward. Resembles the last in its general appearance, habits, etc. Its geographical range is chiefly within the tropics, extending as far South as the Argentine Republic. Dr. Merrell states that this species is about as common as the Corn-field duck in Southern Texas, both species frequenting the same places. He learned nothing definite in regard to its breeding habits, but they probably do not differ much from those of the other bird. The Fulvous Tree-duck is said to lay from ten to fifteen pure white eggs. [179.] Olorcygnus (Linn.) [586.] 'Whooping Suran. Hab. Europe and Asia; Greenland. In Europe this bird is called " Hooper," " Elk," and "Whistling Swan." It is a winter visitant to the more southern portions of Great Britain, and is found throughout the year in the Orkneys and other islands north of Scotland. Known to visit Holland, France, Spain, and Italy, and a few are said to penetrate as far south as Barbary an'^ even Egypt. It is of occasional occurrence in Southern Greenland. Breeds in the secluded swamps and lakes up in Lapland, nesting on the ground in marshy places. It also breeds in Iceland. The nest is large and composed of rushes, coarse grass, and almost any material near at hand. As many as seven eggs are laid by this species ; they are of a dull brownish white, or dark ivory color, and measure 4.28x2.88. Hab. 180. Olor columbianus (Ord.) WlilatliiiK Swan. Eutire of North America, breeding far north. [588.] The common American Whistling Swan is the smaller of the North American species, measuring under five feet in length. There is a small yellow spot on the bill in front of the eyes, and it is some- times wanting. The tail feathers are normally twenty. This bird is found in the United States in winter, and during the migrations. *Notes on the Ornithology of Southern Texas: Proceedings U. S. National Museum, Vol. I., page 169. ill le Ire le- is NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 85 The Whistling Swan breeds in the Arctic regions on the small lakes of the coast and islands of the Arctic Sea, nesting in June and July. A few are said to breed in the interior of the Fur Countries. All along the Yukon River, and especially near its mouth this species is said to breed in the large marshes. Here the eggs are usually laid on a tussock entirely surrounded by water, and so near it that the female sometimes sits with her feet in the water. On the islands of Franklin Bay and on those of the Arctic Ocean, the Whistling Swan constructs a large nest of moss, grass and herbage of various kinds. The eggs are from two to five in number, and measure from 2.25 to 2.50 in breadth by 4.00 to 4.50 in length. They are of a dull white with more or less brownish or reddish discoloration ; the surface of the shell is rough. 181. Olor buccinator (Rich.) [589.] Trnmpeter Siraii. Hab. Chiefly the interior of North America, from the Gulf Coast to the Fur Countries, breeding from Iowa and Dakota northward; west to the Pacific coast, but rare or casual on the Atlantic. During the breeding season the Trumpeter Swan is found almost exclusively in the interior of the northern regions. A few breed in Central and Northern Iowa and in Dakota; from thence northward. Dr. Brewer states that the nests found by Mr. MacFarlane on the barrens of the Arctic coast were usually placed on elevated ground, and they were composed of hay, down and feathers intermingled. One nest con- taining six eggs, was found near the beach on rising ground ; others were observed near the banks of the Lower Anderson River. On the islands in the fresh water lakes and ponds bordering the north branch of the Saskatchewan River, in British America, a few pairs of the Trumpeter Swan are to be seen throughout the summer. This species is also known to breed in Alaska. The full grown bird is five feet or more in length, and may be distinguished from the Whistling Swan by its entirely black bill and having normally twenty-four tail-feathers. The eggs range from two to six in nunxber ; chalky -white with a rough surface ; sizes from 4.03 to 4.50 long by 2.50 to 2.76 broad. 182. PhoBiiicopteriis ruber Linn. [585.] Amerloan Flamingo. Hab. Atlantic coasts of subtropical and tropical America; Florida Keys. This magnificent bird of scarlet plumage is a constant resident of Cuba, the Bahamas and southward; rare at Cape Sable and on the Florida Keys. It is a remarkable bird and of striking appearance, h \l M i 1 : '■■ ■ 1 1 J i 1' J' • I'i 86 NESTS AND EGGS OF «m ; i i ;■ 1 1 : 1 1 i *■ ■ ' il '1 ■■ • 1 1 i 1 Ij r ^ - 1 (1 |;| I S m L ij 1 1 ■ J- having long legs and neck, the former of a lake-red color. The bill is unique in shape, being abruptly bent in the middle, so that when feeding the upper surface faces the ground. The plumage is scarlet throughout, except the primaries and secondaries, which are black. The stature of the bird is nearly five feet, and it weighs in the flesh six or eight pounds. The nest of the Flamingo is described as a mass of earth, sticks and other material scooped up from the immediate vicinity to the height of several feet and hollow at the top. On this the birds sit with their legs doubled under them. The old story of the Flamingo bestriding its nest in an ungainly attitude while incubating is an absurd fiction. The eggs are one or two in number, elongate-ovate in shape, with a thick shell, roughened, with a white flakey substance, but bluish when this is scraped off. It requires thirty-two days for the eggs to hatch. Size 3.57x2.20, with considerable variation. 183. Ajaja ajaja (Linn.) [505.] Roseate Spoonbill. Hab. Southern United States and southward into Southern South America. The Rosy Spoonbill, of so handsome plumage and singular form, is distributed throughout South and Central America, Mexico, and in all favorable localities of the Gulf region of the United States. In Florida it was formerly abundant, but its numbers have greatly dimin- ished by the constant persecution of the ' plume hunters.' Rare as far north as the Carolinas. Marshy or muddy borders of estuaries, the mouths of rivers, shrubby islands of tropic?^ seas, or some dense marsh, are the favorite breeding resorts. Mr. R. E. Rachford visited a small colony of these birds in South- western Louisiana, June 2, 1886. The birds were found nesting in a clump of cypress trees in a low marshy place fully twenty miles from habitation. Here also nested the Snowy, Louisiana and Little Blue Herons, and the Snake Bird. The nests of the Spoonbills were placed from eight to eighteen feet from the ground, and the usual number of eggs found in the nests was three or four ; although from one nest seven eggs were taken, and five or six from several others. The nests were platforms of sticks, and for the most part were built close to the trunks of the trees ; they were usually more massive than the Herons' nests. The general shape of the eggs is ovate ; and their color is white, or bufiy-white, blotched, spotted and stained with various shades of brown ; sometimes a pure white egg is found in a nest with spotted or marked examples. Mr. Norris has a beautifully marked set of three eggs collected by Mr. Rachford, which, if it were not for their elon- NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 87 gated shape, could be readily mistaken for handsomely marked speci- mens of eggs of the Red -shouldered Hawk, Biiteo linecitus. The average size of the egg is 2.57x1.73. 184. Quara alba (Linn.) [501.] "Whit* Ibis. Hab. South Atlantic and Gulf States southward to the West Indict and Northern South America; casually on the Atlantic Coast to Long Island; in the interior to the Lower Ohio Valley and Great Salt Lake. The White Ibis or Spani.^u Curlew is distributed in summer throughout the South Atlantic and Gulf States from the Carolinas southward, throughout Mexico, Central America, and portions of Northern South America. It breeds in communities by thousands in the tangled marshes of the southern coast; fastening the nest to broken down or upright living reeds; it is composed of reeds, compactly woven together, is deep and much hollowed, which is unlike the frail platform nests of the herons. Mr. Stuart says the White Ibis breeds abundantly on the low man- grove bushes on the islands of the Gulf coast. There is a large rook- ery in Charlotte Harbor. The nests are usually made of the green twigs of the mangrove. The eggs are laid in June. At Cape Sable eggs are deposited after the loth of April ; these are from three to five in number, ashy-blue, spotted and blotched irregularly with yellowish, reddish and umber-brown of varying shades ; two or three in number, and measure about 2.25 by 1.50. 185. Guara rubra (Linn.) [502. J Scarlet Ibia. Hab. Eastern coasts of tropical America, north casually to Florida, Louisiana and Texas ; southward to the West Indies. V An exquisite bird of the richest scarlet plumage. There is proba- bly no well authenticated instance of its having been taken within the United States. Wilson was not correctly informed concerning its abundance in the Southern States, and Audubon only saw a flock of three in Louisiana. The bird is said not to be an uncommon visitant to Jamaica and Cuba, and very common on the Island of Trinidad, where it formerly nested. Mr. Warren observed the Scarlet Ibis breed- ing in immense colonies on the banks of the Amazon, in dense, im- penetrable thickets of bamboo canes, several kinds of thorny cactus and Spanish bayonets, besides numbers of small mangroves and pal- mettoes, all interlaced and tangled with huge vines. In one place ev- ery bush and tree had on it from five to twenty nests ; they were about a foot and a half in diameter and perfectly flat ; the materials used in their construction were twigs, fibrous roots and leaves. Mr. Warren 88 NESTS AND EGGS OF I' 'I.-'. iM states that the ibises, being disturbed, rose in immense numbers, and a more striking spectacle than a large flock of these splendid birds floating through the air, like a crimson cloud, cannot possibly be con- ceived. The rookeries are only tenanted during the dry season. The eggs are two or three in number, grayish- ite in color, marked with spots and blotches of brown of varying shades, and dis- tributed variously over the surface, but generally more profusely at the larger end. The average size is 2. 15 x 1.46. 186. Plegadis antnmnalis (Hasselq.) [503.] 010M7 rbis. Hab. Old World, Weit Indiei, and Eaatern United Statei. This species occurs irregularly in the eastern portions of the United States, and has been known to breed in Florida. It has also been found breediug in Nevada. In Europe the course of its migra- tions for the summer is said to be chiefly in a line from Egypt, to Turkey, Hungary and Poland, and to the southern parts of Russia. In its passage from Africa it is occasionally seen in the Grecian Archi- pelago, in Sicily, Sardinia, Genoa, Switzerland, France, Holland and Great Britain. The nesting of the Glossy Ibis is like that of the next species. The eggs are of a deep greenish-blue and average 2.01 x 1.47. 187. Plegadis guarauna (Linn.) [504.] \l^ltlte-fkoed Glowy Ibia. Hab. Weftern United States (Texas, Utah, Nevada, Oregon, California, etc.). southward to Mexico, West Indies, Central and South America. This beautiful, lustrous Ibis inhabits southwestern United States and south into tropical America. It is found as far north as Kansas, west through New Mexico and Arizona to California. It is especially abundant in southern Texas, and in some localities along the banks of the Rio Grande swarms by thousands. At this place Dr. James C. Merrill, in company with Mr. G. B. Sennett, on the i6th of May, 1877, visited a large patch of tule reeds, growing in a shallow lagoon about ten miles from Fort Brown, in which large numbers of this Ibis and several kinds of Herons were breeding. The reeds covered an area of perhaps seventy-five acres or less. Besides the Ibises, the Great and Little White Egrets, Louisiana and Night Herons, and sev- eral other birds were breeding here. The reeds grew about six feet above the surface of the water, and were either beaten down to form a support for the nests, or dead and partly floating stalks of the previous year were used for that purpose. Dr. Merrill states that it was impos- NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 89 sible to estimate the number of the Ibises and different Herons nest- ing here. '* Both nests and eggs of the Ibises were quite unlike those of any of the Herons, and could be distinguished at a glance. The nests were made of broken bits of dead tules, supported by and at- tached to broken and upright stalks of living ones. They were rather well and compactly built, and were usually well cupped, quite unlike the clumsy platforms of the Herons. The eggs were nearly always three in number, and at this date were far advanced in incubation ; many of the nests contained young of all sizes. Fifty eggs now before me average 1.95 x 1.35, the extremes being 2.20X 1.49 and 1.73 x 1.29 ; they are decidedly pointed at the smaller end, and are of a deep bluish-green color." 188. Tantalus loculator Linn. [500.] Wood nu. Hab. Southern United States, from Ohio Valley, Colorado, Utah, California, etc., lOUth to Bu«noi Ayrei: casually northward to Pennsylvania and New York. The American Wood Stork, as it is called, is distributed over a large portion of South and Central America, Mexico and Southern North America. It is found in all the Gulf States, and is most abund- ant in Florida, where, Mr. Stuart informs me, it nests in the interior in dense cypress swamps, on the tallest trees, which are often more than one hundred feet in height. In these rookeries are also found nesting the American Egret, Ardea egretta; Great Blue Heron, A. herodias ; the Anhinga and others. The nests, like those of the Herons, are plat- forms of sticks loosely arranged, with a lining of long moss. The same rookery is occupied each year, and the nests are repaired and augmented until they often become of immense size. The eggs are chalky-white, sometimes spotted with pale reddish- brown ; somewhat elliptical. The shell is rough, with a flaky sub- stance. Two or three is the number laid, but almost inviriably three. Size from 2.70 to 2.75 long by 1.70 to 1.75 broad. 189. Mycterla americana Linn. [499.] Jabim. Hab. Tropical America, north casually to Southern Texas. This singular bird is known as the American Stork. It is found in portions of Central America and throughout most of South Amer- ica. One specimen is said to have been taken within the limits of the United States, and that near Galveston, Texas. The bird is said to have the same general habits peculiar to the White Stork of Europe. The nest is a large platform of sticks built in the highest trees. The ^%% is described as rounded-oval in shape, and of an olive- green color ; size 3.33 x 2.20. 90 NBSTS AND EGGS OF 190. Botaurns lentiginosos (Montag.) [497] Am«Hoau Bittern. Hab. Temperate North America, south to Guatemala and the Weit Indies. This noted bird is known by various names, such as Indian Hen, Stake Driver, Bog-bull, and Thunder Pump. It inhabits the entire temperate North America, north to 58° or 60°, and breeds chiefly from the Middle districts northward, wintering thence southward. The name last mentioned is occasioned by its hoarse, gurgling cry of alarm. The bird is often spoken of by the poets as the " booming bittern." In the breeding season it has a "love note" that resembles the stroke of a mallet on a stake, chunk-a-lunk-chunk^ quank-chunk-a-lunk-chunk. The American Bittern never associates with other species of Heron and is not even fond of the society of its own kind. It does not br'^ed in colonies and the nest is difficult to discover. It inhabits almost im- penetrable swampy places : the bog, the reedy marsh, and the tangled brake, where its nest is placed on the ground. The eggs are brown- ish-drab or isabella color, unspotted, elliptical in shape, three to five in number, but generally only three ; size from 1.90 to 2.00 long by "bout 1.50 broad. 191. Botaurns exilis (Gmel.) [498] Iieast Bittern. Hab. Temperate North America, from the British Provinces to the West Indies and South America. An extremely interesting little bird, of quiet, retiring habits. Breeds throughout its range. In some places as many as a dozen or twenty pairs breed alonw the grassy shores of a small lake or pond. I,ike the last it inhabits reedy swamps and marshes where the quag- mire abounds with a luxuriant growth of rushes, which is also the home of the Rails. The nest is placed on the ground or in the midst of the rankest jrass, or in a bush. It is often placed on floating bog, and is simply a platform of dead rushes. The bird has many odd habits. When standing on the edge of a Jtream, with its neck drawn in, it is often taken for a woodcock, the long bill giving it this appear- ance. It appears so stupid at times that it may be caught with the hand. The bird is mostly seen just before or after sunset. In many of the Southern States this species rears two broods in a season, fresh eggs having been obtained in May and in August. In Texd.s, Mr. Rachford says it nests along the edges of the water courses in May bending down the tops of water grass and platting it into a snug little nest, about two or three feet above the water. Mr. Perry informs me that the Least Bittern in Beaufort county. South Carolina, makes its home in the fresh water ponds and commences to build about the loth of Ma^', fixing the nest in the thick rushes. The eggs of the Least NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 91 tlie any esh Mr. VI ay Bittern are from three to five, usually four, in number, pale bluish or greenish-white, elliptical in shape. Six eggs measure as follows : 1. 15 X. 90, 1. 16 X. 93, 1.22 X. 95, 1.23 X. 92, 1.24X.93, 1.23 X. 93. The- average size is 1.20X.93. 192. Ardea occidentalis Aud. [486.] ^ Great White Heron. Hab. Florida, Jamaica, accidental in Mis^sissippi Valley. This beautiful, majestic bird, known as the Florida Heron, is an abundant resident of Florida, the Keys and southward to Cuba and Jamaica. In Florida, however, it is said not to be so abundant as in former years. Whole rookeries have been destroyed by the 'plume hunters,' who collect feathers for hats and other decorative purposes. The birds are killed and the plumes are taken from their back, head and breast, and the carcasses thrown to the buzzards.* This Heron nests usually in large colonies, and in company with the Great Blue Heron. Most of the nests are built low down, not more than five or ten feet from the ground, but where the birds are dis- turbed the nests are placed in the highest mangroves. They are simply platforms of sticks. The eggs are plain bluish-green, of varying shades; sizes from 2.00 to 2.45 long by 1.80 to 1.85 broad. The bird known as A. wuerdemanni (Baird)t is believed to be either a coloied phase of A. occidentalism or an abnormal specimen of A. wardi Ridgw. 183. Ardea wardi Ridgw. „ ^ r,. , Ward'* Heron. Hab. Florida. This large Heron in its white phase is described as indistinguish- able from the Great White Heron ; in the colored phase like occidentalism but with the head colored as in the Great Blue Heron. It is restricted to Florida ; common in the southwestern portion, and may frequently be found nesting along the coast. It breeds in communities with other herons, egrets and snake birds, constructing the same kind of nest as does the Great Blue Heron. The eggs are four, often only three, in number. Prof. Ridgway gives the average measurement as about 2.65x1.85. Their color is bluish-green. 194. Ardea herodias Linn. [487.] Hab. Great Blue Heron. North America, from the Arctic regions southward to the West Indies and South America. The Great Blue Heron is often erroneously called "Sand-hill *See W. E. D. Scott's article on the Present Condition of the Bird Rookeries of the Gulf Coast of Florida in The Auk, Vol. IV, pp. 135-144, 218-222, 278-2!J4. tPlaced in the Hypothetical List of the A. O, U. Check List. t ! ■ f : v*1 A I) , 11 i 1 Mi nS r. n '':1» J 92 NESTS AND EGGS OF I Crane " or " Blue Crane " — in fact it is better known by either of these names than it is by its proper vernacular name. One of the most characteristic birds of North America, breeding singly and in colonies in suitable places throughout its range. In the warmer parts of the country it breeds in vast heronries in company with other species of herons, to which places they resort year after year. In Florida it is very abundant, but its numbers are rapidly decreas- ing by the constant persecution of the ' plume hunters.' Its rookeries are so frequently broken up, and the remaining birds compelled to retire to other resorts, that the breeding season may be said to extend over a period of five or six months, and no doubt two broods are reared in a season. The nest is placed in high trees along rivers, or in the depths of retired swamps; in localities destitute of trees it is built on rocks. Sycamore trees seem to be favorite resorts of these birds, the light color of the limbs and the peculiar tint of the foliage harmonizing so well with their plumage as to render their presence difficult of detec- tion. The eggs are plain greenish-blue ; varying from elliptical to oval in shape ; three to six in number, commonly three or four ; average size 2.50x1.50. [195] Ardea clnerea Linn. [488.] Hab. European Blue Heroiii Europe; accidental in Southern Greenland. iSi This is a familiar Heron in Europe, and is very abundant in places where it is protected by law. In England most of its breeding places are guarded by land owners. In the middle ages when falconry was a favorite sport the bird was held as royal game, and penal enactments preserved it for the pleasure of royalty. This Heron builds its nest according to circumstances, either on the ground, in trees, or on high rocks. It breeds in colonies, and its favorite nesting places are on the tops of trees, on the outer branches. The nest is large and flat, composed of sticks and lined with grass. Each year the nests are repaired and augmented until they become very massive. The eggs are four or five in number, of a pale green color, and measure 2.42 x 1.72. Four eggs from England in my collection measure 2.48x1.67, 2.49x1.61, 2.52x1.64, 2.40x1.65. 198. Ardea egretta Gmel. [489.] American Egvet. Hab. Temperate and tropical America, from New Jersey, Minnesota and Oregon, south to Patagonia; casually on the Atlantic coast to Nova Scotia. This beautiful species, the Great White Egret of America, has an »!■• II NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 93 aces aces was lents , and isure agonia; IS an extended distribution, breeding as far north on the Atlantic coast as New Jersey, on the Pacific coast to Oregon, and in the interior as far north as Southern Illinois. It breeds throughout South America to Patagonia, and is a resident on the Island of Trinidad. In the enor- mous rookeries of Florida this bird was formerly abundant, but of late years the 'plume hunters' have wrought great destruction in their numbers. It is a bird of purest white, and during the breeding season has a magnificent train of silky plumes flowing from the back over the wings and drooping far beyond the tail. The nests of the Great White Egret are built in deep cypress swamps, often on the tops of the tallest trees ; others are found on low bushes or on mangroves, a short distance above water. The eggs are plain bluish-green, varying from elliptical to oval ; two to four in number and measure from 2.20 to 2.35 long by 1.40 to 1.65 broad. 197. Ardea candidissima Gmel. [490.] Sno'ory Heron. Hab. Temperate and tropical America, from Long Island and Oregon, so'Uh to Buenoi Ayres; casual on the Atlantic coast to Nova Scotia. The breeding range of this species is almost the same as that of the last. A few are supposed to be summer residents as far north as Long Island, from thence southward it is found along the entire Gulf coast and the shores of both oceans. It occurs in the interior as frr north as Oregon. Very abundant throughout a large portion of South America, the West Indies, Mexico and Central America. It is called Little White Egret, and is doubtless the handsomest bird of this tribe. Pure white, with crest composed of numerous elongated, hair- like feathers ; similar plume on the lower neck ; the same on the back which extends beyond the tail and are recurved when perfect. In Texas, Mr. Rachford says this species nests in colonies, usually prefer- ing willow bushes in the marshes for this purpose. The breeding sea- son is from the latter part of April to the middle of June. Mr. Stuart mentions it as abundant along the Gulf coast of Florida, where it breeds on the mangrove islands, and in the interior in the willow ponds and swamps, generally in company with the Louisiana and Little Blue Herons. The nest is simply a platform of sticks. The eggs are from two to five in number, usually four, varying from elliptical to oval in form; sizes from 1.80 to 1.85 long by 1.20 to 1.25 broad. 198. Ardea rufa Bodd. [491.] Reddiah Egret. Hab. Gulf States and Mexico, south to Guatemala, Jamaica and Cuba. The Reddish Egret is an abundant resident of the Gulf States. i i w 94 NESTS AND EGGS OP It is common in Florida and in Mexico, southward to the West Indies and Central America. The bird called Peak's Egret* is supposed to be the white phase of A. rufa. The nesting habits of the Reddish Egret are essentially the «=ame as those of the Louisiana and Snowy Herons. Mr. Stuart informs me that he has never found them very plentiful along the Gulf coast of Florida, where they breed on the islands, placing the nest on the mangrove bushes. The eggs are light bluish-green, elliptical in form ; two to four in number, and measure from 1.85 to 2.00 long by 1.40 to 1.50 broad. 199. Ardea tricolor mficoUis (Gosse.) [492.] Lonlaiana Heron. Hab. Gulf States, Mexico, Central America and West Indies; casually northward to New Jersey. In summer the Louisiana Heron is distributed from the Carolinas southward. It is very abundrit all along the Gulf States, into Mexico and Central America, and is found in the West Indies. Known as *' Lady of the Waters." It has an occipital crest of several long feathers and a splendid train of decomposed, fringe-like feathers extending be- yond the tail. Mr. Stuart states that it is very abundant on the mangrove islands along the gulf coast of Florida, where it breeds in communities, placing the nests on the mangrove bushes ; in the interior it is found nesting in the willow swamps, and usually in company with the Little Blue and Snowy Herons. Four or five eggs are deposited. Fresh eggs may be found in May and June. In Texas, Mr. Rachford says, this species nests similarly to the Snowy Heron, but its breeding season commences a little earlier than that of the latter — about the first of April. The eggs are from two to four, sometimes five, in number, bluish- green, and measure from 1.75 to 1.80 long by 1.30 to 1.40 broad. 200. Ardea coerulea Linn. [493.] Little Bine Heron. Hab. New Jersey, Illinois and Kansas, southward through Central America, West Indies, Guiana and New Grenada; casually north on the Atlantic coast to Massachusetts and Maine. This beautiful little Heron is abundant in the South Atlantic and G'llf States. It has been found breeding in all favorable localities intermediate between Florida and New Jersey, on the coast, and speci- mens have wandered into the interior. It is found throughout Mexico, Central America and the northern portion of South America. The breeding habits are like those of the Snowy and Louisiana Herons, ^Hypothetical List of the A. O. U. Check List. ■■«•*' 'WiiSSl^T NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 95 nesting with them in trees and bushes, often in large communities in deep swamps. The e^fgs are bluish-green, two to four in number, generally more oval than oiher Herons' eggs are. The sizes vary from 1.60 to 1.82 in length by 1.25 to 1.35 in breadth. The young of this Heron are pure whiter and should not be con- founded with immature specimens of A. candidissima^ Snow> Heron, which is of the same size and similar form. 201. Ardea virescens Linn [494.] 6re*ii Heron. Hab. Canada and Oregon, southward to northern South America and the West Indies. Throughout the United States in all favorable localities this is a well-known and an abundant bird, breeding in suitable places any- where in its range. It has a number of common names, among which " Fly-up-the-Creek " is probably the most refined. It is resident in the West Indies and in Central America, and is found in the northern regions of South America. The bird frequents the borders of ponds and swamps, or it may be found along running streams whose banks are fringed with trees or thick shrubbery. While on the wing it fre- quently utters its familiar guttural cry or squawk. Its food consists of insects and aquatic larvae, Crustacea and small fishes, for which it usually searches in the twiHght. During the day it is sluggish, and may be found quietly resting. The nest of this Heron is made of twigs, very loosely put together ; it is placed in the branches of trees or bushes on the border of a stream or swamp ; sometimes in an orchard tree at considerable distance from water. The eggs are light greenish-blue, elliptical in shape and are from three to six in number, four being the usual nest complement. Average measurement is 1.50 x 1.14. 202. Nycticorax nycticorax nsBvius (Bonn.) [495.] Blaok-oroiimad NlBht Heron. Hab. America, from the British Posscfssions southward to the Falkland Islands. A handsome bird, whose neck and legs are not so long as those of other Herons. It has a stout body, and its total length is about two feet. It has two or three very long white, filamentous plumes spring- ing from the occiput. The Black-crowned Night Heron, Qua-bird or Squawk, as it is variously called, is found throughout the entire continent of America, except the Arctic regions. It breeds in several of the West Indies, ■M-S H ■: :» 96 NESTS AND EGGS OF %> ! and is resident throughout Central America, breeding in all suitable localities. It is found throughout the greater portion of South America, and has been observed breeding on the Falkland Islands. Throughout the United States, in various sections, large colonies may be found during the breeding season. Hundreds, and even thousands, colonize and form extensive heronries. Mr. M. B. Griffing, of Shelter Island, N. Y., says that in the heronry on Gardiner's Island as many as four nests were found in a single tree, all containing eggs. Tall trees are usually selected for the nesting sites, and they are not always easy of access. The nests are bulky platforms of sticks, considerably hol- lowed. Mr. Rachford says that in the vicinity of Beaumont, Texas, this Heron nests in cypress trees along the banks of streams, and that the breeding season begins about the first of April. The greatest number of eggs found in any nest is four, which is the usual number. In all the sets that Mr. Griffing and Mr. Worthington had collected for three years there were but four sets containing more than four eggs ; these were three of five and one of six. The eggs are pale, bluish-green, varying from elliptical to oval ; sizes from 1.90 to 2.15, by 1.35 to 1.55 broad. In some localities the nest of this Heron is built on the ground in marshes. 203. Nycticorax violaceus (Linn.) [496."! ITelloiir-orowned Night Heroiii Hab. Warm-temperate Eastern North America, from the Carolinas and the Lower Ohio Valley south to Brazil; casually north to Massachusetts and west to Colorado. The Yellow-crowned Night Heron is a southern species, known to breed on the Atlantic coast as far north as the Carolinas, and in the interior as far north as Southern Indiana, Illinois and Missouri. It is found along the entire Gulf coast of Mexico, throughout the West Indies, Central America and in Northern South America. The bird is very similar to the Black-crowned Night Heron, but is a little smaller. The back and head are furnished with long, elegant, lanceolate plumes. The general color is pale, ashy-blue. Its nest is a slight platform of sticks. In some parts of the Southern States this Heron is said to be quite abundant, while in others it is rarely met with. In portions of Florida it breeds in great numbers, generally in company with other species, forming large heronries, especially in the interior in large cypress swamps. In the southern portion of South Carolina it nests in swamps or in tall trees which are surrounded by water. In various regions of Texas the nest of this Heron is built on the lower branches of a cypress tree, near some stream. Mr. Rachford says he never found more than two or three nests in close proximity to one another, NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 97 but frequently found the birds breeding in company with the Snowy and Louisiana Herons. The nesting season is during April and May. He has taken as many as six eggs from a nest ; the usual number, how- ever, is four. They vary in shape from elliptical to oval ; sizes 1.90 to 2.00 long by 1.40 to 1.50 broad. 204. Grus americana (Linn.) [582.] IVlioopliiK Orane. Hab. Interior of North America, from the Fur Countries to Florida, Texas and Mexico, and from Ohio to Colorado. The Great White or Whooping Crane is confined to the interior of North America, and breeds from Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota and Dakota northward, passing the winter in the swamps of Florida and Texas. Its chief line of migration seems to be the Mississippi Valley at large. It is said to be common in the Fur Countries. Breeds in various places throughout Manitoba, building its nest on the ground in the midst of rank grass near marshes, or in wet meadows. Mr. J. W. Preston men- tions the finding of a number of nests in Northern Iowa. One found in the marshes near Eagle Lake, was about eighteen inches in height, well built of tough, fine marsh grass and placed on firm sod ; it was neatly cupped and contained two heavily marked, drab-colored eggs.* The eggs of the Whooping Crane are large and coarse looking; in color, light brownish-drab, sparsely marked, with large irregular spots of a pale dull chocolate-brown and obscure shell-markings ; ellip- tical ; the shell is very rough, covered with numerous elevations like little warts; Dr. Coues says two (or three?) in number; size about 3.75 by 2.65. Some eggs are blotched irregularly over the surface, while others are marked at the smaller or greater end. Two eggs in my col- lection from Northern Iowa measure 3.89x2.52, 4.03x2.55, respectively. 205. Grns canadensis (Linn.) [584.] laittle Brofra Crane. Hab. Arctic and subarctic America, breeding from the Fur Countries and Alaska to the Arctic coast, migrating south in winter into the Western United States. The Little Brown Crane, which is almost exactly like the next species, but smaller, is abundant in Arctic America. Specimens of the bird and its eggs have been taken in various parts of Alaska. Common on the Island of St. Michael's and at the mouth of the Yukon. Eggs were obtained by Mr. Dall, on the Yukon river, June 17th. They were laid in a depression of the sandy beach. This species is common in the marshes of Norton Sound, where their nests are built on the dry knolls, and the eggs are laid before the end of May. Throughout most parts of Manitoba, the Little Brown Crane is a *The Oologist, Vol. IV, p. 43. 8 ';•) 1. 98 NESTS AND EGGS OF f'. Ill li common summer resident. Eggs have been obtained on the Lower Anderson river, in Franklin Bay, and in Liverpool Bay on the Arctic coast. The nest is said to be a hole scooped in the ground, lined with grasses. The eggs are two in number ; their color ashy-yellow, spotted and blotched with reddish-brown, of the same general character as those of the precedmg species ; rather elliptical ; size 3.65x2.30. 206. Grus mexicana (Mull.) [583.] Sandhill Crane. Hab. Southern half of North America; now rare near the Atlantic coast, except in Georgia and Florida. The Southern Sandhill Crane, Common Brown or Sandhill Crane, as it is variously called, is found in the United States chiefly in the Mississippi Valley west to the Pacific coast and south into Mexico and eastward along the Gulf coast to Florida and Georgia. It is irregularly distributed and apparently breeds in sufficiently mild regions through- out its range. It has been found nesting in Michigan, is reported breeding in Northern Ohio, and is known to breed on the table-lands of Colorado. *" Mr, Stuart says that in various regions of Florida, this species nests during the months of February, March and April. The nests are usually built in shallow grassy ponds, which are common in the pine woods and prairies of that State. They are flat and composed of a mass of grass, weeds, roots, etc., slightly elevated above the water, oftentimes not more than two or three inches. On this structure two eggs are deposited, Mr. Stuart remarks that the young birds are able to follow the parents soon after being hatched. The eggs are ashy-yellow, with a buffy tinge, spotted and blotched with brown, reddish-brown and various shades of gray. The average size is 3,98x2,44, Two eggs in my cabinet from Florida measure 3.85x2.35,3.82x2.36. 207. Aramus glganteus (Bonap.) [581.] Limpkin. Hab. Florida; coast of Gulf of Mexico; Greater Antilles, south to Costa Rica. The Courlans are large. Rail-like birds and are in fact very close- ly allied to the true Rails, with but a slight difference in their external structure. There is one genus with two species, inhabiting the warmer parts of America. The Brazilian Courlan, A. scolopaceus (Gmel.), occurs in Eastern South America, while the Limpkin, which holds a place in the Nor:h American fauna, is found in the Greater Antilles, portions of Central America, with only a restricted distribution inFlor- it i NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 99 ida. It is called Crying Bird from its loud and startling note which is said to be not unlike the cry of a child in distress. Mr. Thomas H. Jackson met with this species breeding in the sub-tropical wilds of the Ocklawaha river in Florida. He states that this bird chooses for a nesting place a secluded spot on the banks of a river or slough. Sev- eral pairs often nest close together in the manner of Herons, though isolated nests are frequently observed. The nest is made of pieces of dead vines, dry leaves and old veg- etation of various kinds loosely constructed and generally bedded on a mass of vines, from five to eight feet from the ground. The usual complement of eggs laid is five or six ; four and seven are not uncommon numbers. Fourteen sets in Mr. Jackson's cabinet consist of eight sets of six, one of five, two of seven, two of four and one of three eggs. In size, shape and texture of shell they resemble those of the domestic fowl, while in color and markings they are sim- ilar to those of the Sandhill Crane — varying from almost pure white to creamy, buff, and grayish-white. The eggs are variously spotted, daubed and stained with brown and gray. A set of six eggs containing the largest specimens in the series, exhibit the following dimensions: 2.57x1.80, 2.44x1.55, 2.40x1.77, 2.28 X 1.75, 2.39 X 1.80, 2.41 x 1.83 ; the set showing the smallest sizes are given as follows: 2.21 x 1.72, 2.21 x 1.70, 2.22 x 1.62, 2.23 x 1.63, 2.45x1,63, 2.23x1.65.* 208. Rallus elegans Aud. [569.] King Rail. Hab. Fresh-water marshes of Eastern United States from the Middle States, Northern Illinois, Wis- consin and Kansas southward. Casually north to Massachusetts and Maine, and Ontario. The King Rail, Fresh-water Marsh Hen, or Red-breasted Rail, is distributed in summer from New York southward, breeding throughout the inland marshes. It is a summer resident in Ohio. I collected eggs of this species in a marsh a few miles from Columbus in May, 1887. It is frequently confounded with the Clapper Rail ; the latter, however, is confined to the vicinity of salt water, and is a bird of duller plumage. The nest of this Rail is placed on the ground in a marsh, often fastened in a tussock of grass. It is composed of grass and weeds. The eggs vary from a dull white to cream or pale buff, sparsely dotted and spotted with reddish-brown and lilac ; six to twelve in num- ber; size from 1.55 to 1.72 long by 1.15 to 1.25 broad, averaging 1.67 by 1. 12. • Ornithologist and Oologist XII, pp. 159-160. 100 NBSTS AND EGOS OF i : Hab. 210. Rallns obsoletna Ridow. [570.] California Olappar RalL Salt marnhei of the Pacific coast from Lower California to Oref on. Mr. Bryant regards this Rail as abundant, at all seasons of the year, on the salt marshes of Oakland, San Mateo, and other marshes that are partially covered by the highest tides, at which times the birds are remarkably tame. They swim well, and when wounded and closely pursued they dive and hold on to the marsh grass beneath the water to keep from rising. They commence breeding in April, selecting a high piece of marsh ground, usually on the bank of a slough. The nest is composed wholly of dry marsh grass, loosely laid to- gether. The bird deposits eight or nine eggs, of a light, creamy buff, spotted, often blotched, with reddish-brown and lavender markings, the latter color appearing as if beneath the shell. Of some thirty-six spec- imens examined, all have markings more numerous at the larger end ; on some the lavender predominates. A set of eight, taken at San Mateo, April 24th, contained small embryos. They measure respect- ively 1,70x1.25, 1.73x1.23, 1.75x1.23, 1.77x1.23, 1.68x1.23, 1.70X 1.22, 1.63 X 1.26, 1.69 X 1.24. The average size of thirteen eggs is 1.71 x 1.24.* In the marshes of San Francisco Bay Mr. Emerson took eggs of this Rail in April, May and June, one set containing seven eggs. 211. Rallns longirostris crepitans (Gmel.) [571] Olappsr Rail. Salt marshes of the Atlantic coast of the United States, from New Jersey southward; resident Hab from the Potomac southward. Coast of Louisiana. The Clapper Rail, or Salt-water Marsh Hen, is an abundant bird in the salt marshes of the Atlantic coast from New Jersey southward. Breeds in profusion and is the most abundant aquatic bird in the marshes from the Carolinas to Florida. It has lately been found breed- ing on the coast of Louisiana, in the Gulf of Mexico, Dr. A. K. Fisher having taken an old bird and two young at Grand Isle, in 1886. Mr. S. C. Shick, of Sea Isle City, states that the Clapper Rail arrives on the southeastern coast of New Jersey about the last of April ; their presence is made known by harsh cries at early dawn and at sunset. Nest building is commenced in the latter part of May, and by the first of June the full complement of eggs is laid, ranging from six to nine or ten in number, thirteen being the largest set he ever obtained from any nest. Further south this bird is known to lay as many as fifteen, this number, however, being uncommon. On Cobb's Island, Va., the Clapper Rail breeds in great numbers, carefully concealing the nest in high grass; *Bun. Nutt. Club, V, p 124. NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 101 the full complement of eggs is laid by the first of May. Their color is pale buffy-yellow, dotted and spotted with reddish-brown and pale lilac, with an average size of 1.72x1.20, but there is a great variation in this re- spect in a large series. 212. RalltM ▼irg^nianiu Linn. [57a.] VlrsimU lUU. Hab. North America, from the Briliih Provinces louth to Guatemala and Cuba. The Virginia Rail is an exact miniature of ^. elegans^ the colora- tion being exactly the same ; the legs, iris and bill brown — the latter reddish — orange at the base of the lower mandible. In summer it is distributed from Canada to Florida; frequenting marshes and boggy swamps. The nest is built in a tuft of reeds or grasses close to the water ; it is compact and slightly hollowed. The eggs are cream or buff, sparsely spotted with reddish-brown and obscure lilac ; they are like those of the King or Clapper R?ll, but of course, like the bird, much smaller; sizes range from i.ro to 1.28 long by .90 to .93 broad. The number in a set varies from six to twelve. The Virginia Rail and the'Sora have habits that are very similar; when on the wing they will fly in a straight line for a short distance with dangling legs, and suddenly drop into the grass. The Virginia Rail is almost exclusively a fresh water bird. [213.] Porzana porzana (Linn.) [ 573.] Spotted Crake. Hab. Europe; oceaiional occurrence in Greenland. The European Spotted Crake is found in most parts of Europe, Asia and Africa. Common in Italy, Sicily and in the Southern por- tions of Russia. Breeds abundantly in Southern France and in various parts of England. It frequents the banks of streams, ponds and lakes, and the thick grasses and vegetation of marshy grounds. The nest is usually built in these places, being loosely woven of aquatic plants, and lined with finer material of the same ; it is often placed near the water's edge, and so arranged as to be capable of float- ing on the water. Spotted Rail, Spotted Water-hen, Spotted Galli- nule. Water-crake, and Water Rail are names common to it in Eng- land. The eggs of this bird are from seven to twelve in number; pale buff" or cream color, or of a yellowish-gray, spotted and speckled with dark reddish-brown and tints of lavender. Six eggs, collected in Southern Fiance, in my cabinet measure 1.34 x. 96, 1.36 x .94, 1.32 X .93, 1.34X .94, 1.33 X .96 and 1.32 x .95. 214. Porzana Carolina (Linn.) [574] Sora. Hab. Temperate North America. South to the Weit Indies and Northern South America. The little slate-colored Carolina Rail breeds from the Middle States : % \ \ ■\ 102 NSSTS AND SGGS OP northward. In the reedy swamps of the Atlantic States great numbers of this Rail are killed every year. It is a highly esteemed game bird, and is usually abundant during the migrations. More common in the Eastern Province of the United States, breeding chiefly northward. Mr. Shields states that the Sora Rail is quite common in the swamps about Los Angeles, Cal., where he obtained six sets of its eggs in the season of 1886 ; the largest set contained fourteen and smallest seven eggs. In Ohio the Carolina Crake, Common Rail, Sora or Ortolan, as it is variously called, is a common summer resident, breeding in the extensive swamps and wet meadows throughout the State. The Caro- lina Rails are equally abundant on both salt and fresh water marshes, but the latter places are preferable to them as breeding grounds. The nest is a rude affair made of grass and weeds, placed on the ground in a tussock of grass in a boggy tract of land, where there is a growth of briers, etc. The eggs of Sora are ovoidal in shape, tapering gradually to the smaller end but not sharply pointed. They have a ground color of dark cream or drab, darker than those of the Virginia Rail ; the spots are reddish-brown with purple shell spots scattered over the surface, but more numerous at the large end. Twenty eggs in my collection have an average size of 1.26X.90. 215. Porzana noveboracensis (Gmel.) [575.] TaUow RaU. Hab. Eaitern North America from Nova Scotia and Hudson Bay west to Utah and Nevada. The small Yellow Crake appears to be quite rare everywhere in Eastern North America or wherever found. It is known to breed in Northern Illinois, where its eggs have been taken. Dr. Howard Jones has frequently taken it in the vicinity of Circleville, Ohio, and considers it nearly as common as other species, and believes it breeds there, which is probably the case throughout the State. The Little Yellow Rail has the same general traits common to others of this family, frequenting marshy places, skulking and hiding in the wet grass to elude observa- tion. The eggs are said to be about six in number, rich buffy-brown, marked at the larger end with a cluster of reddish-brown dots ; sizes range from .80 to .85 broad by 1.05 to 1. 12 long. 216. Porzana jamaicensis (Gmel.) [576.] Blaok Rail. Hab. Temperate North America, north to Massachusetts, Northern Illinois and Oregon; south to West Indies and South America. Smallest of our North American Rails ; not often found in the United States and one of the rarest of our birds. Its small size and NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 103 secretive habits are doubtless one of the causes of its apparent scarcity. A nest containing ten eggs was found near Saybrook, Conn. Ten fresh eggs were taken from a nest in Illinois, June 19, 1875, near Calumet River. The nest was placed in a deep, cup-shaped depres- sion ; in shape and situation resembled that of the Meadow Lark, but the Rail's nest was much deeper in proportion to the diameter. It was elaborately made of grass-stems and blades. The eggs were clear white, thinly sprinkled with reddish-brown dots, more numerous about the large end.* Dr. Coues says : " Eggs from New Jersey are altogether different from those of the Sora, or Yellow Crake, being creamy-white, sprinkled all over with fine dots of rich, bright reddish-brown, and with a few spots of some little size at the great end ; most like the more finely speckled examples of the egg of the large Ralli; dimensions, 1. 05 X. 80." [217.] Orex crex (Linn.) [577.] Oorn Crake. Hab. Europe and Northern Asia; casual viiitor in Greenland, Bermudaa and New Jeriey. The Land Rail, Corn Crake, or Corn Creak, is an abundant species over the entire continent of Europe. In England and Scotland it is a familiar bird, where it breeds in abundance. Very common in the Orkney and Shetland Islands. It frequents the long grass of wet meadows, near rivers and marshes, and in fields of grain. Its pres- ence is indicated by the creaking note from which it takes its name. The nest is placed on the ground, generally in a field of grain, grass or clover ; it is made of dry plants and grasses. In England this bird nests about the first or middle part of June, The eggs are from seven to ten in number ; these, when fresh, are of a pale reddish-white ; when blown, the ground color is light buff, with a reddish cast; they are spotted and sprinkled with pale reddish-brown. 218. lonornis martinica (Linn.) [578.] Pnrple Oallliaiile. Hab. Nearly whole of tropical and warm temperate America. Apparently absent from the Pacific coast. This beautiful Gallinule inhabits the South Atlantic and Gulf States, and strays occasionally northward as far as Maine, New York, Ohio, Wisconsin and other Northern States. The bird is resident in the South. From its bright purplish-blue colors it may quite readily be distinguished from the Florida Gallinule, even at a long distance. In Florida it breeds in the latter part of May. Mr. Rachford writes that in Texas the Purple Gallinule nests in «E. W. Nelson : Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club. Vol. 1, p. 48. 104 NBSTS AND EGGS OF the tall grass along the edges of water courses, bending the grass down and weaving it together. Besides its true nest, the bird makes several " shams," often as many as five or six. The nesting season is in May or June. Mr. Arthur T. Wayne informs me that in South Carolina the nest is invariably built in rushes over water. The usual number of eggs laid is eight or nine, but frequently more are de- posited. The eggs are cream color, finely and rather sparsely dotted with chestnut-brown and umber; rather elliptical, and measure from 1.70 to 1.75 long by 1.15 to 1.20 broad. 219. Gallinnla galeata (Licht.) [579.] Florida Oallinnle. Hab. Temperate and tropiciil America; north to British Provinces. Known as the Common Gallinule and Red-billed Mud Hen. Its center of abundance is in the South Atlantic and Gulf States, and it breeds as far north as Massachusetts. Not an uncommon summer resident in Ohio, breeding in the extensive swamps and marshes throughout the State. The nest is usually fastened in the sedges and marsh grass above shallow water, or among the flags. The foundation is often made by breaking down the flags, so as to form a little plat- form, which will, to a certain degree, rise and fall with the water. On this the nest proper is built of the last year's flags. In Florida, where the bird is remarkably abundant, the nest is placed in the drier por- tions of the marshes, among thick reeds and rushes. A set of eight eggs, collected by Dr. Jones near Circleville, Ohio, measure 1.70 x 1.20, 1.81XI.18, 1.81XI.17, 1.78x1.23, 1.84x1.25, 1.84x1.22, 1.77x1.24, and 1.83 X 1. 16. The number of eggs laid ranges from seven to thirteen. They are creamy or brownish-buff", rather thickly spotted and blotched with brown and umber ; some of the spots are as small as pin heads ; sizes vary from 1.75 to 2.00 long by 1.20 to 1.30 broad ; shaped like an average hen's egg. [220.] Fnlica atra Linn. European fSoot. Hab. Europe, Asia and North Africa. This bird closely resembles our American Coot, but its average size is slightly larger. It is a common resident south of middle Eng- land, and in the summer is found breeding in the numerous lochs throughout Scotland. Its habits in all respects are like those of the American bird. The nest is built in close proximity to water, on islands, borders of lakes, ponds and rivers. It is generally placed among and attached to flags, reeds or rushes. It is large and roughly made of plants and vegetable matter. The eggs are from six or seven NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 105 to ten or even fourteen in number, pale, dull buff, or stone-<:olor, spot- ted with rust-colored, brownish-black and purplish-gray. The average size of a large series is 2.15 x 1.50. 221. Fnlica amerioana Gmel. [580.] Aatwpioan Coot Hab. Whole of North America: south to Mexico, Centril and South America and West lodiei; north to Alaska, occasionally to Greenland. Well known as the Mud Hen, and in some sections the Crow Duck. This is the water fowl that the young sportsman persists in shocking as a game bird, but at a riper age he does not " hanker " after its flesh. It is easily known by its slate colored plumage, white or flesh-colored bill, marked with reddish-black near the end and at the base of frontal plate, greenish legs and carmine iris. The Coot is a good swim- mer and diver, having lobate feet like the phalaropes and grebes. It can also move swiftly through tangled grass and aquatic plants. On almost any large or small body of water sufiiciently secluded and whose margins are overgrown with reeds and rushes, or on sluggish streams, swamps, pools or reedy sloughs, there you will find the Coot during the breeding season. The nest is made of dead reeds and grasses, placed on the ground, just out of the water or on floating vegetation ; the flags on which it rests being broken down, rises and falls with the water. Sometimes immense numbers of these birds breed together. Mr. Shields records taking five hundred Coot eggs, together with large numbers of those of ducks and grebes in Southern California.* The eggs are clay or creamy-white, uniformly and finely dotted all over with specks of dark brown and blackish ; six to twelve and fifteen eggs are often found in a single nest ; in shape and general style of color and markings resemble those of the Florida Gallinule ; sizes range from 1.77 to 2.00 long by 1.40 to 1.45 broad. 222. Grymophilns falicarius (Linn.) [563.] Red Phalsrop*. Hab. Northern portion of Northern Hemisphere, breeding in Arctic regions, migrating south in win- ter; in North America south to Middle United States, Ohio Valley and Lower California. The Coot-footed Tringa, Red or Gray Phalarope, as it is differently called, is distributed in summer throughout the Arctic regions, wander- ing far south in winter. Breeds in various portions of Norway, Sweden, Finland and up into Lapland ; in Siberia, Spitzbergen, Iceland, Green- land and the Arctic coast of North America. The Phalaropes are curious birds, partaking of the nature of a wader and a swimmer. The three species of this family resemble Sandpipers, but are at once distinguished *Egging in a California Swamp. Young Oologist, Vol. I., p. W. 106 NESTS AND EGGS OF by the lobate feet like those of the Coots and Grebes. The body is de- pressed and the under-plumage thick like that of a duck. They ride the waves lightly along the coast, and when on the margin of a stream or pool often surprise their associates, the Sandpipers, by swimming out into deep water. The Red Phalarope appears to be more exclu- sively maritime than other species of the family. The nest is a slight hollow in the ground, sparsely lined with moss and grass. Mr. Capen quotes a letter from Mr. Boardman in which he says : " Twice I have found the Red Phalarope breeding in Maine." The eggs, Mr. Capen says, are laid the first part of June.* They are greenish or yellowish- ash, blotched and spotted with brown of various shades. The eggs of this species cannot, with certainty, be distinguished from those of the following species ; in fact, the range of coloration is so varied that they are difficult to describe satisfactorily in a brief manner. They are three or four in number, averaging larger than those of the Northern Phalarope ; from 1.15 to 1.30 long by .90 to .95 broad. 223. Phalaropus lobatus (Linn.) [564.] ' Hab. North parts regions. Northern Phalarope. of North Hemisphere, breeding in Arctic regions; south in winter '.o tropical The general habits, movements and distribution of the Northern Phalarope are nearly identical with those of the Red Phalarope ; com- mon to both continents, and breeding in the Arctic regions of Asia, Europe and America. The nesting habits are substantially the same and the eggs are laid in June. The bird is also known as the Red- necked Phalarope. The eggs are greenish or yellowish-ash, thickly blotched with varying shades of brown ; three or four ; sizes range from I. ID to 1.30 long by .75 to .82 broad, averaging 1.20 by .80; like the last, there is a great variation in size, shape and color. 224. Phalaropus tricolor (Vieill.) [565] Wilson's Phalarope. Hab. Chiefly interior of temperate North America; south in winter to Brazil and Patagonia. Exclusively an American bird, more common in the interior than along the sea coast. Little information regarding its habits was ob- tained by the older onithologists. Known now to breed in Northern Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Dakota, Utah and Oregon. May be found nesting in suitable places from these regions northward to the Red River of the North and the Saskatchewan country. It is re- corded as a summer resident in Northern Indiana and very likely breeds in Northwestern Ohio. Mr. N. S. Goss states that he is quite confident the bird occasionally breeds in Western Kansas.f ^Oology of New England. f A Revised Catalogue of the Birds of Kansas, with descriptive notes of the nests and eggs of the NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 107 The nesting habits of Wilson's Phalarope have been carefully observed by Mr. E. W. Nelson in Northern Illinois, and his observa- tions form a very complete and interesting biography of the species.t Mr. Nelson states that it is the most common species in Northern Illinois, frequenting grassy marshes and low prairies, and is not exceeded in numbers even by the ever-present Spotted Sandpiper. " The nesting-site is usually in some thin tuft of grass on a level spot, but often in an open place concealed by only a few straggling blades of small carices. The male scratches a shallow depression in the soft earth, which is usually lined with a thin layer of fragments of old grass blades, upon which the eggs, numbering from three to four, are deposited about the last of May or first of June. Owing to the low situations in which the nests are placed, the first set of eggs is often destroyed by a heavy fall of rain, causing the water to rise so as to submerge the nest. In this case, the second set, numbering two or three, is often deposited in a depression scratched in the ground, as at first, but with no sign of any lining. Accidents of this kind cause the second set of eggs to be sometimes deposited as late as the last of June." The male alone undertakes the duties of incubation. The eggs are ashy-yellow, usually coarsely spotted and blotched with brown of varying shades, with numerous specks and scratches ; three or four in number; sizes vary from 1.20 to 1.35 in length by 1.90 in breadth, making them elongate pyriform in shape. 225. Recurvirostra americana Gm. [566.] American Avooet. Hab. Temperate portii.ns of North America, from the Saskatchewan country and Great Slave Lake southward; in winter to Guatemala and the West Indies. A bird of striking appearance, of odd coloration, having extra- ordinarily long legs ; feet webbed like those of a swimming bird ; body flattened underneath, and duck-like plumage to resist the water. The most striking characteristic of the bird, however, is its long, decidedly upturned bill, and from its blue legs it receives the name of Blue- stocking. It is very abundant in the West, on the plains of Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and Utah. In these regions it breeds in June, nesting in the tall grass in marshy or wet places. The eggs vary from a dark olive to buff, pretty uniformly and pro- fusely spotted with chocolate-brown of various shades ; they vary in size, shape and markings like the birds themselves ; three or four in number; sizes from 1.80 to 2.10 in length by 1.25 to 1.45 in breadth. birds known to breed in the State. By N. S. Goss. Published undei the direction of the Executive Council, May, 1886. Topeka: T. D. Thacher, State Printer. P. 14. J Bull. Nutt. Club. Vol. II, pp. 38-48. f I I 1 II 108 NESTS AND EGGS OF 226. Himantopiu mexicanng (Mull.) [567.] BlMk-a*ok«d StUt. Hab. Temperate North America from Northern United States southward to West Indies, Brasil, and Peru. This exceedingly long-legged bird is distributed throughout the United States, and like the Avocet, is rare in the eastern portions. It is abundant in the West, but its range is rather more southerly than that of the Avocet. In Ohio it is a rare summer visitor. Perhaps breeds. The nest of the Stilt is often only a slight depression in the ground, lined with dry grasses, situated along some stream or ditch, or near water ; some collectors have found the nest at the water's edge, or on a heaped mass of vegetation just above the surface of shallow water. A. M. Shields says that the Stilt arrives in the vicinity of Los Angeles, California, about May ist, and the eggs may be found fresh until the middle of June. He states that the birds usually congregate in large flocks in some suitable locality, and build their nests close together, a score or more are often found within a few yards of each other ; the nests being composed of small sticks and roots, closely laid together and placed among the grass on the margin of a lake or river.* This record refers to the abundance of the Stilt in the season of 1883, and those previous; but I am informed by Mr. Shields that the bird is not so abundant as formerly, only a few pair breeding in the neighborhood of Los Angeles each year. The eggs are of a greenish-yellow, thickly spotted, blotched and lined irregularly with brownish-black of varying shades ; pyriform in shape ; three or four in number ; sizes from 1.60 to 1.85 long by 1.15 to 1.25 broad. [227.] Scolopax rnsticola Linn. [524.] European Woodoook. Hab. Old World ; occasional in Eastern North America. The European Woodcock is widely distributed over the northern parts of the Old World. It is of larger size than the American bird. Many instances are on record of its breeding in various parts of Great Britain, but the greater portion of the birds are considered migratory. Breeds abundantly in Norway, Sweden, Lapland and in Northern Russia. Nocturnal in its habits, reposing in the daytime in grassy bottoms in woods, and at twilight it regains activity, resorting to open glades and marshy bottoms, where it feeds. These tracts are known as " cock-shoots," or " cock-roads." The food of the birds is the common earth-worm, which they procure by boring, or thrusting their bills into the soft mud. The nest consists of a few leaves loosely laid together, and without lining. The eggs are usually four in num- * Young Qologist, Vol. I, p. 41. NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 109 ber; of a pale yellowish-white, blotched and spotted with various shades, ashy.gray and reddish or yellowish-brown; most numerous about the larger end. Four eggs measure 1.75 x 1.27, 1.74 x 1.27, 1.73 X 1.23, 1.77 X 1.28. 228. PJiilohela minor (Gmel.) [525.] Amerioaa Woodoook. Hab. Eastern Province of North America, north to British Province, west to Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, etc. Breeds throughout its range. This noted game bird frequents the bogs, swampy fields, and wet woodlands of Eastern United States and Canada, and breeds through- out its range. The nests are mere depressions in some dry spot in swampy land, generally under the cover of a clump of briers or other wild shrubbery, often in more open places. The eggs of the Wood- cock are laid early in April, and in some localities not until some time in May. In Ohio, I have found eggs as early as April 3, and young have been seen as early as April 9, near Cleveland, Ohio. There are records of eggs of this species averaging in size 1.80x1.25, but I have never seen any so large, although they exhibit considerable variations. These sizes doubtless refer to the eggs of the European species. The Woodcock is often called *' Bog Sucker," from its habit of boring in the mud for worms and animalculse, of which its food consists. The eggs are creamy or buflf, irregularly and thickly spotted with pale, reddish- brown of varying shades ; pyriform, but more rotund than those of most of the small waders, and some are quite broad, varying from 1.40 to 1.55 long by 1.15 to 1.20 broad. The usual number of eggs is four. Four selected specimens measure 1.58x1.21, 1.53x1.14, 1.57x1.17, and 1.53 X 1.20. [229.] Gallinago galllnago (Linn.) [526.] European Snipe. Hab. Northern portious of the Old World ; frequent occurrence in Greenland. Accidental in the Bermudas. A species of general distribution over Europe. In the breeding season it is found in the more northern portions and in the winter months it inhabits the southern regions. A common game bird on the British Islands, breeding in greater or less abundance in all parts of England and Scotland; especially to the north on the Orkney and Shetland Islands. In summer it is found on the Faroes, Iceland, and in Greenland. Breeds in the northern portions of Russia and Siberia and as far south as France, Germany, Holland and Hungary. The nests of this Snipe are placed on the ground in tall grass by the side of some pond or shallow water, or amidst the long heather which grows upon the hill-side. Nests have been found at an elevation oi a thousand feet above the plain. no NESTS AND EGGS OF 1 The full complement of eggs is four ; they have a ground-color varying from yellowish- white to greenish-yellow. The markings are of several shades of reddish or chestnut-brown, scattered chiefly about the larger end. The eggs are pyriform in shape and quite pointed at the smaller end. Four eggs collected near Lancaster, England, measure 1.54x1.14, 1.53x1.08, 1.59x1.15, 1.51XI.10. 230. Galllnago delicata (Ord.) [526a.] Wilaon'a Snipe. Hab. Whole of North and Middle America, breeding from Northern United States northward; south in winter to West Indies and Northern South America. The American Snipe is a favorite game bird, well known by the name of Jack Snipe. Throughout the greater part of the United States it occurs only during the migrations. Breeds from about lati- tude 45° northward to Hudson Bay region on the east and as far west and north as Sitka, Alaska and Fort Anderson. The birds frequent low open places, such as wet meadows and marshes, and muddy banks of streams. They are found in small companies of from three to twelve, tech- nically called " wisps." Solitary birds are not unfrequently met with. No other game birds are more erratic and eccentric than these. They are extremely fickle in the choice of their feeding ground ; one day they may swarm in a certain locality, and the next none are to be discovered. Their flight is strong, but, especially at the beginning, erratic. They almost invariably fly against the wind, and lie closest on still, clear days. Occasionally they alight on trees or fences. Their note, uttered as they rise, resembles the word '■'■ escape.^'* The nest is only a slight depression in the grass or moss of a bog. The eggs vary from a grayish-olive to greenish-brown and yellowish- ash, spotted and blotched with reddish-brown, umber, and sometimes with lines of black ; the markings are bold and numerous, particularly on the larger end, usually also sharp scratchy lines of blackish and shell-spots, hardly noticeable. The shape of the eggs is pyriform ; three or four in number; sizes range from 1.50 to 1.60 long by 1.05 to 1. 10 broad. 231. Macrorhamphus griseus (Gmel.) [527.] Do'witohez. Hab. Eastern North America, Breeding far northward. Known by several names, such as Red-breasted Snipe, Gray Snipe, Brown-back, and Gray-back ; these are also applied to the Long-billed Dowitcher. This bird, which greatly resembles the Com- mon Snipe in structure and general appearance, differs from it in habits, It is described as migrating in flocks, often of large size, and NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. Ill le as being so unsuspicious as to allow a near approach. Breeds in high Arctic regions, in various places in Alaska, and is spoken of by Dr. Richardson as having an extensive breeding range throughout the Fur Country, from the borders of Lake Superior to the Arctic Ocean. In the Arctic Regions nests have been taken between the middle of June and the first part of July. They were placed on the marshy borders of small lakes and ponds, and were made of a few dry leaves and grasses. The eggs were usually four in number. These cannot, with certainty, be distinguished from those of Wilson's Snipe. They are generally long, narrow, and pointed in shape; sizes from 1.62 to 1.75 long by 1. 10 to 1. 15 broad. 232. Macrorhamphus scolopaceus (Say.) [527a.] Long-billed Dovrltolier. Hab. Mississippi Valley and Western Ncrth America from Mexico to Alaska. This bird, whose size is larger and bill longer than that of the last, inhabits North America at large, but is supposed to be rare on the Atlantic coast. It is called Greater Long-beak, Greater Gray-beak and Red-bellied Snipe. Breeds in the far north ; is said to be common about the mouth of the Yukon and islands along the coast of Alaska. In the West the birds gather in dense flocks, and they being of a gentle and confiding disposition, and so closely huddled together, that great slaughter may be effected by the gunner if so disposed. Eggs larger and nesting same as the last. 233. Micropalama himantopus (Bonap.) [528.] stilt Sandpiper. Hab. Eastern Province of North America, breeding north of the United Stittes; migrating south in winter to tropical regions. The Long-legged Sandpiper, of slender form and very long legs, breeds north of the United States, and visits Southern localities in winter ; Bermudas, West Indies, Oentral and South America. Dr. Brewer states that Mr. MacFarlane found this species breeding at Rendezvous Lake, in the Arctic regions, June 27. The nests were similar to all others of this family, a mere depression in the ground, with a lining of a few leaves and grasses. The eggs are three or four in number, pyriform in shape, with a ground color of light drab or grayish-white, with bold spots and markings of chestnut-brown and purplish-gray, more numerous about the larger end ; in some quite confluent. Sizes vary from 1.43 to 1.46 long by 1.04 to i.io broad. 234. Tringa canutus Linn. [529.] Knot. Hab. Nearly cosmopolitan; breeding in high northern latitudes. Migrates far southward. This handsome species, so remarkable for its seasonable differences 112 NESTS AND EGGS OP V^« of plumage, is the largest of the North American Sandpipers. It in- habits most parts of the globe ; in America chiefly coastwise, and breeds in high latitudes. It is migratory, and is also found in the interior about large bodies of water and rivers. Red-breasted and Ash-colored Sandpiper and Gray-back are other names for it. An authentic egg of the Knot has for many years been the object of special and diligent search by eminent naturalists and explorers traveling in Arctic regions where this bird is known to live during the season of reproduction. Lieut. A. W. Greely, U. S. A. , Commander of the late Expedition to Lady Franklin Sound, succeeded in obtaining the lo ig-sought-for ^SS of the Knot. C. H. Merriam publishes the fir^t account of it, written by Lieut. Greely, as follows: "The specimen of bird and egg were obtained in the vicinity of Fort Conger, latitude of 8i° 44^ N. The egg was i.io inch [28 mm.] in the longer axis, and i inch [25.40 mm.] in the shorter. Color, light pea green, closely spotted with brown in small specks about the size of a pin-head." * 235. Tringa maritima Brunn. [530.] Purple Sandpiper. Hab. Northern portions of Northern Hemisphere; in North America, chiefly the northeastern por- tions, migrating south in winter to Eastern and Middle States. Mississippi Valley. The purple Sandpiper is found in the high Arctic regions of Amer- ica and Europe. Said to be a resident of the Aleutian Islands. Breeds in the Faroe Islands, Iceland, and in Greenland, where some remain in the fiords of the southern portion all winter. Dr. Richardson states that it breeds abundantly on Melville Penin- sula and on the shores of Hudson Bay. The nest is a mere depres- sion in the soil with a scant lining of dry grass. The eggs are clay color, shaded with olivaceous, with large and distinct markings of rich umber-brown of different depths of intensity all over the shell, but most numerous as well as largest on the greater half; pyriform; the eggs are usually four in number, and measure about 1.40 by i.oo. 238. Tringa cones! (Ridgw.) [531.] Aleutian Ssndpipert Hab. Coasts and islands of Bering Sea, north to St. Michael's. Closely allied to the last species, and the birds are hardly distin- guishable in their respective winter plumages. It is common in the Aleutian and other islands, and also along the coasts of Bering Sea as far west as the Commander Islands. Dr. Stejneger records it as a resi- dent of the latter group, found there during both summer and winter. ^A^. Vol. II., p. 818. '^•w^-^^^^m*,- t in- reeds erior lored bject arers J the ition t-for fit, egg ^ N. inch tted n por- ner- ;eds a in ain- res- and sity Iter ure ;in- the as ;si- :er. Ce/iyrigkt iSS6. F>LAtE IV WOOD DUCKS AND NESTING PI,ACE. {Aix tfotua.) Page 67. NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 113 The first eggs are laid about the middle of May. These are described as pale olive-bufF, varying to light browuish-buflF, spotted and blotched with vandyke-brown or deep umber; size 1.46 x i.oo. 237. Trin^a ptilocnemis Coues. [532.I Prybilof Sandpiper. I!.\Ii. Prybilof IslaniU, Ilcring Sen. The Black-breasted Sandpiper, as it is called, is confined to the Prybilof group and several other islands of Bering Sea ; but does not visit the Commander Islands. It is said to be the only wader that breeds on the Prybilof Islands. In May it nests on the dry uplands and mossy hummocks, placing its nest in bunches of moss, in which four pyriform eggs are laid. The eggs are described as light brownish-bufF, heavily spotted with rich chestnut-brown, clouded with purplish-gray. Average size 1.50 .\ 1.07. 239. TrinRa maculata Vieill. [534] P«otoral Sandpiper. Hub. North, Central and South America; breeding in the Arctic regions, Ot° freciuent occurienca in Europe. During the migrations the Pectoral Sandpiper is very abundant, both on the sea coast and in the intcior. It frequents the borders of ponds, the shores of lakes and rivers, and is found commonly in the vicinity of wet cornfields and meadows. It is only of recent date that we have obtained any positive information regarding this bird's breed- ing places. Mr. E. W. Nelson found it to be extremely common at the mouth of the Yukon River, where the low grassy flats afford it a much frequented breeding ground. Arriving on the shores of Bering Sea, near St. Michael's, from the 15th to the 25th of May, the birds linger about a short time ; they then pair and seek nesting places, which are usually in tufts of grass. The eggs are of a pale grayish-buff", varying to pale olive-green, boldly blotched and spotted with rich vandyke-brown and purplish gray ; a^'erage size, 1.44x1.02. 240. Tringa fuscicollls Vieill. [536.] 'Whlte^rnmped Sandpiper. Hiib. Eastern North America; breeds far North. In winter migrating through the United States, the West Indies, Central and South America and Falldand Islands. Occasional in Europe. Bonaparte's Sandpiper during the breeding season is found in the Arctic regions. It is a species of wide distribution in the migrations, wandering into tropical regions. The bird is said to breed in suitable places on the shores of Cumber- land Sound. Dr. Brewer states that Mr. MacFarlane met its nests and eggs on or near the Arctic coast ; one taken July 3 contained four eggs 9 114 NESTS AND EGGS OF with large embryos ; another found the day following contained three eggs. A third, obtained June 29 on the Barren Lands, was a mere de- pression in the ground, lined with a few decayed leaves and contained four eggs with very large embryos. A fourth found on the banks of a small river, of similar construction, held four eggs. The eggs are pyriform in shape, of light olive or olive-brown, spot- ted with bold and sometimes rather fine markings of deep chestnut- brown, almost into blackness, chiefly about the larger end in confluent groups. Average size, 1.37 X. 94. 241. TriDga balrdii (Coues.) [537.] Balrd'a Sandpipar. Hnb. North America, chiefly the interior. Rare on the Atlantic Coast; wintering in Mexico, Cen- tral and South America. Baird's Sandpiper is distributed throughout North America gener- ally, but is said not yet to have been observed west of the Rocky Mountains. It is found chiefly in the interior. Known to breed in the Arctic regions ; winters south of United States. This bird was entirely unknown to ornithologists until within the last thirty-five years ; when discovered and for sometime after was confounded with other species. Dr. Coues first gave it rank and name in 1861. It breeds in the Arctic regions — on the Barren Lands; nests in the Ir.tter part of June, usually within the vicinity of lakes and small ponds. The nest is made of a few dry leaves and grasses in a small depression, shaded by a tuft of grass. The eggs are usually four in number ; buff or clay-colored, spotted and blotched with varying shades of chestnut-brown ; in most instances the markings are fine and innumerable, of indefinite size, irregular in shape and thickness at the greater end, where they are occasionally massed in blotches ; size about 1.30X.90 242. Tringa minutlUa Vieill. [538.] Least Sandpiper. Hab. Whole of North America; breeding north of the United States. The smallest of the Sandpipers, measuring five and a half or six inches in length. It has the same habits as characterize its Semi- palmated cousins, frequenting the same localities, and flocks of birds are often composed of both species. Wlien this is the case the Semi- palmated Sandpipers even if largely in the minority, take the lead, as their somewhat larger size, stronger flight and louder note fit them for so doing. When not in company with other species none of our shore birds are more confiding and unsuspecting than these, large flocks con- tinuing their search for food almost under the feet of the observer. NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. Ubrad„^t:";4rdt';;_^-d^^ Ncwf„„„a,a„d Id . '875, one was found bii,IH;„ ■/ "«'°>'S, and in Alast= r Nests in the Aictt „ ".''''"8 "^ ""t in the vicinitv ,f r^ ^"""^ «■ .■i'he eggs are nsra'lwo^j'f""?' « "- vicinity otkL ''";" *f 'a»er part of May l'^ J„"„e Th: V" "'^-^ »' ^-^d "et'JeeTtt S "'• ■'"« average size is i.ijx 85 ™""' °™»'n spots 124SJ TrlBg. .,pi„. Lm», [53, , The pZr'T '" -- —i °°^- of the Old World Bv°f'"!J' ™"'''^ "^'^'ribntion i„ the norti, S ."f^ '=^-">' ^i'nh n^^^^^^^ °^ '^^ B'^^'Tn^^! Sa d .^ re'sZth'"'™^ ^" '"-"ashorerrrr "■' '"''"" "' 2«»- IV'W alpina paclte (Co„.s, i^ the AmericanD ;:;?'" r""'".-:..— .,.. Hab. [539a.J . . ™-=theAm;s'-Dn:r;;r'tr ^"— ■ .t.s larger and brighter colored thafr''"/:""" ^^""P'P". <" O. bird • out the whole of North Am. ' "'^'""^ Distributed tt,, t' ^rating in „;„,„ .^ Un" "d^St^' ''"'^^ '" '■>' Arct'i ^'g onTS" Breeds in various place ^„ %fl', '^^ally coastwise. ^ ' ""• the Yukon and i« fi, , ^^^ Alaskan coast o* «.i- found breedW on thfr"^''"°''^°«onsrund tt: T? °^ P-iusu,a, the fhoTes «; 0:^^"^ 1 ^"^ A-"' ,0" tetiu! The nest is built in the™ it "If fj" S^'Oem GrUnln^ "" ^ -.- Hollow With -ei;r d^^-ats-^:r:^,^ 116 NESTS AND EGGS OF into it. The eggs, four in number, of a dull brownish-buff or clay color, spotted, blotched and stained with chestnut, principally about • the larger end ; their average size is 1.43 x i.oi. 244. Tringa ferruginea Brunn. [540.] Cnrlemr Sandpiper. Hab. Old World in general, occasional in Eastern North America and in Alaska. A bird with a bill resembling that of the Curlews — long, slender, compressed and considerably decurved. The length of the bird is about eight and a half inches. It is said to be one of the rarest of the Sandpipers which visit North America. A common species in Siberia, where it breeds. Said to breed in Holland, Denmark and northward into Norway, Sweden, and in Finland. In England it is nowhere abundant and does not assemble in large flocks like the Dunlin or J'urre. A few pairs are believed to breed in Great Britain. Known to breed in various portions of Greenland — nesting near the margins of lakes and rivers where the eggs are deposited in a slight hollow of the ground, lined with bits of grass. The eggs are four in number, pyri- form in shape, pale grayish or greenish-bufif, spotted and blotched with chestnut-brown. They are hardly distinguishable from those of the Pec- toral or Red-backed Sandpiper's eggs; size 1.50x1.04. 246. Ereunetes pusillus (Linn.) [541] Semipalmated Sandpiper. Hab Northe n and Eastern North America; west during the migrations to Rocky Mountains. This little " Peep " is found everywhere in North i^merica. In the summer it is distributed from Labrador and western shores of Hud - son Bay northward, this being its breeding grounds. In spring and fall it is an abundant migrant in United States, thronging the beaches, the gravelly and sandy shores of streams and muddy banks of ponds, in company with the Spotted Sandpiper and others, with which it is usually confounded. It winters from the Carolii.as southward. It has the same Hweet^ Hweet as the Spotted Sandpiper, and utters it frequent- ly, both on the shore and when flying. The Semipalmated Sandpiper arrives in the Saskatchewan River country about the middle of May, where it deposits its eggs early in June on a fev.' pieces of withered grass in a slight hollow in the ground. These are three or four in num- ber, and measure from 1.20 to 1.25 long by .82 to .85 broad. In a large series the usual variations in color are noticeable ; the ground color varying from clay to grayish or greenish-drab or positive olive tint ; usually boldly spotted and splashed with umber or chestnut-brown ; thickest about the largest end ; and again, in some, very fine dots are distributed over the entire surface. NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 117 247. Ereunetes occidentalis Lawr. [5410.] 'Westem Sandpiper. Hab. Western North America; occasionally eastward to the Atlantic coast; breeding far north. Migrating in winter to Central and South America. Very much like the last species and there is essentially no differ- ence in its general habits, nesting, eggs and other peculiarities. Abundant " "• Alaska, breeding along the Yukon and the shores and islands of N< • ^on Sound. Nests commonly on the Island of St. Michael's, depositing four eggs in nests which are mere hollows in the ground with a few blades of grass for lining. In June and July it is said to breed abundantly on the islands in the bays along the Arctic co3st and also in the Barren L■ ' 132 NESTS AND EGGS OP are beautifully spotted with, dark reddish-brown, approaching black, here and there are obscure shell markings. Average size 1.41x1.00. Four eggs from England, collected May 6, are in my cabinet and meas- ure 1.36x1,00, 1.40XI.02, 1.43 X. 99, 1.42x1.00. [276.] iEgialitis dubia (Scop). [519.] Little Rins Plovar. Hab. Northern portioni of Eastern Hemisphere. Accidental on the coast of California and in Alaska. The Little Ringed Dotterel or Ivittle Ringed Plover breeds in the northern portions of the Old World. Its general habits, nesting and eggs are said to resemble those ot the Semipalmated Plover, but the eggs, like the bird, are much smaller. A set of four eggs in the cabinet of Mr. J. Parker Norris were col- lected April 5, 1885, by H. Muller, at Anclam, Germany. They are short ovate in form, of a pinkish-bufF ground color, finely speckled all over with bistre. They measnre 1.16X.87, i.i8x.8S, 1.T9X.90, i.ai x.88. 277. JEgialltis meloda (Ord). [520.] Piping Plover. Hab. Chiefly the Atlantic coast of the United States, north to southern Labrador. In winter. West Indies. The Piping Plover is an abundant species in the summer months along the eastern coast of the United States, breeding from the Caro- linas northward as far as the Gulf of St. Lawrence. It is a graceful and attractive little species, possessing a remarkably musical voice which can be heard as the bird moves gracefully over the sandy beaches. Its food is small marine worms, Crustacea, etc. During in- cubation it is said that the parents rarely sit upon their eggs, except at night and in damp weather, but always remain in the vicinity and watch over their treasures with solicitude. The eggs are four in number, pale buff, speckled with black and purplish gray. In some the markings are very much more profuse than in others. The average size of a large series ( fifty in number) is 1.29 x. 95. Four specimens measure, 1.28x1.01, 1.31x1.01, 1.25 x 1.03, 1.28 X i.oo. 277 a. xEglalitis meloda circnmcincta Ridgw. [sr.oa.] Belted Pipins Plover. Hab. Missouri River region; occasionally c istward to the Atlantic coast. This variety of the Piping Plover is found between the Missouri River and the Rocky Mountains and as far eastward as Lake Kos- konong, in southern Wisconsin and occasionally along the Atlantic coast. Its habits are the same as those of meloda. The eggs measure 1.27 X .93. ,„ i^i.tw^W«*l*1«W^'.***»' \ )uri los- itic lure NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 133 278. iEgialitis nivosa Cass. [521.] Snoirr Plover. Hab. Western North America, south to Mexico in winter, both coasts of Central America and in Western South America to Chili. The Snowy Ring Plover inhabits the United States chiefly west of the Rocky Mountains. It is a constant resident along the Califor- nia coast, and a specimen has been taken on the coast of Texas in the latter part of June. Mr. Emerson, of Haywards, California, informs me that it nests along the sandy beeches of the ocean coast, and says he has no doubt that it bf.cis along the bay beach, as he shot the young there in June. Mr. Shields states that it is abundant along the sandy beaches in the vicinity of Los Angeles, nesting in the first week of April ; fresh eggs often being found as late as May 15. Mr. N. S. Goss found the Snowy Plover breeding on the salt plains along the Cimarrion River, in the Indian Territory, the northern limits of which extend into south-western Comanche County, Kansas ; he also took two specimens within the State limits. The birds are described as being very much lighter in color that the California specimens.* The eggs are three in number, in ground color, pale buff or clay color, and the markings very much resemble Wilson's Plover, but are more numerous and scratchy ; about the size of the eggs of the Piping Plover, meloda^ 1. 20 X. 90 [279.] JEgialitis mongola (Pall). Mongolian Plover. Hab. Northern Asia, south in winter to Malay Archipeligo and Australia, Choris Peninsula, Alaska, accidental. A bird of wide distribution. Found throughout Northern Asia in general, west to St. Petersburg, Palestine and Northeastern Africa. In winter it is found throughout Southern Asia and as far south as the Philippines, Malay Archipeligo, etc., to Australia. Breeds commonly in Northern portions of Asia, nesting on the ground like others of its tribe* The eggs are four in number ; pale dull olive or buff sparsely marked with brownish-black ; size, 1.43 x 1.05. 280. JEgialitis wilsonia (Ord.) [522.] 'Wilson's Plover. Hab. Atlantic and Gulf coasts of North America, north to Long Island. Casually to Nova Scotia. South in winter to Brazil and Peru and West Indies. Wilson's Plover, named in honor of the immortal Wilson, is com- mon along the sea-coast of the South Atlantic aud Gulf States. It is found along the Eastern coast, but rarely north beyond New Jersey. One of the "beach birds " and may be found in company with others of the genus ^gialitis. On some of the islands on the coast of Georgia Mr. Perry found them breeding in great numbers in company with the *Auk. III. p. 409. 134 NESTS AND EGGS OE li' Least Tern, nesting very much in the same manner. The eggs are de- posited in a cavity of the loose pebbles or shells of the beach ; they are usually three in number. The ground color is a pale olive-drab or clay-colored, some having a greenish tint, marked all over with black- ish-brown, well defined spots, small splashes and fine dots. Sizes from 1.30 to 1.45 long by i.oo to 1.05 broad. A set in R Perry's cabinet measures as follows : 1.37 x .99, 1.82 x .98, 1.40x1.00. 281. [523-] Hab. ^gialltis montana (Towns.) Monntaln Plover. Western North America, east to the Great Plains; accidental in Florida, More properly called Prairie Plover, but it seems to have been badly named, for it certainly is a prairie bird, inhabiting the most barren prairies, as well as the watered regions of the United States, from the plains to the Pacific. It can readily be recognized by its large size, the lack of rings on the breast, with the uniform pale, yellowish- brown above. It is quite independent of water, and is said to be not the least aquatic, even on the Pacific coast; it frequents the plain, never the marsh or beach. Nests anywhere on the open prairie in June and July. The eggs are usually three in number, olive-drab, with a brown shade, finely and thickly dotted with very dark brown and black, the markings not larger than a pin's head; sizes from 1.40 to 1.50 long by 1. 10 to 1. 12 broad. 283. Arenaria interpres (Linn.) [509.] Turnatone. Hub. Entirely cosmopolitan, chiefly along the sea-coasts. Breeds in high northern latitudes. The common Turnstone is widely distributed in the breeding sea- son throughout the northern portions of both continents, and wanders southward along the sea-coasts of all countries. In America it breeds commonly in the Barren Lands of the Arctic coasts and the Anderson River districts, on the islands of Franklin and Liverpool Bays, nesting in July. In the Hudson's Bay country the eggs are laid in June ; the nest is nothing but a hollow scratched in the earth, lined with bits of grass. It is known by various names, " Brant Bird," " Bead Bird," " Horse-foot Snipe," and from its varigated colors, " Calico-back." The eggs are greenish-ash, spotted, blotched and dotted irregularly and thickly with yellowish and umber brown ; two to four ; abruptly pyriform in shape, and average 1.58 x 1.15. A set of four eggs of this species is in the cabinet of Captain B. F. Goss. These were taken on the Yukon River, in Alaska. The nest was a slight depression on the ground. The eggs are greenish-drab, » fy . • NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. spotted all over with brown; sizes, 1.68 x 1.13, 1.60 x 1.17, 1.60 x 1.17, 1.68 X 1. 13. 284. Arenaria melanocephala (Vie.) [510,] Blaok Tnmatone. Hab. Pacific coait of North America, from Alaska to Santa Cruz and San Minguel Island. The Black-headed Turnstone is common along the Pacific coast of North America. It has been found nesting in Alaska at the mouth of the Yukon. In all respects its habits, nesting, eggs, etc., are said to be similar to those of ^. interpres. The eggs average 1.62 x 1. 12. [285.] HsBmatopus ostralegns Linn. [506.] Oyater-oatoheri Hab. Sea-ccasts of Europe, portions of Asia and Africa; occasional in Greenland, The 0)'ster-catcher of Europe claims a place in the North Amer- ican fauna from its occasional occurrence in Greenland. It appears to be common in all suitable places on the coasts and islands of Europe, extending northward to the northern shores of Russia and Siberia, where it breeds on the great Arctic flats. Common throughout the summer months in Denmark, Sweden and on the west shores of Nor- way. In Great Britain the Oyster-catcher is a well known species, nesting on the shores and islands as far north as Orkney and Shetland. The bird breeds generally in pairs, but in some instances a large num- ber are found nesting in one place. Four eggs are usually laid in some cavity in the sand or shingle. Nests have been found on the top of rocks, ten to fifteen feet above the ground. The eggs are of a dull creamy buff, spotted aud blotched with brownish-black, generally over the entire egg. Six eggs in my cabinet from England measure 2.15x1.57, 2.35x1.53, 2.16x1.56, 2.17x1.54, 2.32x1.50, 2.19x1.56. 286. Hsematopus palliatus Temm. [507.] American Oyster-oatoher. Hab. Sea-coasts of America from Nova Scotia and Southern California, south to Patagonia. The Brown-bacLed Oyster-catcher breeds along the Atlantic coast from New Jersey southward, where it becomes more common. It breeds abundantly, but irregularly, in different localities. There are extensive breeding resorts along the coast of Virginia. On Cobb 3 Island it was tormerly quite common during the breeding season, where now only a few pair a^e said to be found nesting. It is common along the coast of Florida, nesting on the oeaches and depositing three, sometimes only two, eggs. The American Oyster-catcher is an abund- ant resident throughout the Bahamas, nesting wherever there are sandy beaches. It has been found breeding in Galveston Bay, Texas, in June, and on islands at the mouth of the Rio Grande. The eggs are creamy or white, spotted aud blotched irrregularly with varying shades of 136 NESTS AND EGGS OF iiy^ brown; rather oval in shape; sizes range from 2.12 to 2.30 in lenguh by 1.50 to 1.62 in breadth. Six eggs from the coast of Virginia measure 2.22x1.57, 2.23x1.58, 2.19x1.52, 2.15x1.52, 2.25x1.60, 2.21 X 1.57. 287. HsBmatopns bachmani Aud. [508.] Blaok Oyster-oatoher. Hab. Pacific coait of North America from lower California north to the Aleutian Islands and across to the Kurilas. Bachman's Oyster-catcher is a characteristic bird of the Pacific coast, being more common to the north than to the south. It is said to be partial to rocky coasts and islands and not always met with on sand beaches. I am informed that it is common on Santa Cruz Island and that it breeds on the outlying rocks. At these places it is by no means shy as is the case in other localities. Breeds on all suitable islands along the Pacific coast from Santa Barbara northward. Mr. Bryant in his Fa- rallon paper,* remarks : " Flocks of five to ten were seen in May and June, 1887. They were very tame, feeding slowly and quietly along the water's edge in compact flocks. Upon higher ground they moved more rapidly and spread out more. Individuals were seen as late as August, but they do not, Mr. Emerson states, breed on the island. A female was taken July 26th, 1886." A few are known to breed on the Aleutian Islands. When disturbed the birds utter a peculiar low whistle, calling to one another for hours at a time. The eggs are two or three in number, light olive-buff", speckled or spotted with brown- ish black and purplish-gray. Average size 2.18x1.52. They are deposited in a slight cavity in the gravel or on the bare rock. [288.] Jacana gymnostoma (Wagl.) [568.] Hab. Mexican Jacana. Valley of the Lower Rio Grande, Texas, south into Central America, Panama, Cuba, Hayti. A bird which combines the characters of the Plover and the Rail but outwardly distingiiished from either by the excessive development of the toes and particularly the claws. These are slender, compressed, nearly or quite straight, that of the hallux much longer than its digit. The spread of feet thus acquired enables the bird to run quite easily over floating vegetation in the marshes. Dr. James C. Merrill met with the present species near Fort Brown, in Southwestern Texas, in the early part of August, 1876. The bird is common throughout the whole of Middle America, Mexico and Central America to Panama, in- habiting the dense marshes of these regions, nesting like the Rails. The eggs are of a rounded-oval shape, ground color, bright drab or tawny olive, marked over the surface with a confused net-work of ^■Birds and Eggs from the Farallon Islands. NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. black, or dark brown wavy stripes, blotches and lines. Average size, 1.22 X .94. 289. Golinns virginianns (Linn.) [480.] Bob-w^lilt*. Hab. Eastern United States; west to Dakota, Kansas, Indian Territory and Eastern Texas. North to Southern Maine and Southern Canada; south to the Atlantic and Gulf States. The celebrated game bird of Eastern United States. In the two southern extremes of its habitat it is found in two light and dark cli- matic varieties, as below. Found throughout the .greater portion of the year in coveys ; in the early spring paring, each pair selecting a particu- lar locality where they remain during the summer months. Where mating has taken place the male's well-known mellow notes, — Bob- white^ Bob-white, may be heard at short intervals echoing throughout the woodland. The favorite nesting places of this bird are on the ground in corners of rail fences, at the foot of stumps surrounded by a thick growth of vegetation, in gardens or cultivated fields where there are bunches of tall grass or weeds. Two and sometimes three broods are reared in a season and nesting begins as early as May ist. The nest is often made in close proximity to the farm house. It is rarely built in thick woods. Dr. Jones mentions a nest which he found alongside a railroad track.* It is usually constructed of dry grasses, straws, leaves or weeds. The complement of eggs is from fifteen to twenty-five, often only twelve, but usually about eighteen. They are pure white unless stained by the bed of grass upon which they lay. At one end they are quite pointed, at the other obtusely rounded ; size 1. 20 x. 95. 289a. Colinus vlrglnlanus floridantis (Coues.) [480a.] „ , „. . . Florida Bob--arIilte. Hab. Florida. A darker colored bird than C. virginianus. General habits, nest- ing and eggs the same. Eggs, 1.19X .92. 289*. Colinus virginianus texanus (Lawr.) [480^.] Texan Bob-w^hite. Hab. Texas and Northern Mexico, north to Western Kansas. A bird of paler color than the C. v.floridanus. Eggs smaller than C. virginianus ^ 1.17X.91. 292. Oreortyx plctus (Dougl.) [481.] Mountain Partridge. Hab. Pacific coast from San Francisco north to Washington Territory. The beautiful Mountain or Plumed Partridge is a much larger and handsomer bird than the Bob-white. The head is adorned with two arrow-like plumes three or four inches in length ; these are noticeable in 'Illustrations of the Nests and Egg of Birds of Ohio. m ■r. I f e r- 138 NESTS AND EGGS OF the chick just from the egg, in the form of a little tuft of down. The general slate and olive color of the adult is beautifully marked with white along the sides, inner secondaries of the wings, sides of the neck, etc. The bird is found breeding along the Pacific coast region from California north into Washington Territory. Mr. Emerson informs me that it breeds in the higher mountain ranges, not below 4,000 feet. In some portions of Oregon it is very abundant. The eggs are deposited on the ground, on a bed of dead leaves, under a bush or tuft of grass oi weeds. Six to twelve are usually laid, of a cream color with a red- dish tint. Dr. Coues describes the eggs as miniatures of the Ruffed Grouse's, only distinguishable by their smaller size, 1.36x1.02. 292a. Oreortjrx pictns plumiferus (Gould.) [481a.] Plumed Partridgei Sierra Nevada ranges from Oregon southward; coast ranges of California to Cape St. Lucas. This sub-species, which very much resembles O. pictus^ inhabits both sides of the Sierra Nevada Mountains from Eastern Oregon southward, through the coast ranges of California. Its general habits, nesting, eggs, etc., are the same as those of the Mountain Partridge. The eggs are creamy-buff, of varying shades, and their average size is 1.40 X 1.02. 293. Callipepla squamata (Vig.) [484] Scaled Partridge. Hab. Northwestern Mexico and border of the United States, from Western Texas to New Mexico and Southern Arizona. This handsome Partridge, called Blue Quail, is distributed throughout Northwestern Mexico, Western Texas, New Mexico and Arizona, but is said to be less numerous than the crested Partridges or Quails. In Arizona they are found in flocks of from six to ten, some- times more in the most barren places, miles away from any water. Mr. W. E. D. Scott found this Quail as abundant on the dry mesas of the San Pedro slope of the Santa Catalina Mountains, up to an altitude of 3,500 feet, as its congener C. gambeli. At this altitude Mr. Scott found a nest, May 20, containing eleven eggs.* It inhabits a more open country than gambeli and in other localities large flocks of both species were often seen together. A slight depression under a bush serves as a nest, it is generally lined with a few coarse grasses. In Western Texas complete sets of eggs may be found as early as April 25. The eggs are extremely thick-shelled ; the number laid ranges from eight to sixteen, twelve being the more common number. Their color is buffy-white or of a cream color, irregularly dotted with specks of light brown ; size 1.24X.94. »Auk. in, pp. 387-388. 11 Hab. . NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 293 a. Galllpepla sqnaicata castanogastris Brewst. Oh«atnnt-1>eUl*d Scaled Partridge. Eastern Mexico and Lower Rio Grande of Texas. 139 This bird is like the last but the general coloring is deeper and richer. The bird appears to inhabit the low lands along the lower Rio Grande Valley, while C. squamata inhabits the table lands of North- western Mexico, Western Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. Mr. George H. Ragsdale, of Gainesville, Texas, kindly sent me four eggs of this bird for inspection ; these have a ground color vary- ing from white to a buflf with the surface marked with minute specks of reddish-brown. In a specimen having a white ground the mark- ings have a purplish tint. The shape of the eggs is characteristic of all eggs of the Partridges. The sizes of the four specimens are, 1.17X .94, 1. 13 X. 92, 1. 15 x. 94, 1. 16 X. 93. Capt. B. F. Goss has a set of ten eggs of this Partridge taken May 14, 1886, in Western Texas. They are dull white speckled all over with fine dots of diflferent shades of brown. Some of the eggs have a few small brown spots on them more than a sixteenth of an inch in diameter ; they resemble the eggs of the Scaled Partridge, but are more thinly speckled and much lighter in color. Sizes, 1.25 x. 99, 1.17x1.00,1.24x1.06,1.26x1.05, 1.26X.99, 1.24x1.05, 1. 25 X. 99, 1.27 xi.oo, 1. 27 X. 99, 1.28x1.00. The nest from which these eggs were taken was on the ground and made of leaves and dry grass. 294. Galllpepla callfornica (Shaw.) [482.] California Partridge. Hab, Coast valleys from California to Washington Territory. The Californian Partridge or Valley Quail inhabits the lower por- tions of California and Oregon, where it is very abundant, and also Eastward nearly to the Colorado River. The nest is made on the ground, and is often found in curious places. Mr. Emerson says it is sometimes placed in the garden, within twenty feet of the doorway ; he saw eggs of this Quail laid in the nest of chickens that had hidden their nests in the barn-yard, and it is commonly found under hedges, bushes, brush-heaps ; even in the grass by the wayside. Mr. Bryant mentions several cases of this bird's nesting in trees upon the end of a broken or decayed limb, or at the intersection of two large branches. One case he cites of a brood being hatched in a vine-covered trellis at the front door of a popular seminary.'^ Mr. H. R. Taylor, of Alameda, California, records a nest of the Spurred Towhee on the ground in which were four eggs of the Towhee and two of the California Quail.f ■"Unusual Nesting Sites, I. Bull. Cal. Acad. Sci. II, 451. t Ornithologist and Oologist, Vol. X, p. 142. 140 NESTS AND EGGS OF ii;;i:i. The eggs of this species are most beautifully marked on a creamy- white ground with scattered spots and blotches of old gold, and some- times light drab and chestnut-red. In a large series of specimens sent me by Mr. Arnold Boyle, collected in the vicinity of Banning, Cali- fornia, there is a striking variation in this respect. In some speci- mens the gold coloring is so pronounced that it strongly suggests to the imagination that this Quail feeds upon the grains of the precious metal which characterizes its home, and that the pigment thereof is imparted to the eggs. The number laid ranges from eight to twenty- four. In shape they are like those of the Bob-white. Ten selected eggs measure 1.13 x .90, 1.18 x .93, 1.19 x .93, 1.19 x .94, 1.23 x .90, 1.27 X.96, 1.30 X. 95, 1.32 X. 95, 133 X. 97, 1.35 X. 94. The average size is 1.23 X .94. 294a. Gallipepla californica vallicola Ridgw. Valley Partridge. Hab. Interior regions of California and Oregon, south to Cape St. Lucas. This variety, which is very similar to the last species, is common to the interior valleys and foot-hills of the Pacific Province. There is essentially no difference between the eggs of this bird and those of C. californica. 295. Gallipepla gambell (Nutt.) [483.] Gambera Partridge. Hab. Northwestern Mexico, Arizona, New Mexico, Southern Utah and Western Texas. A characteristic game bird of Arizona and New Mexico ; abundant on mountains and in valleys. It is found as far east as Western Texas, west to the Colorado River, north to Southern Utah. In Texas it is replaced by the Massena Quail. Mr. W. E. D. Scott found it distrib- uted throughout the entire Catalina region in Arizona below an altitude of 5,000 feet. By the middle of April, on the San Pedro slope of the Catalina mountains most of the birds are paired, and breeding has fairly begun. About Tucson the breeding season begins from three weeks to one month earlier.* This bird is also known as the Arizona Quail. The nest is like that of any other partridge, placed on the ground, sometimes without any lining. The eggs are from eight to sixteen in number and they do not differ from those of the C. califortiica. The average size of thirty specimens is 1.27 x .98. 296. Cyrtonyx montezumse (Vig.) [485-] Massena Partridge. Hab. Western and Central Mexico, from Mazatlan and Valley of Mexico north to Western Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. In Arizona this bird is known as " Fool Quail " or " Fool Hen." Mr. Scott mentions finding it common in the evergreen oak region of "Auk. Vol. Ill, p. 388-889. II NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. lil. in the the Pinal Mountains, near the head of Mineral Creek in Arizona and about as abundant in the same localities on the San Pedro slope of the Catalina Mountains, ranging up as high as 5,700 feet and as low as 4,000 feet throughout the year. It was generally met with in coveys of six to a dozen birds. Prof. Ridgway describes an egg as plain white, size, 1.2 1 x .90, and states that identification is very doubtful.* 297. Dendragapus obscurus (Say.) [471.I Diuky Grouse. Hab. Rocky Mountaint, west to Wahsatch, north to Central Montana, south to New Mexico and Ariiona. The Dusky Grouse in its several geographical garbs is distributed chiefly throughout the wooded and especially the evergreen regions of the United States, from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific and north- ward into British America. In the mountains of Colorado this species is found on the border of timber line throughout the year, going above in the fall for their principal food — grasshoppers. In summer its flesh is said to be excellent, but when frost has cut short their diet of insects and berries they feed on spruce needles and their flesh acquires a strong flavor. In its habits it resembles the Ruffed Grouse. It nests on the the ground, often under shelter of a hollow log or projecting rock, with merely a few pine needles scratched together on which the eggs are laid. The eggs are buff or cream color, marked all over with small round spots of umber-brown, but generally more numerous toward the greater end ; eight to fifteen are laid ; average size 1.98 x 1.42. 297a. Dendragapus obscurus fuUglnosus Ridgw. [471a.] Sooty Oronse. Hab. Mountains near the Pacific coait from Sitka, south to California. A darker colored bird than D. obscurus. Mr. A. W. Anthony records this Grouse as abundant in Wash- ington county, in the northern part of Oregon.f He states that in the winter the bird remains high up in the firs and is very seldom seen. At the first indication of spring the males begin to " hoot." This is not dissimilar to the ** boomiiig " of the Prairie Hen, and when uttering these love notes the bird may usually be seen about fifty or seventy-five feet from the ground in a thick fir. The note is repeated from five to seven times. Mr. Anthony says : " This Grouse is an accomplished ventriloquist ; I have often looked for an hour for one supposed to be fifty yards in front of me to fiind it as far in the rear. Nests found in May contained from five to seven eggs. A set of seven eggs of this bird in the collection of Capt. B. F. Goss, was taken June ist, 1837, at <■ Manual of North American Birds, p. 194. t Auk., Vol. Ill, p. 164. Field notes on the Birds of Washington County, Oregon. i.'ir \ 142 NESTS AND EGGS OF I Oakland, Oregon. The nest was placed on the ground. The eggs are creamy buflf, spotted and speckled with reddish brown ; the spots are small and scattered, most of them sharply defined ; the measurements of the seven eggs are as follows: 1.87x1.38, 1.81x1.33, 1.78x1.33, 1.86x1.37, 1.88x1.36, 1.80 X 1.34, 1.83x1.35. 2973. Dendragapns obBcurns richardsonli (Sab.) [471 3.] Rlohardaon'a Oroiu*. Hab. Northern Rocky Mountains of the United States — Central Montana northward into British America. This race is more or less common in the various mountain ranges of Montana. Its general habits do not appear to be different from those of D. obscurus. The birds prefer rough and rocky ledges with only a moderate growth of fir to the denser forests. Occasionally they are found away from the mountains in scattered clumps of fir growing on the high bluffs or growing on some of the streams. Their " tooting " is a low, muffled sort of cooing, uttered without vigor or any apparent effort on the bird's part, which may be squatting on some rock at the time. The eggs are cream color, marked with small dots of reddish- brown ; average size 1.84x1.30. They are not distinguishable from those of D. obscurus, and the nesting habits are the same. 298. Dendragapns canadensis (Linn.) [473.] Canada Oronae. Hab. Northern North America, east of Rocky Mountains, from the Northern portions of New England, New York, Michigan and Minnesota to Alaska. Known as the Spruce or Wood Partridge, Canada, Black or Spot- ted Grouse, and found in all favorable localities, especially the spruce forests and swamp regions from Northern United States northward, as far as the woods extend in the Arctic regions, and it has been found breeding in Northern Alaska. Audubon found it breeding in the vicinity of Eastport, Maine, in the interior recesses of almost impene- trable woods of hackmatack or larches. He ^d that the birds breed in the neighborhood about the n , which is a month earlier than they do in Labra les - season the males produce the same well-known ai. ^»ecuii Jruiuming as does the Ruffed Grouse. The female constructs ? uest of a bed of dry twigs, leaves and mosses, and is usually carefully hidden, on the ground, under low horizontal branches of fir trees ; it is gene Uy placed in quiet and swampy localities. The eggs are of a buffy or reddish brown color, irrc irly splashed, dotted and spotted with different tints of brown ; eig to .^^j-iMaBiTjaagaitwiiaUaM'j NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 143 sh !S ;e a :e g ir 3r >n b- rn fourteen in number ; average size of ten eggs is 1.70X 1.20. The shape is characteristic, being like those of the Ptarmigan in form. Mr. J. Parker Norris has sent me the following interesting account of the breeding of the Canada Grouse in captivity. It forms the basis of an article which is shortly to appear in The Ornithologist and Oohgist : " Mr. Watson Bishop, of Kentville, N. S.,wrote me that it is almost impossible to find the nest of this species in its wild state, and being desirous of obtaining some of their eggs, he built an enclosure about thirty feet square, and high enough to walk about in, out of strips of board three inches wide, leaving spaces of about two inches between them to let in light and air. He then caught six hens and one cock. They became very tame in the course of time, and seemed perfectly satisfied with their new home. They did not appear frightened when Mr. Bishop went in to feed them, and came around him just like domestic fowls. " The male bird strutted before the hens after the manner of birds of this family, and in course of time the hens began to lay. Separate compartments were furnished them, and the clutches were one of six- teen, one of fifteen, two of thirteen, one of eleven and one of eight eggs. " Mr. Bishop very kindly presented me the set of eight eggs, and they are now in my cabinet. They closely resemble the eggs figured by Mr. Capen in his Oology of New England^ but the ground color is of a more reddish tint. R ;garding the other sets Mr. Bishop says: " The set of sixteen are more rounded. The largest egg measures 1. 71 X 1.26, the next largest, 1.67 x 1.26, and the smallest, 1.60 x 1.24. The ground color is of a deep cream tint, thickly spotted. The set of fifteen have a much deeper ground color, inclining to bufFy red, and are also thickly spotted with deep red. The largest is 1.75 x 1.24, the smallest, 1.73 x 1.24, and they are more pointed at the smaller end than the preceding set. One set of thirteen was laid by a young hen, and measure: Largest, 1.71x1.23; smallest, 1.60x1.28. They are very even in size, and ground color, which is of a deep cream ; but the spotting varies in intensity. The other set of thirteen measure: Largest, 1.85 x 1.22 ; smallest, 1.78X 1.21, and are quite pointed. Ground color not as dark as the set of eight, and they are finely dotted all over. When first laid the colors are easily rubbed off. ** They are very handsome eggs, and Mr. Bishop is certainly to be congratulated on the success of his experiment." n f e r- m |||!- 144 NESTS AND EGGS OF f 299. Dendragapns fraukllnii ( Dougl.) [472a.] FranUin't Oroue. Hab. Northern Rocky Mountains, west to the Pacific coast; chiefly north to the United States, This bird is held by some authorities as a mere variety of D. canadensis. It is confined to the territory between the Rocky Moun- tains and the Pacific coast, chiefly in British America. Its habits in all respects are identical with those of canadetisis. The nest is made on the ground, of dry leaves and grass, often at the foot of decayed stumps, or by the side of fallen timber in dense mountain woods. The eggs average iu size 1.68 x 1.24. 300, Bonasa umbellus (Linn.) [473.] Rnffed Oronae. Hab. Eastern United States, south to North Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi and Arkansas. The Ruffed Grouse, " Pheasant " or *' Partridge," is a noted game bird distributed in wooded districts throughout Eastern United States. At the limits of its habitat it is found in several geographical races as given below. Its habits in many respects differ from those of the Prairie Hen ; the latter is found on open plains, while the Grouse is rarely met with there. The food of the two species is very similar, making the differ- ence in their respective abodes quite striking. The well-known drumming of the male birds is made during the love season, which commences in March. The sound is produced by the bird while standing on a fallen log or elevated rock in the most retired portion of the woods ; the wings are lowered, tail expanded, the neck con- tracted, and the entire body seems inflated. The tufts of neck feath- ers are elevated, the bird all the while strutting about iu the most pompous manner possible to imagine, striking the sides of his body with rapid strokes of his wings. These become so rapid that the sound thus produced resembles the rumblings of remote thunder, and the sounds always seem nearer than they really are. Under favorable circumstances this Grouse not infrequently rears two broods between the first of April and the middle of October. The nest is usually situated at the border of a large woods in the midst of dense undergrowth, often in a thicket, not far from the road-side, and very frequently the birds venture to construct it in a small woods adjoining a farm house. The position of the nest is on the ground beside a log or stump, or in a brush-heap, or under the branches of a fallen tree. It is constructed of decayed leaves, a few feathers, roots, etc. From six to fifteen eggs are deposited, usually ten or twelve ; they are of a cream color of various shades, sometimes ';MW>ltf»i''n«iir->iT>iwniUi NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 145 Its 111 so dark as to be nearly brownish, and in others the surface is almost milk-white. They are often stained in wet weather by the leaves upon which they lie, and are sometimes faintly blotched or speckled with shades of brown. Mr. L. Jones, of Grinnell, Iowa, writes that the eggs in that vicinity are deposited about May first. Ten eggs measure 1.64x1.10, 1.51x1.13, 1.54x1.13, 1.54x1.14, 1.51 X 1. 12, 1.56 X 1. 13, 1.53 X 1. 13, 1.55 x 1. 14, 1.53 X 1. 12, 1.57 X 1.14. 300a. Bonasa umbellus togata (Linn.) Canadian Rnfifed Grouse. Hab. Eastern Oregon and Washington Territory, east to Moose Factory, Nova Scotia, Maine, etc. Eggs supposed to belong to this darker colored varie'y of Rufl'ed Grouse in my collection from Northern Maine do not differ from those of ^. umbellus. 300/'. Bonasa umbellus umbelloides (Dougl.) [473<'=] Gray Ruffed Grouse. Hnb. Rocky Mountain Region north to Aiaska, east to Manitoba. The upper parts of this bird are mostly or entirely grayish, and the tail is always of a gray color. It is found in the wooded districts of the Rocky Mountain region of the United States, and as far north as the Vukon Valley in Alaska, in British America, east to Manitoba. Captain Goss has a set of five eggs of this bird taken at Estes Park, Colorado, j\Iay 28, 1884. They are creamy buff; some of the speci- mens are almost or quite immaculate, others are faintly and sparingly spotted with lilac brown. The eggs in this set are smaller in size and less spotted than the usual spotted examples of B. umbellus^ and unless closely examined the markings would scarcely be noticed. These eggs were taken from a nest on the ground ; the sizes are as follows : 1.47X I. II, 1.45 X 1. 12, 1.44X 1. 12, 1.42 X 1. 15. 300<:. Bonasa umbeJlus sabini (Dougl.) [473-J.l Oregon Ruffed Grouse. Hab Northwest coast, from Northern California to }?ritish Columbia. This sub-species resembles B. umbellus^ but the upper parts are darker rusty-brown ; the tail is also usually deep rusty color, rarely grayish. It is known as the Red Ruffed Grouse. Mr. Norris has a set of eggs of this bird which are spotted. Six eggs collected in Coos county, Oregon, April 28, 1880, are in my col- lection. Their color is a rich creamy-white, unspotted. The nest was a hollow of the ground, made by the bird, and lined with leaves ; it was situated partly under a fallen tree, and quite hidden by a growth of bushes. The inside diameter of the nest was about six inches, and 11 ill ^^ ^. %^ ^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 ««illllM 125 Iji4 I.I l.-^ll 12.2 2.0 1.8 !.25 U ||.6 1 ^ 6" ► >7 6> (O.-tV Sciences Corporation S V ,\ ,1>^ ^\ %^^ 5V o'^ <^ •^ '^i « 33 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 c^ ■ I 168 NESTS AND EGGS OF are deposited. The nests are built in tall, rank grass and bushes ; es- pecially in the saw-grasses, about a foot below the tops, just so as to be out of sight, and the nests are usually composed of the same material ; they measure about a foot in diameter, with a cavity three inches deep. Mr. H. B. Bailey describes a set of three eggs, taken in the Ever- glades, March i6, by E. W. Montreuil; their sizes are 1.91 x 1.50, 1.80 x 1. 51, 1.80 X 1.45; the color of one is light brown, nearly obscured by large blotches of dark and reddish-brown; anotl^er has a dirty-white ground color, with spots and blotches of various shades of brown, which become smaller and fewer at the smaller end. It resembles the common varieties of eggs of the European Sparrow Hawk, Accipiter nisus. The third is of a greenish- white, over the smaller end are scrawls, lines and a few spots of light and dark brown.* 331. Circus hudsonius (Linn). [430.] Marsh Haivfc. Hab. Whole of North America, south in winter to Panama, the Bahamas and Cuha. The Marsh Hav;k, Blue Hawk, or Harrier, is distributed through- out the whole of North America, It is one of the most abundant and widely-diffased of our birds, and breeds from the fur country of Hudson's Bay to Texas, and from Nova Scotia to Oregon and Cali- fornia. It is found especially in regions covered by bushes, small trees, rank grass, swamp prairies or marshy places. Here the nest may be found, placed on the ground, which is only a collection of twigs and hay, but from three to seven inches in height and a foot 01 more in diameter. Sometimes the nests are of large proportions, which is the result of nesting in the same spot for a number of years. The eggs are frequently laid on a bed of green moss, with the material arranged in a circular form. The bird may often be seen during the spring and summer months sweeping slowly over meadows and bot- tom lands in pursuit of gophers, mice, birds, grasshoppers and large insects. It can readily be recognized by the entirely pure white upper tail-coverts ; the male above bluish-ash, whitening below ; the female above dark umber-brown. Mr. S. F. Rathbun records a set of seven eggs taken June 14, at Dunnville, Ontario, and Mr. Norris has a finely marked set of seven in his cabinet. Marsh Hawks frequently begin to incubate with the first egg and the young are hatched at intervals, after the manner of the cuckoos. Fresh eggs may be found from the first of May to the 15th or 20th of June, according to locality. *Auk, I, p. 9j. NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. The eggs are greenish-white, either immaculate or faintly spotted with pale brown or lilac, rather oval in shape ; three to six in number, often four or five, and measure from 1.80 to 1.90 in length by 1.38 to 145 in breadth. Mr. Norris has sets of Marsh Hawk eggs that are as heavily marked as many eggs of Buteo lineatus. They were taken by the famous collector, " J. M. W." (C. L. Rawson), and fully identified. Hab. 332. Accipiter velox (Was). Sharp-shiiined Hsixrk. Whole of North America, south to Panama. [433.] This spirited little Hawk is distributed at large throughout North America and it is considered an abundant species, although in some localities it is quite rare. Known as Pigeon Hawk, but it should not be confounded with Falco coltimbarius. The Sharp-shinned Hawk is swift, irregular and nervous in its flight; is one of the most daring of the family, often successfully at- tacking birds of its own weight ; failing sometimes to do so either from oyer-confidence in its own abilities, or under-estimation of the powers of its victim. The smaller birds and quadrupeds, young chickens, pigeons, small reptiles and various insects constitute this bird's food. The nests of this species are built in trees in dense woods, preferably pine groves ; frequently a scrubby oak or a birch offers a favorite site, and the height from the ground may range from ten to sixty feet ; the nests generally rest against the trunk of the tree at the base of a limb. The composition of the nests are small sticks forming a platform with a slight hollow, usually without lining. Occasionally nests are placed in cavities similar to those of the Sparrow Hawk, or upon a ledge of rock overhanging a lake or river. Mr. O. C. Poling informs me that in Western Illinois this Hawk selects for the site of its nest the top branches of an almost limbless tree, uiually an oak, which is situated in dense woods ; it is generally composed of oak twigs and leaves. Mr. Poling states that nesting be- gins by the middle of April ; all the nests he has observed contained five eggs, although others were found in that region containing three and four. Mr. Charles F. Morrison, of Fort Lewis, Colorado, took a set of three eggs June 22 from a dilapidated Magpie's nest, the arched roof of which had fallen in, and formed a hollow, which was lined with a few feathers upon some dead leaves. The Marsh Hawk and the present species deposit their eggs when other Hawks are nearly through breeding. The Sharp-shinned Hawk's eggs may be found in the first week of llii flu "» ' £j'< If m * \ t. F l\ 170 NESTS AND EGGS OF April and as late as the last week of June ; the birds seldom occupy a nest the second time. Mr. J. Parker Norris has a large series of these eggs in his collec- tion, consisting of seventeen sets, ranging in number from three to five, and one containing the unusual number of seven eggs ; the dates on which they were taken is from April 1 1 to June 26. Most of these eggs were collected by the experienced oologist, " J. M. W.," Mr. C. L. Rawson, of Norwich, Conn. Mr. Norris also describes seventeen eggs which were laid in succession by a single bird between May 23 and June 25.* The eggs of the Sharp-shinned Hawk, Mr. Norris states, are sub- ject to great variation in markings, and yet, as a rule, they can be iden- tified at a glance. With the exception of the Sparrow Hawk, Tinnun- culus sparverius., they are the smallest laid by any of the hawks found in North America, and among the most beautiful eggs of any of the Raptores. Their ground color varies from bluish-white to grayish- white, spotted, blotched, speckled, streaked and clouded with light fawn color, burnt umber, chestnut, lavender-gray, chocolate, russet- brown and cinnamon, exhibiting an endless variety of bold and indis- tinct patterns of coloration and design. The usual form of the egg is spherical, of nearly equal size at both ends. The average size is 1. 50x1. 16. 333. Accipiter cooperi (Bonap.) [431.] Cooper'* Hairk. Hab. North America at large; greater portion of Mexico. Distributed throughout temperate North America at large as a summer resident, and well known to the farmers by the name of Chicken Hawk. Its flight is easy and usually slow, but the bird is quick in its movements ; its long tail serving the purpose of a rudder as it suddenly pounces upon the object of its pursuit or quickly ascends into the air. This and the last species are perhaps the boldest depre- dators of the family. They are shy and difficult of approach, yet their imprudence often proves fatal to them. They do not hesitate to attack chickens in the presence of their owners ; they also feed largely upon small quadrupeds, weasles, squirrels and young rabbits ; snakes and reptiles are among their victims. A specimen of this bird is in my collection which was killed by a weasel in mid air ; the weasel sucking the blood of the hawk, while the bird was struggling with its intended victim, which escaped unharmed. The nests of Cooper's Hawk are usually placed in tall trees, from * For 8 complete d'sscription of this series of e?rgs see Ornithologist and Oologist, Vol. XIII, pp. 84-37. NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. ten to fifty feet from the ground ; frequently an old Crow's or some other Hawk's nest is fitted up for the purpose, which is occupied for a suc- cession of years, and the nests are often so augmented by the continu- ous adding of brush and rubbish that they become huge structures. May 15, 1880, a collector brought me a set of four eggs taken from an old squirrel's nest. Mr. L. Jones, of Grinnell, Iowa, writes that this Hawk deposits its eggs in that region about the first of May. The number of eggs laid ranges from four to six, rarely the latter number, and they may be found in various sections between April i and May 20. The eggs are of a pale-bluish or greenish-white, usually spotted with pale reddish-brown. Mr. Norris has sets of these eggs that are heavily marked. They measure from 1.80 to 2.10 long by 1.40 to 1.62 broad. A set of four eggs from Southern Arizona, taken May 15, measure 1.9OXI.40, 1.95x1.42, 1.92x1.40, 1.90XI.42; another set of four col- lected in Central Ohio, April 9, measure 1.89x1.40, 1,92x1.45, 1.93 x 1.40, 1.90x1.42. 334. Accipiter atricapillus (Wils.) [433.] American Oosha-wrki Hab. Northern and Eastern North America; the northern half of United States, a winter resident in some parts. A large and handsome hawk — one of the most symmetrical in out- line of the family ; known to breed mostly north of the United States. Its breeding places are usually in thick evergreen woods, the nest be- ing placed in tall hemlock trees ; it is bulky and composed of sticks, twigs and weeds, lined with bark strips and grass. The eggs are two or three in number, bluish-white, sometimes faintly spotted with yel- lowish-brown. Mr. Norris has two sets of these eggs in his collection ; one of three taken at Kentville, Nova Scotia, April 26, 1888 ; they are bluish-white, unmarked, but nest stained; sizes: 2.25x1.81, 2.36 x 1. 71, 2.24 X 1.76; the other of two eggs taken in the same locality. May 5, 1888, are dull bluish-white and measure 2.14 x 1,79, 2. 13 x 1.83. Aver- age size 2.31 XI.75. 334fl. Accipiter atricapillus striatulus. Ridgw. [433«] Western Ooihaw^k. Hab. Western North America. A darker colored race than the foregoing, inhabiting the Pacific coast region, north to Sitka, breeding in the Sierra Nevadas probably as far south as 30°. General habits, nesting, eggs, etc., the same as those of atricapillus. Average size of eggs 2.36 x 1.75. P •IH tt 1 172 NESTS AND EGGS OP 335. Parabuteo unicinctus harrisi (Aud.) [434.] Harris's Hawk. Hab. Southern border of the United States; Mississippi, Texas, Arizona, southward to Panama. This bird is an inhabitant of the warmer parts of America, extending its range over our Mexican border. In Texas it is common, especially about the mouth of the Rio Grande. Its habits resemble those of the Caracara Eagle, but it is not so active, and the nests are hardly distin- guishable in situation and construction. It is said, by some observers, to subsist entirely on carrion, and may be seen in company with the Turkey Buzzard, Black Vulture and Caracara Eagle. Mr. Sennett found this species to be the most abundant of any other of the family on the Lower Rio Grande in Texas. In their crops he found mice, lizards, birds and often the Mexican striped gopher, indicating that they were active hunters instead of sluggish birds. The eggs are white, with a yellowish tinge, sometimes marked with light dashes of yellowish- brown and dottings of purplish drab ; commonly two or three in number, rarely four. Four sets of these eggs are in the cabinet of Mr. J. Parker Norris, and show considerable variation in size and shape. One set of three taken near Corpus Christi, Texas, May 10, 1886, are entirely dull white ; sizes, 2.19X 1.61, 2.13x1.63, 2.14X 1.58; another of two eggs taken in Cameron county, Texas, May 25, 1886, measure 2.083: 1.65, 2.19 x 1.71 ; a set of three eggs from the same place, collected April 25, measure 2.00X 1.65, 2.06 X 1.65, 2.13 X 1.69 ; one of the eggs of this set has a few faint cinnamon spots ; the fourth set taken in Cameron county, Texas, May 3, 1886 ; two of these are faintly marked with laVender, but the third is distinctly spotted at the large end with cinnamon ; sizes, 2.14 XI.65, 1.94x1.61, 1.99x1.57. [336.1 Buteo buteo (Linn.) [435.] European Buzzard. Hab. Northern portions of the Eastern Hemisphere. Accidental in Michigan? The older ornithologists were doubtless mistaken in the identifica- tion of the specimens obtained in this country, which they describee and figured as Btiteo vulgaris of Europe. This Hawk has been entirely excluded from our fauna by more recent authorities, and it is admitted only on the grounds of a single specimen taken near Paw Paw, Michigan, by J. D. Allen, and received in the skin by Mr. C. J. Maynard in the autumn of 1873. The bird is quite common in England, frequenting the more cultivated por- tions, as well as the very wildest parts of Scotland and tracts of Alpine NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. forests, where its favorite breeding place is on the edges of ravines. The nest is placed in some large tree or on a ledge of rock, and is built of sticks with a scanty lining of wool and hair. The eggs are three or four in number, of an oval form, bluish-white, with pale brown blotches and spots of yellowish-brown, chiefly at the larger end. A set of three eggs in my cabinet, from England, measure 2.30 x 1.75, 2.28x1.72, 2.30x1.68. 337. Buteo borealis (Gmel.) [436.] Red-tailed Hawk. Hab. Eastern portions of North America, west to the Great Plains. The Red-tailed Buzzard, in its light and dark geographical races, is distributed throughout the whole of North America. This species is abundant in the eastern portion. A large Hawk and a notorious visitor to barn-yards, though lacking much of the pluck and dash of the mem- bers of some of the preceding genera it has the equally successful quality cf perseverance. The food ot this species is chiefly small quadrupeds, red squirrels, gophers and ground moles, and the remains of these rodents may always be found in this bird's nest containing young. The Hawk will always be found common where these small animals are most abundant. The nest is placed in high trees in deep woods ; it is large and bulky, though comparatively shallow ; made of sticks and twigs, mixed together with corn-husks, grass, moss, and on the inside may be found a few feathers. Sometimes the deserted nest of a crow or that of another hawk is fitted up and used. Mr. J. Parker Norris records a nest occu- pied first by the Great Horned Owl and afterwards by the Red-tailed Hawk, each year ; the young owls leave the nest before the hawk is ready to occupy it. The number of eggs laid by this species is two or three, rarely four. Mr. Norris has a series of twenty-seven sets collected in Connecti- cut, Pennsylvania, Iowa, Mississippi, and Texas ; nineteen of these sets are of two eggs, six of three, and two of four.* The time of deposit- ing the eggs in the United States varies according to locality and cir- cumstances, but they are generally laid in March or April. Eggs are found in different stages of incubation as late as the middle or latter part of May. A large series of eggs present amazing differences in size and markings ; their ground color is white or bluish-white ; some are entirely unmarked, while others are veiy heavily blotched and splashed *For a detailed description of this series see Ornithologist and Oologist, Vol. XI, pp. 67-69. Sinc6 the above was written Mr. Norris has increased his series to thirty-six sets. I ? II IK m w. i 174 NESTS AND EGGS OE with many shades of red and brown ; some are faintly marked here and there with a light purplish tint, and again the colorings may form an almost confluent wreath at either end. The largest eggs in Mr. Nor- ris' collection measure 2.41 x 1.84, 2.37 x 2.cx) ; the smallest, 2.17 x 1.80, 2.20 X 1.78. The average size is 2.36 x 1.80. 337a. Buteo borealls kriderii Hoopes. [436a.] Hab. Krider'a Hawk. Great Plains of the United States, from Minnesota to Texas. I This lighter colored variety of the Red-tailed Hawk occurs in the Great Plains, from Minnesota to Texas ; east irregularly or casually to Iowa and Northern Illinois. Mr. F. M. Dille writes that this bird nests in remote places on the plains and among the large cliffs of Colorado. He was unable to de- tect any difference between the nest and eggs of this bird and those of the Western Red-tail. He took a set of the eggs, three in number, in Weld county, May 24, 1886, from a nest in a cottonwood tree. They are now in the collection of J. Parker Norris. Two of these specimens are slightly spotted with Vandyke brown, but the third is quite heavily splashed and blotched at the smaller end with chestnut and cinnamon ; their sizes are 2.34x1.82, 2.30 x 1.84, 2.28 x 1.83. Mr. Dille states that the nest contained cotton balls, from the tree in which it was placed ; these had burst and made excellent soft lining for the nest. 337/^. Buteo borealls calurus (Cass.) [436A] 'Western P.ed-tall. Hab. Western North America, especially in the United States, from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific, south into Mexico. A blackish or sometimes an almost entirely sooty variety inhabit- ing Western North America. In all respects its breeding habits are the same as those of the Eastern representative, nesting in the branches of lofty oaks, pines, sycamores, etc. In mountainous regions the nests are often placed on the narrow ledges of cliffs. The eggs can not be distinguished from those of B. borealis. 339. Buteo lineatus (Gmel.) [439] Red-shonldered Hanrk. Hab. Eastern North America, north to Nova Scotia; west to the edge of the Great Plains. This large species is one of the commonest hawks in the United States, and it is especially abundant in winter, from which it receives the name of Winter Falcon, but it is not more hardy than the Red-tail. It also shares the name of Chicken Hawk, commonly applied to all the larger hawks. Only occasionally it visits the barnyard, its diet is of a more humble kind, such as frogs, rats, mice and small snakes. NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. The nesting of the Red-shouldered Hawk is very much the same as that of the Red-tail, but in many sections it seems to have a prefer- ence for lower woods, in bottom lands. The nest is said nov to be so long re-occupied by the birds. The eggs are usually deposited in April or May. The number of eggs is three or four, sometimes only two. The ground color is bluish, yellowish-white, or brownish, spotted, blotched and dotted irregularly with many shades of reddish-brown ; they are usually more highly colored than the eggs of the Red-tail. Some of them are exceedingly handsome. A series of sixty-one sets are in Mr. Norris' cabinet, nearly all of which were collected by the celebrated oologist, " J. M. W.," (C. L. Rawson) ; they show a wonderful variation in size and markings, rang- ing from almost unmarked to very heavily spotted and blotched speci- mens. To describe all the shades of reds and browns, which comprise the variation, would be an almost endless task, and a large series like this must be seen in order to appreciate how much the eggs of th^'s species vary. The sizes range from 2.00 to 2.30 long by 1.65 to 1.75 broad. 339a. Buteo lineatus alleni Ridgw. Florida Red-ahonldered Hatrk. Hab. Florida, Texas. In Texas Mr. Singley found this bird breeding in the densely wooded bottom lands, in tall pin oaks that border the streams. He states that the nest is placed on the large limbs of the trees, and is constructed of large and small sticks, weeds and moss; sometimes it is beautifully decorated with Spanish moss. A few of the birds prefer the uplands for a breeding place, and select pin oaks and hickory trees in the neighborhood of streams. Mr. Singley says this Hawk has the peculiar habit of placing green leaves in the nest. Sometimes the leaves are bruised and often stain the eggs, and by the time incubation is well advanced the nest is half full of the leaves. Nest building commences about the middle of March, and fresh sets of eggs may be found until the middle of April. Two or three eggs are laid. Mr. Norris has seven sets collected by Mr. Singley in Lee county, Texas. Their ground-color is dull white or bluish-white and they vary from almost entirely unmarked to heavily blotched, spotted and speckled with red, lilac and rich reddish-brown. They vary in size from 1.96 to 2.19 long by 1.67 to 1.73 broad. 339(^. Buteo lineatus elegans (Cass.) [439a.] Red-bellied Hawk. Hab. Pacific coast of the United States, south into Mexico, This western race, whose whole under plumage is of a rich dark (J 176 NESTS AND EGGS OP reddish color, is distributed from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific. Nesting and eggs similar to those of B. I. alleni. Average size of the eggs is 2.19x1.71. A set of two eggs in Mr. Norris' collection, taken May 2, 1887, in Los Angeles county, California, measure 2.t2x 1.75, 2.04 X 1.77. They are grayish-white spotted with russet. 340. Buteo abbreviatus Cahan. [440.] ZonO'tailed Hanvk. Hab. Texa^, Arizona and Southern Califurnia, louth into the northern portion of South America. The Zone-tailed Hawk is a peculiar species, unlike any other of the United States. It is slenderly built with long wings and tail and in its various plumages is not yet well known. The bird is a Mexican and Guatamalian species and is of quite general distribution in Texas and Arizona where it frequents the wooded districts in the vicinity of streams. Its iood is small birds, quadrupeds, beetles, locusts and grasshoppers. In Texas and Arizona this Hawk has been found nesting in May, fresh eggs being taken by the middle of the month. The nests are built on tall trees, such as cottonwood, ash, box-elders, sycamore and cypress that fringe the streams. It is placed from fifteen to forty feet from the ground, in the horizontal branches; is large and bulky, made of coarse sticks, lined with cottonwood leaves or Spanish moss. When disturbed while incubating the bird is said to fly off, uttering a loud whistling cry. The eggs are two to four in number ; dull white, usually spotted, splashed or speckled, with rich chestnut or umber-brown, chiefly at the larger end ; their average size is 2.15 x 1.70. 341. Buteo albicaudatus Vieill [441.] 'White-tailed Hawk. Hab. Rio Grande Valley of Texas, southward through Mexico, Central and most of South America. This fine Hawk is a rather common resident on the Rio Grande of Southern Texas and southward. Dr. Merrill mentions two nests which he found May 2, 1878, placed in the top of a yucca growing in Palo Alto prairie, about seven miles from Fort Brown. The nests were not more than eight feet from the ground, and were good-sized plat- forms of twigs, with scarcely any lining. While examining these nests, the parents sailed in circles overhead, constantly uttering a cry resembling the bleating of a goat. Each nest contained one egg. The first was' fresh; size 2.35x1.91; dirty-white, with a few reddish blotches at the smaller end. The second, partly incubated, was like the first, but the blotches were rather sparsely distributed over the entire egg; size, 2.35 x 1.85. Mr. Edwin C. Davis found a nest of this Hawk seven miles south of Fort Griffin, Texas, containing two slightly incubated eggs, on the NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 177 on the 2d of June, iSS'^ ; it was in a mesquite bush, eight feet from the ground. This is doubtless late nesting, as all other nests found were empty. Three sets of two eggs each are in Mr. Norris' collection ; one taken May 2, 1884, near Corpus Christi, measures 2.20 x 1.80, 2.19X 1.80; their color is light grayish, faintly and sparingly spotted with light drab; another collected in the same locality March 24, 1886, one egg of which is unmarked, and the other faintly spotted wi'^i fawn color at the large end; sizes, 2.17 x 1.77, 2.25 x 1.78 ; the third set was taken on the Arkansas river, Texas, April 2, 1888; they are dull grayish-white, faintly and sparingly marked with light fawn color ; sizes, 2.33 x 1.65, 2.30x1.73. 342. Buteo swainsoni Bonap [442.] Swalnson's Ha'wk. Hab. Western North America from the Mississippi Valley to the Pacific ; north to the Arctic regions and south to Buenos Ayres. Casual in New England. One of the commonest and most characteristic of the large Hawks in various places of the West. Many are killed, as they commit great depredations in the poultry yards ; their food, however, consists largely of birds and the smaller quadrupeds — squirrels, gophers, rats, mice, etc. The flight of vSwaiuson's Hawk is usually slow, but in pursuit of its prey its swiftness is said to remind one of the dash of Accipiter velox^ Sharp-shinned Hawk. The sites which are chosen for nesting places by this Hawk are extremely variable ; in some localities the nest is built on the ground, on bushes, small saplings and on the ledges of rocky cliffs. Old nests of hawks and crows are fitted up for the occa- sion ; but usually it is built in the tallest trees and in an almost inac- cessible position in the outer branches. Mr. L. Jones states that in Iowa this bird, while breeding, is found principally in moderately timbered tracts, selecting less inaccessible places" for its nests than Buico borealis^ but of the same position and composition. The eggs are deposited as late as May 15, usually May i. Mr. A. M. Shields took a set of two eggs of this Hawk, May 21, 1886, in the vicinity of Los Angeles, California, from a nest situated in the extremity of the branches of an oak tree, fully fifty feet from the ground; these are in my cabinet and measure 2.00x1.61, 2.20X 1.67. The eggs of this Hawk are two to four in number, greenish- white, buSy-white or colorless, sometimes unmarked, but usually spotted, stained or blotched with reddish or rusty-brown. Their aver- age size is 2.21 X 1.70. 13 178 NESTS AND EGGS OF 343. Buteo latisslmus (Wilb.) [443.] Broad-irlnged Haivk. Hab. Eattern North America, from New llriinswick and the Saikatchewan country (outh to Texts, Mexico, Central America, northern portion of South America and West Indlo. The Broad-winged Hawk is of general distribution in eastern North America. It makes its summer home in the solitudes of den.se woodlands, usually in the vicinity of a marsh, lake or river. The bird is of an unsuspicious and spiritless character, frequently permitting the intruder to approach within a few yards of it without exhibiting the least alarm. When the nest is approached this Hawk is said to utter a piercing cry of alarm. Its food consists of squirrels, weasels, frogs, mice and small birds. Not always are the highest trees selected as nesting sites ; in some sections the crotches and branches of trees, ten to forty feet from the ground, are usually chosen, while in other regions the tallest oak and hickory trees, sixty to eighty feet from the ground, are pre- ferred. Abandoned crows' nests are likewise made use of by this species.* The nests are coarsely constructed of sticks, lined with fibrous roots, bark strips, moss or feathers. The eggs of the Broad-winged Hawk are usually deposited in May. In the forests of the Red River of the North in Minnesota, Mr. J. W. Preston found the eggs in the latter half of May; they have been taken near St. John, New Brunswick, as late as June 23 ; in Monroe county, Pennsylvania, June 6 ; and Northhampton county, Pennsyl- vania, May 17 and 18; near Framingham, Massachusetts, May 25; in Lafayette county, Mississippi, April 9, May 17 and 18. Mr. O. C. Pol- ing took sets of this Hawk's eggs near Quincy, Illinois, in May. A set of two eggs were brorght to me which were taken in Knox county, Ohio, May 26, 1886. The eggs are of a grayish, lavender-gray or yellowish-white ground color, variously marked with spots and blotches of fawn color and um- ber-brown and chestnut. Two or three are the usual number laid, and four are exceptional. The average size is 1.90 x 1.54.! *Many nests of the Raptores described by writers as resembling those of the Crow may safely be attributed to the latter as their architects, and wherever Crows breed abundantly it is almost an assurance that some species of Hawk or Owl may be found nesting in the immediate vicinity. fThis is the average size given by Mr. Norris, taken from a series of seventeen sets in his cabinet, nine of which came from Minnesota, three from Mississippi, one from Massachusetts, and four from Pennsylvania; forty-two eggs in all. Mr. Norris states that there are two types of coloration in the series; twenty-four of the eggs have markings of very subdued tints of pearl-gray, lavendar-gray, lilac-gray and ecru-drab, on a faint yellowish or bluish-white ground ; the tints in many instances have the appearance of being under the shell, and are present in specks, spots and blotches. The remaining eighteen eggs are marked with spots and blotches of fawn color, russet, walnut-brown, burnt umber and chestnut. Some of the sizes from this series are as follows: 1.74x152, 1.76x1.50, 1.85x1.46, 1.87x1.53, 1.90 x 1.43, 1.00x1.54, 1.99x1.63,2.01x1.62,2.06x1.52. See Ornithologist and Oologist, Vol. XII, pp. O-ll, and Vol. XIII, p. 21. NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 179 25 in ground 345. Urnbltlnga anthracina (Licht.) [444.] Mezloan Blsok Hawk. Hab, Arizona, southward to northern portion! of South America. A beautiful Hawk, known as the Mexican or Anthracite Buzzard, and found throughout tropical America, and north to Southern Arizona. The general color of the adult bird is coal-black ; tail-coverts narrowly tipped with white ; tail black, the tip and base white, and crossed at about the middle by a broad band of white. Dr. Edgar A. Mearns met with this Hawk in the valley of the Rio Verde River, Arizona, in 1884-5. The birds were present throughout the summer months, but departed in autumn ; they were extremely shy and were usually found hidden in the dense foliage of cottonwoods near water, in some low situation. Their flight he describes as swift and powerful. Occasionally one was seen eating a fish upon the sandy margin of the river. Their loudly whistled cry was rendered with great power, and different from that of any bird of prey with which he was acquainted. A nest was found built in a cottonwood tree June 19. This had evidently been the birthplace of many generations of these Hawks, for it measured four feet in depth by two feet in width. It was lined with a layer of cottonwood leaves, several inches deep, was very slightly concave, and composed of large sticks, much decayed below, showing that they had been in position for a number of years. The nest was about thirty feet from the ground and contained a half-grown nestling. Upon approaching the nest the Hawk exhibited much uneasiness and screamed lustily.* The eggs, two or three in number, are described as plain white, average size 2.10x1.75. 348. Asturina plagiata Schlegel. [445-] Mezloan Ooshairk. Hab. Southern border of the United States, southward to Panama; accidental in Southern Illinois. Captain Charles E. Bendire states that this, one of the handsomest of our Raptores^ is not an uncommon summer resident of the southern portions of Arizona. The bird's peculiar call-notes he describes as re- sembling the piping of the Long-billed Curlew ; their flight exceed- ingly graceful and swift, resembling in many respects that of the American Goshawk. They seem to prefer more open country than the latter species. In the timber bordering Rillitto creek, near Tucson, Captain Bendire found this Hawk breeding in 1872 ; on the dates May 17, June 6 and 19, and June 20, nests were found containing two and three eggs each. The nests were placed in cottonwood trees, fifty and seventy-five feet from the ground ; one found May 17, located in the •Auk, III, pp. 69-73. 180 NESTS AND EGGS OF topmost branches of a cottonwood was not a very substantial structure ; a shallow platform composed principally of small cottonwood twigs, a number of them broken off green by the birds themselves. The birds were seen, while flying, to grasp at a suitable twig with the talons, usually succeeding in breaking it off at the first trial. The nest was lined with dry cottonwood leaves and the tops of tne willows, the latter taken while yet green. Captain Bendire describes the eggs as white or pale bluish-white, unspotted, but always more or less stained with yellowish matter hard to clean off; size 2.00 x 1.60.'"^ A set of two eggs, taken in Arizona, May 23, 1884, by Mr. F. Stephens, is in the collection of Captain B. F. Goss. The nest from which these were taken was in a cottonwood tree, seventy-five feet from the ground ; it was made of cottonwood and willow twigs, mostly green, lined with small twigs and green leaves. The eggs are white, with a few indistinct bufFy-brown spots, sizes 1.90XI.54, 1.96x1.58. - .^ [347.] ArcMbuteo lagopus. (Brunn.). , ' Rough-legged Hawk. Hab. Northern portions of the old worM; Alaska. The European Rough-legged Buzzard very much resembles our American bird, sancti-johannis. In Europe it is said to be sparingly dis- tributed over the northern parts, appearing occasionally in Northern Britain, and with regularity in the more southern portions. It is known to breed in the rugged mountain regions of Switzerland and varioiis parts of France and Italy, placing the bulky nest of sticks in lofty trees or on precipitous rocks. The eggs, two to four in number, vary from dirty-white tc, grayish or cream-color, usually marked with num- erous spots and b otches of umber cud sepia-brown, and sometimes entirely unmarked ; average size 2.20x1.80. 347«. Archibuteo lagopus sancti-johannis (Gmel.). [447-] Amerioan Rough-legged Haw^k. H-b. Whole of North America, north of Mexican boundary breeding chiefly north of the United States. The plumage of the *' Black Hawk," as it is called, is subject to great variations. In general, the whole plumage is dark brown or blackish and light brown, gray or whitish. From these van-^gated sta^^es the bird varies to more or less uniform blackish ; but in either plumage it is easily recognized by the feathered shank. The Rough- legged Buzzard frequents swamps, marshes and the vicinity of lakes and rivers. It appears to be more numerous near the coast than in the interior east of the Mississippi. It is less active than most Hawks, ♦Ornithologist and Oologist, Vol. VI, pp. 87-88. NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 181 and approaches the Owls in the habit of hunting by twilight. Its food consists chiefly of mice and frogs. The nest of this species is placed on large trees, frequently on ledges of rocks ; it is a bulky structure, composed of sticks, grasses, weeds and various other materials which are soft and easily matted together. The eggs are two or three in number ; they are ";vhite or buffy, sprinkled, spotted or blotched with brown ; the average size given is 2.27x1.76. Mr, Norris has a set of two eggs taken June 9, 1864, on the Anderson River, in Arctic America, by R. R. MacFarlane. These are of an ivory white, spotted, splashed and blotched with cinnamon ; they measure, 2.20x1.76, 2.22x1.81. '•i ■ ect to iwn or -^gated either lough- lakes in the [awks, 348. Archibuteo ferrugineus. (Light.). [448.] Ferruginous Rough-leg. Hab. Western United States, across the great plains, north to the S^'skatchewan region; south to Mexico. Occasionally to Illinois. Known as the Ferruginous Rough-legged Buzzard or California Squirrel Hawk. A common species on the plains of the West, and one of the largest and handsomest of our American Hawks, In some localities this species builds its large and bulky nests on trees, ranging from ten to fifty feet from the ground ; it is composed of large sticks and lined with leaves, tufts of grass and roots, Mr, F, M. Dille, of Greeley, Colorado, stat'^s the birds are not shy, and made no demonstration when he approached the nest. He describes a nest as measuring three feet in diameter and two in depth. The eggs are two or three, rarely four, in number, Capt, B, F, Goss informs me that he found this Hawk in Northern Dakota nesting on the ground, on rocky, precipitous hillsides ; this, too, being the case seemingly from choice, for heavy timber was only a few miles away, and patches of brush and low trees were often in the im- mediate vicinity of the nest. May 4, 1884, Capt. Goss found a nest at the foot of a rock, on a steep bluff; it was composed of sticks, buffalo ribs, weed stalks and small pieces of turf, lined with dry grass. Four eggs, vaiy greatly in color, from finely spotted to heavily splashed with different shades of brown; sizes, 2,44 x 1.96, 2.55x1.96, 2.45x2.00, 2.40 X 1,92. Mr, Dille states that the usual date for depositing the eggs on the plains of Colorado is about May 20, but he has taken fresh eggs as early as April 20, A set of two in Mr. Norris' collection, taken in Comal county, Texas, March 30, 1873, ^^^ spotted, splashed with brown and burnt umber. They measure 2,33x1.88, 2.34x1.86. 182 NESTS AND EGGS OF 349. Aquila chrysaetos. (Linn.). [449.] Golden Bagle. Hab, Northern portions of the northern hemisphere, chiefly in mountainous regions. The Golden Eagle inhabits North America at large, and also the northern parts of the Old World. It may be recognized by the tarsus being wholly feathered to the toes ; the general color of its plumage is dark-brown throughout, and the tone of the color, in certain lights, is of a golden-brown. It is known to breed in mountainous portions of North- ern New England and New York. In the Anderson River region Mr. MacFarlane found the Golden Eagle nesting as early as the last of April, and eggs containing large embryos were taken May 27. The bird is quite common in the mountainous regions of California. The nests are built usually on inaccessible rocks, and sometimes in trees, and two or three eggs are laid, generally two. Throughout California the Golden Eagle seems to nest in trees by preference. Mr. Samuel C. Evans found it breeding in March, in the wild, rugged mountains of, Santa Clara county, in the vicinity of Mt. Day ; the nests were placed in sycamores, pines and oaks — one in a large pine tree which overhung a deep and rocky canon. Mr. Norris has a set of two eggs which was taken February 26, 1886, near Tres Pinos, California, from a nest built in a solitary live oak standing in a wheat field, on the side of a gulch. This nest was very large, nearly four feet in depth and five feet in diameter ; it was composed of sticks and lined with straw stubble, green grass and twigs in leaf. TJie eggs are whitish, heavily blotched with chestnut, and pale lavender under-shell markings ; sizes, 2.86x2.21, 2.89x2.29. Mr. J. R. Chalker, in the seasons of 1886-7-8, collected ten sets of the eggs of this bird in San Benito county, California, nearly all of which were taken from nests placed in trees. The first set was found February 26, and the others at various dates in the month of March, Two eggs was the usual number laid, and one set of three was taken. A nest in a lofty red-wood tree, ninety- four feet from the ground, is described as being made of large sticks, lined with red-wood twigs and straw-stubble. Nests were also found placed on almost inaccessible cliffs. The eggs in colors varied from white, unmarked, to faintly and heavily marked specimens. One set was found which was densely blotched with reddish-brown all over. Mr. Norris has another set of two eggs taken in San Benito county, California, which is dull white, thickly spotted and sprinkled with chestnut red and under-shell markings of pale lavender; sizes, 3.05 x 2.17, 3.01x2.14. NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 183 [351.] Haliseetus albicilla (Linn.) [452.] Gray Sea Eagle* Hab. Northern portions of Europe and Asia; Greenland. A large dusky-brown species known as the White-tailed or Gray Sea Eagle. Included in our North American fauna upon its occurrence in Southeastern Greenland. It is common to the sea coasts of Europe and is rarely found inland. Breeds on the coasts of Great Britain ; its most favorite haunts being the shores and islands of the northern and western coasts of Scotland ; the Hebrides, Orkney and Shetland Islands, where it nests on the rocky cliffs projecting over water. The nests are made of sticks or seaweed. Trees are also resorted to, though much less frequently. This Eagle also breeds on the coasts of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, and those of Russia. The eggs are two or three in number, plain white, but occasion- ally with small faint spots of light brown. A set of two eggs is in Mr. Norris' collection, taken in Sweden, May 17, 1885. They are of a dull white, nest stained, and measure 2.89x2.21, 2.73x2.20. _ , 352. Haliaeetus leucocephalus (Linn.) [-151.] Bald Eagle. Hab. Whole of North America, sonih to Mexico. This great bird is common everywhere in North America. It passes through three stages of plumage ; the first year the young are very dark-colored and are erroneously called " Black Eagles," the second they are " Gray Eagles," and are usually larger than the old birds. The residence of the White-headed Eagle is greatly influenced by the abundance of food, especially that of fish. It is found as far north as the Arctic Circle, and south as far as Florida and Texas. Breeds in the interior Arctic regions on the borders of lakes and rivers. Not an uncommon summer resident in Labrador, and breeds from thence southward along the Atlantic coast to Florida. Common resident of Oregon and Washington Territory. It is particularly common along the Columbia River, where the supply of fish is abundant. The eggs are deposited from December to April, according to locality. The Bald Eagle is not the sluggish, fish-eating bird that some writers state it to be, devoid of energy, obtaining its living by robbing the industrious Osprey. It has been known to swoop down upon flocks of Geese, Brant, Duck and Coot, select a par- ticular bird, when the flocks scattered, and successfully carry oflf its victim to the nearest sand-bar. If it is a goose, and too heavy, both birds fall into the water, when the Eagle literally tows the prize along the surface until the shore is reached.* This bird also captures *Wm. Brewster; Bull. Nutt. Club, Vol. V, pp. 57-58. if''* M III' iji 184 NESTS AND EGGS OF wounded ducks and other birds, and feeds on putrid fish and flesh. Florida seems to be a favorite breeding ground of the Bald Eagle, where they nest usually in January, but in the extreme southern por- tions— Cape Sable and the Keys in that region — iney breed in Decem- ber. The nests are massive structures, made of sticks, lined with roots or grass ; they are placed in trees, and their distance from the ground ranges from twenty to ninety feet. On rocky coasts, destitute of suit- able trees, this Eagle resorts to the cliff for nesting places, and the same eyrie is occupied for many years. The eggs are two, rarely three in num- ber, and are white, or ivory-white, unmarked, usually with a granu- lated surface and nest-stained. Three sets of two eggs each are in Mr. Norris' collection ; one from Merritt's Island, Florida, taken Decem- ber 13, 1883, mea'^ure 2.79X 2.21, 2.74 x 2.09 ; another from Stone Island, Maine, collected April 21, 1887, measure 2.88x2.15, 2.94x2.13; the third from Tampa, Florida, taken December 3, 1884, give the follow- ing dimensions: 2.70 x 2.12. 2.70x2.10. Four sets in my cabinet, col- lected by Mr. R. C. Stuart at Cape Sable, December i, 4 and 16, ex- hibit the following sizes by sets: First, 2.57x2.12, 2.98x2.22; second, 2.89x2.15, 2.91x2.17; third, 2.73x2.09, 2.63x2.02; fourth, 2.51 x 1.94, 2.51 x 2.00. These eggs were taken from huge nests, placed in mangrove trees, twenty to thirty-five feet from the ground. 353. Falco islandus Brunn. [412.] " White Gyrfaloou. Hab. Arctic regions, including Arctic America .ind Greenland. The Gyrfalcons are large handsome birds and are found in various phases of plumage, being white, more or less barred and spotted with brownish and black. They are birds of boreal regions, and nest in trees or cliffs, preying upon the smaller quadrupeds, grouse, ducks, auks, etc. The adult of the present species averages as white as the Snowy Owl. It is called Greenland Gyrfalcon and breeds in Green- land and other portions of Arctic America. Dr. Stejneger states that this species breeds on Bering Island. A pair had their nest in a steep and inaccessible rock, a couple of miles from the main village. Mr. Norris has a set of three eggs collected in Southern Green- land, by G. N. Proctor, May 26, 1884; the eggs were taken from a nest on a ledge of rocks. They measure, respectively, 2.14x1.81, 2.19x1.80, 2.17x1.81. The ground color is creamy-white, with the markings " •^eddish-brown distributed over the surface ; in one speci- men th( . _KS and spots form an indistinct circle near the large end. The eggs are said to be two to four in number. NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 185 354. Palco rusticolus Linn [412a.] Gray Oyrfaloon. Hab. Extreme northern portions of Euiopc, Asia and North America; Iceland, Southern Green- land; south in winter to the northern border ol the United States. The Gray Gyrfalcon is not uncommon in Iceland and Southern Greenland, and strays in winter into northeastern United States. Mr. Norris has a set of two eggs of this bird, collected by Mr. Proctor in Southern Greenland, on the 30th of May, 1884. Incubation was just begun, and the parent bird was shot. The nest was placed on a shelv- ing rock. One of the eggs is marked, over a whitish ground, with small light reddish-brown spots sparingly sprinkled over the surface, confluent at the small end, where they almost obscure the ground color. The rest of the egg has a whitish appearance. The other specimen is heavily marked over the entire surface. Sizes, 2.26x1.82, 2.25x1.86. 354a. Falco rusticolus gyrfalco. (Linn.). [412/J.] Oyrfaloon. Hab. Northern Europe; interior of Arctic Americ.-*, from Hudson's Bay to Alaska. MacFarlane's Gyrfalcon breeds abundantly in the interior regions of Arctic America, where numerous skins and eggs are annually taken. It not infrequently visits the Northern United States in winter, and it is recorded as even reaching the Middle States. A set of two eggs, taken in the vicinity of Great Slave Lake, is in Mr. Norris' collection. These were taken with the parent bird, by M. D. Smith, June 4, 1884. The nest was placed on a shelf of a cliff. The ground-color of the eggs is of a light brownish-red, very faintly speckled in a few places with a dark color of umber-brown and red. The surface is much gran- ulated. They measure 2.18 x 1.70, 2.21 x 1.73. A single egg in the cabinet of Capt. B. F. Goss, taken at Fort Yukon, Arctic America, in June, 1865, is finely and evenly speckled with reddish-brown over the entire shell ; the spots are partly confluent, giving the egg a reddish appearance; size 2.34x1.75, which is un- usually large. 354(J. Falco rusticolus obsoletus (Gmel.) [412^] Black Oyrfaloon. Hah. Labrador; south in winter to Canada, Maine and New York. This dusky form of the Gyrfalcon makes its home on the cliffs of the rugged coasts of L/abrador. Its habits are said to be the same as those of any of the foregoing belonging to the genus, and the eggs are similar. All the eggs of the several forms of Gyrfalcons present com- mon characteristics, and do not differ from each other more than eggs known to belong to the same species of hawk are found to vary. The average size of the Black Gyrfalcon's eggs is 2.26x1.77. • I ill ' I 186 NESTS AND EGGS OP 355. Falco mexicanus Schleg. Prairie Falo«n. [413.] Hab. Western United States, from the Eastern border Jof the Plaint to the Pacific Ocean. South into Mexico. Casual to Illinois. The American Lanner or Prairie Falcon is an abundant species throughout the open country of Western United States. It is the rep- resentative of the two Lanners of the Old World. This Falcon is said to possess great strength and daring ; it attacks and overpowers the great hares of the prairies, and other animals even larger and heavier than itself. It is very common in Wyoming and Washington Territories, Oregon and California. The Prairie Falcon nests usually on cliffs and ledges of rocks, sometimes in cavities in trees. The composition of the nests is sticks with a lining of grasses. In some of the rocky canons of Colorado nests of this haw': have been found on the tops of those massive sandstone columns that stand solitary and alone like ''uge chimneys. The eggs are two to five in number. Three sets of the eggs of this species are in the cabinet of J. Parker Norris. One of five eggs, collected by Walter E. Bryant, near Mt. Dia- blo, California, exhibit the following dimensions : 2.00 x 1.56, 1.99 X1.56, 1.98x1.59, 2.11X1.57, 1.93x1.56. These were laid upon the sand in a cavity in a large boulder. They are handsome eggs, creamy ground color, almost wholly obscured with specks, spots and cloudings of cinnamon and vinaceous-cinnamon. The second set is of two eggs taken in Sweetwater county, Wyoming, May i, 1887 ; the nest was on a rocky mound, along the Big Sandy River. The eggs are quite different from each other in appearance ; in one the ground color is cinnamon, sprinkled all over with Mars brown; size, 2.13x1.66. The other has a ground color of russet, sprinkled all over with burnt umber ; size, 2.14 X 1.68. The third set consists of three eggs. They were collected May 6, 1888, in Sweetwater county, Wyoming, The nest was on a rock on the bank of the Big Sandy River. The ground color varies from a deep cream to a hazel, and it is almost wholly obscured with cinnamon, rufous and light chestnut. They measure 2.28x1.68; 2.10 X 1.64 ; 2.20X 1.67. 356. Falco peregrinus anatum (Bonap.) [414.] DuoIe Haivk. Hab. Whole of North America. The Peregrine Falcon, Great-footed Hawk, or Wandering Falcon, as this species is variously called, is distributed throughout North America at large, but it can hardly be considered common anywhere. The Duck Hawk breeds as far south as latitude 36°, and usually in I NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 187 mountainous regions, or in the vicinity where water fov/1 are abundant. The nests are placed in natural cavities in trees, and on the sides of rocky cliffs. Col. N. S. Goss states that this Hawk is not an uncommon resident of Kansas, and that it begins laying early in March. It is known to breed in many of the rocky regions and along the coasts of the New England States ; in Pennsylvania, New York and in Michigan. It has been found nesting in the Anderson River regions in Arctic America, in Alaska, and on the coast of Labrador. This species is often called Bullet Hawk, being the terror of ducks and other water fowl, pursuing and striking them down while on the wing, often seizing the bird which the hunter has killed, carry- ing it off when almost within his reach. The eggs of the Duck Hawk are three or four in number, and measure 2.15 X 1.62. They vary from creamy-white to reddish-brown, spotted, blotched and dotted with reddish-brown and chocolate of vary- ing shades. Mr. Norris has a set of three eggs, taken April 14, 1876, at Michigumni, Mich. The nest was placed on a ledge of rock, on the face of a bluff; it was composed of a few twigs, some grass and a few feathers. The eggs are dull white, almost wholly obscured by innu- merable specks and spots of vinaceous-cinuamon ; sizes, 2.09x1.75, 2.06x1.70, 2.05x1.64. 356a. Falco peregrinus pealei Ridgw. [414a.] Peale'a Falcon. Hab. Aleutian and Commander Islands, south along the Pacific Coast to Oregon. Dr. Leonard Stejneger states that the " Black Hawk," as it is called, is a common resident of Copper and Bering Islanus, breeding in high and inaccessible cliffs. The eggs are not described, but are doubtless similar to those of F. peregrinus. 357. Falco columbarius Linn. [417.] Pigeon Hawk. Hab. North America in general, south in winter to West Indies and northern South America. A handsome little Falcon, generally distributed throughout North America, and known to breed in various sections from latitude 40° north- ward, but the majority breed north of the United States. It subsists mostly on smaller birds, together with an occasional mouse or small squirrel, capturing them on the wing. Wlien in pursuit of its prey the speed of its flight is something astonishing. Known to breed as far north as the Anderson and McKenzie River regions in Arctic America, and it is common in Alaska. During the breeding season it is found as far south as New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, in various I I i I I 188 NESTS AND EGGS OF I New England States, New York, Delaware, etc. It formerly bred in Ohi6, but not of recent date. In the West it has been found breeding in Washington Territory, Oregon, Idaho and Utah. Mr. Norris' cabinet contains two sets of four eggs each ; one collect- ed in the Wasatch Mountains, Utah, May 29, 1868. They have a cin- namon ground color, heavily spotted and blotched with burnt umber ; sizes, 1.56 X 1.25, 1.59x1.25,1.56x1.21, 1.59x1.23. Another set from Bingham county, Idaho, taken May 13, 1885, have a creamy-white ground color, sprinkled, spotted and blotched with chestnut ; sizes, 1.44X 1.22, 1.56X 1.24, 1.52X 1.25, 1.47X 1.22. The nests of this Hawk are variously situated ; in the cavity of a cliff, in the hollow of a tree, on the branches of trees, and somtimes under the roofs or between the rafters of ruined or deserted buildings. 358. Falco rlchardsonii Ridgw. [418.] Richardson's Merlin. Hab. Interior of North America, northward to the Arctic regions, south in winter to Texas and Ari- zona; straggles west to the Pacific coast. Richardson's Merlin is said to breed in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, and from thence northward. Its habits in general are iden- tical with those of F. colmnbarns. Professor Ridgway describes a single specimen of the egg of this bird as " buffy- white, handsomely marbled and irregularly spotted with madder-brown ;" size, 1.52x1.22.* 359. Falco fusco-coerulescens Vieill. [419] Aplomado Falcon. Hab. Southern Texas, New Mexico and Arizona, south to Patagonia. This beautiful bird, known as the Femoral Falcon, is common, and has a wide range in South and Central America ; and specimens of the bird, its nests and eggs have been taken in Southern Texas, along the banks of the Rio Grande, and in Arizona. Dr. James C. Merrill found nests of this species on June 16, 1877, ^"^^ ^^M 7) '^^l^i near Fort Brown, Texas ; they were placed on the tops of the low Span- ish bayonet, and were simply slight platforms of twigs with depres- sions, lined with a little grass. Two nests contained three eggs each. The eggs measure 1.78x1.34,1.84x1.29, 1.73x1.32. Their ground color is white, but so thickly dotted with reddish as to appear of that color ; over these are somewhat heavier markings of deeper shades of brown. The three others measure 1.80 x 1.29, 1.77 x 1.33, 1.88 x 1.33. 360. Falco sparverius Linn. [420, 420a.] American Sparroiir Hanp^k. Hab. North America in general. South to Northern South America. This beautiful little Hawk is abundant evervwhere in North ■^ Manual of North American Birds; p. 251. NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 189 North America, and is familiar to every boy who has been in the fields. Here it may be seen hovering almost motionless in mid air, then snddenly swooping down to the ground, arises again with perhaps a field-mouse in its talons. From this habit it receives the name of Mouse Hawk, although it also preys upon sparrows and other small birds. It is found almost everywhere, though most abundant along streams where the high sycamores whose natural cavities furnish suitable nesting places, but meadows and fields are its retreats when in search of food. It builds no nest, but deposits its eggs in the natural cavities of high trees, often in the deserted holes of woodpeckers, or in crevices in rocks or nooks about buildings. In the West it frequently occupies a deserted Magpie's nest. I have eggs of this Hawk taken from a crev- ice in a stone quarry on the Scioto River, where the birds have nested for years. Boxes on farm barns, provided for domestic pigeons, are often appropriated by the Sparrow Hawk, and it always proves to be a peace- able neighbor. The cavities where the eggs are deposited generally contain no lining. Dr. Merrill examined a number of nests in Mon- tana, and the eggs were deposited in many cases on a slight bed of leaves or grasses or a few chips. The eggs of the Sparrow Hawk are four or five, rarely six in num- ber. A series of forty eggs before me exhibit the usual wide diversity of coloration that is to be found in eggs with spotted shells. Most of my eggs are from Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky, while two sets are from California. The ground color varies from a yellowish or creamy- white to reddish or pinkish-buff; the surface is sprinkled, splashed, blotched, spotted and clouded with shades of chestnut and cinnamon brown, and the markings may be more numerous and heavier at either end, and they may be so confluent as to conceal the ground color. Eight eggs collected near Banning, Cal., April lo, 1884, measure 1.28x1.05, 1. 30x1.09, 1.30XI.07, 1.32x1.09, 1.36x1.07, 1.35x1.07; 1.36x1.11, 1.38x1.15. The largest eggs I have are from Ohio, taken by Robert Linton, April 20, four in number. Sizes, 1.37x1.15, 1.40x1. 13, 1.38x1.12, 1.44x1,16. The average size of the Sparrow Hawk's eggs is 1.36x1.12. They are usually deposited in April or in the first half of May. 362. Polyborus cheriway (Jacq.) [423] Anduboii's Caraoarat Hab. Northern South America (Ecuador and Guiana) north to the Southern border of the United States, Florida, Texas and Arizona. Common to the Southern border of the United States, and known as the Mexican Eagle or Buzzard — intermediate between the Eagles 190 NESTS AND EGGS OF i and Buzzards, and resembling both in its habits. It catches some of its prey living, but feeds readily upon dead animals. Although slug- gish at times, it is said to fly well, moving in a direct line, resembling the Black Vulture somewhat, flapping and sailing alternately, but when high in air, circles like a Hawk or Eagle. Dr. Merrill records this bird as a common resident, but more abundant in winter than summer in the vicinity of Fort Brown, Texas, and Mr. George B. Senuett also mentions it as not uncommon in the region of Brownsville. It has been found breeding as far north as Comal, Hays and Lee counties, Texas, in the months of March and April, and in Jefferson county as late as March 30. Mr. Stuart in- forms me that he has always met with this bird breeding on the large prairies of Southern Florida in March and April. Eggs were taken April 4. The tops of the cabbage palmetto trees are their favorite nesting places in that region. The nests in Texas and Mexico are built in trees or bushes, and sometimes in cliffs ; they are bulky plat- forms of branches, with a slight depression, lined with twigs, roots and grasses, and frequently altogether without lining. Both sexes in- cubate. Two or three eggs are laid, and they are noted for the beauty of their coloration. On a ground color varying from light and dark cinnamon to reddish and umber-brown, are specks, spots, blotches and cloudings of yellowish or reddish-brown, bright chestnut, umber or claret-brown. The markings are variously distributed over the sur- face; in some specimens they are dispersed over the entire egg, while in others scattering or more abundant at the smaller or greater half; occasional specimens are found almost entirely unmarked. The sizes vary from 2.10 to 2.92 in length by 1.37 to 1.90 in breadth. Mr. Norris has a series of fifteen sets in his collection — eight sets of two eggs and seven sets of three. 364. Pandion haliaetus carolinensis (Gmel.). [425.] American Osprey. Hab. Nearly cosmopolitan. In America from Alaska and Hudson's Bay south to West Indies and Northern South America. This winged fisher inhabits the entire temperate North America, breeding anywhere in suitable places throughout its range. Found about ialand waters, and particularly along the sea coast. Mr. W. W. Worthington, of Shelter Island, N. Y., says they are exceedingly varia- ble in the choice of a nesting place. On Gardiner's Island they all build in trees at distances varying from ten to seventy-five feet from the ground; on Plum Island, where a great many of them breed, a large number place their nests on the ground^ some being built up to the NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 191 height of four or five feet, while others are simply a few sticks ar- ranged in a circle, and the eggs laid on the bare sand. On Shelter Island they build on the chimneys of houses, and a pair has a nest on the cross-bar of a telegraph pole. Another pair has a nest on a large rock in Gardiner's Bay, near Gardiner's Island. They are made chiefly of coarse sticks and sea weed and anything that is handy, such as pieces of dry cow dung, bones, old shoes, straw, etc. A curious nest of the Fish Hawk was found by Mr. S. C. Shick in May, 1888, on the coast of New Jersey. A set of three eggs was taken, and upon descending the tree, Mr. Shick observed a nest of the Purple Grackle, Qtiiscalus qiiisada^ securely imbedded in the loose material of the Osprey's nest ; from this he took five eggs. At the bottom of the Osprey's nest was a thick, rotten limb, in which there was a Tree Swal- low's nest containing seven eggs. Mr. Worthington, who has collected hundreds of the eg^s of this species, and to whom I am indebted for a large series, sayf the largest set of eggs he has ever taken or seen is four ; the usual number, how- ever, is three, though sets of two are common. They are .subject to great variation ; the ground color is of a yellowish or creamy-white, spotted, streaked and blotched with reddish-brown cind umber, so thickly at the larger end as to completely obscure the ground, some are marked chiefly at the smaller end ; in a series of two hundred eggs be- fore me, there is a wonderful diversity of coloring ; some are almost entirely unmarked. The shapes and sizes also exhibit great variations ; Four selected specimens measure 2.Q5XI.65, 2.21x1.76, 2.42x1.76, 2.54x1.87. The average size is 2.40x1.75. 365. Strix pratincola Bonap. [394.] * . American Barn O'wl. Hab. United States in general, south into Mexico. A beautiful ochraceous-yellow or amber-colored owl ; sometimes called the "Monkey-faced Owl." A constant resident of the southern portions of the United States. Mr. Stuart says that in Florida the Barn Owl breeds most generally in March, usually in hollow trees, sometimes in deserted buildings or in the wrecks of boats left along the coast. I am informed by Mr. Shields that in the region of Los Angeles, California, this Owl nests almost anywhere ; in church towers, hollow trees, holes in banks, in barns, pigeon houses, old crows' nests, and even in holes in the ground. He took a set of five eggs from a nest in a burrow far out upon the plains. The breeding season he states begins about the first of April, and continues until the last of June. Natural cavities of trees are this bird's usual nesting places. h\ 192 NKSTS AND KGGS OF I Mr. Samuel C. Evans writes that along the Santa Ana River are high banks, perforated with holes, in which these owls nest. The eggs are often found in various stages of incubation in the same nest — some fresh and others nearly hatched. The nests are scantily sup- plied with a few sticks, straw, bones and other refuse of food. The number of eggs deposited by the Barn Owl ranges from five to eleven, rarely the latter number ; some writers say three to ten. I know of several authentic sets of eleven. Their color is plain, dead white ; their shape ovate Six specimens measure 1.75x1.35, 1.67x1.30, 1.79X 1.33, 1.67x1.34, 1.72x1.35,1.68x1.29. Twenty-eight specimens have an average sixe of 1.74 x 1.30. The largest egg of the Owl of which I have any record is in the collection of Joseph M, Wade, Boston, Massa- chusetts; it measures 1.97x1.40. 366. Aslo wilsonlanus (Less.) [395.] Amerloan Long-eared Owl. Hab, Temper.ite North America, south into Mexico. The Long-eared Owl is a common resident and generally dis- tributed throughout North America at large. It is of nocturnal habits, thus escaping observation, even where it is very common. Its food consists chiefly of mice and other small rodents. Breeds in suitable places wherever found. Forests of evergreens are favorite resorts of this species for breeding purposes. The nest is constructed with very little art ; composed of a few sticks with a more or less complete lin- ing of feathers. Various nesting places are selected ; such as a hollow tree or stump, rift of rock, an old crow's or hawk's nest, which is re- paired with a few sticks. In some localities the nest is made on the ground or on low bushes, and the same nest is occupied for several years. In the West where this Owl is very abundant it frequently de- posits its eggs in old Magpies' nests. In California it begins nesting as early as the middle of February ; in Kansas the eggs are deposited early in April. The eggs are from three to six, and sometimes seven in number ; they are white and oval in shape. Three eggs of this Owl are in my collection, taken from an old hawk's nest in Knox county, Ohio, April 20, 1884 ; they were so far advanced in incubation that they could hardly be preserved ; these measure 1.62x1.32, 1.57x1.28, 1.59 x 1.35. Three eggs from a set of five collected in Marion county, Ohio, April 9, 1884, measure 1.65 x 1.27, 1.59x1.33, 1.75x1.28. A set of six eggs from an old Magpie's nest, collected in Douglas county, Colorado, April 20, 1885, measure 1.59x1.32, 1.64x1.33, 1.57x1.38, 1.65x1.44, 1.60x1.35, 1.60XI.40. umber ; are in , Ohio, at they 8, 1.59 , Ohio, of six )lorado, XI.44, NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 193 367. Asio accipitrlnas (Pall.) [396.] Short-MurtMl OwL Hab, Entire North Amtrica; nearly coimopolitan. The Marsh Owl, or Short-eared Owl, is found throughout North America at large, but is more abundant in the Arctic regions during the breeding season than it is in the United States. It frequents the marshes, the thickets of bottom lands, and it seems to be particularly common in the tall weeds and grass of fields and meadows. In the West it is found on the vast prairies, along sloughs, hiding in the day- time among the sage bushes and tall grass. This Owl is the species commonly shot by sportsmen, as it rises from a field, marsh or thicket. It is nocturnal, but often hunts its food on dark days ; this consists of field mice, moles, shrews and other small rodents. The nest is made on the ground in the matted grass of marsh land ; it may be found in a depression, at the foot of a bush, beside a log, or in a burrow made by a rabbit or a muskrat ; a few sticks, soft grasses and a few of its own feathers usually comprise the nest proper; sometimes the eggs are laid on the bare ground. The complement of eggs ranges from four to seven. In Ohio they are deposited in the month of April, sometimes as early as the latter part of March, or as late as the middle of May. Within these dates it doubtless may be found breeding throughout the United States. A set of six eggs in my cabinet, with the parent bird, collected by A. Corwin, in Morrow county, Ohio, May 8, 1884, measure 1.60x1.20, 1.56x1.19, 1.50x1.21, 1.52 x 1.20, 1.64 x 1. 18, 1.56x1.22. They are white and oval in shape. The nest was on the ground, between logs, at the edge of a blackberry patch. The average size of the eggs is 1.55 x 1.25. 368. Syrnium nebulosum (Forst.) [397.] Barred O^rl. Hab. Eastern United States, north to southern British Provinces; south to Georgia and Northern Texas. Called the American Hoot Owl or Wood Owl, and Round-headed Owl. A large dark-eyed species, common to wooded lands of Eastern United States, especially bottom woods ; those of swamps, along ravines and rivers where there is a heavy growth of tall timber. The loud, laughing notes of this Owl, heard in the night, are something terrible, and if heard about the farm-house or camp-fire will not soon be forgotten. Its flight is soft, as if on wings of down, noiseless, quick and easy. Nests in hollows of trees, in old nests of hawks and crows. In Ohio it is said to breed as early as the last of February, but I have always found it nesting in April and the first half of May. In New London county, Connecticut, Mr. C. ly. Rawson has taken eggs 14 i I I f i^ 194 NESTS AND EGGS OF of this Owl in February, which were deposited on a solid cake of ice in a cavity or in the open nest ; he states that of late years full clutches of eggs are deposited by the last of March. The usual time of nest- ing in Iowa is March and April. The same nesting place is occupied by the birds for years, even after being robbed many times. The eggs are two or three in number, very rarely four ; globular, white. Between the eggs of this species and those of the Great Horned Owl there is commonly considerable difference in dimensions in favor of the former, but sometimes they approach each other so closely that to identify them by size alone is impossible. The Barred Owls' eggs measure in long diameter from 1.87 to 2.20, and in short diameter from 1.50 to 1.75. 368a. Syrninm nebulosum alleni Ridgw. [3971/.] Florida Barred Owli Hab. Florida, Texas, Louisiana and adjoining regions. A darker colored race found in Florida, Texas, etc. Mr. Singley states this is the commonest owl in Lee county, Texas, where it fre- quents almost exclusively the thick wooded bottom lands. He found seventeen nests in hollows of trees with eggs or young, and the niim- ber in each was invariably two. The sizes of a set of two eggs taken March 20, 1885, now in Mr. Norris' collection, are 1.89x1.58, 1.86 x 1.61 ; six other specimens measure 1.97x1.78, 1.90x1.61, 1.88x1.67, 1.89x1.60, 1.81 x 1.54, 1.87x1.63. The eggs are s'abspherical, pure white, smooth, without grauiilations.* 369. Syrnium occidentale Xantus. [398.] Spotted Owl. Hab. Southwestern United States, California, Arizon.-., New Mexico, Lower California and Mexico. By no means a common bird and comparatively little is known concerning its life history. The Western Barred Owl was first de- scribed iu 1859 from a specimen which remained unique in collections until Captain Bendire rediscovered it in Arizona in the spring of 1872. A nest was found April 17, which appeared to have been built by the birds themselves, and was placed about thirty feet from the ground ; composed of small sticks and twigs, lined with grasses, bark and a few feathers. It contained one white globular egg. Professor Ridgway gives the size of an egg as 2.05x1.80. Mr. Norris has a set of two eggs collected by E. M. Haight, near Riverside, California, May 19, 1885. They measure 2.11x1.67, 2.12x1.68; they were laid on the bare ground at the base of a large rock. 370. Ulula cinerea (Gmel.) [399.] Great Gray Ove-l, Hab. Arctic America, south in winter to the northern border of the United States. An immense owl — one of the largest in North America, — round- <' Ornithologist and Oologist, XI, pp. HO-141. NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 195 headerl and very much resembling the Barred Owl in appearance. It breeds far northward. Dr. Richardson met with this species in the fur regions and found it common on the borders of Great Bear Lake, keeping constantly in the woods, hunting hares and other smaller quadrupeds. May 23 a nest was found built on the top of a lofty balsam-poplar, composed of sticks with a lining of feathers. Mr. Mac- Farlane found this Owl abundant in the Anderson River region, and on July 19 discovered a nest built in the top of a pine tree, twenty feet from the ground ; it was composed of sticks, mosses and thinly lined with down. The eggs are white, two 01 three in number, and the average size given is 2.16x1.71. 371. Nyctala tengmaimi richardsoni (Bonap.) [400] Richardson's Otrl. Hab. Northern North America, south in winter to northern border of the United States. The American Sparrow Owl, or Richardson's Owl, so far as known breeds in northern latitudes and is supposed to nest as far south as Nova Scotia. In Western Manitoba, in the Red River region, it is quite common in the wooded districts. Specimens of this Owl have been taken in various parts of the Arctic regions, as at Fort Simpson, Fort Resolution, etc., and in Alaska. Dr. Richardson states that it in- habits all the wooded country from Great Slave Lake to the United States. The nest is described as built in trees, composed of grass and leaves; the eggs two to four in number and their average size 1.35 X 1. 14. They are globular in shape and white in color. 372. Nyctala acadica (Gmel.) [401.] Saw-iirliet OurL Hab. Whole of North America; breeding from Middle United States northward. The Acadian Owl is the smallest member of the family found in Eastern North America, and it inhabits the United States from the Atlantic to the Pacific, ranging north into British America; southward in wooded, mountainous regions, into Mexico. Its shrill, harsh notes, resembling the filing of a saw, have occasioned its name. The bird has been found breeding in Massachusetts, Maine, New York, etc., nesting in holes of trees, artificial nests, and in the old nests of herons. Mr. William Brewster records a set of four eggs taken April 5, near Tyngsboro, Massachusetts, by Mr. W. Perham ; they were deposited in artificial nests made from sections of hollow trunks, nailed to trees in woods. The sizes of four eggs are given, as follows : 1. 21 X. 95, 1. 21 X. 98, 1. 25 X. 96, 1.25 X. 97. Other eggs were taken from similar nests by Mr. Perham. Near Utica, New York, Mr. Egbert Bagg, on the dates of April t'\ 196 NESTS AND EGGS OF 7, 21 and 30, 1886, found four sets of the eggs of this species ; two sets of five and two of seven eggs each. They were taken from deserted woodpeckers' excavations in tree stubs, ranging from twenty-two to fifty feet from the ground. The eggs were laid on the rotten chips in the cavities, and a few feathers of the Owl were present. The eggs are white, nearly elliptical; the average size is 1.20 x 1.02. The num- ber ranges from four to seven. 373. Megascops asio (Linn.) |"402.] Soreeoli Owl. Hab. Eastern United States, north to British Provincca; west to the Great Plains, south to Georgia. The Mottled Owl is resident throughout Eastern United States and Canada ; west to the Rocky Mountains ; on the limits of its range shades into several varieties. The eggs of the different varieties of Megascops are not distinguishable. The nest of the Little Horned or Red Owl, as it is often called, is made in a hollow tree or stump, some- times in the topmost corner inside of an old barn or shed. I have found several nests between the broken siding of ice-houses along streams. The materials used are a few sticks, leaves, feathers, etc., on which the eggs are laid. In the month of April, 1885, a farmer brought me nine young, with the parent birds, which he had taken from a hol- low tree. One of the old birds was gray, the other red, and some of the young were of the red, and some of the gray type of coloration, this being a common occurrence. The eggs of this bird range usually from four to six, frequently eight, and rarely nine ; they are white, nearly round and average 1.40 X 1.20. 373a. Megascops asio floridanus (Ridgw.) [403a.] Florida Soreeoh Owl. Hab. Florida, Southern Georgia, occasional in Louisiana. A smaller and much darker form in the red and gray phases of plumage inhabiting Florida and adjoining regions. Its habits are the same as those of M. asio, and eggs in my collection are not distin- guishable except, perhaps, by their smaller size, 1.32 x 1. 15. 373^. Megascops asio mccallii (Cass) [402^.] Texas Sor«eoh Ow^l. Hab. Rio Grande Valley of Texas, south to Guatemala. This is a slightly darker bird than asio^ of the same size as flori- danus, and found in the red and gray plumage. Three eggs in my cabinet, collected near Corpus Christi, March 20, 1885, measure 1.36 x 1.17,1.33x1.18,1.36x1.15. NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 197 373^. Megasoops asio bendirei (Brewst.) Califontla SorMoh OwL Hab. California. No red phase of plumage is known in this bird ; it is grayish- brown or brownish-gray, and very much like M. asio^ being of the same size. Eggs in my collection from Petaluma and Riverside, California, do not differ from those of the Eastern representative. Four speci- mens measure 1.38x1.18,1.40x1.18,1.47x1.19, 1.47x1.20. The aver- age of ten eggs is 1.40 x 1.17. 373i. Megasoops aslo kennicottii (Elliot.) [4oa. Texas, New Mexico, north to West<^rn Indian Territory and Kansas; Southern Colorado, west- ward to California; Lower California; south into Mexico. The Ground Cuckoo, Snake Killer or Paisano, as it is differently called, is a curious long-tailed, chicken-like bird, noted for its swiftness of foot. It is found in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California southward. In Southern California, Mr. Shields states that this bird is abundant in the chapparal and sage bush regions. Its favorite food consists of small lizards and snakes. It nests in low trees, usually in the low branches of a cactus or in a thorny bush. A nest before me, collected in Lee county, Texas, by J. A. Singley, is a coarse structure made of sticks. It was placed in a haw bush about eight feet from the ground. The structure is thick and clumsy, with but a slight depres- sion for the eggs. The latter are deposited at intervals of several days, and a perfectly fresh egg is often found with one on the point of hatch- ing ; or young birds of various sizes with partially incubated eggs in the same nest is of common occurrence. Mr. Shields found eggs as early as the last of March, and as late as the middle of June. Most of the eggs obtained by Mr. Sennett in Southern Texas were deposited in April. From two to twelve are laid, commonly five to nine ; the gen- eral shape is ovate and the color white or buffy-white. Six selected specimens measure 1.56x1.20, 1.51x1.23, 1.60x1.18, 1.50x1.17, 1.57X 1. 14, 1.56x1.23, 1.58x1.19, 1.61XI.14. <■ Lawrence's Birds of Western and Northwestern Mexico: p. 202. 206 NESTS AND EGGS OP 388. Ooccyzus minor (Gmkl.) [386.] MangrsT* Onokoo. Hab. Weit Indict («xcept Dahamat); Florida Keyi; coait of Louiilana; Central to Northern and Eaitern South America. The Mangrove Cuckoo is very much like the yellow-billed species, C. americantis^ with the lower parts of the plumage more deeply col- ored— deep ochraceous, often extending to the throat ; bill similar to that of C americanus. This species occurs in nearly all of the West Indian Islands, except the Bahamas, and it is a rare summer resident of the Florida Keys, Audubon records it is a regular summer visitor to Key West and the other Keys. In the Island of Jamaica the Mangrove Cuckoo is said to breed from March to July, building in the low branches of trees and in bushes. The nest is described as a loosely made structure, composed of a few dry sticks. The eggs are three, rarely four, in number, of a glaucous- green color, oval-oblong in shape, and on the whole they are of the same size and general appearance as those of C. americanus. 387. Coccyzus americanus (Linn.) [387.] Yelloi^-bllled Cuokoo. Hab. Eastern North America, north to British Province, west to the edge of Great Plaint, lOuth In winter to tropical regions — West Indies, Eastern Mexico and Costa Rica. This bird is known by several names, such as Rain Crow, Rain Dove and Chow-chow, which are likewise applied to the Black-billed species. Wherever woods and undergrowth abound in Eastern United States the Yellow-billed Cuckoo may be seen in the breeding season. Its peculiar, resounding notes resembling the syllables kouk-kook-kook are probably uttered more frequently just before falling weather — hence the name, Rain Crow. Being somewhat nocturnal in their habits, the notes of both our Cuckoos are often heard at night. The nest will usually be found in a low tree or bush, sometimes it is placed in a brier patch close to the ground. Thickets along streams or upon islands are favorite nesting places. The usual distance of the nest from the ground is between five and ten feet. It is a slight structure of slender, dried sticks, sometimes twelve to fifteen inches long, but generally much shorter, bark-strips and catkins making up the fabric. Although near relatives of the notorious Cuckoo of Europe, which, like our Cowbird, lays its eggs in the nest of other birds, our Cuckoos generally respect the marriage tie, and are not altogether deserving of the stigma of the family name of Cuckoos of the Old World, although its eggs are sometimes laid in the nests of the Mourning Dove, Catbird, Cedar Waxwing, Cardinal Grosbeak, Robin, and others. NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 207 The eggs are deposited at intervals of two to five days, and fre- quently young are found in the nest with partially incubated eggs. Two to four are usually laid. Dr. Howard Jones, in " Nests and Eggs of the Birds of Ohio," says that when incubation does not begin until the complement is completed, as is commonly the case, four eggs, rarely six, make up the set. Mr. Norris has a set of six. The average size of twenty-eight specimens is 1.27X.89. Fresh eggs may be found as early as the middle of May, in June, July and even August. Not infrequently are the eggs of the Yellow-billed and lUack-billed Cuckoos found in the same nest. The color of the eggs is glaucous-green, of the same tint found in heron's eggs, which fades upon exposure to light, and when incubated, this color becomes several shades lighter than that in the fresh specimens. * * Coccyzus americanus ocddentalis Rmow. California Cnokoo. Hab. Weitern United Stato, north to Oregon, east to New Mexico and Colorado, louth over tabU- lands of Mexico. Prof. Ridgway describes this western form as larger than C. amer- uanus, with proportionately larger and stouter bill.* Mr. Norris has a set of three e^jijs taken with the parent bird June 4, 1888, near Salem, Oregon. The nest was the usual platform of sticks, which is charac- teristic of this family; situated in a cottonwood tree, on an island in a river. The eggs are of a bright pea green, and measure i.iix.83, 1.07 X. 83, 1. 12 X. 84. Incubation had commenced, and the eggs in this case more nearly approach those of C. crythrophthahnus in color than those of C americamts. 388. Coccyzus erythrophthalmus (VVils.) [388.] Blaok-billed Cnokoo. Hnb. Kastern North America, north to Labrador and Manitoba, westward to the Rocky Mountains, south in winter to the West Indies and Tropical America, The same names are given to this bird as are common to the Yellow-billed Cuckoo, C. americanus^ and their general habits are similar. The nests of the Yellow and Black-billed Cuckoos resemble each other closely, and it is not always possible to differentiate the two. Nests of the former are often found which could not be mistaken for those of the Black-billed on account of the coarse- ness of the nest, larger .'ize and paler color of the eggs. How- ever, as a rule, the nest of the Black-bill is constntcted with more care, the sticks being somewhat smaller, the catkins less numerous, and the whole woven together in a firmer manner. The eggs are smaller, less elliptical, and are of a darker green — deep glaucous-green or verd- '^For description see Manual of North American Birds: p. 273. !■ 208 NESTS AND EGGS OF i I I r iter-blue. The nest complement varies from two to five, rarely six, usually four, and they are found in all stages of incubation, as is the case with the eggs of C. americanus. Ten specimens measure 1.13X .79, 1.11X.S6, 1. 15 X. 84, 1. 13 X. 80, 1. 17 X. 82, 1. 17 X. 84, 1. 19 X. 80, 1. 12 X.86, 1. 13 X. 82, 1. 18 X. 89, with an average size of 1.T4X.79. 390. Ceryle alcyon (Linn.) Belted Klngflaher. Hab. Entire North America, South Panama and West Indies. [382.] This is the familiar bird whose loud, coarse, rattling notes are heard along our streams. It may be seen perched upon the lower branches of a tree overhanging the water, or on the top of a dead stump ; these places furnish a favorite outlook, from which it plunges beneath the water to secure its prey, which is chiefly fish. It is a curious fact that Mr. W. E. D. Scott frequently met with this bird in the desert region of Southern Arizona, far from water, feeding on the large insects and lizards. The nest of the Kingfisher is an excavation in the face of a per- pendicular bank of a stream, or in the banks of gravel pits. The entrance is generally about two or three feet below the surface ; the tun- ael is usually straight, but sometimes an angle from three to six or eight feet, and is dug by the bird. The Kingfisher ejects from its mouth the bones, scales and other indigestible portions of its food, like a bird of prey. Thus are we able to account for the bones and other remse of food found in the nesting cavities, in the midst of which the eggs are deposited. The eggs are of a clear shining white, nearly spherical in shape, usually six in number ; when the full complement is laid it generally lumbers seven or eight. Six eggs measure 1.34 x 1-07, 1.35x1.08, 1.37x1.04, 1.47x1.03, 1.37x1.05, 1.40XI.08. 391. Ceryle cabanisi (Tschudi.) [383.] Tejcan Kingfisher. Hab. Southern Texas to Arizona, south to Ecuador and Western Peru. This beautiful little bird, known as Texan Green Kingfisher, is quite common in suitable places along the streams of Southern Texas — wherever the water is not too muddy for it to clearly see its prey. Like the Belted Kingfisher, this species nests in holes of banks* depositing the eggs on the bare floor of the cavity, or upon fish-bones and other extraneous matter. Mr. Brewster describes the eggs of this species, taken in Comal county, Texas, April 25, as extremely thin- shelled, rounded-oval and nearly elliptical in shape, cleaj ivory-white, with a rather high polish ; others creamy-white, with scarcely any polish. The sizes rarely six, , as is the ure 1.13X X.80, 1,12 notes are the lower of a dead t plunges 1. It is a is bird in ig on the of a per- ts. The the tun- to six or from its bod, like nd other hich the ;, nearly piemen t :e J.34X 1: isher, is rexas — ts prey, banks, ti-bones Comal ed-oval rather le sizes CopyHght iSSb. PLATE VI. SWAULOW-TAII.ED KITE AND NKST. {ElaHoiiie.t fflrficatus,) Page ItiS. NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. .TE VI. 209 V ^,Y--~, ;e ion. of five eggs are given as 1. 00X.7 1, .94X.69, .99X.69, i.oox.71, i.oox.75, respectively. Mr. Norris has a set of four eggs taken from a hole in the bank of a river in Comal county, Texas, May 25, 1878. These are dull white, and measure .92 x .73, .96 x .72, .92 x .71, and .95 x .70. 392. Campephilus principalis (Linn.) [359.] Ivory-billed Woodpecker. Hab. Formerly Southern AtUintic and Gulf States and Lower Mississippi Valley, north to North Car- olina, Eastern Missouri, Southern Illinois and Indiana. Now restricted and only locally distributed in the Gulf States and Lower Mississippi Valley. The largest of our North American Woodpeckers — in fact it is the prince of Woodpeckers. Its length ranges from nineteen to twenty- one inches. * The adult male has a long pointed crest of scarlet, the entire crown (with its elongated feathers) is black; the bill ivory- yellow or whitish. This bird is now rare, and is apparently restricted to the extreme Southern States, especially those bordering the Gulf of Mexico. It is of a wild and wary disposition, making its home in the dark, swampy woodlands. The dense cypress swamps of Florida are at present one of its favorite haunts. A set of three eggs of this species is in the cabinet of Captain B. F. Goss. They were taken in Southern Texas in May, 1885, from a hole in a tree about forty feet from the ground ; the cavity was exca- vated to the depth of nearly two feet, and was large enough to allow the collector to insert his arm and take out the eggs. These are pyri- form in shape, and have the usual gloss of woodpeckers' eggs, and measure, respectively, 1.44x1.06, 1.45x1.06, 1.44x1.07. Mr. W. E. D. Scott found a nest of this species in Hillsboro county, Florida, March 17, 1887, containing a young bird, one-third grown. The nest cavity was dug in a large cypress tree in the midst of a dense swamp, and was forty-one feet from the ground ; the depth of the cav- ity was fourteen inches. Mr. Scott was told by old residents the bird was once very common in that region, but is now comparatively rare and shy. The day the nest was found eleven of the birds were counted in the swamp, somf times four or five were in sight at once.t 393. Dryobates villosus (Linn.) [360.] Hairy Woodpecker. Eastern United States, except South Atlantic and Gulf States. A ragged-looking black and white species, known as the large " Sapsucker," and one of the most noisy in the woods during the breed- * The Imperial Woodpecker, C. imperials (Gould,) measures twenty-three or twenty-four inches jn length. This bird is found in Western Mexico, north along the Sierre Madre, and probably has not yet been observed or >.aken within our limits, but is likely to occur at any time within the United States boundary. fAuk, V, p. 186 16 210 NESTS AND EGGS OF ing season, which occurs in latter part of April, through May and the early part of June. It does not accept the society of other species like its miniature, the little *' Sapsucker " — Downy Woodpecker, and always maintains a more dignified manner than this species when hunting insects in the trunks of trees. The nest cavity is commonly dug in dead or partially dead tree- trunks, on the outskirts of woods or those in orchards ; the distance from the ground usually ranges from ten to twenty feet, and the depth of the cavity eight to fifteen inches. No material is used for a nest lining; the eggs simply rest on the fine chips made during the exca- vating. Four, rarely five, glossy-white eggs are deposited. Five spec- imens measure .97X.70, .98x70, .94X.69, i.oox.70, i.oox.69. The northern form, D. v. leucomelas Bodd, is found from about the north- ern border of the United States northward. D. v. audubonh Swainson is the race of the Southern United States, east of the Plains. 393.94x .68, .83 X .70, .94 x .71, MX x .70. Bull. Nutt. Club, III, 200. i-mipssr 216 NESTS AND EGGS OP marked and most attractive birds of the family. It breeds from the northern United States northward. A common bird in most of its United States range. The Woodpeckers of this genus are the only ones to which the term " Sapsucker " can with any propriety be ap- plied. They lack the long extensile tongue which enables the other species to probe the winding galleries of wood-eating larvae, and they are known to feed largely upon the green inner bark of trees. In some localities this species is said to destroy many trees by stripping oflF bark and girdling them with holes for the sap. The following details are from Mr. William Brewster's account of this bird's nesting habits in New England. He states that throughout the White Mountains of new Hampshire, and in most sections of Northern Maine, the Yellow-bellied Woodpeckers outnumber all the other species in the summer season. Their favorite nesting sites are large, dead birches, and a decided preference is manifested for the vicinity of water, though some nests occur in the interior woods. The average height of the excavation from the ground is about forty feet. In nearly every tree examined by Mr. Brewster, which contained a nest, there were several newly-finished cavities, and others made in previous years, but in no case was more than one of the excavations inhabited. Many of the nests were gourd-like in shape, with the sides very smoothly and evenly chiseled ; the average depth was about four- teen inches, by five in diameter at the widest point, while the diameter of the exterior hole varied from 1.25 to 1.60 inches. The labors of ex- cavating the nest and those of incubation are shared alternately by both sexes. Mr. Brewster gives the eggs as numbering from five to seven in a set, and varying considerably in shape, some being oblong, others de- cidedly elliptical. They are pure white in color, and there is much less of that fine polish than in eggs of the other species of Woodpeckers he had examined. The size is given as .85 x .60. * 402a. Hab. Sphyraplcus varius nuchalis Baird. [369a.] Red-naped Sapsnokcr. Rocky Mountain region, west to the Sierra Nevada and Cascade ranges; south into Mexico. Capt. Charles E. Bendire, U. S. A., met with this race of ^. varius sparingly distributed in various portions of the Blue Mountains of Oregon, Washington Territory and Idaho, and as far west as the east- ern slope of the Cascade Range in Southern Oregon, in the Klamath Lake region, where it was replaced by Sphyrapicus ruber, the two species overlapping each other, but not intergrading, and remaining perfectly distinct. He found it breeding in June, nesting in cavities of • Bull. Nutt. Club. 1, pp. 63-70. NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 217 s f I live aspen trees. Dr. James C. Merrill found a nest of this bird in a cavity of a dead young cottonwood, in Montana, June 12. The height of the hole from the ground was twenty-five feet, and near the top of the same tree were three similar holes, probably used by the same birds in previous years. Mr. Dennis Gale, an enthusiastic naturalist, has given Capt. Bendire the results of his observations on the nesting of this Woodpecker in the mountains of Colorado. According to him, its nesting sites are invariably in living aspen trees, along the gulches and hillsides, and the birds are seldom found above an altitude of 9000 or much below 8000 feet. In excavating the cavity the female bird does the work from begirming to end, and completes it in from six to ten days. The height of the nesting place from the ground varies from five to thirty feet. The eggs are four or five, sometimes less in number. Fresh eggs may be found in Colorado from June i to 15, and should the first set be taken, a second may generally be found in from ten to .fifteen days later ; and as a rule, the second nesting-site will not be a great distance from the first one. Several nests of this species may be found within a short distance of one another in the same aspen grove. The cavities are roomy and ::^ourd-shaped. Capt. Bendire gives the measurements of two sets of four eggs each, taken by Mr. Gale. The first set, col- lected June, 1884, measure as follows : .91 x .67, . 90 x 68, .89 x 68, .88 x .64; second set taken June i, 1887, .90X.69, .90X.69, .90X.68, .89X 65. A set of three eggs taken by himself in the Blue Mountains, Grant county, Oregon, exhibit the following sizes: .90X.65, 90x64, 88x66. The average measurement is given as .88 x .66. The eggs are pure white after blowing, moderately glossy or lustrous, and generally ovate in shape. * The set of five taken by Dr. Merrill in Montana measure .91x72, .90X.73, .93X.71, .93X.73, .91X.73, respectively. 403. Sphyrapicus ruber (Gmel.) [369^5.] Red-breaated Sapsnoker. Hab. Pacific coast region, from California northward into Alaska. This species is confined to the Pacific coast region, occurring as far east as the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in Cen- tral and Northern California ; in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon and Washington Territory, thence northward through British Columbia into Alaska: A handsome bird, with the whole head, neck and breast carmine-red in both sexes. Captain Bendire states that this bird is an abundant summer resi- <■ See Notes on the Habits, Nests, and Eggs of the Genus Spkyrapicut Baird. By Capt. Charles E. Bendire : In The Auk, V, pp. 225-240. 218 NESTS AND EGGS OF dent of the aspen groves on the mountains in the southwestern por- tion of Oregon — the region about Fort Klamath, etc. According to his observations its nesting is very similar to S. v. nuchalis — breeding in healthy live aspen trees, making a gourd-shaped nest cavity from six to ten inches deep, four or five inches wide at the bottom and three inches near the top. It is situated from fifteen to twenty-five feet from the ground, and usually excavated below the first limb of the tree. A sure sign of a nest was the chips scattered about the base of the tree. Five or six eggs are laid, and fresh eggs may be looked for in the neighborhood of Fort Klamath from May 20 to June 5. Captain Ben- dire took the first set of eggs May 23, 1883, and he has taken nearly fresh eggs as late as June 13. When blown the eggs are of a pure del- icate white, the shell showing a moderate amount of lustre. There is considerable variation in their shape, running through all the differ- ent ovates to an elongate-ovate. The average measurements of sixty specimens are .94X.68; the largest egg i.oox.70; the smallest .86 x .78. A set of five eggs is in Mr. Norris' collection, taken with the female bird, near Salem, Oregon, April 13, 1888, from a cavity in a Cottonwood, twenty-five feet from the ground. They measure i.oox .73, .91X.71, .94X.70, .90X.71, .90x71. 404. Sphyraplcus thyroideus (Cass.) [370.] WlUlamion'a Sapsuoker. Hab. Western United States, from and inclusive of the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific. This singular representative of the genus Sphyrapicus^ has a dis- tribution extending from the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific coast in Oregon and California. The male and female of this species are so different in coloration that they were for a long time considered separate species. Regions of coniferous trees seem to be the favorite haunts of Williamson's Woodpecker. Dr. Merrill notes it as not an uncommon resident in the vicinity of Fort Klamath, Oregon, but shy and very suspicious. Two nests containing young were found June 20 in large dead pines ; each were at a height of about sixty feet, and inaccessible. Mr. Dennis Gale, who has given Capt. Bendire his observations on the habits of this species in the mountains of Col- orado, says that ;he birds are as often met with in moderately thick woods as in more open clearings. The nesting sites are excavated in the trunks of pine trees, at heights ranging from five to sixty feet or more. Fresli eggs may be looked for, according to altitude, from May 20 to June 15. At Fort Klamath, Capt. Bendire took the first set of eggs June 3, 1883. Five or six are laid. They are pure white, a trifle 1 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 219 less lustrous than those of 5. ruber, a little more elongated and pointed in shape, some approaching a distinct ovate-pyriform or pear shape, a characteristic not apparently found in the eggs of other species of the same genus. Capt. Bendire gives the average size of seventeen speci- mens as .97 X .67 ; the largest, 1.02 x .68 ; the smallest, .94 x .67. 405. CeophloBus pileatus (Linn.) [371.] Plleated \i^oodpeoker. Hab. Entire North America in heavily-wooded districts. Next in size to the Ivory-billed species is the Pileated Wood- pecker, commonly called Logcock. It was formerly common to the whole wooded region of North America, but is now rare or absent in the thickly settled portions of the Eastern States. In southern dis- tricts, midst timbered swamps and heavy secluded woods it is still abundant. The nesting places are excavated usually in the main trunks of high trees, such as oaks, sycamores, elms, pines, etc. The height of the burrow from the grouud ranges from twenty to eighty feet. If inhabited, and the bird is at home, a rap upon the trunk of the tree will generally bring this species to the entrance of the excavation. The eggs are from four to six in number. A set of five eggs in the collection of Mr. Norris, taken April 6, 1887, in Lee co., Texas, exhibit the following measurements: 1.27X.95, 1.33X.96, 1.29X.97, 1.29 x. 98, 1.29 x .96. They are pure white and very glossy. 406. Melanerpes erythroi ^phalus (Linn.) [375.] Red-headed \ lodpeoker. Hab. Eastern United States and British Prov^ s west to le Rocky Mountains, occasionally farther. Rare or casual east of Hudson River. One of the most familiar birds in Eastern United States. It is found almost everywhere — in deep forests and open woods, in groves, orchards and solitary trees in fields, or along the roadside, and on the open prairies. A bird of manifold tricks and manners — some are commendable, and some are not. It is known to rob and demolish the nests of the Cliff Swallows; oftentimes whole colonies of these nests are destroyed by this Woodpecker. It seems to have considerable fore- sight in " looking out for a rainy day ahead" by storing grasshoppers, acorns and beech nuts in the cracks and crevices of posts, in the cavi- ties of partially decayed trees, and under patches of raised bark. Ber- ries and various fruits are likewise a portion of its food. A cavity for the nest is dug in the decayed trunk of any kind of a tree of sufficient thickness, and in almost any situation. Telegraph poles are often resorted to. On the open, treeless prairies it has been known to nest in the angle formed by the shares of an upturned plow, and necessity often compels this bird to make its nest under the roofs or in any I' 220 NESTS AND EGGS OF dark hole it may find on the prairie farms. The eggs are five or six in number ; when fresh and before blowing, like those of all Wood- peckers, show the yolk through the translucent shell, which gives them a beautiful pinkish appearance. After blowing they are of a clear, glossy-white. The average size is .99 x .78. 407. Melanerpes formlcivorus bairdi Ridgw. [377.] Callforniau TVoodpeoker. Hab. Northern Mexico and Northern Lower California; Western Texas to California, north along the Pacific coast to British Columbia. This handsome Woodpecker is common along the Pacific coast region, as in California, Oregon and in Washington Territory. It is said that this species in California has the habit of digging small holes in the trunks of trees, in which it stores acorns for its winter food. Mr. W. H. Henshaw met with it in the Rocky Mountain region of New Mexico, near Santa Fe, where it frequented the small oak groves. Mr. W. E. D. Scoti: states that this bird is a common resident of the Pinal and the Catalina Mountains of Arizona, both in pine and oak regions as low as 4,000 feet. July 30, 1884, a nest containing three half-grown young was found ; it was in a natural cavity of a sycamore tree fifty feet from the ground. A set of five eggs of this species is in Mr. Norris' collection; they were taken April 30, 1880, near Shasta, California. They are white and very glossy ; sizes 1.05 x8o, i.iox .']']y 1.05X.76, 1.06X.82, i.o6x.8i. Mr. Bryant has a set of six eggs col- lected by Capt. Bendire near Camp Harney, Oregon, May 13, 1878. Their sizes are 29.5x23, 30.5x21.5, 30x21.5, 27.5x21, 29.5x21.5, 30X 22 m"'^..* A set of four eggs taken by Mr. Bryant near Altaville, Cal- ifornia, June, 1885, exhibit the following dimensions : 27 x 19, 24 x 18.5, 25.5 X 19, 24 X 18.5 mm.f These were found in a nest on the under side of a limb of a live oak, ten feet from the ground. 408. Melanerpes torquatus (Wils.) [376.] Xtetvis's 'Woodpecker. Hab. Western United States, from the Ulack Hills and the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific coast. In most of the wooded, mountainous regions of the West, from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific, Lewis's Woodpecker is a common bird. About Fort Klamath, Oregon, Dr. Merrill notes it as rather uncommon during the summer, nesting usually near the tops of tall dead pines, especially isolated ones, from which they can obtain a good view of passing insects, which they will often follow to a considerable distance. The general habits of tliis species are similar to those of the Red-headed Woodpecker. It is found in greater or less abundance in the pine and ■fl.16x.87, 1.20X.85, 1.18x.85, 1.08x .83, l.lOx .85, l.lSx .87. 1 1.06 X .75, 04 X .78, 1 .00 X .75, .94 x .71. NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 221 ■ oak districts of New Mexico, Arizona, California, Colorado, etc., where the nests are burrowed, preferredly in dead trees, at all heights from the ground. The eggs are four to six in number, and, like all those of the Woodpeckers, are white and glossy. Mr. Norris has a set of five eggs of this species in his collection taken near Yuma, Arizona, April 27, 1882. They measure, 1. 00 X.8 1, i.oix.81, .95X.81, .99X.84, .99X.82. 409. Melanerpes carolinus (Linn.) [372.] Hab. Red-bellied TVoodpeoker. Eastern United States, west to the Rocky Mountains, south to Florida and Central Texas. This Woodpecker is regarded by some as the most beautiful of the smaller species of its tribe, and is known to many as the "Zebra Bird," from the back and wings being closely banded with black and white ; the whole crown and nape are scarlet in the male, partly .so in the female. Under parts grayish, mixed with yellowish-white, reddening on the belly. A bird generally of retired habits, seeking the deepest and most unfrequented forests to breed. When engaged in hammering for insects it frequently emits a short, singular note, which Wilson likens to the bark of a small dog. The note is repeated twice, and resembles the hoarse utterance of the syllables chow, choxv. Prof. D. E. Lantz states that this species in the vicinity of Man- hattan, Kansas, exhibits the same familiarity as shown by the Flicker, the Red-headed and Downy W^oodpeckers. About a dozen nests were observed, the excavations ranging usually less than twenty feet from the ground. One nest in a burrow of a large dead limb of an elm tree was found May 12, and contained five eggs. The earliest date for a full set was May 10. The birds were very much attached to their nests, so much so that in several cases it was necessary to remove them with the hand before the eggs could be secured. The eggs being taken, they almost immediately begin excavating another nest cavity for the second set, always in the vicinity of the first nest, often in the same tree. In Ohio this bird is a common resident. Breeds in May. Four to six glossy-white eggs are laid, varying in length from .']^ to i.oo by .67 to .79 in breadth. Six eggs taken in Franklin county, Ohio, measure, i.oox.77, .98X.78, 1.00X.78, .99X.74, i.oox.76, i.oox.74. 410. Melanerpes aurifrons (Wagl.) [373.] .;...p . Hab. Golden-foonted \Foodpeoker. Southern Texas and Northeastern Mexico. Dr. James C. Merrill records this species as abundant on the Lower Rio Grande in Texas, and Mr. George B.Sennett found it very common at Lomita, and as bold and noisy as the Red-headed Woodpecker of the North. Although breeding abundantly, the eggs were difficult to ob- 222 NESTS AND EGGS OF tain, as the nesting cavities -were often situated in the heart of lark's hard-wood trees, and not very accessible. From four to six highly polished white eggs are laid. Mr. Sennett took the first set of eggs April 17, and a clutch of five fresh ones was taken May ist. A set of three eggs is in Mr. Norris' cabinet which was taken in Comal county. Texas, April 21, 1885; they measure i.oox.y^, 1.04X.75, and 1.03X.75, A set of five eggs in my collection, taken near the town of Camargo, Mexico, June 16, 1888, exhibit the following sizes: .94X.75, i.oox.76, .98X.73, 1.04X.74, 1.02 X. 74. The nest-cavity was in a broken stub of a mesquite tree, about twelve feet from the ground. 411. Melanerpes uropygialis (Baird). [374.] Olla Woodpaoker. Hab. Southern Arizona, Southeastern portion of California, Lower California and Western Mexico. This species was first discovered by Dr. Kennerly in his route along the 35th parallel, and described by Professor Baird in 1854. ^r- Hermann found it abundant along the Gila River among the mesquite trees and giant cactus. He met with it in California in considerable numbers on the banks of the Colorado. Mr. G. Frean Morcom, in his valuable paper on the birds of Southern California and Southwestern Arizona,* notes this as one of the species found by Mr. F. Stephens at Yuma, Arizona, where it was not common. A nest was found May 4, excavated in a growing willow on the edge of a slough. It contained three eggs, incubation commenced. In the region about Tucson, Ari- zona, Mr. W. E. D. Scott states that it is a common resident, especially in the giant cactus regions, occurring in numbers up to an altitude of 4,500 feet. Though breeding in mesquite and cottonwood trees, they show a great preference for groves of giant cactus, which afford nesting places for thousands of pairs about Tucson, Florence, and Riverside. Near Tucson, Mr. Scott took fresh eggs, three to five in number, from May 15 until the last of the month. The birds do not always excavate new nesting holes in the giant cactus, but more frequently take advant- age of former excavations. The birds are very fond of the fruit of the giant and other cacti. The eggs are smooth, glossy white, and measure .99X.72. 412. Colaptes auratus (Linn.) [378.] Flicker. Hab. Eastern North America, west to the Great Plains, north to Hudson Ba;' and Alaska. This is the Golden-winged Woodpecker, Yellow-jhafted Flicker, Pigeon Woodpecker, High-holder, Wake-up and YellDw-hammer of Eastern North America. Every country boy has a name for it. The « Bulletin No. 2. The Ridgway Ornithological Club. NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 223 bird's ordinary notes are the familiar, oft-repeated chuck-up, chuck-up^ chuck-uPy the scythe-whetting note, quit-tu, quit-tu, quit-tu^ and the peculiar wake-up call, preluded by rapid monosyllables. The Gol- den-winged Woodpecker is found everywhere in woodlands, nest- ing in the same manner as others of the family, most frequently in a dead trunk of a tree, at considerable height from the ground. The excavations are generally made by the birds, though not unfrequently the eggs are laid within a natural cavity. Curious breeding-places are sometimes selected. It has been found nesting in an old wagon hub far out on the treeless prairie; in barrels and in the crevices of deserted barns and out-houses. Ordinarily from six to eight or ten crystalline white eggs are deposited, but 'u exceptional cases this bird is known to lay a large number. Prof. Evermann took thirty-seven eggs from a single nest between May 4 and June 22, 1885. In this period of time the bird rested fourteen days. The most remarkable instance of the laying capacity of the Flicker of which I am aware is that recorded by Charles L. Phillips, of Taunton, Mass. On May 6, 1883, he found a cavity in a large willow tree con- taining two eggs; he took one, leaving the other as a "nest egg," and continued to do so day after day until the female Flicker had laid seventy-one eggs in seventy-three days.* The average size of the eggs is 1.10X.90, and in a large series a great variation in size and shape are noticeable. 413. Colaptes cafer (Gmel.) [378<5.] Red-shafted Flloker. Hab. Western United States, from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific cOMt; north to Sitka; south to Southern Mexico. This species replaces the Yellow-shafted Flicker from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific. In its habits, nesting and eggs the exact counterpart of C. auratus. The eggs average a trifle larger; 1.14X.8C is the average of thirty specimens. 413a. Colaptes cafer saturatior Ridgw. Northw^eitern Flicker. Hab. Northwest coast, from northern California north to Sitka. The general habits, nesting, etc., of this darker colored race are the same as those of C. auratus or C. cafer. Mr. Norris has a set of seven eggs of this bird in his cabinet taken near Salem, Oregon, June 5, 1888. The nest-cavity was in an old balm tree thirty feet from the ground. The eggs measure, i.iix.87, i.iix.86, i.iix.87, i.i6x.85, 1.13X.85, 1.16X.85, 1.11X.85. * In the last edition of this work Mr. Phillips' record was credited to the Omithclogist and Oologist (Vol. XI, p. 16). Mention of it first appears in Tk* Young Otlogitt (Vol. I, p. 26), and it has recently been recorded in Thi Auk, Vol. IV, p. 846. 224 NESTS AND EGGS OF 414. Colaptes chrysoides (Malh.) [379 ] Glided Flicker. Hab. Southern California, Lower California ; Southern Arizona. Mr. F. Stephens regards the distribution of this species in Arizona as coextensive with that of the giant cactus, for he never met with it except where this singular plant grows.* Mr. Scott states that it is common throughout the giant cactus region all about Tucson, and he occasionally saw single individuals in the mesquite timber. All that he ever met with breeding have been in giant cactus. The nesting time is from April 10 until the last of May. According to Mr. Scott, the num- ber of eggs is small, varying from two to five ; the latter number being the largest he ever found in a nest.f The eggs are glossy-white, and average 1.12X.84. 415. Colaptes rufipileus Ridgw [380.] Onadalupe Flicker. Hab. Guadalupe Island, Lower California. Mr. Walter E. Bryant gives us the first knowledge we have con- cerning the nesting and eggs of this bird.| On Guadalupe Island he found it not rare in the restricted area of a large cypress grove, but apart from this locality less than a dozen were seen during his stay on the Island. For a portion of the year the food of this species consists largely of smooth-skinned caterpillers,witL numerous beetles and ants. The nesting-cavities are found at heights varying from three to fifteen feet. The scarcity of decayed trees, with the exception of fallen ones, necessitates either work upon seasoned wood or the resort to dead palm stumps. A cavity was found April 7, which was dug to the depth of twenty inches, and contained six fresh eggs, upon which the female was sitting. They correspond exactly, both in color and general shape, with scores of other eggs of this genus, and offer the following meas- urements in millimeters: 28x22, 28x22,28x22.5, 29x22,29.5x22, 29.5x22.8 [353-] Hab. Illinois. 416. Antrostomiis carolinensis (Gmel.) Chnok-will's-'widoiiir. South Atlantic and Gulf States and Lower Mississippi Valley, north to the Carolinas and Perhaps the two best known North American species of this fam- ily {Caprimulgidcs ^ the Goatsuckers), are the Whip-poor-will, Antros- tomus vociferus, and the Nighthawk, Chordeiles virginianus. They are all more or less nocturnal, and fanciful imaginations have detected * Wm. Brewster on a collection of Arizona birds. Bull. Nutt Club, Vol. VIII, 24. tThe Auk, III, 429. \ Addition to the Ornithology of Guadalupe Island; Bulletin 6, California Academy of Sciences, pp. 285-288. g 1.10x.87,1.10x.87, LlOx .89, l.]4x.87, 1.16x .87, L16x .87. NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. jt 225 in many of their cries the syllables from which their common names are derived — such is the case with Chuck-will's-widow. It is nowhere a very abundant species, but more common in Florida than in any other State. It is found in Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, Missis- sippi and Texas. Mr. Stuart informs me that in Florida it nests in the months of May and June, depositing two eggs on the bare ground, or on leaves in the shadow of some dense thicket. According to Audubon, deep ravines, shady swamps, and extensive pine groves are the retreats of this species during the day, when the birds roost in hollow trees. When in search of food, the same places are resorted to at night, and their singular notes are only uttered for a brief period in the early evening, when on the wing. If either their eggs or young are dis- turbed, they are carried off in the capacious mouths of the birds to some distant part of the forest, in the same manner that a cat trans- ports her kittens. A set of two eggs in my cabinet, collected by Mr. Stuart near Tampa, Florida, May 20, 1886, measure 1.40x1.02, 1.42x1.00; an- other set, from Manatee county, taken May 14, 1887, measure 1.39X i.oo, 1.41 X 1.02. A set taken in Comal county, Texas, April 22, 1888, measure 1.41 x 1.02, 1.42 x 1.04. These are beautiful eggs, with a pink- ish-buff ground, variously marbled with pale buff-brown and lilac- gray. They are moderately polished. Mr. Norris' cabinet contains a series of nine sets ; some of these eggs are almost unmarked, except a few spots of gray, while others are boldly spotted with different shades of brown. The sizes of a set containing the largest eggs are as follows: 1. 51 X i.oi, 1.53x1.03; the set containing the smallest, 1.29 x .94, 1. 30 x. 93, respectively. 417. Antrostomus vociferus (Wils.) [354] Whip-poor-will. Hab. £astern United States to the Great Plains, south to Guatemala. The well-known Whip-poor-will, which inhabits the Eastern United States, may be easily distinguished from A. carolinensis by its greatly inferior size ; the colors of both birds are quite similar. In its habits the Whip-poor-will is very nearly the counterpart of the Chuck- will's-widow, keeping within the recesses of deep woods and under- growth during the daytime, remaining perfectly silent. The name of this species is a pretty accurate rendering of its note, which is uttered when night comes on, both when the bird is on the wiiig in pursuit of nocturnal insects, or at rest. Rocky ravines shaded by trees, where the sun seldom penetrates the thick foliage, or beneath dense under- 16 tell w i: I'll Itrt il !'!: 226 NESTS AND EGGS OF brush, midst fallen logs, are the favorite nesting places of the Whip- poor-will. The eggs are deposited on the ground, on decayed wood, or among fallen leaves. Two eggs constitute a set. They are elliptical, of moderate polish, with a ground color of white or cream color. They are handsomely marked with large and small spots of yellowish-brown distributed rather abundantly over the entire surface ; occasionally a few blotches may be observed. Deep shell marks are about as numer- ous as the surface marks, and are of a lilac-gray or lavender tint. A set of tv/o eggs which I took in Franklin county, Ohio, May 28, 1887, measure 1.18X.90, 1.20X.90; a set from Delaware county, Ohio, col- lected June 2, 1888, measure 1.14X.87, i.i6x.86. Dr. Jones gives a common size as i.i2x.88. Like the Chuck-will's-widow this species removes in its mouth the eggs or young to a place of safety if they have been molested or handled. 417rt. Antrostomus vociferus arizonsB Stephens's Whip-poor-wllli Hab. Table Lands of Central Mexico, north to Southern Arizona. Brewst. This is a larger bird than the last. Mr. F. Stephens met with it in the Chiracahua Mountains in Southern Arizona in 1880, and less numerous in the Santa Rita range in 1881. In the Chiracahua range by June ist, they were as common as he ever knew them to be in the East ; sometimes three or four were heard whistling at once. They were restless and rather shy. July 4 a female was shot as she flew from her nest, which, as usual, was only a very slight depression in the ground, but in this case overhung by a rock. Mr. Brewster de^ scribes the egg which this nest contained as white with a dull gloss, apparently immaculate, but upon close inspection reveals a few faint blotches of the palest purple, so faint that they might pass for super- ficial stains were it not for the fact that they underlie the external pol- ish. This specimen measures 1.17X.87.* 418. PhalsBnoptilus nuttalli (Aud.) [355] Poor-'«rill. Hab. Western United States, from the Great Plains to the Pacific, south to Southern Mexico. Nuttall's Whip-poor-will, or the Poor-will, as it is called, is found to be more or less abundant throughout various States and Territories of the West — in the interior valleys and foot-hills of California, Ore- gon and Washington Territory, and in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Colorado, etc. Col. N. S. Goss mentions it as a common summer resi- dent of Kansas, and may be looked for on the high prairies and rocky * William Brewster's Notes on Some Birds from Arizona and New Mexico. Bull. Nutt. Club, VI, pp. 69-71; and Collection of Arizona Birds, Vol. VH, 211-212. % NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 227 grounds along the banks of streams. Begins laying the last of May, depositing two white, unspotted eggs upon the bare ground, in the thick growth at the edge of timber ; also at the roots of a bunch of bushes or briers upon the prairies. Mr. Emerson states that he fre- quently heard this bird's mournful cries, poor-will^ poor-zvill^ in San Diego county, California, in the month of April. A set of two eggs in his collection, taken near Manhattan, Kansas, May 28, 1885, are pure glossy-white, and measure 30x22, 30x22.5 mm.* 419. Nyctidromus albicoUls (Gmel.) [356.] Paranqne. Hab. Valley of the Rin Grande and sonthward. Dr. James C. Merrill, Assistant Surgeon U. S. Army, first added this species to our fauna in 1876. In the vicinity of Fort Brown it was a common summer resident, arriving early in March and remaining as late as the middle of November. It frequents shady thickets and copses, and when flushed dodges rapidly and silently among the bushes, but soon alights. In these places the eggs are deposited usually at the foot of a bush. Dr. Merrill observes that the habits and eggs of this species, in addition to its anatomical charac- ters, show its affinity with the Whip-poor-wills rather than the Night- hawks. Their notes are among the most characteristic night sounds of the Lower Rio Grande, and are constantly heard at evening during the summer months. They consist of a repeated whistle, resembling the syllables whew^ whew^ whezv^ 7i>heu>, whe-e-e-e-e-w ^ much stress being laid upon the last, which is prolonged. The whole is soft and mellow, yet can be heard at a great distance. Mr. George B. Sennett, in the same region in Southern Texas, obtained a set of two eggs, April 20. He states that the birds breed in the more open places among the cactus and scattered bushes along with C. texensis — Texas Night- hawk. The eggs are two in number, of a rich creamy-buff, sparingly marked with a deeper shade of the same, and with lilac ; average size 1.25 X .92. Their size and creamy-buff color render them easy of identification. On the 15th of May, Dr. Merrill found a set of eggs of this species near camp at Hidalgo, and on returning in about fifteen minutes to secure the parent, who had disappeared among the thickets, he found that she had removed the eggs, although they had not been touched. 420. Chordeiles virginlanus (Gmel.) [357-] Nlghthawk. Hab. Eastern North America, north to Hudson Bay, west to the edge of the Great Plains, loutb through tropical America, The Nighthawk, BuUbat, or Goatsucker, as it is variously called, «1.18x.87, 1.18X.91. ri !i' i i ii 228 NESTS AND EGGS OF breeds throughout its range, depositing two eggs in open situations, such as fields, etc., on the cold, bare ground, often among stones ; scarcely a trace of a nest can be found where the eggs lay. They are frequently deposited on bare rocks, and on the flat roofs of buildings in large cities. Mr. Norris once found a set on the stump of a tree about eighteen inches from the ground ; and a set in his cabinet was taken from the gravel roof of a four-story building in the center of Philadelphia. The Nighthawk and Whip-poor-will are often con- founded or consider d ps birds of the same species. A careful compar- ison with each other or with the descriptions, will at once show a very decided difference ^'\e large, white patches on the five outer pri- maries of the wings of the Nighthawk when flying, appear like tat- tered holes caused by the shot from a gun. In the evenings of sum- mer months great troops of Nighthawks may be seen high in air over forest or town in search of insects, performing their wonderful evolu- tions and uttering their peevish cries, or swooping down with their strange booming or rumbling sound, they skim over the grassy mead- ows. Thus they continue till the gloaming merges into darkness, and their flight is seen no longer. The eggs of the Nighthawk vary from pale olive-buff" to buffy and grayish-white, thickly mottled and dashed with varied tints of darker gray, slate, olive, or even blackish, mixed with a marbling and clouding of purplish-gray ; the pattern and tints are very variable. The shape is elliptical, and average size 1.25X.85. Six eggs measure 1. 24 X. 85, 1.27x87, 1. 22 X. 83, 1. 24 X. 86, 1. 21 X. 82, 1.24x84. 420a. Ghordeiles vlrginianus henryi 'Western Nlghtha'wk. (Cass.) [3570.] Hab. Western North America from the Great Plains to the Pacific, south to Mexico. A lighter-colored form of the Nighthawk, found in the unwooded portions of Western United States. Its general habits, nesting, etc., are the same as those of C. virginianus; the eggs average paler ; size 1.20 X. 85. [420^.] Chordeiles virginianus minor (Cab.) [357*.] Cuban Nighthaivk. Hab. Cuba, Jamaica and Southern Florida. A set of two eggs of this smaller Nighthawk, taken with the parent bird by C. J. Maynard, on Merritts Island, May 8, 1886, are in Mr. Singley's collection. The ground-color of these eggs is of a clear grayish-white, evenly spotted over the surface with brownish and light slate, so thickly as to nearly obscure the ground. The markings are bolder and darker than those in a series of twelve eggs of C. virgin- V/' NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 229 ianus. Their sizes are i.i2x .81, 1.06 x. 80. The average size, accord- ing to Prof. Ridgway, is 1.13X.80. 421. Ghordeiles texensls Lawr. [358.] Texan Niglitli«wk. Hab. Southwestern border of the United States — Texas to Southern California, south to Costa Rica. The Texan Nighthawk is smaller than the foregoing species, the general tone of the plumage lighter, and it differs otherwise. It is a common species in various regions in Southern Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, etc. Mr. Sennett describes its flight as resembling that of the Whip-poor-will, but it does not indulge in the perpendicular de- scents accompanied by the whir of wings so characteristic of C. vir' ginianus. On the Lower Rio Grande eggs were obtained as early as April 26, and fresh ones found as late as May 19. They were always laid on the bare, hot ground. Dr. Merrill states that the notes of this species are a curious mewing call difficult to describe. He found the eggs in the vicinity of Brownsville, Texas, usually deposited in ex- posed situations, among sparse chaparral on ground baked almost as hard as a brick by the intense heat of the sun. One set was found on a small piece of tin, near a frequented path. Mr. Rachford informs me that in Jefferson county, Texas, this species usually deposits its two eggs on the ground, in a well-beaten cow-path ; the nesting season begins from about May loth, and eggs may be found in the latter part of June. Dr. Merrill states that the eggs vary considerably, but exactly resemble the surface on which they are placed. The ground- color is usually clay ; some are very sparingly dotted with brown ; others mottled with light brown and obscure lilac ; some are so thickly marbled with brown and lilac on a dark ground as to give them a granite-like appearance. They average 1.07 x. 77. 422. Cypseloides niger (Gmel.) [350.] Black Swift. Hab. Western portions of the United States, north to Colorado, Nevada, Oregon, Washington Terri- tory and British Columbia; south to Southern Central America; Jamaica, Hayti and other West India Islands. The Black Swift has been met with sparingly in the various regions cited in the above habitat. Another common name for this bird is Northern Black Cloud Swift. Comparatively little has been ascer- tained concerning its general habits, and its eggs have remained un- known until the present year (1888), when Mr. M. H. Gormley discovered its nest and eggs in the town of Seattle, King county, Washington Terri- tory. June 6 he found a nest in the interior of a cornice of a small frame building situated on Yesler's Wharf of that city. The entrance to the nest was at one end of the cornice ; the deck or top being sprung ^;i w 4*. ' if Ih ■ii if 11 it 230 NESTS AND EGGS OF SO as to leave an opening. The compartment was about twenty inches square ; the nest was composed of leaves, yet green, bits of paper, chips, a few horse hairs and straw, the leaves and paper forming the lining. This nest contained five fresh white eggs of the following dimensions: i.oox.yi, i.oox.70, 1.02 x. 70, .96X.68, .96X.68. On June 28 a set of four eggs was taken from the same nest, and presum- ably from the same pair of birds. The materials of this nest were the same as those of the first, except the addition of a piece of tinfoil used to cover tobacco. Incubation had begun, and the female had to be pushed off the nest in order to secure the eggs. Their sizes are .96 x .67, .98x71, .99X.69, 1.00X.71. No glue or adhesive saliva joined the materials of the nests together, as is the case with other species of the family whose nidification is known. Mr. Gormley states that the birds are rather abundant at Seattle, usually nesting in the cornices of buildings near the water front, in the business part of the city.* 423. ChsBtura pelagica (Linn.) [351.] Chimney Swift. Hab. Eastern North America, north to Labrador and in the interior to the Fur Countries; west to the edge of the Great Plains. The progress of civilization has brought about conditions and causes which have given rise to this bird's common and now appropriate name, Chimney Swift, or, as it is probably better known, Chimney " Swal- low." When the country was first settled this species was known to breed only in the hollow trunks of forest trees, but as soon as the chimneys of dwellings erected by civilized man presented greatei convenience and better security against enemies this bird forsook its primitive nest- ing places, and now only in remote regions or wild portions of the country, where natural facilities are still afforded, it is found breeding in the hollows of decaying trees. The nest, as shown in our illustration, is a beautiful semi-circvilar basket made of small dead twigs of nearly uniform length and thick- ness, and when attached to the inside of a chimney is placed sufficiently below the top to be protected from the rays of the sun. The twigs are broken from trees by the birds while on the wing. They are all strongly cemented together and fastened to the wall with the saliva of the birds. This glue-like substance dries and hardens, and becomes so firm that, when the nest is separated from the sides of chimneys, portions of the brick to which it is fastened often adhere to the structure. My friend, Mr. Arnold Boyle, took a nest of this species from the inside of a barn in Wyandot county, Ohio ; its position was similar to that of the Barn ^Auk, V, pp. 424-^25. , NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 231 Swallow. From four to six narrowly elliptical pure white eggs are de- posited, ordinarily four. May and June are the nesting months, and usually but one brood is reared in a season. A set of four eggs, col- lected in the Adirondack region, Essex county, New York, June 27, measure .82 x .52, .81 x .52, .84 x .51, .82 x .50 ; a set of five taken in Franklin county, Ohio, exhibit the following sizes : .79 x .50, .8ox .50, .80X.52, .77x50, .79X.53. The eggs in a large series range from .74 to .86 in length and from .47 to .55 in breadth. 424. ChsBtura vauxii (Towns.) [352.] Vanx's Swift. Hab. Pacific coast, from British Columbia south in winter to Guatemala. This is a lighter colored and smaller species than the Chimney Swift. The habits of the two birds, however, are similar, except that Vaux's Swift is said only to nest in hollow trees. In various regions of Oregon and in Washington Territory this species is a common sum- mer resident, where it breeds in May and June, fastening to the inside walls of hollow tree trunks and stubs the half-saucer-shaped nest of twigs, which is glued together with the bird's saliva. Four or five narrow- elliptical white eggs are deposited, which have an average size of •74X.50- 428. Trochilus colubrls Linn. [335.] Ruby-throated Hnminingbird. Hab. Eastern United States to the Great Plains, north to Canada, south in winter to Cuba, Eastern Mexico and Central America, to Uraguay. This is the only species of Hummingbird found east of the Missis- sippi, where it is common and well-known. Its small size, iridescent plumage, its marvelous swiftness of flight, and the architectural beauty of its nest are the admiration of all. The eggs of the whole family of Hummingbirds, as far as known, are white, unspotted ; rather elliptical than oval, and always two in number. The only difference noticed are the relative variations in size. The nests are generally saddled upon a horizontal branch, are cup-like in shape, and are mostly made up of various kinds of soft vegetable down; in nearly all cases covered on the outside with a coating of lichens or mosses. The nest of the Ruby-throated Hummingbird is a miniature of the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher's. It is felted with a mass of exquisitely soft, cottony, silky, or woolly substances, such as the down from the stem of plants, and is artistically covered on the outside with lichens. It is usually placed on a horizontal limb of a forest or orchard tree. Several specimens before me are placed on branches that were slanting, and the nests rest in small forks. A very fine one measures, outwardly, one and three-fourth inches broad by one and a half i\i I il 232 NKSTS AND KGGS OF deep. Nests saddled on thick limbs are usually larger. In Ohio the Ruby-throat prefers nesting in the branches of the buckeye to all other trees. The birds are especially abundant about this tree when it is in full blossom early in May. The nesting time is from about the middle of May to the latter part of June. The average size of thirty eggs is .51 X .34. 429. Trocliilus alexandri Bourc. & Muls. [336.] Blaok-oklnnad Hnmmingblrdi Hab. Western United Sl^itei, from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific, south into Mexico. This Hummingbird nests in more open ground than the Rufous or Anna's, placing the structure usually on the small branches of oaks and sycamores. Sometimes it rests lightly in the forks of a slender twig. It is composed of the web or down found on the under side of the leaves of the sycamore ; the effect is that the nest looks like a small, round, yellow sponge. Eggs same as those of the Ruby-throat, with an average size of .50X.30. Mr. W. E. D. Scott states that this species is an abundant summer resident in the Catalina mountains in Southern Arizona, and by the last of May the birds are mated and begin breeding. He found fresh eggs as late as July and early in August. Mr. Stephens notes this Hum- mingbird as not common in the San Benardino Valley. A nest taken May 22 was built in a willow, eight feet from the ground, and contained two eggs in which incubation had commenced. 430- TrocMlus costSB (Bourc) [337.] Costa's Hummingbird. Hab, Lower California, Western Mexico, Arizona and Southern California. Costa's Hummingbird is more or less abundant in various regions of Arizona and Southern California. It is not generally so abundant as the Black-chinned Hummingbird, in whose company it is often found breeding. Small streams in the moimtain canons, fringed with alder, laurel, sycamore and other shrubbery are their favorite resorts. Mr. Scott did not find this species very common at Riverside, Pinal county, Arizona, in 1882. On May 5 a nest was found built in a Cottonwood tree thirty-five feet from the ground, almost at the extrem- ity of the branches. Four sets of the eggs, with the nests, of Costa's Hummer, collf^cte'^' in the neighborhood of Banning, California, May 12 and 13, "H4, p before me. The nests were built in shrubs, varying from six civc feet in height. Two of the nests rest in slender forks, while ti other two are built on small twigs. The materials in these do not diffe: essentially from those in ten nests of the Anna's Hummingbird, con- sisting of soft, downy, yellowish or grayish vegetable substances, with .\ NORTH AMKRICAN BIRDS. 233 here and there bits of flower stems, the whole covered on the outside with spider webs. Each of these nests contained two eggs, and they exhibit the following sizes: .49X.31, .49X.29; .45X.30, .47x31 ; .48 x .30, .49 X .30 ; .45 X .32, .46 X .30. 431. Trochiltts anna (Less.) [338.] Anna'a Huiniiilngblrd* Hab. Valleya of Cilifornia, Arizona and Mexico. Anna's Hummingbird is a common resident of California ; its nest and eggs can be found almost any time in May and June. In the vicinity of Haywards, California, Mr. Emerson took a nest of this spe- cies which contained two eggs, January 20. It was built in slender forks of a pear tree, about eight feet from the ground. Over the entire outside of this nest are distributed green lichens. Mr. H. R. Taylor, of Alameda, California, records a nest containing two eggs far advanced in incubation, which he found February 13. The nest was placed about thirty feet from the ground, near the end of slender limb of a cy- press tree. The birds build in trees, and are not particular what kind or where they are situated ; on hillside, along creeks, in orchards or in gar- dens. Ten nests collected by Mr. R. B. Herron, at San Gorgonio Pass, California, in May, do not exhibit great variation in their general make- up and style. They are composed of thistle down and willow-cotton, with occasionally a few small feathers and bits of flower stems ; on the out- side, moss well covered with spider webs, with here and there pieces of lichens. Eggs same as those of T. cobibris ; four specimens measure as follows : .45 x .30, .47 x .30, .49 x .32, .49 x .30. Twenty-four eggs have an average size of .50X .32. 432. Trochilus platycercua Swains. [339.] Broad-tallad HnnuniiiKlbird. Hab. Rocky Mountain plateau region of the United States, from Montana, Idaho and Wyoming Ter- ritories southward to Guatemala. This Hummingbird is a common species in the Rocky Mountain regions of the United States, and is particularly numerous in New Mexico, Colorado and northward. In its flight it is said to utter almost constantly a sharp screeching or chattering note. Large numbers of these birds are often found breeding in thickets of dwarf willows along streams. The nests are beautiful structures, composed of soft, vege- table down and covered externally with lichens and bark-fibre, resemb- ling the twigs to which they are attached, and their height from the ground ranges from three to ten feet. The nests are similar to those of the Ruby-throat, but are usually suspended on small, swaying twigs, sometimes directly over running water. In Colorado this species rears two broods in a season. Ten eggs before me are not distinguishable 'f m m Hi 234 NESTS AND EGGS OF from those of the Rnby-throated Hummingbird in size, color and shape. 433. Trochilus rufus Gmel [340.] Rmfoiu Hnmiiiing1>lrd. Hab. Weit«rn North America, from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific coait; north to or nearly to Alaska, south over the Table Lands of Mexico. The commonest and most extensively distributed Hummingbird of the West; from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific, and from Mexico northward. Its favorite nesting site is along the borders of creeks, on the overhanging limbs and branches of trees and bushes. Mr. A. W. Anthony mentions this species as abundant in Washington county, Oregon, breeding nearly everywhere. Nests were found in ferns, in bushes, trees and vines overhanging embankments ; the lat- ter, he states, seems to be the favorite locality, six nests being found in an old railroad cut, in May and June. The materials used are willow- floss and soft plant-down. Frequently nests are found covered with light-colored lichens, which resemble the small bunches of moss in the trees where they are built. The eggs are not distinguishable from those of T. colubris, except that they average slightly smaller. 434. Trochilus alleni (Hensh.) [341.] Allen's Hummingbird. Hab. Coast district of California, north to British Columbia, south to Arizona. Allen's Hummingbird is found throughout the coast region of Cal- ifornia and northward. This species is said to be very lively and active, keeping constantly in open places, and always perching upon the most prominent dead twigs. Compared to the unsuspicious nature of the Rufous Hummingbird, it is extremely shy. Nests usually in thickets and trees along creeks and canons. The outside of the nest is com- posed of fine moss, the lining is the delicate floss of the cottonwood. Eggs same as those of T. cobibris. All the Hummingbirds that breed in California are said to rear two broods in a season. 435. Hab. Trochilus heloisa (Less & DeLatt.) [342.] Helolae's Hnmmingblrd. Eastern Mexico and Southern Texas. In various districts in Southwestern Texas Heloise's Humming- bird is not uncommon. It possesses the same general characteristics as are common to the birds of this family. Captain B. F. Goss has a set of two eggs with the nest of this species, taken in El Paso county, Texas, April 14, 1884. The nest was placed in a bush, and is a beautiful structure made of white-cottony fibre from seed pods. On the outside it is sparingly covered with small lichens. The eggs are pure white, and measure 45X.36, .46X.34, re- spectively. : t > NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 235 436. Trochilus calliope Gould. [343-] Calliope Hummingbird. Kjib. Western United States, north to British Columbia, south to Mexico; east to Rocky Mountains. One of the smallest of Hummingbirds. Common to the mountains of the Pacific slope, from British Columbia south to the Table Lands of Mexico. It is abundant in some localities on the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and occurs as far east as the Rocky Moun- tain region, from New Mexico north to Montana. In the vicinity of Fort Klamath Oregon, Dr. Merrill found this spe- cies abundant after May 16 about the blossoms of wild currant and goose- berry bushes. During the breeding season the birds are generally dis- tributed in deep pine woods as well as in more open places, the con- stant, sharp shrill notes of the males indicating their presence. A nest found about the middle of July which the young had just left was placed upon a dead, flattened cone of Pimcs contorta. It was composed of thin strips of gray bark, with a few spiders' webs CiU the outside ; the lining was similar, but with a few small tufts of a cottony blossom from some tree ; the nest was just the color of the cone, and was admirably adapted to escape notice. Another nest containing two nearly fledged young was found at about the same time, but was quite unlike the one just described in construction and situation, being of the common Hummingbird type, and saddled upon a dead willow twig. Near Carson, Nevada, Mr. Walter E. Bryant found a nest of this species built upon a prv^'ecting splinter of a wood pile at a height of five feet. Another was secured to a rope within an outbuilding. The eggs of this species measure .48 x .32. 439. Amazilia cerviniventris Gould [346.] Buff-bellied Hummingbird. Hab. Lower Rio Grande Valley in Texas, south to Eastern Mexico. Dr. James C. Merrill added this Hummingbird to the avifauna of the United States in 1876, the first specimen being taken August 17, on the Lower Rio Grande, in Texas. He found it nowhere so abundant as dn the military reservation at Fort Brown, where it was perfectly at home among the dense, tangled thickets, darting rapidly among the bushes and creeping vines, A rather noisy bird, its shrill cries usually first attracts one's attention to its presence. A Hummer's nest, un- doubtedly made by this species, was found in September, 1877, within the fort. It was placed on the fork of a dead, drooping twig of a small tree on the edge of a path through a thicket ; it was about seven feet from the ground, and contained the shriveled body of a young bird. The nest was made of downy blos.soms of the tree in which it was placed, bound on the outside with cobwebs, and rather sparingly i^t^ '\ il' m I ■■' I 236 NESTS AND EGGS OF covered with lichens. The inside depth was somewhat less than i.oo; the diameter .50; external depth 1.50. No description of the eggs are at hand, but they are doubtless the same as those belonging to other birds of this family. 440. Basilinna xantusi (Lawr.) [347] Xantna's Hammlngblrd. Hab. Lower California. This Hummingbird occurs in the southern portion of Lower Cali- fornia. It was first taken at Cape St. Lucas by Mr. Xantus, and de- scribed by Mr. George N. Lawrence in i860. I have no information regarding its specific habits ; they perhaps do not differ essentially from those which characterize other Hummingbirds. Prof. Ridgway describes the nest as composed of various soft veg- etable fibres (especially raw cotton, spiders' webs, etc.), and attached to small twigs. Size about 1.50 in diameter by about .80 in height, the cavity about i.oo x .55-.60. Eggs .47 x .31.* [442.] Milvulus tyrannus (Linn.) [302.] Fork-tailed Flyoatoher. ' ■'• Hab. Mexico to South America. Accidental in the United States — Mississippi, Louisiana, Kentucky, New Jersey. This handsome Flycatcher with a very deeply forked tail is found throughout tropical America. Its tail is about a foot long, and forked as much as six to eight inches. The bird's occurrence in the United States is purely accidental, and only a few specimens have thus far been taken in the regions cited above. Its habits are said not to differ essentially from those of the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher of our southern fauna. ' ■'^'".- " '*'■■ ■ '■ " ■"- Dr. Brewer describes an egg of this species obtained by Dr. Bal- damus, from Cayenne, as bearing a strong resemblance to the egg of the common Kingbird. It has a clear white ground, and is spotted with deep, bold markings of reddish-brown ; size .90 x .68. 443. Milvulus forficatus (Gmel.) [301.] Solssor-tailod Flyoatoheri Hab. Eastern Mexico and southwestern prairie districts of the United States, north to Indian T( rri- tory, Kansas and the southwestern portion of Missouri. Accidental in the Eastern States — Virginia, New Jersey, New England — even as far north as Hudson Bay Territory and Manitoba. Known as the Swallow-tailed or Fork-tailed Flycatcher — an ele- gant, graceful bird, common in the southwestern portion of the United States, from Kansas and southwestern Missouri southward — especially abundant in Texas. Mr. Singley states that in Lee county, Texas, this bird nests in trees varying n six to twenty feet from the ground. He describes a typical nest as built of weeds, small stems « Manual N. A. Birds, p. 318. i, NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 237 .. f& and thistle-down, and lined with down and sometimes with a few fib- rous roots. Since the introduction of cotton gins and sheep ranches most of the nests are built of weeds and cotton or wool, or both felted, lined with the same, but oftener with no lining. Mr. E. C. Davis in- forms me that the favorite nesting site of this bird in Cooke county, Texas, is in the low mesquite bushes on the prairies. He has fre- quently found double nests ; one now in his collection consists of three nests built on each other and made entirely of cotton, measuring fif- teen inches from top to bottom. „ • Mr. Singley says the usual number of eggs in a set is five, fully eighty per cent, being of this number; the other twenty per cent, is about equally distributed between sets of four and six. They are white, or creamy-white, marked with a few dark red spots, and occasionally of an obscure purple, chiefly at the larger end ; the eggs vary in color from pure white, unmarked speci- mens, which are very rare, to finely speckled with reddish-brown, and often covered with large spots and blotches of brown and lilac, and look as if whitewash had been brushed over the colors. A large series of these eggs in Mr. Norris' cabinet demonstrate the fact that they do not show as great a variation in their markings as those of the com- mon Kingbird, which they resemble ; they average smaller, and their sizes are more constant. Their average size is .87 x .67. 444. Tyrannus tyrannus (Linn.) [304.] ^ Kirngbird. X Hab. Eastern temperate North America, south to Central and western South America to Boliria; Cuba; Bahamas. Rare west of the Rocky Mountains. A common bird in Eastern United States, and perhaps betler known by the name of Bee-bird or Bee-martin. It destroys thousands of noxious insects, which more than compensates for all the bees it eats. This bird's pugnacious disposition during the breeding season, the boldness, persistent tenacity, and reckless courage with which it attacks other birds, even crows, hawks and owls, are characteristics familiar to all. The nest is placed in an orchard or garden, or by the roadside, on a horizontal bough, or in a fork at a moderate height ; sometimes in the top of the tallest trees along streams. It is bulky, openly situated, and as easily found as that of the Robin. Exterior- ly it is ragged and loose, but well cupped and brimmed, consisting of twigs, weedstalks, grasses, rootlets, bits of vegetable-down and wool firmly matted together. The lining is of slender grasses, chicken feathers, horse hair, fibres, rootlets and wool, used singly or combined in various proportions. The eggs range from three to five in number. A large series be- ■,' ».■ f :*1 l\4 i: Ml ill 238 NESTS AND EGGS OF m fore me exhibit a wonderful diversity in their markings ; the ground color is either white or creamy-white, and the common type is spotted with rich umber and chestnut-red. The sizes vary from- .80 to 1.05 in length by .69 to .75 in breadth. The average size of forty specimens is .97 X .70. Sometimes sets of these eggs are found almost wholly un- marked. 445. Tyrannus dominicensis (Gmel.) [303.] Gray Kingbird. Hab. South Carolina, Georgia and Florida; West Indies, coasts of the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico. Accidental in Massachusetts. A larger species than the common Kingbird, but its general ap- pearance, habits and nesting are the same. It is a common bird in the West Indies, and is found regularly in Florida and northward to Georgia, etc. Mr. Stuart states that it breeds in Florida in the months of May and June, building for its nest a frail structure of dry twigs, lined with a few roots, dead moss or fibrous plant stems ; it is placed in low bushes or in trees at a considerable height. The favorite nest- ing localities are along streams in live oaks. Usually three, sometimes four eggs are deposited ; they have a ground color of a creamy, pinkish or rosy tint, spotted, blotched or dashed with umber-brown and lilac-gray. A set of three eggs in my cabinet, taken near Tampa, Florida, May 20, 1885, measnre i.oox.75, 1.02 X. 76, 1.04 X. 75; another set of three, taken near Thomasville, Georgia, June 4, 1888, exhibit the following sizes : .99X .70, i.oo x .72, 1.00X.73. Mr. Norris has a set of four eggs, taken in Matee, Florida, May 25; these measure .97X.72, .99X.82, .97X.70, .97X.74. 446. Tyrannus melancliolicus couchii (Baird) [305.] Conch's Kingbird* Hab. Northern portion of Central America, north through Mexico to southern border of the United States (Southern Texas to Arizona). This is a common bird from Guatemala north through Mexico to the southern border of Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. It possesses the same characteristics common to birds of its family. A nest and four fresh eggs are described by Mr. Sennett. * These, together with both parents, were taken at Lomita Ranch, on the Rio Grande, Texas, in 1881. The nest was situated some twenty feet from the ground, on a small lateral branch cT a large elm, in a grove not far from houses. It was composed of smai. elm twigs, with a little Span- ish moss, a few branchlets and leaves of the growing elm, lined with fine rootlets and black hair-like heart of the Spanish moss. The out- side diameter is 6 inches and the depth 2 inches ; inside diameter 3 and depth 1.25 inches. * Auk. I, p. 93. NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 239 ■ The eggs, Mr. Sennett says, have a general resemblance to those of all our Tyrant Flycatchers, but are quit^^ distinct in form, size and ground-color from any he had seen. The blotches are more numerous and smaller ; the large ena is very round, and the small end quite pointed; the ground-color is rich buff; the blotches are similar to those of the Kingbird's eggs, but more irregularly distributed over the entire egg; sizes i.oox.76, .99X.76, .98X.76, .97X.72. 447. Tyrannus verticalis Say [306.] Arkansas Kingbird. Hab. Western North America from the Plains to the Pacific, south through Western Mexico to Guatemala. Accidental in Eastern States -Maine, New York, New Jersey and Maryland. The Western Kingbird possesses the same general traits which are common to the Kingbird of the Eastern States. Col.Goss mentions it as a common summer resident in middle and Western Kansas, arriving about the first of May ; begins laying in the latter part of the month. Mr. A. M. Shields states that in the region about Los Angeles, California, this species is found nesting from about the first of May until late in July, building in any convenient place ; in the frame-work of a windmill, the cornice of a house, on fence posts, in the forks of trees at heights ranging from five to fifty feet.* The nest is built of any available material, rags, grass and twigs, lined with wool or cotton. The eggs are five, sometimes four, in number. A large series be- fore me do not differ essentially from those of T. tyrannus^ except that they average smaller ; .g4x.65. 448. [307.] Tyrannus voclferans Swains Cassin's Kingbird. Hah. Guatemala north through Mexico and Western United States to Idaho and Southern Wyoming, «nd coast district of Southern California. Cassin's Kingbird greatly resembles T, verticalis in color; is less lively, and not so quarrelsome or pugnacious in its nature. It is a common bird in Southern California, but is nowhere so abundant as the Arkansas Flycatcher. In the Rocky Mountain region, according to Dr. Coues, it mostly replaces verticalis in the breeding season. A com- mon bird in Arizona, Mr, W, E. D. Scott states that the position of * Mr. Walter E. Bryant, in his p.ipers entitled " Unusual Nesting Sites," mentions some curious freaks concerning the nesting of the Arkansas Kingbird : An old and much flattened nest of Bullock's Oriole was found relined, and containing four Kingbird's eggs. A nest was found by Mr. A. M. Ingersoll built upon a fenre-post more than half a mile from the nearest tree. It was secured from observation on one side by a board nailed to the post and projecting above it. One of the most remarkable instances of persistency in nest building was met with in the case of a pair of Kingbirds, which had attempted to con.struct a nest upon the outer end of a windmill fan. A hori- zontal blade had probably been first selected, but an occasional breath of air had slightly turned the mill, bringing into place another and another, upon each of which had been deposited the first material for a nest until several nests were in different stages of construction, varying from the time that the windmill had re- mained quiet, while upon the roof below was strewn a quantity of debris that had fallen ai the wheel revolved. Of course, nothing but failure could be expected from their repeated attempts. ii r;i I 11 ,r.^ ■ r 'J T'l i i \i '■ I 240 NESTS AND EGGS OF the many nests he examined in the Catalina Mountain region shows a decided preference for the evergreen oaks over other trees. The nest, which is commonly from twenty to twenty-five feet from the ground, is most always placed near the extremity of a branch, and is hidden by the thick leaves. Six nests and a large series of the eggs of this species before me do not diSer essentially from those of T. iyrannus or T. verticalis. 449. Pitangus derbianus (Kaup.) [308] Derby Flyoatoher. Hab. Northern South America, Central America, Mexico, north to the Valley of the Rio Grande in Texas. A large, spirited-looking Flycatcher of Mexico and southward, lately found on the Lower Rio Grande in Texas. It is said to build its nest cniefly in thorny bushes and trees ; the structure is large and dome-shaped, like a Magpie's nest, with an entrance on one side. It is composed of twigs, coarse straws, dried mosses, lichens, etc. The eggs are from three to five, sometimes six in number ; creamy- white, speckled, spotted and blotched, chiefly at the larger end, with umber- brown, chestnut and lilac. Average size of ten eggs is 1.20X.80; an average specimen measures i.i6x .75. 452. Myiarchus crinitus (Lynn.) [312.] Crested Flycatcher. Hab. Eastern United States, west to the Plains, north to Southern Canada, south in winter through Eastern Mexico and Central America to Costa Rica. The Great-crested Flycatcher is an abundant bird in the wood- lands of Eastern United States as far north as Massachusetts. Mr. Thomas Mcllwraith states that it is a regular summer resident along the southern frontier of Ontario, Canada, arriving early in May. During the summer months the loud, harsh cries of this species are familiar sounds in the woods, which, when once known, are easily recognized. The Great-crested Flycatcher breeds throughout its United States range. It builds in the hollows of trees, post-holes, and, even Bluebird and Martin boxes are sometimes occupied. The nest is made of slen- der twigs, grasses, fine stems and rootlets, and cast-off" snake skins are invariably found among the materials. The eggs are remarkable for their coloratior , having a ground of buff"y-brown, streaked longitudinally by lines sharp and scratchy in style, and markings of purple and darker brown ; four to six in num- ber; average size, .82 x.62. The smallest egg selected from one hun- dred specimens measures .76X .62 ; the largest .93 x .70. The eggs are so peculiar in their style of markings that they may be easily identi- fied, and all the eggs of the North American species of the genus Myiarchus are alike in character. Cojiyrighl iSS6. PLATE VII. mm^^j-jS^'^ ■jjPPJ.JWI;WI>'--/'"- » Hs-f^ ru.i t ■ 4 I ...!i. BURROWING OWLS AND NESTING BURROW. [Spectyto tunicnla.'ia hy^gtra) Page 201, i \h 01 t \ ^^ i NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 241 453. Myiarchus mexicanus (Kaup.) [311.] Mexioan Crested Flyoatoher. Hab, Lower Rio Grande Valley in Texas, southward to Guatemala. The Mexican Crested Flycatcher was found by Dr. Merrill breed- ing in considerable numbers on the Lower Rio Grande in Texas. In its notes and habits it appears to closely resemble M. crinitus. With one exception, no snake skins were used in the construction of any of the nests. They were composed of felted locks of wool and hairs, and were placed not far from the ground in old Woodpeckers' holes or in natural cavities of decayed trees or stumps. Thirty-two eggs have an average size of .93X.66, the extremes being 1.03 x. 73 and .82X.65. The eggs are similar to those of M. crinittts^ except that they have a paler ground color and the markings are not so heavy. Mr. Norris has a set of five eggs taken May 8, 1887, in Starr county, on the extreme southern border of Texas ; they measure .86X.65, .88x.66, .86X.64, .89X.63, .86X.65. 453o. Myiarchus mexicanus magister Ridgw. Arizona Created Flyoatoher. Hab. Western Mexico, north to Southern Arizona. ' Mr. W. E. D. Scott found this bird to be common in spring and summer aboiit Tucson, Florence, Riverside, and in the foot-hills of the Catalina Mountains up to about 4500 feet, in Southern Ari- zona. About Tucson it frequents the mesquite and giant cactus groves. In the Catalinas, at an altitude of 4CXK) feet, a nest was found built in a deserted Woodpecker's hole in a dead sycamore stub ; it was entirely similar to that of M. crinitus^ even to the traditional snake skins, and contained five eggs nearly ready to be hatched, very similar to those of M. crinitus^ but a little larger. About Tucson the birds nest commonly in deserted Woodpeckers' holes in the giant cactus. An egg of this Flycatcher in my cabinet, taken in Pinal county, Arizona, March 21, 1886, measures 1.03X.70. 454. Myiarchus cinerascens Lawr. [313] Aah-throated Flycatcher. Hab. Western United States from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific, north to Oregon, Nevada, Utah and Colorado, south over the highlands of Mexico to northern Central America. The Ash-throated Flycatcher is a common species west of the Rocky Mountains ; in some places it is abundant. It is described as being shy, and of retiring habits, preferring the solitude of deep, shady forests where its insect food abounds. It is usually sole possessor of the tree in which its nest is built ; all intruders are violently assailed and compelled to retreat. The nests are placed in natural cavities of trees of almost any kind, in a deserted squirrel's or Woodpecker's hole. The clutches of eggs range from four to seven, ordinarily five or six, 17 .1; ' it; m u. Iff i 242 NESTS AND EGGS OF and the nesting season is in May and June. Old excavations of Gaird- ner's Woodpecker are commonly resorted to by this species in Californi|i. The eggs are colored and marked like those of M. mexicanus. Set No. 208 (oological collection of Walter E. Bryant), taken near Oakland, California, June 22, 1881, contains five eggs, which were fresh when found; their measurements are 22.5 x 16.5, 22x16, 23.5 X16.5, 22x16.5, 23x16.5 mm.* vSet No. 207, five eggs, taken at Berkely, California, June 9, 1880, contained small embryos, and show the following dimensions: 21x16, 21.5x15.5, 21.5x15.5, 21.5x16, 20x15 mm.f 456. Sayornis phoebe (Lath.) [315] Phoebe. Hab, Eastern North America; in winter south to Mexico and Cuba. The Phoebe, Pewit, or Pewee is one of the best known birds in Eastern United States, where, with the Robin and the Bluebird, it is always one of the first spring arrivals. Shady ravines, the borders of rivers and open fields are its resorts. It is commonly found perched upon a dead branch of a tree at the edge of a woods, where it sits flirt- ing its tail and occasionally darting out after passing insects, always returning to the same twig, and frequently uttering its simple, agree- able and emphatic note, pc-ivce^ pe-ivit^ or as some hear it, phce-bee. This species is called " Bridge-bird," from its habit of nesting in old wooden bridges. The original situation of the nt. is the face of an upright rock, which is sometimes moss-grown and dripping with water. Wilson states that the Phoebe occasionally nests in an open well, five or six feet down, among the interstices of the side-walls; and Nuttall has known it to nest in an empty kitchen. In wild places, far from the habitation of man, hollow trees are resorted to as breeding places. Stone culverts, caves, old log houses, barns and sheds are its accus- tomed nesting places, and nests are often found in woods built in the roots of overturned trees. Mr. W. W. Coe records the nesting of a pair of Pewees on a ferry boat running between Portland and Middle- town, Connecticut, the boat making trips every ten minutes. The birds seemed to claim Middletown as their home, and appeared to collect the material for the nest on that side of the river. My friend, Mr. Mebs, took a nest containing five eggs from the beams of a freight car, which had recently made a trip of forty-five miles. The eggs were fresh, and, except one, unbroken. Two nests •\89 X .65, .87 X .()3, .93 x .65, .87 x .65, .91 x .65. t .83x .63, .86x .61, .85x .61, .85x .63, .79x .59. NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 243 which I found in culverts, over running water, were perfectly green 'vith moss, and had evidently been occupied for several years. The nejt, attached to a perpendicular surface, is built like that of the Barn Swallow, being compactly and neatly made of mud and various vege- table s\ibstances, with a lining of grass and feathers. This bird's attachment for a chosen locality is sometimes remark- able ; its nest is known to have been torn down and rebuilt again by its owner in the same spot. The eggs may be taken, when a second and even a third set will be deposited. The eggs are ordinarily four or five in number ; clutches of five are the most common ; they are pure white, sometimes sparsely spotted with obscure or well-defined reddish-brown dots at the larger end. In exceptional instances the Pewee deposits six and seven eggs. Their average size is .81 x .52. 457. Sayornls saya (Bonap.) [316.] Say's PhcDbe. Hab. Western United States from the Great Plains to the Pacific, north to the Saskatchewaa, south to Mexico. A bird of an extended distribution in Western United States, and possessing the same general traits common to the Eastern Pewee. Col. Goss records this species as a summer resident in Western Kansas, and styles it "a bird of the plains." Begins laying the last of May. Dr. Cones says that it is common in open or rocky country, where it is seen singly or in pairs ; the principal flycatcher of unwooded regions, in weedy, brushy places, displaying the usual activity of its tribe, and uttering a melancholy note of one syllable, or a tremulous twitter. Like S. phtcbe^ it has been found nesting in hollow trees, in caves and recesses of rocks, in outbuildings or abandoned dwellings. Some- times, with the familiarity of the Eastern species, it will build its nest on a porch of a dwelling whose inmates are almost constantly in sight. Occasionally two broods are reared in a season. Mr. Bryant men- tions a nest found by Mr. Walter Bliss at Carson, Nevada, placed within and close to the entrance of a deserted Bank Swallow's burrow. The composition of the nest varies more or less according to the locality in which it is built ; vegetable fibres, soft grasses, spiders' webs, etc., are the principal materials, and the shallow cavity is lined with feathers and hair. The eggs are four or five in number, white, with an average size of .75 X .57. A set of four eggs, taken near Banning, Cali- fornia, May 19, \s measure .75X.61, .77X.61, .75X.61, .76X.59. Mr. Norris has a set of five eggs taken in Larimer county, Colorado, July I, 1887. The nest was placed on a projecting beam of a wagon ,i't- I li I: 1 •!»^ a' \\ 244 NESTS AND EGGS OF shed. The eggs are white, ovate in shape, and measure .71 x .53, .72 X .55, .72 X .55, .75 X .56, .73 X .54. 458. Sayornls nigricans (Swains.) [317.] Black PhoBbe. Hab. Southweitern United Statei and Mexico— Texai, through Southern New Mexico and Ariionato California, northward along the coaat to Oregon. This bird's general color is like that of the "Black" Snowbird, Junco hyemalis^ now called Slate-colored Junco. It is an abundant species throughout California, Southern Arizona and New Mexico, and its general habits are much the same as those of the common Phoebe- bird ; the nests are also constructed in similar situations as those of the Eastern species — in caves, on ledges of rocks, under bridges, in deserted dwellings, etc. The bird is found more or less abundantly along streams, and is said to prefer the vicinity of human habitations. Mr. Walter E. Bryant records a pair of these birds that built for two consec- utive years in a well, four feet below the surface. The first year a sec- ond nest was built after the first had been taken. Four or five eggs are laid. A set of four eggs is in my cabinet, taken April 26, from a nest in a barn by Mr. S. C. Evens, at San Jose, California. Two of them are white, unmarked, and the other two are sparsely dotted at the larger end with light reddish-brown ; their sizes are .73X.59, .8ox.5g, .81X.57, .80X.58. Two other sets in my collection are unmarked. Mr. Norris has two sets of eggs of the Black Phoebe ; one of four was taken in Los Angeles county, California, May 10, 1887, from a nest placed in a cleft of rocks. The eggs are of a light cream color, three of them unmarked, and one with a few pin points of reddish ; their sizes are .74X.56, .74X .56, .75 x .56, .72X.56. A set of five, collected April 3, 1885, in Pinal county, Arizona, was taken from a nest under the shelter of a rock by the side of a stream. These are also of a light cream color ; three of them marked with small specks ^f reddish, the others being unmarked. They exhibit the following sizes : .74 x .58, .76 x .58, .79 x .60, .']'] x .57, •75X.59- 459. Contopua borealis (Swains.) [318.] Olive-sided Flyoatoheri Hab. North America at large, north even to Greenland, south in winter to Central America and Columbia. • The Olive-sided Flycatcher, apparently nowhere abundant — at least it seems to escape the notice of observers — is very rare in the Middle and Southern States, but less so in the West. It frequents the coniferous woods of the mountain districts and those of the lowlands, breeding from Northern United States northward. In some localities of New England the Olive-sided Flycatcher is rather common, where NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 245 numerous instances of its nesting are recorded. It has been found breeding in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Northern Minnesota. Col. Goss says it is a rare summer resident of Kansas. The nest is usually built in evergreen trees, frequently at a great height from the ground. It is similar in construction to that of the Wood Pewee's nest, being saddled on a horizontal limb or fixed in a fork. A nest before me, taken in Windsor county, Vermont, June lo, 1884, is a shallow structure made of twigs, grasses, and bark strips, lined with soft grasses and moss; it is a very frail, clumsy structure, compared to that of Contopus virens. This nest was placed in a hemlock tree, thirty feet from the ground, and contained four eggs, which is the usual number. From three to five eggs are laid by this species, and May and June are the breeding months. The eggs are creamy-white, spotted about the greater end with a distinct confluent ring of chestnut-red and brown ; there are also spots of purple and lavender, and on the whole the eggs very much resemble those of the Wood Pewee, but are larger; sizes, .90X.65, .89X.65, .90X.62, .90X.67. These sizes are slightly larger than most of those stated by writers. The average size given is about .82 x .62. 461. Contopus virens (Linn.) [320.] 'Wood Pewee. Hab. Eastern North America to the edge of the Great Plains, north to Canada, south in winter to Eastern Mexico and Guatemala. A common and a well-known bird in Eastern United States. By those who have a superficial knowledge of birds, it is often con- founded with the common Pewee, but it is considerably smaller, slen- derer, and rather darker in color. The notes of both birds are very similar ; those of the Pewee consist of two syllables, quickly and sharply uttered, while those of the Wood Pewee are of two, sometimes three syllables, pe-zvee or pe-a-u>ee^ repeated at all hours of the day, but especially after sunset. The notes are truly sad but swcot, less emphatic, much slower and softer than those of the Phcebe and, as Mr. Thomas Mcllwraith says : " To human ears the notes of the male ap- pear to be the outpourings of settled sorrow, but to his mate the im- pressions conveyed may be very different." * The nest of the Wood Pewee is iisually placed either on the upper surface of a limb, or in a horizontal fork. It is generally built in a large tree in the interior or on the border of woods, or by the road- side. Very frequently the nest is placed on the horizontal branches of apple trees in orchards, and even in shade trees, in close proximity to * Birds of Ontario, p. 181. i!i4 "^ t >ii* )i'' !?> 246 KESTS AND EGGS OF t"^^ |!,V il-'ii i i !i p.rilH i m t i fUm 1 ffi^ J V K^t 11 I 90 SI: t» ]» . ^^ HK houses, or on those along river banks. The distance from the ground ranges from six to fifty feet. The nest is a very pretty, flat, compact structure, with a thick wall and a thin floor — often the branch forms a portion of the bottom of the nest, and it is frequently so thin that the eggs can be seen from beneath. Slender or split grasses, weed-fibres, naii'^w strips of grapevine bark, and pieces of moss-fibres make up the nest pnper. Externally it is covered with pieces of lichens, which are held in position by webs, and the structure thus ornamented is ren- dered indistinguishable from a natural protuberance of the branch itself.* The nesting time is in the latter part of May or in June. The eggs are usually three, rarely four in number, with a creamy- white ground of varying intensity ; the markings are formed in a wreath around the larger end, or around the center ; these are spots of reddish- brown, t itnt umber and lilac-gray. In their short diameter the eggs measure from .50 to .59 ; in their long diameter from .65 to .79 ; the average size is about .74 x .55, 462. Contopus richardsonii (Swains.) [321.] WesteTii 'Wood Pewoe, Hab. W'jtcrn North America, from the Great Plains to the Pacific; north to British Columbia and interior of British America; south in winter through Mexico and Central America. The Western Wood Pewee is common in various regions of West- ern United States, as in Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Oregon, etc. Col. Goss records it as a rare summer resident in West- ern Kansas ; begins laying the first of June. Mr. Bryant informs me that it is tolerably common near Oakland, Cal., where it nests by pre- ference on th i horizontal branches of alders, about fifteen feet from the ground. According to Mr. Emeison it is not at all common about Hayward, Cal. A nest taken May 22, 1881, was placed on the large horizontal Innb of a sycamore, thirty feet from the ground ; another, taken in Santa Cruz county. May 26^ was also built in a similar posi- tion at a height of fortj' feet. At Fort Klamath, Oregon, Dr. Merrill found the nests usually built on a horizontal pine branch, often at a considerable elevation ; sometimes they are placed against upright twigs, and others merely saddled on the bare limb. Only one was found in an aspen tree. They averaged rather deeper than the nests of C. z'irens, and were not coated with lichens. The nests of the Western Wood Pewee do not differ widel} from those of the typical vtrens, except •■'' A large aeries of the Wood Pewees' nrits which I have pericnally taken in the pa.it ten years are before me. The best of them are far inferior in design to even th« poorest nests hiiilt by \\i: Blue-gray Gnat- catcher and Ruby-throated Hummingbird, whose structures have high walis, gracefully turned brims, deeply cupped interiors and highly artistic, lichen-covered exteriors. Some of the nests of the Wood Pewee are scantily ornamented with lichens, are very ^tllow, and at once sugge'^t a one-story, flimsy, poverty-stricken home. ■',■■ , ./,; f ' ■:" NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 247 that they are rarely ornamented with lichens. The eggs, too, are similar — creamy-white, marked with spots of chestnut-browu, umber and lilac- gray in wreaths about the larger end or center of the eggs ; the nmber de- posited ranges from t-.vo to four, usually three. A set of three in my cab- inet collected in Douglass county, Colorado, June lo, 1887, have the fol- lowing measurements: .67X.57, .69 x .57, .65X.57. Mr. Norris' collec- tion contains two sets of three eggs each, taken at Fort Klamath, Oregon, June 19 and 20, 1888. They measure by sets: .67X.54, .66X.53, .66X.54; .63X.52, .66X.51, .69X.53. The color of the markings in these eggs are paler than those of C. virens. 463. Empidonax flaviventris Baird. [322.] 'ifellow-bellied Flycatcher. Hab. Eastern North America to the Great Plains, south in winter through Eastern Mexico and Cen- tral America. Breeds from Northern United States northward. A common bird in Eastern United States, where it frequents thickets, swamps and woodland. It does not seem to Have been met with or observed during the breeding season so commonly as other members of the genus Empidonax^ which is doubtless due to the peculiarity of its nidification, and from its limited breeding area within the United States. Its note is as much entitled to the name of song as many of the Warblers and other Oscuics. A nest containing four eggs was foi\nd by Mr. H. A. Purdy on June 18, in Aroostook county, Maine, at the edge of a wooded swamp, built in a ball of green moss in the roots of an upturned tree, two feet from the ground. It was composed of dry moss, and the outside was faced with the same in its beautiful green state. It was large for the size of the bird, and was lined mostly with fine black roots, a few pine needles and grass stems. June 10, 1878, Mr. S. D. Osborne found a nest of this species, with four eggs, on the island of Grand Manan. It was built in a good-sized hummock of moss at the edge of some low woods. The cavity extended in about two inches, and was about four inches deep, lined with a few grasses, black, hair-like roots, etc. Another nest, similar in construction, was found by Mr. Osborne in Oxford county, Maine, in a bunch of moss under the roots of a small tree in swampy woods, bordering a small stream. Two nests of this bird were taken at Fort Fairfield, Maine, by Mr. Charles F. Batchelder. One found June 14 was in wet mixed woods of spruces, arbor vitcEs and hemlocks ; it was on the edge of a bank of a small brook, in a decayed tree trunk, and partly sunk in the sur- rounding moss. This nest contained four eggs. The second nest, which also contained four eggs, taken June 27, was deeply sunk in the ii "t if 1' K 248 NESTS AND EGGS OP soft, green moss on the side of the stump of a fallen tree.* Mr. Fred- erick B. Spaulding records the finding of a nest similar to those de- scribed, near Lancaster, New Hampshire, June 14, i886.t Mr. Spauld- ing's nest contained five fresh eggs. The eggs are usually four in number, buffy or creamy-white, speckled and spotted, chiefly around the larger end with rusty-brown or cinnamon. The average size is .70X.50. The measurements of .Mr. Batchelder's two sets are as fol- lows : .68 X .52, .68 x .52, .66 x .51, .66 x .51 ; .70 x .54 ; .67 x .54, .67 x . 53, .67X.51. 464 Empidonax dlfflcilis Baird [323.] 'Western Flyoatoher. t Hab. Western United States, from the edge of the Great Plains to the Pacific; north to Sitka, south in winter to Western Mexico. The Wes^-evn Yellow-bellied Flycatcher is an abundant species throughout its United States range. Its general habits, nesting and eggs are similar to those oi flaviventris. Mr. Walter E. Bryant men- tions a nest of this species found by Mr. A. M. Ingersoll, which was built at the bottom of a hole five inches deep, made by a Red-shafted Flicker in a live oak. Mr. Emerson states that in California this bird nests in hollows in banks and along creeks, in natural cavities of trees and among the roots of fallen ones, and in some of the most out-of-the- way places ; in tall Australian gum trees and in corners of rail fences. Nest composed of shreds of roots, dead leaves, cobwebs, bits of fine grass, and liued with finer grasses and a few feathers. A set of four eggs is in my collection, taken by Mr. Ingersoll, May 2, 1886. The nest was placed on rocks four feet from running water. These specimens measure as follows : .64 x .50, .67 x .53, .63 x .49, .64 X .50. The eggs are creamy-white, spotted and finely speckled with cinnamon or reddish-brown, in some quite thickly about the larger end, often forming a complete ring, again well sprinkled over the entire sur- face ; three or four, sometimes five in number; average size . 69 x. 51. 465. Empidonax acadicus (Gmel.) [324.] Aoadian Flyoatgher. Hab. Eastern United States, south in winter through Eastern Mexico and Central America. A common bird in the woodlat "s of Eastern United States, where it is also known as the Small Green-crested Flycatcher. Breeds more or less abundantly in nearly all the Mississippi Valley region, even as far south as Eastern Texas, Southern Louisiana and Alabama. Col. Goss gives it as not uncommon in Eastern Kansas, where it arrives the <• For a detailed account of these nesis and eggs, see Bull. Nutt. Ornith. Club, Vol. Ill, pp. 166-168- 187-188; Vol. IV, pp. 240-242. t Ornithologist and Oologist, XII, pp. 133-;34. X Baird's Flycatcher in the A, O. U Check List. yiT/>^gp»jji?'^'^j!'i^'ijl!^ L ffiy?!lA-^l!i III"' ! NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 249 first of May and begins laying early in June. Messrs. Keyes and Williams record it as a summer resident of Iowa, but not common ; several nests have been taken near Des Moines during the past few years.* In New England the Acadian Flycatcher is of rare occurrence. In Ohio and the bordering States it is an abundant species. Regions timbered with large trees, and overgrown with bushes, low trees, vines and weeds are its favorite resorts. The birds love to penetrate the shadowy depths of the forest, and delight to rear their young in the most quiet and gloomy spots. Rarely, if ever, is the nest built in isolated trees, but frequently in those along lonely wagon-roads or at the "border of woods. In these quiet retreats the observer is often startled by the bird's loud, quick and emphatic note, what-(V-see^ what cV-ye-see^ coming from an unseen performer, who is perched in the lower branches. The distance of the nest from the ground vax^js from three to twenty feet, and it is usually suspended in a horizontal fork at the extremity of a low limb. In manner of attachment it resembles the nests of the Vireos, being fastened by the brim, while the bottom is unsupported. Sometimes, as when in vines or bushes, it is suspended between two parallel stems. On the whole, it is a ' ^ose, rustic fabric, made of grasses, catkins, weed-fibres and shreds of bark, and when just finished consider- able quantities of grass hangs from the periphery of the nest, giving it a slovenly appearance. Two or three eggs are the number deposited by this species. In only two instances, out of the large number which I have collected, have I found nests with four eggs, and in both cases one egg was badly addled. Their color is a light yellowish-bufi" of varying intensity, with a decided flesh-color tint when fresh. The markings are of a light red- dish or bay or rusty-brown color, and are found either in specks or spots grouped chiefly about the larger end. Ten specimens offer the follow- ing sizes: .70X.53, .70X.56, .70X.53, .72 X. '=4, .75 X. 54, .77X.58, .-J^Tf. .56, .78X. 57, . 77 X. 56, .78X.57. An aver.ige egg measures .74X.54. T' e eggs are not distinguishable from those of traillii^ except that the ground-color and marking in those of acadicus are generally darker. 466. Empidonax pusillus (Swains.) [325.] liittle Flycatcher. Hab. Western North America, from the Great Plains to the Pacific, north to Site's and Fort Simpson, According to Dr. Coues this bird replaces the true trailli from the plains to the Pacific, and " is the usual ' little flycatcher ' in Western * A Preliminary Annotated Catalogue of the Birds of Iowa: By Charles R. Keyes and H. S. Wil- iams, M. D. Extracted from Proceedings of Davenport Academy Natural Sciences, Vol. V. Davenport, Iowa: 1888, p. 23. ! i^iil 'I 250 NESTS AND EGGS OF woodland, generally distributed, Habits, nests and eggs counterparts of those of traillii.'''' A nest containing a set of three eggs, collected by S. C. Evans, near San Jose, California, May 26, is in my cabinet. The nest was placed in the forks of a small bush, three feet from the ground. Its composition is chiefly vegetable fibres, loosely put together ; the lining is of the same material, but of finer shreds, and horse hair. The eggs have a pale yellowish-buff ground-color, spotted and speckled at the greater end with light reddish and madder-brown ; sizes, .73 x .53, .74X.51, .74X.53. 466(2. Empidoaax pusillus tralUii (Aud.) [325a.] Traiirs Flycatcher. Hab. Eastern North America, south in winter t'lroiigh Central to Northern South America. Traill's Flycatcher breeds from the Northern United States north- ward, and as far south as Southern Illinois and Missouri. The locality usually selected as a nesting site by this species is in a thick growth of alders bordering a stream, or in the deep solitude of a lonely wood, where it is associated with the Acadian Flycatcher during the breeding season. Wherever found breeding traillii is more abundant than is generally supposed, but from its retiring habits is little known. Our illustration represents a typical nest of Traill's Flycatcher, taken in June, 1885, placed in a clump of alders. They are scarcely ever placed higher than eight feet from the ground ; in most cases about four. In nearly all instances they are built in an upright fork, and have a strong resemblance to the usual structure of the Yellow Warbler, but lack in compactness and neatness. The external or greater portion of the nest is composed of hempen fibres, internally lined in true Flycatcher style with fine grasses. In some, however, there is a slight lining of horse-hair and of the down from the milk- weed or thistle. A typical nest measures two and a half inches in height and three in diameter, with a cavity one inch and a half in diameter and two inches deep. Three eggs is the usual complement, although four is not uncom- mon, and they are often found in varying stages of incubation. The ground-color of the eggs is extremely variable. In some it is of a cream, in others approaching buff. In four sets there is a striking variation in the distribution of the markings. They are usually marked, chiefly at the larger end, with blotches of red and reddish- brown, and while in some the markings are simply very small dots spar- ingly sprinkled over the surface, in others these dottings are scarcely visible, giving them the appearance of an almost unspotted surface. NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 261 IS Six eggs exhibit the following measurements: .72X.55, .70X.53, .7OX.52, .64X.53, .69x,52, .70X.53. An average specimen measures .73X.53. The eggs of trailli ox^ paler in ground-color and markings than those of acadicus, but the difference is so slight that no one can diflferentiate them with certainty. ' " ' 467. Empidonax minimus Baird. [326.] I<«aBt Flyoatoher. Hab. Sastern North America, south in winter through Central to Northern South America. Breed* from the Northern States northward. In all the States between the Atlantic and the Great Plains the Least Flycatcher is an abundant species, occurring as a migrant and breeding from about 40° latitude northward. Breeds abundantly in New England and throughout all the Northern States — New York, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, etc. An abundant summer resident in Mani- toba. Adult and young specimens have been taken at San Angelo, Texas, during the breeding season. It is reported as breeding com- monly at Fannin county, Texas, and sometimes in the State of Nebraska. The bird frequents the borders of woods and thickets, particularly the edges of lowland forests and the more open swamps. The nest, commonly placed in an upright fork of a small tree or sapling, sometimes on a horizontal limb, is small, compact and felted of fine, soft materials — bark-fibres, intermingled with vegetable down, lined with fine grasses and shreds of bark, or, as is frequently the case, with a few feathers. The nest bears a strong resemblance to that of the Redstart, and the eggs cannot be mistaken for those of any of our Flycatchers of the East- ern States, as they are wholly unlike any of them. They are normally pure white or buffy-wliite, unmarked^ rarely speckled ; their number is sometimes only two or three, usually forr, and their average size is .65X.50. Seven eggs measure .60X.50, .62X.50, .64X.51, .64X.52, .65X.53, .63X.50, .64X .51. May and June are the nesting months. 468. Empidonax hammondi (Xantus) [327.] Hannnond's Flyoatoher. Hab. Western North America, south in winter to Southern Mexico, north to the Lesser Slave Lake. The Western representative of the Least Flycatcher from the Plains to the Pacific. The nesting and eggs are said to be substantially like those of E. minimus. On account of its general plain, soiled color it is called Dirty Little Flycatcher. 469. Empidonax obscurus. (Swains.) [328.] Wright's Flyoatoher. Hab. Western United States, south to South-rn Mexico, east to Rocky Mountains. The Gray Little Flycatcher is common to the woodland, groves I Hi)! 252 NESTS AND EGGS OF and thickets of the Western States and Territories. During the breed- ing season, in the region about Fort Klamath, Oregon, Dr. Merrill usually found it in groves of aspens in company with the Warbling Vireo ; also among the pines with Cassin's Vireo and the Western Wood Pewee. The nests were most frequently built in young aspens, at an average height of about six feet. They resemble nests of the Yellow Warbler, which are found in the same localities ; but all the nests of the Flycatcher were built against the main trunk, while all of the Warbler were on branches and generally higher from the ground. The nests are composed externally of strips of light gray bark of about the same colors as the bark of the aspens, and partly on this account and because of their location the nests are liable to escape notice if careful search is not made. The lining is sometimes a smooth, felted mass of fur and horse-hairs, in others, feathers are used, and the nests are gen- erally more deeply cupped than is usual with this group. Pairs that are found among the pines usually place their nests in an upright form of a manzanita or buck-brush that grow abundantly in such localities. The eggs are dull, buffy-white ; seven sets of twenty-seven speci- mens average .68 x. 53, the extremes of the sets being .65 x .50 and .72x57. 471. Pyrocephalus rubineus mexicanus (Scl.) [ 330.] Vermilion Flycatcher. Hab. Southern border of the United States (Southern Texas to Arirona), south through Mexico to Guatemala. Along the Rio Grande of Southern Texas and in Southern Ari- zona the beautiful Vermilion Flycatcher is a common species. Mr. W. E. D. Scott notes it as a common species about Riverside, Tucson, and Florence, Arizona. During the breeding season the male fre- quently utters a twittering song while poised in the air, in the manner of the Sparrow Hawk ; during the song it snaps its bill as if catching insects. Thickets along water-courses are this bird's favorite resorts. The nests are usually placed in horizontal forks of ratana trees, often in mesquites, not more than six feet from the ground ; they are composed of small twigs and soft materials felted together, and the rims covered with lichens ; the cavity is shallow. A few horse or cow hairs comprise the lining. Dr. Merrill states that they bear consider- able resemblance to nests of the Wood Pewee in appearance and the manner in which they are saddled to the limb. Mr. Brewster describes a nest taken by Mr. F. Stephens on the 25th of April, at Tucson, <-Auk 111,258. NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 253 he breed- r. Merrill A^arbling rn Wood s, at an e Yellow nests of 1 of the ad. The bout the >unt and • careful mass of ire gen- lirs that ht form calities. n speci- .50 and Mexico to rn Ari- Mr. W. *ucson, le fre- aanner tching ivorite ■ trees, ey are id the )r cow isider- id the cribes icson. Arizona, which lacks the exterior coating of lichens.* Others were found by Mr. Stephens of a similar construction. The usual number of eggs is three ; the ground-color is a rich creamy-white, with a ring of large brown and lilac blotches at the larger end. Dr. Merrill gives the average size of fourteen eggs as .73X.54. A set of three eggs in Mr. Norris' cabinet was taken in Cochise county, Arizona, May 21, 1888. The nest was placed in a sycamore tree near a running stream. The eggs are pale creamy-biiff, with bold spots and blotches of seal-brown and lilac-gray, in a circle around the center of each egg. They measure, respectively, .71X.53, .69X.53, .80X.53. Six other sets in the same cabinet show great variation. [473.] Alauda arvensis Linn. [299,] Skylark. Hab. Europe and portions of Asia and Africa; accidental in the Bermudas and in Greenland. The far-famed Skylark of the Old World holds a place in the avi- fauna of North America from its occasional occurrence in the Bermu- das, and in Greenland. Several attempts have been made to introduce these desirable birds in Eastern United States, but so far the experi- ments have proved unsuccessful. The Skylark is an inhabitant of all the countries of Europe, and is said to be more plentiful in cultivated districts. The mating season is in April, and two broods are reared in a season. The nest is always placed on the ground, in meadows or open grassy places; it is often sheltered by a tuft of grass, clod of earth, or other projection. The materials used in its composition are grasses, plant stems, and a few chance leaves ; the lining is of the same, but finer. The eggs are three, four or five in number, and vary considerably in form and coloration; some are grayish-wliite with a tinge of purple or greenish-white, thickly sprinkled r.nd mottled with a grayish-brown or drab ; others are of a deep sombre hr.e, and in some the markings are chiefly concentrated at the larger end. These are the variations exhibited in four sets of tour eggs each in my cabinet, taken in Staf- fordshire, England, in the latter part of April and the first of May. The smallest set offers the following sizes : .86 x. 57, .87 x .60, .84 x. 58, .89 X .60 ; the largest, .93 x .64, .95 x .64, .92 x .62, .94 x .64, respectively. 474. Otocoris alpestris (Linn.) [300.] Horned Larkt Hab. Northeastern North America — Labrador, regio' about Hudson Bay, Greenland, and northern parts of the Old World; in winter south in Eastern United States ic, the Carolinas, Illinois, etc. The Shore Lark, the true aipestris^ breeds in northeastern North America and Greenland, wintering in the United vStates. Said to «Bull. Nutt. Ornith, Club. VII, 207. 254 NESTS AND EGGS OF breed abundantly in Newfoundland and Labrador. It also inhabits northern portions of the Old World. The common name is derived from the tufts of black feathers over each ear, which at will the bird has the power of erecting like the so-called "horns" of some owls. In the Eastern States, during the winter months, flocks varying in size from a dozen to those of a hundred or more, may be seen fre- quenting open plains, old fields, dry shores of bays, and the banks of rivers. As there are a number of geographical varieties of the Horned Lark, the greatest uncertainty has always attended their identification, even by experts, and the breeding and winter ranges of the various sub-species do not yet seem to be clearly defined. This was the species found by Audubon breeding on the low, mossy and sheltered hills along the dreary coast of Labrador. In the midst of the mosses and lichens th?,t covered the rocks the bird im- bedded its nest, which is composed of fine grasses, arranged in a circu- lar form and lined with the feathers of grouse and other birds. The eggs, deposited early in July, are four or five in number, and are de- scribed by Audubon as marked with bluish as well as brown spots. European eggs are grayish-white, spotted with brownish-lavender or lilac-gray. 474a. Otocoris alpestris leucolsema (Coues) [300a.] Pallid Horned Lark. Hab. Northwestern North America; in winter south over the more northerr Great Plains and Great Basin of the United States to Kansas, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, etc. This paler northwestern form of the Shore Lark breeds from Alaska southward, east of the Rocky Mountains, nearly to the United States boundary. The nest is built in a depression of the ground, and sunk a little below the surface, usually under a tuft of grass ; it is well cupped and woven in a circular form of old grasses, lined with hairs. The eggs are three or four, grayish or pale olive, finely aud thickly sprinkled with olive-brown. Average size .91 x .65. 474^. Otocoris alpestris praticola Hensh. Prairie Horned Lark. Hab. Upper Mississippi Valley and region of the Great Lakes; east locally to New York; south, in winter, to Virginia and Northeastern Texas. The birds of this race may be distinguished from the typical alpes- tris by their smaller size and paler colors. In the northern half of the Mississippi Valley it breeds abundantly, and as far south as Eastern Kansas, where Col. Goss notes it as common and abundant. It begins laying the last of March. The Prairie Horned Lark breeds commonly in Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota. It doubtless breeds, though sparingly, in Northwestern Ohio, as young birds have been taken in that section in Mav. lh>^ NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 266 Two broods are reared in a season, the first very early — usually by the last of April. Mr. L. Jones, of Grinnell, Iowa, states that as many as three broods are reared in that region ; the first nest is built late in March or early in April, the second about the first of June, and the third late in July or early in August. The highlands of meadows and cornfields are its resorts while breeding, the nest being placed in a hollow of the earth, compactly made of dry grasses and corn leaves, lined with a few feathers and horse hairs. Mr. Jones says that the first nest is most elaborately made, while the second and third are more slovenly put together. Three or four eggs are deposited, usually four ; their ground-color varying from pale olive or light greenish to dull olive-buff, thickly speckled and sprinkled with drab. A set of four eggs in my collection, taken in Poweshiek county, Iowa, by Mr. Jones, gives the following measurements: .82x.6t, .84 x .62, .82x63, .86X.62. Mr. Norris has five sets taken in Jasper and Black Hawk counties, Iowa, in the latter part of May and first part of June. The largest eg\x& in this serico are those in a set taken June 4, 1885, in the latter county. They measure respectively .92 x .65, .91 x .64, .92 x .66, .93 x .65. 474^:. Otocoris alpestris arenicola Hensh. Desert Horned Lark. Hab. Great Plains and Rocky Mountain region of the United States. This subspecies inhabits the Rocky Mountain regions and the Great Basin of the United States, coming east to Dakota, where it breeds at least as far east as Ramsey county. Col. N. S. Goss gives it as a common resident in Middle and Western Kansas, where it begins laying early in April. Nesting, habits and eggs similar to O. alpestris praticola. Average size of the eggs .86 x .60. Two sets, each containing three eggs, are in Mr. Norris' cabinet. They were both taken in Larimer county, Colorado, on April 9 and 12, 1887, respectively. The nests were composed of grass and roots, and were sunken in the ground under cactus plants. The eggs are ovate in shape, of an olive-buflF and light pea-green ground-color, thickly speckled with drab. One set measures: .87X.65, .86X.64, .83 X .65 ; the other, .89 x .60, .87 x .63, .82 x .60, respectively. 474/. Otocoris alpestris giraudi Hensh. Texan Horned Iiark. Hab. Eastern and Southeastern Texas. Mr. Joseph L. Hancock found this form of the Shore Lark very common on the flats north of Corpus Christi, Texas, and on May 27 a nest with four eggs was taken. A set of three eggs in Mr. Norris' ■ ;%• i liM 266 NESTS AND EGGS OF 'i> \^- 'mi collection was taken April 13, 1886, in La Salle county, Texas. The nest was a hollow in the ground, lined with a few dry weeds. The eggs are of an olive-buff, densely speckled with drab, and with a wreath of the same color at the larger end. They measure : .86 x .60, .89X.60, .86X.59. The eggs are elongate-ovate in form. 1 474n of the )f a clod ies lined a series lia, and t, South eir gen- c, taken r, finely 3 meas- ^x.56, ter to por- !r than )regon aor of I, Ore- gon, May 30, 1887, he found a nest which on June 4 contained two eggs. This was the first set of these eggs known, and remained unique in collections until a second set was also found near Fort Klamath, by another collector, on June i, 1888, which is now in Mr. Norris' col- lection. The nest was sunken in the ground, and was made of grass, very loosely constructed. It contained four eggs. Two of them have an olive-buff ground-color, while the other two are of a light pea- green. All are thickly speckled with lip^ht brown. They are ovate in shape, and measure: .83X.58, .83x.bo, .85X.58, .85X.60. 475. Pica pica hudsonica (Sab.) [286.] American Maspl** Hab. Western North America (except California), east to the Rocky Mountains, north to AlMka, south to New Mexico and Arizona. Known as the Black-billed Magpie. A bird of a bad reputation — a rascal, thief, and a rogue in general, but like the Devil, is not perhaps "as black as he is painted." The camp tales of many a western trav- eler are interspersed with incidents illustrating the tricks and thieving propensities of the Magpie. As pets, their familiarity becomes a de- cided nuisance. A common species on the plains, mountains and hills of Colorado, where it breeds in abundance. The height of the nest from the ground, Mr. Dille says, ranges from six to sixty feet ; they are often built in the branches of a slender sapling, or in a scrubby willow. In the mountains the large black pine tree is this bird's favorite nest- ing site, and often as many as four nests are built in a single tree. The nests are large and bulky — a rustic lattice-work of sticks, measuring from two to three feet high, though not more than twelve to eighteen inches in the greatest diameter. The nest has an arched roof, with an opening on the side. Sometimes these dome-shaped roofs and doorways are not very artistically or elaborately made, and the observer is often compelled to put on the finishing touches with his imagination. The sticks are cemented together with mud, and the lining of the nests consist usually of a few grasses or roots. The long tails of the Magpies may be observed protruding from one of the entrances of the nest while incubating. The number of eggs varies from five to nine, commonly seven, and they are deposited in Colorado as early as the latter part of April, usually, however, in May. Dr. Merrill took a set of eggs at Modoc Point, Oregon, on April 8. The eggs are grayish-white, with a yellow- ish, occasionally with a greenish tinge, spotted, dashed and dotted with markings of purplish or violet-brown ; most thickly around the larger end. Ten eggs measure: 1.32 x. 89, 1.37X.90, 1.38X.92, 1.40X .94, 1.34 X. 90, 1.36 X. 89, 1.42 X. 92, 1.34 X. 89, 1.42 X. 87, 1.40 X. 93. Mr. 18 fSsassBBSS'f .^I 'b^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) /. / :/ 1.0 IJ 1.25 2.5 »" iM mil 2.2 IIIIM ill 4 0 2.0 1.8 1.4 1.6 Photographic Sciences Corporation 33 WEST MAIN STREET "^ WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 :% ij>.. 268 NESTS AND EGGS OF Norris has eggs that measure as large as 1.57 x .94 and as small as 1.21 X .91. An average egg measures 1.32 x .89. 476. Pica cuttalli Aud [287.] Tellow-billed Magpie. Hab. California The Yellow-billed Magpie is confined exclusively to California, where it breeds abundantly ; and it begins nesting about the first of April. Its general habits are like those of P. hudsonica, and the nest is similarly constructed, . The eggs range from five to nine in number, usually six or seven. They are of a light drab, so thickly marked with fine cloudings of an obscure lavender color as nearly to conceal the ground, and to give the egg the appearance of an almost violet-brown. A set of six eggs, col- lected in Whejgler Canon, near Santa Paula, California, exhibit the fol- lowing dimensions : 1.31 X.89, a.28x.89, 1.31X.89, 1. 32 X. 89, 1.30 X. 88, 1.28 X .90. A set of six eggs in my cabinet, taken from a nest situated twenty feet from the ground in an oak tree, near Santa Barba, Califor- nia, April 10, 1887, oifeis the following sizes: 1.30 x. 85, 1.29X.34, 1.29 X.90, 1.30X.82, 1. 28 X. 81, 1. 25 X. 36. 477. Cyanocitta cristata (Linn.) [289.] Bln« Jay. Hab. Eastern North Amerii- > except Florida, west to the Plains, north to the Fur Countries. The well-known Blue Jay is abundant in Eastern North America, where it breeds in the latter part of April, in May and June, according to locality. He is a conspicuous member of a family of questionable character and, as in the case of the Magpie, unjust prejudices have doubtless done much to brand him a profligate. His fine personal dress, and noisy, boisterous habits, only serve to make him the more promi- nent as a rowdy full of cunning traits. Yet no observer will dispute that the sagacity often evinced by this bird — his forethought, intelli- gence and sensibility, are strongly akin to reason ; and according to the treatment received from man he is justly either shy or wary, confiding or familiar. The nest of the Blue Jay is built in the branches of a lonely forest tree, in the trees of orchards, in those bordering quiet roadways or lanes, and, where the bird is not molested it is commonly placed not far from dwelling-houses, in trees or bushes. The nest is large, and the materials used are various — twigs, leaves, roots and vegetable fibres rudely but strongly interwoven ; often paper, rags, wool and yarn enter into its composition. The eggs are four or five in number, olive-brown or olive-drab, thickly spotted with dark olive-brown. In some speci- mens the ground-color is light or dark green, similar to that in the NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 259 speci- in the eggs of the California Jay, in which the markings stand out in strong contrast. Ten eggs exhibit the following sizes: 1.02 x. 84, 1.06X.84, 1.10X.87, I. II X. 83, 1. 12 X. 82, 1. 15 X. 83, 1.14X.84, 1. 12 X. 83, 1.18X.86, i.i8x.86 ; one runt egg measures .76 x.6o. • 477a. Cyanocitta cristata florincola Coues. Florida Bine Jay. Hab Florida. This is a smaller bird than the last, with less white on the tips of the secondaries and tail-feathers. A set of four eggs in my cabinet from Florida do not differ essentially from those of C. cristata^ having the brown type of coloration for the ground-color. 478. Cyanocitta stelleri (Gmel.) [290.] Steller'a Jay. Hab. Pacific coast, north to Sitka, south to Northern California. Steller's Jay is an abundant species along the Pacific coast from Northern California northward. In Oregon it is a very common resi- dent. He is the same bold, noisy fellow as is his eastern cousin, the Blue Jay. The nest of this bird is built in firs and other trees, and in bushes, ranging from eight to twenty-five feet from the ground ; it is very bulky, and made of large sticks and twigs, generally with a supply of mud, and a lining of fine, dry grasses and hair. The eggs, three to five in number, are usually pale green or bluish-green, speckled with olive-brown, with an average size of 1.28X.85. Mr. Norris has a set of four eggs collected near Salem, Oregon, May 4, 1888. This set was taken from a nest in a thorn bush, twelve feet from the ground. The eggs are light bluish-green, spotted and sprinkled with clove-brown; the markings are heavier near the larger ends, where they form indis- tinct circles. They oflfer the following dimensions: 1.25X.93, 1.22 x .94, 1.19X.91, 1.23 X. 92. 478a. Cyanocitta stelleri frontalis (Ridgw.) [290a.] Blue-front«d Jay. Hab. Sierra Nevada rafige (both slopes) from Fort Crook to Fort Tejon. A common bird in the mountains of California, inhabiting the whole length of the Sierra Nevada and also, it is said, the roast ranges. Col. N. S. Goss found quite a number of nests of the Blue-fronted Jay in the vicinity of Julian, California, in the spring of 1884, and " in all cases but one, in holes and trough-like cavities in trees and stubs, ranging from four to fifty feet from the ground, generally ten to twenty feet. The nest found outside was built upon a large horizontal limb of an oak close beside a gnarl, the sprout-like limbs of which thickly covered the nest overhead, and almost hid it from view below." They il ' I " I f |l fl= 5* VA t\ _™ ^■ ■ 260 NESTS AND EGGS OF •were quite bulky, loosely made of sticks, stems of weeds, and lined ■with fibrous rootlets and grasses ; and as they were all built at or near the opening, the tell-tale sticks projected, and made the finding of the nest not difl&cult. Col. Goss gives the color of the eggs as light blue, speckled and spotted with dark brown, rather thickest at large end, and the meas- urements of two sets as follows : one taken May 19, 1.20X .87, 1.20 x. 88, 1. 21 X. 88; May 21, 1.21X.88, i,i5x.86, 1.19X.86, 1.16X.85. Mr. W. O. Emerson informs me that the nests in the vicinity of Haywards, Cali- fornia, are placed in oaks, redwood and other tall trees.* Mr. Norris has a set of three eggs, collected by Mr. A. M. Ingersoll, May 19, 1888, at Julian, California. The nest was inside of an immense oak stub, about fifteen feet from the ground, and the eggs were far advanced in incu- bation. They are cf a light grayish-blue, speckled and spotted with burnt umber. Their sizes are : 1.26X.86, 1.30X.85, 1.21 x.85. 478 , !'5 fc !'l 262 NKSTS AND EGGS OF I" I and prefers the realms of solitude to the haunts of man. It is nearly always found in company with the California Thrasher, Harporhyn- chus redivivus, whose tastes in regard to the general surroundings are similar. Mr. Shields says that in Los Angeles county this bird begins building about the first of May, but fresh eggs can be found as late as the last of June ; they are usually four, sometimes five in number. The nest is large and bulky, usually placed in scrub-oak or in the thick portions of chapparal ; it is composed of twigs, roots and dry grasses. The color of the eggs is a dark sea-green or blush-green, thickly dotted, spotted and sometimes blotched with clove-brown, chestnut, light buff, dark brown and bluish gray. A set of five eggs measure: 1.06 x. 82, 1.08 x. 72, 1.09 x. 84, i.iox.81, 1.09x80. Ten specimens average 1.08 x. 80. 482. Aphelocoma sieberii arizonse Ridgw. [295.] Arizona Jay. , Hab. Southern New Mexico, Arizona and Northwestern Mexico. According to Mr. Scott the Arizona Jay is an abundant species and resident wherever the live-oaks are found on the San Pedro slope of Las Sierras de Santa Catalina, in Southern Arizona, between the altitudes of 3000 and 7000 feet. It is an eminently gregarious and sociable bird; even during the breeding season a number of pairs may be found nesting in the same locality. March 16 a nest was found by Mr. Scott apparently completed but containing no eggs ; it was built in a sapling about ten feet from the ground, and was composed of dry rootlets laid very loosely in concen- tric rings ; there was no lining, and the walls of the structure average about three-quarters of an inch in thickness; interior diameter, five inches; greatest interior depth, an inch and three-quarters — a flat, saucer-like fabric. It was not built in a crotch, but where several small twigs leave the large branch. All other nests found resembled this one. On the 25th the nest war. visited again, and the female was sitting, but no eggs had been laid, and further out on the same branch another nest was built. Two other nests were found the same day about one hundred feet away ; in one a female \, :.s sitting on two eggs, which was thought at the time to be the full set. The eggs were fresh, and so much like those of the Robin, in color and general appearance, as to be almost indistinguishable from them. These two eggs meas- ured 1. 18 x. 88, 1. 13 x. 86. April i the two nests first mentioned were visited, and although the old bird was sitting on the nest earliest com- pleted, it contained no eggs, but on April 7 Mr. Scott was rewarded by finding five fresh eggs in this nest, identical in appearance with those; NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 26S t is nearly farporhyn- idings are 'ird begins as late as mber. or in the 3 and dry ish-green, ve-brown, five eggs 80. Ten t species Iro slope i^eeu the tons and of pairs ted but rom the concen- average er, five -a flat, several mbled le was branch le day fresh, ranee, meas- were com- idby :hose above described, and measure 1.25X.83, i.i3x,85, 1.23X.83, 1.14X.80, i.i6x .84. The other nest at this time did not nor several weeks after contain eggs.* 483. Xanthoura luxuosa (Less.) [296.] Oreen Jay. Hab. Eastern Mexico, north to the Rio Grande valley in Texas. Dr. Merrill sf^ites that the Rio Grande Jay is a common resi- dent about Fort Brown and higher up the river, but does not seem to pass much into the interior of Texas. Mr. George B. Sennett says: " Of all the birds on the Lower Rio Grande, this is the most mischiev- ous, robbing and despoiling other birds' nests without mercy." Its nest, Mr. Sennett observes, is not easily found, for it is always concealed in thickets, or in the heavy undergrowth of dense woods. A large series of eggs was taken. Of those obtained early in April, few were freshley laid, while all those obtained in May were fresh, in- dicating that a second brood is reared, though no young of the first brood were seen, while numbers of adults were observed daily from April 9 until the last of May. On April 19 the first eggs were taken, two sets being found ; one of four with large embryos, the other of five, nearly fresh. The latest set, consisting of four fresh eggs, was found May 17. The usual number of eggs to a clutch is four, occasion- ally five. The average size of the specimens collected by Mr. Sennett in a season is 1,06 x. 81, those taken in another season's collecting, 1.08 X. 81. Dr. Merrill describes the eggs as having a grayish-white ground-color, thickly spotted with brown and pale lilac, especially at the larger end. One set, however, was found with the markings more numerous at the smaller end, and averaging i.oi x.So. 484. Perisoreus canadensis (Linn.) [297.] ' Canada Jay. Kab. Northern New England and New York, Northern Michigan and Canada, northward to Arctic America. The Moose-Bird, Whisky Jack, or Whisky John, as it is variously called, breeds in Maine and northward. It is a resident species, and seldom seen south of its breeding range. In Manitoba it is an abund- " Perhaps no explanation can be offered for the preparation of the nest so long before it is used. The first nest was evidently complete on March 16, and it contained no eggs it-itil later than April 1; the first eggs must have been deposited between that date and the 7th. Mr. Scott states that the same facts have been noted in the breeding of the Gray Vireo {Vireo vicinior). As to the circumstance of the bird sitting so constantly before laying he suggests that it is not improbable that it was in order to keep possession of their nest, for as a number of individuals of the species composed the colony a question of ownership might easily arise. He observes that the Arizona Jay is as great a robber of other birds' nests as its cousin of the East, and possibly the haba of sitting so constantly even before any eggs are laid, is to be accounted for by a strongly inherited tendency to prevent intrusion. The building of extra nests finds a parallel in the case of the LoBg- billed Marsh Wrens, and is possibly to be accounted for by the nervous activity of the birds; or, the extra nett may afford night resting places for the male during tt.e breeding season. — Auk, III, pp. 81-88. I'L t rif m jfifsmmsmmum 264 NESTS AND EGGS OP ant bird. Its general habits and nesting are in nowise peculiar, being similar to those of others of the family. The nest is usually a large, bulky structure, placed on the bough of a spruce or other evergreen. It is made of twigs, pine-needles, bark-strips and grasses, lined with finer vegetable material and feathers. The nesting time in Northern Maine au New Brunswick is March and April. The eggs are light gray, with a , iMowish tinge, finely marked, more abundantly at the larger end with dots and blotches of slate color and brown, and faint cloudings of an obscure lilac, exhibiting the usual variations in color and size found in the eggs of other Jays ; four or five in number ; average size, 1.17 x .80. 484a. Perisoreus canadensis capitalis Baird [397a.] Rooky M onntaln Jay. Hab. Rocky Mountains, south to Arizona and New Mexico. This bird is called the White-headed Jay or Rocky Mountain Whisky Jack — a race of the Canada Jay, but very much different. It is peculiar to the Rocky Mountain region, and is especially common in Northern New Mexico and Colorado. In the breeding season it is found high up in the mountains in the spruce timber, from 8000 feet to timber line. He is said to be "as big a thief as ever wore feathers." White-headed, he at times appears grave and sedate, but is always possessed of a whimsical brain. Small articles around camp that strike his fancy are always found missing after one of his visits. Nest-building is begun usually in April. The site generally chosen is the horizontal branch of a pine, varying in height from fifty to sixty feet from the ground. The materials are twigs, pine-needles, bark, grasses and hempen fibres, all compactly interwoven into a rude, bulky but strong structure ; it is warmly lined with the feathers and down of birds. The external height is about four inches, and the diameter seven ; the cavity about two inches deep and four across. The eggs are three to five in number, grayish-white in ground-color, finely speckled with various shades of brown ; in some specimens the markings are more numerous about the greater end. Size, i.i6x.86. Hab. 485. Perisoreus obscurus (Ridgw.) Oregon Jay. Northwest coast, from Northern California to British Columbia. [298.] Mr. A. W. Anthony mentions this species as a common winter res- ident of Washington county, Oregon. In March they depart for the mountains to breed, although a few sometimes remain to breed in the more secluded parts of the country. He characterizes it as a bird utterly devoid of fear. While dressing deer in the thick timber he has been NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 266 liar, being the bough e-needles, erial and Jrunswick ish tinge, dots and ,n obscure nd in the 7 X .80. Mountain erent. It ' common ason it is 8000 feet feathers." is always imp that ts. generally rom fifty -needles, o a rude, :hers and and the r across, nd-color, mens the .i6x.86. nter res- ; for the d in the d utterly las been almost covered with these Jays ; they would alight on his back, head and shoulders, and there tug and pull at each loose shred of his coat as if assisting him in all ways possible. On March 31, 1884, he took a nest with five eggs, the first, proba- bly, ever taken. The nest was placed about eighty-five feet from the ground, in a fir, and well concealed. It was built close against the trunk, and was composed of sticks, twigs and moss, rather loosely put together, lined with cow-hair, wool, and one or two grouse feathers. The eggs were very light blue, with a grayish cast, thickly covered with spots of brown and lilac, chiefly on the larger ends. In one spec- imen were a few black, hair-like lines over the larger end. Size, 1.04 X. 79. 486. Corvus corax siimatus (Wagl.) [280.] Mezloan Raven. ^ Hab. Western United States and south to Guatemala. (Ridgw.) An inhabitant of the regions west of the Mississippi, where it is common. A set of this bird's eggs, four in number (oological collec- tion of J. Parker Norris), was taken April 12, 1888, in San Jacinto valley, California. The nest was placed in the crevice of a large rock, and was an old one, it having been in use for many years. It was composed of sticks, hair, etc. The eggs are pale bluish-green, spotted and dashed with olive. They measure 1.90x1.24, 1.94x1.25, 1.92 x 1.22, 1.84x1.21. * * Corvus corax principalis Ridgw. Northern Raven, t Hab. Northern North America, from Greenland to Alaska, south to British Columbia, Canada, New Brunswick, etc. (Ridgw.) In former years the Raven appears to have been not uncommon in the northern New England States, but is now considered very rare, and late records of its occurrence there are very few. It breeds occa- sionally on the cliffs of the island of Grand Manan, and more fre- quently iarther east, as in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfound- land, etc. It is rather a common resident along the whole coast of Labrador. Forest-clad clififs of great rivers, the crags of lonely islands in the ocean, wooded lakes and streams in solitary regions are the haunts of this sable-plumed, ominous bird. The Rev. J. H. Langille states that in Nova Scotia nesting begins early in March. The site chosen for the nest is usually the most inac- cessible tree or rocky clifi"; sometimes, however, it is built in the flat- topped, low spruces, as is the case on Mud and Seal Islands, on the * N*. 486 is called American Raven in the A. O. U. Check List. t A-new sub-species, with larger bill, etc., than Corvtit corax tinuatut — tee Ridgway'i Manual N. A. Birdi, p. 361. \ r 1^ '4' i'i' m f.SI 'Ill 266 NESTS AND EGGS OF southwestern coast of Nova Scotia. The nest Ts made of large sticks, closely and artistically arranged, with a lining of coarse grasses, sea- weed and wool. The same nest is repaired from year to year, and in course of time becomes quite bulky. Tne eggs are four to six in num- ber. A set of five eggs is in my cabinet, which was collected by Mr. H. Pope, near South West Point, on the island of Anticosta, off the mouth of the St. Lawrence, April 21, 1887. The nest was built in cliffs facing the sea, and the eggs were secured only after a dangerous scramble over banks of ice and snow. Like the eggs of the crow, these are subject to great variation in markings. The ground-color is pale bluish-green or light olive-green. They are spotted, blotched, streaked or dashed with purple and greenish-brown ; some specimens are so densely marked as to almost wholly obscure the ground-color, giving the specimens a dull greenish-gray appearance. Four of the specimens in the set of five are of this type, while the other is of a brilliant bluish-green, sparsely marked with blackish-brown and ob- scure lilac. Their sizes are: 1.85x1.24, 1.90x1.30, 2.04x1.32, 2.07X 1.34. A set of five eggs is in Mr. Norris' collection, taken April 8, 1875, on the island of Grand Manan, from a nest in a fir tree, twenty-five feet from the ground. It was made of sticks, moss and bark, lined with wool. The eggs have a chromium-green ground-color, spotted and blotched with olive. They measure: 1.86 x 1.33, 1.81 x 1,33, 1.80 x 1.31, 1.83x1.33, 1.80XI.35. 487. Corvus cryptoleucus Couch. [281.] 'Wlilte-neoked Raven. Hab. Southwestern United States and table-lands of Mexico, north to Indian Territory, Kansas, Colorado and Southern California, south to Guatemala. The White-necked Raven is an abundant species throughout most of its range. The bird's general appearance and its nesting habits are similar to those of the common crow, with which it is often con- founded. From four to seven eggs arc laid by this species, and they have, on the whole, markings of a lighter color than the eggs of other species of Corvus ; and in addition they have lines running from one end of the &gg to the other, somewhat after the manner of those on the genus Myiarchus^ of the Flycatchers, of which the most familiar example is the Crested Flycatcher, M. crinitus. This peculiarity is typical of the species, and is found constant in a large series in the collection of the National Museum, at Washington. A set of five eggs in Mr. Norris' cabinet was taken May 16, 1888, in Cochise county, Arizona, from a nest in an oak tree. The eggs are of a pale bluish-green, spotted with NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 267 large sticks, passes, sea- ear, and in »ix in num- :ted by Mr. sta, off the as built in dangerous the crow, id-color is blotched, specimens und-color, >nr of the er is of a I and ob- 32, 2.07 X il 8, 1875, 'enty-five trk, lined , spotted 3> 1.80 X "■y, Kansas, ut most bits are -n con- ave, on species 2nd of genus ople is of the of the I^orris* rom a I with clove-brown, and profusely streaked with longitudinal lines of olive- gray. They measure: 1.74x1.19, 1.77x1.21, 1.67x1.18, 1.76x1.18, 1.77 X 1. 21. 488. Corvus americanus Aud. [282.] Amarloan Crow. Hab. Eastern North America except Southern Florida and Arctic reaioni. An abundant bird in all the Eastern States, where it is well known. The nest is built .a woods, preferably in high, thick forest, and the tree selected is one of thick foliage. In pine regions the cedar is the favorite tree. The altitude is usually so great that the nest is practically inaccessible. In quiet, solitary places, however, I have found it placed not more than ten or fifteen feet from the ground. It is built of twigs and sticks, sometimes of considerable size, firmly in- terlaced, while weeds and grass, often with clods of earth attached, form part of the structure. The lining is of leaves, grapevine bark and fine grasses. The nesting season is in April and May, or June, and sometimes even in March. From four to six, and occasionally seven eggs are laid. These vary from a pale bluish to an olive-green, and from almost unmarked specimens to those which appear of a uniform olive- green, so dense and small are the markings. The typical egg, how- ever, is of a light sea-green, thickly spotted and blotched with dark brown, almost black, with purplish reflections ; these are chiefly about the larger end. Size 1.70 x 1.20. 488a. Corvus americanus floridanus Baird. [2820.] Florida Crow. Hab. Southern Florida. A set of four eggs from Manatee county, Florida, taken April 15, is in my cabinet, and measure 1.62x1.18, 1.62x1.19, 1.66x1.18, 1.62x1.16. Their color and markings are similar to those of typical eggs of C. americanus. * * Corvus americanus hesperis Ridgw. California Crow. Hab. Western United States, north to Washington Territory (Fuget Sound), Idaho, Montana, etd south to Northern Mexico, east to Rocky Mountains. (Ridgw.) Prof. Ridgway states that this new sub-species is a very strongly characterized race, which differs markedly in habits and notes from the eastern bird.* Mr. Samuel C. Evans, writing from San Jose, Cali- fornia, says it is very common in that region, nesting in the large trees of the bottom lands. Eggs in my collection, from California, do not differ from those of C. americanus. " For description see Manual of N. A. Birds, p. 302. "^ Ml !' .1 Wi i III'" m ■« '^^\ ^'ii ) . 1 ill! 268 NESTS AND EGGS OF 489. Oorvns caarinns Baird [aSa^.J Northwest Crow. Htb. Northweit coait from OreKon to Kailiak, Alaska. The Northwestern Fish Crow is a smaller bird than the common Crow of the Eastern States. In its habits it is i^^id to be the exact counterpart of the Fish Crow of the Atlantic coasi Its principal food is marine crabs or flsh which it gathers along the banks of rivers and the shores of lakes. Like the Raven and Herring Gull, it carries clams high into the air and drops them in order to break the shell. Its nest is said to be substantially like that of Corvus ossifragus^ being built in evergreens and oaks growing along ravines; and the eggs are indistinguishable. Prof. Ridgway gives their average size as 1.56x1.08. 490. Corvus osslfragus Wils. [283.] Fiali Crow. Hab. Atlantic and Gulf Coaits of the United States from Long Island to Louisiana. A common species along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New Jersey to Florida, and on the Gulf coast to Louisiana. It is called the Southeastern Fish Crow. Mr. Charles S. Schick states that along the coast of Cape May county, New Jersey, he has found sets of eggs of this species as early as April 13, and on the 15th of the same month observed nests with young ; the dates of laying varying with the temperature of the sea- son. The usual number of eggs deposited is five or six, a set of seven being uncommon. In a section containing two hundred evergreen trees, there were at least sixty nests, ranging in height from twenty to sixty feet above the ground. The composition is nearly the same as in those of the common Crow, except that the lining consists of a few dry leaves or fine bark-fibres. The bird, Mr. Shick says, feeds largely on small crabs, and devours large numbers of the eggs of the Clapper Rail. The eggs of the Fish Crow are so nearly like those of the Crow in color and markings that one description will answer for both ; those of the present species are much smaller. Five specimens measure 1. 50x1.08, 1. 50x1.05, 1.46x1.02, 1. 51x1.06, 1.47x1.02. The average size of twelve eggs is i.50x 1.09. 491. Picicorvus columblaiius (Wils.) [284.] Clarke's Nutoraoksr. Hab. Western North America, north to Alaska, south to Arixona, east to and including the Rocky Mountains. Clarke's Crow, or Nutcracker, is found in considerable numbers in all suitable localities in the coniferous forests of the higher mountain ranges within the limits of the above habitat. It is the American rep- resentative of the European Nutcracker, Nucifraga caryocatactes. A wmm WK\ NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 269 e common the exact icipal food rivers and it carries shell. ssi/raguSy ; and the ge size as ed States siana. It ape May as early ests with the sea- of seven vergreen wenty to same as of a few largely Clapper he Crow ; those measure average the Rocky ibers in 3untain an rep- tes. A remarkable bird, embodying the peculiar habits of certain woodpeck- ers and those of some of the jays — wild, restless and noisy, inquisitive and cunning. Capt. Bendire found it breeding quite commonly in the mountain- ous regions about Fort Harney, Oregon. April 22, 1876, two nests were found, one containing a young bird, just hatched, and two eggs with the shells chipped ; the other contained three young. Between April 24 and 30 about a dozen nests were observed, all containing three young, each in different stages of development. In the spring of 1877 not a single bird was observed where they were found breeding the year before, and their absence was accoimted for by the scarcity of the seeds of the pine which constitute their principal food. On April 4, 1878, a nest containing three eggs was found, and at this early date in- cubation was far advanced. A set of two eggs, with good-sized em- bryos, was taken April 8. All the nests were placed in pine trees, generally well out on the limbs, and from sixteen to forty feet above the ground. Trees with plenty of branches seemed to be preferred, and the edges of pine timber to the interior of the forests. A nest is described as rather bulky, the base consisting of a platform of small sticks and twigs, mostly of the white sage ; on this the nest proper is placed, which is composed of dry grasses, vegetable fibres, hypnum moss and the fine inner bark of the western juniper, all compactly woven together, making a warm, comfortable structure. The sizes of four eggs, as given by Capt. Bendire, are as follows: 1.22X.95, 1:20 X. 90, 1. 26 X. 95, 1. 30 X. 92, respectively. Their color is a light grayish-green, irregularly spotted and blotched with a deeper shade of gray, chiefly at the larger end. In the mountainous region southeast of Fort Garland, Colorado, Capt. B. F. Goss found nests of this species under the same conditions as observed by Capt. Bendire. May 21a nest was discovered contain- ing young. The nests, at first appearance, according to both observers, looked more like squirrels' nests than anything else, and the birds were close sitters, even allowing themselves to be captured rather than leave their nests. During the breeding season they are perfectly silent. 492. Cyanocephalus cyanocephalos (Wied.) [285.] Plnon Jay. Hab. Region between the Rocky Mountain and Sierra Nevada Ranges, from Mexico to British America. The region between and including the Rocky Mountains and the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevadas, v/herever grows the yellow pine, the pinon and the juniper, the Blue Crow, Maximilian's or Pinon Jay makes its home. A bird combining the form of a crow and the color i: k : U ; 1' , ill i4jhJ 270 NESTS AND EGGS OP and habits of a jay ; of a restless, roving disposition, but resident wherever found. It breeds in colonies, nesting in April, May and June, according to locality. Nests containing eggs have been found in Nevada by Mr. H. G. Parker in the first part of May, and fully fledged young were . observed in the same region by Prof. Ridgway as early as April 31. Mr. H. B. Bailey took a set of four eggs in New Mexico that were well incubated Jane 5. Capt. B. F. Goss found this bird breeding in the region southeast of Fort Garland — the western base of the Sangre de Christo Mountains, at an elevation of about 9000 feet. The nests were all in small piuon pines, from five to ten feet up, out some dis- tance from the body of the tree, and not particularly well-concealed. They are large, coarse and deeply-hollowed structures, much alike, being made mostly of grayish shreds of som.^ fibrous plant or bark, which breaks up into a mass of hair-like fibres, these forming the lining, while some weeds and grass are worked into the general fabric. The birds were close sitters, several not leaving till the nest was shaken, and they could have been caught with the hand. One nest contained five eggs, six contained four each, and two three each ; both sets of three were partly incubated. Two nests were taken May 5, five on the loth and two on the nth, 1879. The eggs are quite pointed at the small end ; . the ground-color is bluish-white, splashed all over with small spots of dark brown, thickest at the large end. Thirteen eggs measure respectively : 1.19X.88, 1.21X.93, 1.22X.92, 1.25 x. 91, 1.17X .87, 1. 18 X. 84, 1. 17 X. 85, 1. 20 X. 82, 1.17X.80; average 1.19X.87.* [493.] Sturnus vulgaris starling. Linn. [279.] Hab. '^.urope and Northern Asia; accidental in Greenland. A specimen of the Starling, taken in Greenland in 1851, entitles it to a place in the avifuuna of North America. It is a well-known bird in Europe, and of a very general distribu- tion. Its handsome plumage, sprightly, social habits, retentive mem- ory, and pleasing, imitative voice 1 ave made it a great favorite as a caged bird. It is said to live in flocks the greater part of the year, selecting for its nest suitable places in holes of trees, eaves of houses, church-steeples, old towers and ruins, in cliffs or in high rocks over- hanging the sea, and in wooden boxes put up for its accommodation. The material used for the nest is twigs, straws and fine grasses. The eggs are four to six in number, of a pale greenish -blue or bluish- white. A set of five eggs collected by W. Wells Bladden, May 4, in •Bull. Nutt. Ornith. Club, VIII, 4«-44. NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 271 It resident , according ada by Mr. oung were 3 April 21. ; were well ing in the Sangre de The nests some dis- concealed. uch alike, t or bark, ming the ral fabric, nest was One nest ch ; both ay 5, five ointed at )ver with een eggs I, I.I7X It is istribu- mem- te as a year, louses, 5 over- 3atiou. )luish- Y 4) in StaflFordshire, England, is in my cabinet, and exhibits the following sizes: 1.13X.84, i.iox. 82, i.ii x .83, 1.18X.79, 1.20X.79. Mr. Norris has a large series, showing great variation in size and shape, and a typical set of six, taken in Germany, April 18, 1885, measure: i.iix .84, 1.09 X. 84, 1.09 X. 80, 1. 15 X. 81, I.IOX. 79, 1.09 X. 83. 494. Dolichonyx oryzivorus (Linn.) [257.] BttlMlink. Hab. Eastern North America to the Plains, north to Southern Canada, south in winter to the Wes: * Indies and South America. Breeds from the Middle States northward. A familiar bird in Eastern United States, breeding from the 38th to the 54th parallel. In some parts of the country, in suitable places, it is very abundant. Of all our natural songsters the Bobolink is the most noted and popular. Descriptions of his song so frequently appear in literature that even those who have not heard it must form a good idea of its enchanting music : "That rollicking, jubilant whistle. That rolls like a brooklet along — Thai sweet flageolet of the meadows, The bubblitig, bobolink song." Often have I heard him sing when on the wing, or when at rest, with the broad, green meadow and pasture lands spread before him, perched on the top of a wind-beaten reed, with his wings sunward spread, his head erect, his white and black back glistening in the sun- light, pouring forth his " bubble-ing " bobolink notes to the azure win- dows of heaven. In the South he is known as the Rice-bird, in the Middle States as Reed-bird and Meadow-wink, and in the North as Skunk Blackbird. The nesting time is in the latter part of May or in June. The nest of the Bobolink is very hard to find ; it is built in a nat- ural cavity of the ground, amongst the tall grass of meadows ; sometimes it is sunk in the depression made by a cow's or a horse's hoof. Fields of clover, with here and there a tall weed-stalk or sap- ling, on which the birds alight, are favorite nesting resorts. In leav- ing the nest the female will run off through the grass quite a distance before rising, and she will repeat the same performance upon her re- turn, so that the nest can only be found by diligent and careful search in the vicinity from which she arises. The eggs, too, resemble the color of the ground so closely that they are easily overlooked. The nest i,«= a very slight affair, made of dry grasses and weed-stems, arranged in a circular form. The eggs are usually five, sometimes six or seven in number, and of a dull white or grayish-white, variously tinged with light drab, olive, reddish and grayish-brown, intermingled with laven- ii i'tfa I \im lit; L I :3' U 4 m I -1 ifli ■w w 111 '^ •I l!" ill'': !;i' M Ih : |ii: m til' 272 NESTS AND EGGS OP der ; the general eflfect being that of a dark, heavily-colored egg. Ten specimens nieasure: .79X.55, .80X.55, .86x.6o, .84X.63, .87X.58, .87 X.61, .88x.66, .86x.6i, .83X.60, .85X.60. An average specimen measures .85 x .64. 495. Molothrus at«r (Bodd.) [258.] Cowliird. Hab. Whole of the United States, north into Southern British Columbia, south in winter to Mexico. Known as the Cow Bunting or Cow Blackbird from its habit of alighting on the backs of cows or cattle, where it sits contentedly while they are grazing. It is a notorious parasite, and does not build a nest, but like the European Cuckoo, lays its eggs in the nests of other birds, usually in those of species smaller than itself. Generally a single egg is deposited, and as many as^five have been found in a nest. The exact number the female lays is not known. Eggs of this bird are subject to great variation in their size and markings, and when found in the nests of such birds as the Cardinal Redbird, Towhee Bunting, Meadow Lark and Brown Thrasher,* it is sometimes difficult to readily distinguish "which is which." Yet it should not be understood that the Cowbird's eggs look exactly like those of the species just mentioned, for they really have, on the whole, only a faint resemblance to them, and when a large series of either species is brought together and compared with those of the Cowbird the diflference is at once apparent. Dr. Jones suggests that when the egg of the Cowbird resembles so closely the eggs in the nest where it has been laid, as to make identification un- certain, it is a good plan to blow all the eggs and notice if the sus- pected egg has a yelk of different tint from the balance of the set. If it has, it is strong evidence that it was laid by an intruder, for almost invariably eggs of the same set have the same tinted yelks. The ground-color of the Cowbird's egg is white or gray, sometimes obscured by the abundance of markings. Spots, specks and blotches are generally pretty evenly distributed over the entire surface. The mark- ings vary from a chocolate-brown to those of a reddish and yellowish- brown. The whole surface of an egg is often quite densely marked with specks the size of a pin point, while the shell of other specimens 'I' Besides those above named the following are some of the nests in which the Cowbird's eggs have been found: Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Black and White Warbler, Blue-yellow-backed Warbler (Parula), Worm- eating Warbler, Prothonotary Warbler, Maryland Yellow-throat, Yellow Warbler, House Wren, Warbling, Vellow-throated and Red-eyed Vireos, Indigo Bunting, Chipping Sparrow, American Goldfinch, Song Spar- row, Swamp Sparrow, Slate-colored Junco, Oven Bird, Pewee, Wood Pewee, Acadian and Traill's Flycatchers, Black-throated Bunting, European House Sparrow {Paster {ii>mttticut)„\ eWovz-hTe^sted Chat, Bluebird, Orchard, Baltimore, Bullock's and Hooded Orioles, Scarlet Tanager, Kingbird, Towhee, Prairie Horned Lark (Otocoris alftstrii firaticola), Wilson's Thrush, Wood Thrush, Red-headed Woodpecker, Robin and Mourning Dove. ii-'rnDni ill :d egg. Ten .87 X .58, .87 e sj-ecimen winter to Mexico. its habit of contentedly and does ys its eggs ies smaller d as many female lays 'ariation in ' such birds, and Brown sh "which i^bird's eggs they really nd when a [pared with Dr. Jones closely the Eication un- if the sus- of the set. Ltruder, for . yelks, sometimes lotches are The mark- yellowish- ly marked specimens bird's eggs have (Parula), Worm- Vren, Warbling, iich, Song Spar- ll's Flycatchers, Chat, Bluebird, Prairie Horned ker, Robin and Copyright iSSg. PLATE VIII. CHIMNEY SWIFTS AND NESTS. (Chirtura pelagica.) *« ♦ Page 230. m • Hf*^^^^ M '^M. as ZMLi NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 273 is sparsely spotted. Ten specimens selected at random from a very large series exhibit the following sizes: .80X.62, .82 x .66, .84X.62, .88x.66, .89X.63, .87X.65, .82X.60, .83X.64, .89X.64, .80X.62. A common size is .88 x .64. 495a. Molothrus ater obscnrus (Gmel.) [258a.] Dirarf Cowbird. Hab. Mexico, and southern border of the United States from Texas to Arizona and Lower California. This is a smaller form, inhabiting the southern border of the United States from Texas to Arizona and southward. Its habits are identical with the Cowbird of the East, and the eggs are colored the same, but like the bird, average smaller. Five specimens measure : .77 X .60, .80 x .59, .75 x .59, .70 X .57, .72 X .58. The average size of ten specimens from Arizona is .74 X. 59. 496. Callothms robustus (Cab.) [259.] Red-eyed Cowbird." Hab. Eastern and Southern Mexico, Yucatan, and south to Panama; north to the lower Rio Grande Valley in Texas. A bronze-colored Blackbird with blood-red iris. Common on the Lower Rio Grande in Texas. Dr. Merrill took specimens at Hidalgo, but they were not so abundant at this point as lower down the river, where they are common throughout the year, a small proportion going south in winter. Those that remain gather in flocks with the Long- tailed Grackles, common Cowbirds, Brewer's, Red-winged and Yellow- headed Blackbirds. He found its eggs in the nests of Bullock's, Hooded and the Orchard Orioles, once in the nest of the Yellow-breasted Chat, and Red-winged Blackbird, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher and Texan Cardinal {Pyrrhuloxia stnuata). The eggs of the Red-eyed Cowbird are plain bluish -green, similar to that in the eggs of the Blue Grosbeak. Dr. Merrill gives the average size of twenty eggs as .90 x .70, the extremes being .95 x .75 and .82 x .65. 497. Xanthocephalus xanthoceplialus (Bonp.) [260.] Tellow-headed Blackbird. Hub. Western North America to the Pacific, east regularly to Wisconsin, Illinois, Kansas and Texas. Accidental in the Atlantic States. The handsome Yellow-headed Blackbird is found generally dis- tributed on the prairies in all favorable localities from Texas on the south to Illinois and Wisconsin, thence to the Pacific. A common bird in the West, nesting in May and June. It collects in colonies to breed in marshy places anywhere in its general range, often in company with the Red-winged Blackbird. The nests are usually placed in the midst * No. 496 in the A. O. U. Check List is MelotkrHs oeneut (Wagl.j, Bronzed Cowbird. These names are now applied to the western form of this bird from Western Mexico, etc. 19 M't \: sfli iilf- --^iiii ^. 274 NESTS AND EGGS OF 1 1 1 I of large marshes, attached to the tall flags and grasses. They are gen- erally large, light, but thick-brimmed, made of interwoven grasses and sedges impacted together. The eggs are stated to range from two to six in number, but the usual number is four, ^n the hundreds of sets that have come into my hands only three contained five eggs each. Their ground-color is dull grayish-whito, in some grayish-green, profusely covered with small blotches and specks of drab, purplish-brown and umber. Their average size is 1.12X.75. 498. Agelaius phoeniceus (Linn.) [261.] Red-winded Blackbird. J( Hab. Temperate North America in general, north to Great Slave Lake, south to Costa Rica. The Red-winged Starling or Swamp Blackbird is found from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and as far north as the 57th parallel, breeding more or less abundantly wherever found, from Florida and Texas to the Saskatchewan country. In its native marshes during the breeding season, which is in May and June, a loud chorus of discord and har- mony may be heard from the Red-wings, and above all the strange, reverberating kong-qucr-rcc^ kong-quer-ree. The nest is usually built in reeds or bushes near the ground, often in a tussock of grass, some- times on the ground, and once in a while at a considerable elevation in a tree. The materials are usually strips of rushes or sedges, lined with finer grasses and sometimes with a few horse hairs. It is rather bulky, and not at all artistic. This bird nests in communities, and one is quite as likely to find several nests near each other as a single one, in a piece of swamp. Nests and eggs found in Texas are smaller than the average of those found in the more northern States. The eggs are light blue, marbled, lined, blotched and clouded with markings of light and dark purple and black, almost entirely about the larger end, but vary considerably in this respect ; they are usually four, rarely five in number, and average i.oox .75. 499. Agelaius gubernator (Wagl.) [261a.] Hab. Bioolored Blackbird. Valleys of California and Western Oregon, and south into Western Mexico. The Red-and-black-shouldered Blackbird occurs along the Pacific coast from British Columbia south throughout California. The female is not distinguishable from the female Red-wing, and the nesting hab- its are exactly the same, placing the nests in watercress or rushes, along running streams, ditches and swamps. The eggs are light blue or bluish-white, marked around the larger end with waving lines of dark brown, lighter in shade than the mark- NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 275 They are gen- ~n grasses and mber, but the ive come into round-color is covered with mber. Their Costa Rica. md from the llel, breeding nd Texas to the breeding :ord and har- the strange, usually built igrass, some- Die elevation (edges, lined It is rather ies, and one single one, mailer than nd clouded )st entirely they are the Pacific ^he female sting hab- or rushes, the larger the mark- ings on the eggs of the common Red-wing ; four or five in number ; size from .90 to 1.05 in length by .64 to .74 in breadth. 500. Hab. Agelaius tricolor (Nutt.) [262.] Trioolored Blackbird. Valleys of the Pacific coast, from Southern California to Western Oregon. This species is known as the Red-and-white-shouldered Blackbird, and belongs to California and Oregon ; is especially abundant in the swamps and marshes of the former State. Like the Swamp Blackbird of the Eastern States, it nests in the vicinity of water, in colonies, usually placing the nest in alder bushes, willows and flags. It is com- posed of mud, straw and coarse grass, lined with finer fibrous material. The eggs are of a light blue, slightly deeper than the ground- color of the Red-wing's eggs, marked around the larger end with a circle of ashy-brown, sometimes black, irregular lines and blotches; four or five in number ; size i.oo x .60. 501. Sturnella magna (Linn.) [263.] Meadowlark. Hab. Eastern North America, west to the Plains, north to Canada. The Old Field Lark is a well-known bird in the United States east of the Mississippi, breeding wherever found, from Florida and Texas northward. West of the Mississippi it is replaced by the West- ern form, Sturnella magna neglecta (And.). As its name implies, the meadows and fields are its home. In almost any stretch of pasture- land may be found a pair or colony of Meadowlarks, and the sweet sound of their wild, ringing, and rather melancholy notes fill the air at short intervals from sunrise till the gloaming. The nesting time is in May, usually beginning in the middle or latter part of the month. The nest is built on the ground, in a thick tuft of grass ; it is pretty compactly made of coarse, dry, wiry grasses, and lined with finer blades of the same. It is usually formed with a covered entrance in the surrounding withered grass through which a hidden and some- times winding path is made, and generally so well concealed that the nest is only to be found when the bird is flushed. The eggs are crystal-white, more or less thickly spotted or dotted with reddish-brown and purplish , four to six in number, with great variation in size, averaging i.iox.80. The Mexican Meadowlark, 5". m. mexicana (Scl.),* inhabits the lower Rio Grande Valley and Arizona, southward through Eastern and Central Mexico to Costa Rica. i: iV i m X • No. sola, A. O. U. Check List.— Ridg. No. 268a, 276 NESTS AND EGGS OF 501^. Sturnella magna neglecta (Aud.) [264.] Western Meado'vrlarki Hth. Western North America, north to British Columbia and Manitoba, east regularly to Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas and Texas, sparingly to Illinois and Wisconsin, south through Western Mexico. Both of our Meadowlarks, 5". magna and 5". neglecta^ occur in por- tions of the Mississippi Valley, overlapping each other in their typical styles for a distance of several hundred miles, intermediate specimens being extremely rare. For this reason, and on account of the great difference of its notes and other peculiarities, 5. m. neglecta should doubtless be considered a distinct species. Its song, according to those who have heard it, is remarkably fine, less shrill, more plaintive and richer than that of the Eastern Meadowlark.* In Los Angeles county, California, Mr. Shields states that the nesting season is from April 15 to the last of June. Col. Goss gives it as a common bird in Western and Middle Kansas, where it begins lay- ing about the middle of May. Nesting habits and eggs are similar to those of 5". viagna. The markings on a large series of the eggs of the Western Meadowlark before me are finer than on the eggs of 5*. magna. The average size of ten specimens is 1.08X.84. [502.] Icterus icterus (Linn.) [265.] Tronplal. Hab. Northern South America; West Indies (introduced) (t). Accidental nt Charleston, S. C. (Audubon). This splendid Oriole is admitted as North American on the strength of a single specimen, shot in Charleston, S. C, by John W. Audubon, son of the great ornithologist. Others were seen at the same place, and Audubon was informed that small groups of four and five subsequently made their appearance in the same city and among the islands. Another specimen was shot which fell in the river, and was lost. These may have been birds that escaped from cages, but, as Dr. Brewer observes : " If his information was correct, it precludes the supposition that those which have been procured are caged birds." The Troupial is a very popular and desirable cage bird, having a loud, clear, flute-like whistle, and when kept in confinement becomes very tame. It is common to all the northern countries of South America, where it is said to associate in large flocks. The nest is described as a large, massive, pensile fabric ; the eggs are four or five in number, with a ground-color varying from reddish- drab to deep purple, blotched and streaked with reddish-brown and blackish. Size, i.iox.90. <■ For a description of the songs of the Western Meadowlark, see Charles N. Allen's article: Bull, Nutt. Ornith. Club. Vol. VI, pp. 145-160. -p.......,^„.„. TffTniiifWf w niti SP NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 277 riy to Dakota, xico. ur in por- iir typical jpecimens the great ta should ? to those ntive and that the s gives it ?gins lay- iinilar to :gs of the gs of 5*. eston, S. C. on the fohu W. at the 'our and among and was as Dr. des the birds." a loud, es very tnerica, le eggs iddish- m and :le: Bull. 503. Icterus auduboni Giraud [a66.] Andnbon'a Oriole. Hab. Central and Northern Mexico, north to the Lower Rio Grande Valley in Texat. This large and beautiful Oriole is found in the United States in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, from thence southward. Dr. Merrill found it in moderate abundance about Fort Brown, where it is the only resident species. Its usual song is a prolonged and repeated whistle of extraordinary mellowness and sweetness, each note varying in pitch from the preceding. It is shy, and remains in the deep woods during the breeding season. At Lomita, on the Rio Grande, Mr. George B. Sennett found two nests with incomplete sets of eggs early in May. At Hidalgo a set of four was taken. The three nests were found in heavy timber, some ten or twelve feet from the ground, are half-pensile, something like those of the Orchard and Bullock's Orioles, and attached to upright terminal branches. They are composed of dried grasses woven among the growing twigs and leaves so as to form a matting light and firm. They measure on the inside some three inches in depth and rather more in width. The eggs Mr. Sennett describes as being peculiar, re- sembling those of no other found in that region. The ground- color is white, covered with fine flecks of brown, giving the egg the appearance of being covered with dust. Over these flecks, and prin- cipally at the larger end, are irregular stains and splashes of deeper brown, sometimes mixed with lilac, on which are coarse dark brown or black hieroglyphics. Some have more and larger splashes th; i others, but none are free from liie dark, grotesque lines peculiar to the eggs of this family. In shape they are less pointed, and in size smaller to size of bird, than those of other Orioles. The shells are very ten- der. Nine specimens average in size .97X.71, the largest being i.oox .72, and the smallest .96X.67.* 504. Icterus parisorum Bonap. [268.] Scott's Oriole. Hab. Central Mexico, north to sovthern border of the United States— Texas to Arizona. Lower California. Scott's, Paris or Black-and-yellow Oriole, as it is variously called, is found more or less abundantly in all suitable localities of Southern Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. On May 4, 1885, Mr. W. E. D. Scott found a nest of this species containing two fresh eggs, in Pinal county, Arizona. During the summer of 1884 he found five nests in the same region, between May 24 and July i. All except one were placed in yucca plants, about four . feet from the ground, and situated not far * Further Notes on the Ornithology of the Lower Rio Grande of Texai. ill :rr: mfmm^mmrm 'll'l!' *il ! Ill 11 - (III , i I I 278 NESTS AND KGGS OF from water. Several were sewed to the edge of dead leaves, which, hanging down parallel to the trunks of the plant, entirely concealed the nest. These were semi-pensile, and composed externally of fibres of the yucca, fine grasses, cotton-waste, twine and batting, lined with fine grasses and cotton-waste throughout. A fifth nest, taken July i, was built in a sycamore tree about eighteen feet from the ground. Pensile, being attached to the ends of the twigs very much like that of a Baltimore Oriole. The nests contained three and four eggs each. The sizes of one set of four, taken May 27, are given as follows : .96 x .68, .98 x .66, .92 X .68, .96 X .68 ; another set of four, taken May 30, exhibit the fol- lowing respective measurements : i.oi x ,72, 1.02 x .70, .97 x .70, 1.02 x .73. The eggs are usually four in number, of a dull white, with a bluish tint variously marked with small blotches and fine dottings of purplish-brown, approaching black; in some are found the zigzag markings common to the eggs of the Orioles. ' 505. Icterus cuculjatus Swains. [269.] Hooded Oriole. Hab. Valley of the Lower Rio Grande in Texas, south through Eastern and Southern Mexico, According to Dr. James C. Merrill and Mr. George B. Sennett, this is the most abundant of all the Orioles on the Lower Rio Grande in Texas. Its home is in the woods or the edges of forests and groves, where the trees are hung with pendant tresses of Spanish moss, in which the nests are built. These, Dr. Merrill says, are perfectly char- acteristic, being most frequently built in a bunch of the hanging moss, usually at no great distance from the ground; when so placed, the nests are formed almost entirely by hollowing out and matting together the moss with a few filaments of dark, hair-like moss as a lining. Another situation is in a bush growing to a height of about six feet, with bare stems, throwing out irregular masses of leaves at the top which conceal the nest. A few pairs build in the Spanish bay- onets that grow on sand ridges in the salt prairies ; here the nests are built chiefly of the dry, tough fibres of the plant, with a little wool or thistle-down as lining ; they are placed among the dead and depressed leaves, two or three of which are used as supports. The eggs are three to five in number, white, with a bluish tinge, or buff, marked with hieroglyphics and pencilings common to the eggs of this family, but not so abundant. These markings are usually brown, but, when profuse, black and lilac shades appear. The larger end is never free from markings, and is frequently covered with them, but more commonly displays them in the form of a band. Dr. Merrill 5«3iiw NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 279 aves, which, ly concealed lily of fibres :, lined with iken July I, the ground, like that of sizes of one '8, .98X.66, bit the fol- c .70, 1.02 X lite, with a dottings of the zigzag rn Mexico. 3. Sennett, ^io Grande nd groves, 1 moss, in ectly char- ging moss, laced, the I matting moss as a t of about leaves at mish bay- nests are e wool or depressed ish tinge, the eggs usually he larger ith them, Merrill says some sets are precisely like large Vireo's eggs. Mr. Sennett gives the average size, taken from a large series, as .86 x .60. 505a. Icterus cucuUatus nelsoni Ridgw. Arlaona Hooded Oriole. Hab. Southern Arizona nnd Californin, south into Western Mexico and Lower California. This variety of the Hooded Oriole is a common breeding bird in Southern Arizona and California. Prof. B. W. Evermann found it nesting quite numerously as far north as San Buenventura, California, and states that it has been found breeding at Santa Barbara, thirty miles farther up the coast, though not so commonly as in Ventura county. The first full set of eggs was taken May i ; the average num- ber to a set in that region is five. The nests were generally suspended in sycamores, often in live-oaks, ranp;ing from five to fifteen feet from the ground. They are composed jf grass picked while yet green, so that the nest is usually of a bright straw-color. Mr. R. B. Herron found this bird breeding at San Gorgonia Pass, California, in the months of May and June, 1883 ; the nests were placed in sycamores, ranging from ten to twenty feet above the ground. In Southern Arizona it was found breeding abundantly by Mr. W. E. D. Scott, in May, June and July, rearing two, not infrequently three broods in a season ; a new home is built for each brood. The nests were built in cottonwoods, ash and sycamores, from twelve to forty- five feet above the ground ; they were also built in the mistletoe that grows plentifully on the mesquite trees in the region about Tucson. The nests were exceedingly variable in their appearance, composition and manner of attachment to the trees — some were truly pensile, like those of the Baltimore Oriole, others were more like those of the Orchard Oriole, and one rested on a stout twig and could hardly be regarded as a hanging nest at all. The external materials were coarse dry or green grasses and yucca fibres ; the linings were the same, but finer, and in some instances horse-hairs and cotton-waste. In these nests Mr. Scott found three or four eggs. The eggs vary somewhat in shape, some being obtuse and more spherical, others more pointed and oblong. They have a beautiful white ground, sometimes tinged with bluish, marbled, blotched and dotted with large dashes and irregular zigzag lines of purple, brown and black, chiefly at the larger end. A complement of four typical eggs, collected by Prof. Evermann near Santa Paula, California, April 13, 1881, measure as follows: .94X.66, .94 x. 64,*". 92 x. 63, .89X.63. Four sets of four eggs each, collected by Mr. Herron, are before me. A set taken June 10, 1883, exhibit the following dimensions: .79X.63, m 1 1 '■ 'I III! i. hf'i 280 NESTS AND EGOS OP ;|il!i' ^ ilii;' ■ i .78X.63, .80X.62, .84X.62. A common size is .84X.64, and the aver- age of sixteen specimens is .88 x .62. 506. Icterus spurlus (Linn.) [370.] Orohard Oriole. Hab. Eaatern United States, weat to the Oreat Plains, south in winter to Panama. An abundant species in Eastern United States during the breed- ing season, which is in May and June. The male is of a chocolate and black color ; the female is smaller than the male, and of a yellowish- olive. Orchards and groves are its favorite resorts, and two broods are frequently reared in a season. The nest is rarely found in a large tree or in dense woods, and the distance from the ground is from five to twenty feet, usually about ten. It is a handsome, substantial basket or purse-like structure, woven of fresh blades of grass and lined with feathers. The grasses soon become bleached, and long retain their pea-green color, giving to the nest a beautiful appearance. Its greenness often makes it difficult to detect in the foliage. Double nests of the Orchard Oriole are occasionally met with. A specimen is in my collection, sent me from Texas by Mr, Singley. The eggs range from four to six, usually five. They have a bluish ground ; the markings consist of spots, specks, a few large blotches, irregular and zigzag lines of various shades of brown, chiefly about the crown ; there are also deep shell-marks of a purplish. In a large series of eggs the variation in size is considerable, measuring as they do from .70 to .86 long by .50 to .62 broad. 507. Icterus galbula (Linn.) [271.] Baltimore Oriole. Hab. Eastern North America, north to New England, Ontario and the Saskatchewan country, west nearly to the Rocky Mountains, south through Eastern Mexico and Central America to Panama. Known as the Golden Robin, Firebird and Hangnest. A common species in Eastern United States where, on account of its handsome dress, the peculiarity of its nest and its loud and rather melancholy whistle, it is well known. Its nest is a masterpiece of workmanship, which, with its bill, it weaves and suspends like a hammock frnn the drooping bough of an elm or sycamore, in dense foliage. The nest is pensile and nearly a cylindrical pouch, suspended from the extrem- ity of a branch. The distance from the ground varies from four to seventy feet. Any substance combining the proper length, thickness and strength is used in the construction of its nest, consequently the materials depend to a great extent upon the locality — long grasses, strips of bark, vegetable fibres, yarns, wrapping twine, horse and cow hairs, rags, paper and other substances that are readily accessible. NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 281 and the aver- g the breed- hocolate and a yellowish- o broods are a large tree from five to ntial basket and lined long retain irance. Its ouble nests ^imen is in ey have a few large ivn, chiefly ish. In a asuring as country, west m. common landsome :lancholy tnanship, fr'^m the 'he nest extrem- four to lickness atly the grasses, nd cow essible. The nest represented in our illustration is taken from a typical speci- men which I took from the branches of a sycamore in Franklin county, Ohio, May 23, 1884 ; other specimens in my collection are not so elaborately made. The number of eggs laid ranges from four to six. The ground-color is white, with a slight roseate tinge when fresh, fading into a bluish tint when blown, marked with blotches, lines, scrawls, and the usual hieroglyphics common to eggs of this genus, irregularly distributed over the surface, usually thickest about the larger end, forming a wreath. Mr. Norris has two sets of this species' eggs that are entirely unmarked. A set of five measure, respectively, .82 x .62, .80 x .62, .78X.60, .84X.64, .87X.63; another set, four in number, i.oox.64, 1.04 x.64, .98X.64, 1.08 X. 67. A common size of the Baltimore Oriole's egg is .92 X .62. 508. Icterus bullocki (Swains.) [272.] Bnllook'a Oriole. Hab. Western United States east to and including the Rocky Mountains, south in winter to Mexico. This is the western counterpart of the Baltimore from the Central Plains to the Pacific. The nests and eggs of the two species are hardly distinguishable. Mr. Shields says that Bullock's Oriole is not a common summer resident of Los Angeles county, California, and it begins building about May i. Twenty sets, consisting of four and five eggs respectively, collected by Mr. R. B. Herron, in the latter part of May and first of June, at San Gorgonia Pass, California, are before me. In comparing them with a large series of /. galbtda^ the only difference, apparently, is that the ground-color of those of Imllocki is of a paler and clearer bluish tint, upon which the markings stand out in bolder contrast.* The average size of fifteen specimens is .94X.62. The sizes of an average set of four are .89 x.64, •93X.66, .93X.66, .89X.65. 509. Scolecophagus carolinus (Mull.) [273.] Rusty Blackbird. Hab. Eastern and Northern North America, west to Alaska and the Great Plains. Breeds from Northern United States northward. The Rusty Crackle or Thrush Blackbird is only a migratory species in most of the United States, and is only seen in small flocks in the spring and fall during its passages north and south. Breeds from the northern States northward. Mr. Ernest E. Thompson states that it is an abundant migrant in Western Manitoba, and breeds com- * A set of five eggs in this series, taken June 8, seems to be unique in their ground-color and markings. They are yellowish-buff, with a homogeneous mass of regular and irregular concentric rings about the larger ends, mingled with a few spots, blotches and bold streaks. These are of a rich reddish-brown, varying in in- tensity, even approaching black. There are also underlying circles and spots of purple. Their sizes are .87 X .65, .88 X .60, .92 X .66, .93 x .64, .96 x .66. ,11 282 NESTS AND EGGS OF monly about Big Plain and Winnipeg, building the nest on the ground of hair and fibres, much like that of a Savanna Sparrow on a large scale, and not necessarily near water. A nest was found June 24 near St. John, N. B., by James W. Banks ; it contained two young and two eggs. The nest was placed in the upper brahches of a spruce, twenty-eight feet from the ground. It was bulky and large for the size of the bird, composed chiefly of honeysijckle vines and mixed with mud, forming a solid mass. The smaller qf the two eggs measured 1.09 x. 76. The eggs are described as varying from a grayish to a light green, very thickly covered with blotches and dotting? of purplish and reddish-brown, without streaks and lines; usually four in number, varying much in llie character of their markings. The variations are. as great as are those in the eggs of the next species. The number laid is said to range from four to seven with an average size of i.oox.76. 510. Scolecophagus cyanocephalus (Wagl.) [274.] Breiirer's Blackbird. Hab. Western North America, from the Great Plains to the Pacific, north to the Saskatchewan, south to the table-lands of Mexico. The Blue-headed Grackle is an abundant species throughout the West, breeding in all suitable localities. In California it breeds in im- mense colonies. Mr. Shields states that in Los Angeles county it be- gins nesang about May i. The usual number of eggs laid is five, sometimes six, and even eight. The nest is built in any suitable place — in the fork of a large bush or live-oak tree and in garden evergreens, at a height of twenty or thirty feet. It is large and bulky, and constructed externally of a rough frame of twigs, with a layer of mud, lined with fine root- lets, grasses, horse and cow hairs. As many as a dozen nests have been found in a single cypress tree. All the nests found by Mr. Bry- ant near Carson, Nevada, were ".pon the ground, usually on the edge of a bank formed by an irrigating ditch, with the exception of one, which was built two feet from the ground upon dry tule and well hiddden by the growing stems. In a large series of eggs extreme variations will be found in the shape, color and size. They are of a dull greenish-white or gray, with numerous streaks and blotches of dark brown ; in some the markings are very large and of a lighter shade, in others smaller, but so numerous as to conceal the ground-color. Ten eggs measure : .96X.71; .93X.77; 1.02 x. 70; i.oix,76; 1.03 x. 68; i.oox.73; 1.05 x .75; 1.06 x. 78; 1.07 x. 73; 1.09 X. 73. "'-*^-*.-«i »£' lAh NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 283 tchewan, soutk 511. Quiscalus quiscula (Linn) [278.] Pmrple Oraolde. Hab. Atlantic coast of the United States (except Southera Florida), north to Massachusetts. A well-known and an abundant species of the Atlantic coast, and commonly called Crow Blackbird. Its nest is built in trees of almost any kind, usually, however, those of thick foliage, and by preference coniferous trees. It is generally placed on the boughs, but sometimes in cavities, and quite often in hollow stubs in low trees near water. In secluded places the nest is not infrequently built in bushes. It is a loose, bulky affair of twigs, hay and grasses which are often cemented with mud. The eggs are four to six in number, and they present great variations in size and color. They are light greenish-white, with large dashes and irregular streaks of black and brown, in oome chiefly at the larger end ; in others the ground-color is of a rusty -brown ; these are marked chiefly about the larger eud with cloudy blotches of the same color. The average size is 1.18X.84. 511d!, Quiscalus quiscula aglseus (Baird.) [278a]. Florida Graokle. Hab. Chiefly southern portion of Florida, west along the Gulf coast to Louisiana. This is a slightly smaller race of the Crow Blackbird than the preceding. Eggs in my cabinet collected in the vicinity of Charlotte Harbor, Florida, do not differ in size or coloration from those of quiscula or ceneus. The nesting season is in April, May, and June. IWb. [278^.] Quiscalus quiscula SBueus (Ridgw.) Bronsed Graokle. Hab. liJtstern North America, from the Alleghanies and New England north to Hudson Bay, west to the Rocky Mountains. The Bronzed Crow Blackbird is a very common species every where in its range. It begins nesting in favorable seasons as early as the middle of March, and by the latter part of April many of the nests are finished and incubation has begun. Other nest? may not be com- pleted until sometime in May. It nests anywhere in trees or bushes, on boughs or in hollow limbs or stumps at any height. A clump of evergreen trees in a lonely spot is a fav'orite site ; often large colonies will nest in such places ; and it is also found breeding especially abundant in sycamore groves along streams and in oak woodland. A number of pairs will often find suitable nesting places in the trees of quiet orchards. The nest is a coarse, bulky structure, composed of grasses, knotty roots mixed with mud ; the lining is fine, dry grass, horse hair or sheep's wool. The eggs are light greenish or smoky-blue, with irregular lines, dots, blotches and scrawls distributed over the surface ; there is just as n ■ '■■■ (: \ ■ 1? I • I 'Mi ^? !■• ;r|lt-r| im 7"n '.it £ Mi! I 284 NESTS AND EGGS OF much variation in the eggs of this species as is found in those oi pur- pureus^ of the Atlantic coast. The number laid ranges from four to six, although on the 15th of May 1888, I found two nests containing seven each. The average size of ten specimens is 1.20X.82. 512. Quiscalus macrourus Swains. [275.] Gh*eat-talled Graokle. Hab. Southern Texas, south through eastern Mexico to Central America. Called the Fan-tailed Crow Blackbird or Texas Grackle. It is an abundant bird in southern Texas. Concerning its nesting Dr. Merrill says: "Early in April, after several weeks of noisy courtship, they begin to build in irregular colonies, and by the middle of the month have eggs. The nests are perhaps most frequently placed near the top of one of the main upright branches of a young mesquite-tree. They are strongly built of straws, leaves and grasses, mud being used freely. Where Spanish moss is plentiful, the nests are sometimes composed entirely of it ; and I have found them among tule-reeds, where several species of Herons were breeding. I have also found their nests either supported by the lower part of the nest of the Caracara Eagle, or in the same tree." The eggs are usually three in number, although Mr.lienners found many sets in Texas of four and five. They vary greatly in appearance ; the ground color is usually a greenish-white or purplish -brown, more or less heavily spotted and dashed with several shades of brown. The markings are apt to be heavier at the smaller end. By this peculiarity they can usually be distinguished from those of Q. major. The average size of forty-five eggs is 1.26 x. 85; largest 1.44X.91; smallest 1. 16 x. 82. 513 Quiscalus major Vieill. [277.] Boat-tailed Graokle. > Hab. South Atlantic and Gulf States, north to Virginia, West to Texas. Along the coast of the States that border on the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico, from the Carolinas to the Rio Grande, the Boat-tailed Crow Blackbird is an abundant species. It is known as the Jackdaw. Breeds in colonies in reeds and rushes in the midst of swamps, or any- where in trees, often a considerable distance from water, and the nests are also placed in bushes or upon trees at heights varying from twenty to forty feet. It iL> large and clumsy, made of coarse materials: sticks, dry grasses, weeds, strips of bark, lined with finer stems, fibrous roots, and grasses. The nesting time is in April, May, and in June, according to locality. Three or four eggs are laid, of a brownish-drab ; some tinged with olive, others with green ; they are marked with irregular blotches of brown and black. Ten eggs measure : 1.20X.90; 1.21X.86; NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 286 those oi pur- from four to ts containing 82. ^le. It is an Z Dr. Merrill iirtship, they f the month near the top tree. They used freely, s composed here several nests either 3agle, or in nners found ppearauce ; vn, more or own. The peculiarity *he average 1 1.16X.82. :ic and the 3oat-tailed Jackdaw. >s, or any- ! the nests 'Oi twenty Is: sticks, ous roots, according b ; some irregular C.21X.86; 1.23 X. 87; 1. 27 X. 89; 1. 26 X. 89; 1. 27 X. 81; 1.24 X. 84; 1.30 X. 91; 1.29 X.84; 1.28X.90. The average size is 1.24 X .81. 514 Coccothraustes vespertina (Coop.) [165.] Evening Oroabeak. Hab. Western North America, north to the Fur Countries ; eastward, irregularly in winter to Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Iowa; casually to Ohio and Ontario, south into Mexico. This handsome bird is not uncommon in varioiis portions of western North America, from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific. It is a common resident of the forests of Washington Territory, and also of Oregon. In the latter region Dr. Merrill observed the birds carrying building material to a huge fir tree, but was unable to locate the nest, and the tree was practically inaccessible. Mr. Walter E. Bryant was the first to record an authentic nest and eggs of the Evening Grosbeak. In a paper read before the California Academy of Sciences, June 20, 1887, he describes a nest of this species containing four eggs, found by Mr. E. H. Fiske, in Yolo county, California. The nest was taken May 10, 1886, but the eggs could not be preserved, as incu- bation was so far advanced. In general shape, color, and markings, they were similar to the eggs of the Black-headed Grosbeak, but in size, Mr. Fiske thinks, they were somewhat larger. The nest was built in a small live oak, at a height of ten feet, and was a more pre- tentious structure than is usually built by the Black-headed Grosbeak, being composed of small twigs supporting a thin layer of fibrous bark and a lining of horse hair. June 5, 1884, Mr. John Swinburne found a nest of the Evening Grosbeak in a thickly wooded canon, about fifteen miles west of Spriugerville, Apadie county, Arizona. The nest was placed about fifteen feet from the ground, in the top of a small willow bush, on the border of a stream. It was a comparatively slight structure, rather flat, and composed of small sticks and roots, lined with finer portions of the latter. This nest contained three fresh eggs of a clear greenish- ground color, blotched with pale brown. This is all the information we have at present regarding the nests and eggs of the Evening Grosbeak. 515 Pinicola enucleator canadensis (Cab.) [166.] American Pine Grosbeak. Hab. Northern North America in general. Breeds from northern New England, Labrador, etc., to Alaska, (except the coast south of the peninsula), and south in the higher Rocky Mountain regions to Col- orado and Utah; in winter south to Northern United States. This large, handsome Grosbeak is resident in Northern New Eng- land, elsewhere in the Northern and Eastern States it is a winter migrant. Mr. Boardman found a nest with two eggs in it at Calais, Maine, supposed to belong to this species. Dr. Coues found it breeding M n i ii I ' fX i/tr-l 286 NESTS AND EGGS OP on the coast of Labrador. Mr. Trippe met with the Pine Bulfinch in Colorado, living up near timber line, and observed young birds fully fledged in June. Mr. Mcllwraith thinks that it is highly probable that this species may yet be found breeding in Ontario. The bird, according to Dr. Cones, inhabits chiefly coniferous woods in flocks when not breeding, feeding upon the fruit of such trees. "A fine musician, of amiable disposition and gentle manners, often caged. Nest composed of a basement of twigs and rootlets, within which is a more compact fabric of finer materials ; eggs usually four, pale greenish- blue, spotted and blotched with dark brown surface markings and lilac shell-spots ; 1.05 x .74." 517 Caryodacus purpureus (Gmel.) [x68.] Purple Finoh. Hab. Eastern North America. Breeds from northern United States northward. Called Purple Grosbeak, Crimson Finch or Linnet. It is found breeding regularly in the northern tier of States — Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, etc., northward, and is said to have been found nesting in northern Illinois. An abundant bird in New England, where its sweet song, bright colors and sociable disposition have made it a favorite bird. It nests in May and June. The Rev. J. H. Langille states that he has found it nowhere so abundant as in Nova Scotia. The nest is usually placed in evergreens or orchard trees, at a moderate distance from the ground. It is composed of weed-stalks, bark-strips, rootlets, grasses, all kinds of vegetable fibres, and lined with hairs. The nests and eggs remind one of the Chipping Spar- row's on a large scale. The eggs are of a dull green, spotted with very dark brown, chiefly about the greater end ; four or five in number, and measure .85 X. 65. 517rt. Carpodacus purpureus californicus Baird. [ i68a.] California Pnrple Finoh. Hab. Pacific coast of the United States, fro.n British Columbia south to Southern California. The California Purple Finch is a common bird throughout its range. Mr. William A. Cooper notes it as abundant around Santa Cruz, California. He states that it is a most destructive bird, visiting orchards and destroying young buds, blossoms, and fruit. It retires to the wooded river bottoms and hills to breed ; the favorite situations for the nest are the tops of tall willows, alders, trees covered with climb- ing ivy, and horizontal branches of redwoods. The nests are usually placed at a considerable distance from the ground; one was found placed in the horizontal branches of an apple tree ; the composition of the nests consist of stems and vegetable fibres for the frame-work, ..A. NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 287 e Bulfinch in ? birds fully hly probable ferous woods h trees. "A often caged. Q which is a lie greenish- gs and lilac It is found Minnesota, been found ' England, have made I. I^angille 5Cotia. rees, at a ied-stalks, and lined ing Spar- ^ brown, measure rnia. hout its i Santa visiting etires to ions for I climb- usually i found •osition ;-work, which is generally loosely put together ; the inner portions are of finer material of the same, lined with wool or a few hairs. The eggs are four or five in number; they are of a bluish-green or light emerald-green, marked with spots of brown and dull purple, chiefly around the larger end ; in some specimens they form a confluent ring ; others are spotted over the entire surface, but less abundantly than at the end. Mr. Cooper gives the sizes of a set of four taken May 2, as .83 x .57, .81 x .56, .81 x .56, .80 x .54 ; another set, taken May 3, give the following mtasurements : .75 x .55, .73 x .56, .72 x .56, .71X.57.* A set of four eggs in Mr. Norris' cabinet were collected June 14, 1888, near Salem, Oregon. The nest was made of grass and small twigs, lined with hair, and was situated in a small maple tree, thirty feet from the ground. The eggs are bluish-green, speckled and spotted with olive. They measure .84 x .57, .83 x .57, .83 x .57, .86 x .56. 518. Carpodacus cassini Baird. [169.] Cassln'a Purple Flnoh. Hab. Western United States, from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific, north to British Columbia, south over the highlands of Mexico. A common bird in Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and Eastern Califor- nia. Its general habits, nesting and eggs are very similar to those of the Purple Finch of the East. The nest is found in various situations, box-alder bushes, the tops of cottonwood, aspen and pine trees. It is composed principally of roots and twigs, lined with softer material of the same, together with moss and cotton. The eggs are usually four in number, and a typical specimen is oval in shape, pointed at the smaller end. The color is light bluish- green, dotted around the larger end with slate, lilac and blackish- brown. The average size is .84 x .62. 519. Carpodacus mexicanus frontalis (Say) [170,170a.] Honae Finoli. Hab. Western United States, from the Rocky Mountains to Pacific coast (chiefly south of 40° in the interior), and south through Western nd Central Mexico to Colima and Guanajuato, Lower California. (Ridcw.) This bird is known as the Red-headed Linnet or Burion. We also include under this head the supposed race C. frontalis rhodocoipus (Cab.)t It is a very common bird in the interior region of the United States, from Nevada, Utah and Colorado southward, and is also abund- ant on the Pacific coast. Mr. Shields mentions this as one of the best * Bull. Nutt. Ornith. Club. Ill, pp. 8-10. t No 519a, Crimson House Finch, of the A. O. U. Check List, which Prof. Ridgway believes to be untenable — for further detiils see Manual of North American Birds, p. 891. > I- i til \\\ 1 !,!: 1 (■;!'■ f m tj i i I iiii 288 NESTS AND EGGS OP l,ii;; ill;; known birds of Southern California. Prof. Evermann found it to be by far the most common bird of Ventura county, and obtained the first full complement of eggs early in April. The bird will place its nest anywhere, from the limb of any tree to the side of a haystack or a tin can on a porch. It is made of anything that the bird happens to find handy — grasses, straws, roots, etc., and the nest of an Oriole or Cliff Swallow is often occupied. Mr. Shields states that in Los Angeles county, California, this species begins nesting in the first part of April, and eggs may be found from that time into the first of July. Two, and sor^.e times three broods are reared in a season. The eggs are four or five, usually five in number ; their color is of a pale bluish or, as some would call it, pale greenish-blue, sparsely marked with spots, specks and lines of very dark brown or black, chiefly around the larger end. Some speci- mens before me are tmmarked. An average set of five eggs offer the following measurements : .82X.57, .85X.54, .84X.55, .83X.54, .82X.52. The average of twenty specimens is .82 x .58. 520. Carpodacus ampins Ridgw. [171.] Onadalnpe House Flnohi Hsib. Guadalupe Island, Lower California. This darker colored House Finch was found to be quite common on Guadalupe Island, by Mr. Bryant, when he visited that place in 1885. The species did not differ in its habits or song from frontalis. February 22 two nests were found in cypress trees nearly completed, and one with five eggs was taken March i. The last nest taken was on April 7, and contained five eggs with small embryos in them. Nearly all the nests were placed on the branches of cypress trees ; the birds seemed to show a preference for the leeward side, where the nest would be protected from prevailing winds. One pair built in a clump of mistletoe at a height of twenty feet ; others built in the tops of palms. The materials used were the finer dead stems of weeds ; in one nest the foundation and sides were made of pine needles. The lining was invariably of goat's hair. The eggs, sometimes four in number, but oftener five, during the early part of the season, are colored precisely like the average specimen of CM. frontalis^ the spots being either spar- ingly applied or entirely wanting. They also resemble them in gen- eral shape, but the size serves to distinguish them. Five eggs in one set measure 22x15, 22x15.5, 22.5x15.5, 23x15.5, 23x16.5 mm.* The length measurement varies from 19.5-24 mm., and the width 15- 16.5 mm. The average size of thirty-two specimens is 21.3 x 15.5 mm.f ♦ .87x .59, .87 X .61, .89 x .61, .91 x .61, .91 x .65. t .77 to .94 in length by .59 to .65 in braadth ; average .Six .61. ^;^m NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 289 und it to be ined the first lace its nest ack or a tin )pens to find iole or Cliflf ifornia, this lay be found times three usually five ould call it, md lines of Some speci- :gs offer the 54, .82X.52. te common it place in frontalis. completed, taken was in them, trees; the •e the nest a clump of of palms, a one nest ining was mber, but precisely ther spar- tn in gen- ius in one ).5 mm.* vidth 15- 5.5 mm.f 521. Loxia curvirostra mlDor (Brehm.) [172.] Anterloan Croaablll. Hab. North America in general, but chiefly the northern portion and east of the Plains; resident sparingly southward in the Eastern United States to Maryland and Virginia near the coast, and to Northern Georgia, Tennessee and Kentucky in the mountains, A curious bird, whose home is in boreal regions ; and at times, even during the season of reproduction, straggles far southward. The American Red Crossbill is known to breed in Northern New England, and from thence northward. Breeds sporadically in mountainous re- gions south as far as New York, Pennsylvania, Central Maryland, Vir- ginia, Northern Georgia, Tennessee and Kentucky. It may be found breeding where least expected. The nesting time is usually in Febru- ary and March, while the snow is yet on the ground. In the Lower Hudson Valley, Mr. Eugene P Bicknell found a nest of this species on the 30th of April, containing three eggs. The nest was placed in a cedar of rather scanty foliage, about eighteen feet from the ground, and was without any main support, being built in a mass of small, tangled twigs. The composition externally was of spruce twigs, loosely arranged ; the main body of the structure was a mass of matted shreds of cedar bark, while the inside was felted by finer material, and lined with horse-hair, fine rootlets, grass stems, pieces of string and two or three feathers. The structure also contained small pieces of moss, leaves, grass, string, cottony substances, and the green foliage of cedar.* The eggs are three or four in number, usually four. Mr. Bick- nell gives the sizes of the three eggs which this nest contained as .74X.56, .75X.58, .78X.59 respectively. The color of the eggs is pale greenish, spotted and dotted about the larger end with various shades of brown and lavender shell-markings; average size .75X.57. 522. Loxia leucoptera Gmel. [173.] 'White-winged Croesbill. Hab. Northern North America, south into the United States in winter to or beyond 40°. Breeds ifOm Northern New England and higher Rocky Mountains northward. This is not so common a species as the Red Crossbill, although they are both frequently found associated in deep evergreen woods. The White-winged Crossbill is resident in Northern New England, and from the Rocky Mountain region of Colorado, Wyoming and Montana northward. It is possessed of the same uncertain and erratic disposition as L. c. minor ^ and its movements are not to be relied upon ; for this reason, it is likely to be found breeding in suitable places in any of the northern tier of States. It breeds in winter or early spring, and the nesting is said to be like that of the Red Crossbill. The eggs are de- '^ For full account of this nest and the eggs, see Bull. Nutt. Ornith. Club, Vol. V, pp. 7-U. 20 ? n ill! if I til it 'if HI f I '! •1 i* !; 1,1 'i' :■ i1 t ;i'!l .¥ liiili: I il: ^'illil ! II II Hlliii ,'liiii 290 NESTS AND EGGS OP scribed as pale blue ; the larger end rather thickly spattered with fine dots of black and ashy-lilac ; the size .80 x . 56. They are said to resemble those of the Purple Finch. [174.] Hab. Kadiak. 523. Leucosticte griseonncha (Brandt.) Aleutian Iienoostiote. Aleutian and Prybilof Islands, Alaska; west to Commander Islands, Kamtschatka, east to The Aleutian Rosy Finch is the largest of the species of this genus known to inhabit North America. It is found in abundance on the Prybilof and other Aleutian Islands. Dr. Stejneger states that on Bering Island it cannot be said to be numerous, except perhaps in a few places where the localities are favorable. Copper Island, being one mass of rugged and cracked rocks and cliffs, with steep, often quite perpendicular walls jutting up straight out of the ocean, is the favorite haunt of these stone-loving birds, which may be said to be fairly com- mon on that island, occurring in pairs around the whole isle during the breeding season. In the latter half of June he found parents feeding their young, and full-fledged young were taken July 7. Many pairs produce two broods in a year. The nest of this species is made on the ground or among rocks, and is very bulky, composed of a few straws and moss, lined with feathers. The nests and eggs of others of this genus are not certainly known, but probably resemble those of griseonucha. The eggs are described as being pure white without markings, three to six in number, usually four ; size .97 x .67. 527«. Acanthis hornemaniiii exilipes (Coues.) [178a.] Hoary Redpoll. Hab. Circumpolar continental regions; Arctic America. The Hoary Redpoll Linnet inhabits the whole of boreal America, and it is found in abundance from Alaska to the Atlantic coast, rarely reaching the United States, and then only along the northern tier of States in winter. It breeds in high latitudes, nesting in trees and bushes. The nest is described as rather bulky, composed of small twigs. Straws, etc., mixed and lined with feathers. The eggs are two to five in number, of pale bluish-green, speckled chiefly about the larger end, with reddish-brown, sometimes mixed with a few black specks and lines. Prof. Ridgway gives the average size of the eggs as .68 x .51. 528. Acanthis linaria (Linn.) [179.] Redpoll. Hab. Northern portions of Northern Hemisphere; in North America migrating south in winter to ftbout 40o. The Redpoll Linnet occurs in the United States as a winter :red with fine id to resemble iamtschatka, east to of this genus dance on the ates that on perhaps in a nd, being one 5, often quite 5 the favorite e fairly com- le during the ■ents feeding Many pairs mong rocks, lined with lot certainly t markings, al America, oast, rarely lern tier of ind bushes, mall twigs, 3, speckled nixed with age size of th in winter to a wmter NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 291 migrant. It comes south from its breeding grounds in high lati- tudes, often in company with Pine Grosbeaks and Crossbills, but is so erratic in its movements that its appearance cannot be relied upon. It breeds occasionally in Northern New England; also in Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and commonly in Labrador and all the Fur Countries. Dr. Stejneger says that this form of the Redpoll seems to be the common breeding bird on the mainland of Kamtschatka, where he took a very young specimen near Petropaulski on the 4th of July. He does not think that this species breeds on the islands, as none were met with from the end of May until the beginning of November. The bird's general habits are very similar to those of the American Goldfinch. The nest is built in trees and bushes, is bulky, made of twigs and grasses, with generally a warm lining of feathers. A set of six eggs in Mr. Norris' cabinet were taken May 14, 1885, near Loughboro, England. Their ground-color is bluish-green, speckled chiefly at the larger ends with burnt umber ; sizes .62 x .49, .65 x .47, .60 X .45, .62 X .49, .64 X .48, .64 x .47. The average size is .67 x .48. Hab. 529. Spiinis tristis. (Linn.) Amerloan Goldfinoli. Whole of temperate North America, resident. [181.] Thistle-bird, Yellow-bird, Lettuce-bird, and " Wild Canary " are the names commonly applied to this species. It is distributed through- out North America generally, and breeds southward to the middle dis- tricts. In the United States it is a well known bird ; its conspic- uous bright colors, peculiar, undulating flight, and its plaintive, lisping notes are familiar to even the casual observer. It nests when most other birds are through breeding — in some localities, however, as early as June 15, but usually in July, or when the thistle-down begins to float on the breeze, in August and Septem- ber. Exceptionally, nests with eggs have been found in May, The nest is a beautiful, compact, felted mass of vegetable fibres, moss, grasses, leaves, fine strips of bark, lined with plant down, and the nests that are built late enough in the season usually have a thick lining of thistle-down. It is placed in all kinds of trees and bushes, ranging from three to forty feet above the ground. Willows, maples, and orchard trees seems to be favorite nesting sites, and not infrequently it is found built in the tops of thistle plants.* <■ Mr. Walter E. Bryant records the following unusual nesting place of the American Goldfinch as ob- served by Mr. A. M. Ingersoll, in California: " In 1884 a grove of young willows that had been occupied the previous season by a colony of tri-colored blackbirds, was found deserted by them. Many of the blackbirds' nests still remained in forks of the willows from four to ten feet above the marsh. Six of these old nests were in possession of American Goldfinches. The present tenants had loosely filled the nests about one-half full of cat-tail down, and had formed only a s'.ight hollow for the nest proper. Some were found with eggs, and in others there were ' birds in last year's nests.' " !. :f l!92 NESTS AND EGGS OF Some writers state that the ep^gs of the Goldfinch range from three to five in number. This is not correct, at least in Ohio. The number to a set varies from three to six. In the month of August and during the first two weeks of September, 1888, Mr. Rudolph. A. L. Baker, and myself collected twenty-nine nests with eggs of the Goldfinch. Out of this number, eleven contained six eggs, ten contained five, five were of four, and three were of three eggs each. Sets of five and six are common. The color of the eggs is plain, pale bluish or greenish- white, unspotted. Ten eggs measure .62 x .48, .61 x .49, .61 x .48, .62 x .51, .63X.52, .65 X .52, .67x51, .67X.52, .66X.52, .67X.52. An average specimen measures .65X.52. 530. Spinus psaltria (Say) [182] Arkansas Goldflnoh. Hab. Western United States from the Great Pl.iins to the Pacific, north on the coast to Oregon, in the interior north to Colorado and Utah, southward to Sonora. This species is also calL-d the Arkansaw Green-backed and Rocky Mountain Goldfinch. It is an abundant bird in the West, nesting like its Eastern cousin, the American Goldfinch, in trees and bushes. In California it breeds from the latter part of April to the middle of July ; May and June being the most general breeding months. Ten nests containing four eggs each, collected by Mr. R. B. Herron, at San Gorgonia Pass, California, in May and June, are in my cabinet. The eggs are of the same color as those of ►S". tristis^ pale greenish-blue, but are much smaller. The nests are also smaller — some of the more elaborately built nests of tristis are almost double the size of those of S, psaltria. Ten eggs measure .63X.46, .60X.45, .62X.41, .62X.42, .59X.46, .63X.44, .63X.47, .63X.48, .64X.47, .63X.45; comparatively little variation in size. Four eggs is the usual number laid, rarely five. 530«. Spinus psaltria arizonse (Coues.) [i82d!] Arizona Goldflnoh. Hab. Southwestern portion of the United States, North to Arizona and Colorado, East to Texas and Mexico. The general habits, nesting and eggs of this sub-species are exactly the same as those of the Arkansas Goldfinch. 531. Spinus lawrencei (Cass.) [183.] I