\^ A ^ tar

^.

IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGr (MT-3)

1.0

1.1

iHtlA |25

|io ■^~ ilJ^H

£ U£ |2.0

■Utaw

IL25 i 1.4

1.6

Hiotograiinc

Sciences

Corporation

23 WEST MAIN STRIET

WEBSTER, N.Y. MSSO

(716) 873-4303

•^

\

[V

o^

T

4^

CIHM/ICMH

Microfiche

Series.

CIHIVI/ICIVIH
Collection de
microfiches.

Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques

^

Technical and Bibliographic Notos/Notas tachniquas at bibliographiquas

Tha Inatituta haa anamptad to obtain tha baat
original copy availabia for filming. Faaturaa of thia
copy which may ba bibliographically uniqua.
which may altar any of tha imagaa in tha
raproduction, or which may significantly changa
tha usual mathod of filming, ara chackad balow.

□ Colourad covars/
Couvartura da coulaur

I — I Covars damagad/

D

D

n

n

Couvartura andommagia

Covars rastorad and/or laminatad/
Couvartura raataurAa at/ou pailiculAa

□ Covor titia miaaing/
La

titra da couvartura manqua

Colourad mapa/

l__l Cartas gAographiquas mn coulaur

□ Colourad ink (i.a. othar than blua or black)/
Encra da coulaur (i.a. autra qua blaua ou noira)

□ Colourad plataa and/or iiluatrationa/
Planchaa at/ou iiluatrationa tx coulaur

D

Bound with othar matariai/
RalM avac d'autraa documants

Tight binding may cauaa shadowa or distortion
along intarior margin/

La re llura sarria paut cauaar da I'ombra ou da la
diatorsion la long da la marga int^iaura

Blank laavas addad during rastoration may
appaar within tha taxt. Whanavar possibia. thasa
hava baan omittad from filming/
II sa paut qua cartainas pagaa blanchaa ajoutiaa
lora d'una raatauration apparaissant dana la taxta,
mala, lorsqua cala Atait poaaibia, caa pagas n'ont
paa «t« filmtes.

Additional commants:/
Commantairas supplAmantairas:

L'Institut a microfilm^ la rnaillaur axamplaira
qu'il lui a it* possibia da sa procurer. Las ditaiis
da cat axamplaira qui sont paut-Atra uniquas du
point da vua bibliographiqua. qui pauvant modifier
una image reproduite. ou qui peuvent exiger uno
modification dans la mithoda normale de filmage
aont indiquAs ci-daaaoua.

r~n Coloured pages/

D
D
0

a
0

D

n

D

Pagaa da coulaur

Pagaa damaged/
Pagas andommagias

Pagas restored and/or laminated/
Pagas reataurias at/ou pelliculies

Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/
Pages dAcoiories, tachaties ou piquies

Pagaa detached/
Pagas ditachias

Showthrough/
Transparence

Quality of print varies/
Qualiti ^ligala de I'impression

Includes supplementary material/
Comprand du matiriel suppk.. antaire

Th
to

Th
po
of
fill

Or
ba
thi
sio
oti
fir
sio
or

nn Only edition available/

Seule Mition disponible

Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata
slips, tissues, etc., hava been refilmed to
ensure the best possible image/
Les pagaa totaiament ou partiallement
obscurcies par un feuillet d'errata. una pelure,
etc., ont M filmias k nouveau de fapon A
obtanir la meilleure image possible.

Th
sh(
TII<
wh

Ml

dif
am
bai
rig
raq
ma

This item is filmed «t the reduction ratio checked below/

Ce document est filmi au taux da reduction indiqu* ci-dassous.

10X

14X

18X

22X

26X

30X

12X

16X

aox

24X

28X

32X

Th« copy fiim«d h«r« has b««n r«pro<^ue«d thanks
to tho gonoroaity of:

Brock University
St. Catharines

L'axamplaira film* fut raproduit grica A la
gAniroaitA da:

Broeic University
St. Catliarines

Tha imagas appaaring hara ara th« boat quality
poaaibia eonaidaring tha condition and laglbility
of tha original copy and in Icaaping with tha
filming contract apacificationa.

Original copiaa in printad papar eovara ara filmad
baglnning with tha front covar and anding on
tha laat paga with a printad or illuatratad impraa>
•ion. or tha bacic covar whan appropriata. All
othar original copiaa ara filmad baglnning on tha
f irat paga with a printad or illuatratad impraa-
•ion, and anding on tha laat paga with a printad
or illuatratad impraaalon.

Tha laat racordad frama on aaeh microficha
•hall contain tha aymboi -^^ (moaning "CON-
TINUED"), or fia aymboi ▼ (moaning "END"),
whichavar appliaa.

Las imagaa •uivantas ont Ati raproduitaa avac la
piua grand soin. compta tanu da la condition at
da la nattat* da l'axamplaira film*, at %n
conformity avac laa conditiona du contrat da
filmaga.

Laa axamplairaa originaux dont la couvartura an
papiar aat imprimAa aont filmto an commandant
par la pramiar plat at an tarminant aoit par la
darnlAra paga qui comporta una amprainta
d'impraaaion ou d'illuatration. soit par la aacond
plat, aalon la caa. Toua laa autraa axamplairaa
originaux aont filmte an commandant par la
pramlAra paga qui comporta una amprainta
d'impraaaion ou d'illuatration at an tarminant par
la damlAra paga qui comporta una talla
amprainta.

Un daa aymbolaa auivanta apparaftra aur la
darniira irnaga da chaqua microficha. salon la
caa: la aymbola — ^ signifia "A SUIVRE". la
symbols ▼ signifia "FIN".

Mapa. piataa. charta, ate. may ba filmad at
diffarant raduction ratioa. Thoaa too iarga to ba
antiraly inciudad in ona axpoaura ara filmad
baglnning in tha uppar laft hand cornar. laft to
right and top to bottom, aa many framaa aa
raquirad. Tha following diagrama illuatrata tha
mathod:

Laa cartaa. planchaa. tablaaux. ate, pauvant Atra
flimAa A daa taux da rAduction diff Arants.
Lorsqua la document aat trop grand pour Atra
raproduit an un aaul ciichA. il aat filmA A partir
da I'angia supAriaur gaucha, da gaucha A c«roita.
at da haut an baa, an pranant la nombra
d'imagaa nAcaaaaira. Laa diagrammaa suivanta
iiluatrant la mAthoda.

1

2

3

1

2

3

4

5

6

HAWK OWU

OUR BIRDS

IN

THEIR HAUNTS:

A POPULAR TREATISE ON THE BIRDS OF
EASTERN NORTH AMERICA.

BY

REV. J. HIBBERT LANGILLE, M. A.

" How pleasant the life of a bird must be,
Flitting about in each leafy tree;
In the leafy trees, so broad and tall,
Like a green and beautiful palace hall.
With its airy chambers, light and boon.
That open to sun and stars and moon.
That open into the bright blue sky,
And the frolicsome winds as they wander by."

Mary Howitt.

BOSTON:
E. CASSINO & COMPANY.

1884.

201

n

Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1884,

By J. H. LANGILLE,

In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C.

To DR. ELLIOTT COUES,

WHOSE PRINTED WORKS, PRIVATE CORRESPONDENCE

AND

GREAT PERSONAL KINDNESS,

HAVE BEEN OF INESTIMABLE VALUE TO ANY SUCCESS
POSSIBLE FOR THIS BOOK.

IT IS

GRATEFULLY AND AFFECTIONATELY

DEDICATED BY

The AirxHOR.

PREFACE.

n^HE first aim of this work is to render as popular and
attractive as possible, as well as to bring within a
small compass, the sum total of the bird-life of Eastern
North America. I have therefore given brief descriptions,
and for the most part full life histories, of all the species
commonly east of the Mississippi, giving special attention
to the songs and nesting, and dwelling upon the curious
and fascinating, of which there is so much in the lives of
these wonderful creatures. The narrative follows, in the
main, the order of the seasons, and groups itself about
certain interesting localities, as Niagara River and St. Clair
Flats, for instance. I give a good deal of attention to
migration, instinct, the analogy of nidification, the special-
ized forms and adaptations of structure in birds, etc.,
endeavoring particularly to make all this readable. Par-
ticularly do I note the many evidences of a Designing
Intelligence in this department of nature. Hence the

6 PREFACE.

author addresses himself especially to men of his own
profession — the gospel ministry; and would earnestly urge
them to become, as far as possible, the interpreters of
nature as well as of the written word. Thus may they come
most fully into sympathy with the Great Teacher, who
pointed to the " fowls of the air " and the " lilies of the
field " as the most instructive object-lessons of a practical
faith. Let the pastor go with the little ones of his flock
to see the nest of the Oriole in the orchard, or of the
Pewee under the bridge; and he will not only go to the
orchard and to the bridge, but he will find his way into
the little heart. If he cannot become a naturalist, he
may acquire, at least, a general intelligence of natural
objects, thus finding many hours of healthful and happy
recreation, furnishing his own mind with food for thought,
and discovering ready avenues to other minds. In this
day of almost universal thirst for natural science, the
minister can ill afford to be ignorant of the natural world
around him. Happy, indeed, will it be for his ministry
if, instead of leaving the interpretation of nature to the
ungodly and the atheistic, he may show to the people
the thoughts of an infinitely wise and good Creator
embodied in the universe. What is said to the preacher
on this topic may apply also to the Sunday School teacher,
and, indeed, should apply to the secular teacher of every
grade.

PREFACE. 7

The farmers of our country are, for the most part, a
very intelligent class, as the writer well knows from per-
sonal intercourse with them. Many of them might, and
should be, amateur naturalists. This would turn many
an hour of field -labor into a recreation, and could not
fail to be an important aid in the education of their
families. A popular book, giving a pleasing account of
the habits and characters of the birds of the garden,
the Oi'chard, the field and the forest, would be a work of
frequent reference, and might afford many an hour of
leisurely reading in connection with more or less obser-
vation, and thus would be a constant source of pleasure
and profit.

In short, I have tried to meet a wide demand never
yet met in this country — to have a book on birds for every-
body. I write almost entirely from personal observation,
incorporating in my work a full report for Western New
York and the adjoining regions of the Great Lakes, and
a pretty full report for Nova Scotia; also a good deal of
direct information from Hudson's Bay, by means of an
excellent correspondent. This last feature of original
investigation should specially commend the work to the
scientist.

I would here acknowledge the cordial aid received
through correspondence with a large circle of naturalists
and amateurs, whose names appear in different parts of

8 PREFACE.

the work ; tind also the great personal kindness ^r the
way of friendly entertainment, on the part of a large
circle of friends, during many years of travel and inves-
tigation over different parts of the field under review.

The illustrations, which should add much to the character
of the book, have been nearly all furnished by Dr. Coues,
whose scientific nomenclature, as given in his former works,
I have adopted throughout. On this subject, now so much
in distress, I claim no authority; and those wishing the
check-list of the Smithsonian Institution can easily procure

it.

J. H. LANGILLE.

June 26th, 1884.
Buffalo, N. Y.

CHAPTET I.

HOAR-FROST.

IT was early winter. The ground wiis covered with snow,
but the atmosphere had been laden 'a tth a dense falling
mist. The temperature falling below the freezing point,
throughout the night a zephyr-like wind from the north-
east continued to crystallize the moisture on every object,
arraying the landscape in a most magnificent hoar-frost.
The delicate plumose or spinulose ornaments increased every
twig and spear of grass to many times its size. The spray of
trees and shrubs seemed almost as dense as when arrayed in
a young foliage; telegraph wires were as thick as cables;
and the delicate array of spinulose plumes on the evergreens
was of greater magnitude than their own dark covering.
The exquisite delicacy and beauty of the patterns of crystal-
lization were indescribable. The whole landscape was a
charming fairy-land. The genius of a Greek mind might
well have conceived that all the hosts of rural and sylvan
deities had been at work; while, in this inimitable robe of
snow-white purity, the Christian theist might read the
thoughts of Him who is the Author of the beautiful, as well
as of the true and the good.

10

THE HORNED LARK,

THE HORNED LARK.

In the dead calm every object was motionless. Perfect
stillness reigned. The slightest sound was awakening.
What could be more pleasing to the lover of nature at such
a time than the graceful flight and the musical notes of
birds ? Ever and anon, small, loose flocks of Horned Larks
{Eremophila alpestris) appeared, alighting in the fields and
along the highway; and they seemed as social and happy as
so many Frenchmen, as they flew, and ran, and squatted,
and hopped, vying with each other in their soft conversa-
tional tseep^ tseepes.

This is one of the most characteristic birds of Western
New York. In Orleans County, and westward, throughout
the year, unless it be in December, there is none which one
is more liable to meet. Though in much smaller flocks, it
may as frequently appear in the snow-storm as the Snow
Bunting, and is much more common in the finer weather of
midwinter than the Goldfinch or the Lesser Redpoll. From
the frozen fields or the frost-clod fence it greets us with its
song already in early February, several weeks before we
hear the soft warble of the Bluebird, or the resonant notes
of the Song Sparrow, and so gives us the first bird-song of
the year. When the earth is soaked and the air is chilled from
the thaws of spring, it is as merry and chipper and full of
song as ever. It is amidst the merry throngs of May, trav-
erses the heated dust of the highway in July and August,
and in the mild, hazy days of Indian summer, gives forth a
respectable echo of its more vigorous song of the breeding
season. Until very recently the breeding habitat of this
species has been wholly consigned to the far north; but it is
now well understood that it breeds abundantly in the lake
counties of Western New York, and more or less to the
eastward as far as Troy, raising two broods, the first being

THE HORNED LARK.

11

very early. Rev. Wih. Elgin, of Rochester, N. Y., a com-
petent observer, writes to me as follows: — "On the 28th of
April, 1875, 1 discovered in the Park, near the lake at Buffalo,
the nest of a pair of Homed Larks, containing four young
birds which I took to be at least eight days old. I had
observed the parent birds in that locality early in the
month, and had been watching their movements ever since,
being convinced from their actions, when first noticed, that
they were nesting. But my search was not rewarded till
the day above named. When the parent birds were first
seen, the ground was bare, but about the 10th there fell
several inches of snow, which lay on the ground several
days, during which time the temperature frequently fell
almost to zero. Under these circumstances, it seemed to
me a marvel that any of the eggs hatched, since the bird
must have been sitting while the ground — and in fact her-
self— was covered with snow. Yet the nest was admirably
contrived for this weather, being placed in a small basin
scooped out of the level ground, and carefully lined with
fine dried grass, the top being on a level with the surface.
Such a case of nidification certainly argues a marked
degree of hardihood in the species. Another circumstance,
which fell under my observation, would tend also to con-
firm this opinion. On the Vth of April, 1878, near the
village of Wayne, Steuben County, I observed a female
Horned Lark feeding a pair of young in the road; the
young being so far matured as to be able to fly from the
road to the fence, a distance of fully three rods. In this
case the nest must have been begun early in March."

These instances accord with the nests reported as found
near Racine, Wisconsin, while the snow was on the ground.

On the 6th of April, 1880, as I was crossing a meadow a
few days after a snow-fall of some three or four inches, a

12

THE HORNED LARK.

female Homed Lark fiew out from under the snow near my
feet Thrusting my finger carefully through the cold cov-
ering, I touched the eggs, still warm; and picking out care-
fully the snow which had fallen into the nest as the bird
left it, I found four eggs about half incubated. Who would
not be impressed with the fidelity of this bird to her charge,
thus allowing herself to be snowed over, and continuing to
sit, as she no doubt would have done, till she thawed out
again?

The second set of eggs is laid in June. The full fledged
young are of a mottled gray color, somewhat like the first
plumage of young Screech Owls. The nest is made of
stubble, rootlets, and dried grasses, sometimes having a little
wool or horse-hair in the lining. It is well sunken into the
ground, and is generally a frail, loose and inartistic struct-
ure. The eggs, commonly four, about .88 x .62, are gray-
ish-white, thickly speckled all over with greenish-brown,
having a similar under-marking of pale lilac or purplish-
brown. They cannot be easily mistaken for any other eggs
in this locality.

Mr. James Booth, of Drummondville, Ontario, for over
thirty years a distinguished taxidermist for Niagara Falls,
Buffalo, and the region round about, says that the Horned
Larks did not breed here formerly; that this southern ex-
tension of their breeding habitat is a recent and noticeable
change. With this corresponds the testimony of Mr. T.
Mcllwraith, of Hamilton, Ont.

Audubon found the- nests of this species common on the
moss-clad coasts of Labrador. Mr. James Fortiscue, an
excellent correspondent of mine, who is chief factor of the
Hudson's Bay Company at York Factory, reports it as a
summer resident about Hudson's Bay, building its nest "in
grass along the coast."

THE HORNED LARK.

13

The species has been known to breed in Canada West, in
southern Iowa, Indiana, and in the northwest generally, while
one variety is known to breed in New Mexico. This latter
variety is said to be smaller and brighter colored than the
common type^ while that of the northwest is larger and
lighter in color. As one approaches the Atlantic States,
the Homed Lark is irregularly migratory in large flocks;
this common type being in no respect different from its
European representative.

Ordinarily the Horned Lark is strictly terrestrial. When
alighted it is most compi ^nly seen resting on the ground
or walking; it is a great walker, maintaining its center of
gravity by a graceful, dove-like motion of the head. Seldom,
if ever, is it seen in a tree, aspiring, when at rest, merely to
the top rail of the fence. It has one trick, however, strangely
in contrast with its ordinary lowliness, and which once
greatly perplexed me. It was a sunny afternoon, late in
May. Hearing its song, now quite familiar to me, I strolled
warily through the open field, hoping to find its nest. But
whence came the song? It was as puzzling as the voice of
a ventriloquist. Now it seemed on the right, and now on
the left, and now in some other direction. Presently I
caught the way of the sound, and lo! its author was soaring
high in air, moving in short curves up, up, singing for a few
moments as it sailed with expanded wings before each
flitting curve upward, till it became a mere speck in the
zenith, and finally I could scarcely tell whether I saw it
or not But I still heard the song, one that never can be
mistaken, so unlike is it to that of any other bird. At first
one is at a loss whether to be pleased with it, and is
tempted to compare it to the screaking of an ungreased
wheelbarrow. " Quit^ quit^ gutty you silly rig and get away^* it
seems to say: the first three or four syllables being slowly

14

THE HORNED LARK.

and distinctly uttered, and the rest somewhat hurriedly run
together. However, like the faces and voices of certain
people, this ditty sweetens on acquaintance, and finally be-
comes a real source of pleasure.

But I must not be diverting. I am still looking into the
deep blue, when the black speck unmistakably reappears,
and gradually enlarges as the bird approaches. Down,
down it comes, meteor-like, with wings almost closed, until
one fears it will dash out its life on the earth. But no,
it alights in safety, and steps along with all its wonted
stateliness, dividing the time between its luncheon and its
song. Many a time since, and sometimes as early as the last
days of February, I have witnessed the same maneuver,
and always with renewed pleasure. So Bayard Taylor is
not mistaken after all, when, in his " Spring Pastoral," he
speaks of

" Larks responding aloft to the mellow flute of the Bluebird."

And though the song of our bird can bear no comparison
to the astounding song-flights of the European Skylark,
their similarity of manner indicates the relationship of the
two species.

In the northwest, on the prairies about the Upper Missouri
and its tributaries, is the Missouri Skylark, so admirably
described by Dr. Coues, and which, in its lofty flight and
great powers of song, seem? scarcely if at all second to the
famous bird of the Old World.

The Korned Lark is 7-Y.60 inches long, somewhat larger
than our ordinary-sized sparrow, its shape being about as
peculiar as its voice. The bill is rather long for a song-
bird, quite pointed, and a little curved; on its head are two
tufts of erectile black feathers, from which it receives part
of its common name. As in the case of other larks, but
unlike the rest of the song birds, the scales of the leg extend

THE LESSER REDPOLL,

15

around behind; and its hind claw is very long and straight.
This lark is always in a squatting position, with drooping
tail when at rest. With a long, black patch on each cheek,
a someM^hat triangular black spot on the upper part of the
breast, reddish light-brown above and dull white beneath,
with yellow throat, long pointed wings tipped with black,
and a tail of the same color, a peculiar undulating flight
often accompanied with a soft tseep or tseepes, whether sitting,
walking, or flying, this bird readily appeals to the eye of the
observer. It was formerly placed in the Fringillida family
among the sparrows and their relatives, but now stands with
a Lark family, formed by later ornithologists. In the main,
it is a seed-eating species, but also subsists largely on in-
sects.

THE LESSER REDPOLL.

On this same day of indescribably beautiful hoar-frost my
garden was visited by an immense flock of birds, common
throughout New England and the Middle States during
winter, but resident in the more northern climes in summer.
They came in a cloud, the gfraceful curves of their undulating
flight intersecting each other at all angles, while here and
there one seemed to be describing unusually long, sweeping
curves amidst the dense moving mass, as if throwing out* a
challenge to its more moderate companions. Cree-cree-cree-
cree, shree-shree-shree-shree^ coming in soft, lisping voices from
hundreds of little throats, at once swells into a grand volume
of sound, which indicates that nearly all are taking part in
the animated conversation. They alight indiscriminately
on trees, shrubs, and weeds, and also on the ground, and
begin their search for food. Taking alarm readily, they
resort to the leafless tree-tops in the vicinity, or, rising high,
they leave the spot. This is decidedly our most beauti-
ful bird of the Winter. About the size of a canary, 5-6.60

16

THE LESSER REDPOLL.

and 8.50 in extent, the general color of the upper parts is
a rich dark brown, every feather being delicately fringed
with grayish white; around the base of the bill and extend-
ing down the throat is a band of dusky black; the top of the
head is bright glossy crimson; on the lower part of the
back, where the feathers are so deeply fringed with white
that the brown almost disappears, there is a slight touch of
carmine; and in the mature male the breast and under parts,
which are ordinarily white streaked with brown on the sides,
are finely tinged with rose-color. How these delicate tints
of rose and carmine set off the winter landscape, appearing
as gay as peach-blossoms in the leafless brown of early
spring. Redpoll is a member of the same family with the
sparrows (the Fringillida). From its noticeable resemblance
to them and its delicately-tinted breast, it is sometimes
called the Rose-breasted Sparrow, but is commonly known
as the Lesser Redpoll. Dr. Coues gives the habitat of the
Redpoll {^giothus linarid)^ "From Atlantic to Pacific,
ranging irregularly southward in flocks in winter, to the
Middle States (sometimes a little beyond) and corresponding
latitudes in the west." As to its breeding, he cites Audu-
bon, who says that it breeds " in Maine, Nova Scotia, New-
foundland, Labrador and the fur countries." The latter
also describes the eggs as from four to six in number,
measuring five-eighths of an inch in length, rather more than
half an inch in diameter, and pale bluish-green in color,
sparingly dotted with reddish-brown toward the larger end.
Mr. C. O. Tracy, of Taftsville, Vt., says in the Ornithol-
ogist and Oologist, June, 1883: "The last of March, 187H, I
found the nest and eggs of this species. The nest, now
before me, is composed of fine, dry twigs, dried grasses,
fine strips of fibrous bark, bits of twine, hair, fibrous roots,
moss, dried leaves, pieces of "ocoons, feathers, thistle-down.

THE CHICKADEE,

17

and other material, which are neatly woven together into a
compact structure and lined with hair. It was placed very
loosely among the top branches of a small spruce, about six
feet from the ground, and contained three fresh eggs of a
very pale bluish-green color, sparingly marked with spots
and splashes of different shades of brown at the larger end.
Dimensions, 72 X 48, 72 X 47, 71 X 48."

I once saw several of these birds which Mr. Bing of
Rochester had trapped and trained. One had a soft belt
around his body, under his wings, to which was fastened a
small chain and a bucket about as big as a thimble, with
which he drew water out of a deep dish, and drank.
Another had a tiny car on a platform outside the cage; and
as this little vehicle was fastened to the inside of the cage
by a chain and contained his food, he would draw it in
whenever he wished a repast. Even after witnessing all
this, I felt that, to me, the bird was but a stranger, for I
had never heard its song nor seen its nest. A closely allied
species or variety is found in Europe. The so-called Mealy
Redpoll may be regarded as a palor variety of the common
Redpoll — an Arctic race, not difficult to recognize, repre-
senting in America the true Mealy Redpoll {A. canescens)
of Greenland. The broad, whitish fringe of the plumage,
the elegant rose-white rump, and the pale, rosy breast give
a peculiar delicate beauty to this variety.

THE CHICKADEE.

I have finished my morning ramble, and am fairly seated in

my study, when lo ! a familiar voice calls me to the window.

Chickadee-dee-dee ^ chick, chick, chickadee, chickadee-dee-dee-dee ;

most cheerful and winning voice of a winter's day ! There

they are, little Black-capped Titmice or Chickadees, finding

a satisfactory repast in those frosted evergreens, where my
2

18

THE CHICKADEE.

eyes can detect nothing of the kind; standing upright,
tipping forward, stretching upward, leaning to right and
left, or hanging by the feet; so brimful of contentment,
so sweet-spirited and confiding, with so much of the sun-
shine of hope in their voices, that they are a most signifi-
cant reproof to querulous, unsatisfied human nature.

Those above given are far from being the only notes of
the Black-capped Chickadee {Parus atricapiUus)^ if they
have christened him. They seem to be especially his win-
ter song, Whether he be in the door-yard, in the deep
forest, or in the crowded town; and the same vocal per-
formance can hardly be said to characterize him in summer,
though it is then occasionally heard. Throughout the year,
but especially in the breeding season, he has many quaint
little notes, sounding very much like subdued and familiar
conversation. Tse-de-yay, tse-de-yay; tsip, tsipj and a soft,
almost indescribable, peep, P^^Py are among his common
utterances in secluded parts of the deep forest. How
much of the happy, inner life of these little creatures may
be communicated in these soft, musical phrases ! But that
which pre-eminently constitutes the song of the Chickadee
is a soft, elfin whistle of two notes, heard occasionally even
in midwinter, but most commonly in the breeding season
— IVhee-hee. The former syllable is in the rising and the
latter in the falling inflection; the whole being uttered in a
soft, plaintive, tremulous, melting tone, which almost re-
strains one's breath . while listening. It is the voice of
pathethic tenderness, and makes one feel how much of
conscious life may vibrate in the breast of a tiny bird.

Long years did I wait after becoming an ornithologist
before I could get a glimpse of the nest of the Chickadee.
On a beautiful, sunny 24th of May, in a thicket of Tona-
wanda Swamp, while I was studying the song of the Black-

THE CHICKADEE.

10

throated Green Warbler, a Chickadee dropped into the side
of an old stump, just a few feet before me. The hole
which it entered was near the top, about two feet and a
half from the ground; and as the stump was mellow, it
was not many minutes before I had sufliciently enlarged
the passage with my jack-knife to get a good view of the
inside. I have often felt the subduing influence of the
familiar, trustful w^ys of this little bird, but never did it
seem so gentle and confiding as now, peering up at me with
such a mingled look of surprise and firmness, which, to say
the least, was very disconcerting to an oologist. The exca-
vation was new, and evidently made by the bird itself. The
nest consisted of a loose but well-made felt of moss, fibres
of bark, down and hair. For safety and softness few nests
could surpass it. The seven eggs were a little smaller than
those of the common Wren, some .64 X .51, of a delicate,
flesh-tinted white, minutely dotted with red, the marks
thickening and running together at the large end. In all
respects this nest is representative. The nesting of any
bird, however, is subject to variation. Sometimes the
Chkkadee makes its own excavation in a green tree, and
sometimes it appropriates ihe abandoned nest of the Downy
Woodpecker. It feeds especially on the larvae and eggs of
insects.

About the size of a canary, some 5-5.25 long, and 7.75-8.25
in extent, its bill is short, somewhat thick, straight and
strong; its head is large and its neck short, body plump
and tail longish; it is deep, glossy black on the head, down
the back of the neck and on the throat; cheeks pure white;
upper parts dark drab, much lighter and yellowish on the
rump; and of the same color, or somewhat lighter, under-
neath. These markings are strongly contrasted, and render
the bird a conspicuous object at any time of year; but at

20

THE PINE GROSBEAK.

no time is one so forcibly impressed with the beauty, as
also with the familiarity, of this gentle little creature as
when meeting it in the depth of the forest on a bleak win-
ter's day. Then the flock appear like bright and gracefully
moving ornaments on the dark evergreens or leafless spray.
Then this bird becomes the familiar companion of the soli-
tary woodman, and will even venture to light on his ai >ii
and take from his hand the crumbs of his luncheon.

The Chickadee belongs to the Titmouse or Paridce family,
and has many near relatives, such as the Mountain Chicka-
dee, Chestnut-back Chickadee, Long-tailed Chickadee, etc.,
which resemble \t very closely. Our species is a bird of the
Northeastern States, extending to Alaska, replaced from
Maryland and Illinois southward by the Carolina Titmouse,
which Mr. Maynard regards as simply a smaller variety of
the same species. About the size of our Black-cap, and in
all respects similiar in habit, is the Hudson's Bay Titmouse
{Parus hudsonius). The jet black on the crown of the
former is replaced by an elegant brown; the pure white on
the cheeks by a grayish white; the back and sides are also
tinged with brown; otherwise, their similarity in marking is
close. Hudsonius is common to British North America,
breeding as far south as Maine. I found it very common
in Nova Scotia. Its strongly characterized note chect-a-day-
day-day, cheet-a-day, uttered in a rather low key, may always
distinguish it.

THE PINE GROSBEAK.

As I go out through the front yard during the forenoon, I
almost run my head into a flock of Pine Grosbeaks {Pinicola
enucleator), feeding eagerly on the berries of a mountain ash.
The hoar-frost falls in a cloud as a dozen or more of them
shake the spray and the branches in taking their food.
About 8.50 in length, this species is very robust and plump^

THE FINE GROSBEAK,

SI

with a short, thick, almost hawk-like bill, and the tail
slightly notched. The general color of the old male is
bright crimson-red, the feathers, especially on the back,

THB FINE CROSBBAK.

showing elegant centers of dusky ash; the lores, the sides
of the head and body, and the under tail coverts, ashy; two
bands on the wing coverts, white; wings and tail, dusky.
Female and young, ashy, variously marked or tinged with
greenish yellow or light golden brown on the crown and
rump, or even over the back and breast. As the male is no
doubt several years in reaching his bright colors of matu-
rity, nearly all the individuals visiting us in winter are
ashy. To the naturalist and artist the old males are a great
desideratum. Scarcely can the southern climes send us a
inore brilliant migrant than this casual visitor from the
north. Immature specimens may arrive in New England
and the Middle States, already in the wake of Indian Sum-
mer, but only in severe winters are they common. Then
the flocks of 10-20 may contain quite a sprinkling of the

R'p^'r

fl9

THE DOWNY WOODPECKER,

!

brilliant old males, and occasionally this species may extend
its winter flight as far south as Maryland, Ohio, Illinois and
Kansas.

As I fire into the flock in the mountain ash, they scatter
into the surrounding trees, loth to fly away, and emit a
loud and prolonged peenk^ sounding almost like the note of
a hawk. Its song is said to be a pleasing warble. It breeds
from northern Maine and the Maritime Provinces north-
ward, being common about Moose Factory on James' Bay,
and down the Rocky Mountains into Colorado. The nest,
placed in trees, is made of sticks and grasses, atid contains
8-4 eggs, oval, about .97 X .79» "pale bluish-green in color,
spotted, dotted, and lined with brown and umber."

THE DOWNY WOODPECKER.

I was never naturally fond of a g-un. But for the emer-
gencies of natural history I should never have used much
powder and shot; but I cannot, like Thoreau, become a nat-
uralist without either gfun or trap. He must have been on
remarkably good terms with the inhabitants of the woods
and the fields.

In the afternoon of this same day of the hoar-frost, I spied
a Downy Woodpecker pounding away at a beautiful moun-
tain ash in the front yard. Of course he would not hurt
the tree, but I was tempted to get the bird; so, notwithstand-
ing my poor marksmanship, I started with an old shot-gun
to procure the specimen. As usual, the bird was very
unsuspecting, and allowed me to come quite near. I fired,
but, to my surprise, the bird flew to the next tree, appar-
ently without the least surprise. I loaded and fired again,
but without securing my specimen, and, it would seem,
without even alanning him. Again I fired, and again and
again, and yet the bird seemed as safe and self-possessed

THE DOWNY WOODPECKER,

23

about the yard as before the first shot. I felt assured the
bird's time of departure was not yet come, and so conchided
to do without it. But as I afterward became more success-
ful with a gun, and consequently got Downy in my hand
for a careful examination (and to an ornithologist a bird in
the hand is worth a good many in the«bush), I will give at
least a brief account of him. And first I may say that, con-
cerning all the Woodpeckers, an account of the habits of one
comes very near being an account of them all.

Concerning their nests Mr. John Burroughs has well said:
"Ti > Woodpeckers all build in about the same manner,
excavating the trunk or branch of a decayed tree and deposit-
ing the eggs on the fine fragments of wood at the bottom of
the cavity. Though the nest is not especially an artistic
work — requiring strength rather than skill — yet the eggs and
the young of few other birds are so completely housed from
the elements — or protected from their natural enemies, the
jays, crows, hawks and owls. A tree with a natural cavity
is never selected, but one which has been dead just long
enough to have become soft and brittle throughout* The
bird goes in horizontally for a few inches, making a hole
perfectly round and smooth and adapted to his size, then
turns downward, gradually enlarging the hole, as he pro-
ceeds, to the depth of ten, fifteen, twenty inches, according
to the softness of the tree and the urgency of the mother-
bird to deposit her eggs. While excavating, male and female
work alternately. After one has been engaged fifteen or
twenty minutes, drilling and carrying out chips, it ascends
to an upper limb, utters a loud call or two, when its mate
soon appears, and, alighting near it on the branch, the pair
chatter and caress a moment, then the fresh one enters the
cavity, and the other flies away."

* Living trees of the softer kind are often eligible.

24

THE DOWNY WOODPECKER.

h 1

i: !

In these same cavities they continue to take lodgings by
night, or take refuge in bad weather, thus making these, as
well as natural cavities in trees and stubs, places of conven-
ient shelter.

The strongly characterized eggs of the Woodpeckers, with
smooth, glossy, translucent shell, and of the purest white,
are very gems in oology. Are they white in order that the
bird may readily see them as it enters its dusky chamber?
What a Spartan-like bed are those few chips on which the
young are reared! Indeed, everything about the Wood-
pecker indicates hardihood and industry. He is a moral
object-lesson to the self-indulgent and indolent.

As Wilson has truly suggested — having no vocal power to
charm — the Woodpeckers occupy the honorable position of
carpenters among the birds.* For this purpose their struct-
ure is most admirably adapted. Held in position by means
of large, strong feet, having two toes turned forward and
two backward, and by a tail having every feather stiff and
pointed; with a strong, chisel-shaped bill, skull-bones of
unusual size and strength, and a neck which works like a
lever, they can do marvelous execution. The tongue —
elastic, barbed, viscid, and the back part or hyoid bone
being coiled up lik, the mainspring of a watch, and in
every way adapted to the seizure of insects — was well chosen
by Paley as a striking evidence of design in creation. And
the ornithologist, observing how the bird chooses the dead
trees and those dying from the destructive effect of insects
as the objects of its workmanship, will readily confirm, from
the study of habit, what the anatomist infers from structure.

Closing the wings and gliding through the air after sev-
eral vigorous strokes, the flight of the Woodpeckers is undu-
lating; and, just before lighting, they glide upwards a few

♦ Carpentero is the ordinary name of the Woodpecker among the Mexicans.

THE DOWNY WOODPECKER.

25

feet to check their direct momentum. Clinging to the bark
oi the trunk or larger limbs of the trees with their sharp,
hooked claws, and using the peculiar feathers of the tail as
a support, they hop upward or sidewise, or drop backward,
but do not move with the head downward, after the manner
of the Nuthatches. They often take insects on the wing,
and relish the smaller fruits; but their principal fare consists
of insects and their eggs and larvae as found in the bark or
crevices, or as excavated and drawn out from decaying or
damaged trees.

Now, from the general to the particular. The Downy
Woodpecker {Picus pubescens), 6.75 and 12.00 in extent, is the
dwarf of his family, and, in color and marking, is almost pre-
cisely like his nearest relative, the Hairy Woodpecker. His
small size alone may distinguish him from all other Wood-
peckers in this locality. The top of the head, the cheeks,
the back of the neck, both sides of the back, the wings and
central feathers of the tail are jet black. A stripe running
back over each eye, and one extending back from under
each eye and up the sides of the neck, the middle of the
back, regular transverse rows of round spots in the wings,
and three feathers on each side of the tail are white, the
latter being spotted with black , The under parts are of a
grayish white, and the male is marked with carmine on the
sides of the hind head. Like those of all the rest of the
family, the eggs of this little species, some 86 x .62, are pure
white. As is common with Woodpeckers, both sexes take
part in incubation. The Downy Woodpecker is particu-
larly fond of orchards and such arboreal accommodations
as may be found in the vicinity of the abode of man. Its
note, chick, chick, is cheerful, and suggestive of contentment
and self-satisfaction, and, like :he notes of the Woodpeckers
in general, expresses a vigc r jus energy. It is resident

26

THE DOWNY WOODPECKER.

throughout Eastern North America, and northwestward to
Alaska, be'tg represented west of the Rocky Mountains by
Gairdner's Woodpecker.

CHAPTER II.

SNOWED IN.

WHAT is more romantic, in this our northern clime than a
heavy snow-storm ? What wonder that one of our most
distinguished American poets could elaborate a charming^
poem under the title, " Snow-bound." What can be more
suggestive of purity, more symbolic of a clean sheet on
which to begin a new chapter in life, than the mantle of
snow which shrouds the landscape about the beginning of
our solar year ?

" No cloud above, no earth below —
A universe of sky and snow."

Then the snow-flakes ! What wonders of beauty they are I
Unity in variety is the law of their forms of delicate beauty.
Always star-like, with just six rays or main points, they
seem to include every variety of detail on this plan, from
the perfectly plain six-rayed star to the most elaborate
plumose flower conceivable. Every mineral having its in-
variable angle of crystallization — and snow and ice belong
to the mineral kingdom — water, in consolidating, shoots
forth its angles at precisely 60® — a fact which the merest
fragment of a snow-flake will reveal. It is only under cer
tain circumstances that they can be seen to advantage. If
they pass through a stratum of air too mild to keep them
below the freezing point, they blend, and appear like pellets
of white lint; if there is much wind, they are broken into

Bi

:i|

28

THE SNOW BUNTING,

fine particles. When they fall rightly, examine them on
3'our coat-sleeve under a magnifying glass, and you will
find them to be among the most perfect of nature's mar-
velous workmanship.

THE SNOW BUNTING.

A cold, gray, midwinter day had been followed by a quiet
snow-fall of many inches, which, perfectly undisturbed, lay
in a huge, evenly-distributed pile over the entire landscape.

THE SNOW BUNTING.

From the dried mullein-stalk, standing in the fence-comer,
to the heavy forest, the form of every object was changed,
was rendered fantastic and ghost-like, in this universal
shroud of piare white. Now the flakes were unusually
large and elaborate; for, be it remembered, nearly every
snow-storm affords a new pattern of the flake. On the
bright morning which followed, while the whole earth gave
back the grateful rays of the sun in countless tiny stars of
dazzling scintillation, I was just in the act of dipping up a
handful of the fleecy snow in absorbing admiration, when
lo ! an immense cloud, nearly as white as the sno\y itself,

THE SNOW BUNTING,

29

swept over my head, and dropped down into a field a few
rods beyond. But this cloud of Snow-flakes — for so the
Snow Buntings are sometimes called — was musical, filling
the air with a soft warbling chipper as they flew, and keep-
ing up the -same notes after they had alighted. How their
predominance of white harmonizes with the snow on which,
they hop and skip and flutter ! while the patches and mot-
tl,ings of yellowish ocher and black, so varied in size and
form in different individuals, remind one of the autumnal
earth-colors just beneath the whitened landscape. They
seem to take delight in the snow and in the cold. Indeed^
this hardy, happy little bird is the true herald of snow,
seeming to keep ever on the line, or a little in advance, of
the snow-storm, and generally in large flocks. As the winter
is setting in, one may stand on the south of our great Lake
Ontario and see them coming across by the thousand, their
rear outline being skirted by the various smaller Hawks,
moving southward at the same time, and foraging as
they go.

Their sprightly movement when on the ground, the zest
with which they feed on the seeds of weeds and grasses,
cannot but give one the impression of good cheer and
plenty on the most inclement winter's day. Impressed with
the utility of even the weeds, in the nice adjustment of the
economy of nature, and with the confident air of these birds
seeking their daily food, one cannot but recall the words of
the Great Teacher: " Behold the fowls of the air; for they
sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet
your Heavenly Father feedeth them."

The birds are not idle, indeed. They accomplish a great
mission. A single year without their labors would be fol-
lowed by a degree of disaster inconceivable, perhaps by a
famine. We learn " that in the early times of the American

rf

30

THE LAPLAND LONG SPUR.

colonies the farmers of New England offered threepence a
head for the Crow Blackbirds, on account of their destruct-
iveness in the grain fields. Consequently they were nearly
extirpated for a time, and the insects increased to such a
degree as to cause a total loss of herbage, and the farmers
were compelled to obtain hay from Pennsylvania, and even
from Great Britain." But the birds can do nothing what-
ever to provide their own food. Yet when are they seen
starving or wanting sustenance?

The cloud of Snow-flakes, having taken sudden alarm, are
risen high in air. What graceful gyrations and evolutions !
and how the pure white of their under parts fairly gleams
against the clear ether. Must not that soft, musical chatter
be an intelligible conversation among themselves ? Never
did minds communicate in happier tones.

The nest of this bird was once found in New Hampshire,
on a slope of the White Mountains, " on the ground among
low bushes, and formed like that of the Song Sparrow." It
contained young. Another is reported, even from Spring-
field; Massachusetts. The ordinary breeding place of the
Snow Bunting, however, is in the Arctic regions, where it is
said to spend the summer in great numbers. It now
becomes a bird of accomplished song, building a sub-
stantial nest on the ground and in the clefts of rock, lined
with feathers and the hair of the Arctic fox. The eggs,
.90 X -65, are whitish, mottled with brown, especially around
the larger end, where the blotches sometimes become a
dark wreath. The species is common to the higher latitudes
of the whole northern hemisphere.

THE LAPLAND LONGSPUR.

In Western New York, the sunshine of early winter is
very fickle. In a few hours the clearest sky may be robed

w«ti»>i'*t«a.a(ff

THE LAPLAND LONG SPUR,

31

in the dark-leaden clouds so peculiar to that season;, and
when, perchance, the sun breaks through, they may be
fringed with a rich amber, quite uncommon at other seasons
of the year. On this morning after the snow-fall, the sun-
shine left almost as suddenly as the Snow Buntings, and
with the leaden clouds appeared another flock, equally
large, and so similar in size, form and movement that one
might readily think them the same were it not for the pre-
dominance of the dark colors. They are as dark as the
sparrows; the black and ocher, so common to the Snow
Buntings, making up the entire dress, except the white
underneath and on the sides of the neck; while the breast,
cheeks and sides under the wings are ornamented with
rich, black feathers, delicately tipped with white. Thus the
careful observer will readily distinguish them as the Lap-
land Longspurs {Plectrophanes lapponicus), and quite different
from the Snow Buntings {Plectrophanes nivalis)^ of the
white dress, dark-ocher patch on the head lighter patches
of the same on the ears, as also a tendency of the same, in
the form of a collar low on the breast, black mixed with
the same on the back, black in the center of the tail, upper
wing-feathers and wing-tips.

The Lapland Longspur spends the breeding season in
large numbers about Great Slave Lake, McKen^ie's River,
and in Alaska, arriving in the latter place the second week
in May. At this time of year it is said to be an eminent
songster. Dr. Coues describes the nidification as follows:
"The eggs are rather pointed at the smaller end, and
measure about 0.80 x 0.62. They are very dark colored,
reminding one of the Titlark's; the color is a heavy cloud-
ing or thick mottling of chocolate-brown, through which
the greenish-gray ground is little apparent. The nests are
built of mosses and fine, soft, dried grasses, and lined with

^si/Ji

m

32

TITE HAIRY WOODPECKER.

a few large feathers from some water-fowl; they were
placed on the ground, under tussocks, in glassy hummocks.
The female did not leave the nest until nearly trodden upon."
Like the former, this bird occupies the Arctic regions of
both continents, migrating southward in winter, even to
warm-temperate latitudes, though the Longspur is not com-
mon even then in this locality, and is not yet reported west
of the Rocky Mountains.

\\ HI

THE HAIRY WOODPECKER.

**^ Pimp 1 pimp! pimp!" with a sharp, metallic ring. Who
does not know the voice of the Hairy Woodpecker? — sim-
ilar, somewhat, and yet very unlike that of other members
of the family. Its vigorous and incisive tones are asso-
ciated with the sounds of my childhood. Well do I remem-
ber its nest, commonly chiseled out of the American aspen,
so soft and brittle, the nest being made in a large, living
tree, and many feet from the ground. What gems were the
ovate, smooth eggs, some .98 x -72, of translucent white; and
how hard it seemed for the tender, unfledged young to lie
on a. mere bed of chips ! Certain it is, however, that what
may be lacking in luxury is made up in safety. What Blue
Jay, Crow, Hawk or Owl would think of putting its head
into that small, neat, round doorway ? Even a Raccoon
would fare no better than Reync^rd, when the fabled Stork
invited him to dinner; and what snake would think of
wriggling up that straight and limbless trunk, some thirty
feet or upwards ? The male, moreover, is a very hero in
defense of its nest, flying angrily from tree to tree in the
immediate vicinity when it is disturbed, and uttering an
almost deafening racket of rage.

The Hairy Woodpecker {Picus villosus) is 8.60-9.00 in
length, plumage soft and blended on the back, appearing

THE SHORT.EARED OWL.

88

more like hair than feathers; head, back of the neck, sides
of the back, wings and central tail-feathers, black; stripe
above and below the eye, the lower extending up the side
of the neck, stripe down the middle of the back, side feathers
of the tail, under parts and round spots in rows across
the wings, white; the male having two bright red spots in
the white stripes on the back of the head. Habitat, all
eastern North America, reaching through Alaska, northwest;
replaced by a variety called Harris' Woodpecker, beyond
the Rocky Mountains.

THE SHORT-EARED OWL.

It is the dusk of twilight. How strong is the contrast
between the snow-clad earth and the leaden, almost inky,
sky! What bird is that flying low by the barn-yarn fence?
It has alighted. Quickly as possible I get my shot-gun and
creep around behind the barn. Meanwhile, a second has
alighted by the side of the first. Probably they are male
and female. I take aim, and over topples one of the birds,
while the other spreads its noiseless wings and flies away.

On picking up my specimen I find it to be the Short-eared
Owl {Brachyotus palustris). Palustris means pertaining to
the swamp or marsh, and is very properly applied to this
species, as we shall presently see. From fourteen to fifteen
inches long, light reddish brown, lighter beneath, upper
parts thickly streaked with blackish-brown, lower parts
more finely streaked with the same, face whitish, with black
circles around the eyes, tail buff, legs a lighter shade of the
same color, ear-tufts scarcely noticeable, this bird is very
readily identified, for it is quite unlike any other Owl of this
locality.

The Short-eared Owl breeds commonly in the salt-marshes
along the Atlantic and in marshy places in the interior,
3

II

84

THE SHORT.EARED OWL,

! 1

I i

making its nest on the ground, sometimes of vety slight
construction, laying some four or five roundish duU-white
egg^, 1.60 X l.yo. Professor W. D. Scott, of Princeton, found
it around the inlet of Barnagat Bay, as a sort of counterpart
of the Marsh Hawk, scouring the marshes by night, while
-the latter took its place in day-time, also breeding in the
-same locality and on the ground. According to Dall, the
Short-eared Owl sometimes breeds in burrows. It seems to
be common to Europe, Asia, Greenland, America and the
West Indies.

Sometimes found in the woods, but generally adhering to
swamps and marshes, this species is wont to rest on the
ground during the day, and if startled flies up in a hurried
and "zigzag" manner, "as if suddenly awakened from
sound sleep," and sailing along rather low, drops down out
of sight again. Mr. W. Brewster found these Owls preying
upon the Terns on Muskegat Island. " A small colony of
these birds had established itself upon a certain elevated
part of the island, spending the day in a tract of densely-
matted grass. Scattered about in this retreat were the
remains of at least a hundred Terns that they had killed
and eaten. Many of these were fresh, while others were in
every stage of decomposition, or dried by the sun and wind.
In each case the breast had been picked clean, but in no
instance was any other portion disturbed. Every day, at a
certain time, these Owls sallied forth in search of fresh prey.
We used regularly to see them about sunset, sailing in cir-
cles over the island or beating along the crests of the sand-
hills. They were invariably followed by vast mobs of
enraged Terns, which dived angrily down over the spot
where the Owl had alighted, or strung out in the wake of
its flight like the tail of a comet. The Owl commonly paid
little attention to this unbidden following, and apparently

«ra

THE LONCEARED OWL,

85

never tried to seize its persecutors while on the wing, but
on several occasions we saw a sitting bird pounced upon
and borne off. Sometimes in the middle of the night a great
outcry among the Terns told when a tragedy was being
enacted."

Like the rest of the Owls, the Short-ear is for the most
part a bird of the night; and it feeds especially on mice and
moles.

THE LONG-EARED OWL

{Otus vulgaris var. wilsonianus) is a common resident in the
swamps and dense evergreen woods, but is nowhere abund-
ant in Western New York. About the size of the former, it
is readily distinguishable by its long ear-like tufts of 8~12
feathers, situated on the top of the head like the ears of a
cat, and by its darker color; dark brown, mixed with fulvous
and finely specked with white, above; white, lined and
crossed with light-brown, below; facial disks and feet, fulv-
ous; narrow ring around the eye, black. This variety of the
European species {vulgaris) is of rather southern habitat,
stretching across the continent, and, perhaps, barely extend-
ing into New England. It breeds abundantly in Eastern
Pennsylvania, its nest, placed in trees or possibly on the
ground, being "usually constructed of rude sticks, sometimes
of boughs with the leaves adherent thereto, externally, and
generally, but not always, lined with the feathers of birds."
The same nest is used for a succession of years, and it is the
testimony of both Wilson and Audubon, as also of Buffon,
in respect to the European variety, that the deserted nests
of other birds are appropriated and repaired. The eggs,
commonly four, about 1.50 X 1.35, are roundish and white,
after the manner of Owls. In common with its class,
the food of this species is small birds and reptiles and
insects.

■ A

86

THE SCREECH OWL.

THE SCREECH OWL.

After a few days the weather grew intensely cold, the
thermometer running ten degrees below zero. Making a
professional visit on one of these bitter days, as I drove

THE SCREECH 0\\\...

into the barn-yard to unharness my horse, I noticed the
result of quite a little tragedy in the animal kingdom.
Some fifteen feet up the side of the barn hung a Screech
Owl {Scops asid)y caught by one foot under a large batten
partly sprung off from the building. It was frozen stiff, its
eyes standing out white and ghastly with the expansion of
the frost; and just above it, seemingly caught under the
same batten, and frozen in like manner, was a common

THE SCREECH OWL.

37

mouse; thus both had been turned into ice in the very act
of the chase.

This bird is abundant here throughout the year, but is
more noticeable in winter, as it then approaches the barn
and the out-buildings, probably in search of food and shelter.
In late summer and early autumn it may be heard about
the orchard or the edge of the wood; in the evening, uttering a
soft whinny, not at all to be compared, however, to '■'■screech-
ing.^' Thoreau, describing the sounds within hearing of his hut
at Walden Lake, gives special prominence to the vocal per-
formance of this bird. He says: " It is no honest and blunt tu-
whit, tu-who of the poets, but, without jesting, a most solemn,
graveyard ditty, the mutual consolations of suicide lovers
remembering the pangs and the delights of supernal love in
the infernal groves. Yet I love to hear their wailing, their
doleful responses, trilled along the road-side, reminding me
sometimes of music and singing birds: as if it were the
dark and tearful side of music, the regrets and sighs that
would feign be sung. They are the spirits, the low spirits
and melancholy forebodings of fallen souls that once in
human shape night-walked the earth and did the deeds of
darkness, now expiating their sins with their wailing hymns
or threnodies in the scenery of their transgressions. They
give me a new sense of the variety and capacity of that
nature which is our common dwelling. Oh-o-o-o-o that I
never had been bor-r-r-r-r-n / sighs one on this side of the
pond, and circles with the restlessness of despair to some
new perch on the gray oaks. Then — that / never had been
bor-r-r-r-n ! echoes another on the further side with tremu-
lous sincerity, and bor-r-r-r-n! comes faintly from far in
Lincoln woods."

About nine inches long, with large ear-tufts, ash-gray
above, with a lighter shade of the same beneath, all

88

THE SCREECH OWL.

over mottled and streaked with black, the black streaks
beneath again crossed with black and accompanied with
reddish tints, white markings on the shoulders — sometimes
the general ash-gray above mentioned being entirely re-
placed by reddish; this bird can never be mistaken. H. D.
Minot says: "The eggs are laid in the hollow of a tree, an
apple-tree being frequently selected, in which are often
placed a few simple materials, such as leaves or dried grass.
The eggs, of which four are laid about the middle of April,
average 1.36 x 1.20 of an inch, though occasionally speci-
mens measure 1.60 x 1-30 of an inch. They are white, and
nearly spherical." The almost round, white eggs, generally
pure white and about equal at both ends, and with a fine
surface, are characteristic of the Owls.

Mr. W. Perham (at Tyngsboro, Mass.) often secures the
nest of this species by fastening on trees in the woods
" sections of hollow trunks, boarded up at the open ends,
with entrance-holes cut in the sides," the bird appropriating
these instead of natural cavities or deserted Woodpeckers*
nests, " both as roosting and nesting places."

As with the Owls in general, this species, when in the
down, is pure w!iite. Being very small, excepting the bill
and feet, it might be r.istaken for a little white Bantam
Chicken. A pretty sight, indeed, is this snow-white brood
of little creatures, in a hole of some old apple-tree, in the
thick, shadowy part of the orchard, or in some partially
decayed tree in the edge of a dense woods.

On one of the last days of May (1880), I was surprised,
while passing through the woods, by something which
seemed to me at first sight a large bunch of gray wool on
a limb some fifteen feet from the ground, but which, on
closer examination, proved to be four young Screech Owls,
nearly full-grown, well fledged, and sitting so closely to-

THE ACADIAN OWL.

89

gather, and so perfectly still, as to require quite an effort
to define them to the eye. They were a weird sight.
The plumage was soft and downy, the color cold gray, thus
refuting the theory that the red garb, in which this bird is-
often found, is the immature dress. The same species seems>
to be sometimes red, and sometimes gray, independent of
age or sex.

In the latter part of June, the same year, on entering the
woods at late twilight, a bird flew at my head, uttering a
hoarse, guttural scream, followed by a sharp snapping of
the bill. It proved to be a Screech Owl, probably a parent
bird, with young near by.

Including a number of varieties, this Owl inhabits North
America at large.

^, THE ACADIAN OWL.

The Acadian Owl {Nyctale acadica) or Saw-whet, as it is
sometimes called, from its peculiar, rasping note, sounding
like the filing of a saw, is not infrequently found here; but
is, apparently, not nearly so common as Scops asio. It
must breed here, as it is resident, and I have seen the young
taken in Orleans County. The male of this pigmy of its
race averages some 7.26, length, some 19.r'^ in extent. The
female is about an inch longer, and every vt 'larger in pro-
portion. With head proportionately large, round, untufted,
and facial disks complete, the adult is fine, clear brown
above, scapulars and wing coverts marked with white, and
an under-surface ring of the same around the back of the
head; outside and inside web of primaries, and inside web
of the secondaries, white-spottod; tail tipped with white,
and having several cross-lines of spots of same; space
around the bill generally, an 1 above and below the eye,
white or yellowish-white; top of the head, auriculars and
sides of neck streaked with white; and clear white arcs

tm

40

THE WAX. WING.

I f

back of the ears; under parts white, broadly streaked with
reddish-brown. Youngs more generally dark brov/n, un-
spotted, with clear white forehead and eye-brows, and clear,
light reddish-brown under parts. Slyly nesting in the hole
of a tree, the nearly round, pure white eggs of this species
are 1.22 X .96. They are laid in April, and the newly-
hatched young are covered with a reddish down. This
pigmy must have a good appetite, for, not long since, an
individual was taken in N. J., the stomach of which " con-
tained a whole Flying-squirrel." Habitat, North America;
most common, perhaps, in the latitudes of New England
and Nova Scotia.

THE WAX-WING.

^

What a beautiful figure in the winter landscape is that
mountain ash in the front yard! — only it is no ash at all,

/

THE WAX-WING,

but a member of the Rose family. Symmetrical and grace-
ful, its dark-brown colored spray, beautifully lelievci by the

THE PINE LINNET.

41

great scarlet clusters of persistent fruit, it is a constant source
of pleasure to the eye. But oh! see it now! fairly bending
under the weight of an immen?:? flock of Wax-wings {Ampelis
garrulus). The whole tree-top seems alive with their flutter-
ing motion, as they keep up a soft but spirited chipper, half-
way between a whisper and a whistle, and gobble up the
berries with the gusto of extreme hunger. How beautiful
they are! The form is fine, and it has an elegant crest; gen-
eral color, a brownish drab, approaching ash-gray over the
back, and chestnut around the base of the lofty crest, and
around the margin of the deep black passing horizontally
across the forehead across and above the eyes and forming
a large patch on the throat; under tail coverts chestnut;
wings and tail blackish, the latter shading most beautifully
into dark ash toward the base; streak at the base of the
lower mandible and one under the eye; tips of primary wing
coverts and outer terminal web of the secondaries, white;
the latter with waxen appendages on the quills; the prima-
ries and the tail tipped with bright yellow, the former some-
times edged across the end w^ith white. It is '7-8 inches
long. The size and form of this species, its elegant shading
of rich colors, and its bright and sharply-contrasted mark-
ings fairly entitle it to its European epithet, "The Lovely
Wax- wing! " This is an Arctic bird, both of the Old World
{ nd the New, and appears here irregularly in flocks in win-
ter, sometimes moving southward to 35*^. Its nest and eggs,
a few of which have been found in the northern part of this
continent, are very similar to those of its near relative, the
Cedar Bird, only a little larger.

THE PINE LINNET.

One of these cold days, as I was riding by a pasture well
stocked with the remains of the thistle and golden-rod of

42

THE PINE LINNET.

\\ !ii !i!

the previous summer, I shot a solitary bird on a thistle^
which, in movement and appearance, reminded me of the
Goldfinch. It proved, however, to. be its near relative, the
Pine Linnet {Chrysomitris pinus)y the first of the kind I had
ever identified. Like many birds, appearing plain in the
distance, on a close examination it is found to be a thing of
delicate beauty. The size and form of the Goldfinch, it differs
much from it in ( .• . About 4.76 inches long, above it is
narrowly streaked wul '-lack or dusky and yellowish flaxen,
beneath with dusky and yellowish white; the rump yellow-
ish; the bases of the black or dusky wing and tail feathers,
bright, sulphury yellow, the same feathers being narrowly
edged externally with yellowish; the yellow at the bases of
wing and tail feathers being especially noticeable in flight.

This bird ranges generally in flocks, and more or less
irregularly throughout the United States in winter, and, as
far as yet known, breeds from the latitude of Maine north-
ward. It is sometimes in Western New. York already in
flocks by the 4th of July.

Dr. C. Hart Merriam, of Locust Grove, Lewis County,
New York, writes concerning this species: "Few birds are
more erratic in their habits than the Siskin or Pine Linnet.
Occurring to-day, perhaps, in such numbers that one soon
tires of shooting them, they are gone on the morrow, and
years may ela;^se before one is seen again." Concerning
1878, he continues: "During the past winter and spring
they literally swarmed in Lewis County, New York, and
thousands of them bred throughout the heavy evergreen
forests east of Black River, while many scattered pairs
nested in suitable hemlock and balsam swamps in the mid-
dle districts." Again he says of this region, and of Big
Otter Lake in Herkimer County: "Never before at any
locality have I seen a species of bird represented by such

THE TREE SPARROW.

48

immense numbers of individuals as here attested the abund-
ance of the Pine Finch. In every part of the forest, from
early morning till after the sun had disappeared in the west,
there was not a moment that their voices were not heard
among the pines and spruce trees overhead." Already in
April the young were found nearly fledged, and eggs were
taken as early as the 18th of March. Dr. M. reports the
nest as "a very bulky structure for so small a bird, and its
rough exterior, loosely built of hemlock twigs, with a few
sprigs of pigeon moss {polytrichuni) interspersed, is irregu-
lar in outline, and measures about six inches in diameter.
The interior, on the contrary, is compactly woven into a
sort of felt, the chief ingredients of which are thistle-down
and the fur and hair of various mammals."

In spring it is said to sing very much like the Goldfinch,
but in lower tones and more softly. Its conversational
chipper is also very similar to that of its near relative. Its
nest, said by Dr. Brewer to be " neat," made of " pine twigs "
and "lined with hair;" contains pale-greenish eggs speckled
with rusty, about .70 X .50.

In flight, manner of alighting, and movements in obtain-
ing food, this species very closely resembles the Goldfinch.
In addition to the seeds of the thistle and those of the weeds
in general, it appropriates as food the seeds obtained from
the cones of the Pine family, climbing actively in the tops
of the evergreens.

THE TREE SPARROW.

The same day I crept on a large flock of birds in a corn
field. They proved to be Tree Sparrows {Spizella monticold)^
readily distinguished from others of the same family by
their dark chestnut crown, and dark spot on a plain, ash-
colored breast; the white cross-bars on the wing coverts
also are generally quite conspicuous.

44

THE GOLDFINCH.

Reaching us in October, this is one of our most abundant
winter birds, generally in large flocks, extending nearly to
the Gulf States, and returning northward in April and
early in May. It "breeds north of the United States, to
high latitudes, but also, like the Snow-bird, in mountains
within our limits." (Cbues.) Its eggs are said to be much
like those of the Song Sparrow, and its nest indifferently on
the ground, in a bush, or in a tree.

So gentle and unsuspecting is this bird, that it will even
pick up the crumbs around the door in winter, though it
generally affects the field, the pasture, the thicket, or the
orchard; and if seems to sing almost throughout the year.
In the latter pax c oi March, or during the month of April,
when the Song Sparrow is giving us his earliest and most
ringing notes, from the thickets and from the ground you
may hear the soft, sweet notes of this species, as a sort of
undertoned accompaniment — Whee-he-ho-he-whee-he-he-he-hej
the first four notes drawn out, and the rest uttered some-
what rapidly. In mild days of November whole flocks
may be heard warbling almost as sweetly as in spring, and
in the midst of the cold of winter, their notes are often
much more like a warble than a mere twitter, a whole flock
becoming thoroughly musical. In the soft sweetness of its
song, its general habit and migration, it is very much like
the Dark Snow-bird, and, like it is not common west of the
Rocky Mountains.

THE GOLDFINCH.

We have had several sunny days, and our heavy fall of
snow has settled to a stratum of six or eight inches. I am
leisurely strolling through a thicket, on a bright afternoon,
on the sunny side of a large woods. I find Chickadees, in
familiar little parties, happy as the sunshine. A small flock
of Tree Sparrows has also flown overhead, and lighted in

THE GOLDFINCH.

45

a pasture near by. But the most nui^ierous and spirited
company I meet is a party of Goldfinches {Chrysotnitris
tristis). After caroling and whirling, high in air, they have
alighted within a short gun-shot. Excepting the Wrens, this
is decidedly the most animated bird of my acquaintance.
Every particle of his being seems inspirited with life. A
rare thing, indeed, it is to catch him in a state of rest.
When taking food, he seems to go through all the motions
possible, now reaching upward, now downward, now side-
wise, and now hanging by the feet. In flight he takes long,
bounding curves, showing an elasticity of stroke altogether
uncommon; and to make that flight still more animated,
frequently utters his strongly e^nphasized ditty — "/V(r
cheated ye^ I've cheated ye" On lighting in a tree, he is in a
perfect state of excitement, beckoning, chattering and call-
ing, as if seeking to attract universal attention, giving one
the impression that there is a host of other birds within
hailing distance. Indeed, he never seems alone. When he
sings, he seems so brimful of his song, and in such haste to
deliver it, that he cannot articulate distinctly, but runs one
note into another, and breaks others off so abruptly that,
notwithstanding its pleasing vivacity, it often appears quite
incomplete. Not infrequently a considerable flock will all
sing at once, thus making a noisy chorus. In the case of
birds, as in the case of men, we should not confound song
with conversation. In respect to the latter, the Goldfinch
has a great variety of notes, which it is about impossib' ^^
to describe in full. Tid-tid-di-die^ tse-hee-tseiy tee-hee, in addi-
tion to his familiar ditty when in flight, are sounds quite
common to him. Whether we contemplate him in voice or
in action, the sentiment ever expressed by him is that of
joy, so that he is properly spoken of as the happy Gold-
finch. This is particularly a seed-eater, and, like the rest of

Ji:

\i\ I

49

THE GOLDFINCH.

his family, the Fringiliiday which includes the Sparrows and
their relatives, he has a short, thick bill, with which to shell
the seeds. In common with the rest of our winter birds, he
does no small service in keeping down the weeds. In plac-
ing the Goldfinch on the thistle, Audubon rendered his
portrait true to nature. He is found there more frequently
than on any other plant. How often we see him leading out
his young family to dine on the seeds of this very common
and troublesome weed ! Hence he is sometimes called the
Thistle-bird. This natural inclination to aid the farmer in
his struggle with noxious plants should especially commend
our sprightly little friend, as well as his whole family con-
nection, to the kindly consideration of the farmer. Besides,
do not the trim form, bright colors, graceful and spirited
movements, and cheerful, happy voice of this species, con-
tribute constantly to the innocent pleasures of the out-door
laborer ? Is he not the true messenger of a boundless joy
for man as well as for the birds ?

The winter dress of our bird has nothing attractive.
Audubon has described it well and in few words: "Brown-
ish-olive above, without black on the head; foreneck and
breast grayish-yellow, the rest of the lower parts grayish-
white." But this is not the color of the female in summer.
Lacking the bright lemon-yellow, black crown, black wings
and tail marked with white, which constitute the vernal
habit of the male — in her plain suit of green, with dusky
wings and tail, and shading into yellow underneath — she is
truly beautiful, as she flits by the side of her gay consort.
Have you ever seen the two take each other by the bill and
delicately caress each other under the brow of some hill on
a beautiful spring day ?

In its time of nesting this bird is quite unaccountable.
Though the male has put on his gay attire, long before the

t!

THE GOLDFINCH.

47*

spring is robed in splendor, and has chosen his mate quite
as soon as other birds, not until July is there the slightest
indication of domestic cares. Then you no longer see them
in large, noisy parties, but each couple has found a quiet
nook, and become as steady as any other pair of birds.
Quite commonly the site chosen is in the orchard, some-
times in the top of a tall shade-tree which stretches its
boughs over the house-roof, often in the thicket which bor-
ders the forest, and not infrequently in a cosy clump of
elders. In the latter kind of place, late in July, was found
a very gem of a nest, now before me. True to the favorite
plant, it is mostly composed of thistle-down, interlaced and
wound into position by fine shreds of the bark of the grape-
vine and bass-woods, all of which materials give it a some-
what bulky, but neat, gray appearance, beautifully in har-
mony wi*h the branch on which it is saddled. This nest is
finished alike within and without, and even on the under
side. It is not merely built on the limb, but neatly finished
around it. Evidently it was not constructed in a hurry.
The bottom, sides, and rim are thick, and firm, and finely
felted together. The inside is an elegant bed of white,
silky down. In every respect it is perfect. But oh, the
eggs! What gems they are! Some half-dozen, the size of
a Wren's egg, .65 X .61, clear white, tinged with green, they
render the nest perfect in beauty. Many a time has the sight
of it thrilled me with pleasure, and never more than to-night,
as I review all its beauties for an accurate description, and
recall the many kindnesses of the dear friend who compli-
mented my tastes in saving it for me.

Like some others of the smaller birds, the Goldfinch sits
only about a week.

It ranges through North America generally, breeding as
far south as Kentucky.

m

48

T//£ RUFFED GROUSE.

THE RUFFED GROUSE.

One of my townsmen has just brought a pair of beautiful
Ruffed Grouse {Bonasa umbella), male and female, and
wishes them mounted. He has described the attitudes he
prefers; the male, "as if he was just goin' to fly," and the
female, "as if she was harkin'." I will try to comply with
the request. These birds remind me of an incident of a few
years ago.- One of my most esteemed parishioners, on going
out into his door-yard at break of day, early in November,
found a beautiful male of the Ruffed Grouse promenading
about like a domestic fowl. On attempting to fly over the
bam it struck the ridge of the roof and fell dead on the
other side. He brought it to me, and, on dissection, its
breast proved to be completely bruised. In more super-
stitious times this might have been regarded as an evil
omen, for a few months afterwards this same man was
instantaneously killed.

These birds before me are specially characteristic of
Eastern North America, and have a history, which cannot
fail to interest the lover of nature. The man who procured
them might well be impressed with their movements and
attitudes, for they are every way marked and pleasing.

"On the ground," says Audubon, "where the Ruffed
Grouse spends a large portion of its time, its motions are
peculiarly graceful. It walks with an elevated, firm step,
opening its beautiful tail gently and with a well-marked
jet, holding erect its head, the feathers of which are fre-
quently raised, as are the velvety tufts of its neck. It poises
its body on one foot for several seconds at a time, and utters
a soft cluck, which in itself implies a degree of confidence in
the bird that its tout ensemble is deserving of the notice of
any bystander. Should the bird discover that it is observed,
its step immediately changes to a rapid run, its head is

THE RUFFED GROUSE.

49

lowered, its tail is more widely spread, and, if no convenient
hiding place is at hand, it immediately takes flight with as
much of the whirring sound as it can produce, as if to prove
to the observer that, when on the wing, it cares as little
about him as the deer pretends to do when, on being started
by the hound, he makes several lofty bounds, and erects his
tail to the breeze."

Who that lives in his vicinity has not heard the " drum-
ming " of the male in the breeding season ? Although it is
quite possible that he may not have seen the bird in the act,
for that is the privilege of but few. Mr. John Burroughs
says: "The male bird selects, not as you would predict, a
dry and resinous log, but a decayed and crumbling one,
seeming to give the preference to old oak logs that are par-
tially blended with the soil. If a log to his taste cannot be
found, he sets up his altar on a rock, which becomes resonant
beneath his fervent blows. Who has seen the Partridge
drum? It is the next thing to catching a weasel asleep,
though by much caution and tact it may be done. He does
not hug the log, but stands very erect, expands his ruff,
gives two introductory blows, pauses half a second, and then
resumes, striking faster and faster, till the sound becomes a
continuous unbroken whir, the whole lasting less than half
a minute. The tips of his wings barely brush the log, so
that the sound is produced rather by the force of ri"; blows
upon the air and upon his own body as in flying. One log
will be used for many years, though not by the same dcum-
mer. It seems to be a sort of temple, and held in great
respect. The bird always approaches on foot, and leaves it
in the same quiet manner, unless rudely disturbed. He is
very cunning, though his wit is not profound. It is difficult
to approach him by stealth; you try many times before suc-
ceeding; but seem to pass by him in a great hurry, making
4

00

THE RUFFED GROUSE.

all the noise possible, and with plumage furled he stands as
immovable as a knot, allowing you a good view and a good
shot, if you are a sportsman." Audubon says: "The female,
which never drums, flies directly to the place where the male
is thus engaged, and, on approaching him, opens her wings
before him, balances her body to the right and left, and then
receives his caresses."

Whether the drumming is produced by striking the wings
against the body, by striking the wings together behind the
back, or by simply beating the air, has been a much debated
question. Probably the latter is the true explanation. Nor
is it merely the call of the male to the female in the breed-
ing season, since it is indulged in at other times of the year,
but is also, as Nuttall has said, " an instinctive expression
of hilarity and vigor."

Behold the male strutting before the female in time of
courtship! The first time I saw him in this act I was utterly
at a loss to identify him. The ruff about the neck is per-
fectly erect, so that the head is almost disguised; the wings
are partially opened, and droop gracefully; the feathers gen-
erally are elevated; the tail, with its rich, black band, is
spread to the utmost and thrown forward. Thus he stands
nearly motionless, a genuine object of beauty

The flight of the Partridge is straight forward, vigorous
and heavy for about half the distance, after which it simply
sails, and that most gracefully, almost ethereally, to the
place of lighting. Thus the last part of its flight is strik-
ingly in contrast with the first. The whirring strokes of
the Partridge when put up is? not, in all probability, its
ordinary mode of flight, but only the result of its surprise.
The best of observers affirm that, when rising of its own
accord, its flight is as noiseless as that of other birds. Its
habit of shooting for some distance through the loose snow,

THE RUFFED GROUSE,

61

in the course of its flight, and of sitting still and allowing
itself to be snowed over, and then starting out, as by a sud-
den explosion, on some surprise, have been attested by
several writers of the best authority.

Audubon used to attract the Ruffed Grouse " by beating
a large inflated bullock's bladder with a stick, keeping up
as much as possible the same time as that in which the bird
beats." "At the sound produced by the bladder and the
stick," he says, "the male Grouse, inflamed with jealousy,
has flown directly towards me, when, being prepared, I have
easily shot it." There are many birds which may be decoyed
by a faithful imitation of their notes.

The nest of this beautiful bird is associated with my recol-
lections of childhood. I can see it still, a slight bed of
leaves, on the ground, under a fallen tree, in the wild
meadow. How the gentle wild hen would sit, till we chil-
dren came near enough to touch her, sometimes making our
calls without causing the least disturbance. The eggs,
about a dozen in number, and near the size of those of a
pullet, some 1.66 x 1-15, are brownish-white, often neatly
spotted and specked with brown. Well do I remember, too,
the stories in vogue among my playmates, as to the cunning
tricks of the younglings — how they would scamper and hide
on being found, turning over on their backs and pulling
dried leaves over them for concealment; all of which I
believed then, but long since have come to doubt. It is not
the perjection of the concealment which I have come to
doubt, for that is beyond question, but the manner of that
concealment. The truth is their color is so much like that
of the dry leaves, and they are either so motionless or so
completely tucked away, that the eye cannot detect them.
The tender, downy little creatures! who could harm them
if he did find them! I once came upon a large brood just

63

THE RUFFED GROUSE.

' !(

hatched, and succeeded in catching some half-dozen; but
how could I withstand the distress of the mother-bird as
she tossed and tumbled over find over, moaning and cluck-
ing, sometimes near enough to be touched by the hand !
Like Audubon, when he emptied the young Mallards from
his game-bag, I was completely overcome by the demon-
stration of maternal anguish.

But the most affecting of all was to hear the tender cluck-
ing call of the mother, and the soft peeping reply of the
flock of little ones, as soon as I was out of sight. To this
moment I am hoping that she succeeded in getting all her
young family safely together, after so rude a dispersion-
Berries of all kinds, as well as seeds, are the food of this
species; and when these are scarce, even leaves and buds
will do, and especially the catkins of the alder.

The Partridge, in its several varieties, pretty nearly covers
North America, our variety occupying Canada and the
Eastern United States into the mountains of the Carolinas.
About the size of a common fowl, with a graceful crest and
fan-shaped tail, the general color is a beautiful brown, vari-
ously mottled and clouded with light and dark; and it is
readily distinguished by its bunch of glossy black plumes on
each shoulder, and its broad band of black across the end of
the lail.

CHAPTER III.

OPEN WINTER.

THE frost and snow of early winter have softened, ere the
middle of the season, into such mild days, fields so green
and skies so tender, that one almost imagines himself in
some southern clime. Rain falls as easily as in April, and
the air is laden with a genial vapor, which almost threatens
to bring out the buds.

What happy moments were those this morning, as I sat in
my study, by the large window facing the east, and watched
the coming of the morning! It was announced by a delicate,
rosy tint, stretching like a band along the horizon — a
fringe, where the deep blue touched the darkened landscape.
Anon, the lambent flame pervades th-* whole chamber of the
east, transfiguring space itself, and strikingly in contrast
with the clouds in the foreground — still sable under the
shadows of retreating night. Now these dark clouds them-
selves have caught the glow, and are soon turned into
amber and gold, ihe rosy flames rise higher and higher,
till they touch the zenith; and now a broad band of rich,
transparent green unrolls along the horizon, and the whole
heaven is aglow with the glory of the coming day.

THE QUAIL.

I must out, and away to the woods! Passing through a
large peach-orchard, just before entering a beautiful, park-

( V '

54

THE OUAIL.

like forest, I put up a small flock of Quails, "^hcy are now
a rarity in Orleans County, New York, so much so that laws
have been passed in this and adjoining counties giving them
special protection throughout the year. But who could
wantonly injure a Quail? This is surely the nost winning
game-bird in our land. Who can blame certain tender-
hearted little children, who will not accept any -»logy
whatever, for taking the life of one of them ? The flight of
the Quail on being startled is quite like that of the Partridge,
except that it does not generally fly so far. The surprise to
the observer, however, is greater, since the Quail is often in
quite considerable flocks, whereas the Partridge is much
less gregarious. Take your first chance for a shot at a flock
of Quails, for, after the first putting up, they are scattered
and very shy. Having flown in every direction, they en-
sconce themselves away so perfectly that they are not to be
seen, till one by one they fly up, almost from under foot; or,
if the whole flock start, it will be from many different points
in the vicinity, and so they will afford no shot, except singly.

The following citation from Audubon is so well worded,
and so in accord with the facts, that I shall adopt it ver-
batim:

" When an enemy is perceived they immediately utter a
lisping note, frequently repeated, and run off, with their tail
spread, their crest erected, and their wings drooping, towards
the shelter of some thicket or the top of a fallen tree. At
other times, when one of the flock has accidentally strayed
to a distance from its companions, it utters two noces louder
than any of those mentioned above, the first shorter and
lower than the second, when an answer is immediately
returned by one of the pack. This species has, moreover,
a love-call, which is louder and clearer than its other notes,
and can be heard at a distance of several hundred yards. It

THE QUAIL.

56

consists of three distinct notes, the two last being loudest,
and is peculiar to the bird. A fancied similarity to the
words Bob White renders this call famUiar to the sportsman
and farmer; but these notes are always preceded by another,
easily heard at a distance of thirty or forty yards. The three
together resemble the words ah Bob White. The first note
is a kind of aspiration, and the last is very loud and clear.
This whistle is seldom heard after the breeding season,*
during which an imitation of the peculiar note of the female
will make the male fly towards the sportsman, who may
then easily shoot it.

" In the Middle Districts the love-call of the male is heard
about the middle of April, and in Louisiana much earlier.
The male is seen perched on a fence-stake, or on the low
branch of a tree, standing nearly in the same position for
hours together, and calling ah Bob White at every interval
of a few minutes. Should he hear the note of a female, he
sails directly towards the spot whence it proceeded. Several
males may be heard from different parts of a field challeng-
ing each other, and should they meet on the ground, they
fight with great courage and obstinacy, until the conqueror
drives off his antagonist to another field.

" The female prepares a nest composed of grasses, arranged
in a circular form, leaving an entrance not unlike that of a
common oven. It is placed at the foot of a tuft of rank
grass or some close stalks of corn, and is partly sunk in the
ground. The eggs, 10-15, rather sharp at the smaller end,
are white. The male at times assists in hatching them.
This species raises only one brood in the year, unless the eggs
or the young when yet small have been destroyed. When
this happens the female immediately prepares another nest;
and should it also be ravaged, sometimes even a third. The

* I have heard this same ditty occasionally in the pleasant days of autumn.

'■%\

56

THE QUAIL.

young run about the moment after they make their appear-
ance, and follow their parents until spring, when, having
acquired their full beauty, they pair and breed.

"The Partridge (Quail) rests at night on the ground,
either amongst the grass or under a bent leg. The indi-
viduals which compose the flock form a ring, and moving
backwards, approach each other until their bodies are nearly
in contact. This arrangement enables the whole covey to
take wing when suddenly alarmed, each flying off in a
direct course, so as not to interfere with the rest."

A straw-stack in the field in v/inter is a great attraction to
the Quail. Here flocks may be seen gleaning the stray ker-
nels of grain; and nowhere do their graceful movements
and quiet ways appear more winning. If unmolested and
treated with a little kindly consideration, they will come
even to the barn-yard and share the fare of the domestic
fowl.

Being unsuspecting, and a bird of the fields, the pasture
and the orchard, it is the victim of many modes of capture.
Moving often in close flocks, many may be taken at a single
shot; a figfure-four trap may take a number at a time. In
this way a lad of my acquaintance once took thirteen, feed-
ing them under the trap, and taking them out as they
were needed for the table. Audubon describes a method
of driving them into a net in large numbers.

The predominant color of the Quail is a bright reddish-
brown, occasionally streaked with black, and again shading
into a beautiful gray, white beneath, crossed with zigzag
lines of black; throat of the female brownish-yellow, and
that of the male white. Smaller than a common bantam
hen, it cannot be mistaken in Eastern North America.

It ranges throughout the Eastern United States to a little
north of Massachusetts, and into Canada West and Minne-

THE NORTHERN SHRIKE.

67

sota. Like others of its order, it is particularly a seed and
grain-eating bird.

The Partridge and the Quail belong to the Gallinaceous
or Poultry order of birds, so named because it includes our
common domestic fowl. They are for the most part a
strongly marked order. The vaulted upper mandible, with
its nostrils at the base and "covered by a cartilaginous
scale;" the short, rounded wings; the breast-bone, with two
such deep emarginations on each side, and the keel so cut
away in front as to reduce it to a mere open frame; the
heavy flight; the simplicity of the lower larynx; the muscular
gizzard and large crop — are all points of differentiation
which cannot easily be mistaken. They incubate on the
ground, having a simple nest and a large number of eggs.

THE NORTHERN SHRIKE.

A little to my right is a large buttonwood tree, making a
marked and beautiful contrast with the rest of the landscape,
for in this tree there is no brown whatever, the trunk and
main limbs shaling off almost to a pure white, and the spray
being nearly black.

To an ornithologist a tree is never complete without a
bird. So I strain my eyes to detect something of the kind
in the thick branches, and am not disappointed. In the
thickest part of the top, sitting almost motionless, is a
Northern Shrike or Butcher Bird {Zam'us borealis). Not
far from the size of a Robin, 9-10 inches long, but with a
much larger head and thicker neck, and a longer tail, its
color is an olivaceous drab, with black patches from the
base of the bill back across the eyes and down the sides of
the neck; wings and tail black with white markings; under-
neath white, with cross-pencilings of black. But this color-
ation varies greatly in different individuals, the white some-

58

THE NORTHERN SHRIKE.

times being very dull, the black quite brownish, or, if both
these are quite clear, the drab may be clear and bright, con-
taining nothing of the olivaceous. This bird is an inch
longer than its cousin, the White-rumped Shrike, the latter
being a very common summer resident here, while the
former generally spends only the milder or early part of the
winter with us;* and all the noise we ever hear from it in
that time is a hoarse scream, reminding one a little of a
Hawk. Generally it is solitary, but sometimes it is accom-
panied by a mate. It must pass the colder part of the win-
ter a little farther south, but is back again on its way north
early in spring. It is reported as spending the entire winter
in the vicinity of Mauch Chunk, Pennsylvania, and as
making its winter trips as far south as 35*.

A few days since, while spending some hours with one of
the farmers of my parish, I had a good opportunity to note
certain habits of this bird. My friend was drawing in corn-
stalks from the field. Several of these Shrikes, perched in
small trees scattered in the immediate vicinity, seemed bound
to keep him company. Occasionally one would fly out a
short distance from his perch, and hover in quest of prey,
precisely in the manner of the Sparrow Hawk {Falco spar-
verius). Not infrequently a mouse would start out on remov-
ing a shock, when it was instantly gobbled up by the
familiar, sharp-eyed bird. On removing one shock, a nest of
full-grown rats was disturbed, some of which escaped the
farmer's boot-heel and fork-tines. Presently I heard a loud
squeaking in a corner of the fence near by. On hurrying
to the spot, I found a Shrike, regp.ling itself on one of the
young rats, and so intent on its meal that, though I was
almost near enough to put my hand on it, it eyed

'* If it be very mild and open, the Great Northern Shrike may remain in Western New
York throughout the winter. The Loggerhead is a southern species of which the White-
rump is a variety.

THE NORTHERN SHRIKE,

59

me hesitatingly for some time before concluding to
leave.

In structure, as well as in habit, this bird is quite peculiar.
Its bill is not a little like that of a Hawk, while its feet and
claws, as well as its general figure, are very much like those
of certain birds of song; consequently, with much of the
bird of prey in its manner, it is still ranked, in point of
structure, between the Vireos and the Finches. It will
attack a Sparrow, peck out its brain, lug it around in its
beak, and make a meal of it at its leisure, as readily as any of
the Raptores, while in feeding it is in general as truly insectiv-
orous as that of the most innocent song-bird. Indeed, its
destruction of insect-life is altogether uncommon. It does
not merely consume them as food, but has a certain bar-
barous habit of impaling them in large numbers on thorns,
and that for no other purpose than mere wantonness, as it is
never knov. n to appropriate them afterward as food. It will
sit by the hour in the presence of its struggling victims, and
seem utterly indifferent to their tortures. The common
European Shrike is represented as impaling small birds on
thorns in a similar manner.

Wilson says: "It retires to the north, and to the higher
inland parts of the country to breed. It frequents the deep-
est forests; builds a large and compact nest in the upright
fork of a small tree, composed outwardly of dry grass, and
whitish moss, and warmly lined within with feathers. The
female lays six eggs, of a pale cinerous color, thickly marked
at the greater end with spots and streaks of rufous. She
sits fifteen days. The young are brought out early in June,
sometimes towards the end of May, and during the greater
part of the first season are of a brown ferruginous color on
the back."

i'.'

fill

ill

ir

y 'i;

■!i|

ii'i

60

THE CHOW.

THE CROW.

The most noticeable bird of our winter landscape is the
Common Crow. Neither cold nor snow can drive him
away, while, in mild open weather, he scorns the woods and
fields, and rises high in air against the passing breeze, as if
he were sole lord of the entire region. He is hardly ever
alone, and often appears in quite considerable flocks, some-
times in large numbers. To-day he is stepping about the
plowed fields and meadows with all his wonted stateliness.
What a splendid coat of glossy black he wears! He appears
quite as well on the wing, too, as on the ground, moving
with a steady, graceful energy, even in the raggedness of
his moulting period, when the loss of main pinions is seen
in the formidable gaps of either wing. Even his voice,
though very much lacking in compass and far from being
really musical, has a vigor and a significance amidst nature's
sounds, which is far from being unpleasing. In short, we
could easily be rcv^onciied to him, aye, even pleased with
him, were it not for certain of his thievish and cruel habits
of diet.

Firstly. He is the arch-disturber of the corn-fields. How
the farmer is obliged to tax his ingenuity in order to
secure himself, in part at least, against his depredations!
In that delightful book by Susan Fenimore Cooper, entitled
"Rural Hours," is a little paragraph well illustrating the
husbandman's resources in this respect. In her diary for
the 4th of June she says: "The cornfields are now well
garnished with Scare-crows, and it is amusing to see the
different devices employed for the purpose. Bits of tin
hung upon upright sticks are very general; lines of white
twine, crossing the field at intervals near the soil, are also
much in favor, and the Crows are said to be particularly shy
of this sort of network; other fields are guarded by a num-

THE CROW,

61

ber of little whirligig wind-mills. One large field that we
passed evidently belonged to a man of great resources in
the way of expedients; for, among a number of contri-
vances, no two were alike; in one spot, large as life, stood the
usual man of straw ; here was a tin pan on a pole, there a
sheet was flapping its full breadth in the breeze, here was a
straw hat on a stick, there an old flail ; in one corner a
broken tin Dutch oven glittered in the sunshine, and at right
angles with it was a tambourine! It must needs be a bold
Crow that will venture to attack such a camp." Then she
adds in a foot-note: "This field yielded ninety-three bushels
of maize to the acre the following autumn."

The second charge to be brought against the Crow is the
destruction of other birds' nests. Never shall I forget the
unhappy impression he made upon me many years ago in
Nova Scotia, on my first discovery of the Snowbird's
{/unco) nest containing young just hatched. The nest
was under the bottom rail of a fence, and on approaching it
the second time I discovered a Crow in the act of gulping
down the last of the young. Never was my indignation
over a bird greater, except when, in my childhood, a large
Hawk carried off my black chicken. " The most remarka-
ble feat of the Crow." says Audubon, " is the nicety with
which it, like the Jay, pierces an egg with its bill, in order
to carry it off, and eat it with security. In this manner I
have seen it steal, one after another, all the eggs of a wild
Turkey's nest." " In spring," says Wilson, "when he makes
his appearance among the groves and low thickets, all the
feathered songsters are instantly alarmed, well knowing the
depredations and murders he commits on their nests, eggs,
and young."

But, as in the case of many other transgressors, there are
some weighty things to be said in his favor. In the same

ff\

62

THE CROW,

field from which he steals the corn, he destroys many noxious
worms and insects, especially cut- worms; not to speak of the
snakes, moles and mice, whose career is cut short by him.
Besides, to the unprejudiced lover of nature, his presence
adds beauty and character to the landscape.

Between the good services and the mischief done by the
Crow, Wilson, Audubon, and most other ornithologists,
have found a large balance in his favor, while some, as
Samuels, for instance, are well convinced that his depre-
dations on crops, and more especially his destruction of the
nests and young of the smaller and more useful birds, can-
hot be compensated by any good and useful office which it
is possible for him to fill. The latter view is the one more
in harmony with the sentiment of the common people;
hence, in various times and places, premiums have been
offered for his head, as in the case of the more destructive
beasts of prey. In consequence of this, the number destroyed
in a single State in a season has been as high as 40,000;
and Wilson tells us that, during a winter of ** long-continued,
deep snow, more than six hundre ' Crows were shot on the
carcass of a dead horse, which was placed at a proper dis-
tance from the stable, from a hole of which the discharges
were made. The premiums awarded for these, with the
price paid for the quills, produced nearly as much as the
original value of the horse, besides, as the man himself
assured me, saving feathers sufficient for filling a bed."

But whatever the public sentiment may be, no bird is "
better able to' take care of itself than the Crow. Go into the
field or forest, and steal a shot at it if you can! Under all
ordinary circumstances, its keen eye and vigilant caution
are a full match for its enemies. I do not see how Wilson's
school-boy ever secured for him a basket of Crows. If one
of my young friends shoots one over the carcass of a dead

THE CROW.

68

sheep, pointing his gun through a loop-hole in the barn — and
that did happen once — I consider that he does well.

Though not a few of the Crows remain here over winter;
many more appear to go south, where they congregate in
immense flocks, and are very destructive.

The uiiffrequented evergreen woods of Goat Island at
Niagara Falls, in winter, and the steep, forest-clad slopes
of the inaccessible gorge from the Falls to Queenstown
Heights, throughout the year, are famous roosting places for
the Crows. Here they may be seen at night-fall in almost
countless numbers, streaming in in long processions from
all the region round about.

The Crow's ordinary note, khrah, khrah, khrah^ with a
strong, guttural sound before the vowel, is familiar to every
one. In the month of April, in New York, when the males
are winning the females, the former will perch on some limb
of a tall tree in the forest, and bowing most obsequiously,
will utter in a low, deep tone the syllables, Chow-ow-ow-mv,
chow-ow-mv-ow.

In respect to diet this species may be called omnivorous;
stripping the sour cherry-tree of its abundant crop, stealing
a chicken, lighting on the backs of cattle to devour the
larvae of the gad-fly under their skin, or regaling, in vast
numbers, on offensive carrion, as readily as it would feast on
insects and corn.

The Crow is a most annoying enemy of the Hawks and
the Owls. As kingly a bird as the Red-tailed Hawk, can
find no peace in his presence. Driven from his lordly perch
among tall trees, I have seen him condescend to alight
among the tall grass of the meadow, as if to hide himself
away from persecution; but here the Crows would dive
into his face, and, with the most persistent impudence, com-
pel him to take shelter in some distant wood.

fell

...irt

W'

64

THE CROW.

One day last April, while lying under a bush by a stream,
and in the edge of a forest, in watch of ducks, I was startled
by a stentorious demonstration near by among the Crows.
Looking up I saw an immense tree-top literally black with
them. The object of their indignation, to which every head
was turned, was a Great Horned Owl, which sat staring and
blinking in the middle of tht tree. Evidently their bowing
in concert with raised wings, and cawing enough to tear
their throats, were anything but agreeable to him. The roar
might have been heard a mile or more away, as each poured
forth his volume of charges against this goggling, glimmer-
ing Ni^ht-watch. Presently, several dashed at him with
wide-spread wings, when he rose and beat away through
the tree-tops, followed by the long and deafening train of
black persecutors. Alighting low" down among the hem-
locks, he was as bitterly attacked as before; and though he
moved thus several times, until he was more than a mile
away, I could still hear the same noisy demonstrations of
bitter and persistent ill-will.

The nest, which is well hidden in the forest, and made
early in spring, is composed of sticks, interwoven and lined
with grasses, and sometimes with considerable horse-hair
and other soft materials, there being almost invariably some
dark mould in the bottom, perhaps to keep it cool. It is
generally placed pretty well up in a tree, and coitains from
four to six eggs, of a light green, spotted and blotched with
blackish brown, and about the size of a small hen's egp:.
some 1.70 X 1.20. On Manitoulin Island and in the vicin
I found the Crow's nests in immense numbers. Indeed, th
were much more common than the nest of any other bird.

Can the Crow learn to talk? To this I have but one
authoritative answer. A very intelligent and estimable
lady, the daughter of a frontier missionary in the early

THE CROW,

05

days of Kansas, tells me that she has heard a Crow talk.
An Indian used to visit the mission station, bringing with
him one of these birds tamed, with the tongue split, and
able to mimic distinctly quite a number of words, as also
to originate little sentences of his own. During one of
these Indian visits, a patch of land connected with the
station was being plowed. The Crow, with his bright
red ribbon tied around him and trailing on the ground, was
busy picking up the insects, when our lady, then a little
girl, along with her sisters, was trying to catch the ends of
ribbon. Just as their tiny hands were about to grasp them,
the wily Crow would spring forward, thus eluding their
grasp, and looking back would tauntingly say, "You didn't,
did you?" Well done for a Crow !

At Pittsburgh, Audubon once saw a pair of Crows per-
fectly white. Also a trusty parishioner of mine testifies
that some years since he was accustomed, for some time, to
see a pure white Crow leading the flock from one block of
woods on his farm to another.

The home of our Crow is throughout temperate North
America to 55*^, excepting the central plains and southern
Rocky Mountains.

CHAPTER IV.

BELOW ZERO.

SUDDEN changes are common to this climate. Immedi-
ately following our open winter weather comes a fall of
temperature below zero, with just snow enough on a smooth-
worn, hard-frozen road to make the sleighs slip easily.
The snow crunches under foot, and, what is rather uncom-
mon here, the trees and buildings resound with a strange
snapping, almost equal to the report of a pistol, as if the
nails in the buildings were springing out and the trunks of
the trees were bursting asunder — sounds very mysterious to
me in my childhood, but now understood to be caused by
an expansion, on the freezing of water contained in the
crevices of the trees or in the little exposed cavities of
buildings.

THE SNOWY OWL.

There is something peculiarly exhilarating in this kind of
weather. Everybody moves as if in a hurry; and, notwith-
standing the cold, one discovers a strong inclination to be
out. I am once more on my way to the favorite woods
beyond the peach orchard, gun in hand. As I move briskly
along that part of the orchard bordering on the forest, I put
up a large bird, almost as white as the snow itself. The
spread of its wings and tail is immense, and its flight is so
noiseless and dignified that one might almost think it some
living spiritual impersonation of winter. I take aim, and

THE SNOWY OWL.

67

down it tumbles headforemost into the snow. But it is only-
winged; so, taking it by the wings stretched over the back,
I carry it home to surprise the family. That it is a female
is to be inferred from its great size and from its more
numerous dark markings; the male of this species being
sometimes so free of the dark spots as to appear pure white,
and the greater size of the female being peculiar to birds of
prey.

Little children are apt naturalists, and have many
questions to ask on an occasion like . this, so I use my bird
for an object-lesson. I call their attention to the large
head, peculiar to the Owls among birds; and, turning the
round, weird, half-human face fully before them, call their
attention to the large eyes fairly in front, while the eyes of
other birds are on the sides of the head; point to the circle
of fringed feathers around the eyes, part of which nearly
covers the bill, and part of which laps over the immense
ear-hole; and note the eye-lashes, so strange among birds
This large, round, cat-like face, having also an almost
human aspect, is at once the weirdest and the most highly
sensitive. It is all eye and ear, stealthily confronting every
sound that may break the stillness of the night, and every
object that may loom up in the gloaming or the darkness.

" Do you see how the outer web of the outer wing-feathers
or primaries is recurved, as if it had been firmly brushed
backwards?" I asked my little girl. "What's that for?"
she inquired curiously. ** So that it can fly without making
any noise," I replied; "that arrangement of the outer web,
as also the general softness ard looseness of the plumage,
muffles the stroke of the wing, and enables the bird to steal
upon its prey in the still hours of the night without alarm-
ing it. All the Owls, being night-birds of prey, have tills
modification of the wing." " O-o-o-o-oh! see that hole in

^<

J " ill:

68

THE SNOWY OWL.

his face!" exclaimed my little boy, as I raised those long,
loose feathers, arranged in the manner of a disk on the cheek
of this bird. " That is his ear," I said; "all Owls have their
ears in their cheeks," " That's a wonderfully big ear, I
think; what does he have it covered up for?" he queried.
*' That is the fashion with birds; they generally have their
ears covered," I replied. " Should think he'd want to have
such a hole in his face covered," he continued. " He's got
his face well wrapped up," said my little girl, as I parted
the thick mass of feathers covering the face and the black
bill almost to the very tip. " Should n't think his feet 'ud
get cold either with such stockings. I wish he'd let me
have 'em for my dolly this cold weather!"

This bird is, indeed, most wonderfully protected againt
the cold. Not only are the feet and legs so thickly covered
with a long, dense, hair-like plumage, that the great, black
claws are almost concealed, but the entire plumage of the
body beneath the surface is of the most downy and elastic
kind, and so thickly matted together that it is almost proof
against the smaller kind of ammunition.

" Wish I had some of them for my doll's hat ! " continued
the little girl, as I plucked off a few of the ostrich-like
plumes from the lower part of the body.

Wilson notes a peculiarity of the eye of this bird, and of
the Owls generally. He says: "The globe of the eye is
immovably fixed in its socket by a strong, elastic, hard^
cartilaginous case, in form of a truncated cone; this case,
being closely covered with a skin, appears, at first, to be of
one continued piece; but, on removing the exterior mem-
brane, it is found to be formed of fifteen pieces, placed like
the staves of a cask, overlapping a little at the base or nar-
row end, and seems as if capable of being enlarged or con-
tracted, perhaps by the muscular membrane with which

''"HE SNOWY OH-L.
they are encased. « « « _ **

these birds, as they view Hiff *^* ''*'"« ">"« fi«d,

Obliged to tu™ the head and °''^^"'' ^^"^ ''-"y

adapted their neck to t^' pCHt™ j"- » -eiientfy

turn .t round, without moving The boH ^^ '""' '"'"' *a«,
Plete circle."* ^ ** ''°<'y, in almost a com-

The Snowy Owl is a bird of the Ar.,-
'n the extreme north of both cl„! "^^°'^^- ^""""O"

amidst ice and snow Iw ™"'' " '^ "erathome
reguiarly into the New ESdl^^H";"'"''^'' '" *'"'-,
casually even to the extrlm So„I \ ^"""^ "'«-■ and
cording to the best authoruL " ^ " "' "'"""'"^^ ="=-

and probably even i„ the'to^: rM^e T' ^""^^^^
*"" " "ay rarely breed here- for „ . *" "°' «"«

"".two were seen i„ the v'ic n L „ ? ". "' '* °' "^y-
o' wh,ch was shot and brough To L^ «"" ''^ ^^ ""^
The nest is said to be on th! " ""' old male,

""-e or four white egLmear""'' '" "'""^'' -« 'aid
Jength by 2 in breadth " Mr p^r""^ '"""" '^ '"ch" in
Factory, Hudson's Bay, it goes Ch'"' ""'' *« « ^"^^
. According to Wilson, "!he usua^ f" T"""'
■' ^aid to be hares, ^ouse r»hK / °' *•"" ^P«ies
-en carrion. Unliic m~' i f , k'' '"'''' ""^'=' and
-11 as by twiiight, and is pa„ ,:"'^' ''"T "' "'^ «
the shores and banlts of shaHnw '^ "^ "^ frequenting

which it slowly sails, or s.ts o„ ""T' °'" '"^ ^"^^ace of
the water, watching he fish Th "'"' ^ ""'^ ^^"^^d above

and instantaneous ftroke of ihefooT ",?'"'"'''' ^ ''«■<'-
I" my parish it has bee„ 1 """'"^''^aim."

the barn-yard in broad day ,^ht"°"" '° ^"^■^'^ ">' ^-^ '"
J his bird cannot b •

'^. White, With more:rTs'sta"t;e:ed and°: ''""" '"° ''=^'
-^-™v„,<..c^.„^,„„_;^^ ^ and lunated spots of

tne eye of birds generally.

wi

70

WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH.

dark brown of dusky, thickest on the back, not found on the
legs and feet; eyes, bright golden yellow; feet and claws,
black.

I must not close my account of this bird without giving
a striking incident reported to me by a most venerable and
trustworthy old gentleman in my church, who was person-
ally acquainted with the party, and to whom the facts were
well authenticated at the time. About fifty years ago, in
the town of Milford, Otsego County, N. Y., a man, on pass-
ing through a woods in the night, was twice knocked down
by some strange power in the air; and, securing a club in
time for the third rencounter, killed a large Snowy Owl,
which, by this time, had knocked his hat full of holes, and
sorely bruised his head.

WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH.

"All times are good times to go a-shooting." So says
Dr. Coues; and knowing it to be so, I am again in the
woods on this cold day.

I am struck, on entering, with the deserted look of the
forest, and all the more on account of having seen this
same spot, so many times, in all the life and splendor of
summer — the trees in their marvelous robes of verdure,
the wild flowers in all their grace and beauty, the birds in
the full animation and song of spring. The wondrous
power of memory reproduces in an instant all this combi-
nation, with its delightful associations of coolness and fra-
grance. Now the trees are bare, the flowers are perished,
and the birds are gone; and how different is the solemn
sough of the winter w'nd through leafless trees to the
musical rustle of the summer breeze amidst the foliage !
Did I say the birds are gone? No; not entirely. Quank,
qtianky quank. That note, so much louder in winter than in

WHITE-BREASTED 11 U THATCH,

71

summer, for the same reason that sounds are louder in the
night than in day-time — that sound, half guttural, half
nasal, and on a low key, is one of the most familiar in our
woods throughout the year. It is the language of the
White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)^ a bird so com-
mon here as to be familiar to every woodman, though he
may have no better name for it than Sapsucker, and may
know no more about it than to suppose the name charac-
teristic of its habits. But this bird is thus greatly misun-
derstood, for while it is supposed to be living upon the sap
of the tree, it is simply gleaning noxious insects and their
eggs and larvae.

Whatever may be the woodman's opinion of the bird, its
presence affords him pleasure on a bleak winter's day,
partly because it is often his only relief from solitude, and
partly because the bird is a pleasing object in itself. How
gracefully it moves along the trunk of yonder tree! A
slight halt every few steps, it goes in a spiral direction,
head up or do^n, moving forward, backward, or sidewise
with equal convenience, every now and then pausing with
its downward head and bill in a horizontal position, as if
listening intently, and then taking up its note as it passes
on, as if to express its sense of safety and satisfaction.
With this note it can favor one as readily on a frosty day
in winter as in the genial days of spring. Then, however, it
makes quite an attempt at a song, uttering a tway-tway-ttvay-
tway-tway, quite rapidly, and with much spirit, as it threads its
way in the leafless trees on a bright April morning. Occa-
sionally it will utter in an undertone a soft ^^tsink^ tsink" or
"/&/^, kip'^ Sometimes it will alight on the ground, appar-
ently to catch something which it has spied from a distance;
or, for a few minutes, it will search the ground after the
manner of the Golden-winged Woodpecker. The name

m

72

WHITE-BKEASTED NUTHATCH.

Nuthatch, though tather far-fetched, is not altogether inap-
plicable. Holding an acorn or chestnut in a bark-crevice,
or in a chink of a fence-rail, it will hammer it with its sharp-
pointed bill till it opens up the contents. This is done,
however, on account of the larvae burrowing in the fruit
rather than for the fruit itself, for the bird is at all times
strictly insectivorous. Then its form and color, too, are as
pleasing as its movements. About six inches long, bill fi of
an inch; head and bill together, about \% inch long; tail,
short; wings, long; the breadth across the shoulders giving
it a somewhat flat appearance; bluish ash over the back,
the outer webbing of the black wings edged with the same,
also the two middle tail feathers; the rest black, marked
with white; head and back of neck in male, glossy black;
in the female, black and ash mixed; whole under parts and
sides of head, grayish- white — this bird cannot be mistaken.
Its long hind toe and claw must be of great service in its
downward movements.

The Eastern United States and the British Provinces are
given as its habitat. Its nesting habits are similar to those
of the Chickadee; commonly on higher ground, however,
and the cavity chosen or excavated higher up in the stub or
decaying tree, sometimes as high as thirty or forty feet; the
eggs being a little larger and more thickly marked.

A set of five eggs in Professor Ward's cabinet at Roches-
ter, N. Y., from Saratoga Springs, averages about .60 x .76
inch, are porcelain-white, with a few spots, or rather brush-
touches, of dark-greenish or ocherous-yellow, at the large
end — elegant! By the 9th of June I have seen the parents
feeding the young well able to fly. The latter strongly
resembled the mature female, except that the white on the
cheeks and sides of the neck extended further upward, leav-
ing the dark band over the crown and hind neck very nar-

THE BLUE JAY.

73

row. Great care is shown these younglings by the parents
in training them to creep and fly, and in feeding them most
assiduously till quite mature. Indeed, the whole family
seem not infrequently to remain together throughout the
first year.

THE RED-BELLIED NUTHATCH.

Very similar to the above in appearance and habit is the
Red-bellied Nuthatch {Sitta canadensis) ^ except that it is
quite a little smaller, scarcely five inches long, has a white
line over the eye, and the under parts of a pale rust-red.
The female has the black about the head replaced with dark
slate or dusky. The notes of this species are on a little
higher key than those of CarolinensiSy and its nest and
eggs are precisely like those of the Chickadee. It is north-
erly, passing through New York State late in April and
early in May, and again in September and October. Its
breeding habitat begins in the northern parts of the State,
extending through northern New England and into the
British Provinces.

The little Brown-headed Nuthatch {Sitta pusilld)^ some
4.25 long and differentiated by its elegant bro./n head and
white spot on the nape, is a resident of the Southern States.
There the sunny pine forests echo its note — *^cach^ cach^
each" — its nesting and habits in general being quite similar
to those of our Nuthatches above described.

THE BLUE JAY.

The thermometer continues near zero. Large windows
are now truly objects of beauty, their frosted patterns being
inimitable. The larger figures remind one of ferns, or forest
trees in miniature; some are like thin snow-fiakes of varied
size and pattern, some like delicate lines fringed mostly at
right angles; others are simply granulated with exquisitely

K' Pi

74

THE BLUE JAY.

scrolled borders, while others still are suggestive of land-
scapes and pictures— all so delicate as to impress one forci-
bly with the spirituality of the laws which govern matter.

THE BLUE JAY.

What a study it would be for the physicist to determine the
variations possible on the one plan of crystallization of water
at an angle of 60°!

To-day I came into possession of a bird, the brilliant col-
ors of which are strikingly in contrast with the plainness of
winter. The Blue Jay {Cyanurus cristatus) is one of our win-
ter residents, not so generally distributed as in most parts
of our country, but quite common to certain low, timbered
lands, where it is permanent, and breeds in considerable
numbers. .

This is one of the most characteristic birds of Eastern
North America. Who does not know the Blue Jay ? About
a foot long, five inches, or near one-half his length, is meas-
ured by his tail; well proportioned, crested and fan-tailed,
his form is elegant and his bearing stately; his various and

THE BLUE JAY,

15

delicately-shaded tints of blue, the jet-black bars and snow-
white tips of the wing and tail feathers, the black band from
the back of the crest down the sides of the neck and meet-
ing on the breast, and thus being most noticeable on the
subdued grayish-white of the cheeks and underparts — are
all in the most marked and pleasing contrast. No colored
portrait which I have ever seen is anything more than a
coarse caricature of the purplish-blue of the crest and back,
the brownish-blue on the tail, and delicate shadings of rich
indigo, ultra-marine and light azure on the wings. A single
feather of the wing or tail, dropped in the pasture, used to
excite my childish curiosity and love of beauty. Looking
merely at his size and gay dress, who would suspect him to
be a member of the Crow family ? Surely he is a favorite
arrayed in a coat of many colors. Not only is he elegant in
form and gay in apparel, but every motion indicates a proud,
self-consciousness and love of display. Even his flight,
which is straightforward and steady, is showy rather than
rapid. When alighted, he stands upright, with elevated
crest, and all his movements show an air of vanity and self-
complacency.

His notes are many and various. His common, saucy-
squealing, cAay, chay^ chay^ which, no doubt, gave him his
name in part — the other part being derived from his color
— must be familiar to all who know him. ^'■Pwilhilly^ pwil-
hily" and '■'■ chillack^ chillacky" are among his other more
common utterances, while a sort of creaking, clucking
sound may be regarded as his love-call. He is capable of
imitating many birds, and there is some authority for assert-
ing that he, true to his crow-nature, has even been taught
to imitate words. He is especially fond of teasing. Wilson
says: " He is not only bold and vociferous, but possesses a
considerable talent for mimicry, and seems to enjoy great

1/

•I

'■I
■ii

h

10

THE BLUE JAY.

satisfaction in mocking and teasing other birds, particularly
the Little Hawk (Z'. sparverius)^ imitating his cry whenever
he sees him, and squealing out as if caught; this soon
brings a number of his own tribe around him, who all join
in the frolic, darting about the Hawk, and feigning the cries
of a bird sorely wounded and already under the clutches
of its devourer; while others lie concealed in the bushes,
ready to second their associates in the attack. But this ludi-
crous farce often terminates tragically. The Hawk, singling
out one of the most insolent and provoking, sweeps upon
him in an unguarded moment, and offers him up a sacrifice
to his hunger and resentment. In an instant the tune is
changed; all their buffoonery vanishes, and loud and inces-
sant screams proclaim their disaster."

Like his near relative, the Crow, he takes delight in tor-
menting the Owls.

But lacking as the Blue Jay is in anything like gentle or
winning ways, he might still meet with a fair toleration
were it not for his thievish and cruel habits. How he will
devour the fresh eggs from the bird's nests in his neighbor-
hood on the sly, gobble up even the tender young, some-
times in his barbarous daintiness taking nothing but the
eyes and brain! how he will pick out the eyes of a wounded
grouse; how he will steal corn from the bin, fruit from the
garden, and grain from the barn, has been noted by orni-
thologists in general. I have seen him lugging around an old
sparrow in the tops of the trees, in the month of May, pick-
ing out the eyes and train at his leisure, and seemingly
without the least compunction; while, like all other tyrants,
when the true test comes, he is by no means brave, often
** turning tail " to birds much smaller than himself. In view
of all this, who will pity him when, during the long winter
months, he is obliged to subsist on the frozen apples of the

THE GOLDEN. iVING ED WOODPECKER,

77

orchard, or, at other times of scarcity, to glean scraps
of carrion! His best living, probably, is when the nuts
are ripe and plenty. Like other members of the Crow
family, he can eat anything, and so is called omniv-
orous.

In the breeding season the Blue Jay is partial to the ever-
greens of the forest, especially to dense cedar swamps, the nest
being most commonly built in an evergreen tree, generally
near the trunk, and anywhere from ten to thirty feet from the
ground. The outside of the nest is composed of small twigs,
the inside of fine rootlets, closely interwoven for the kind of
materials, and having a dark appearance. The eggs, four or
five in number, and about the size of those of a Robin, about
1.16 X .85, are greenish-drab, finely speckled ail over with
light-brown and dull-lilac.

Habitat, Eastern North America, from the Gulf to 56°,
breeding throughout its range.

The Florida Jay {Aphelocoma floridand), lacking the crest
and the elegant black bars on wings and tail, is also blue
and about the same size as the above. With no white
markings on wings and tail, a plain gray patch on the back,
and a whitish forehead, it is much plainer. The blue band
about the head and neck contrasts finely, however, with the
gray of the back and breast. It is abundant in Florida,
and seems to be pretty much confined to that locality.

ti

m

I

THE GOLDEN- WINGED WOODPECKER.

Between sunset and dark of this cold winter-day, I behold
a most beautiful effect in the eastern sky. All along
the horizon is a broad band of brilliant green, which
gradually shades into a still broader band of rich purple,
and this latter, on approaching the zenith, shades into a
cold winter-gray. In the midst of the purple is the moon

'

'M'Si

':i

C'J

78

THE GOLDEN. WINGED WOODPECKER.

II

■f

just before the full, and in front of the green is a bright
train of silvery clouds, tinted with the lingering hues of a
rosy sunset.

I am traversing the border of a large tract of woods,
when, high above the rest of the trees, in the tops of the tower-
ing elms, I discern the form and flight of the Golden-winged
Woodpecker (Colaptes auratus), a bird but occasionally seen
in this locality in winter. Silent and shy, he makes off as
fast as convenient, keeping to the tops of the tallest trees.
I strain my eyes for a last glimpse of him, but he soon
vanishes in the gloaming.

What a train of recollections and associations that mo-
mentary flight recalls! Next to the Robin, Bluebird, or
Barn Swallow, few members of the feathered tribes are bet-
ter known than " Flicker," "High-hole," "Yellow-hammer,"
etc., for the Golden-wing is known by all these names.
His several notes are among the most characteristic sounds
of spring, at which time he is thoroughly noisy. Com-
ing from the south in large numbers late in March or
early in April, ascending some tall, dry tree-top at early
dawn, he announces himself either by a sonorous rapping
on the dry wood or by a loud squealing, but jovial call,
chee-ah^ chee-ah which, once noted, is not easily forgotten. But
even this latter is not half so awakening as a certain pro-
longed strain, of merely two syllables in regular repetition,
something like whric'k-ah — whric'k-ah — whric'k-ah — whric'k-
ah — whric'k-ah — whric'k-ah. This vocal performance, meant
for a song no doubt, is a mere rollicking racket toned
down, indeed, amidst the many voices of spring, and
even rendered pleasing by its good-natured hilarity. How
significant is that little love-note, yu-cah, half guttural,
half whisper, which he repeats at intervals as he flits
about the solitude of the forest in spring, or plays bo-

— ■. •iw.tVMWR

THE GOLDEN-WINGED WOODPECKER.

70

peep with his lover around the broken-off top or limb of
some dead tree !

His flight is swift, vigorous and dashing; is performed in
curves by a few flaps of the wings, curving upward several
feet when alighting on the trunk of a tree, but ending hori-
zontally when alighting cross-wise on limbs, after the man-
ner of perching birds. In manner, as in structure, he is not
precisely like the rest of his family. At home anywhere
from the tallest tree-top to the ground, and always in a
hurry when afoot, he will capture his insect food after the
manner of Robins and Sparrows. Ants of all sizes are spe-
cially in favor with him. Why he should have such a
decided preference for this dry diet it is difficult to conceive
— perhaps on account of the tickling sensation which large
numbers of these vigorous little creatures may afford when
taken alive into the stomach. In summer and in autumn,
when these birds are sometimes exceedingly numerous, they
do not disdain certain kinds of small fruit, as wild grapes
and elderberries.

The nidification of this species is so much like that of
other Woodpeckers as to need no special notice, except in
two particulars, viz., that Flicker frequently chooses a
much decayed stub, and that the eggs are especially trans-
lucent and beautiful, the yolk appearing through the shell
when fresh. It may perhaps be added that the eggs are
sometimes laid at irregular intervals and in extraordinary
numbers.

About the size of a Pigeon, some 12.60 length and
19.00 extent, with bill slightly curved, its head and neck
are of a purplish-drab, with a scarlet crescent on the back of
the head, and, in the male, a black spot on each cheek at
the base of the bill; upper parts greenish-brown, spotted with
black; rump white and very conspicuous in flight; under

5:1

80

THE GOLDEN-WINGED WOODPECKER.

parts reddish-white, beautifully spotted with black; a black
crescent on the breast; shafts of the larger feathers, under
side of wings and tail a rich yellow.

This bird ranges through Eastern North America, resid-
ing from the Middle States southward, some wintering as
far north as New England, and breeding throughout its
range. ■'''■ :■;'•■ ■

'! V

h 4

I <,

CHAPTER V.

A JANUARY THAW.

IT is the last of January, 1880. We have had a complete
thaw; the frost is about out of the ground; the sunny days
would do credit to the last of March. Of course, ornitholo-
gists are on the lookout such days as these, so I must to
the fields and to the woods.

THE SNOW-BIRD.

As I spring over a pasture fence I startle a. flock of Snow-
birds {/unco hyemalis) from among the v\rithered golden-rods
of last year. Tse-tse-tse-tse-tse^ and they leave en masse for the
brush-heap yonder. Both sight and sound give me clue to
them at onc^,, foi they are common here from October till
May. The great body of them, however, pass south-
ward in avitumn and northward in spring, it being one of
the most abundant birds in the migrations.

Who does not love the Snow-bird? Not for its gay
apparel, however, for it is not only plain, but even sombre in
dress. The Mourning Sparrow, it might be call d. A fine
male is almost as dark as crape, the pure white of his biP,
feet and legs, lower breast and under parts and feathers on
either side of his tail, being a most delicate set-off. The
female, when lightest, has the dark parts, a half mourning
gray, or dark drab. How strikingly in harmony is this little
bird with the gloom of autumn, the bleak days of winter,
or the chilly winds and unclad fields of early spring!
6

\ .1 '

\ w-

I 4

;, j

I

1

"\\

'I'l

!'i

\ ''

.111

I'-l

I m

1 : Jl
\ 4

82

THE snow-bird.

In size, structure, and habit, it is every whit a Sparrow,
and quite frequently chooses the various members of that
faxnily for its company. Most intimately is the history of

THE SNOW-BIRD.

this bird associated with my childhood. I well remember
the sunny spring day in Nova Scotia, when, in my boyish
delight, I found the first two bird's nests — the first, that of
the Hermit Thrush; the second, that of a Snow-bird. Ever
after I found the nest of the latter among the most com-
mon. Situated like that of the Song Sparrow, generally on
the ground and under some protection, rarely on a stump
or in a low bush, it is neatly built and most softly lined
with hair — often the hair rubbed off by the cattle on the
stumps. It contains some four eggs about .80 x .60, of a
fleshy white, sometimes tinged with blue, delicately specked
with reddish-brown. This nest is a very gem of its kind —
almost proof in itself against the boyish propensity to dis-

THE SNOW-BIRD.

83

turb this kind of treasure. When startled from her nest
the female is much excited, hobbling along on the ground as
if lame or leg-broken, her wide-spread tail showing the white
feathers on either side — the mark of relationship to the
Bay- wing — to the best advantage. Hopping about the
nearest stump or fence-rail, in the most uneasy manner,
she is joined immediately by her darker mate, in her sharp
chip-chip-chip-chip-chipping, and again takes possession of the
nest as soon as the intruder leaves. The chipping note of
this bird is so much like that of the Chipping Sparrow
{Spizella socialis) that Wilson found many persons in New
England and some in New York State who believed that
the former turned into the latter in summer, and it was most
difficult to remove the erroneous notion.

Resembhng the Song Sparrow in size and general habit,
the Snow-bird differs widely from it, not only in color, but
ill its song, which is a prolonged tintinnabulous twitter — a
more musical rendering of the monotonous strokes in tlie
plain melody of the Chipping Sparrow. Sometimes, how-
ever, one may surprise it in a soft, low warble, as if indulg-
ing in a musical soliloquy.

Though belonging to the Fringillidce, or seed-eating family,
it is, in summer at least, particularly insectivorous, completely
crowding its mouth with soft, writhing larvae for its young.

Audubon gave the Alleghany Mountain range as the breed-
ing habitat of this bird, and did not see it in Labrador.
Minot reports it breeding in the White Mountains early in
June, and sometimes again in July. Augustus H. Wood,
an ornithologist residing at Painted Post, N. Y., reports it
breeding commonly in his neighborhood, in damp situations
in ravines of hemlock woods. I have myself seen the
female, on the Yth of June, her mouth crammed with larvae,
in Tonawanda Swamp, in Orleans County, N. Y. Dr. Coues

.'M

84

THE MEADOW LARK.

informs me that in suitable localities it breeds southward^
even to Virginia and North Carolina. May not the damp
coolness of the swamp retain northern birds during the
breeding season as well as do the mountain ranges?

The Snow-bird winters from Southern New England
southward to the Gulf States. In the Rocky Mountains and
to the westward it is replaced by closely-allied species or
varieties.

THE MEADOW LARK.

It is ten o'clock in the forenoon. A strong south wind springs
up, and the sky, so clear and sunny an hour ago, is covered
with dense, gray clouds. I am strolling along the telegraph
road by an old stone fence, when a pair of Meadow Larks
{Sturnclla magna) light on the fence a few rods from me,
scarcely able to stand up against the wind. They are occa-
sionally seen here throughout the winter.

For the most part, however, this is a migratory bird,
entering the Middle States, New England, and correspond-
ing latitudes about the second week in March, and going
south in flocks with the later migrations to spend the
winter in the Southern States. Here, according to Wilson,
at this time of year, " they swarm among the rice planta-
tions, running about the yards and out-houses, accompanied
by the Killdeers, with little appearance of fear, as if quite
domesticated."

In the wet, chilly days of March we are forcibly reminded
that spring is here by the clear, sweet, but plaintive warble,
which comes in soft, whistling tones from meadow and
pasture, wee-tsee-tsee-ree-ee^ tsec-ree-tsee-ree-ee. The strange
flight, too, consisting of a few tremulous, vibrating strokes
of the wings, succeeded by a short sailing, clearly distin-
guishes the Meadow Lark. What strange impulse is it
which starts this bird thus early northward to buffet

THE MEADOW LARK.

85

benumbing winds and rains? Had we the wings of a bird,
would we not then fly away to sunnier climes and be at rest ?

Always a bird of the fields, hence sometimes called " Old
Field Lark," on its arrival it keeps to the ground, the
stone heaps, and the fence. As the period of mating and
nidification approaches, the male becomes quite noisy.
Launching into the air at a considerable height, instead of
his whistling warble, he gives vent to a loud, guttural twitter.
Frequently alighting in solitary trees about the field, he
steps back and forth, and jerks and spreads his tail in the
most uneasy and excited manner. The female, meanwhile,
seems shy and retiring, and frequently needs a good deal of
coaxing on the part of the male; but in due time receives
his amorous attentions with the utmost complacency.

Though this species breeds in Florida already in the latter
part of April, nidification does not begin here till the middle
or latter part of May. In the case of a most lypical nest, an
excavation is made in a tussock of grass; coarse dried
grasses are duly arranged as a frame-work, and the lining
is of fine grasses, while the dried grasses of the previous
year, still standing around the excavation, are matted and
arranged overhead with other material, so as to form a roof
open on one side. In this cozy home are placed four or five
white eggs, a little larger than those of a Robbin, about
1.10 X .80, speckled, and sometimes blotched, with reddish-
brown and lilac. Sometimes, however, the nest is quite
exposed, like that of a Bay-winged Sparrow. In New York
State a second brood may be raised. The young are most
tenderly cared for by the parents for weeks after being able
to fly; indeed, up to the period of migration the whole
family generally keep together. When caring for their
young the parent birds have a peculiar note, which sounds
like quaip, quaip.

_- ^ —

86

THE RED-HEADED WOODPECKER.

In the beautiful days of October the male often indulges
in his delicious warble. At this time the moult has some-
what changed his appearance. The brown tips and mark-
ings of the black feathers above, the more perfect fringes
of very light brown, which adorn all the dark plumage, as
well as the various light markings about the head, are all of
a warmer, redder tint, while the bright-yellow underneath,
and especially the jet-black and somewhat heart-shaped
collar on the breast, are so deeply fringed with reddish as
to render them somewhat obscure. In plumage, voice and
nidification, this bird resembles the Lark, but in structure,
it is more properly an American Starling. On the prairies
and plains of the far west there is a lighter-colored variety,
said to differ in song; while in South America, there is a
beautiful Red-breasted Lark, similar to ours in form, size,
and marking.

The Meadow Lark's long-pointed bill and enormous legs
and feet may be regarded as indicative of its ground-life
and insect diet. Though seeming to be a rather awkwardly-
shaped bird when examined in the hand, it often takes an
attitude when alighting, especially if on a rock, which is
exceedingly graceful.

Breeding in Texas and Florida northward as far as the
Columbia and the Saskatchawan rivers, Mr. Everett Smith
reports it as "common in western Maine;" and adds, "not
common east of the K^nnebeck Valley, and almost unknown
east of the Penobscot Valley. Much less abundant in the
western part of the State now than twenty years ago." Mr.
Chamberlain notes it as "a rare summer resident" in New
Brunswick.

THE RED HEADED WOODPECKER.

I pass on to the woods and meet a striking object but
occasionally seen in our winter landscape, the Red-headed

THE BROWN CREEPER. 87

Woodpecker {Melanerpes erythrocephalus). About the size of
most of its relatives in this locality, some 9.50 long,
with bright-scarlet head and neck, upper parts black with
steel-blue reflections, except the rump and secondaries,
which, like the under parts, are white, it is so well known
as to need but little description. This bird is a common
resident here during the summer, and, in most respects, is
so like other Woodpeckers in habit as to need but little
special history in a work like this. Its partiality to road-
sides, its striking coloration of red, white and black, making
it one of the most strikingly beautiful bird-ornaments of
our landscape, and its excessive fondness for fruit, especially
cherries, are its most marked peculiarities. Its ordinary
call, ker-er-er-er-evy when rollicking in the tree-tops, is very
characteristic.

THE BROWN CREEPER.

The Red-head passes out of sight, and for a while aH is
silent. Hark! there is a soft conversational twitter among
the hemlocks. I wait patiently, and strain my eyes in this
direction and that, but for some minutes can see nothing.
Presently a troop of Chickadees appear; then several White-
bellied Nuthatches, uttering a soft kip^ kip^ kip, and an
occasional sonorous quc/ik, quank, pass by in their usual
spirited manner; and, while they are yet passing, two Brown
Creepers (Certhia familiaris) come in sight. Lighting at the
base of the trees, they ascend them by dainty little jerks in
a spiral manner, gleaning food as they go, uttering an
occasional soft chip, or a quick shree-shree-shree ; often flit-
ting away from a tree before ascending very high, in order
to begin the ascent at the base of another, which, this time,
perhaps, will be continued to the top. How well the color
of this little bird, a variety of rich browns curiously marked
— the white underneath being out of sight — corresponds

"%

%-^A

1

88

THE BROWN CREEPER.

with the colors of this open winter. Its long, slender bill,
much curved, is well adapted to picking insects and their
larvae from the crevices of the bark, while the sharp claws
and rigid-pointed tail-feathers are a sufficient support to the
ascending movements. It is too graceful and dignified ever
to hang head-downward like Nuthatches and Titmice. It
is also rather shy, frequently keeping the opposite side of the
tree on seeing the observer, and then it is necessary to get
behind a tree also, and, looking for it some distance higher
than the point where it disappeared, one may get a glimpse
of it again. Its flight is very nervous and quick. In spring
it will be much more numerous, as the greater number of
this species passes south in autumn and north w. spring,
when it has a soft and melodious song.

It is now well made out that the ordinary nesting-place of
this species is behind a loose strip of bark on a dead tree or
a stub, from five to fifteen feet from the ground. Composed
externally of dried twigs arranged lengthwise between the
bare mast-like trunk and the loosened bark, and so assum-
ing a crescent form elevated at both ends and depressed
in the middle, the interior and bulk of the nest are of shreds
of the inner bark of various trees, with, perhaps, some
usnea and spider's cocoons, and lined with still finer shreds
of bark or with feathers. If the bark is so close to the
tree as barely to admit the nest, the external structure of
twigs is dispensed with. The tree or stub chosen is gen-
erally of the pine or fir, and is nearly denuded of bark.
The eggs, generally five or six, averaging .59 X .48, are
delicate white, rosy when fresh, finely marked with brown
and purplish-brown. They resemble those of the Titmice
and Nuthatches.

This diminutive species, some 6.50 long, is at home alike
in Europe and throughout North America.

THE GREAT HORNED OWL.

80

THE GREAT HORNED OWL.

Our four seasons, spring, summer, autumn and winter, are
not divided by exact lines. There is no perceptible differ-
ence between the last of Mayand the first of June, nor between
the last of August and the first of September; and the melt-
ing power of spring is in the air, even in our climate, long
before the last of February. The birds do not begin to
make their appearance from the south, indeed, until some
time in March; yet there is one common resident, which
breeds already in February, becoming conscious, perhaps,
of the genial influence of the first melting rays of the sun.
About the middle of the last-named month a youth brought
me a large, living female of the Great Horned Owl {Bubo
virginianus), which had been winged while on the nest; and
he had also secured the eggs. The nest was a huge pile of
sticks, placed very high in a beech tree; the eggs, two in
number, some 2.25 x 2.00, were roundish, smooth, and of a
dull but clear white. The nest is said to be found some-
times in a hollow tree, or even in the cleft of a rock, but
generally in a tall pine or hemlock, and to be generally
" lined with dry leaves and a few feathers," the eggs being
sometimes as many as six. Twenty inches or two feet in
length, tawny or whitish, variously mottled with brown
and black; with a large, white patch on the throat, large
ear- tufts and bright-yellow irides; his is a large, homely
form, patched and spotted with the plainest of colors, and
having a face like that of a lynx rather than of a bird. Nor are
his habits any more agreeable than his personal appearance.
Most formidable as to bill and claws, he is a sly, destructive
bird of prey, even to the devastation of the poultry-yard.
Wilson tells the following amusing anecdote about him:
"A very large one, wing broken, ♦ ♦ * ^^s kept
about the house for several days, and at length disappeared,

■'r.

90

THE GREAT HORNED OWL.

no one knew how. Almost every day after this hens and
chickens also disappeared, one by one, in an unaccountable
manner, till, in eight or ten days, very few were left remain-
ing. The fox, the minx, and weasel were alternately the
reputed authors of this mischief, until one morning, the
old lady herself, rising before day to bake, in passing
towards the oven, surprised her late prisoner, the Owl,
regaling himself on the body of a newly-killed hen! The
thief instantly made for his hole under the house, from
whence the enraged matron soon dislodged him with the
brush-handle, and without mercy dispatched him. In this
snug retreat were found the greater part of the feathers,
and many large fragments of her whole family of chickens."

In confinement the Great Horned Owl is simply horrible.
He will squint and scowl at one in the most ominous man-
ner; and again turning his eyes into very balls of fire, will
snap at one like a cross dog, hiss like an angry cat, and
strike his claws at one with the most murderous force. Did
I not once see a large dog rush around the house in perfect
desperation, in the attempt to disengage the claws of this
bird from both sides of his head?

If reared from the nest, however, he may become quite
docile and friendly. Mr. Bruce, of Brockport, has one such,
which, on being greeted with a bow by his master, will bow
and blink most obsequiously in return, and will even reach
out his foot to shake hands. One now in the large museum
at Drummondville, Ontario, opposite Niagara Falls, will
boo-hoo and bawl^ after the most hideous manner of his wonted
midnight carnivals in the forest, in answer to the conver-
sation and questions of his keeper.

Concerning the courtship of this bird, Audubon says:
"The curious evolutions of the male in the air, or his
motions when he has alighted near his beloved, it is impos-

THE RED-TAILED HAWK.

91

sible to describe. His bowings and the snappings of his bill
are extremely ludicrous; and no sooner is the female assured
that the attentions paid her by the beau are the result of a
sincere affection than she joins in the motions of her future
mate."

How 0/ How O! HoO'hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo! These, with many
other screaming and choking sounds to one who has heard
them, and has both a good memory and a good imagination,
may be especially significant. But of all the sounds with
which this bird makes night hideous, no one has heard any
to the greatest advantage, unless, passing through some dis-
mal forest in the full blackness of night, he has heard the
alarm sounded suddenly in the tree-tops above him.

No one need fail of the acquaintance of the Great Horned
Owl, for he is abundant, and the whole continent is his
nabitat.

THE RED-TAILED HAWK.

It is the last of February. The ground is frozen hard; a
light fall of snow during the previous night has but covered
the earth, and th? sun has started on his career through the
heavens without a cloud to obscure his pathway. Gun in
hand, I have entered the nearest woods, and am crossing the
course of a run, smoothly frozen over, when I break through
the shell-ice, and from the dry region beneath the Gray
Rabbit {Lepus sylvaticus) springs out through the opening at
my feet, and squats on a log only a few feet from me. I
attempt to fire, but the gun will not go off. I spoil several
caps, and go home to see what the matter is, well knowing
that I can track my game in the new snow for some time to
come. I am chagrined at the loss of the Rabbit, but am
diverted by the flight of a Red-tailed Hawk {Buteo borealis),
which, high in air, seems to be enjoying this delightful
morning.

^

I

f Is

IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGr (MT-3)

1.0

1.1

ItilM |25

Sf litt

us

m

lAO

■ 10

i'-''miii4

<

6"

►

ta

PhotDgra]iiic

Sdences
Corporalion

23 WIST MAIN STRiiT

WnSTIR.N.Y. MStO

(716) ■73-4903

A

V

V

4

•N?

\\

\

^ >. -<^rS

■;.*

m

92

THE RED-T AILED HAWK,

How much there is in the flight of a bird! Full well has
the Duke of Argyll seized upon it as an unmistakable evi-
dence of design in nature. From the fish darting through
the pathless waters, or the serpent gliding without legs or
feet along the ground, or the frog leaping with surprising
elasticity, or the stately stepping of the steed, up through
all the various styles and methods of animal locomotion, to
the eagle which soars above the clouds, the flight of birds
is by far the most interesting and wonderful. How that
Hawk floats like something ethereal in the atmosphere! His
lungs affording communication with a system of large cavi-
ties throughout the body, the bones and muscles, oven, and
the spaces between the body and the skin being pervaded
by the ramifications of air-cells, every respiration literally
fills him; and this inhaled air being rarefied by the heat of
his body, not to speak of the innumerable interspaces of
the light plumage, all pervaded by the external air, l.e is
almost as light as the clouds themselves. If the reader has
ever climbed a mountain, and known the intoxication of
delightful sensations produced by a rarefied atmosphere, he
may form some conception of what must be the pleasurable
sensations of this soaring creature.

As to the act of flight itself, the upper side of the wing
being convex, and the wing somewhat drawn together, the
upward stroke in flight meets but little resistance, while the
under side, which is concave, incloses the atmosphere in the
downward stroke of the fully-extended wing, and so secures
the full force of its elasticity. This, however, simply
enables the bird to rise. What carries it forward ? The air,
escaping behind the long, elastic pinions, drives it on, some-
what as the wind, escaping behind the sail, propels the boat
The sailing of the bird, with steady, motionless wing^ is
accomplished by a nice adjustment of the wing to the

THE RED-TAILED HAWK.

93

breeze, precisely like the trimming of a sail. But to hover
is the most wonderful feat of the bird — to make rapid
strokes with the wings, and yet rem.ain at the same point in
the air. Who has not seen the King-fisher, or the Spar-
row Hawk hover ? or the Humming-bird, as it poises itself
in front of the flower, to capture the insects housed in its
beautiful chambers, or to sip its nectar? This is done by an
oblique stroke of the wing^. The bird is aever in a horizontal
position in hovering, but always poised at an angle, thus
allowing the air to escape from the wing in such a manner
as simpiy to keep it up. Here is design, indeed, but also
something still higher; the thought of flight must have-
preceded the nice adjusting of the structure and functions
of the wing to the aerial laws. But there is no thought
without a thinker; hence the flight of the Hawk carries my
mind up to the Great Creator. And is this not a great
lesson taught in a most pleasing manner? Who could not
derive pleasure in beholding such majestic soaring, such
grand spiral curves of immense sweep, such sublime eleva-
tion, till the bird becomes a mere speck against the ether? I
cannot think of any bird short of the E&gle whose flight can
equal this in elegance and grandeur. It is the very poetry
of motion. What can the bird be thinking of at such a'
time ? Is it not enjoying that animated existence, the very
consciousness of which, in its normal state, is bliss? Great
lesson to unsatisfied human nature.

Here let us quote a few lines from John Burroughs: " The
calmness and dignity of this Hawk, when attacked by the
Crows or the King-bird, are well worthy of him. He seldom
deigns to notice his noisy and furious antagonists, but
deliberately wheels about in that aerial spiral, and mounts
and mounts till his pursuers grow dizzy and return to the
earth again. It is quite original, this mode of getting rid of

94

THE RED-TAILED HAWK.

an unworthy opponent, rising to heights where the braggart
is dazed and bewildered and loses his reckoning! I am not
sure' but it is worthy of imitation."

The tube of my shot-gun cleared, I return early in the
afternoon in search of the Gray Rabbit. I have no difficulty
in tracing his track in the fresh snow, but what a zigzag
course he has taken! I seem to have traveled miles, and
yet am only a few rods from the place of starting. Alas!
poor Rabbit! I have reached the end of his career, and find
simply a great spot of blood on the snow, with bunches of
hair and a few bones. While I am trying to conjecture the
author of this tragedy, I look up to the top of a tall tree
quite near and spy a Red-tailed Hawk motionless as a
statue. He is probably the one I saw soaring so majesti-
cally a few hours ago, and is now resting in favor of diges-
tion, after gorging himself with the missing Rabbit, Some-
what annoyed at the extent of the meal, but more over the
loss of my game, I take aim and bring him to the ground.
He must lose his life in penalty of gluttony. Ordinarily,
he would not have allowed the hunter to come near enough
to reach him with a shot-gun. He is only wounded, how-
ever, and rearing himself on claws and tail, assumes a most
formidable attitude of defense. With superciliary ridges
projecting far over his eyes, which gleam with vengeance,
with mouth wide open and crest erect, what a savage physi-
ognomy he presents! And in what a threatening manner
he raises his powerful wings! ^ Hands off I" is the language
of his whole expression, as bill, wings and claws are in equal
readiness for blows and wounds. I extend to him the
muzzle of the g^n, which he grasps so firmly with both
talons that I carry him home before he relinquishes his
hold. Nailing slats across a large box, I attempt to keep
my bird in confinement, placing food before him regularly,

THE RED-T AILED HAWK.

95

and showing him every possible attention; but, like a genuine
savage, he will neither eat nor show any sign of gn^ief or
submission. And yet I must admire him, for he finally dies
without any yielding of spirit^ without any disposition
whatever to become a slave.

The Hawks, as a group belonging to the birds of prey,
are placed between the Owls and the Vultures. The Hawks
again, according to their structure, are naturally arranged into
Harriers, Falcons, 'True-hawks, Buzzards and Fish-hawks.
The Red-tailed Hawk, often called the Hen Hawk, is a
Buzzard, and, Hke the rest of the Buzzards, is so nearly
related to the Eagle as to afford very little structural dif-
ference. In dignity of habit this Hawk, as well as some
others, stands above the Eagle. The latter is often a notori-
ous thief, wresting the hard-earned prey from other birds,
or even condescending to the most putrid'carrion, while the
Hawks in general capture their own prey. TLe fare of the
Red-tailed Hawk is quite in keeping with his dignified
bearing, consisting generally of hares, squirrels, birds, barn-
yard fowl, frogs, or a fancy snake. In search of the latter,
or perhaps even of mice, you may sometimes see him scour-
ing the meadows somewhat in the manner of the Marsh
Hawk. Generally, however, with a keen-sightedness which
is perfectly marvelous, he descries his prey from the
enormous height of his spiral sailing, sometimes dropping
almost meteor-like, and then suddenly checking himself, he
seizes his quarry unawares; or he alights on it from some
perch near by, whence he has been reconnoitering an im-
mense reach of territory. On the whole, if it were not for
his depredations on the poultry-yard, we should think more
of him than of any other bird of prey. The natural adap-
tation of this class of birds to a life of cruelty makes them
repulsive to the tenderer feelings, unless, indeed, we conceive

96

THE RED-TAILED HAWK.

that the perfection of nature's variety needs a cruel phase,
just as the various shades of light and of color need dark-
ness for their perfection.

The Red-tailed Hawk is nearly two feet in length; the
color above is a rich dark-brown, the wings and upper tail-
coverts marked and barred with dusky and white; the tail is
generally bright chestnut-red, sometimes margined with
white, always sub-margined with black reddish-gray be-
neath; the under parts generally white, with a zone of
brown markings across the breast. The cere, legs and feet
are bright-yellow. This may be regarded las the ordinary
marking of the mature bird. It varies greatly, however,
with age. The male is several inches shorter than the
female.

In Western New York, the Red-tailed Hawk lays its egg^
in March or April. The eggs, three in number, of a nest
taken the 27th of March, are now before me. One of my
parishioners discovered it in a large beech tree, only a few
rods from his sugar-camp, where he was busy every day
gathering and boiling sap, the birds not seeming in the least
disturbed by the business. The nest, equal in bulk to a
bushel-basket, composed of sticks rudely piled, lined with
Rne strips of the inner bark of ash rails in a slashing near
by, was in the fork of a large limb, about fifteen feet from
the trunk, and about a hundred and twenty feet from the
ground. A truly perilous undertaking was this ascent, and
yet a young friend kindly volunteered his services, saying,
with a very suggestive look: " If I fall and break my bones,
you must pay the doctor's bill; if I kill myself, you must
pay my funeral expenses." The eggs, about 2.26 long by
rather less than 1.00 broad, are roundish, one end a little
smaller than the other, greenish-white, two dimly scratched
and spotted with a purplish-brown, while all are more or

THE RED-TAILED HAWK.

07

less sparingly marked with a muddy-brown, the latter color-
ing, in the case of the otherwise clear egg, seeming very
like slight smirchings of dirt. On the whole, they are rather
pretty. Another nest, taken a few days later, contained two
eggs not quite so round, and having the dark-brown markings
heavier and more numerous. The nest was similarly placed.
In the latter part of March, of 1874, a nest was found in the
top of a tall elm tree in the woods near Knowlesville. Two
young men undertook to capture the Hawk. The one fired
at the nest, and, holding his piece rather carelessly, found it
sticking in the jnud behind him; the other succeeded in
taking the female bird on the wing as she left her eyrie.
The male now sat on the eggs for a time, but was too
wary to allow an approach within gun-shot, and left after a
few days. In all of the above cases the birds seem to have
raised their young in the same locality for a series of years.

The note of the Red-tailed Hawk, most commonly heard,
as he sails high in the air, in the bright days of summer, and
expressed, perhaps, by the syllables kshee-o^ Kshee-o, well
drawn out, is rather harsh and squealing, but when uttered
while the female cuts her g^and circles above the nest, as it
is being disturbed, it is even pathetic.

This bird may be found in Western New York throughout
the year; and from the last of February or the first of
March till late in autumn, it is our most common Hawk.
Its habitat is all North America, and even Mexico and
some of the West India Islands.

Similar in form to the above, but a little larger, and dis-
tinguishable by the "tarsus feathered in front for more
than half its length," and by the four outei quills " incised
on the inner webs," is that rare southern species — Harlan's
Hawk {Bueto harlani). It is, however, a little larger, and
appears darker. " General colors throughout, dark, sooty-
7

08

THE RED-TAILED HAWK.

brown, with the wings, excepting tips of primaries, finely
but irregularly barred with ashy-brown and whitish. The
tail is mottled with ashy-brown, which becomes decidedly
rufous next to the shaft of the subterminal portion of the
feathers. Below, the feathers of the flanks and under the
tail coverts are obscurely banded with ashy-brown. The
basal two-thirds of the feathers on head, neck, all around,
and breast to middle of body, are pure white." {Maynard).

This fine bird was first found in Louisiana by Audubon.
As none were found for many years afterward, its validity
as a species was doubted. More recently some half-dozen
specimens have been found, some as far north as Pennsyl-
vania, but more of them in Texas. It is now regarded as
a well-defined species.

The Red-shouldered Hawk {Buteo lineatus) — male, some
19.00 long; female, 22.00 — is nearly as long as the former
species to which it is very closely related, but it is not nearly
as heavy. Reddish-brown above the feathers, dark-centered,
lighter shade of the same below, with narrow streaks of
darker and bars of white, the blackish tail noticeably banded
with white, shoulder of the wing orange-brown. Young,
plain brown above, white below, dark-streaked. This species
is every way similar in habit to the Red-tail. Very abund-
ant along the Atlantic Coast and in the Atlantic States
generally, it becomes rare already in the Maritime prov-
inces, and is not common to the westward. It is either rare
or overlooked in Western New York.

Swainson's Hawk {Buteo swainsoni)^ a northwestern species,
breeding rarely in Illinois, and straggling to Montreal and
Massachusetts, must be noticed here. The male^ some 19.50
long, and 48.00 in extent, is dark-brown above, lighter on
head, darker on wings, and ashy on tail, the feathers,
especially on neck, more or less edged with reddish. Wings

THE RED-TAILED HAWK.

09

and tail crossed with wary bars of dusky, the latter tipped
with whitish. Concealed patch on back of head, white;
sides white, barred with reddish and dark-brown; white
beneath, tinged below the throat with reddish-yellow, the
breast ban ed with reddish-brown; under wing coverts
tipped with black. There is also a darker form. The
femaUy some 20.10 long and 48.75 in extent, is similarly
marked, but much darker. This species sometimes builds
its nest in shrubbery.

The Broad-winged Hawk {Buteo pennsylvanicus) is a com-
mon eastern species. The male, some 15.26 long and 85.00
in extent, is brown above, the feathers edged with reddish;
head and neck streaked with white; tail with a broad, red-
dish-gray band a little more than an inch from the tip, a
narrow band of the same nearer the base, and tipped with
same; under parts white, or buff y- white, broadly cross-
barred and variously marked with light-brown. Female, an
inch or so longer, and similarly marked. This fine little
Hawk is generally distributed throughout the Eastern
States in summer, and winters to the south. Its food is
mostly the smaller birds and quadrupeds, which it captures
for the most part among the bushes or on the ground. Like
the rest of the Buteos, it is quite giver to sailing in flight,
but not in such grand, sweeping curves as those of its larger
congeners. It is, perhaps, one of the most unwary of all
our Hawks, and, with a little caution, may be approached
quite closely. It nests in trees, constructing quite a bulky
nest of sticks and twigs externally, and lined with leaves
and shreds of bark. Generally an evergreen tree is pre-
ferred. The eggs, three or four, some 2.10 x 1.65 elliptical
or roundish, are of a dirty white color, blurred or blotched
with reddish-brown. Sometimes they are almost white.

CHAPTER VI.

VOICES OF SPRING.

IN the Middle States the entire month of March is a tem-
pestuous conflict between the icy cold of winter and
the power of a vernal sun. Yet even the first week of this
month may have its days of genial warmth, when the earth,
reeking from the relenting frost, woos the coming spring.
Such is this third day of March, when lo! a voice salutes me,
which is the very soul of tenderness. I can scarcely tell
whether sadness or joy the more prevails in its soft warb-
ling^, so strictly is it in harmony with these unsettled days.
It is the voice of the Bluebird {Sialia sialis). Appearing
here the last week in February or the first week in March,
the "color ' of the sky "on his back " and the "hue" of the
earth "on his breast," he may well inspire hope and courage
in every heart. Who does not welcome the Bluebird ?
Like the sweet-scented trailing arbutus, which they called
the May-flower, the arrival of the Bluebird cheered the
fainting spirits of the ^rst settlers of Massachusetts after a
long and dreadful winter; and, associating him in some way
with the Robin-redbreast of Europe, they called him the
Blue Robin. Some 6.50-7.00 long, the upper parts of the
male are a beautiful, bright, ultra-marine blue; throat,
breast and sides chestnut-red ; belly white. The female is
similar, but more or less tinged with dull gray above. The
young resemble the old, but, with a light fringed plumage
above, are truly beautiful.

THE BLUEBIRD.

101

All through March, but especially through April, the
bright colors and soft, clear warble of the Bluebird are
inseparably associated with our landscape. The females,
arriving some time after the males, about the middle of
April, there is a modest courtship, resulting in pairing and
immediate preparation for nesting. As the female first
appears and alights on the fence, the males may appear one
on each side of her, each vying with the other in attractive
demonstrations. They raise their wings with a graceful,
trembling motion, warble most significantly, and sidle
towards her. Perchance she disdains them both, and as she
flies away they both pursue her. A spirited contest between
the males may now occur, or the female accepting the over-
tures of the one, the other will quietly retire. The mating
over, the warbling grows more cheerful. Boxes, deserted
Woodpeckers' holes, and natural cavities in posts, stubs,
and especially about the trees of the orchard, or even an
opening in the cornice of the house, are all explored, the
female constantly leading, and the male attending with a
great deal of gallant ceremony and music. Cheerily^ cheerily^
is his constant theme, with more or less variation, as the
quiet and industrious housewife lug^ in the various soft
materials — mostly dried grasses — for bedding the nest.
The eggs, from four to six, and about the size of those of a
Bay-winged Sparrow, some .85 x -62, are of a clear pale-
blue. As soon as the young are able to fly, the male takes
them in charge, and the female starts a second brood, and
sometimes in like manner a third. During all this time
their destruction of insects, which constitute their chief
diet, is immense.

This season I had a good opportunity of watching the
incubation of a nest made in the mortise of an old fancy
post, the remains of a former fence in a front yard, the mor-

102

THE ROBIN»

i'

tise having been enlarged by decay. The nest was neatly
made of dried g^rasses, and the five eggs were real gems.
Incubation lasted about ten days. Another nest was made
in the tool-box of a reaper, which had been left in the
field from Saturday till Thursday, the lid of the box having
been kept open by the handle of a wrench. The nest had
been built in this short time, and one egg had been laid.

After incubation is beg^n the male becomes almost silent,
and remains so during the summer. Some time in Novem-
ber the family groups leave for the south, having then a
single plaintive note, wholly unlike the warble of spring,
and quite as well in keeping with the gloom of autumn.
The plumage now, too, is more or less mixed with a cold gray,
thus making the harmony with the bleakness of nature the
more perfect.

The Bluebird spends the winter in the Southern States,
sometimes going even further south; and in its northern
migrations goes scarcely beyond New England, in the
northern part of which it already becomes uncommon.

From the eastern foot-hills of the Rocky Mountains west-
ward to the Pacific are two closely-allied species called the
Western Bluebird and the Rocky Mountain Bluebird, the
latter being more common in the mountainous region indi-
cated by its name. The former has the throat-blue, and a
chestnut spot on the back; the latter, which is of a greenish
shade, has the under parts similar to the upper, only lighter,
fading into white on the belly.

THE ROBIN.

On this same 3d of March, so full of brightness and
warmth, I meet the first Robins of the year. I hear their
abrupt, vigorous, clear note before I see them. This note,
though resembling that of various Thrushes, has a ring all

THE ROBIhr,

103

its own, and is in keeping with the bird itself, which, in
every respect is energetic, hardy, plain and blunt. It is
particularly his note of a beautiful spring evening, hence it
has been designated his "evening call." If those most
elegant songsters, the Thrushes, members of his own
family, keeping so closely to the thick forests, and scarcely
allowing the closest observer to get a glimpse of tlom while
they sing, may remind one of people of refined and r^rjerved
habits, and "distant, high-bred ways," then surely the
Robin must recall the inartistic mp.nners of tl more com-
mon people. His is the air of a vigorous, robust pioneer.

Though ^ciuctimes here by the latter part of I'^l >ruary,
and S'^nn becoming one of the most numerous birds of the
season, he gives hardly anything worthy to be called a song
till near the first of April. Then his loud, clear warble, if
somewhat monotonous and less expressive of sentiment
than that of the Wood-thrush or the Hermit, is a most
grateful breaking of the stillness of winter, a mitigation of
sharp frosts and chill showers — April showers always tune
him up — a never-failing promise of all the joy and plenty of
the year. Then truly he makes "the outgoings of the even-
ing and the morning to rejoice." What would an American
spring be without the song of the Robin ?

The ragged and faded appearance of the Robin in mid-
summer, after the excessive cares incident to the rearing of
two or three families, is but a poor apology for his modest
but truly beautiful colors of dark-gray, black and golden-
brown, in these days of early spring. Even Mrs. Robin,
though not so dark and rich in tints as h^.r consort, is a real
model of plain and tasteful elegance.

The farmer or gardener, notwithstanding certain reminis-
cences of destruction of ripe cherries and luscious strawber-
ries, cannot but be convinced of the friendship and co-oper-

J.1:

104

THE RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER.

^

ation of the Robin, as he sees him scouring meadows
and pastures in search of insects in general. It would be
impossible to estimate his labors in keeping in check the
voraciousness of insect-life.

In this locality Robin's beautiful blue-green eggs, from
three to five, may be laid already by the middle of April;
the nest being a rough affair of stubble, coarse hay and mud, ,
lined with finer hay, and placed anywhere between the
ground and the top of a tree. The young resemble the
old, except that the breast is pale and spotted with black
and white. The parents are very noisy in defense of their
nest or young.

Already in September the Robins begin to gather, with a
great deal of hurry, and bustle, and noise, and, flying to and
fro, in preparation for their southward migration, continue
their leave-taking in companies till late in the fall.

On the bright October evenings of last year (1879), when
the cloudless sky wore every tint of rose, violet, orange, yellow,
and green, all most delicately shaded into each other from
horizon to zenith, I used to lie down in the field and w^tch
the Robins constantly passing south, with steady stroke of
wing and high in air, sometimes singly, sometimes in pairs,
sometimes in small companies.

Some 9-10 inches long; upper parts generally dark-
gray; head and tail blackish; spots around the eye, under
the chin and on the tips of the outer tail-feathers, and the
vent white; breast and under parts golden-brown.

This bird is characteristic of all North America, and to the
south extends a little beyond. In mild winters it may
remain with us in sheltered places.

THE RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER.

It is the 5th of March, and I am in the woods on a most

THE RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER.

105

sad errand. A dear friend, and in every way a most noble
man, has been instantly killed by a falling tree, and, desir-
ous to know every possible particular concerning the event,

= (

THE RBD-BELLIBD WOODPBCKBR.

I am carefully studying the spot. Looking up into the tall
tree-tops, whence came the fatal limb, my mind is, if
possible, momentarily diverted by the sight of a bird seldom
seen in this locality, or in any of the more northern districts,
though it is said to be very common south of 35°. It is
the Red-bellied Woodpecker {Centurus carolinus)^ the most
beautiful of all the smaller species of its tribe in this
locality. This is a fine male. Somewhat larger than the
Hairy Voodpecker, some 10 long and 17 in extent, he has
a broad strip of glossy crimson, extending from the bill

''

*.i

106

THE RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER,

over the head and hind neck, the rest of the head, neck
and under parts a beautiful light-ash color, with a tinge of
red on the belly, whence the common name; the upper
parts jet-black, with fine concentric lines and rows of spots
of pure white; eyes red. The female differs mainly in the
absence of the red on the top of the head, that mark extend-
ing only up the back of the neck to the occiput.

This bird has a hoarse note, resembling chaw^ chaWy and
has a nest and eggs like those of the rest of the Wood-
peckers. It is a common resident throughout the year in
Northeastern Ohio, where I have seen its nest about the
middle of May.

CHAPTER VII.

THE BOTFF AND THE CAT-TAILS.

BEFORE studying the matter, it v iidd Aot occur to one
how different the plants and animals are the'tvoiid over.
Each individual has its particular locality or habitat.
Sometimes, as in the case of certain species of Humming-
birds, that habitat is a single island or mountain; again, as
in the case of the Duck Hawk or Osprey, it is, in its various
allied forms, nearly or quite cosmopolitical. Generally,
however, great mountains and seas or changes of climate
bound these habitats. For instance, in Eastern North
America we have a certain set of birds, extending from the
Atlantic Coast westward to the Rocky Mountains; blit from
this great mountain system, running north and south the
entire length of the continent, to the Pacific Coast, there
is found another set, generally more or less allied to ours
indeed, but for the most part specifically different Again,
we have certain species peculiar to the northern, and others
peculiar to the southern, latitudes ; and between the plants
and animals of the several continents, the difference is gener-
ally very great. What is true of space, in this respect, is still
truer of time. In respect to the fauna of the various geological
ages, the differentiation is indeed immense. But all these
vast varieties of form are built on certain fixed plans of
structure. The great classes, orders, and families have
their representatives everywhere; and, while these types of

»#

K)8

THE RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD.

Structure have been generally progfressive in the order of
time, in the lower forms of animal life there are some
genera which seem to have stood almost from the first
dawn of life to the present time. A careful bound-
ing of the localities occupied by the various animals and
plants constitutes the science of their geographical distri-
bution.

In respect to the g^eat class of birds, the whole world
has its Owls, Hawks, Vulturesi, Sparrows, Shrikes, Starling^,
etc. ; but the species differs in different parts of the world.

THE RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD.

In the most typical sense the Starlings are confined to
the Old World; but, by a little broader generalization,
many birds of our own country may be included under that

THB RBD-WINCBD BLACKBIRD.

head. For instance, on this 7th of March, as I stand just
south of a bluff, by the margin, of a cat-tail swamp, I see a
large flock of the so-called Red-winged Starlings or Blackr

THE RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD.

100

birds {Agg/aus phaniceus). They are sometimes here a
week earlier, and are always partial to the cat-tails.
Indeed, this species is strictly an ornament and appurte-
nance of the swamp. The male, somewhat smaller than a
Robin, 8 or 9 inches long, is clad in a rich jet-black from
tip to toe, except the shoulders of his wings, which are of a
bright glossy-scarlet, with a margin of light orange. He
is a strikingly beautiful object on this gray and naked
landscape of the early spring. How spirited, too, he seems,
as he steps and flits about, jerking his tail, uttering his
familiar chucky chucky chuck^ and every now and then adding
his distinctive " o-kal-ree-e-e-e-e-ee" or " lo-kal-o-ree-e-e-e-e-ee**
Until the arrival of the female, which may not occur for
several weeks, he will appear exceedingly uneasy. About
this time he will take some conspicuous position in
the leafless trees or bushes, and spreading his wings and
tail by a jerking motion, and waltzing back and forth, and
bowing most gracefully, his wonted song becomes more
liquid and clear, interspersed with an occasional rattling
sound, ending in a loud, clear whistle. In color, the female
is very unlike her mate. Of a rich dark-brown, each feather
is margined with light-brown or brownish-white, the
margins being broadest and lightest on the breast and
underneath, thus making those parts appear noticeably
lighter. The young male is similar to the female, except
that the margin of the dark-brown feathers are ruddy, and
the shoulders of the wings of a beautiful red, mixed with
black. The young female is somewhat lighter than the
mother. In the autumn, when the black plumage of the
mature males is more or less fringed with light-brown, the
whole family make a truly beautiful g^oup.

Early in May the nest is built somewhere in or about a
swamp, generally near the ground, but sometimes in a bush

i
1

*

I

i

no

THE RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD.

or even in a tree; in my locality, for the most part, among
the cat-tails. I found the nests very abundant on St.
Clair Flats, built in the sedges over the water. It is a basket-
like structure, composed outwardly of coarse, flexible mate-
rials— commonly the dried leaves of the cat-tails and sedges
of the previous year — fastened near the base of the old
stalks still standing, and lined with fine dried grasses, or
occasionally with horse-hair. It belongs to the style of
bird-structures called "basket-hests." In this little swamp I
have sometimes found a nest every few rods, or even every
few feet. Then it is interesting to note the difference
between the several sets of eggs. Frequently more than an
inch long, they are often much less; now larger and quite
pointed, and now roundish; the delicate tinge of green
which makes the ground-color is darker or lighter; the
markings, in the form of pen-dashes, dots and blotches,
thick and heavy, or light and few, scattered over the entire
surface, in a wreath near the middle, or in a bunch at the
large end. These odd markings appear like the written
symbols of some strange language. The Red-wings gener-
ally breed more or less in communities. As with the rest
of the Icteridae family, the male is not accustomed to take
the nest, but is most assiduously attentive to the female
during incubation. Sometimes two broods are raised in a
season in this locality, the eggs of the first being laid in
May and those of the second in July.

In spring and early summer the destruction of insect-life by
the Red-winged Blackbirds is incalculable. Of this every far-
mer must be convinced, as he observes the flocks which search
the pastures and plowed grounds. The breeding season over,
they gather in immense noisy flocks, and are exceedingly de-
structive to corn and other grains; but, probably, in nowise
counteract the good they do in the earlier part of the year.

THE RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD.

Ill

On the winter history of this bird in the Southern States,
Wilson has a very fine paragraph: " The Red-winged Star-
lings, though generally migratory in the states north of
Maryland, are found during winter in immense, flocks some-
times associated with the Purple Grakles, and often by
themselves, along the whole lower parts of Virginia, both
Carolinas, Georgia and Louisiana, particularly near the sea-
coast, and in the vicinity of large rice and corn fields. In
the months of January and February, while passing through
the former of these countries, I was frequently entertained
with the aerial evolutions of these great bodies of Starlings.
Sometimes they appeared driving about like an enormous
black cloud carried before the wind, varying its shape every
moment; sometimes suddenly rising from the fields around
me with a noise like thunder; while the glittering of innu-
merable wings of the brightest vermilion amid the black
cloud they formed produced on these occasions a very
striking and splendid effect. Then, descending like a tor-
rent, and covering the branches of some detached grove, or
clump of trees, the whole congregated multitude commenced
one general concert or chorus, that I have plainly distin-
guished at the distance of more than two miles, and, when
listened to at the intermediate space of about a quarter of a
mile, with a slight bi'eeze of wind to swell and soften the
flow of its cadences, was to me grand, and even sublime.
The whole season of winter that, with most birds, is passed
in struggling to sustain life in silent melancholy, is, with the
Red-wings, one continued carnival. The profuse gleanings
of the old rice, corn, and buckwheat fields supply them with
abundant food, at once ready and nutritious; and the inter-
mediate time is spent either in aerial maneuvers or in
grand vocal performances, as if solicitous to supply the
absence of all the tuneful summer tribes, and to cheer the

■■jN \ -

112

THE CROW BLACKBIRD,

dejected face of nature with their whole combined powers
of harmony."

Habitat: " The typical form throughout temperate North
America, and south to Central America. Breeds in suitable
places from Texas to the Saskatchawan, and along the whole
Atlantic Coast. Winters from about 36** southward."
(Coues).

The Yellow-headed Blackbird is a western species, some-
times straggling eastward even to New England.

I

THE CROW BLACKBIRD.

The bluff above referred to is well clad with sumacs,
dogwoods, elders, etc. Here, on this same 7th of March,
but more particularly along the creek a few rods away, are
small flocks of the Purple Grakle, or Crow Blackbird {Quisca-
luspurpureus). They fly slowly from one bush to another, from
the bluff to the bushes along the creek, and then back to the
bluff again, their tails, folded downward in the middle, being
very conspicuous, and their constant chucky chuck very like
that of the Red-wing, only in a little hoarser tone and on a
lower key. Like the latter, the former are quite partial to
swamps and streams^ but are not quite so confined to them,
for they are frequently common about country door-yards
and village lots, especially such as abound in evergreens.
They are often abundant in cemeteries which are well orna-
mented with coniferae. If cat-tails are to be associated
with the Red-wings, evergreens are to be quite as much
associated with the Crow Blackbirds. Often, indeed, they
affect the shadowy recesses of the thickly-branched Lom-
bardy poplars. As the plowman turns his furrow this bird
forms a part of the newly-made landscape. Stepping along
the fresh, brown ridges with a peculiar gracefulness, his
brilliant hues, with a bright, metallic lustre, cannot fail to

THE CROW BLACKBIRD.

118

delight the eye. Blue, emerald, purple, and bronze, all
gleam and flash interchangeably in the sunshine. How
quick are those light-golden eyes to detect grubs, beetles,
chrysalids and worms! The male being about 12 inches or
more in length, the female is a good deal smaller, and for
the most part of a plain black, being wholly without the
lustre and changeableness of the male. In early spring
they often gather in quite large flocks, chattering and
whistling in a manner thoroughly noisy, if not somewhat
musical.

Their nest — made early in May, if not already in April,
and a rather bulky structure of sticks and coarse hay, more
particularly the latter, often cemented with mud, lined with
fine hay and some horse-hair — is placed either low or high in
a tree, an evergreen or Lombardy poplar being preferred;
and if the tree is large, it may contain a number of nests.
Wilson says: "A singular attachment frequently takes place
between this bird and the Fish Hawk. The nest of this
latter is of very large dimensions, often from three to four
feet in breadth, and from four to five feet high; composed,
externally, of large sticks, or fagots, among the interstices
of which sometimes three or four pairs of Crow Blackbirds
will construct their nests, while the Hawk is sitting or
hatching above. Here each pursues the duties of incubation
and of rearing its young; living in the greatest harmony,
and mutually watching and protecting each other's property
from depredators." In the south Audubon says the nests of
these Blackbirds are generally placed in holes of trees —
often in a deserted Woodpecker's nest. The same manner
of nesting has recently been reported from some parts of
the north.

The eggs of the Crow Blackbird, some 1.20 X .82, and
four or five in number, are generally greenish, sometimes
8

M

f'

114

THE CROW BLACKBIRD.

brownish, or of a dirty white, specked, spotted, scratched and
blotched, sometimes thickly, sometimes sparingly, with light
brown, or black. It seldom raises more than one brood
here.

As to this bird's destructiveness in the corn-field, every
one has heard and seen enough. Hence the merciless
slaughter which he meets, and the dangling of his dead
body in terrorem. But if we are not to " muzzle the ox that
treadeth out the corn," let us take heed, lest we grudge the
Blackbird his corn unfairly. Some of the late ornithologists,
however, affirm that this bird, a near relative to the Crow in
habit as well as in appearance, is given to sucking other
birds' eggs and eating their young. If this be generally
proven against him he will smell more gunpowder than ever
before.

The Crow Blackbirds find their winter residence in the
Southern States. " Here," according to Wilson, " numerous
bodies, collecting together from all quarters of the interior
and northern districts, and darkening the air with their
numbers, sometimes form one congregated multitude of
many hundred thousands. A few miles from the banks of
the Roanoke, on the 20th of January, I met with one of
those prodigious armies of Grakles. They rose from the
surrounding fields with a noise like thunder, and, descend-
ing on the length of road before me, covered it and the
fences completely with black; and when they again rose,
and, after a few evolutions, descended on the skirts of the
high-timbered woods, at that time destitute of leaves, they
produced a most singular and striking effect; the whole
trees for a considerable extent, from the top to the lowest
branches, seemed as if hung in mourning; their notes and
screaming the meanwhile resembling the distant sound of a
great cataract, but in more musical cadence, swelling and

THE CEDAR BIRD.

115

dying away on the ear, according to the fluctuations of the
breeze."

Habitat: Eastern North America, north to Labrador,
west to the Rocky Mountains, breeding throughout its
range. I saw none in Manitoulin Island and vicinity

As to the so-called Bronzed Grakle {Quiscalus purpureus
aneus\ now differentiated by some, and supposed to breed
a little further north than the last described, I have had no
opportunity of discriminating. If, indeed, it be different
from the Common Crow Blackbird, it must be very similar..

The Boat-tailed Grakle of the south {Quiscalus major) is
scarcely more than the former on a larger pattern. About
16.00 long, it is about one-fourth larger, and its habits
are very similar. The flight is slow, straightforward, the
heavy boat-shaped tail seeming to tip the bird up in front.
It is noisy, and partial to the vicinity of water, often wading
for its molluscous diet. Its nests, which are in community
after the manner of its congener here and also its corvine
relations in the old world, is sometimes placed in a bush or
tree, but commonly in the tall saw-grass of the southern
marshes. The structure is large and coarse, is tied to the
grass-stems about four feet from the ground, and generally
contains three eggs, similar to those of the Crow Black-
bird, but larger — about 1.27 X .86. It winters in the
extreme Southern States, and reaches regularly the Carolinas
in summer.

THE CEDAR BIRD.

On the top of the bluff stands the first row of trees of a
large orchard. On one of these alights a flock of birds,
sometimes found here in small numbers even in winter, but
always appearing in flocks very early in spring. There are
some forty of them, and they move with the regularity of
a perfectly disciplined army, flying as compactly as pos-

^1

116

THE CEDAR BIRD,

sible, and all having precisely the same motion, and alight-
ing so similarly that the attitude of one is the attitude of
the whole flock. Few things in the movement of bird-life
are more interesting than this perfect uniformity of motion
of a group of Cedar Birds (Ampelis cedrorum)^ as if one life
directed them all. How spirited and graceful they are! Some
six or seven inches long, slender, beautifully crested, the plum-
age remarkably blended and glossy; in color, a rich brown,
becoming reddish on the breast and about the head; chin,
forehead, and band across the eyes to occiput, black, partly
margined with a line of white; belly, yellow; under tail
coverts, white; wings, rump and tail, bluish-drab; darker
toward the end of the tail, which is margined with bright
sulphur-yellow; secondaries, generally tipped with flattened
appendages, the color of bright-red sealing-wax. The
female is similar to the male, and the young differ but little.
Occasionally an old male is found with red, wax-like tips
on the tail feathers, or even on some of the feathers of the
crest.

As I watch the flock in the bright, warm sunshine they
become more careless in attitude and motion, and presently
become fly-catchers, making little circuits after their prey,
and seeming rather drowsy, for them. This fly-catching is
quite indicative of their habit in part; for despite their
frugivorous propensities, they destroy no small number of
insects at certain seasons of the year, especially the larvae
of the Canker Worm.

. Watch these same Cedar Birds in some secluded dell
affording a rocky stream — watch them in the delicious
quiet and ruddy glow of the evening. How gracefully
they alight on the larger rocks rising above the surface of
the water; and, standing almost straight, with crests erect,
how noiselessly they describe their elegant circles in the

THE CEDAR BIRD.

117

midst of clouds of gnats and midges. You hear no snap-
ping of the bill, as in the case of Fly-catchers similarly
engaged, but each little detour signifies the destruction of
one or more of these tiny insects.

This imitation of the Fly-catchers the farmer will scarcely
admit, as he recalls the more destructive habits of this bird,
how he appears singly, or in large numbers, on the sweet
cherry-tree of early summer, pilfers blackberries and rasp-
berries, strips the rich, ornamental clusters from the mountain
ash; in short, V s himself with fruit to the very throat, even
dropping and dying, in some cases, of sheer gluttony — all
this without the least apology for a song — nothing in the
way of a note but a sly tseep, tseep^ scarcely loud enough to
be a warning to the ordinary ear — nothing, in short, to
recommend him but his graceful carriage and fine clothes,
unless, indeed, the ornithologist can vindicate him as a
" fly-catcher " and " worm-eater," and so secure a balance
of sentiment in his favor. This vindication we believe to be
possible. At any rate, as a beautiful ornament in nature,
he is entitled to some support, especially by those who
regard " a thing of beauty a joy forever." I never could
justify a certain old gentleman of my acquaintance who
shot eighty of these "orchard beauties" from a single
sweet cherry-tree in a few hours. I would rather have set
out more cherry-trees.

Strange to say, though this bird is here among the first,
and in large flocks, some few even remaining through the
winter, it does not ordinarily begin a nest till late in June
or in July, perhaps because the favorite fruits on which it
feeds its young, after a course of insects in their earliest
babyhood, are not sooner available. This nest is generally
in a tree in the orchard, and is rather bulky and coarsely
built for so trim a bird, being composed outwardly of small

i(

118

THE CEDAR BIRD.

Sticks and coarse glasses; inwardly, of sprigs of larch, fine,
dried grasses, or horse-hair, quite a little wool, or vegetable
down, being occasionally used, or even a large quantity of
fine rootlets. The eggs, 4 or 5, some .82 x -32, are light-
green, or dinghy white, specked and spotted with dark
purple and black.

I once found a young one, fuU-gp'own, held to the nest by
a horse-hair, which had grown into the foot. It had the
waxen tips on its wings, showing that this peculiarity is not
wholly a matter of age.

CHAPTER VIII.

ALONG THE CREEK.

P)|0 you know that the Wild Geese are here?" inquired a

LJ friend of mine at Oak Orchard Creek, on the even-
ing of the 16th of March. "I fired into a large flock in the
wheat-field to-day and killed two."

"Indeed! I am aware that they are quite destructive to
the wheat-fields for some four or five weeks in early spring,
all along the south of Lake Ontario," I replied.

The Canada, or Common Wild Goose (Branta canadensis)^
is the one referred to; and the two specimens, male and
female, are now mounted and before me in my study. The
male is some 38 inches, and the female some 34 inches in
length, thus appearing considerably larger than the com-
mon domestk Goose. The general color is a rich, dark-
gray, the plamage edged with lighter; bill, head, neck,
lower back, tips of wings, tail, and feet, black; patch across
the throat and up the sides of the head, and sometimes the
upper breast, grayish- white; vent and coverts at the root of
the tail, pure white.

There is not a more characteristic bird in all North
America. Moving northward in large, noisy flocks in
spring, and southward in a similar manner in autumn, it
is the sure herald of the departure of the Ice King, as well
as of his return. Who does not know of the Wild Goose? —
that it is the most sensitive of all ou: rnimated nature to

120

THE CANADA GOOSE.

the great changes of temperature about to take place; that
it is surely an evil omen, in the dubious days of spring, to
see it retracing its course southward. The beautiful mili-
tary order of the flight of these birds — how, under the
direction of some accepted leader, they move now in form
of a straight line, now in the manner of an angle of varia-
ble degrees, every now and then some of them changing
positions, that the stronger and fresher may take its turn
in clearing the air, while the weaker and more weary take
the advantage of the wake — must be familiar to all who
have at all observed these grand movements. The confused
'* hanking," '' clanging " notes, too, which seem almost to
keep time with the beat of wings, must be equally familiar.

In Western New York, at present, the Canada Goose is
simply a migrant, except as it '' occasionally nests at large
in the United States" (Coues), where in former times its
nidification was common. (Audubon.) These birds come in
flocks from the south into our lake counties of Western New
York soon after the middle of March, and remain with us
some 4-6 weeks. During this time they may be seen almost
constantly riding on the water near the shores of Lake Ontario.
At day-break, and again in the afternoon, they fly inland to
feed in wheat-fields on the tender, succulent blades, or in the
richer meadows. On leaving the lake they are silent, but fill
the air with their clangor on returning. By the utmost
vigilance a few are shot; but they generally alight on some
eminence where there is a good outlook in every direction,
and some wary gander is constantly on the alert.

The Canada Goose breeds more or less commonly in Lab-
rador and to the northward. Mr. James Fortiscue says
of their breeding about York Factory, Hudson's Bay:
" Hatch everywhere, up in woods and swamps; nests made
of sticks and hay, lined with feathers."

■■i

THE CANADA GOOSE.

121

In the extreme Northwestern States it is said to breed in
trees. It is now known to breed abundantly in the North-
west Territory, especially along the Assinniboin River with
its many tributaries. It usually makes its nest on the
ground, near some stream or sheet of water, often on
secluded island's in larger rivers. One nest found by
Audubon " was placed on the stump of a large tree stand-
ing in the center of a small pond, about twenty feet high,
and contained five eggs." The same author says: "The
greatest number of eggs which I have found in the nest of
this species was nine, which I think is more by three than
these birds usually lay in a wild state." Again: "The
eggs measure, on an average, 3.50 X 2.50, are thick-
shelled, rather smooth, and of a very dull yellowish-
green color. The period of incubation is twenty-eight
days. They never have more than one brood in a season,
unless their eggs are removed or broken at an early period.
The young follow their parents to the water a day or two
after they have issued from the egg, but generally return to
land to repose in the sunshine in the evening, and pass
the night there under their mother, who employs all
imaginable care to insure their comfort and safety, as does
her mate, who never leaves her during incubation for a
longer time than is necessary for procuring food, and takes
her place at intervals. Both remain with their brood until
the following spring. It is during the breeding season that
the gander displays his courage and strength to the greatest
advantage. I knew one that appeared larger than usual,
and of which all the lower parts were of a rich cream-color.
It returned three years in succession to a large pond a few
miles from the mouth of Green River, in Kentucky, and
whenever I visited the nest it seemed to look upon me
with utter contempt. It would stand in a stately atti-

122

THE CANADA GOOSE.

tude until I reached within a it,^ yards of the nest, when,
suddenly lowering its head, and shaking it as if it were
dislocated from the neck, it would open its wings and launch
into the air, flying directly at me. So daring was this fine
fellow, that in two instances he struck me a blow with one
of his wing^ on the right arm, which, for an instant, I
thought was broken. I observed that immediately after
such an effort to defend his nest and mate, he would run
swiftly towards them, pass his head and neck several times
over and around the female, and again assume his attitude
of defiance."

The same author says: " It is extremely amusing to wit-
ness the courtship of the Canada Goose in all its stages;
and let me assure you, reader, that although a gander does
not strut before his beloved with the pomposity of a
Turkey, or the grace of a Doye, his ways are quite as
agreeable to the female of his choice. I can imagine before
me one who has just accomplished the defeat of another
male after a struggle of half an hour or more. He advances
gallantly towards the object of his attention, his head
scarcely raised an inch from the ground, his bill open to its
full stretch, his fleshy tongue elevated, his eyes darting fiery
glances, and as he moves he hisses loudly, while the emotion
which he experiences causes his quills to shake, and his
feathers to rustle. Now he is close to her who, in his eyes,
is all loveliness, his neck bending gracefully in all directions, ,
passes all around her, and occasionally touches her body;
and as she congratulates him on his victory, and acknowl-
edges his affection, they move their necks in a hundred
curious ways. At this moment fierce jealousy urges the
defeated gander to renew his efforts to obtain his love; he
advances apace, his eye glowing with the fire of rage; he
shakes his broad wings, ruffles up his whole plumage, and

THE CANADA GOOSE.

123

as he rushes on the foe, hisses with the intensity of anger.
The whole flock seems to stand amazed, and opening up a
space, the birds gather round to view the combat. The
bold bird, who has been caressing his mate, scarcely deigns
to take notice of his foe, but seems to send a scornful glance
towards him, He of the mortified feelings, however, raises
his body, half opens his sinewy wings, and with a powerful
blow, sends forth his defiance. The affront cannot be borne
in the presence of so large a company, nor indeed is there
much disposition to bear it in any circumstances; the blow
is returned with vigor, the aggressor reels for a moment,
but he soon recovers, and now the combat rages. Were the
weapons more deadly, feats of chivalry would now be per-
formed; as it is, thrust and blow succeed each other like the
strokes of hammers driven by sturdy forgers. But now, the
mated gander has caught hold of his antagonist's head with
his bill; no bull-dog could cling faster to his victim; he
squeezes him with all the energy of rage, lashes him with
his powerful wings, and at length drives him away, spreads
out his pinions, runs with joy to his mate, and fills the air
with cries of exultation."

D. H. Bunn, a man well capable of telling what he sees,
reports the following incident, as occurring in Madison
County, New York, some twenty years ago: During a night
of thick fog In early spring, a flock of geese passing over,
twenty-five of them struck against a large factory. Lodging
near by, he heard the blow, roused his companions, and
they went out with lanterns. In a sort of alder-swamp, on
that side of the building which the birds had encountered,
they found the stunned and disconcerted creatures hanging
entangled in the alders, or splashing about the water; and
after being well pinched and bitten, and soundly thumped by
their powerful wings, the party succeeded in capturing them.

'?

124

THE MALLARD.

The Canada Goose spends the winter in large flocks, in
the middle and more southern portions of our continent.
A variety of this same species, called Hutchin's Goose, is
sparingly found to the eastward, and is very abundant in the
northwest. Mr. Fortiscue thinks there are not less than
four closely-allied species of this kind of goose at Hudson's
Bay.

THE MALLARD.

March 17th, on a bright sunny morning after a light fall of
snow, I wandered along Oak Orchard Creek — a purling
stream some three or four rods in width — and found the
Mallard {Anas boschas\ and the Dusky or Black Duck {Anas
obscura)^ in considerable numbers. The former — a bird of
the stream and lake rather than of the sea — is found very
sparingly in New England and immediately to the north-
ward, but plentifully from New York southward, especially
in Florida, in winter; and it is abundant in the far north-
west in summer. As it moves smoothly and gracefully
along the quiet stream, or rises in flight, or more especially
as it almost hovers overhead in the presence of danger, it is
a truly beautiful object. The rich glossy-gfreen of the neck
of the male, his yellow bill and legs, the rich vinous-brown
of his breast, and the gray of his under parts, the pure white
tail of gracefully-pointed feathers, ornamented by the
recurved upper tail coverts of glossy-green or purple, are
simply resplendent in the bright morning sun, so intensified
by the reflection from the pure sparkling sheet of snow.
As he is brought down, so that one can examine the deep
b i k of the lower back, the delicately-penciled gray of his
. ulders, scapulars and tertiaries, all set off by his dark
V) 1^ with its beauty spot of green or violet margined with
black arid white, one concludes that his brilliancy is scarcely
surpassed by anything on our waters. He seems by con-

THE MALLARD.

125

trast to be more complete, too, when by the side of his
female of plainer beauty — her plumage being rich brown
margined with lighter, chin and throat whitish, beauty spot
nearly as in the male. " Nearly cosmopolitan, and nearly
everywhere domesticated," breeding more or less sparingly
throughout the United States, and more particularly to the
north, the Mallard mates in winter and in early spring; and
builds a nest of coarse materials in the marsh, lining it, if
far north, with down from its breast so plentifully that the
eggs, some eight to a dozen, and of a delicate or sometimes
dingy greenish-white, can be covered with the same on
leaving them.

On St. Clair Flats, where I found the Mallard breeding
quite commonly, the nest, which might be built in the
sedges over the water, but more commonly on a knoll or
against a log in the flooded marsh or among the bushes on
the highest ridges, never contained much down. If the
number of eggs were incomplete, or they were fresh-laid,
and therefore the entire nest as yet imperfect, there was no
down at all. The elegant green tint is quite peculiar to the
^%% of this Duck.

Unlike the Geese, but like other Ducks and the Mergan-
sers, as well as some other water-birds, the male now leaves
the female to care for her eggs and her young family alone,
while he, along with other heartless husbands and fathers of
the same kind, spends the remainder of the breeding season
in leisurely roaming, unless, indeed, the female lose her nest,
and then she goes in search of the male.

The female meanwhile is most signally faithful to her
charge. She will remain on the nest till almost trodden upon,
and then often alighting near by, will stretch out her neck,
spread her tail, and flap her wings on the water, in a manner
equal to the arts of the little Waders when similarly disturbed.

ISO

THE MALLARD.

" I have found the Mallard," says Audubon, " breeding on
large, prostrate and rotten logs, three feet above the ground,
and in the center of a canebrake, nearly a mile distant from
any water. Once I found a female leading her young
through the woods, and no doubt conducting them towards
the .Ohio. When I first saw her she had already observed
me, and had squatted fiat among the grass, with her brood
around her. As I moved onwards, she ruffled her feathers,
and hissed at me in the manner of a goose, while the little
ones scampered off in all directions. I had an excellent
dog, well instructed to catch young birds without injuring
them, and I ordered him to seek for them. On this the
mother took wing, and fiew through the woods as if about
to fall down at every yard or so. She passed and repassed
over the dog, as if watching the success of his search; and
as one after another the ducklings were brought to me and
struggled in my bird-bag, the distressed parent came to the
ground near me, rolled and tumbled about, and so affected
me by her despair that I ordered my dog to lie down,
while, with a pleasure that can be felt only by those who
are parents themselves, I restored to her the innocent brood
and walked off. As I turned round to observe her, I really
thought I could perceive gratitude expressed in her eye;
and a happier moment I never felt while rambling in search
of knowledge through the woods."

The voice of the Mallard, and its manner of feeding by
immersing its head and neck, or by tipping perpendicularly
half out and half under the water, are so well illustrated by
the domestic Duck as to need no explanation here. Suffice
it to say, this is one of those members of the animal creation
which have ministered incalculably to the comfort and sup-
port of man.

THE DUSKY DUCK,

127

THE DUSKY DUCK.

Screened by a small hemlock on the bank of the creek, I
hp •^e a good view of a flock of some dozen Dusky, or Black
Ducks, as they fly up the stream. They are very large, and
look quite dark, except the under side of the wings, which is
white, and which gives a fine effect in flight. How great
the rapidity and momentum of that flight is we have but
little idea, till the bird, ceasing the rapid strokes of its
wings, and bending them downward like the arcs of a circle,
prepares to alight. Then that smooth body, with out-
stretched head and neck, and wings which cut the air like
sabers, like a huge arrow rushes through the air; and it
must sail some distance before the force of its momentum is
sufliciently spent to allow it to reach the earth in safety.

A few rods above me these Ducks drop gracefully down,
striking the water so easily, and parting it with such a
pretty plash, as to impress me with the beauty possible to
motion, and with the tranquil happiness of these creatures
in their undisturbed haunts. The stream being shallow,
they can easily reach their food by plunging their heads, in
which act they throw up their feet and hinder parts in a
manner quite amusing. They plunge, dart around in a
hurry-skurry manner, straighten out their necks and flap
their wings, thus seeming to sit almost on their tails on the
water; and, finally getting a glimpse of me, they rush out
of the water into the air with a splashing that brings me to
my feet; and I fire, bringing down a fine pair, which I
readily secure as they float down stream by wading in with
my long rubber-boots. About two feet long, of a dark
brown, the feathers edged with lighter, the beauty spot a
rich violet, the male and female about alike, this species
cannot easily be mistaken. It is by far the most common
Duck in this locality, being really abundant in the migra-

iWlIf

i'l 1

If:

I

128

THE DUSKY DUCK.

tions, and quite a few remaining to breed in suitable places.
When passing north in spring, sometimes in single pairs,
sometimes in groups of pairs, they seem to tarry for a few
weeks, selecting certain feeding grounds — shallow pools
and ditches about the fields — to which they attend regu-
larly, unless seriously disturbed. Like the Mallards, they
are particularly Ducks of the ponds and the puddle-holes.
Here, by proper caution in the use of some screen, they
may be easily shot, especially about day-break. These
Ducks, as also the Mallards, are occasionally seen in enor-
mous flocks in early spring on submerged grain-fields of
the previous year, in the vicinity of Tonawanda Swamp, a
large territory extending along the southern border of this
county (Orleans), and many miles beyond.

On the 7th of last April (1881), the Ducks flew in great num-
bers in these flooded regions. I was watching them from a
retired point of view. * They flew mostly in pairs, and were
nearly all of the species I am now describing. I noticed
that they all made for a certain corner of a flooded field
which was nearly surrounded by a forest. They would fly
in g^and circles around it and at a considerable height for
some time, and having thus thoroughly surveyed the
ground, would sail with down-curved wings till the great
momentum of their speed was broken, and then drop down
gradually, holding the body in an oblique position, and
flapping the wings forward just as a bird does in hovering^
thus alighting easily and gracefully. Being curious to
see the place of rendezvous, I crept stealthily around to
one side of it, but before I could get within gunshot the
Ducks rose en masse. There must have been many hun-
dreds, and the noise of their wings was like the roll of
thunder. I hid behind the fence, thinking they might
return; but these Ducks are very shy, and gave me no

THE DUSKY DUCK.

1S9

opportunity for ft shot that evening. I watched for them
the next morning before daylight, but it had frozen hard,
and they had all disappeared. Where had they gone ? I
went to Lake Ontario the same day, but could not find them.

Being on the ground again a week later, and being curi-
ous to know where the Ducks spent the night, I was advised
to push my boat into a flooded region of a thick second
growth of varied trees and bushes of the lowlands, about
sundown, and watch their movements. As the rosy tints of
sunset were fadiug out of the sky, the Ducks, nearly all of
the kind now under review, began to circle over the spot;
and every now and then a pair would drop down after the
manner of alighting above described, and with a sharp
flutter and rustle of the wings, reach the water with a
heavy splash. They continued to come until dark, large
numbers thus spending the night floating on these quiet
waters in the security of the trees and the bushes.

Before day the next morning I was at the favorite ren-
dezvous where I had seen so many Ducks the week before.
As the cold sky of the night began to assume the soft
golden hues of the coming morning — a change which takes
place quite suddenly — the Ducks began to arrive. This
time there was none of that cautious reconnoitering of the
place, which is common to these birds at other times of
day. I could hear them squaking, without any reserve
whatever, some time before they reached the spot, and as
they arrived, they immediately dropped down in their flut-
tering, rustling manner, the sound of which, coming so
near my screen by a tree in the open field, had a very
exciting effect upon me in this deep light of the morn-
ing. To watch their sprightly and happy movements in
this state of perfect freedom was well worth all the incon-
venience of rising early, walking far and shivering in the
9

in s»

in--

k It
4

u H

130

THE DVSKY DUCK.

cold. As the morning light became clear, I could see a pair
of Mallards in the crowd; the rest were all Dusky Ducks.
None, however, were near enough for a shot; and as the
light intensified, and my screen was noted as a new addition
to the landscape, on a slight squaking signal by one es-
pecially on the alert, they all left with a rush.

On the 22d of last September I was at Lake Ontario.
The Dusky Ducks were there in immense numbers. Through
the glass I could see a flock of several hundreds a few miles
out from the shore. They sat on the water, as the hunters
say, in great windrows. The lake was smooth, but there
was a gentle, undulating motion of the water; and the
whole flock, with here and there a sentinel on the alert,
were resting with their bills under their scapulars, as if
asleep. The glass was powerful, bringing the birds imme-
diately before me; and the sight was as serenely happy as
one could wish to see in the varied and delightful domain
of nature. Presently one of the crowd yawned and
stretched itself upright, and flapped its wings joyously on
the water, and all followed the example, making a great
fluttering cloud of darkness on the gleaming surface. Now
they began to shoot about among each other in a most
hurried manner, as regularly, however, as men and women
would cut figures in a dance, and thus makin^:^ one of the
most spirited and gleeful impressions. Then they would
all quiet down again, and ride gracefuriy on the gently
moving waters, their heads drawn closely on their breasts,
as if in the most complete repose.

Like the Mallard, the Dusky Duck tecuc. on small mol-
lusks, roots, and grain, and will not disdain a lizard or a
mouse; and, like the Mallard, it is particularly a fresh- wa^er
Duck, though it is not infrequently found about the borders
of the ocean.

THE DUSKY DUCK.

181

Never shall I forget my childish glee on finding a flock
of these Ducks just hatched, following the mother in the
woods near a wild meadow. They were a dark olive, almost
black on the head and back. The old Duck seemed quite
tame, and the little ones did not try very hard to escape.
Filling my hat with them, I hurried home, but was soon
obliged to hurry back, as my mother did not approve of my
enterprise.

A few months ago (1883), while visiting the old paternal
farm, I was again diverted by a flock of these same young
Ducks. The female rose from a mud-hole in the wild
meadow with a great splutter; and, standing still, I began
to look about me for the young. For some time I could
see nothing of them, they were so nearly the color of the
mud and the drabbled grass. By and by my eye caught one
which must have been fully ten days old, sitting perfectly
motionless in the water, which filled a cow's track in the
mud. Looking a little to one side I saw two more snuggled
together in a like dish of water, then another and another,
and still another — ail sitting so motionless that I do not
think they even winked. Thinking that I had looked at
them long enough I stepped forward, when, two more start-
ing up, they all hurried away helter-skelter into the bushes.

The Dusky Duck ranges through Eastern North America
to Labrador, and, breeding more or less throughput, but
more especially to the north, is strictly an American species.
The nest, built on the ground, generally near the v:ater,
sometimes in a tussock of grass, sometimes sunk into the
moss, or even placed on a moss-covered rock or on the top
of a decayed log, is composed of dried grasses and various
vegetable substances, the edge being well surrounded with
down and feathers if incubation be well advanced, and so
the nest complete, thus giving it a peculiar, dark appearance.

I-

132

THE SONG SPARROW.

The eggs, some eight in number, are about 2.38 x LS*?* very
nearly the size and shape of a common hen's egg, the
surface being of an opaque smoothness, and of a uniform
brownish tint, sometimes, indeed, of an elegant greenish, or
even reddish shade, the fresh egg seeming fairly translucent.
Generally, however, the eggs, like those of the Ducks in
general, are much soiled and disfigured from the bird's
entering the nest directly from the riled water and the mud.

'

* ■

hi -

THE SONG SPARROW.

The sun is now well up, and the thin sheet of snow is
melting rapidly. There is such a mingling of spring
warmth and winter sunshine as makes the day particularly
bright and suggestive. The reflection of every ray of the
clearest sun by the clean sheet of new snow so intensifies
the light that it seems as if a diffused lightning had become
fixed — as if the very atmosphere were transfigured. Every
breath takes in a reeking moisture, the air vibrates on the
hills as in summer heat, and the rippling and purling of the
stream is hurried and full. The earth will come out of this
snow as from a warm bath, everything freshened and
quickened as by a summer rain. All along the flats about
the creek, from the clp.iups of bushes, from the thickets,
and from the edges of the fore Us, come the loud and ring-
ing notes of the Song Sparrow {Melospiza melodiu). Except
the creaking melody of the Horned Lark, heard fully a
month earlier, or possibly the simultaneous warbling note
of the Bluebird, this is our first noticeable bird-song of the
year. On the most disagreeable days of late February or
early March, when the air has that peculiar chill caused
by the slow melting of snow and ice, or a rain is falling
barely above the freezing point, the clear, strong vibrations
of this melody are as cheerful as in the most genial days of

THE SOKTG SPARROW.

133

spring. They sound like a sudden outburst of joy in the
midst of the universal bleakness of a winter's day — like
something out of its time — a melodious prophecy of the
joys of spring so near these last days of winter.

We may sometimes find the Song Sparrow in a sheltered
place here, even in winter, and hear him lisp a faint warble
from near the ground, but his full song is reserved till this
approach of spring. The clear strokes, twitters, and trills of
this song are especially musical and inspiriting on this bright,
still morning. They have the whole vibrating capacity of
the atmosphere to themselves, without even the rustling of
a leaf or the humming of an insect to counteract them.
Commencing with several long and peculiarly resonant
notes the bird continues in a twittering warble, and ends
with several notes longer and more resonant than the first,
the whole being in a tone so loud and penetrating that one
cannot but marvel at the capacity of those tiny lungs, scarcely
larger than a small bean. But the vocal apparatus of
birds, and of song-birds in particular, is very remarkable.
The larynx, highly complicated in structure, is at the lower
end of the trachea, or windpipe, being also connected with
the upper part or fork of the bronchial tubes; and the
muscles connected with it, only one or tv7o pairs in ordinary
birds, in song-birds, are no less than five pairs. Tl '^se mus-
cles may change the relative positions of the car :!i, vinous
rings or half- rings connected with the vocal organ; or they
may lengthen or shorten the trachea, thus giving the effect
of tubes of different lengths in a pipe-organ, or they may
modify the tension of the trilling membrane and other
membranes of the vocal organ itself. Also the arytenoid
cartilages at the upper end of the trachea may open or par-
tially close the air passage, and so mod'fy the sound some-
thing after the manner of the knee :v>vf;ll of a common

ir

134

THE SONG SPARROW.

I.

I

parlor-organ. All these vocal contrivances are greatly
aided again by the air-cavities and passages pervading the
interior of the body, the muscles and the bones. I'he
delightful qualities of tone, and the variations of melody
which are thus made possible to the sylvan songster, must
fall on the ear of a genuine lover of music to be fully
appreciated. Truly nature has concentrated the energy of
the song-bird in the vocal powers as well as that of birds in
general in the wing. Song, that high endowment of a portion
only of the human race, is the peculiar and fascinating gift of
certain birds, thus placing them not only above all others
of their kind, but above all the rest of animated nature.

How often throughout the season have I felt the cheering
influence of the melody of a Song Sparrow as it sang regu-
larly in the apple-trees near my study-window! Many a
performance by the human voice have I heard, far less sig-
nificant and entertaining than this spirited pastoral. The
song of this species varies greatly in different individuals,
and I have sometimes thought that it varied greatly in
different and distant localities. On going into the higher
regions of our Great Lakes, for instance, I have suspected
the melody of the Song Sparrow to be that of some other
species, until I had thoroughly assured myself. Ordinarily,
the song has a peculiar, vibrating tone, making one think of
a tremulous reed or chord; but often the more prolonged
notes are decidedly tintinnabulary, as if the bird carried a
tiny bell in its throat, and struck off its tones in the most
delicate and pleasing manner. The order, again, of the
long notes and the short ones in the melody may be end-
lessly varied. Well, indeed, has this interesting species
been called the Song Sparrow.

In autumn, even, especially in the balmy days of Indian
Summer, one may hear its lay — not so loud and penetrat-

THE SONG SPARROW,

135

ing as in spring, indeed, but in a subdued and tender modu-
lation, peculiar to the time of year. One of our commonest
birds, found anywhere from the door-yard to the forest,
rather partial, however, to thickets, liie Song Sparrow is
the useful ally of man against the insect-tribes, and a
happy minstrel to cheer him in his toils.

Already in April this bird builds its first nest, a second
following as soon as possible, and perhaps a third. Thus
the breeding season continues to the end of summer. I
have seen the eggs fresh the last days of August, and the
young in the nest in September. The nest is usually on the
ground, and well sheltered by some projecting object — a
bush, a tussock of grass, a root, or a hummock of earth;
but it ma> be in a bush, or in a hedge, or even in a broken
dish. In the latter part of the season the nests a.re much more
frequently up from the ground — in a hedge or in a bush —
than in the early spring, perhaps because the birds thus
seek to escape the disturbances of cultivation — haying,
hc^rvesting, and the grazing herds of the pasture. The
nesi is composed for the most part of dried grasses, and is
often luied with horse-ha?r. The eggs, from .YTx.SS-
.86 X .6 J, vary greatly in color and in marking. The ground-
color IS a greenish, or bluish, or grayish- white. The mark-
ing, generally very thick and heavy, is of some shade of
brown, traced with lilac. There is sometimes a single egg
in a set, o' a delicate green, and almost spotless. I know
of no eggs which vary so greatly in color.

I do not so frequently find the Cow Blackbird's eggs in
this nest as in that of other small birds in general.
The Song Sparrow is quite excitable when its nest is dis-
(;;rl ed, v\nd emits a peculiar chimp, chimp, unlike the alarm
n< t'^ of any other bird, yet ti has sometimes the chip peculiar
to other Sparrows.

1^ \

\ M

136

THE PURPLE FNCII.

%

This species, composed of some half-dozen varieties,
covers North America. Our eastern variety {Melospiza
melodia)y wintering from Southern New England and the
Middle States southward, and extending north to the lati-
tude of Nova Scotia, is some six inches or more in length,
and has the marking and color common to all our Spar-
rows. It is distinguishable to me, however, by its general
reddish tinge of brown, espt-rrially by its long crown tail,
by the heavy dark spots on i white breast, and more

especially by the heavy dark oV.i < ''> ^rom the base of its
bill down its cheeks and neck.

Belonging to the same genus with the Song and Swamp
Sparrows, is Lincoln's Sparrow {Melospiza lincolnit). Some
6.60 long, it has the colors and markings of the Sparrows in
general above; throat and belly white, with a broad, brownish-
yellow band across the breast, the throat, breast and sides
being specked and spotted with brown and black. In habit,
nidification, etc., this bird is very similar to the Song Sparrow.
It is found in the migrations throughout North America, being
rare to the eastward, but abundant in the west and north-
west. Audubon found it breeding in Labrador, and its
nests are found in great abundance about Great Slave Lake
and Yukon River. Mr. Bruce saw it 'n a thicket by Lake
Ontario, on the 17th of May (1880), in company with the
White-crowned and White-throated Sparrows.

THE PURPLE FINCH.

As I return to the village about noon I am greeted by the
Purple Finch {Carpodacus purpureus), which has already
been here in full song for a week. The size and general
shape of one of the larger Sparrows, its head is a dark
crimson; rump, breast and under parts of the same, but
much lighter, the latter becoming white underneath;

MMM

THE PURPLE FINCH.

137

feathers of the back and the wing coverts, deep dusky, edged
with crimson; wing and tail-feathers, dusky-black, edged
with light-brown. The female, strongly resembled by the
male for the first two years or more, is nearly the color of
a Song Sparrow. From early spring till late summer this
is one of our most delightful songsters. Lifting itself up
to full length with elevated crest, its voli'ble rich tones —
strongly resembling those of the Warbling Vireo, only
more rapid and spirited — fairly gurgle in its throat to the
very end of the lengthy strain. In the sunny days of the
mating season it has quite a variety of short, spirited notes,
such as pick-wecy wee-ree^ wee-ree-ee. Then, too, it launches
into the air, and with crown-feathers erect, tail partially
thrown up, and a vibrating of wings rather than real flight,
gives its finest melody.

With much demonstration does the male win his plain
mate. Never shall I forget how I once saw him perform on
a fence-rail between me and the setting sun. Straightening
up to full length in front of his spouse, his wings vibrating
almost like those of a Humming-bird, his crimson crest all
aflame in the slanting rays of rosy light, he poured forth
his sweetest warble.

The following note from Mr. Eugene Ringueberg, of
Lockport, is in place here: "While out in a grove of ever-
greens near the house this morning (April 30th), I saw two
male Purple Finches chasing a female in and out among
the trees. She flew around for three or four minutes, only
alighting once in a while to rest, cloi>ely pursued by the
males, singing as hard as they could nearly all the time.
At length, however, she lit on the branch of a beech-tree,
and then one of her suitors perched on a branch within a
foct of her on one side, and the other at about the same
distance on the other side. Immediately a contest of song

i

W

138

THE PURPLE FINCH.

commenced. Each male faced the female with neck out-
stretched and crest raised to its fullest dimensions, and
leaned forward far enough to show conspicuously its bright
rump, and to aid in this display, spread both wings and
tail to the widest extent; and moving, or more properly
dancing, up and down, poured forth such a volume of song
as I did not think them capable of producing. They kept
up this brilliant display of both song and plumage for over
a minute, without one second's cessation, continually mov-
ing the head and body from side to side, and giving a
tremulous, vibratory movement to the wings. Suddenly
they stopped, and after a few seconds of restless chirping,
one male flew away, and m a snort time the other followed,
and then the female flew after the latter."

From the middle of May onward into June you may find
the nest of the Purple Finch almost invariably in the thick
part of a small evergreen, and near the trunk, most com-
monly in the front yard, or in an evergreen hedge set for a
wind-brake; for though rather shy on the whole, this species
seeks the society of man. The nest is framed with small
twigs, fine rootlets and some dried grass, ornamented, per-
haps, with a few dried leaves, bunches of moss, or bits of
vegetable down; it is lined with the finest of dried grasses
and rootlets, or more commonly with hair and fine vege-
table fibres. The eggs, generally four, some .76 x -55, are
a delicate light-green, finely specked with black, or more
coarsely spotted with brown. The Purple Finch breeds here
quite commonly. Wintering sparingly in Massachu-
setts and the more southern parts of New York, but abund-
antly in the Southern States, it comes to us in March,
reaching Labrador in the north and the Pacific in the west,
and goes southward late in the migratory season. Stearns,
therefore, very properly assigns it to the ''Canadian and

THE PURPLE FINCH.

139

Alleghanian Fauna, the latter being in fa^ t its center of
abundance in the breeding season, at which time the bird
is probably nowhere more numerous than in Massachusetts."
In no place have I ever found it so abundant as in Nova
Scotia.

Cassin's Purple Finch and the Crimson-fronted are
closely-allied western varieties, belonging to the Avi-fauna
of the Rocky Mountains.

The Purple Finch has the extreme robustness or thick-
ness of bill belonging to its tribe. It is, however, not
merely a seed-eating bird, but has justly awakened no
small prejudice in the gardener, on account of its partiality
for the tender filaments and fat anthe'^i of fruit-blossoms.
But even if fruit-blossoms were not more numerous than is
necessary, this bird's bright plumage and wonderful song
might well atone for the little mischief it may do.

CHAPTER IX.

EARLY APRIL AND THE PHCEBE.

IN no field of thought does the law of the association of
ideas work more potently than in the domain of nature.
Each season has its voices, its temperatures, and its moods
of earth and sky. Along with the burning days of harvest
we associate the drowsy hum of the Cicada; with the more
temperate days, the fading fields and the cool evenings of
late summer — the shrilling of crickets, locusts and grass-
hoppers; with the driving snows of winter, clouds of Snow
Buntings; with the wooing, sunny days of late March and
early April, the homely but significant voice of the Phoebe
{Sayornis fuscus)^ one of our welcome birds of early spring.
While yet the ground is crisp from the frosts of the previ-
ous night, and the lingering snow-drifts about the fence-
corners give back the unclouded rays of the morning sun in
countless scintillations, as the spirited note of the Robin,
the amorous warble of the Bluebird, the plaintive melody
of the Meadow Lark, and the ringing notes of the Song Spar-
row mingle with the sound of the axe of the woodman on
the hill, this newly arrived bird mounts the fence, the corn-
bin, or the ridge of the barn, and with frequent jerks of the
tail emits, at short intervals, his rather harsh, but by no
means unpleasing, pe-wee. This is Phoebe's very best song.
For more ordinary purposes, however, a chip or a whit may
suffice. After a few weeks, the cheerful note which

THE PH(EBE.

141

announced her arrival ceases, scarcely to be heard again
during her stay. Mr. Burroughs says of this note: "At
agreeable intervals in her lay, she describes a circle or an
ellipse in the air, ostensibly prospecting for insects, but
really, I suspect, as an artistic flourish, thrown in to make
up in some way for the deficiency of her musical perform-
ance." All pretty fancies aside, Phoebe is, without doubt, a
Flycatcher in earnest. Mark her as she describes her curve
from the fence-stake, the apple-tree, or the willow which
overhangs the brook, or hovers amidst a cloud of gnats or
midges, and be assured that the snapping of the bill is no
mere pretense. With head large, and legs weak, with
colors exceedingly plain, and a flight altogether ordinary,
this bird appeals as little to the eye as to the ear. In short,
Phoebe is in every point of view a homely bird; and yet, of
all the feathered tribes, none has a larger or tenderer place
in our sympathies. What makes her so beloved ? Just
that which endears certain plain and unpretending people
to our hearts; or, that supports the old proverb, "handsome
is that handsome does;" or, in other words, an affectionate
kindliness and confidence, accompanied by a useful life,
greatly transcends any mere external accident of personal
beauty or accomplishment. The Phoebe has a better repu-
tation than either Wren or Robin, approaches us with even
more confidence than the Bluebird, can vie with the Swal-
lows in her destruction of noxious insects, in the self-sacri-
fice of her domestic cares is outdone by none, and is the
sure herald of the bright and happy days of spring. On
the other hand, no pilfering or cruel habits or faults of any
kind detract from her many virtues. In moral suggestive-
ness, the history of such a life is more potent than a
fable, and welcome as the beauty and fragrance of the
flowers. Then cordially greet this summer resident, more

iii>

m

142

THE PH(EBE.

I '

disposed to self-domestication than any other bird of our
country.

As an architect, Phoebe is by no means uniform
in her method. Though often constructing a mere
mud-hut, strengthened by any fibrous or strawy mate-
rial, pla'" d on a projection under the piazza, on
a beam in the sheds, or on the under structure of
a bridge, she may build it almost wholly of shreds of bark,
of fine rootlets, lichens, and grasses, or of mosses, using
little or no mud. Two nests how before me are both curi-
ous and beautiful. The one found under a bridge is
double, every part being new. It is built of lichens, moss,
dried grass, and very fine rootlets, and lined with white
silken fibres and horse-hair, the bulk containing a few
pellets of mud as a cement. The apartment of this double
nest, which was less finished and contained no eggs, was
evidently built first, as the pellets of mud used in cement-
ing the outside of the other which was closely joined to it,
extend over its edge and into the nearer side of the interior.
The more highly finished nest contained five fresh eggs, of
the usual size, some .75 x .50 inch, and pure white, and
underneath these was a Cow Blackbird's egg, built out after
the manner of some of the smaller birds.

What could have been the occasion of this double nest ?
As the unoccupied nest was built first, and was a little
sidling, I infer that the bird had time to build in addition a
perfectly upright one, which was more satisfactory, and
therefore more highly finished. (These twin nests are a
fine brown without and a delicate gray within.) Mr. Minot
mentions a pair, which, being late in building, "proceeded
to construct, side by side in a shed, two nests, which were
finished at the same time. While the male fed the young
of the first brood in one nest, the female laid the eggs of a

THE PHCEBE.

143

second brood in the other." Possibly the double nest in my
possession, which, by the way, was also rather late, had it
remained undisturbed, might have disclosed the same
purpose. In this, as in many other cases of bird archi-
tecture, it would seem that the bird had exercised some-
thing of reason, in addition to the ordinary impulses of
instinct.

The other nest in my possession was found in the cellar
of an unoccupied house, and is composed almost entirely
of beautiful green mosses, without any perceptible use of
mud, and is also lined with white silken fibres and horse-
hair— a most beautiful object, especially as ornamented
with its complement of clear white eggs! Such nests are
sometimes built on cliffs of rock, according to the original
habits of the bird, and thus appear as if they "grew"
there — a beautiful product of nature. This is a bird of
the United States, rare in Northern New England and so
belonging to the AUeghanian Fauna^ wintering in the
Southern States, and raising sometimes as many as three
broods in a season and in the same nest, which is ready for
tlie first occupation some time in April.

It is well understood that this species returns to the same
place for nidification for years in succession. Audubon
believed that the young of the previous year returned, in
some cases, with the parents, and thus started a sor*^ of
colony.

Phoebe is 6.50 or upward in length, dark-olive above,
still darker on the crown; under parts white or tinged
with yellow; sides, and sometimes the breast, shaded with
the dark color of the upper parts. The ring around the
eye, the outer webbing of the wing and some of the tail-
feathers are tinged with greenish-white. Bill entirely
black.

I;

m

144

THE WOOD DUCK.

THE WOOD DUCK.

Along the line between Orleans and Genesee counties is
Tonawanda Swamp, extending many miles east and west,
and giving rise to a number of beautiful streams. Here
are large tracts of wood-land, forests of cedar and larch,
immense groves of maples, ashes, elms, etc., standing in the
water a great part of the year, as well as extensive tracts
of mere shrubby growth, and open marshes, moss-bogs,
etc. Here are many ponds and sluggish streams wind-
ing their way so quietly through the still forests that their
glassy surface betrays no current until a boat is launched
upon them. Being quartered with a hospitable family in
the vicinity, I am spending the first days of April in these
interesting haunts. Having paddled a light canoe for
several miles along the meandering water-course, I build
me a booth against the trunk of a large elm standing on a
point where several channels meet. Seating myself, gun in
hand, I have a commanding view along the channels for
some distance. Presently a pair of Wood Ducks {Aix
sponsa) appear. Evidently they are about to alight, but will
first reconnoiter the place. They cross the streams several
times, making short circuits through the woods. How
noiselessly they glide through the tree-tops, the male lead-
ing, and the female following closely after. Satisfied as to
the quiet of the spot, they drop gracefully into the wide,
glassy sheet of water where the channels meet. O, the
elegant figure and brilliant colors of the male, as he displays
himself in front of the female! The stretching and curv-
ing of the neck, and the graceful elevating of the crest are
indescribable. How he cuts and darts around his mate
and most tenderly caresses her! This is the supreme
moment of his rare elegance and beauty. He also utters a
peculiar cackling sound. Some SO inches in length, he is

THE WOOD DUCK.

146

about half way in size between the Teal and the Mallard;
the short and well-shaped bill is finely shaded with yellow,
carmine, and green; the top of the head, and space between
the eye and bill, dark, glossy green; the long crest, dark
green and deep bronze-purple, elegantly edged and streaked
with white; cheeks and sides of the neck, deep purplish-
brown, almost black; arches above the eyes, throat and
fore-neck, with points extending across the cheeks and sides
of the neck, pure white; breast light purplish-brown, with
triangular white spots, and shading into bronze-green on
the upper back; wing blue, black, and violet, edged with
white; feathers at the shoulder of the wing white, edged
with black; tail greenish-black, with rich purplish-brown
on each side of the base; femoral and side-feathers, gray-
ish-yellow, delicately penciled with black, and tipped with
white and black bands; under parts, white. He is decidedly
the most beautiful bird of our waters.

The female is a little smaller than the male, has the crest
much smaller, and is altogether plainer in color; the upper '
parts being generally grayish or brownish, tinged and glossed
with green and purple; space around the eyes, throat, and
under parts, white; breast similar to that of the male in
marking, but much plainer in color.

Having performed their amorous caresses, the happy pair
spring out of the water on wing and alight in the top of a
tall tree, perching as readily as any land-bird, and thus
differing widely from most others of their kind. Here
they are still beautiful, but not so charming as on the
water.

The Wood Duck breeds here, as it does in similar retreats

throughout the Union; not on the ground, however,

after the usu^l manner of Ducks, but in the ends of large

hollow limbs which have been broken off, the nest being

10

%

* A
if

\

i

r

t?

•i V

t

'i

I

I

! !

146

r/f£ WOOD DUCK.

placed sometimes six or ten feet in, and in cavities in the
bodies of trees. The nest is made of various dried vege-
table matter, and is lined with feathers and down. The eggs,
anywhere from a half-dozen to fifteen, are smooth, about
1.95 X 1.60, nearly elliptical, of a light yellowish-white, some-
times tinged with green.

When the female begins to sit the male leaves her, after
the usual manner of the Ducks, and joins other males.

When the young are about twenty-four hours old, if the
limb containing the nest be over the water, they may find
their way severally to the edge, and dropping into their
favorite element, begin life's perilous career. If the nest be
a little distant from the water, as is generally the case, the
mother may seize them by the wing or neck, and con-
vey them to it, or, landing them thus on the ground, may
lead them thither in a flock. More commonly, however,
the mother having thoroughly reconnoitered the place for
some time, and now uttering her soft cooing call at the
door-way, the little ones scramble up from the nest with the
aid of their sharp toe-nails, and huddle around the mother
a few minutes. The mother, now descending to the ground,
calls again to the young, and they drop one by one on to
the soft moss or dried leaves, their tiny bodies so enveloped
in long down, falling scarcely harder than a leaf or a
feather. Again they huddle around the mother-bird; and,
the distance cf the nest from the water being sometimes as
much as sixty or seventy rods, and generally more or less
on an elevation, they need the maternal guidance to their
favorite element.

Here, on such shallow ponds and edges of creeks and
lakes as abound in tender vegetable growths, amidst many
perils, she watches over tnem most assiduously, aiding them
in procvuing their food of aquatic insects, tender shoots of

THE PEREGRINE FALCON,

147

water plants, small mollusks, and tadpoles. When fully
grown they delight in beech-nuts, acorns, and such berries
as may be found in their locality.

These elegant birds, so delicious for the table, and
so easily domesticated, spend their winters on the
fresh waters of the more southern portion of the
Union. Indeed, they are always strictly fresh-water ducks,
and may sometimes be found in large flocks during fall and
winter. Though extending somewhat farther north, this
Duck is particularly a bird of the United States, breeding
very commonly in all suitable, places, and hence is often
called the Summer Duck.

THE PEREGRINE FALCON.

Scarcely have the elegant pair of Wood Ducks disap-
peared, when there passed overhead one of the most dis-
tinguished birds in the world — the Peregrine Falcon, or
Duck Hawk {Falco communis). For a moment he seemed
to be "stooping" upon some object of prey, then, as if
disappointed, rose for a short distance in a short spiral curve
and made off. As he swept with the speed of an arrow past
me, I could hear the vibrating hum of his pinions; and
when he rose, he pursued his abruptly-curved pathway with
a swift, nervous sailing, wholly unlike the slow and majestic
sweep of the Buzzards. Though not numerous anywhere,
this bird has very nearly or quite the wide world as its
range. It is well known all along the Atlantic Coast, and is
more or less common along the great rivers of the interior,
in the mountainous regions of which it breeds, the nest,
like that of the Golden Eagle, being placed on ledges of
projecting rock on some lofty precipice. Professor S. S.
Haldeman was the first to note its breeding in the United
States, discovering the site of its nest in the mountain-

,1(J

148

THE PEREGRINE FALCON.

cliffs along the Susquehanna, near Columbia, Pennsylvania,
Afterwards Mr. Allen gave a most satisfactory account of
its nesting in Mt. Tom, on the Connecticut, in Massachu-
setts Very recently I obtained from the observations of
Professor Charles Linden, of Buffalo, some very interesting
notes as to its breeding on the Mississippi, about sixty miles
north of Cairo, Illinois. A vertical out-crop of Devonian
strata, some 200 feet high and about a mi.\e from the river^
contained two nests of this species, about a quarter of a
mile apart and near its crest. The nests were on a shelv-
ing of the rocks, and the limy droppings of the birds could
be plainly seen for many feet adown cliff. The birds were
almost constantly in sight, and the place afforded an excel-
lent study of their habits. It being a little after the middle
of April (1869), the wild Ducks were still abundant in the
shallow pools of the tall forests between the cliff and the
river. The Wood Ducks were there in almost countless
numbers. Blue-winged Teal and Widgeon were common,
while a few Mallards and Shovellers still lingered. Here
the Duck Hawk, perched on a tall, leafless tree well up the
mountain side, kept watch :'^or his quarry, many a time
swooping with the swiftness of an arrow and with the
most unerring aim at some choice individual of the crowd. .
Thus he deserves to be compared to " a feathered arrow
traversing the air with a rapidity of thought, a living and
winged instrument of death !"

Sometimes a passing Pigeon lured him, or a Wilson's
Snipe, of which there were plenty here at this time.

Generally the Duck Hawk contrives little or nothing for
a nest, laying its eggs almost on the bare rock or clay; and
thus the female sits closely, scrambling to the edge of the
precipice, and launching into the dizzy ravine beneath only
when closely crowded by the hunter. It has been related

THE PEREGRINE FALCON.

149

on the bes£ authority, however, that it sometimes constructs
a bulky nest of sticks and other coarse materials.

In the timber lands along the Neosho River, Kansas, Mr.
N. S. Goss found these birds breeding in trees. In the first
instance, February, 1876, "the nest," he says, "was in a
large sycamore, about fifty feet from the ground, in a
trough-like cavity formed by the breaking off of a hollow
limb near the body of the tree." He continues: " I watched
the pair closely, with the view of securing both the birds
and their eggs. March 27th I became satisfied that the birds
were sitting, and I shot the female, but was unable to get
near enough to shoot the male.* The next morning I hired a
young man to climb the tree, who found three fresh eggs,
laid on the fine, soft, rotten wood in a hollow worked out of
the same to fit the body. There was no other material or
lining, except a few feathers and down mixed with the
decayed wood.

" March 17, 1876," he adds, " I found a pair nesting on the
opposite side of the river from the above-described nest, in
a cotton-wood, at least sixty feet from .the ground, the birds
entering a knot-hole in the tree, apparently not over five
or six inches in diameter."

Thus we see that along the rivers in prairie lands, where
mountains are wanting, the Duck Hawk, wholly apart from
its usual habit, nests in tall trees, appropriating something
like a cavity The eggs three or four, 2.20-2.32 x 1.65-
1.71, are grayish ocher or chocolate-brown, dotted, spotted,
and blotched with reddish-brown, sometimes continuously
colored with the same either about the large or small end.

"The flight of this bird," says Audubon, " is astonishingly
rapid. It is scarcely ever seen sailing, unless after being
disaopointed in its attempts to secure the prey which it has
been pursuing, and even at such times it merely rises with

III

>!' im

150

THE PEREGRINE FALCON.

a broad, spiral circuit, to attain a sufficient elevation to
enable it to reconnoiter a certain space below. It then
emits a cry much resembling that of the Sparrow Hawk,
bat greatly louder, like that of the European Kestrel, and
flies off quickly in quest of plunder. The search is often
performed with a flight resembling that of the tame Pigeon,
until perceiving an object, it redoubles its flapping^, and
pursues the fugitive with a rapidity scarcely to be conceived.
Its turnings, windings and cuttings through the air are now
surprising. It follows and nears the timorous quarry at
every turn and back-cutting which the latter attempts.
Arrived within a few feet of the prey, the Falcon is seen
protruding his powerful legs and talons to their full stretch.
His wings are for a moment almost closed; the next instant
he grapples the prize, which, if too weighty to be carried off
directly, he forces obliquely toward the ground, sometimes
a hundred yards from where it was seized, to kill it and
devour it on the spot. Should this happen over a large
extent of water, the Falcon drops his prey and sets off in
quest of another. On the contrary, should it not prove too
heavy, the exulting bird carries it off to a sequestered and
secure place. He pursues the smaller Ducks, Water-hens,
and other swimming birds, and if they are not quick in
diving, seizes them, and rises with them from the water. I
have seen this Hawk come at the report of a gun and carry
off a Teal, not thirty steps distant from the sportsman who
had killed it, with a daring assurance as surprising as unex-
pected. This conduct has been observed by many individ-
uals, and is a characteristic trait of the species. The largest
Duck that I have seen this bird attack and grapple with on
the wing is the Mallard.

"The Great-footed Hawk does not, however, content
himself with water-fowl. He is generally seen following

THE PEREGRINE FALCON.

151

the flocks of Pigeons and even Blackbirds, causing great
terror in their ranks, and forcing them to perform various
aerial evolutions to escape the grasp of his dreaded talons.
For several days I watched one of them that had taken a
particular fancy to some tame Pigeons, to secure which it
went so far as to enter their house at one of the holes, seize
a bird, and issue by another hole in an instant, causing such
terror among the rest as to render me fearful that they
would abandon the place. However, I fortunately shot the
depredator.

" They occasionally feed on dead fish that have floated to
the shores or sand-bars. I saw several of them thus occupied
while descending the" Mississippi on a journey undertaken
expressly for the purpose of observing and procuring
different specimens of birds, and which lasted four months,
as I followed the windings of that great river, floating down
it only a few miles daily. During that period, I and my com-
panion counted upwards of fifty of these Hawks. * ♦ *

" It is a clean bird in respect to feeding. No sooner is
the prey dead than the Falcon turns its belly upwards and
begins to pluck it with his bill, which he does very expertly,
holding it meantime quite fast in his talons; and as soon as
a portion is cleared of feathers, tears the flesh in large
pieces, and swallows it with great avidity. If it is a large
bird, he leaves the refuse parts, but, if small, swallows the
whole in pieces. Should he be approached by an enemy,
he rises with it and flies off into the interior of the woods,
or, if he happens to be in a meadow, to some considerable
distance, he being more wary at such times than when he
has alighted on a tree.

" These birds sometimes roost in the hollows of trees. I
iaw one resorting for weeks every night to a hole in a dead
sycamore, near Louisville, in Kentucky. It generally came

f

i

p

\

T

\'

:'

K

i-

' ■

,

i»

#

l::re

k;K;

?■;

m

162

THE PEREGRINE FALCON.

to the place a little before sunset, alighted on the dead
branches, and in a short time after flew into the hollow,
where it spent the night, and from whence I saw it issuing
at dawn. I have known them also to retire for the same
purpose to the crevices of high cliffs, on the banks of Green
River, in the same State.

" Many persons believe that this Hawk, and some others,
never drink any other fluid than the blood of their victims;
but this is an error. I have Seen them alight on sand-bars,
walk to the edge of them, immerse their bills nearly up to
the eyes in water, and drink in a continued manner, as
Pigeons are known to do."

Undoubtedly no American ornithologist ever observed
the habits of the Duck Hawk as did Audubon; hence I have
preferred to quote verbatim from him, rather than to simu-
late knowledge by swallowing his statements and disgorging
the pellets.

A fine female of this species, taken in Orleans County, of
this State, in autumn, is now before me. It is about twenty
inches long and three feet in extent. Bill blackish, blue at
tip, light-green at base; cere greenish-yellow; legs yellow;
the general color of the upper parts is a rich dark-brown,
the terminal part of each feather being much the darker,
the upper part, which is mostly covered, having a grayish
or ashy tinge, especially about the neck, and nearly all the
feathers being tipped with light brown or brownish- white;
the inner web of the wing feathers is crossed with round,
oval or long spots of buff or light reddish; the tail has eight
broken cross-bars of the same color, and is t'.pped with
buffy white; the throat and sides of the neck are buff, the
brown check-marking from the base of the bill being very
conspicuous; the under parts and femoral feathers being
buff or buffy white, heavily marked with brown. The male.

THE CHIPPING SPARROW.

158

which is about three inches shorter, has more of the grayish
or bluish tinge in the upper parts; and the under parts are
lighter — often nearly white.

This is a typical Falcon, having the short, abruptly-curved
and pointed bill, with a sharp tooth just back of the point,
and a corresponding notch in the lower truncate mandible;
the wings are long and pointed, the second primary being
longest. This species may be recognized by its large feet,
its round nostril, with a point in the center, and the dark
cheek-marking starting from the base of the bill.

The Old World representative of this species has been
most renowned in falconry. In this princely sport, practiced
very extensively from the most ancient times till after the
use of fire-arms, and still continuing more or less in vogue,
the Peregrine Falcon has ever proved most susceptible of
training; "waiting on" the master to perfection, "ringing"
the Heron as ht " takes the air," and " binding " him in the
most gallant and sportive manner. A weird sight these
Hawks must have been, as they were carried forth on the
wrist or on frames to the hunt, all hooded and trapped out
in the most fantastic manner; and most animating must
have been the sport, as the grand Falcon described his
aerial evolutions in capturing his swift-winged prey.

THE CHIPPING SPARROW.

About the 6 th of April the first Chipping Sparrows {Spi-
zella socialis) appear. They do not become very common,
however, until about a week later. Of all our native Spar-
rows, this one shows the greatest confidence in man, nr»-
ferring to rear its young in his immediate vicinity, picking
up the crumbs about the door of his habitation, and there-
fore very properly called the Social Sparrow. About 6.60
long, and having the common markings of the Spar-

154

THE CHIPPING SPARROW.

rows above, it is to be distingruished from most of its family
by its smaller size, and from them all by its chestnut crown,
shading into black in front, and by its clear grayish-white
breast and under parts. The sharp, chipping note, from
which it has derived its most common name, is certainly
characteristic, as is also its song, which is simply a prolonged
twitter — cfup-ip-ip'tp-ip-ip-ipy itself suggestive of the name
of the singer -T- frequently uttered throughout the day in
the breeding season, and not infrequently indulged in in the
night

The anxious mother, keeping watch at the cradle of her
sick child, may hear it in the lilac outside the window; or,
for the wakeful sufferer, it may every now and then break
the monotony of the slow, dark hours, while at the first
streak of the dawn it generally strikes the key-note of the
universal matin.

In the location and structure of its nest, and, indeed, in
respect to the color of itN eggs, Socialis is unlike the rest of
our Sparrows. For a Kest, Mr. Burroughs says: "It
usually contents itself with a half-dozen stalks of dry grass
and a few long hairs from a cow's tail, loosely arranged on
the branch of an apple-tree." While this is graphically
descriptive of many a nest, it is by no means exhaustive.
I have before me several quite bulky nests. One is com-
posed outwardly of a dense arrangement of fine rootlets,
and has a thick lining of "long hairs from a cow's tail" —
the same as much that passes for horse-hair in other nests —
or hairs from the tail or mane of some horse. The outside
of another is a pretty good bunch of coarse rootlets and
dried grasses loosely thrown together, containing a lining
of pigs' bristles sufficient to make a nest in itself. Another
consists entirely of horse-hair. In every case there is such
a quantity of hair used for lining as to justify the name of

THE BAY.WINGED SPARROW,

155

Hairbird, sometimes given to this species. The nest, placed
in any shrub, bush, vine, on the piazza, or apple-tree, is
never very near the ground, and may be pretty well up.
The eggs, 4 or 6, .68 x -48, are a bright bluish-green, specked
at the large end with reddish-brown and black.. There are
generally two broods in a season, the first appearing early
in June. I have in my possession almost a perfect Albino
of this species.

Habitat, "Eastern United States; breeding from Virginia
northward; wintering from the same point southward."
(Coues.) It is quite common in New Brunswick and Nova
Scotia, and also on Manitoulin Island, and on the main land
to the north.

THE BAY-WINGED SPARROW.

Not many hours either earlier or later than the morning
of the 7th of April, we hear, in this locality, the first song of
the Bay- winged Sparrow, or Grass Finch {Pocecetes gramineus).
Almost at the same hour it is here in great numbers; and
throughout our latitude the fields and pastures are every-
where enlivened by its appearance and by its pleasing
song. By the white feathers on the sides of the tail, becom-
ing conspicuous as the bird alights, by the general lightness
of color, and by its habit of skulking along so as barely to
keep out of the way, this bird is readily distinguished from
all the rest of our Sparrows. On taking it into the hand,
one notes the patch of reddish, or bay, on the shoulder of
the wing, from which it receives its more common name.
The length is about six inches, and male and female are
alike. Associating the above distinguishing characters with
the general appearance of our Sparrows, the bird will be
readily made out as our commonest summer resident of the
pastures, the open fields, and the road-sides. On its first
appearance among us in spring, and by the time it leaves

. ;ili

':

156

THE BAY. WINGED SPARROW.

US in late autumn, the warm tints of its plain dress are
decidedly pleasing; but in the burning heat of midsummer,
from constant contact with grass, stubble, dust and gravel,
it appears rather shabby.

The melody of the Bay- wing, if not so sprightly and varied,
still bears quite a resemblance to that of the Song Sparrow,
and is expressive of a tender pathos, which may even give it
the preference. It is one of the few bird-songs which might
be written upon a musical ataff. Beginning with a few soft
syllables on the fifth note of the musical scale, it strikes
several loud and prolonged notes on the eighth above, and
ends in a soft warble, which seems to die out for want of
breath, and may run a little down the scale. Though the song
is not brilliant, and rather suggestive of humble scenes and
thoughts, "the grass, the stones, the stubble, the furrow, the
quiet herds, and the warm twilight among the hills," it is
nevertheless a fine pastoral, full of the sweet content which
dwells in the bosom of nature. It is heard to the best advantage
when the rosy hues of sundown are tinting the road, the
rocks, and all the higher lights of the evening landscape.
Then an innumerable company of these poets "of the
plain, unadorned pastures" — some perched on the fences,
some on weeds and thistles, but many more hid in the
grass and stubble — swell into their finest chorus, while most
other birds are gradually subsiding into silence. It has
been well said that the farmer following his team from the
field at dusk catches the Bay-wing's sweetest strain, and
that a very proper name for it would be the Vesper Spar-
row. Its nest, which is on the ground, and often without
any protection, is built outwardly of the coarse material of
the fields, and lined with fine grass, rootlets, or horse-hair.
The eggs, 4 or 6, some .80 x -60 of an inch, are mostly dull
white and quite variable in their markings, generally thickly

WHITE-BELLIED S IVALLO IV.

167

specked with reddish-brown and lilac; they are often spot-
ted and blotched with darker brown and blackish, and often
scratched and scrawled with black as with a pen, after the
manner of the eggs of the Icterida.

As the first brood ma> be hatched here by the middle of
May, the abundance of nests in all the fields brings them
in contact with the plow in great numbers; and as the eggs
of the second or last brood may be fresh about the 4th of
July, many nests are destroyed in the hay-field. The losses
sustained therefore by this bird in nidification are probably
greater by far than those of any other species in the locality.

Habitat, the United States from ocean to ocean, and
reported by Dr. Richardson from the Saskatchawan.
Winters abundantly in the Southern States, and breeds from
the southern Middle States northward, becoming very rare
in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

^' .ilTE-BELLIED SWALLOW.

About the first or second week in April the White-bellied
Swallow {Tachycineta bicolor) makes its appearance. This
earliest arrival of its very interesting family is most likely
to be seen along streams or ponds; and while it exceeds
but a little the average size of the different kinds of Swal-
lows— for excepting the Purple or Black Martin {Progne
purpurea)^ the Swallows differ but slightly in dimensions —
it is readily distinguished by its simple markings of glossy
greenish-black above, and pure white beneath, whence its
specific name Bicolor^ or two-colored. In purity and ele-
gance of color it surpasses all the rest of its family in this
locality, and is itself surpassed on this continent only by
the exquisite beauty of the Rocky Mountains and the
Pacific Coast, known as the Violet-green Swallow {^Tachy-
cineta thalassind). Its notes are particularly soft and musical

^•

tl

158

WHITE-BELLIED SWALLOW.

for a bird of its kind, so that it is called by some the Sing-
ing Swallow.

The flight of the Swallow is one of the wonders of
nature. Achieving in its ordinary flight at least a mile in a
minute, the Barn Swallow " has been known to leave Hali-
fax, Nova Scotia, at sunset, for the South, and to reach the
Islands of Bermuda, 800 miles due south, by sunrise the
next morning." (Tristram.) Thus, in comparatively a few
hours, it can pass from the Arctic snows to the tropics.
Wilson estimating the flight of the Swallow at a mile in a
minute, its t^me spent on wing per day to be ten hours, and
its length of life at ten years, shows that it would thus pass
round the globe eighty-seven times.

The White-bellied Swallow is especially swift and grace-
ful in flight. Behold it "skating on the air." How it
dashes along, seemingly almost without exertion, capturing
its food or dipping its bill into the glistening stream to
drink, or washing itself "by a sudden plunge," all of which
scarcely retards its onward movement In a moment it is
out of sight, or else rising nearly perpendicularly, it will
suddenly shoot across the tree-tops with almost lightning
speed, performing the most wondrous aerial evolutions as
easily as if it were tossed by the winds themselves. The
whole domain of air is the Swallow's home. No path of
insect is beyond its reach, and what bird of prey can over-
take it? Here is freedom, indeed, and a life that is one
continual recreation.

The White-bellied Swallow is associated with the days of
my childhood in Nova Scotia. Many a nest did I find in
the hollow stumps of the low pastures. A few dried grasses
compose the outside, the inside being a considerable mass
of large, downy, white feathers of the tame Goose, so laid
that the tips curl inward, and almost cover the eggs when

VITHITE-BELLIED SWALLOW.

169

the bird is off the nest. The pure white eggs, some four or
five, are real gems of beauty. How bravely the parent
birds would defend their nest, describing their noisy circles
in near proximity, and, with a guttural shriek, diving so
closely at the head of the intruder, as to induce a speedy
retreat. The same stump would be occupied for a series of
years, the annual additions of lining giving considerable
depth to the nest in time. In New England this bird is now
said to build in " a Martin-box," or " rarely in the hole of a
tree." In New York it nests in holes about the walls of
brick or stone buildings — as an instance, in large numbers
in holes about the stone buildings of the Johnston Harvester
Works at Brockport. Here, too, it sometimes builds in the
holes of trees, and more or less in community.

On the Mud Islands, Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia, I
saw the nests of this species on the ground under flat stones,
and in holes in the ground. They were elegantly lined
with the feathers of the Herring Gull and of the Eider
Duck, the feathers being so laid that the tips curled upward
and nearly concealed the eggs.

Though these Swallows do not generally nest in commu>
nities, they often associate in large numbers in spring and
fall. What a spirited scene I witnessed about the middle of
last April, on one of the secluded ponds of Tonawanda
Swamp. The number gyrating above the glassy surface so
filled the air that their movements without contact with
each other seemed impossible. The £iir became darkened,
and was made resonant by the volume of their musical
twitterings.

These Swallows leave us from the earlier half of Septem-
bei to middle of October, when they may be seen'in great
numbers. Mr. Maynard, of Newtonville, Mass., says: " They
coifgregate upon the salt marshes during the latter part of

%

160

THE COW BLACKBIRD.

Augfust and the first of September literally by millions; the
air is so completely filled with them that it is almost impos-
sible to discharge a gun without killing some."

I have seen them in like numbers along the Niagara
River in the latter part of September. They would darken
the air in flight, and, when alighting, would blacken the
shore for a long distance.

Its habitat is temperate North America, reaching even to
Alaska, throughout which it breeds quite generally, while it
winters in the extreme Southern States, in Central America,
and in the West Indies.

Our several species of the Swallow are among the birds
which are especially regular in the times of their migrations.
Now, as in the days of the prophet Jeremiah, it knows the
time of its coming, and as truly marks the ushering in of
the joyous days of spring as when the boys of Athens sang
their familiar ditty in its honor.

The Swallows, Swifts, and Goat-suckers were formerly all
classed together as Fissirostrals, or those having a deeply-
cleft bill. The resemblance which the Swallows bear to the
two other groups is, however, merely external, an analogy
rather than an affinity.

A strict anatomy proves the Swallows alone to have the
complicated rauscular system of the lower larynx belonging
to the birds of song, while the remaining Fissirostrals, having
the simpler larnx of the non-singing birds, are placed among
the Flycatchers and Humming-birds.

THE cow BLACKBIRD.

One of the most beautiful and forcible lessons in nature
is the conjugal and parental alfection of the birds. The
inimitable songs of the males are generally most ardently
and sweetly delivered, while the females are enduring the

THE COW BLACKBIRD.

161

tedious confinement and exhaustion of incubation; thus
charming the ear with an entertainment which might delight
the very highest intelligences, and so beguiling the weary
hours. Behold that male Bluebird feeding the female in the
most kindly manner, or the Rose-breasted Grosbeak taking
apparently the greater part of the burden of incubation
upon himself ! How disconsolate is that House Wren
whose mate the cat has killed ! Listen to the sad moanings
of that Mourning Dove bereft*of his mate ! I have some-
times pointed the newly-married couple to the birds as being
the best guide to domestic felicity.

And has the reader ever noticed the melancholy arts of a
female bird, when startled from her eggs, as she hobbles
and flutters along the ground feigning broken legs and
wings ? Has he ever seen the distress of the mother Part-
ridge at the alarm of her young brood ? Giving them the
well-understood signal to hide themselves, she tumbles
about and moans, as if in the last agonies of death, and will
even allow herself to be touched by the hand in order to
decoy the intruder; and when danger seems over, listen to
her pathetic maternal call, which again brings the tender
youngflings under her wings ! Neither father nor mother of
tl;e human species could feed and protect a helpless family
with more self-sacrificing industry than is universally com-
mon to the parent birds. Audubon tells us how the heart
of a pirate was once softened while listening to the tender
cooings of the Zenaida Doves in the breeding season on
one of the Florida Keys. Dropping on his knees upon
the burning sand, he penitently besought heaven for mercy,
and, at the peril of his life, forsook his murderous crew,
and joined his formerly abandoned family.

In the case, however, of the Cow Blackbird {Molothrus
pecoris) of America, and the Cuckoo of Europe, lAro birds
11

isl

162

THE COW BLACKBIRD.

belonging to altogether different families, we note a most
remarkable exception, these being wholly polygamous and
parasitic. The Cow Blackbird makes its first appearance
in Western New York about the end of the first week in
April. Some 7.00 or 7.50 long, the male is a glossy greenish-
black, with a brown head. The female, somewhat smaller,
is plain slaty-brown. In sombre groups of some half-
dozen or more — the males being at first the more numerous,
but the sexes soon becoming about equally represented —
they perch leisurely on the fence, on a solitary tree in the
field or in the edge of the woods, often penetrating the
thickest forests. The intercourse of the sexes is entirely
promiscuous, no male ever showing any continuous attach-
ment to any ox\.^. female. Since the body-guard of insects
accompanying the cattle affords the Cow Bird a constant
repast, or more especially from the attractiveness of certain
intestinal worms passed in the excrements of cattle by means
of the aperient effects of green grass in spring and ea^ly sum-
mer, this species is noted for its preference of the vicinity of
these quadrupeds; even lighting on their backs; hence its
con^mon name, Cow Blackbird, formerly Cow Bunting.

Dr. Coues says: "Cow Birds appear to be particularly
abundant in the west; more so, perhaps, than they really
are, for the numbers that in the East spread equally over
large areas are here drawn within small compass, owing to
lack of attractions abroad. Every wagon-train passing over
the prairies in summer is attended by flocks of the birds;
every camp and stock-corral, permanent or temporary, is
besieged by the busy birds eager to glean subsistence from
the wasted forage. Their familiarity under these circum-
stances is surprising. Perpetually wandering about the
feet of the draught-animals, or perching upon their backs,
they become so accustomed to man's presence that they

THE COW BLACKBIRD,

163

will hardly get out of the way. I have even known a young
bird to suffer itself to be taken in hand, and it is no uncom-
mon thing to have the birds fluttering within a few feet of
one's head. The animals appear to rather like the birds, and
suffer them to perch in a row upon their back-bones, doubt-
less finding the scratching of their feet a comfortable sensa-
tion, to say nothing of the riddance from insect parasites."

In respect to its vocal performances, this bird is curious
rather than entertaining. Ruffing up its feathers, opening
wide its mouth, and appearing to strain every muscle, it
" seems literally to vomit up its notes," which bear a formal
resemblance, indeed, to those of the closely-related Red-
winged Blackbird, but are almost entirely destitute of their
claims to musical quality. The vocal utterances of Pecoris
do certainly " gurgle and blubber up out of him, falling on
the ear with a peculiar subtle ring, as of turning water from
a glass bottle," but, perhaps, on account of my prejudice, I
fail utterly to discover their "pleasing cadence."

While other birds are busy building their nests,
this reckless free-lover betrays no impulse whatever in
this direction, but gayly flitting about from place to place,
spends his time in mere wanton pleasure. As soon as the
nests of other birds are completed, you may notice the
females of this dusky flock of Cow Birds becoming very
uneasy. One by one they steal away in quest of some
strange nest in which to deposit their eggs. They have
been known to search the ground, the bushes, and the trees
for miles in order to accomplish their purpose. Never
driving away the rightful owner, nor taking possession by
force, they will creep stealthily into the nest in the absence
of the owner, and hastily depositing an egg, hurry back to
join their company with the most obvious sense of relief,
and without the slightest further concern for their offspring.

\\

\ h

'k.

164

THE COW BLACKBIRD.

I ':

This species has never been known to build a nest, nor to take
any interest in raising its young, which are left entirely to
the care of foster parents. Almost invariably the nest of a
bird much smaller than itself is chosen. The Sparrows, the
Warblers, the Vireos, the smaller Flycatchers — in fact, any
of the small land-birds -r- may become the victim of this im-
position. Occasionally birds near its own size, as the
Scarlet Tanager or the Bluebird, may be obliged to bear
the burden. The Cow Bird's egg is so unusually small for
the size of the bird, only some 90 x .65 of an inch, that it
is readily accommodated in the nests of very small birds,
whereas, if dropped into that of larger ones, it may be
thrown out. I have found it with a hole in the side and
lying on the ground, beneath the nest of the Yellow-breasted
Chat, thus evidently pierced by the bill of the bird, and
ousted in indignation. These eggs, of a dirty white and
specked all over with brown, are readily distinguished from
those of any nest in which they may be placed, and are
always unwelcome to the owners, which will become very
uneasy and querulous; and the female, hunting up its mate,
will make a noisy ado over the intrusion. If the owner
has not yet laid her own eggs she may forsake the nest, or
add a story to it, thus burying the foreign egg so deeply as
to suffer no inconvenience from it. Many cases of the latter
expediency have been found. Wilson found a Yellow War-
bler's nest containing two eggs thus separately built out, mak-
ing a nest of three stories. I have seen a like nest of the Red-
start. The owner of such a nest does, indeed, deserve "a
better fate than that her house should at last be despoiled by
a naturalist;" but " passing thi j into history," and making
such a contribution to science, is worth a great sacrifice. I
once found a Wood Thrush sitting stupidly on a solitary egg
of the Cow Blackbird. This would seem to be exceptional.

l\Bi

THE COW BLACKBIRD.

165

Wilson and Audubon, as well as the earlier ornithologists
in general, were mistaken in saying that no nest contained
more than one of the Cow Blackbird's eggs. I have fre-
quently found more than one in the same nest; once not
less than four in the nest of a Scarlet Tanager, which had
only room enough left for two of her own. Mr. Trippe
once found a Black-and-white Creeper's nest with five of
the eggs of the interloper and three deposited by the owner.
Dr. Coues has we'! said: "We may consider this pair of
Creepers relieved, on the whole, by Mr. Trippe's visit — the
mother-bird rescued from drowning in the inundation of so
many * well-springs,* and the father saved the necessity of
hanging himself from the nearest convenient crotch."

Perhaps requiring a shorter period of incubation, perhaps
on account of the size of the egg being greater, and thus
receiving more warmth than those of the owner of the nest,
the Cow Bird's egg invariably hatches first. Then the
foster parent, prompted by the generosity of parental in-
stinct, will leave her own eggs to chill, while she secures food
for the foundling. Thus the Cow Bird alone is hatched,
and the addled eggs of the owner of the nest are soon
removed. Considering the number of nests thus intruded
upon, sometimes apparently more than half of the small
birds' nests in this locality, the check thus put upon
the propagation of these various species must be very
great.

The young Cow Blackbird grows rapidly, and soon more
than fills the nest. Meanwhile the foster parents feed it
most assiduously, and continue to do so long after it has
left the nest, and when it is many times larger than the
little Sparrow or Warbler thus imposed upon. It is by no
means suggestive of pleasing reflections to see this great
over-grown foundling flapping its wings and calling loudly

*.'

166

THE MOURNING DOVE.

for these attentions v/hen it seems sufficiently mature to take
care of itself.

The remarkable sagacity of these young birds in discov-
ering each other has been well noted by ornithologists. I
have seen them in very considerable flocks already by the
20th of June, and later in the season they gather into flocks^
which are simply immense.

Considering how many of our summer residents are
hard to find during the moulting period, it may not after all
appear so strange that the Cow Bird seems absent during a
certain part of summer. In late summer and early
autumn they are wont to assemble in large flocks, some-
times quite destructive, and, migrating late in autumn,
spend the winter in great numbers in the Southern States.
They are said to deposit their eggs from 35° to 68° north.
General habitat, North America.

Plain in form and color, without musical attractions, of a
disgusting diet, an arrant free-lover, wholly without
parental affection, a destroyer at the very threshold of the
life of many of our most interesting birds, in short, in all
respects of most distasteful and infamous habits, this grand
ornithological nuisance would seem to claim no considera-
tion whatever, except as an anomaly, being a most flat con-
tradiction of the laws of its kind, and hence an addition to
nature's great variety.

THE MOURNING DOVE.

On the 10th of April one of my parishioners called my
attention to what he called a flock of Plover in a field
where he had raised corn the year before. The flock, con-
sisting of some twenty, turned out to be Mourning Doves
{Zencedura carolinensis). Rarely do we see so many together
at any time of year in this locality. Occasionally, how-

THE MOURNING DOVE.

107

ever, they will appear in the newly-reaped wheat-fields in
the month of August in very large flocks. They remained
in this field for days, gleaning the stray kernels of corn, and
perhaps the seeds of the coarser weeds. These birds arrive
quite as early as the present date, generally in pairs, and
sotnetimes stray individuals remain all winter. In Northern
Ohio they spend the winter in small flocks about the barn-
yards and orchards, gleaning and feeding along with the
domestic fowl, thus becoming almost domesticated. Hav-
ing the small head, peculiar bill, slender neck, short legs,
and pointed tail of the Doves, it is a genuine member of
the Columbida family, and a near relative of our Pigeon.
About a foot long, with fourteen tail feathers, and a naked
space around the eyes, its color is a slaty-brown above,
bluish on the top of the head and on the back of the neck, a
velvety-black spot on the auriculars; front of the neck,
breast, and under parts, a delicate, warm light-red; throat,
crissum, and ends of the outer tail feathers, white. Here
and there about the wings and back is a dark slaty or black
feather. The sides of the neck have a beautiful metallic
purple gloss, or iridescence. Female and young, plainer
and duller, and slaty on the breast.

As in Bible lands, the cooing of the Dove is one of the
characteristic voices of our advanced spring. In thickets,
and especially in orchards, sometimes even in the orna-
mented evergreens of the front-yard, some four successive
notes, a most mournful cooing among " the saddest sounds
in nature," may be heard throughout the day, but especially
in the early morning. These notes, however, so strangely
in contrast with the universal gladness of spring, are by no
means the utterance of grief or woe, but rather of the ten-
derest emotions of love and joy. They are the conjugal
notes of the male; and such are his attentions and appar-

168

THE MOURNING DOVE.

ently life-long attachment to the female, that, like the Doves
in general through all historic times, he is a fit emblem of
the domestic affections. Moreover, his solemn, mournful air
renders him a fit symbol of the most pensive side of nature.

The nest of this species, found here late in May, placed in
a bush or tree, on the roots of a windfall, on a stump, or on
the ground, is generally a slight and loose construction of
dry twigs, and perhaps a few rootlets, built in what is called
the platform style ^ so slight that one can scarcely imagine
how the eggs can be hatched and the young ones raised on
it; and contains two beautiful white eggs, measuring about
1.12 X .85. A nest now before me, some two inches or more
in thickness, and found in an orchard, is made of neat,
crooked twigs, more or less covered with lichens, and very
artistically laid. It is finished on the top with fine rootlets,
skeleton-leaves, and bits of wool; and is a very gem of its
kind, reminding one of some fancy log-cabin.

The young Doves are well matured before they leave the
nest, and sit side by side upon the ordinarily rude affair.
At night the old one sits crosswise on them, even when they
are quite large, the nest and birds together thus making
quite a grotesque pile.

The diet of these birds is well stated by Wilson, who says
they "are exceedingly fond of buckwheat, hemp-seed and
Indian corn; feed on the berries of the holly, the dogwood,
and poke, huckleberries, partridge-berries, and the small
acorns of the live oak and shrub oak. They devour large
quantities of gravel, and sometimes pay a visit to the kitchen-
garden for peas, for which they have a particular regard."

The Mourning Doves, or Carolina Turtle Doves, as they
are sometimes called, may often be seen dusting themselves
in the road; and, at all times, their flight is very noticeable
from the sharp whistling noise produced by each stroke of

THE WHITE.RUMPED SHRIKE.

169

the wings. They are abundant summer residents, many
also spending the winter throughout the Middle States;
becoming rare already in New England, they barely extend
into the British Provinces. Many migrate to the Southern
States, where they spend the winter in large flocks; and
many remain there during the summer. The Mourning
Doves are also common to the Pacific Coast.

The elegant White-headed Dove of the West India Islands
is a summer resident of the Florida Keys. About 13.12
long, the "general color throughout is dark slaty-blue,
becoming very dark on the tail above and black beneath."
Crown pure white; back of neck rich purplish-brown; sides
of the neck elegant iridescent green, with golden reflections
and a fine black margin to each feather. The Zenaida Dove,
with a most plaintive and pathetic note, has been found by
Audubon only, on the Florida Keys. The plain but elegant
little Ground Dove, only seven inches long, **a constant
resident throughout the Carolinas and southward, may be
so easily known by its diminutive size that it needs no
description. Its rather elaborate nest of twigs and weeds
lined- with usnea, and .containing one or two creamy
white eggs, some .85 X .64, may be on the ground, or in a
bush or tree. The Key West Dove appears in summer on
Key West, as implied by its name. Excepting the Ground
Dove, the above group of Doves belongs to the West Indies,
and barely reaches the localities named in summer.

THE WHITE-RUMPED SHRIKE.

About this 12th of April I observe a quite common bird of
this locality, the White-rumped Shrike {Collurio ludovicianus
var. excubitoroides)^ already mated. Single individuals of this
species are here in March, and their first brood may be
hatched by the latter part of April, a second appearing in

1

:Kfl

K^^Rj

■ s.* ^S

iS

* KHI^H

^-MB^ffl

vm

-1^

'^m

ivHw

li

170

THE WHITE-RUMPED SHRIKE.

July. Some 8.50-0.00 long, it is about an inch shorter
than the Northern Shrike {Collurio borealis)^ and precisely
the size of the Loggerhead {Collurio ludovicianus) of the
Gulf States, of which latter it is now regarded as a mere
variety, occupying the more western and northwestern
regions. Coues gives its habitat: " Middle Province of
North America, to the Saskatchawan; east through Kansas,
Iowa, Ohio, Illinois and Wisconsin, to New York and Canada
West, probably into New England. In the Southern States,
replaced by typical ludovicianus. On the Pacific Coast, not
observed north of California. South through Mexico."
Frank R. Rathbun, in his list of birds of Central New York,
states that it is "a not uncommon summer resident."

Bluish-ash above, white beneath (sometimes rather gray-
ish-white), patches from the base of the bill across the eyes
and auriculars, the rounded wings and tail, black; spot in
the base of the primaries, tips of some of the secondaries,
edging of the scapulars, sides of the tail and rump, white;
bill and feet black — ^this bird is really beautiful, especially
in its flight, which is low and straightforward, with
rapid strokes, showing the clear white and black of the
wings and tail to fine advantage. The rapid wing motion
seems almost to describe contiguous semicircles of white
and black at the sides of the moving bird, and contrast finely
with its clear, light colors. It perches on some solitary tree in
the open field, on a fence-stake, or on the hedge; sitting
motionless as a Hawk, while it watches its vicinity for its
favorite items of prey, consisting of various small insects,
beetles, grasshoppers, mice, and small birds, which last it
may not infrequently be seen lugging by the head as it flies
from point to point, or munching at its leisure when perched.

The orchard is decidedly a favorite resort of this bird.
Here, saddled on the limb of an apple-tree, it builds its

THE WHITE.RUMPED SHRIKE.

IVI

strongly characterized nest of sticks, coarse weeds, rootlets,
shreds of bark, woody fibers, dried grasses, thread, wool,
and feathers, the lining consisting particularly of the last-
mentioned items. The whole structure is bulky and ragged,
the rim being so thick, loose and irregular as almost to
hide the eggs, which may be partially buried in the care-
lessly-arranged lining. The eggs, 6 or 6, about 1.00 x "i^
are dull white, spotted with greenish-gray or brown, and a
more neutral tint of lilac-gray. The nest may be placed in
a solitary tree of the open field, or in the thick part of the
hedge. Having taken a nest with 6 fresh eggs on the 28th
of April, by the end of the first week in May another had
been built and contained 3 eggs.

During the breeding season the male may be frequently
seen perched on the fence by the road-side. This is almost
a silent bird, the male occasionally uttering a loud peemPy
peempy in the mating period, and the female uttering a pro-
longed guttural squeak when startled from her nest. The
latter resembles a weaker note of the Vireos, uttered under
like circumstances.

The young Shrikes resemble their parents, except that the
colors are not so pure and bright, and they have a light-
brownish wash across the breast, in which, as also in the ashen-
gray of the upper parts, there is a fine, dark cross-penciling.

The White-rumped Shrike leaves us late in the fall.

The Shrikes are a strange family of birds. With the bill
and head of a Falcon, the mouth-bristles of a Flycatcher,
the feet and laryngeal muscles of a song-bird, the dietetic
habits of a Hawk, and, in the case of our American species,
the color of the Mockingbird, ornithologists have been
much puzzled as to their place in classification. In the
latest American works, they rank between the Vireonidce
and the FringillidcB.

I
ii

I

CHAPTER X.

LATER IN APRIL.

THE DABCHICK.

ON the 15th of April, I go to Lake Ontario at the mouth
of Johnson's Creek to spend a few days in observing and
collecting. As I stealthily approach the creek near its outlet,
I see a Dabchick {Podilymbus podiceps) swimming among the
rushes. Occasionally he emits a clear whistle not unlike
the peep of the Hylas. How spry he is, darting hither and
thither, diving to reappear many rods away, and shaking his
head violently as he emerges. I cannot tell one moment
where to look for him the next. No wonder he has received
the common name — Water- witch Now he starts up and
flies a few rods, patting the surface of the water with his
lobate feet, as if he were half flying and half running. His
head turns so quickly in every direction that I cannot decide
whether he sees me or not, only as I imply it from his sink-
ing so deeply as he swims whenever he rises after diving,
and finally from his disappearing among the sedges. This
is no doubt a breeding place of this species, as are also the
marshes about Grand Island, in Niagara River. In August
or September, when the family is well grown, it is interest-
ing to watch them at their sports in their quiet haunts.
They seem most active between daylight and sunrise. Then,
if one is well hid away by the still water, their active swim-
ming and graceful diving can be seen to good advantage.

THE DABCmCK.

173

Spreading considerably apart, they allow themselves plenty
of room. How the ripples, started by their breasts, enlarge
like arcs of circles on the glassy surface, and intersecting
each other, move on increasingly to the shore. In quick suc-
cession they glide softly under the water, and remain for
some time, no doubt taking their food of small fishes and
aquatic grasses. Nothing can exceed the ease and graceful-
ness with which they dive, so tipping under the water as
barely to ruffle the mirror-like surface. Presently they
reappear, one after another, shaking their heads, and look-
ing this way and that as if to make sure of their safety,
but still swimming well out of the water. Gliding along
much more rapidly than Ducks, they describe their elegant
curves for a few seconds, and then all disappear again.
What a happy family they are! Should they take alarm,
using their wings to aid in swimming, they will literally
fly under water, coming up a long distance away, and so
contracting their bodies in respiration, and thus lessening
their specific gravity, as barely to protrude the head or bill
on coming up to breathe, and probably in a few minutes
will all entirely disappear among the sedges and cat-tails.
Though easily shot when not on the lookout, if once sus-
picious of danger it is almost impossible to capture them,
since they will dive between the flash of the gun and the
arrival of the charge.

How does any bird dare to set out on the immense flights
of migration with such tiny wings! They might serve the
same purpose as the fins of a fish, but who would imagine
them at all sufficient for flight! Indeed, the wing of the
Grebe is a compromise between a wing and a fin, it being
the smallest wing possible for flight to a bird of its size —
and what a mere apology for a tail is that little tuft
of hair — a common mark of all the Grebes. The

lit.

\i

174

THE DABCHICK.

posterior position of his legs, making him appear in stand-
ing like an ancient skin-bottle, as well as his long lobate
toes, clearly shows that he was not made for walking, but for
swimming. He seems to understand alike his weakness
and his strength, for when disturbed, he prefe'-s to take to
the water rather than to the air — hence that common but
rather profane name of the family — "Hell-divers.''

If there are birds which seem to be designed to live
almost entirely in the air, here is a kind evidently designed
to live almost entirely on the water. Its migrations would
seem to be by means of the great water-courses, rather
than through the aerial highways. Its food is taken from
the water, and its nest is a floating fabric.

The Grebes belong to the order Pygopodes, or Diving Birds,
and con;'titute the strongly marked family Podicipidce.
They stand next to the Loons which they resemble quite
strongly, notwithstanding many minor points of differ-
ence, and they are the last family in the present systems of
classification of birds. The breast-bone is very firm, and
the keel is large. The lower region of the bones of the
back has the same keel-like ridge which, to receive the
immense muscles of the thigh, is so noticeable in the skeleton
of the Loon. The legs extend backward, and are joined
by strong muscles to the back, to secure facility in diving,
the bird kicking upward against the water in thip act. The
tarsi are almost as flat as a knife-blade, which form greatly
aids in swimming, as it affords the least possible resistance;
the feet are contiauously lobed, and more or less joined by
a web at the bases of the toes, the claws on the latter being
flattened like human toe-nails. The bill is generally rather
long and pointed. The eyes are far forward, with a bare
space in front. The exquisite coat of down in which the
young appear is black, elegantly striped with white, and

THE DABCHICK.

176

marked with red about the head. In most species the color
of the plumage changes greatly with the season, and there
is a conspicuous ruff or ornament about the head of the
male in the breeding period. The plumage of the under
parts has a peculiar open structure and a satiny, lustrous
surface, inducing its use as fur. The nesting habits of the
family are similar throughout.

The Dabchick is some 13.00 long. The bill, which is
shorter and thicker than that of most Grebes, is pale blue,
with a black ring around the part perforated by the nostril.
The upper parts are dark brown, the fore-neck reddish, belly
white, sides grayish; under the chin there is a black spot in
spring, the only distinguishing mark of the breeding season.
In the fall this last mark is wanting, and the young have
the throat white, streaked with dark. Late in the fall even
the young are much smaller than the parents.

Having had my attention called to the breeding of this
species at St. Clair Flats by the communications in the
Oologist — now Ornithologist and Ooiogist — by Mr. W.
H. Collins, a distinguished taxidermist of Detroit, I gave
the matter a ca?-etul investigation when visiting that place
in the spring of 1882. The nest, built up from the bottom
in watie; f om a foot to eighteen inches deep, to several
inches above the water, is a sort of pier, sheltered by sedges,
cat-tails and rushes; and though stationary as thus pro-
tected, is so nearly afloat that any considerable agitation of
the water will rook it to and fro. It is a carefully laid pile
of soaked and decaying rushes of former years, and other
decaying matter from the bottom, with a good deal of the
larger fresh water algae mixed in. Cylindrical, some
18 inches in diameter, and symmetrically rounded at the
top, and having a slight depression for the eggs, it is the
wettest, dirtiest, nastiest thing to be conceived of in the way

' .TO, .

I

178

TJ/£ DABCHICK.

of a bird's nest. On this filthy arrangement are placed
some six or eight eggs, about 1.25 x -87, white, tinged
or waved with light green, the surface being rather rough
or granulc.ted. They are soon soiled from contact with the
nest. The birds are exceedingly on the alert, leaving the nest,
and partially covering the eggs with the wet material, and
getting entirely out of sight before the nest is discovered.
On examining the ne t, however, there can be no doubt as
to the method of incubation. The eggs are quite warm,
and there is nothing in the condition or temperature of the
nest that will at all account for the warmth. The newly
hatched young, jet-black, with six narrow, white stripes over
the back extending up on the neck, and red or reddish
markings about the head, underneath white, bill red, and
feet black, are truly beautiful; and so keen is their instinct
of fear as soon as they are out of the shell, that they will
scramble off the nest and hide among the rushes before one
can detect the nest; and but for their chicken-like peeping,
their presence would not be suspected. Meanwhile the
plaintive whistle of the parent bird may be heard in the
vicinity, now here, now there, but seldom, indeed, does she
allow herself to be seen. Now ensconce yourself away and
remain quiet for a few minutes, and this mother diver will
make her appearance, looking sharply in every direction,
and softly whistling together her scattered brood. Well
understanding these coaxing notes, the little ones gather
around her from among the rushes and sedges, and, as she
swims deeply, mount on her back for a ride. This is truly
a pretty sight, as well calculated to soften the heart as is
the cooing of the Dove. Occasionally you will see this bird
take her young under her wings, when alarmed, and dive
with them, the little ones remaining under for some time,
but generally coming up before the parent,

THE HORNED GREBE.

177

The Dabchick 'breeds abundantly about St. Clair Flats,
still more abundantly to the northwest, as in Northern Min-
nesota and Dakota, and more or less, indeed, from the
northern limits of the Southern States to the Gulf of St.
Lawrence; and though its winter habitat is in the South-
ern States, it has been found in midwinter as far north as .
Southern New England.

THE HORNED GREBE.

The Horned Grebe {Podiceps cornutus) is the most numer-
ous member of its family in this locality during the migra-
tions. In the last week of April or the first week of May, it
is very common on our streams and ponds. On the broad
and beautiful current of Niagara River, below the gorge, these
birds may then appear in flocks of hundreds; and their sport-
ing and diving is a sight worth seeing. Now they are all
gliuing hither and thither along the surface; now they go
down in rapid succession till every bird is under water, and
again they come up as quickly, till the vast number is once
more in full sight. Now the male expands his ruff to full
effect, giving his thus greatly enlarged head, set off with
pointed bill and red eyes, altogether a peculiar appearance.
Probably all the Grebes migrate for the most part by means
of the great water-courses, and so depend but little on their
rather imperfect powers of flight in this great emergency.

In the early days of spring, as the Horned Grebes pass
along our inland water-courses, it is so common to see them
in pairs that I infer they must mate before leaving their
winter habitat.

About 14.00 long, wing some 6.00, bill .75 and quite

slender and pointed, the male has the crest and ruffs

well developed. Very dark brown above, many of the

feathers generally fringed with light gray; below satiny

12

t

178

THE HORNED GREBE.

ii

white, the curved secondaries white; the black head and
ruffs with a yellowish-brown tuft or horn extending from
the eye to the back of the head, the continuation cf the
same in front of the eye chestnut; the neck, except a black
strip down the back, chestnut or brownish-red; sides and
flanks brown and white mixed. The '/emale is similar, with
the ruff much reduced, and the colors less pure and bright.

Concerning the breeding of this species, Dr. Coues says:
" I found it breeding at various points in Northern Dakota,
as along the Red River, in the prairie sloughs, with Coots,
Phalaropes and various Ducks, and in pools about the base
of Turtle Mountain, in company with P. calif amicus and the
Dabchick. I took fresh eggs on the 20th of June at Pem-
bina, finding them scattered on a soaking bed of decayed
reeds, as they had doubtless been disturbed by the hasty
movements of the parents in quitting the nest; there were
only four; probably more would have been laid. They are
elliptical in shape, with little or no difference in contour at
either end; dull whitish, with a very faint shade, quite
smooth, and measure about 1.70 x 1.20. On Turtle Moun-
tain, late in July, I procured newly-hatched young, swim-
ming with their parents in the various pools. At this early
stage the neck is striped, as in the common Dabchick."

The autumnal dress of this Grebe is so different from that
above described of the spring, that one not aware of the
identity of the bird in its changed habit would suppose it to
be another species. The ruff is barely indicated by a slight
lengthening of the feathers about the head, while the back
and under parts are nearly as in spring; the crown, back
part of the neck, and the sides are a sooty gray; the chin,
throat and sides of the head, white; forepart of the neck,
light ashy-gray. Thus clad, they appear in Western New
York in October, sometimes singly or in small numbers, on

THE RED-NECKED GREBE.

179

Streams and ponds, sometimes in Hocks of hundreds along
the margin of Lake Ontario; or on other large bodies of
water. In their autumnal appearance there is something
particularly chaste and elegant, and finely in harmony with
the cold, gray surf in which they are so sprightly and
active.

THE CRESTED GREBE.

The Crested Grebe {Podiceps cristatus) is common in North
America, especially in the more northern parts of the conti-
nent, and is also abundant in Western Europe. It is much
larger than either of those above described, being some
24.00 long and about 33.00 in extent. The ruff on the
male of this species is very large, and the crest, looking very
much like two horns, is very conspicuous. The crown,
crest and terminal part of the ruff is glossy black; base of

le ruff bright reddish-brown; fulvous over the eye; cheeks
and throat silky white; back of the neck and upper parts,
generally, dark brown, the feathers edged with light-brown
or gray; sides of the body reddish, streaked with dusky;
fore-neck, and under parts, pure silky white. In this bright
spring plumage, the male, with his long, slender, graceful
neck, is a truly beautiful object on the water. In the
autumn the crest and the ruffs are absent, and the head and
neck are of the same continuous plain color. This species
breeds to the north, and is said to construct the same bulky,
floating nest, tied to the reeds and rushes, as the rest of the
family; and to have eggs similar, only correspondingly
larger.

THE RED-NECKED GREBE,

The Red-necked Grebe {Podiceps griseigena var. holbolli)
is also found in North America. It is quite a little less in
length than the former, being only 19 inches, but it is more
bulky, and its bill and tarsi are much shorter. The adult

! %i

180

PINTAILS AND WIDGEONS.

breeding plumage is described by Dr. Coues as follows:
** Crests short and ruffs scarcely apparent. Bill black, the
tornia of the upper mandible at base and most of the lower
mandible yellowish. Crown and occiput glossy greenish-
black; back of the neck the same, less intense, and the upper
parts generally the same, with grayish edgings of the
feathers. Wing-coverts and primaries uniform chocolate-
brown, the shafts of the latter black. Secondaries white,
mostly with black shafts and brownish tips. Lining of
wings and axillars white. A broad patch of silvery-ash on
the throat, extending around on sides of the head, whitening
along line ot juncture with the black of the crown. Neck,
except the dorsal line, deep brownish-red, which extends
diluted some distance on the breast. Under parts silky
white, with a shade of silvery-ash, each feather having a
dark snaft-line and terminal spot, producing a peculiar
dappled appearance." To the far northwest there are also
the Eared Grebe and the Western Grebe.

PINTAILS AND WIDGEONS.

Before entering Lake Ontario, Johnson's Creek bends
northward, and again runs but a little north of westward,
thus entering obliquely, and forming a narrow point of land
between its right bank and the lake. This point is for the
most part well wooded, as is also a considerable part of
the opposite bank, thus making a fair retreat for water-
fowl in their migrations. Here the creek is pretty wide, and
its surface is smooth. As I sit on the bank, concealed in
the bushes, a flock of some dozen Ducks drops into the
stream a distance up, br.t near enough to be well studied
with the aid of a glass. They are Widgeons {Mareca ameri-
cana) and Pintails {^Dafila acuta). Both are beautiful species
of our fresh waters, and are frequently seen together, when

PINTAILS AND WIDGEONS.

181

they come from the north from September onward, and
again when they return to their breeding grounds in spring,
which is generally during April, but is sometimes as late as
the first week in May. Not only do they journey together,
but they continue together, and also in company with the
Teals and Mallards, being often in large flocks in the South-
ern States in winter, and breeding abundantly together in
the north, especially about the cedar swamps of Hud-
son's Bay, and the lowlands of Milk River and its tribu-
taries, as also through Northern Dakota and Montana
generally. In the first-named locality the Pintail is said to
breed the most abundantly of all the Ducks.

This species, inclusive of the long, ornamental feathers in
the center of hl:> tail, is 29.00 long, and his extent of wings
is 36.00; bill long and narrow; neck very long and slender;
head a glossy dusky-brown to half-way down the neck in
front, the centers of the feathers being darker, and the
whole somewhat tinged with violet or green toward the
back of the head; front of the lower neck, and strips up the
side of it to the back of the head, white; strip down the
back of the head black, becoming gray on the neck; upper
parts of a general grayish or dusky effect, the dusky feathers
being for the most part delicately penciled with white; the
long-pointed scapulars, tertiaries and tail feathers, except the
two long black ones in the center, black or dusky, edged or
streaked with white or gray; beauty spot green, the bar in
front rich olive, that behind white; under parts white,
often tinged with olive.

The female, having the feathers in the center of the tail
only about a half-inch longer than the rest, and being
otherwise slightly smaller than the male, is but 22.00 long,
with some 34.00 extent of wing; her head is dark brown, her
neck dingy white, thickly specked with brown; the dusky, or

■•. -i si

m

•■■■

i.

•r

I

I

U

R

182

PINTAILS AND WIDGEONS.

ii

blackish of the upper parts is marked crosswise with brown-
ish-white; breast and under parts, brownish- white, marked
with white.

On the still waters of this creek, sheltered on both sides
by the woods, this Duck is well at home, since it is emphat-
ically an inland species — frequenting prairie sloughs, ponds
and rivers, seldom reaching the sea coast and never breed-
ing with the Ducks of the ocean to the north. What a
striking object of beauty is that male, swimming with his
breast well immersed and his back parts thrown up, his
elegant tail elevated almost to the perpendicular, his long,
slender, swan-like neck sinuating most gracefully about him,
and every part of his lengthy and finely-formed body
marked and colored in brilliant contrasts! The Pintails,
four males and four females, separate from the Widgeons,
the one flock going to one side of the creek and the other
to the opposite side. The Pintails swim close together, and
seek their food in the shallow margins. They do not dive
so as to disappear, but, immersing their head and breast,
throw up their feet into the air. They are no doubt in
search of tadpoles, for which they labor with much avidity
in spring. As they raise their heads above water, the
males occasionally utter a rather soft and musical jabber,
wholly unlike the hoarse squak of the Mallard or the
Dusky Duck. Discerning no object of danger, and feeling
perfectly at home in this retired nook, they go ashore in the
edge of the woods and turn over the leaves in search of
snails, insects, and the beech-nuts of last year, scarcely
sprouted as yet. One even snaps his bill at a passing fly,
while another captures a drowsy, fluttering moth, just abroad
from his winter quarters. How finely they walk with tails
erect. Ah! they have taken alarm, and rise en masse on
wing. Were I within range of shot I might take them all

PINTAILS AND WIDGEONS,

183

with the contents of one barrel, so closely do they fly.
Once aloft in the air they are a most graceful figure in the
landscape; their full length of neck, body and tail, with
short and quiet flap of the wings, giving them the appear-
ance of a volley of huge arrows against the clear ether.
What could awaken more pleasing emotions than scenes
like these?

Concerning the breeding habitat of the Pintail, Dr. Coues
says: "Although I have not recognized it in the Missouri
region proper during the breeding season, yet I found it to
be one of the commonest of the various Ducks that nest in
the country drained by the Milk River and its tributaries
throughout most of the northern parts of Montana. In
traveling through that country in July, I found it on all the
prairie pools and alkaline lakes. At this date the young
were just beginning to fly, in most instances, while the old
birds were for the most part deprived of flight by moulting
of the quills. Many of the former were killed with sticks,
or captured by the hand, and afforded welcome variation of
our hard fare. On invasion of the grassy "jr reedy pools
where the Ducks were, they generally crawled shyly out
upon the prairie around, and there squatted to hide, so
that we procured more from the dry grass surrounding than
in the pools themselves. I have sometimes stumbled <^hus
upon several together, crouching as close as possible, and
caught them all in my hands."

He then adds from Dr. Dall concerning this same species:
" Extremely common in all parts of the Yukon, and on the
marshes near the sea coast. In the early spring, arriving about
May 1st, at Nulato, it is gregarious; but as soon as it com-
mences to breed, pbout May 20th, or later, they are gen-
erally found solitary or in pairs. Their nest is usually in
the sedge, lined with dry grass, and, in the absence of both

■*■■;

'P'

t4t

w

184

PINTAILS AND WIDGEONS.

parents, is covered with dry leaves and feathers. * *
* • They lay from six to ten, or even twelve eggs,
and as soon as the young are hatched they withdraw from
the river to the small creeks and rivulets, where they remain
until the ducklings are fully able to fly, when all repair to
the great marshes, where, on the roots of the horse-tail
(Equisetum), they grow so fat that frequently they cannot
raise themselves above the water."

It is further added, that "a nest-complement of seven
eggs, from the Yukon, now in the Smithsonian, furnishes
the following characters: Size 2.10 X 1.60-2.30 X 1-55;
shape, rather elongate ellipsoidal; color, uniform dull gray-
ish-olive, without any buff or creamy shade."

This species is common also to the Old World.

Our American Widgeon, or Baldpate, though very simi-
lar in size, form, and marking to that of Europe, is still
specifically different. Some 22 inches long and 30 in extent,
the bill is slate-color, the nail black; the crown creamy,
sometimes almost white; cheeks and n^ck the same, specked
and spotted with black; patch from around the eye to the
nape, including the pendent crest, glossy green; line down
the back of the neck, the breast and sides, vinous or purp-
lish-brown— the tips of the feathers somewhat hoary and
the sides cross-penciled with wavy lines of black; belly,
white; crest, black; back and scapulars, vinous bay, ele-
gantly crossed with wavy lines of black; lower back, pri-
maries, and tail, the central feathers of which are elongated,
dusky; speculum velvety black, with a cross-line of glossy
green next to the coverts which are white, the greater ones
tipped with black and bounded with gray above; the outer
web of the elongated tertiaries velvety — black edged with
white; under tail-coverts black, contrasting strongly with
the white vent.

PINTAILS AND WIDGEONS.

185

The female has the head and neck brownish-white, thickly
specked and streaked with black; back and scapulars, dusky-
brown, the feathers edged with drab or light reddish-
brown, those on the back elegantly waved with narrow
lines of chestnut-red; wing dusky, speculum and coverts
edged with white; the purplish-brown of the breast some-
what as in the male, but lighter, and mixed with dusky;
under parts like the male, except the tail-coverts, which are
white and brown-spotted.

This bird has the habits of our fresh-water Ducks in gen-
eral, spending the winter on the rivers, streams, bays, lakes,
ponds, and flooded fields of the Southern States; it feeds on
rice, grains, the seeds of grasses, roots, aquatic insects,
mast, and small fry. Whether on the land or on the water
it is a beautiful and graceful object. On the wing it is
direct and swift, having the whistling stroke more or less
common to its near allies. Swimming or flying, the flocks
move compactly, and so afford a good sight to the marks-
man.

The Widgeon may tarry with us till well on in Ap/il, and
returns again from the north early in September, and
may be seen through October. Pairing before starting for
its breeding grounds, it has a soft, whistling or flute note —
szwee, szwee.

Concerning its nidification. Dr. Coues says: "The
Widgeon breeds in abundance in Northern Dakota and
Montana, along the banks of the streams and pools. Some
such places which I visited, the resort of many pairs of
various Ducks during the breeding season, and of innumer-
able flocks during the migrations, resemble the duck-yard
of a farm, in the quantities of moulted feathers and amount
of ordure scattered everywhere. I was surprised to find young
Widgeons still unable to fly, even as late as the middle of

■I

I.

■■n

^^^.

IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

1.0

I.I

23. 12.5

■so

2.2

lU

140

m i 1.4

11^

m

1.6

■V2

/3

*^.

*^V'

^^'

^>

Photographic

Sdences
Corporation

33 WIST MAIN STREET

WEBSTER, N.Y. MSSO

(716)872-4503

*^%

''^A^

^ ^

x>-

186

THE SCAUP DUCK,

September, at a time when all the other Ducks observed
were well on the wing. Although this bird passes far north,
many nest in various parts of the United States. Audubon
notices its breeding in Texas, and others in the Middle
States, about the Great Lakes, and in Oregon. Mr. Dall
found it nesting along the Yukon with the Pintail." The
Widgeon's eggs are 8-12, 2.00 x l.oO, pale buff.

THE SCAUP DUCK.

On the 16th I go about two miles westward along the
lake shore in company with a friend to a place where a
small stream enters the lake through a Igtv tract of land,
and, a'A the mouth is frequently closed with the stones ahd
gravel thrown up by the waves, the waters thus obstructed
form a large irregular pond, and afford a resort for Ducks,
spring and fall. As we approach this pond we discover a
ffock of soir^r^ half-dozen Scaup Ducks {Fuli^ula martVa),
swimming in a line, near the farther bank. In the act of
swimming the white feathers of the sides are thrown up
over the wing^, so that the males appear white with black
heads. How rapidly and gracefully they move!

Scrambling along almost on hands and knees we pass to
the other side on a ridge of small stones and gravel now
thrown across the narrow mouth of the pond, and follow
a depression behind the opposite bank, thus coming within
short range of the Ducks without being seen. We rise and
fire, and only kill one Duck, which neither of us can claim
with certainty. The rest of the flock fly out over the lake,
which is lashed into fury by the wind, and Instantly return
to see what is become of the missing one.

The Scaup Duck, Black-head, or Blue-bill — for it is
known by all these common names — is 16 or 17 inches in
length, rather short and flat-bodied, with an unusually

THE SCAUP DUCK.

187

broad bill of a clear light-blue; the male has the head^
neck, shoulders, and breast black, with soft reflections of
green and violet on the head and upper part of the neck, with
a tendency to a broad, brcwn ring around the lower part of
the neck; back white, crossed by broad zigzag lines of black;
rump, tail, and wing^s blaqk, the latter with reflections of green,
and having the secondaries white, tipped, and slightly edged
with black; tertiaries, and shoulders finely sprayed with
white; under parts and sides white, the latter delicately
touched with gray. The female, having a broad, white
mark at the base of the upper mandible, has the entire
upper parts grayish-brown, lighter about the head, neck,
and breast; the ends of the feathers on the back sometimes
delicately sprayed with white, or silvery gray; under parts
white. The young males, resembling the females, may be
found in all stages between, as they approximate maturity.
The Scaup dives well for its food, a flock thus engaged
affording a lively sight. They are by no means so shy as
some of their kind; and, on being put up, do not generally
fly far before alighting.

This Duck, common to the whole northern hemisphere, is
found alike on fresh and salt waters, and is very common in
this locality during migration. They appear on Niagara
River in great flocks in the migrations, especially in April.
Then they keep for the most part to certain feeding grounds,
and have a peculiar way of huddling together, with a
swarming motion which marks them from other Ducks
even in the distance, and in some places has given them the
name Flocking Fowl. As they rise from the water, their
thick heads, short necks, and short, plump bodies, as also
the plover-like markings in their wing^, clearly distinguish
them. Like the following, they remain on Niagara during
severe winters. Mr. Maynard reports them as particularly

188

THE BUFFLE-HEADED DUCK.

abundant in Florida during winter, " fairly swarming on the
St. Johns and Indian rivers, gathering in such large and
compact flocks, especially at night, that they are called
Raft Ducks.. In rising from the water, at such times, they
make a noise like thunder. The earlier American ornitholo-
gists were aware of a great difference in the size of different
Scaups in this country, and the later writers have separated
them into two species, on account of this disparity in size.
The specific name of the smaller kind is Affinis. Both kinds
seem to have about the same distribution on this continent.
They breed in British America and in Alaska, the nest being
" very rude, a mere excavation with a few sticks about it."
The nest has been found, however, on St Clair Flats, and
there is a rumor that this species breeds regularly in the
marshes alonjj the south side of Lake Superior. Dr. Coues
found them breeding in large numbers along the Upper
Missouri and Milk River. The eggs, from 1.60 x 2.26 to
1.66 X 2.30, are said to be ashy-green in color, of a dark
tint peculiar to the species.

THE BUFFLE-HEADED DUCK.

Stealthily approaching the stream a little above the pond
a few hours later, we discover a pair of Buffle-heads (Buce-
phala albeola)y male and female, riding most gracefully down
the current. Previous to seeing the male of this species on
the water, I could not conceive the propriety of one of its
common names, "Spirit Duck"; but so graceful is the
puffed plumage of the head and neck, and so striking is the
contrast of jet-black and snow-white, that on beholding the
male float lightly, like a beautiful apparition, on the glassy
surface of some pond or stream, one feels that the name is
really descriptive.

Buffle-head, or Butter-ball, is some 14 inches long. The

i

THE BUFFLE-HEADED DUCK.

189

head, excqpting the broad, white band extending from behind
eyes around the back of the head and upper part of the neck,
including the long thick feathers of the latter, is black, with
green and purple reflections; the back, tail, and greater part
of the wings are black; remaining parts white. The female,
which is still smaller, and destitute of the puffed plumage
. peculiar to the head and neck of the male, has the entire
upper parts black, becoming ash on the breast and white
underneath, and has a white mark on the sides of the head
and in the wings.

A little while afterward I saw on Johnson's Creek a beau-
tiful male in company with some half-dozen females. This
is one of the commonest of our fresh-water Ducks. They
are most common in April and October. During th(? former
month they are quite common, in small flocks, on Niagara
River. As a few remain in the State (New York) during
winter, they are sometimes found on this rapid, open
current during the coldest weather, probably being
excluded at such times from the more quiet water-courses
by the ice. It is a most expert and graceful diver, the
male holding his crest closely before plunging. It is,
indeed, a pleasing entertainment to watch a half-dozen of
these Ducks — they never go in large flocks — diving in some
open space among the great drives of ice-cakes along the
shore. The young have been taken on the lakes of the
Adirondack Mountains; but as " it usually retires to high lati-
tudes to breed, as along the Yukon and elsewhere in boreal
America, its nidiflcation is not generally known. A set of 14
eggs taken, the accompanying label states, from a feathery
nest in a dead poplar, some distance from the ground, fur-
nishes the following description: Shape, perfectly ellipsoidal;
size, slightly over 2 inches in length by 1^ in breadth;
color, a peculiar tint, just between rich creamy-white and

f

wv

ido

THE RED-BREASTED MERGANSER.

grayish-olive, unvaried by marking^. Other eggs are
described as being 1^ long by 1^ broad, and bufif-colored."
(Coues).

Not being as shy as some Ducks, and flying rather low,
this elegant little species may be taken with tolerable ease.

As it lives largely on mollusks and small crustaceans,
its flesh is not the most savory.

THE RED-BREASTED MERGANSER.

As I point my glass out over the great lake, lashed into
fury by a strong northeast wind, I see a large flock of Red-
breasted Mergansers or Shell-drakes {Mergus serrator) beat-
ing their way against the wind, and flying low over the
cold, gray waters. As they skim the water in the
distance, their long, slender head and neck, as well as the
narrowness of their form in general, clearly mark their
identity. Common both to Europe and North America,
this species is with us in large numbers in late autumn and
early spring, remaining during winter if the waters are
sufficiently open. This is one of the most abundant species
on the Niagara during April and the early part of May.
Their long, slender, gracei ul figure, and the bright marking
of the males, render them very conspicuous both on the
water and in flight. On the water they are particularly
proud and graceful, swimming lightly and swiftly, holding
their heads high, and their long, loose crests playing in the
wind. They seem to be paired on their arrival, the mates
generally keeping with each other even in the largest flocks.
The males, however, are quite inclined to turn aside
occasionally, and give attention to other females than their
own. At such times, as also when addressing their mates,
they have a peculiar motion of the head and body. The
male will approach the female, and stretch up his neck.

THE RED-BREASTED MERGANSER.

191

raising the fore part of his body out of the water, and,
plunging forward, will make a low bow with a peculiar jerk
of Che head, expanding his red gape wide open, and lifting
his tongue in a very noticeable manner. Feeding mostly
on small fishes, these Mergansers dive readily and deeply,
seeming to prefer rapid currents, against which they " hold
their own " for hours while fishing.

Always partial to fresh waters, it bred in many parts of
our Middle and Eastern States, in Audubon's time, he
having found on two occasions the female in charge of her
brood in the lower parts of Kentucky. It still breeds com-
monly 1; >m Northern New England and the upper regions
of the Great Lakes, through New Brunswick, Nova Scotia,
the Magdalen Islands, Labrador, Newfoundland, etc. It
breeds sparingly throughout the great Northwest Territory,
but Mr. Fortiscue does not record it from Hudson's Bay.
The nests are placed on small islands in large bodies of
fresh water, or near fresh water ponds, and along the
margins of streams, in the tall grass or sedges, or under low
bushes. Thus unlike the other Mergansers, which build for
the most part in holes in trees, this species nests on the ground.
The nest is made like that of a Duck — and Ducks' nests in
general are very much alike — and, like it, accumulates
quite a quantity of down as incubation proceeds. The eggs,
6-12, but sometimes as many as 18, are about 2.65 X 1.V2,
oval, with strong and smoothly-polished shells, and of a
greenish-brown tint. They are generally deposited from
the middle of May to the middle of June or later, according
to latitude. The young, elegant, little brown creatures, with
white or grayish-white under parts, make for the water at
once, and dive and swim with the utmost readiness.

"At the approach of autumn they resemble the old
females; but the sexes can easily be distinguished by exam-

102

THE RED-BREASTED MERGANSER.

ining the unguis or extremity of the upper mandible, which
will be found to be white or whitish in the males, and red
or reddish in the females. The young males begin to
assume the spring dress in the beginning of February, but
they do not acquire their full size and beauty until the
second year." (Audubon.)

The male of this species is 24 inches long, with bill car-
mine; head, crest and upper part of the neck black, with a
green gloss; the rest of the neck white, with a black line
adown from the crest; upper part of the back velvety black,
lower part of the back and upper tail coverts an elegant gray,
delicately penciled with black and white; wings and scapular
black, finely marked with white; breast above a light chest-
nut-red, mixed with black; under parts white. He is truly
beautiful. The female, having a less. perfect crest than the
male, is brown or brownish-ash above, the feathers edged
with lighter; the sides of the head and neck reddish; the
secondaries and greater wing coverts white, thin dark bases,
forming dark bands on the wing; the under parts are white,
the breast being tinged with gray; the iris is red, and the
feet and bill are nearly so.

As is the case with other Mergansers, the male of this
species has a curious enlargement and modification of the
wind-pipe, the final cause of which seems difficult to explain.

In the more easterly migrations, and also in the breeding
habitat above designated, the Red-breast is much more
common than the rest of the Mergansers.

The long, slender, cylindrical, retrorse- toothed bill of the
Mergansers, commonly called Fish Ducks, distinguishes the
group clearly from the Ducks proper. Their diet also is
more exclusively fishy, thus rendering their flesh unsavory.
Their long, slender bodies, and the hindward position of
their feet, specially adapt them to the pursuit of their prey

THE RING-NECKED DUCK.

193

under water. The g^oup contains only eight species the
world over. They are mostly in the northern hemisphere,
some two species having been found in South America.
The beautiful Smew or White Nun of Europe is only acci-
dental in America.

THE RING-NECKED DUCK.

On my return from Lake Ontario, I find that a friend has
shot a pair of Ring-necked Ducks {Fuligula collaris) on the
New York and Erie Canal. This species, which is peculiar
to North America, is a rather rare migrant in Western
New York, as also in the central parts of the State, and to
the eastward generally. In size and shape, including even
the shape of the bill, it is very nearly related to the Scaups.
In color, also, the females of the Scaups and Ring-neck are
very similar, both being of a light brown, and white under-
neath. The former can readily be distinguished, however,
by her white band at the base of the upper mandible, while
the latter has the white band only at the base of the lower
mandible. The male of the Ring-neck is distinguishable
from that of the Scaup by the dark brown of the entire
upper parts; by his gray speculum, his chestnut ring around
the middle of the neck, but more particularly by the two
almost white rings around the dark bill, the one at the base
and the other near the tip. The Ring-neck bears a close
resemblance to the Tufted Duck of Europe, and for some
time was supposed to be the same. Rising readily out of
the water, it flies rapidly and high, producing a whistling
sound with its wings. Not appearing in large flocks, only
some ^fteen or twenty being seen together at a time, they
fly rather scattered, and so afford but a poor mark to the
slaughterer. Diving for their food after the manner of the
Scaups, they subsist on crays, small fishes, snails, frogs,
13

194

THE BARN SWALLOW.

aquatic insects, and roots and seeds of grasses. When
feeding along ponds and streams, they become fat, tender
and luscious. Very little seems to be known of this Duck's
breeding habits, the single brood found in Maine, and the
single nest of eggs reported from New Brunswick, being
regarded as stray cases. Mr. Fortiscue does not report it
from Hudson's Bay; reports from the great northwest ter-
ritory do not mention it, and Dr. Coues is silent as to its
breeding in the northwestern States and Territories.

In 1876, May 27th, the nest was found by Thos. S. Roberts,
of Minneapolis, Minn., in Hennepin County, about eight
miles from the city. It was pretty substantially built and
well finished, on the top of a pile of rotten debris — perhaps
the remains of an old muskrat-house — and was lined with
fine grasses, with a little moss intermixed, and a neat trim-
ming of down. The nine eggs, some 2.23 X 1.60, were
smooth, and " of a light greenish-white color."

THE BARN SWALLOW.

On the 19th of April I observe the first Barn Swallows
{Hirundo horreoruni). About 4.60 long, this swallow is
readily distinguishable from any other by its extensively
forked tail, and by building its nest inside of the barn on
the sides of beams and rafters; and is so well known to every
one, as scarcely to need description or historical record.
Who is not familiar with its swift, sailing flight, the widely
spread tail, its manner of gliding in through open doors or
windows, or the small, diamond-shaped opening in the
gable of the old-fashioned barn ? Lustrous steel-blue above,
which color extends down the sides of the breast in the
form of an imperfect collar; belly, reddish white; breast and
forehead, chestnut, he is differentiated from the Cliff or
Eave Swallow, not only by the furcate tail, but also by the

THE BARN SWALLOW.

196

white spots in the inner web of the tail feathers, thus form-
ing a sort of sub-marginal band, and by the absence of the
white spot on the forehead, from which is no doubt de-
rived the specific name of Lunifrons^ given in identification
of the other.

Sometime in the latter half of May the Bam Swallow's
nest of mud, lined with straw, feathers, etc., is built — un-
less, as is frequently the case, the same birds return to the
uninjured nest of the previous year — and four or five eggs,
some .76 x .65 of an inch, white, specked with brown, are
laid. In due time, the full-fledged young are seen perched
in a row on the edge of the half-bowl nest, the free brim of
which is strikingly different from the jug-nose entrance to
the nest of the Eave Swallow. This row of younglings,
often occupying the entire edge of the nest as they sit with
tails inward, are exceedingly noisy on the appearance of the
industrious parents, and swallow eagerly the food deposited
in their wide-open mouths by the parent bird as she hovers
in front of the nest. I wonder if the capacious mouth and
gullet of the Swallow, so convenient for taking its insect
prey on the wing, did not procure for it its common name !
It would seem altogether probable, though I cannot find
anything on the point in either dictionaries or works on
ornithology. Every part of the world has its Swallow or
Swallows of some kind, and every species of this family is
noted for that peculiar twitter, so strikingly conversational,
that the Greeks applied the name of the Swallow as an
epithet to designate the jargon of barbarian tongues. Listen
to those prolonged twitterings of the Bam Swallow's family
in the nest, and afterward about the beams and rafters of
the barn, and again as several families perch in long rows
on the telegraph wires, previous to migration ! Do they
not sound like veritable sentences of some unknown Ian-

196

THE ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK.

guage, uttered with g^eat spirit, and intermixed with strains
of merry laughter? Already in the olden times Virgil
noted the " Swallow's twitter on the chimney-tops." Bry-
ant, of our own times, sings of " the gossip of Swallows
through all the sky;" and Tennyson tells how the Swallows
"chirp and twitter twenty million loves."

The Barn Swallow sometimes raises a second brood in
late June or early July. Mr. Burroughs says: "A friend
tells me of a pair of Barn Swallows which, taking a fanciful
turn, saddled their nest in the loop of a rope that was pen-
dent from a peg in the peak, and liked it so well that they
repeated the experiment next year."

This American Swallow occupies North and Middle Amer-
ica to the arctics, and spends the winter in the West Indies.
There is a closely-allied variety, probably of the same spe-
cies, Erythrogaster^ in South America.

THE ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK.

About the middle or twentieth of April, sailing low and
slow over some wet field or marsh, or along some streamlet,
much resembling both in size and movement the Red-tailed
Hawk, but readily distinguished by the large amount of
white in his expanded wings and tail, and plumage gener-
ally, we occasionally see the Rough-legged Buzzard or
Hawk {Archibuteo lagopun). It is simply a passenger to the
north, breeding, as is supposed, entirely beyond the Union j
returning to us again about the last of October or the first
of November, and wintering farther south, in the seaward
portions of the Middle and Southern States, but ilot beyond.
As a passenger, it is by no means rare here.

The male about 20.00 and the female about 22.00
long, this species, common to both Europe and Amer-
ica, is always to be determined by its thickly-feathered

THE ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK.

197

tarsus. Above, the feathers are a deep, rich brown, edged
for the most part with light-red and whitish; feathers of
the head and neck, yellowish-white, with a streak of brown
in the center; breast, femoral and tarsul feathers, yellowish
or buff, sometimes white; tail, toward the base, including
under coverts, white, dark-brown toward the tip. It is
characterized by a broad abdominal ban • of rich dark-
brown, forming a beautiful apron. In the more easterly
part of its habitat, our American Rouf^''-leg ^hade*- into a
beautiful dark variety. Si rcti-johannny often called the
Black ^^awk.

This bird is particularly dro'vsy in it? habits, resting mo-
tionless for a long time on its perch, preferring to take its
low flight m dark days, or in the eveninjj twilight. Accord-
ing to Sir John Richardson, it " is often seen sailing over
swampy pieces of ground, and hunting for its prey by the
subdued daylight, which lightens even the midnight hours
in the high parallels of latitude." This habit, as also its
thickly feathered tarsus, reminds one of the Owls. Its bill
of fare is given as consisting of field-mice and other very
small quadrupeds, lizards, frogs, even insects, and rarely
birds. On the second day of last November, one of these
Hawks killed a domestic fowl straying in the field in this
vicinity. Immediately a trap was set, baited with the re-
mains of the hen, and in a few minutes the Hawk was
caught by the foot.

The nest of this species, built of sticks, is placed in tall
trees, sometimes on cliffs. Its three or four eggs, 2.33 X 1.75,
are dull-white or creamy, smirched or blotched with brown.

Wilson, who found these Hawks numerous in winter, below
Philadelphia, between the Schuylkill and the Delaware, re-
ports them as making a "loud squealing " as they arose on
being disturbed, "something resembling the neighing of a

I

fti

I

^.;

\p

i .

<

'■''■-. •

■I

,

&■'

I

1

198

THE SAVANNA SPARROW,

young colt, though in a more shrill and savage tone." Cooper
also speaks of their calling to each other with a "loud
scream."

THE SAVANNA SPARROW.

From the 16th to the 20th of April, the Savanna Sparrow
{Passerculus savanna) arrives in these parts, and is an
abundant resident until late in October or early in No-
vember. About 5.60 long, with the common marking
of the Sparrows above, white beneath, breast thickly spotted
in streaks, this is one of the lighter colored Sparrows, and is
always distinguishable by means of its yellow streak over
the eye and yellowish wash on the cheeks, combined with
the spotted breast, none other of our Sparrows having both
of these characters. It has also a little yellow on the edge of
the shoulder of the wing. In its colors and markings gen-
erally it resembles the Bay-winged Sparrow in the distance,
but is readily differentiated by its smaller size, and the absence
of the white in the outside feathers of the tail. It has the sharp
chipping note of its family, but its song is strongly marked,
and may be represented by the notes, zip-zip-zip-zwree-e-e-e-
e-Cy zwreCf the first three being short, subdued, and uttered
in quick succession, while the fourth is louder and drawn
out into a sort of trill or twitter on the upward slide, and
the latter is much shorter, and with the falling inflection.
The song is not loud, and has but little variation, but is one
of those gentle, drowsy sounds in nature which are decid-
edly soothing. While this species is not generally
dispersed, it seems almost to monopolize certain upland
fields and meadows, in which places its melodies are almost
the only bird-song to be heard. Being strictly terrestrial,
almost never rising above the fence, and keeping so closely
to the fields as scarcely ever to be seen in the highway, thus
being very unlike the Bay-wing, its nest is sunk into the

THE SWAMP SPARROW.

199

ground like that of the latter, but is much more thoroughly
concealed in the weeds or tall grass. It is slight, and com-
posed almost entirely of dried grasses. The eggs, 4 or 5,
often not more than 3, about .76 x -34, are greenish or
grayish white, spotted and blotched with light brown and
lilac, especially about the large end where the markings
may become coronal. Sometimes the markings are dark
brown, and become so thick as almost to conceal the ground-
color. There are evidently two broods, the first in May and
the second late in June. The bird leaves the nest quietly,
and runs along in the g^ass apparently without alarm,
even gleaning her food as she goes.

The Savanna Sparrow has always been regarded as par-
ticularly numerous near the sea-coast, breeds from Mary-
land and corresponding latitudes northward, and winters in
great abundance in the Southern States.

The Ipswich Sparrow {Passerculus princeps)^ first reported
by Mr. Maynard, and since found to be a rather common
migrant from the north late in the fall, some remaining in
New England during the winter, may be simply a more
northern variety of the Savanna Sparrow, than which it is a
little larger, and paler in color and markings.

THE SWAMP SPARROW.

As early as the 2 2d of April, in the marshes of Tona-
wanda Swamp, I have heard the song of the Swamp Spar-
row {Melospiza palustris). The exact notation is difficult to
render in syllables. Nuttall speaks of it as "a few trilling,
rather monotonous, minor notes, rv:sembling, in some
measure, the song of the Field Sparrow, and appearing
like /K'e, tw* tw* tw' tw* tw" twe^ and trnF twil 'fw fw* fwe,
uttered in a pleasing and somewhat varied warble." I
would add that the trill is in a clear, whistling tone, sound-

200

THE SWAMP SPARROW.

ing V^^tswee-tswee-tswee-tswee-tswee-tswee-tswee-tswee, quite sib-
ilant, the notes being essentially the same as those of the
Chipping Sparrow, only in much more prolonged and musi-
cal tones — a sort of enlarged and improved edition of it.
Its common chipping note, too, has something of a whistling
tone, rather than any hoarseness, such as is sometimes
ascribed to it.

Some 5.50 or upwards in length, the upper parts
are a: rich reddish-brown, streaked with lighter and with
black; wings deeply edged with clear brown; chin and
belly white, tinged with ash; breast and sides washed with
brownish, resembling the Song Sparrow somewhat, but
smaller and less streaked, and without the spotted breast.
It is of a warmer and more uniform brown than any of the
rest of our Sparrows.

The ordinary situation of the nest, according to the best
ornithologists, is on the ground, after the usual manner of
the Sparrows; but sometimes, especially if the ground is
wet, in a bush, or tussock of sedges. I think the latter is
the much more common situation of the nest. One
which I found in an open, wet marsh of Tonawanda
Swamp, on the 25th of May, was built into a thick tussock of
sedges and cat-tails, aoout a foot from the ground. It was
in the form of an inverted cone, some seven inches long,
made of coarse grasses and stubble, laid in rough angular
style, seeming to consist of several sections, the rim being
very uneven, with points sticking up in every direction,
reminding one of some rustic picket fence. It was lined
with dried grasses, which were a little finer than those used
in the outside. The eggs, four and sometimes five, about
.77 X.61 inch, are greenish- white, finely and thickly specked,
sometimes brushed with brown.

I almost failed to identify the nest above referred to.

THE YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER,

201

As I approached it the female slid over the side of it into
the sedges and cat-tails, skulking along on the ground like
a mouse; but, as she crossed an open ditch, she paused to
look at me a few moments, and thus gave me the opportu-
nity of recognition.

A nest from Nova Scotia, now before me, was taken from
a tuft of tall marsh-grass, and is altogether df fine ^ried
grasses. Neatly cup-shaped, its walls are thick and com-
pactly laid, and through the bottom it is deep and dense.
From the points and angler of dried grasses leaning in
almost every direction around its edge, it is of the same
picket-fence style as the one atjove described, and the eggs
are similar.

This bird seems confined to Eastern North America,
breeding from the Middle States to Labrador, and winter-
ing in the Southern States. It is quite shy and retiring, its
residence being strictly confined to the swamps and their
marshy vicinity, where it raises two broods in a season. I
found it very abundant among the sedges and tall grasses of
the flooded mashes of St. Clair Flats.

THE YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER.

On the 2 2d of April, as I paddle a light boat along the
meandering course of a stream of glassy smoothness in Tona-
wanda Swamp, in the shrubs and bushes, which are densely
thick along its margin and form a belt between either side
of the stream and the tall forests in the immediate vicinity,
I spy a Yellow-rumped Warbler {Dendroeca coronatd). It is a
fine male flitting leisurely about; the movement of this species
being always rather slow and dignified for one cf its kind.

About 5.60 long, he is of a fine ash or slate color,
streaked with black; line over the eye, lower eye-lid, throat,
wing-bars, spots in the outer tail-feathers and belly, white;

202

THE YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER,

cheeks, and spots across the upper part of the breast and
adown the front, black; crown, rump and sides of the
breast by the wing-shoulders, bright yellow. Does that
golden crown on his head mark him as a king ? or do those
bright epaulets designate him as a general-in-chief ? How-
ever that may be, his dress of drab and black, ornamented
with, gold, difords a striking and most elegant contrast of
colors; and his size, song, general dignity, and priority of
arrival entitle him to be the leader of his large and beauti-
ful family, altogether peculiar to America, and of his numer-
ous genus, also peculiar to North America; none of his genus,
or family, arrive earlier than he, unless, indeed, it may be
the Yellow Red-poll or Palm Warbler, which is exceedingly
rare here; the warblers of the Old World, among which
Robin-red-breast and the far-famed Nightingale are con-
spicuous, being much more closely allied to our Kinglets
than to the great family of their American namesakes.
The female is similar, but not so bright, and the young are
brownish instead of slaty, the yellow markings being quite
dim. This is one of our most beautiful, as also one of our
most common, warblers. Appearing in the Middle States,
and in Southern New England, about the 20th of April, it
passes to the north in considerable numbers for a month or
more, returning southward again late in October or in
November.

The Yellow-mmped Warbler, or Myrtle Bird, breeds from
Northern New England to the arctic regions, and northwest-
ward to Alaska and Washington Territory. The nest, in a
bush or tree, often an evergreen, and but a few feet from
the ground, is about four inches in external and two in in-
ternal diameter, and composed of weed-stalks, vegetable
fibers, rootlets or grasses, often lined with feathers or hair.
One before me, from Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia,

THE YELLOW.RUMPED WARBLER.

2U3

taken June 16th, and pretty well incubated, was found in a
spruce bush, about three feet from the ground, and con-
tained two eggs. Of about the usual external and internal
diameters, and quite deep — some 2.60 inches — externally
it is composed entirely of fine bleached grasses, and lined
with a continuous and thick felt of dark-red cow's hair,
such as is seen in large quantities about the stumps in
spring, being rubbed off by the cattle in the first sloughing
of their thick coats. Thus the nest has a very unique
appearance — almost straw-color outside, and uniform dark*
red or bright-brown inside. Whether of weed-stalks, vege-
table fibers, rootlets or grasses, it would seem that the nest
of this species is generally quite homogeneous, that is,
made externally, at least, of the one kind of material.
The eggs of the above nest are of the usual measurement
— .72 X .64, grayish-white, pretty heavily marked about the
large end, and specked all over with dark-brown and neutral.
Though often getting well up among the tall trees, and tak-
ing somewhat extended excursions into the air after insect
prey, the Myrtle Bird is not so active on the wing as are some
of the Warblers. In spring it has a somewhat loud and pleas-
ing warble, tswee-tswee-tswee-tswee-tswee-tswee-tsweey and so
resembling a musical twitter. Indeed, I have often found it
difficult, when visiting the breeding grounds, to distinguish
it from the song of the Snow Bird. In its migrations in
the beautiful days of autumn, this Warbler is sometimes
wont to lisp its song softly. Though this bird breeds so far
north, its nest has been found in the Southern States and in
the West Indies; and while it winters in the Southern States,
and even in the tropics, it is found regularly in the same
season in the Middle States, and even in Southern New
England. There is a closely-allied western variety or spe-
cies, called Audubon's Warbler.

CHAPTER XI.

LATE IN APRIL.

ON the morning of the 21st of April (1880), as I am riding
along the highway by the upland meadows, I spy a
Sparrow Hawk {Falco sparverius), perched on a tall dried
mullein-stalk, close to the road. He keeps his perch till I
am not more than four rods from him, partly because he is
the tamest of all the Hawks, but more especially because I
am riding. Flying off in an irregular zigzag manner, and
not very high, he alights in a small, solitary tree in the open
field. I stop to study him. Presently he starts out from
the tree, flying in his somewhat tipsy manner for a few
rods, giving the impression that he is not after anything
in particular, when he suddenly hovers gracefully for a few
seconds, and retires to the tree again. Evidently he had it
in mind to capture some little creature within the range of
his keen eye, but the chase did not turn out to suit him, so
he has concluded to await the next opportunity. In less than
a minute he sallies forth again, barely hovers, and drops to
the ground, returning to the tree with some small prey,
which, as I turn the glass upon him, I discover to be a field
mouse. Holding it under his claw, he tears it in pieces and
swallows it with a keen appetite, and in a few minutes more
is off again in a similar manner, thi: time returning with an ele-
gant little snake; which, after munching it pretty thoroughly
with his toothed bill, and stretching it out several times

THE SPARROW HAWK.

205

with bill and claw, he swallows, with vigorous jerks of the
head, nearly whole. Again he is off, and after hovering
several times, spends some time on the ground, devouring
something as I can plainly see by his actions, made clear by
the glass; probably he is now varying his diet with some
kind of insects, of which he consumes great numbers,
especially such orthoptera as are most noxious to the hus-
bandman. Remaining now longer than usual on his perch,
he jerks his tail every few seconds, as if decidedly impatient
of this long quiet. Now he flies ahnost towards me, and
dashing into a thicket by the road-side, emerges with a
small Sparrow in his clutches, thus proving himself true to
his name. The flight is within close range of a shot-gun,
and, much as this elegant and useful little Falcon merits
human protection, I reflect that all things — even birds — are
made for man, and so drawing the lock on him bring him
down, the Field Sparrow still in his clutches. It is a male,
some 10 inches long and 21 inches in extent (the smallest
of our Hawks); the bill is particularly pointed and toothed;
the top of his crown is reddish-chestnut, bordered with
slaty, mixed with black; a streak from below the eye down
the side of the throat, one across the tips of the ear-
feathers, a spot on the side of the neck, and a bordering of
the slaty behind the neck, black — making seven black
marks about the head; back and scapulars reddish-brown,
crossed with broken lines of black; wings slaty with black
spots; the primaries dusky, with white spots on the inner
vanes; tail reddish-brown, with a broad, sub-terminal band
of black and a slight tip of white, the outer feathers being
marked with black and white; under parts reddish-white,
with a few roundi«^.h sp)Ots of black mostly towards the
sides; bill, blue; cere and legs, yellow. The female of this
species is about an inch longer; the chestnut-red on the

206

THE SPARROW HAWK.

crown being streaked with slaty; the upper parts, includ-
ing the tail, wholly reddish-brown, heavily cross-streaked
with black; the under parts yellowish-white, streaked with
light-brown; the chin, femoral feathers, and vent, clear;
otherwise, like the male. The young are said to be covered
with a whitish-down at first, but soon approximate the
colors of the mature birds.

The dashing attack of our little Falcon, through thickets
and along hedges, is not only upon Sparrows, but upon the
smaller birds in general. Not only the elegant Bluebird,
the stately Cedar Bird, and the noisy self-conceited Cat-
bird, may become its prey, but even the Robin, the Brown
Thrush, and the Blue Jay — birds almost as large as itself.
Unlike the true Hawks, and some other species of its family,
it does not give a long chase in the open field after its prey,
but, in strict pursuit, stealthily seeks the covert of bushes or
hedge-rows, or it pounces upon the innocent passer-by una-
wares. Seldom, indeed, does it affect the barn-yard, and
then only to pick up a stray chick too remote for parental
interference; and since by far the greater part of its fare
consists of noxious vermin, it merits — as indeed it often
obtains — the sympathy and protection of man.

The Sparrow Hawk generally reaches New York from
the south about the middle of April or before, sometimes
even as early as March, but becomes most common early in
May, when the flood-tide of the migration of the little birds
is fairly set in. Then it may frequently be seen about the
fields and pastures, or even passing leisurely over the
crowded town, with a peculiar butterfly locomotion; and
may always be distinguished from the Sharp-shinned Hawk,
so near it in size, by its long-pointed wings, the Sharp-shin
having rather short and broad wings. Courtship, which
in the case of young males is said to be much varied

THE SPARROW HAWK.

207

and protracted in its antics, begins very soon; and about the
latter part of May or early in June the egg^ arc laid. As
this bird breeds, however, from Mexico to Hudson's Bay,
and from Maine to California, its time of nidification varies
considerably according to locality. It is well understood
that it generally breeds in some cavity or deserted
Woodpecker's hole, pretty well up in a tree or stub — often
a solitary one in the open field; and that its eggs are laid
on the pulvenzed debris, with, perhaps, the merest litter of
some strawy material; but it may adopt the old nest
of a Hawk or Crow, may seek out a hole in the wall of some
unfinished stone building, accept the old nest of the
Gray Squirrel; or, as in " the canons of the eastern range of
the Humboldt Mountains," may find a convenience for its
nest "in hollows of limestone cliffs"; or may even find its
way into an apartment by the dove-cote.

The eggs, generally five, some 1.32 X 1.13, are brownish-
white, specked all over, but often more about the large end,
with reddish-brown; but not infrequently the ground is
white or pinkish-white, with large blotches and intermedi-
ate specks of light red all over — the eggs having a peculiar
reddish appearance. Rarely, they are said to be whitish, with-
out any marking.

Unless very seriously disturbed, these Hawks occupy the
same nesting place from year to year, the male sharing in
incubation. They defend even their eggs with dashing
flights, snapping of the bill, and indignant screams at the
intruder. The young, brought out from the shell in about
15 or 16 days, are fed on grasshoppers, crickets and cater-
pillars at first; but afterwards are nourished by small rep-
tiles, birds and quadrupeds. At about six weeks of age
they quit the nest, and when two months old they shift for
themselves. This Hawk accepts no food but that of its

908

THE BLUE. WINGED TEAL.

own capture, and will even reject such as is infected with
parasites. It may go far beyond our southern limits in
winter, but it is not found in the highest latitudes of North
America in summer.

!

; I

THE BLUE-WINGED TEAL.

On reaching a beautiful large pond, an enlargement of
Oak Orchard Creek, in the edge of the wilderness of Tona-
wanda Swamp, I seat myself behind a small screen of rails
and bits of board in the corner of the fence, for observation.
It is a beautiful sunny day, with a remarkably clear sky for
the month of April. About ten o'clock in the forenoon a
small flock of Blue-winged Teals {Querquedula discors) fly
down the narrow, glassy stream, and alight on the farther
side of the pond. How straightforward and swiftly they
fly, their narrow-pointed wings beating the air with a grace-
fulness and rapidity truly wonderful. Generally the Teals
reconnoiter the place in cautious, circling flights, before
alighting; but this is .a very retired spot, where this flock
has no doubt fed undisturbed for some time; hence, with-
out this ordinary precaution, they drop gently down with
rigidly expanded wings, and, having glanced about them,
soon immerse their heads in search of the naias flexilis and
other species of the pond-weed family luxuriating in these
quiet waters. Occasionally they throw up their feet and
hinder parts in feeding, but generally float quietly on the
water, simply plunging the head and neck. Every now and
then they change their spot for feeding, swimming so grace-
fully and rapidly that they seem almost like an apparition
on the smooth surface. The tranquility of the place on this
beautiful sunny morning is perfect. There is apparently
not the slightest cause for the suspicion of danger, and the
little flock of Blue-wings seem completely off their guard.

THE BLUE-WINGED TEAL,

209

I cannot detect any vigilance whatever on their part. They
are too far off for a shot, and this I do not particularly
regret, for I am not a pot-hunter, nor a mere anatomic nat-
uralist. I simply like to know what transpires in such remote
and quiet nooks, and how these elegant little Ducks behave
in their undisturbed haunts. I note the elegant form and deli-
cately-penciled coloring of the males in this little flock of Blue-
winged Teals. One of the smallest of our Ducks, it is only 16
inches long and 31 in extent of wings, with small head and
bill and a slender neck; his crown, with a narrow line down
the hind neck is black; there is a white crescent in front of the
eye; the head is a purplish glossy drab; the back and scapulars
deep dusky, with concentric wavy lines and tips of reddish;
back deep dusky, edged with drab; longer scapulars and the
tertiaries, greenish-black with medium line of red; wing-
coverts ultra-marine, with a line of white between them and
the glossy green secondaries forming the speculum; the
dusky tail has a white spot on each side, with the under-
coverts black; breast and under parts reddish, elegantly
spotted with black. The female, about an inch shorter
than the male, has the plumage generally dark brown, mar-
gined with brownish- white; the cheeks and throat whitish;
wmg-coverts not quite so brightly ultra-marine as in the
male; the dusky-brown feathers of the under parts have a
brownish-white streak or spot in the center. The female
does not have the white crescent in front of the eye. The
young are like the female, and the old males return in the
fall migrations without the sexual markings.

Lingering with us even into May, and returning early in
September, this Teal is one of the last of all the migratory
Ducks to leave us, and about the first to come back from its
more northerly breeding grounds. Though extending far
north, even to Alaska, in the breeding season, they have
14

910

THE BLUE-WINGED TEAL.

been known to rear their young within our limits, as well as
in all suitable places intervening. Being a vegetable feeder,
and a fresh-water bird, it avoids not only the salt water, but
also the cold, clear, rock-bounded waters of the northern
interior, resorting to the mud-flats of great rivers, the quiet,
marshy borders of our lakes, sluggish streams, and ponds
abounding in vegetable growths. In late fall and early
spring it is said to be abundant in the flooded rice-field of
the south. Except in the coldest weather, Audubon testi-
fied to its great abundance about the mouths of the Missis-
sippi in winter; while Wilson speaks of large, dense flocks
in their migrations, on the muddy shoals bordering the Dela-
ware. Swimming or flying, the birds keep so close to-
gether in the flock that great numbers may be taken at a
single shot. I have seen them scouring the shores of Lake
Ontario in great flocks in September, so densely massed in
flight as to appear almost like a cloud, and passing with the
swiftness of the Wild Pigeon. At such times their flight is
truly elegant, the lustrous light-blue of their wings glisten-
ing like polished steel in the sunshine. In spring, one may
occasionally catch their soft, lisping notes. Being sensitive
to the cold for birds of their kind, like our delicate birds of
song, they often pass portions of the winter even in the
tropical regions. After the manner of the Ducks in gen-
eral, the Teals are wedded in the latter part of winter while
yet in the south.

The nest of this species is on the ground on some prairie,
or in some marsh, generally near the water, is made of dried
grasses, sedges and weeds, and lined with down. The eggs,
some eight or more, about 1.V5 X 1.31, are very smooth, and
of a dull, creamy white.

Being a vegetable feeder, the flesh of the Blue-winged
Teal is tender and luscious, and is therefore a great desid-

THE GREEN'WINGED TEAL.

211

eratum for the table. West of the Rocky Mountains it is
replaced by its near relative, the Cinnamon Teal.

THE GREEN-WINGED TEAL.

Tagging after the little flock of Blue-wings at a distance
of a few yards, like some stray and unwelcome relative, was
a solitary male of the Green-winged Teal, his flight being
very similar, and his place of alighting only a few rods dis-
tant an( liuch nearer the shore. Excepting certain aquatic
insects and minute mollusks, the food of this species seems
to be nearly terrestrial — consisting of the seeds of weeds
and grasses, berries and small nuts. Hence it feeds in the
very edge of the water, floating deeply, and plunging the
head and neck, and not infrequently stepping out on the
land, where it walks quite gracefully. In the air and on the
water its movements are very similar to those of the Blue-
wing; and, except that it is rather hardier and more north-
erly, reaching us somewhat later in autumn and leaving us
earlier in spring, its habitat and migrations are almost the
same. It, too, for the most part, avoids the sea and the
clear, rocky lake regions, preferring such flooded fields,
sedgy streams, ponds and lakes as bring it in contact with
its favorite vegetable growths, especially such bodies of
water as abound in the wild rice.

Second only to the Wood Duck in beauty is the male of
this elegant species. Some fifteen inches long, and twenty-
four in extent, the head and upper part of the neck are
bright chestnut-brown, the throat dusky, and a patch from
before the eye to the nape, glossy green; the pendent crest
being brown above and black below; back, tail and greater
part of the wings, dusky; the speculum, elegant glossy
green, bounded with jet-black above and below; several of
the scapulars edged with black; epaulets white; the rest

212

WILSON'S SNIPE.

of the upper parts most elegantly white and black penciled;
breast vinous ruddy, finely spotted with black; under parts
buffy white, with patches of clear white and coal black
about the tail. The female has the entire head and neck
dingy white, speckled with black, the breast grayish-brown,
spotted with darker; the back deep brown, crossed with
broad, wavy lines of brownish-white.

Having thoroughly observed this solitary Green-winged
Teal, I rise to my feet, when he takes alarm, rising from
the water at a single bound, and coursing through the air
amidst the tall tree-tops with most surprising rapidity, is
almost instantly followed by the Blue-wings.

The nidification of this species is precisely like that of
the latter, except that the eggs are a trifle larger, about
1.90 X 1-32. The nest may be found from the northern
borders of the United States northward.

Wilson's snipe.

It was the evening of the 22d of April (1880). All the
afternoon I had heard firing of guns in the wild meadows
of Tonawanda Swamp. As twilight approached and the
firing ceased, the air became resonant with the vernal chant
of Wilson's Snipe {Gallinago wilsoni). In every direction
the birds might be seen, describing their ascending and
somewhat spiral curves with that nervous beat jf the wings,
so peculiar to themselves, while others, too high to be dis-
cerned in the dusky air, added not a little to the general
vocal effect. This song of the Snipe, characteristic of the
breeding season, or even of the entire spring, and heard
for the most part in the early morning, or in the evening
from twilight till after dark, is at once striking and strongly
differentiated Beginning in subdued tones, somewhat
like the sounds produced by the oblique strokes of a Pigeon's

<

J

1

f

tVILSON'S SNIPE.

ai3

wings in alighting, the simple notes are uttered rapidly,
and through an ascending scale of nearly an octave in the
shortest chromatic steps, the mellow tones being rather
loudest in the middle of the strain and gradually softening
to the closing and highest note, the whole performance
being after the manner of a swell in music. The notes
might be readily represented by the repetition of the sylla-
ble, koo-koo-kuo-koo-koo-koo-koo-koo-koo-koo-koo-koo-koo-koo-koo-
koo; and though not decidedly musical, they have in them
the tenderness and inspiration of spring, readily associating
themselves with April showers, balmy atmospheres, spring-
ing grass, and that northern harbinger of spring-flora —
the blooming amelanchier.

Here and there, on the evening referred to, one might see
the Snipes alighting — dropping slowly and gracefully down
on a falling curve, their wings extending upward at an
angle of some ninety degrees. Generally they disappeared
among the bleached grass and sedges of the previous yeai*
standing in several inches of water; but occasionally they
perched on old stubs, making an odd figure among the
gay Red-wings just greeting the newly-arrived females with
the merriest and sweetest of Blackbird songs.'

How vividly I recall the odd antics of the Snipes in the wild
meadow on the old paternal farm in Nova Scotia. How grati-
fying to childhood curiosity was it to hide away in the alder
bushes and watch him as he took his morning or evening
repast. See him walk — almost run — with nimble, easy steps;
his long bill — schnepfe — which, in the old Saxon language,
gave the bird its name, pointing obliquely forward and
downward, and his short tail somewhat thrown up. Now
he probes the soft mud, pushing his limber bill down half
its length or more, and testing almost every square inch
for quite a distance around, the delicate external membrane

L

214

WILSON'S SNIPE.

of that Strongly specialized instrument, well supplied with
the most sensitive nerves, readily detecting the presence of
earth-worms, or such tender roots of plants as are agreeable
to the bird's taste. How queer he looks now, standing in that
half-crouched position, as if intently listening; or, how
pleasing as he stands at ease, one foot raised, and his back-
ward eyes peering weirdly. Or note him as he approaches
the coy female half-hidden in the faded grass so near her
own color. Bending forward with neck shortened and
curved till his breast and the tip of his bill nearly
touch the ground, the tips of his loosened and droop-
ing wings dragging at his sides, and his elevated tail
spread out like a quaint little fan, he struts before her as gay
as a Turkey-cock in miniature. Should anything alarm him,
he will scamper away quite a distance into the thick grasses
and sedges; or, if he be hard pressed, he may take wing,
and, rising a few feet into the air and emitting his charac-
teristic ^'^Hmv-Ike" fly in a nervous zigzag manner for
a few rods, and quickly drop out of sight. This short and
rapid flight is the supreme moment for a shot. And if
anything will send one's blood tingling to the tips of
fingers and toes, it is to drop this noted creature of the
bog and fen just as he gets fairly under way.

Many a time in boyhood, as I searched for the cows in the
wild meadow close by the stream meandering through the
alders, did the Snipe leave her nest just under my feet.
Merely glancing at the warm, grayish-brown eggs heavily
blotched with umber — the four pear-shaped objects lying
with the small ends together in a mere depression of the
ground on a few leaves or dried grasses — I would start after
the artful bird in her moods of distress. Surely thinking
her sick or wounded and ready to die, as she tumbled and
fluttered about on the ground only a few feet from me,

1^ :

WILSON'S SNIPE.

215

wheezing and moaiiing in the most distressed manner, I
would scramble and strive to my utmost to capture her;
but after decoying me a few rods from the nest she would
soon recover and skulk away into the bushes, leaving me to
my own cogitations, as I stood some half-way between her
missing self and the nest now wholly lost sight of.

It would seem that only the female attends to the duties of
incubation, the male being cognizable in the vicinity at all
times of day, and sometimes giving his aerial serenade as
late as eleven o'clock at night. The eggs are about 1.60 X
1.12, the yellowish or grayish-olive color varying consider-
ably in different clutches; the darjjc. umber and obscure
spots and blotches extending more or less all over the shell,
but thickening and enlarging at the large end. The young,
of a grayish-yellow, heavily streaked with several shades of
brown, according to the precocious habits of the infant
Waders, leave the nest as soon as they are out of the shell,
feeding on the insects found in mud, moss and meadow-
grass, until their tender bills are firm enough to probe the
soft ooze.

As is the case with the European Snipe, which ours so
closely resembles, Wilson's Snipe is one of the most fasci-
nating of game-birds to the sportsman. Mark this happy
specimen of the human race, as with hip-boots, trusty gun,
full accoutrements, and faithful pointer, he creeps stealthily
through the tall sedges! The dog alone has that high
sensibility of the olfactory nerves which can take the subtle
scent of this noted game-bird, but his master is all eye and
ear to see in what direction the bird will lie to the dog; and
so when the bird is put up he is ready to take it in its quick,
short, and rather irregular flight, with that ready skill
which consummates the pleasure of a genuine sportsman.
And if he bring home his game-bag well filled with

U-

216

THE LARGE YELLOWSHANKS.

Snipe, he considers the hardest day's tramp well re-
warded.

The Snipe is 11 inches long, bill 2j4 or more, grooved on
the sides, enlarged at the end, and though smooth in life,
becomes marked like a thimble when dried. The crown is
deep brown, with median line of brownish- white; sides of
the head light reddish-brown, with a dark brown streak
from the nostril to the eye, and a whitish spot above, and
one in front of the eye; upper parts deep brown, specked,
spotted and streaked with reddish-brown and white; wings
dusky brown; fore-neck and breast brown and buffy- white,
spotted and waved; tail chestnut-red, marked with black
and white; under parts white; sides barred with black.
The female is a little lighter colored than the male.

THE LARGE YELLOWSHANKS.

Firing into a flock of Rusty Grakles, gleaning food from
the ground bordering a flooded field in the vicinity of Ton-
awanda Swamp, on the 30th of April (1880), I roused a flock
of some fifty of the large Yellowshanks {Totanus melanoleu-
cus). They rose in the most excited manner only a few
rods from me, emitting their loud whistling notes, cree-oo,
cree-oOy cree-oo, the volume of which, coming from the whole
flock, might well alarm all the feathered tribes in the
neighborhood, thus making good their reputation among
gunners as Telltales, or Tattlers. With the long bill and
neck stretched forward, the long legs extended backward,
and the long-pointed wings forming gull-like arcs in their
rapid, steady beating, this flock, circling swiftly over the
field several times and then fading out in the distance,
makes one think of the sea and its multitudes of water-fowl.

Knowing that these birds will soon be back, I hide behind
the fence, ready to give them a salutation. In about half

THE LARGE YELLOWSHANKS.

217

an hour they reappear like black specks against the gray
clouds. In a few seconds I can define them clearly above
the tall forest, and can hear the clangor of their peculiar
voices; after circling several times over the inundated
field they alight about three gun-shots off, each pair of
wings pointing straight upward for a few moments, as if to
be sure that every feather is in place before folding. For a
few moments they glance around to assure themselves that
all is safe. Then wading about in a hurried manner, half-
way to their bodies in water, with much balancing and
vibrating of the body and graceful darting of the head in
various directions, they seek their food of aquatic insects,
worms, minute mollusks and tiny fishes. Creeping along
stealthily behind the fence till I arrive within shot-range, I
wing several with one charge. The flock, rising and scatter-
ing for a few moments, as if disconcerted, come together
and hover over their wounded comrades as thickly as wings
can vibrate among each other, calling to them most pit-
eously. Strange to say, I pointed my gun at the hovering
cloud, and who can tell what might have been the conse-
quences had it not failed to go off. This hovering over
wounded companions, common to various kinds of water-
birds which go in flocks, is a most affecting manifestation
of fellow-sympathy; but it is very fatal to them, giving the
rarest opportunity to the second barrel of the sportsman.
The wounded Yellowshanks push their slender shins
through the water with surprising rapidity, make a fair
attempt at swimming, and put their heads under the water
when closely pursued, but do not understand the art of
diving. I learned from the people in the neighborhood that
these birds had occupied this feeding ground continuously
for several weeks, and that they did not remain long after
this. Winteiing in the Southern States and in the West

1
1

\-

i

t;

Hk

i-

^m

%

m

m

218

THE LARGE YELLOW SHANKS.

Indies, and breeding from Nova Scotia northward, it is
merely a passenger through these middle districts, scarcely
seen after the first of May, but returning already in August
or even in July. Stray birds sometimes lingei- so late in
Massachusetts as to receive the name. Winter Yellow-legs;
and I have known them to be shot on the south shore of Lake
Ontario as late as November 19th, when the Old Squaw Ducks
had already arrived; they are not uncommon on the sea-coast,
but being rather fresh-water birds, are more abundant in
the interior. When in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, a few weeks
since, I saw in the collection of Mr. Doan, a taxidermist of
that place, the young of this species in the down, along with
the parent, bot.h having been shot and mounted by that gen-
tleman. He procured them at Chebogue Point, near the
city. They probably breed more or less in the marshes
about Chebogue and Tusket River, in the southwest end of
the Province. Strange to say, the nest of this species has
recently been reported from New Jersey.

Audubon says: "When in Labrador I found these birds
breeding, two or three pairs together, in the delightful
quiet valleys bounded by rugged hills of considerable
height, and watered by limpid brooks. These valleys
exhibit, in June and July, the richest verdure; luxuriant
grasses of various species growing here and there in sep-
arate beds, many yards in extent, while the intervening
spaces, which are comparatively bare, are of that boggy
nature so congenial to the habits of these species. In one
of these pleasing retreats my son found a pair of Telltales
in the month of June, both of which were procured. The
female was found to contain a full-formed egg, and some
more of the size of peas. The eggs are four, pyriform, 2.25
long and 1.60 in their greatest breadth, pale greenish-yellow,
marked with blotches of umber and pale purplish-gray,"

THE SMALL YELLOW SHANKS.

21»

The Large Yellowshanks are said to breed very
commonly on Anticosti.

About 14 inches long and 26 in extent of wings, bill 2.25
and of dark horn-color; color above, ashy-brown or dusky,,
each feather being edged with white and sub-margined
with waves or spots of black; secondaries and tertiaries
edged with alternate spots of white and black; head and
neck streaked with dusky and white; spot in front of the eye,
throat and under parts, white; upper and lower tail-
coverts white, crossed with wavy lines of dusky; the bright
yellow legs and feet, together with its size, well character-
izing the species.

THE SMALL YELLOWSHANKS.

Scarcely more than a miniature of the above is the Small
Yellow-shanks {Totanus flavipes). Being less than 11 inches
long and about 20 in extent, it is very perceptibly smaller;
but, except that it is a little darker, it is about the same in
form, color and marking, so that the description of the
former species answers sufficiently for this, and it has about
the same diet, habitat, and habits in general. Audubon
reported it as breeding commonly about Pictou, Nova
Scotia; his friend. Professor MacCulloch, describes the nest
" as placed among the grass on the edges of the rivers and
large ponds of the interior." According to Dr. Coues,
" the eggs are deposited on the ground, in a little depres-
sion, lined with a few dried leaves or grasses. They are
three or four in number, narrowly and pointedly pyriform,
measuring from 1.58x1.18-1.78x116. ♦ * *

The ground is a clear clay-color, sometimes tending more
to buffy or creamy, sometimes rather to light brown. The
marking is bold and heavy, but presents the customary
great diversity, some eggs being very heavily splashed with

I

220

THE SMALL YELLOWSHANKS.

blofches, confluent about the larger end, while others have
smaller clean-edged spots all over the surface. The mark-
ings are rich umber-brown, often tending to chocolate,
sometimes almost blackish. The paler shell-markings are
usually numerous and noticeable."

On the following morning, I saw a flock of these Lesser
Yellowshanks scouring the same flooded fields above re-
ferred to. After describing several of their elegant circles,
each keeping his place in the finely-ordered ranks, they
lighted in the shallow water near a thicket. I crept around
into the thicket, and crawling almost on hands and knees
behind a brush-fence, when I supposed myself near enough
for a good shot, and was peering cautiously around in order
to take aim from behind my screen, before I could get my
eye on one of the number I heard the ominous whistle —
the signal of danger — and away the little creatures were
careering beyond shot-range. I rose and watched the flock
till they were out of sight, studying that whistle which had
been given by the sentinel so well on the alert, and which
they all seemed so to comprehend in an instant. To this
moment I can feel in my eye-balls the quick and simultane-
ous beat of their wings.

Once, at Barnegat Inlet (N. J.), late in August, as I stood
on the piazza of the club-house with some half-dozen others,
a flock of these birds appeared. Some one whistled in
imitation of. their note, and at once they turned and flew
directly towards us. By the time they came within shot-
range, some one had brought out a gun, and giving them
two charges, dropped quite a number of them. They are
gentle, winsome little creatures, and well deserve to be held
in favor by all lovers of nature. They are not so common
here as the larger species.

THE RUSTY GRAKLE.

221*

THE RUSTY GRAKLE.

On the first day of May, 1880, as I stood on an iron
bridge crossing a sluggish stream of Tonawanda Swamp, I
saw the Rusty Grakies {Scolecophagus ferrugineus) constantly
trooping by in immense numbers. They were moving in a
very leisurely manner, immense detachments constantly
alighting. The large tract of low land, covered with the
alder, the willow and the osier, seemed alive with them.
The sombre wave, thus constantly rolling on, must have
carried hundreds of thousands over this highway in a day.
Occasionally they would alight to feed in the low, wet fields
in the vicinity, making the eartii black with their numbers.
Their notes, or what might be called their songs, were
almost deafening — resembling, indeed, the vocal perform-
ances of the Red-wings, but far less musical, being more of
a sharp, metallic clatter, interspersed with loud squealing,
and almost destitute of the liquid, warbling notes so pecul-
iar to that species. On being alarmed, either in the fields
or in the bushes, these Grakies would rise in a dense, black
cloud, and with a rumbling sound like that of distant
thunder. Their flight, which ordinarily is not very high, is
straightforward, with a steady beat of the wings, after the
manner of our Blackbirds in general. To one who has
merely met these birds in their rusty coats, as they visit the
fields in moderate flocks on their way south in October or
perhaps as early as the last of September, or as late as the
first of November, they would scarcely be recognizable on
these gala-days of their northward migration, so almost
completely have they doffed the rust-color; the male being
of an elegant glossy black, with the merest touch here and
there of the rusty fringe; and even the female being of a fine
brown or slaty-black, and having but a moderate garniture
of this distinguishable edging on her nuptial plumage. The

fi

fill

rJ

M8

THE RUSTY GRAKLE.

Rusty Grakle generally goes northward through this region
early in April, or even in March. Perhaps these have been
detained, or have loitered by the way, and are now advanc-
ing with a somewhat forced march along their swampy
thoroughfare.

Spending the winter in the Southern and even in the
Middle States — in a few cases as far north as the lower
Connecticut Valley — the Rusty Grakle breeds from north-
ern New England, northward through Labrador, westward
to Alaska, and even as far north as 69°; Kansas, Nebraska
and Dakota being its western limit. Like the Red-wing, it
is an inhabitant of the swamp, and of low, wet regions,
its food being insects, berries and small moUusks. The
nests, which are very common in Nova Scotia, where this
bird is called the Black Robin, are generally found in spruce
bushes or larch groves, about wild meadows or in v/et
places; so that the memory of my childhood days associates
the vigorous chuck and the metallic vibrations of the song
of this species with these elegant Coniferce. Mr. E. A.
Samuels found the nests "on the Magalloway River, in
Maine," placed in "the low alders overhanging the water."
Audubon sometimes found them '* among rhe tall reeds of
the Cat-tails, or Typha^ to which they wire attached by
interweaving the leaves of the plant with the grasses and
strips of bark of which they were externally composed."

The nest is bulky, firm and deep, composed outwardly of
small sticks, mosses and dried grasses, acrongly cemented
together with mud, and well lined with fine, dried grasses.
The eggfs, deposited early in May, in Nova Scotia, where I
used to regard five as the usual number, though four are
occasionally found, are about 1.03 x ."^V, of a pale, grayish-
green, somewhat heavily marked with several shades of
brown and a dull lilac, and scratched with black. As in the

THE YELLOW WARBLER,

223

case of the Red-wings, the marking varies very considerably
in different sets. I have seen the young abroad in Nova
Scotia by the 7th of June.

The Rusty Grakle is a little more than 0.00 long,
and some 14.50 in extent. Male, in spring, glossy black,
some of the feathers, especially underneath, edged with a
rusty-brown; female, slaty or rusty-brown above, rusty and
grayish mixed below, with a pale stripe above the eye.

The young birds are quite brown in their first dress, and
in all stages the species is characterized by the milk-white
iris, noticeable at quite a distance. In the Rocky Moun-
tain and California regions this species is replaced by
Brewer's Blackbird, or the Blue-headed Grakle {Scolecophagus
cyanocephalus)y a bird of very similar habits. The two species
generally mingle in their southern migration along the in-
terior.

THE YELLOW WARBLER.

In the last week of April or the first week of May, as the
warm currents of a spring atmosphere are wooing into
activity every germ of field and forest, the Yellow Warbler
{Dendroeca astivd) reaches us in immense numbers. You
may find it in the forest, in thickets and slashings, quite
as numerous in the orchard, and in the shrubbery about
the garden and the front-yard, but most especially does
it love the w^illows by the brook, with the yellow spray of
which its golden tints are particularly in harmony.

In dress and in song it is equally conspicuous. About
the size of the Chipping Sparrow, sonie 5 inches long,
greenish-yellow above, and golden-yellow streaked with
red beneath, it is unmistakable to the eye as it moves
among the opening leaves and blossoms. In this locality,
we have no other really yellow bird except the male Gold-
finch, and he is readily distinguished by his black crown,

224

THE YELLOW WARBLER.

wings and tail, and by his unique voice and manners in
general. The song of the Yellow, Blue-eyed Yellow,
Golden, or Summer Warbler — for it is known by all these
common names — may be represented by the syllables, wee-
chee-wee-chee-wee-chee', or, sweety sweet, sweet, sweetie, uttered in
sprightly, whistling tones.

It is awakening and cheerful, and therefore in delightful
harmony with its time. No mere promise of spring, like
ihe Phcebe, the Robin, or the Bluebird, the appearance of
the Golden Warbler is synchronous with spring itself, and
inseparably associated with the most genial sunshine and the
fragrance of flowers. The very thought of his melody brings
back the fruit blossoms and the merry play of garden-mak-
ing. Unlike all the rest of the Warblers, that seem to go and
come wholly at the bidding of the sylvan deities, this Blue-
eyed Beauty seeks the society of man as well, and may
confide his nest to the shrubbery about the walls of human
dwellings; aye, he will even be pleased to accept the help of
human hands in building that nest — constructing it with the
materials placed on the clothes-line or on the grass for him.
A nest before me, the building of which was thus aided by
young friends, is wholly of batting, except a little lining of
vegetable down, dried gra^ s and horse-heir, and so looks like
a snow-ball or a bunch of wool. This Warbler's nest may be
found in the woods, the swamp, the orchard, the garden or
the front-yard, and is generally placed in the upright fork of
a bush, often stuck into the spray anywhere, rarely on a hori-
zontal limb. Firmly built of various gray fibrous and downy
materials, it is interlaced and bound together with dried
grasses or fine rootlets, sometimes ornamented like bead-
work with the fallen catkins of the butternut or black
walnut, and is lined with the down of the thistle, the willow,
or the reddish wool-like covering of the unrolling fronds of

I

THE CATBIRD,

225

various ferns. Thus the nest is grayish outside and silken-
white, or delicate reddish, inside. The walls are thick and
firni, and the lining is as soft and delicate a couch as any
birdling ever pillowed its head upon. The eggs, some four
in number, about .87 X. 50, are generally grayish or greenish-
white, pretty heavily spotted, sometimes blotch/sd with
brown and lilac, and are very variable. Though the nest is
generally built by the last of May, there is but one brood
raiiied in this locality, and the birds leave us for the south
in September.

As an exception to the whole genus, D. astiva has no white
markings in the tail, except that the quills of the outer tail-
feathers are white. The young being for some time with-
out the red markings beneath, Audubon at first made them a
separate species, which he called "the Children's Warbler."

This bird shows special ingenuity in building out the
Cow-bird's egg, sometimes making even a three-story nest
for that purpose; although it is not, as was supposed by the
earlier ornithologists, the only bird resorting to this expe-
dient, the Redstart, Pho?be, etc., discovering the same
contrivance. Covering all North America to the arctics,
and even reaching South America ;n winter, his abundant
species is especially characteristic of ou: con... *-nt.

THE CATBIRD.

On the last day of April, as I paddle my canoe along the
still waters of Tonawanda, I spy a Catbird {Mimus caroli-
nensis) in the bushes near the stream. Only 9 inches long^
of a plain dark drab or ash, excepting the black crown and
the bright chestnut of the under tail-coverts, and keeping low
among the thick shrubbery, this bird is now by no means con-
spicuous.* As itapproachesnidification, about the last of May,

* I once uw in the possession of Professor W. E. D, Scott, of Princeton, a Catbird which
was as white as a white rabbit.

15

226

THE CATBIRD.

however, it becomes rery sprightly and noisy. With tail well
spread and crown-feathers erect, it hops and flits about the
thickets, the edges of the woods, the swamps and the thick
shrubbery of the garden, the most wide-awake bird in all
these haunts. Upon the slightest alarm, it will mew like
a scared kitten, imitating this feline mammal so perfectly
that no one would attribute the sound to the throat of a
bird. Again, it startles one with its song, which is very
spirited indeed, and in the sweetest tones, but so hurriedly
uttered that it would seem impossible to catch its full
meaning. Unquestionably this song may contain pretty
distinct imitations of the voices of other birds, but I fail to
detect that general and well-pronounced capacity of a
Mockingbird so often attributed to it. Why need he repeat
the melodies of his neighbors, his own song, like that of the
Brown Thrush, which it greatly resembles, is sweet enough
of itself. It differs most materially, however, from the song
of the Thrushes proper — birds to which our singer, the
Brown Thrush, and the distinguished Mockingbird, are
so closely related as to be regarded by ornithologists as a
branch of the same family. When the Wood Thrush sings
he seems to breathe out his very soul in a thoughtful
melody. There is a musical idea in every note. He is the
Mozart or Beethoven of his cl'ass. He sings because he
cannot help it. He sings to the forest, to the stream, and
to the evening star. The Catbird sings on purpose. There
is no sentiment whatever in his performance. It is wholly
a play upon tones, a trick of the vocal organs; and, as has
been justly said, always implies a listener, always betrays
self-consciousness. The notes of the Wood Thrush inspires
solemnity, and may bring one into a mood for religious
devotion; tiioce of the Catbird awaken risibility, au<I put
the spirit of fun and mischief into one.

THE CATBIRD,

227

" Some persqns do not admire the Catbird on account of
his sombre plumage," says Susan Fenimore Cooper, in her
delicious "Rural Hours," "but the rich shaded grays of
his coat strike us as particularly pleasing, and his form is
f 'egant. His cry, to be sure, is odd enough for a bird; and
sometimes when he repeats it twenty times in succession in
the course of half an hour, one feels inclined to box his ears.
It is the more provoking in him to insult us in this way,
because some of his notes, when he chooses, are very
musical — soft and liquid — as different as possible from his
harsh, grating cry. Like his cousin, the Mockingbird, he
often deserves a good shaking for his caprices, both belong-
ing to the naughty class of ' birds who can sing, and won't
sing,' except when it suits their fancy."

The nest, placed in a bush or brush-pile, is constructed of
coarse shreds of bark, stalks of weeds, and dried leaves,
occasionally ornamented with one or two rags or feathers,
and lined with rootlets, giving the inside a uniform dark
c ^lor, which is quite characteristic. The eggs, commonly 4,
.-^ome „96 X.YO, are of a fine, dark bluish-green. A second
brood is sometimes raised.

How bravely the Catbird will attack the black snake, that
arch-enemy of birds' nests on and near the ground, wrig-
j.linj; about vines and bushes after the manner of a more
anc ent individual of his kind, almost as much at home in a
tree as on the ground — how our bird will attack him with
bill and claw, and not infrequently compel him to retreat,
has been noted by almost every ornithologist.

In spring and early summer the food of the Catbird is
insectivorous. Larvae in general, and cutworms, as well as
^.ringed insects, cor.Jtitute the bulk of its fare. Later in the
season it is partial to small fruits, feeding mostly on wild
berries of swamps and thickets. It is therefore the friend

228

THE WATER THRUSH.

and ally of the husbandman, and should never be the sub-
ject of persecution; and especially because of the partiality
it shows for the vicinage of man, being almost entirely con-
fined to the improved and cultivated regions of the country,
and more or less common about our dwellings.

The Middle State ire the favorite breeding region of
this bird. Reported in Northern New England, it

breeds commonly in Nova ■ fid and on the Red River of the
north, (^n the Saskatchawan, in the cultivated parts of the
Central Plains, and on the Columbia River. It is resident
in the Southern States, but many pass the winter far
beyond. It leaves the Middle States for the south in Sep-
tember or October.

THE WATER THRUSH.

On this last day of April, I every now and then hear the
spirited notes of the Water Thrush {Seiurus noveboracensis).
I sometimes hear them even a week earlier. I hardly know
whether to call these notes a song or not. They are not at
all like those sylvan melodies, which seem the overflow of
quiet joy from happy natures; out are rather a strong utter-
ance of surprise, as if the bird had made some exciting
discovery — perhaps your own unwelcome presence — and
wished to express some feeling of alarm or disapproval.
Chee-chee-chee-chee-choo-choo-choo-choo-choo-choo, beginning with
a somewhat high and loud note, and gradually dropping
down softer and lower, the whole with an increasing rapid-
ity, might represent this vocal performance. As Wilson
and Audubon evidently gave us only the history of that
delightful songsier, the Louisiana, or Large-billed Water
Thrush, and subsequent writers have been more or less con-
fused as to the voices of this and our more northern or
common Water Thrush, ornithological readings do not pre-

THE WATER THRUSH.

229

pare us for this so-called song, as above described; and yet
I fail to detect in it any other melody, or any other note,
except that sharp chip^ chip^ common to its genus.

Having the dress of a Thrush, and the dainty, dove-like
gait as well as the jerking of the t"^il, so characteristic of
the Titlarks, while the structure is more allied to that of the
Warblers, this species and its congeners — the Louisiana
Water Thrush, and the Golden-crowned Thrush — have
greatly puzzled our ornithologists. After calling them
Thrushes for some time, and then Titlarks or Wagtails, the
greater importance of structural affinity over and above mere
appearance or analogy has finally placed th^m among the
Warblers — "Terrestrial Warblers," Coues calls them.

The Water Thrush is commonly quite shy, and manages
to keep well out of sight while one is moving around; but
if you will sit down and remain quiet, it will perambulate
about quite freely, and allow you a good view of its trim
form, some 5.60-6.00 inches long, and of a rich olivaceous-
brown coat and cap, and yellowish-white eye-brows and
under parts, the latter thickly spotted in streaks with brown.

Being almost constantly on or near the ground, this so-
called Thrush is a ground-builder; and, true to its name,
keeps in the immediate vicinity of water, generally in the
partially submerged shrubbery of a swamp. Here the nest
may be found at the root of a tree or stump, or stuck into
the side of a partially decayed and moss-covered log. It is
composed of sticks, dried grasses, moss and fine fibrous
material; and contains four eggs, about .85 x .QlT, delicate
white, specked with light-red. It may be found in this
locality late in May or early in June. I have found the
young out of the nest by the 19th of June. Habitat, East-
ern North America, up to high latitudes. I found it breeding
in Nova Scotia. Its northwestward trend is to Montana,

.■ !

.1

230

THE WATER THRUSH.

and even to Alaska; south in winter, into the West Indies^
Central America, and even South America.

The Large-billed Water Thrush {Seiurus ludovicianus)y
though very similar to the above, both in lappearance and
in habit, is nevertheless clearly differentiated by its greater
size, larger bill, buflfy-white under parts, instead of yellow-
ish-white, its more southern habitat, and its marvelous
powers of song.

ai

CHAPTER XII.

THE THIRD OF MAY.

IT is the 3d of May and we are just in the thickest of the
spring migration of our birds. Considered in all its rela-
tions, this regular movement of che birds is one of the
most wonderful facts in nature. Coming such an immense
distance, many of them from the tropics to the far north,
often one or two thousand miles, how can they time them-
selves so well? No matter what the weather is, or the
character of the season, I know within a few days at most,
in many cases almost within a few hours, when to expect
each species.* Not many hours from the morning of
the 7th of April I may be sure of the pleasing melody
of the Bay-winged Bunting, or Grass Finch; and as soon as
one appears, they become almost numberless. About the
1st of May I may expect the Catbird, the Indigo-bird, the
Redstart, the Black-throated Blue Warbler, and the Yellow
Warbler; and about a week later arrive the Golden-crowned
Warbler, the Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and the Wood Thrush.
This exact time of arrival adds a delightful interest to
the study of ornithology. I wait for the coming of the
birds, especially for my favorite ones, as for the coming of
my friends. As our rugged winter wears away, I count the
weeks and the days.

♦ This is particularly true of the land-birds. Many of the water-birds (but by no means
all of them), especially such as migrate along the water-courses of the interior, may be
governed considerably by the nature of the season.

m

232

MIGRA TION.

The time of arrival, as also of departure, though so
exact in each case, varies greatly with different species.
The Robin, the Bluebird, the various Blackbirds, the
Phoebe, the Killdeer, the Meadow Lark and the Song
Sparrow arrive before winter is over, and are thus the har-
bingers of spring; but Thrushes, Warblers, Cuckoos, and
the Flycatchers generally, come with the spring flowers and
the tender foliage. "The Indian of the fur countries, in
forming his rude calendar, names the recurring moons
after the Birds-of-passage, whose arrival is coincident with
their changes."

Those birds which arrive first stay latest, and the latest
visitants are the first to depart. For the most part, the
males are the first on the ground in the spring, while the
females or the young lead the van in the fall; and it is
pretty certain that those individuals spending the summer
farthest north also winter farther north than those of the
same species which do not reach such high latitudes. It
may also be set down as a general law that those species
which spend the summer farthest north also winter farthest
south.

Many kinds of birds, especially such as fly high and
encounter but slight danger, perform their passage in part
or wholly by day; but those passing near the ground, or
experiencing special dangers by the way, almost invariably
move under cover of the night. It is probable that the
divers — such as Loons and Grebes — make their passages
mostly in the water, following the great water-courses;
while certain running birds, as the Rails, achieve a great
part of their journey a-foot.

Our North American birds seem to migrate year after
year in certain lines, toward the north in the spring, and
again toward the south in autumn. For instance, of the

MIGRA TION.

888

immense number of birds wintering in Florida, some regu-
larly follow the more easterly parts, while others, pursuing
a more interior route, trend away to the northwest; so that
a number of observers, forming a line from east to west
across these lines of migration, wDuld each find, year after
year, certain passengers peculiar to his station. The Atlan-
tic Coast and the Mississippi — Father of Waters — would
seem to be the main thoroughfares.* Again, the regular
route in the autumn for some species is not the same as
tnat of the spring. Some species, and perhaps it may be
said the birds in general, return to the same spot for nidifi-
cation from year to year. The Barn Swallows return to the
old home on the rafter with great demonstrations of joy at
each arrival; the Bluebird and the Martin return regularly to
their tenement; the Bird of Prey seeks out its old eyrie, and
even the song-bird of the forest, which achieves the longest
migration, is known to rebuild near its former site. It is
said that from year to year " the immortal Naumann knew
all his little feathered friends, near his house, by their
songs."

How does each species, or individual, trace its pathway
with such marked regularity and certainty? Whoever
would account for this, by the bird's-eye view of the main
points of landscape which the migrant is supposed to com-
mand from its lofty aerial pathway, must attribute to the
bird a higher reasoning faculty in combining the general
effect of the extended scenery through which it passes than
it could seem to possess; and at the same time fails to find
the route for the vast numbers moving low, or under cover
of the night. Nor do the young always avail themselves of
the more experienced; and unless the bird be endowed with
an intelligence immeasurably above that of man, would it

* A careful study of the facts in the Old World has rendered it certain that great water-
courses, and their adjoining valleys, are the main thoroughfares of migration.

234

MIGRA TION.

not require a great deal of experience to secure so wonder-
ful a result with so much certainty? Here is a mystery
which the most careful study can only enhance. In that
mystery who does not exclaim:

There is a power whose care

Teaches thy way along that pathless coast,

The desert and the illimitable air."

The manner of the birds in their passage is in every way
interesting. There is often much ceremony by way of
preparation for the journey. Some go singly or in pairs,
others in families or flocks, these moving communities some-
times being enormous. The Swallows will gather in im-
mense flocks, perching in dense lines on the ridge of the old
barn or along the telegraph wires, and laugh and chatter as
if their formidable journey were to be the merriest ching
possible; the vast assemblages of the several kinds of Black-
birds, generally each kind by itself, will fairly darken the
corn-fields and the meadows; and the Robins will assemble
with a subdued but peculiar hilarity. Generally there is
the greatest possible difference between the spring and the
fall migrations, the former being hurried, jubilant, and full
of song; the latter leisurely, quiet, and comparatively voice-
less.

It is the opinion of some of the best European observers
that the more hurried and joyous the vernal migration, the
earlier and more genial will be the spring, and that loitering
or hesitation betokens the opposite; while the more leisurely
the southward movement, the greater the probability of an
easy winter, and vice versa.

Gregarious species, especially the water-fowl, often move
in the most exact and beautiful order. Who has not
noticed the flight of Wild Geese, Ducks and Plover, in
the form of a V, a straight line, or a graceful curve ? As

MIGRA TION,

235

the leader cleaves the air with a special outlay of strength,
he every now and then drops into the rear in the easier line
of the wake, some other one taking up the task in front.
The European Storks are said to perform, every now and
then, the most beautiful evolutions on their way, after
which they move straight forward as usual. In heavy fogs
or dark nights birds fly low, and that often at their peril.
Not infrequently they lie over during weather especially
unfavorable. All such as take long and high flights prefer
the moonlight and the wind ahead. Wind in the rear is
very unfavorable. Not infrequently birds prefer to travel
under the leadership of the more experienced of their class.

Very noticeable, indeed, is the effect of this regular
migration in any locality. Compute the probable number
of any one species, as the Bay-winged Sparrow, or the Balti-
more Oriole, for instance, contained in every square mile of
their summer habitat, and imagine the immense tidal wave
which, at the exact time for each species, moves along the en-
tire breadth of the line of march. The more brilliant varieties
everywhere appeal to the eye; and, as they reach their sum-
mer residence, each kind of the birds of song makes the air
more resonant with its peculiar melody. How the arrival
of any numerous species modifies the entire phase of a
rural district! The field and orchard teem with a t^vj and
happy life, and from the forest comes the finest o>. i.ature's
melodies.

In Eastern North America, the birds migrate in greater
numbers and over a greater reach of country than in any
other part of the world; therefore, I am especially led to
inquire how this wonderful thing is accomplished. What
strange and mighty impulse is this which, inspiring the
breasts of such countless multitudes at the same moment,
carries them on through bitter storms and numberless perils

ill

Si

Wi

236

MIGRA TION.

to such immense distances ? Even those species of migratory
birds which have been confined for many months, and seem
perfectly tame, dash violently against the sides of their cage,
and the tamed Canada Goose becomes wild again at the
call of his species in their northward flight, and abandon-
ing all his new relationships, rises to join fliem.

Mr. A. R. Wallace, in his great work on the Geographical
Distribution of Animals, states what he conceives to be the
natural causes for this wonderful phenomenon.

He suggests " that the instinct of migration has arisen
from the habit of wandering in search of food common to
all animals, but is greatly exaggerated in the case of birds
by their power of flight and by the necessity for procur-
ing a large amount of soft insect-food for their unfledged
young." This might explain certain more or less irregular
movements of birds, which are termed partial migrations,
but is by no means sufficient to account for all the wonder-
ful facts of regular migration. As a matter of fact, insect-
life becomes much more abundant as we approach the
warmer regions of the globe, the larvae of most kinds of
insects appearing at different times throughout the season;
hence we are not surprised to find large numbers of birds,
of about every order, breeding and residing permanently in
the more southern parts of our continent. Moreover, not a
few species breed almost indifferently in any part of East-
ern North America, to quite high latitudes, nesting at an
earlier or later period of the entire breeding season, in
accordance with their more northern or more southern
location. Since nature yields so readily to ordinary causes,
might not the birds generally find it more convenient to
adjust the time of their nidification to that period of the
year when insect larvae abound in the more southern lati-
tudes, than to travel such immense distances, encountering

MICRA TION.

237

wind and storm, and perils innumerable? The perils which
birds encounter in their migrations are inconceivable to those
unacquainted with the facts. Overcome by adverse winds
and storms of great severity, immense numbers become
exhausted and perish, as is shown by the numbers of the
small land-birds drifting on to the shores of the Great
Lakes after very severe storms. Attracted and dazed by
the light-houses stationed here and there, so many dash
their lives out against them as to render these points of
incalculable interest to the observer. The continuous net-
work of telegraph wires spread over the country maims
and destroys countless numbers. After heavy storms»
during their migrations, hundreds of Ducks have been
picked up dead on a single morning on Niagara River,
below the Falls, they having flown into the great cataract
and perished.

Again, the same author says: "If we go back only as
far as the height of the glacial epoch, there is reason to
believe that all North America, as far south as about 40**
north latitude, was covered with an almost continuous and
perennial ice-sheet. At this time the migratory birds would
extend up to this barrier (which would probably terminate
in the midst of luxuriant vegetation, just as the glaciers of
Switzerland now often terminate amid forests and corn-
fields), and as the cold decreased and the ice retired almost
imperceptibly year by year, would follow it up farther and
farther, according as the peculiarities of vegetation and
insect-food were more or less suited to their several consti-
tutions." The only possible interpretation of this passage
would seem to be that the birds, being held in the south by
the glacial epoch, followed up the recession of the cold at
the closing of that period, and ever since have kept up the
same movement in annual accommodation to cold and ice»

1 i

hi

m

m

238

MICH A TICN.

simply to find suitable food. The question naturally arises,
since all varieties of bird-food abound in the south, why
should a berry, a grain, a seed, or a caterpillar, be so much
more palatable in the north ? . Nor are our regular migrants
generally driven back from the north by hunger and cold.
Nearly all our migratory birds leave for the south either
during the fine and fruitful days of late summer, or in the
most br'lliant and balmy days of autumn, when they are
well covered with an extra coat of fat, and give forth a
pleasing repetitioti of the gladsome lays of spring; and in
most cases they evidently go much further than is neces-
sary to find food and mild weather. In the gala-days of
spring when most birds make their passage, tlie weather
and resources of food are such that the whole journey is
one continuous festivity.

Mr. Wallace admits that " the most striking fact in favor
of the 'instinct' of migration is the 'agitation,' or excite-
ment, of confined birds at the time when their wild com-
panions are migrating.' but thinks this "a social excitement
due to the anxious cries of the migrating birds." No doubt
the tame bird may be affected by the cry of its fellow, but
those not within the reach of such cry, nor even within
sight of their passing relatives, seem equally excited in the
time of regular migration, spending the whole night in use-
less efforts to free themselves. Moreover, how came these
birds in confinement, these life-long prisoners shut out from
the society of their kind, to recognize each the call of its
fellows, and to comprehend its meaning? Again, the same
writer says: "We must remember, too, that migration, at
the proper time, is in many cases absolutely essential to the
existence of the species; and it is therefore not improbable
that some strong, social emotion should have been gradu-
ally developed in the race, by the circumstance that all

MIGRA TION.

230

who for want of such emotion did not join their fellows
inevitably perished." As to the first clause of this state-
ment, we know that birds occasionally nest very far from
their ordinary breeding habitat, and for aught we can see
they might always do so; and as to the second clause, the
query naturally arises, how came the sad fate of the few
delinquents that " inevitably perished " on failing to migrate
to become so generally known and so deeply affecting? It
is marvelous what an amount of loose speculation may
pass for science ! No; neither the wisdom of the birds, nor
the force of circumstances, however stern, can account for
the wonderful phenomena connected with the regular mi-
gration of birds. It would seem that this, like so many
other persistent habits in animated nature, must be caused
by the laws of instinct, superintended by an Infinite Intelli-
gence. Nor should we be stumbled because we, in the close
limitations of our finiteness, cannot conceive how the Infinite
and Omnipresent can touch these innumerable springs of
activity in animated nature. With proper evidence, there
should be room for faith.

One very naturally sympathizes with Audubon in his
reflections on the bleak coasts of Labrador. "That the
Creator should have ordered that millions of diminutive,
tender creatures should cross spaces of country, in all
appearance a thousand times more congenial for all their
purposes, to reach this poor, desolate and deserted land, to
people it, as it were, for a time, and to cause it to be enli-
vened with the songs of the sweetest of the feathered musi-
cians, for only two months, at most, and then, by the same
extraordinary instinct, should cause them all to suddenly
abandon the country, is as wonderful as it is beautiful and
grand."

:♦.>

240

THE BALTIMORE ORIOLE.

THE BALTIMORE ORIOLE.

O, these days of life and song ! they are but too short
and fleeting! I go into my study, in the early morning,
and sit by the open window which overlookw i.he village

THE BALTIMORE ORIOLE.

nestling among the trees. What a delicious fragrance floats
on the breeze ! What ran be more suggestive of Paradise
than this delightful chorus of birds, and this budding and
blooming of spring ?

Ah! my old favorite, the Baltimore Oriole {Icterus balti-
more)y has arrived during the night. I hear his loud, sweet
whistle in the large elm just across the way. Now he has
passed directly before the window, and lit in full view in
the orchard. He is well worthy of the epithet " Golden " in
his old familiar name, Golden Robin, only he is no Robin at
£.11; and if Lord Baltimore, for whom he is named, could have
equaled his brilliancy in the colors of hiscoat-of-arms, he was
a gay fellow to lead a persecuted people into the wilderness.
Most appropriate of all, I think, is this bird's Indian name,
" Fire-bird." Appearing to the best advantage as he flies
from you, does not that rump of bright orange, surrounded
by the jet-black of his head, shoulders, wings and tail, glow
like a burning coal? And, as he spreads his tail in lightings

THE BALTIMORE ORIOLE.

241

are not those light-orange outer feathers of the same about
to burst into a flame? The brightest orange, however, is on
the breast, becoming lighter on the sides and under parts;
and in the brightest specimens, even the white of the wing-
coverts is tinged with the same. His female, who may
arrive in a day or two, or may linger behind more than a
week, has but a general resemblance, being much duller in
color and marking.

HerOy heroy hero: Cheery^ cheery, cheery: Cheer-up, cheer-up,
cheer-up: are among his common notes, generally coming
from among the swaying branches of the taller trees; but
sometimes also from the bushes, and even from the fence.
Occasionally, only, is he seen on the ground, and then he
appears as much out of place as a gentleman in broadcloth
and kid-gloves digging a ditch, or guiding a plow. On
some minds the effect of the song of birds is very great.
The most sprightly cheerfulness is particularly emphasized
in the song of the Baltimore. How I have been cheered by
it, in certain days dark with sorrow, I cannot easily forget.
Hence his first note awakens a throng of tender reminis-
cences, and his return is always an event of the season.
And yet that song has but little compass or variety. Its
effect is wholly in the tones. The notes are almost monoto-
nous, unless, indeed, he has learned to imitate the note or
song of some bird by the way, one which never reaches us,
and so leaves the acquired song a mystery to us; a peculiar
attainment of the Baltimore, in which his voice may become
quite flexible. Unquestionably he has quite a faculty for
imitation. Besides his song he has a spirited twitter, or
rattle, when in combat, and when winning the female.
He has also a single note, corresponding to the com-
mon chipping of birds when alarmed about their nest or
young. But all his noise will soon be over. Incubation
16

S.i|

1

343

THE BALTIMORE ORIOLE.

once begun, he is one of the quietest of birds and remains
so till after the moult, during which event he is rarely to
be seen; then returning to the vicinity of the late nesting
place in the orchard or grove, he will be almost as gay, and
sprightly, and musical, in the midst of his full-grown family,
now making ready to depart for sone more genial clime, as
he was in the hilarious days of the nuptial season.

A very "castle in the air" is the Baltimore's pensile nest,
as it sways and rocks on an elastic branch of some tree, in
the front-yard, the orchard, the grove or the forest. In this
locality a partiality is shown for the graceful drooping
branches of the elm. Wherever placed, it seldom fails to be
under a canopy of leaves. Generally in the form of a bag
£jme six or seven inches deep, round at the bottom, and
hung to slender fork-shaped limbs by the edges, the limbs
thus serving to hold it open, it is the most noticeable bird's
nest in field or forest. The material is almost anything in
the form of long strips or threads that can be easily woven —
thin, gray, vegetable fibers, yarn, twine, interlaced in every
possible manner, and well sewed together with horse-hair.
The walls are so thin and open as to let the air through
readily. The bottom is a thick cushion of vegetable down
and hair. A gentleman in Pennsylvania once hung out
bright and various colored zephyrs, which the bird wove into
a most brilliant and fantastic fabric. Says Wilsoa: " So
solicitous is the Baltimore to procure proper materials for
his nest that, in the season of building, the women in the
country are under necessity of narrowly watching their
thread that may chance to be out bleaching, and the farmer
to secure his young grafts; as the Baltimore, finding the
iormer, and the strings which tie the latter, so well adapted
for his purpose, frequently carries off both; or should the
one be too heavy, and the other too firmly tied, he will tug

THE BALTIMORE ORIOLE.

243

at them a considerable time before he gives up the attempt.
Skeins of silk and hanks of thread have been often found,
after the leaves were fallen, hanging around the Baltimore's
nest; but so woven up and entangled as to be entirely
irreclaimable. Before the introduction of Europeans, no
such material could have been obtained here; but, with the
sagacity of a good architect, he has improved this circum-
stance to his advantage; and the strongest and best mate-
rials are uniformly found in those parts by which the whole
is supported."

Great sagacity and skill are shown in adapting the form
of the nest to circumstances. Audubon observes that the
walls of the nest are thinner, or thicker, and that it is placed
on the warmer, or cooler, side of the tree, according as che
location is northern or southern. Two nests, lately found
by Mr. Eugene Ringueberg, of Lockport, N. Y., are very
suggestive as to the intelligence of the bird. One was
hung on the string of a kite caught in an apple-tree. Closed
at the top in the form of a cone, its opening, high on one
side, was a sort of projecting porch of closely woven horse-
hair, which, as the nest could turn in any direction, served
as the tail of a weather-cock, and turning constantly to the
leeward side, kept the entrance from the storm. The other,
being built on two slender twigs, was too poorly supported
for the weight of the bird. In this emergency, a strong
piece of twine was woven into one side, carried up over
two firm branches, and well fastened into the other side,
thus making the nest fully secure. Here was no mean
exercise of the reasoning faculty. Those who study the
animal kingdom most will have the highest opinion of its
intelligence.

. The eggs, generally four or five in a set, some ".90 x .60 "
of an inch, are white, slightly tinged with brown, and

I

244

THE BALTIMORE ORIOLE.

sparsely but irregularly scratched in every direction, as if
with a pen, in both light and heavy strokes with black or dark
brown; some of these marks being obscure, as if partially
washed off. As generally with birds of its size, incubation
Qccupies some two weeks. The young resemble the female,
but Audubon thinks that the young males acquire their
bright colors the first year.

The Baltimore Oriole is a great devourer of insects; but
like other birds of that kind of diet, he will occasionally
affect a change. Once, after a spring shower, when the
peach-trees were in bloom, a beautiful male lit in one just
against a window. All unconscious of my presence, though
I was scarcely more than two feet from him, he began mov-
ing up and down the limbs in that gliding, athletic manner
peculiar to himself, ever and anon inserting his bill into the
cup-like calyx of the blossoms. Could he be drinking the
new-fallen rain-drops ? Scarcely; for he did not raise his
head to swallow. Looking a little more closely, I saw that
he was eating the stamens. Let not the fruit-grower
be alarmed, however, for nature has provided many
more blossoms than is necessary for a good crop. It may
be that the Baltimore is simply thinning them to advan-
tage.

With us, as in many other parts of our country, this is one
of the most numerous and well-known of all the birds;
while his brilliancy, his loud and happy notes, and his
abundant appearance in shade trees, orchards, fields, forests,
and even in the heart of our great cities at the same time,
fully make known the morning of his arrival. Wintering
in Mexico, Central America, Cuba, etc., he breeds nearly
throughout the Eastern United States, and, becoming rare
in Northern New England, barely extends. into the British
Provinces. He belongs, therefore, to the Alleghanian Fauna.

THE ORCHARD ORIOLE.

245

THE ORCHARD ORIOLE.

Very similar in form and marking, but of a different
color and smaller, is the Orchard Oriole (Icterus spurius).
Some seven inches long, and having nearly the same parts
black as the Baltimore, except that the tail is entirely black,
the male has those parts corresponding to the orange in the
latter — chestnut, or chestnut-red. The female is olivaceous
above, with dusky wings, and greenish-yellow beneath.
The young male is like her the first year, the second year he
acquires a black throat, the third year is variously spotted,
and afterwards acquires the dark colors of maturity. Resid-
ing in Orleans County, N. Y., I am a little too far north for
this bird, but in Northern Ohio, where I formerly studied
him, he is very common, being found in every orchard.
Arriving there about the middle of May, his song is a loud
and delightful warble, bearing a striking resemblance to
that of the Robin or Rose-breasted Grosbeak. The female
is so shy as seldom to be seen. The nest, hung by the
upper edge to a limb in the orchard, is nearly hemispherical,
built of tough grasses thoroughly interwoven. Wilson says:
" I had the curiosity to detach one of the fibers, or stalks of
dried grass, from the nest, and found it to measure thirteen
inches in length, and in that distance was thirty-four times
hooked through and returned, winding round and round
the nest." He says, also: "An old lady of my acquaint-
ance, to whom I was one day showing this curious fabrica-
tion, after admiring, its texture for some time asked me, in a
tone between joke and earnest, whether I did not think it
possible to teach these birds to darn stockings." This nest,
being built of grasses so recently dried as still to retain
their green color, about like that of new-mown hay, has a
peculiarly fresh and clear appearance.

The Orioles proper are altogether birds of the Old

1

I

246

THE WARBLING VIREO.

World, and are allied to the Thrushes. " More than twenty-
species are described in Africa, Asia, and the Indian archi-
pelago." One species, the Golden Oriole, migrates inta
Southern Europe, and occasionally reaches Great Britain
and Sweden. They all build very ingenious nests. Our
Orioles, of a wholly different type, and peculiar to the
New World, especially to Central and South America, are
closely related to the numerous Blackbirds of our country
all of which are ranked among the Starlings.

THE WARBLING VIREO.

From a group of tall maples in a neighboring yard, there
comes one of the most delightful warbles ever heard in this
locality — that of the Warbling Vireo {Vireo gilvus). In a
series of liquid notes, very fluent and greatly prolonged
for the size of thr. bird, in a smoothly undulating melody,
delivered while the bird flits and gleans among the foliage,
and in tones so sweet that it would seem as if the air
melted in them, the very soul of tenderness and affection is
breathed out upon the ear. In one of our rural burying-
grounds, not long since, while a casket with the remains of
a little child was being lowerdd into the grave, there mingled
with the sobs of heart-broken mourners the inimitably ten-
der warble of this bird from a tree-top just above. Never
did the melody of bird or man seem more appropriate. It
was at once the voice of sympathy and hope in the very
presence of death.

This inimitable melody, like that of some celestial flute
or flageolet, never out of time, and never failing to charm,
may be heard in our middle districts from the first days of
May till the last of September.

Though common to orchards and shaded front-yards,
even in villages and cities, the Warbling Vireo is much

THE WARBLING VIREO.

247

oftener heard than seen. Nearly the size of a canary, 6.60
long and 9.00 in extent, olivaceous-green above and yel-
lowish-white beneath, it so nearly resembles the leaves
as it glides softly and gracefully through the tree-tops
that one must look sharply to detect it. But it is so
utterly absent-minded as it flits and peers among the
branches, meanwhile abandoning itself to its song, that one

"may come almost as near to it as one pleases. Though,
like the rest of the Vireos, it takes its food and noves about
like a Warbler, the bill, hooked and notched, broad at base
and well bristled, reminded the older ornithologists of the
Flycatchers, while its general structure now brings this
family near the Shrikes — a group of birds of altogether
different habits of voice, food and nidiiication. The family
Vireonidce is entirely of the New World, and the genus VireOy
to which this warbling species belongs, is almost exclusively

. of North America, while the species itself pertains to the
eastern parts. As in the case of the Vireos in general, male
and female are alike. Like all the rest of its genus, it hangs
by its edge a delicate pensile nest on the elastic twigs of
some bush or tree; in the case of gilvuSy almost always
high up in the tree; the eggs, some .80X-55, being of a
most delicate or flesh-tinted white, barely specked with dark-
brown or black, are among the most beautiful of birds' eggs.
The nests and eggs of the Vireos can never be mistaken,
so wholly different are they from the nests and eggs of all
other birds. Never shall I forget the tender sense of the
beautiful which stole over me in the days of childhood, as
I first beheld a nest of this bird. A very fairy-like basket
of jewels it seemed.

A warbling Vireo's nest, now before me, is hung on very
small twigs at their junction with a larger upright twig,
and is slightly fastened around the latter. It is woven of

I

i

246

THE WARBLING VIREO.

woody fibers, some dried grass and shreds of bark, inter-
mixed with bits of wasp-nest, vegetable down, and the
white, fine-spun substance of certain cocoons. It is lined
with fine shreds of the grape-vine. Another nest, suspended
in the ordinary way, is similarly made up, but very shallow,
not more than Ij^ inch in depth outside.

Though the summer habitat of Vireogilvus is given as far
west as the High Ceiitral Plains, I do not think it extendi
very far north of Lake Ontario. I did not meet with it on
Georgian Bay nor in Nova Scotia. Mr. Chamberlain does
not report it from New Brunswick, and Mr. Everett Smith
regards it as rare in Eastern Maine. It is probably a bird
of the Alleghanian Fauna.

The Brotherly-love, or Philadelphia . Vireo, probably a
closely-allied species to the Warbling, is also found occa-
sionally in this locality. It is quite a little shorter than the
latter, perhaps half an inch, and the colors are brighter —
the olivaceous having more of green, and the white having
more of yellow — the breast, foi instance, being in some
cases quite yellow. When first studying birds, the eye
being not yet trained to the exact observance of form and
color, I noticed the difference at once on procuring the
Philadelphia. Like other Vireos, its nest and eggs are
probably in close conformity to the general type. It is not
uncommon in New England, nor in New Brunswick, while
it is said to be abundant every spring, and quite common
on the Red River of the north.

Mr. Wm. Brewster found this species common about
Umbagog Lake in the breeding season. He says: " Con-
trary to what might be expected from the apparently close
relationship of the two birds, the song of this species does
not in the least resemble that of Vireo gilvus. It is, on the
other hand, so nearly identical with that of V. olivaceus that

THE WARBLING VIREO.

S49

the most critical ear will, in many cases, find great difficulty
in distinguishing between the two. The notes ol philadelphicus
are generally pitched a little higher in the scale, while many
of the utterances ?re feebler, and the whole strain is a trifle
more disconnected. But these differences are of a very
subtle character, and, like most comparative ones, they are
not to be depended upon unless the two species can be heard
together. The Philadelphia Vireo has, however, one note
which seems to be peculiarly its own, a very abrupt, double-
syllabled utterance, with a rising inflection, which comes in
with the general song at irregular but not infrequent inter-
vals."

Similarity of appearance to the Vireos generally, and
close resemblance in vocal habit to the Red-eyed Vireo,
have no doubt caused the species under review hitherto to
elude notice. Now that the points of discrimination have
been so well brought out by Mr. Brewster, it may, perhaps,
be found generally and commonly distributed in Eastern
North America.

In the deep forests, or possibly in some thickly-shaded
yard, already in the latter part of April, I may meet the
Yellow-throated Vireo {Vireo flavifrons). Well nigh six
inches long, yellc wish-green above, wings and tail deep
dusky, the feathers edged with white or yellowish, wing-
bars white; throat, breast and eye-lids bright yellow, the
remaining under parts white, it is the brightest of its genus.
It keeps well up in the tops of the trees, diligently glean-
ing as it sings, vireo, vire-ee, wee-reey etc., in tones rather
shrill for a Vireo, and not nearly so finely modulated and
fluent as those of its relative, the Red-eye, but greatly
resembling them. Breeding " from Maryland and Virginia
northward " (Coues), its nest, some 5 to 16 feet from the
ground, is not uncommon in this locality.

i

ty

200

THE RED.EYED VIREO.

One now before me is similar to that of the Red-eye. The
walls, however, are thicker, the nest deeper, and hence more
bulky; also more fully ornamented on the entire outside
with a white material — capsules of spiders' nests or cover-
ings of some kind of chrysalid — and around the bottom with
bits of rotten wood, very porous and almost white, prob-
ably bass-wood; the whole having a whitish or yellowish-
gray and highly artistic appearance. Another, found June
20th, is not any larger than the Red-eye's, but the outside
is ornaniented with skeleton leaves, fine vegetable fibers,
down, capsules of spiders' nests, etc. The eggs, some .76
or .80X-55 or .60, therefore rather longish and pointed, are
pure white, with a few spots or mere specks of dark brown
or black on the large end.

THE RED-EYED VIREO.

Certainly in a few days I shall meet in great abundance
throughout the forest the Red-eyed Vireo {Vireo olivaceus).
Fully six inches long, it appears larger than most of its
genus, and while it has the general colors of the Vireos or
Greenlets, olive-green above and white or whitish beneath,
its ashy crown flanked with a narrow line of black, and its
white line over the eye, differentiate it alike from the
Warbling and from the Philadelphia Vireo. Keeping, for
the most part, in the upper regions of the thick foliage, it
almost constantly enlivens the woods with its soft flow
warble; its tones, though "cheerful and happy as the mei
whistle of a school-boy," being yet so much softer and
sweeter than the Yellow-throats, as to be readily distin-
guishable. Its melody, rendered in a spontaneous, absent-
minded manner, seems simply a cheerful accompani-
ment to business, something thrown in by the way. I
know of no bird in our forest which sings so constantly

THE RED.EYED VIJtEO,

251

from early morning through the burning heat of noon,
and on into the sombre shadows of the coming night,
aye throughout the season from May to September,,
as this unpretending little summer resident. To quote
Mr. Burroughs, "Rain or shine, before noon or after,
in the deep forest or in the village grove — when it is too
hot for the Thrushes or too cold and windy for the War-
blers— it is never out of time or place for this little minstrel
to indulge his cheerful strain." This song is in mellow,,
whistling tones, varied with rising and falling inflections,
and may be represented by the syllables, virio-virio-viriee-
viria-vireey etc., suggesting the origin of the bird's name*
Some one has made it especially articulate in the following
lines:

" Pretty green worm, where are you ?

Dusky-winged moth, how fare you,

When wind and rain are in the trees ?
Cheeryo, cheerebly, chee,

Shadow and sunshine are one to me.

" Mjsquito and gnat, beware you.
Saucy chipmunk, how dare you
Climb to my nest in the maple-tree ?

And dig up the corn

At noon and at morn ?

Cheereyo, cheerebly, rhee."

Its small cup-shaped, pensile nest, hung to the twigs of a
bush or tree, late in May or early in June, anywhere from
several to twenty feet from the ground, located in any part
of the forest, but seldom elsewhere, is, perhaps, not equal
as a work of art to that of some other Vireos. It is com-
posed, outside, of shreds of thin fibrous bark, of a light
color, and ornamented with vegetable down, the silk of
cocoons, bits of wasps' nests, etc.; inside, of a few fine rootlets^

If

252

THE RED-EYED VIREO.

but mostly of something like fine shreds of bark from the
wild grape-vine. The eggs, three or four, measuring some
.82X.62, of a pure glossy-white, are generally barely
specked on the larger end with dark brown, sometimes also
sparingly blotched with dull red. All the Vireo's eggs are
more or less pointed.

Never shall I forget a beautiful evening on the IBth of
May, when I was most highly entertained by a female Red-
eye building her nest. It was after one of those genial
spring days, when all the latent forces of nature are wooed
into activity. Strolling through the woods near sunset, I
sat upon a large stump, where a lately fallen tree had left
quiie an opening, letting in the sunlight with a most grateful
effect. Here I listened to a host of birds all around me.
About fifteen feet up in a smallish beech, I noticed a silent
Red-eye, looking very anxious and busy. Presently I saw
a few feet from her the merest outline of a nest — a little
gossamer bag hung to the twigs. In a moment she lit upon
it and began to work. I could see the motion of the
weaver, but not a thread of the material, it was so very
fine. Reaching around the fabric, even underneath it, she
would seem to catch some loose thread, and drawing it over
the side and edge, fasten it inside. Workin^j thus a few
moments, all around inside and outside of the nest, she
would fly away, soon returning to repeat the same opera-
tion. Though so near, I could scarcely discern a particle of
the material she brought, and yet the nest grew rapidly.
Wonderful little workman! Where did she learn her art?

Wintering partly in Florida, but mostly in tropical America,
and extending their summer range throughout the Eastern
United States, the British Provinces, and the Northwest,
the Red-eyed Vireos are among the most abundant and
characteristic birds of Eastern North America.

THE SOLITARY VIREO.

25»

THE SOLITARY VIREO.

I also find the Solitary Vireo ( Vireo solitarius) here as a
rare migrant in May. Some 5.00 inches long; head ashy;
back, greenish-olive; ring around the eye, stripe thence to
the nostrils; wing-bars, outer edges of the dusky wing and
tail-feathers and under parts, white; sides tinged with yel-
low— this Vireo is readily distinguished from the rest, espe-
cially by its larger head of p!umbeous-blue and the white
markings about the eye. As this bird has been found
breeding near Boston, it would seem that it might breed
here; but I know of no one who has found its nest. Its
nidification seems to be principally in Northern New Eng-
land and northward. Nuttall, that masterly interpreter of
bird-music, says: "Its song seems to be intermediate be-
tween that of the Red-eyed and the Vellow-breasted species,
having the preai^ preaiy etc., of the latter, and the fine
variety of the former in its tones." Minot says "the music
of the Solitary Vireo is delicious." Burroughs speaks of a
note of the female as suggesting " the bleating of a tiny
lambkin." Mr. J, E. Wagner, an amateur ornithologist of
good abilities for observation, in Nova Scotia, says that the
song of the male is sometimes very much like certain of the
finer strains of the Catbird, and that he is a most constant
and spirited singer.

The nest, in material, structure and position, is very
similar to that of other Vireos. The eggs average ".77 X
.58 " of an inch, and are pure white, with a very few minute
and genr rally reddish-brown spots, principally at the larger
end." A most elegant nest, just sent me by Mr. Wagner
from Nova Scotia, the head and wing of the female accom-
panying it, is very similar to that of the Red-eye. It was
hung phout eight feet from the ground, in the forked limb
of a fir bush, is made of uanea, and fine shreds of the thinnest

I ' Mis

254

THE WHITE-EYED VIREO.

bark of the white birch, being lined with fine dried grasses.
The four eggs, fresh the '7th of June, about .78 x -56 — as
long and pointed as any Vireo's egg — are pure white,
sparsely specked with reddish-brown, mostly at the large
end — the specks looking as if they had been put on when
the shell was soft, and so had run a little.

Keeping to the forest, and exceedingly solitary and retiring
in its habits, this bird ranges nearly throughout* North
America, and winters in the more tropical regions. Mr.
Wagner reports the species as breeding very common in
New Canada, Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia, the female
adhering moi.t persistently to her nest, and defending it
very bravely on leaving it.

THE WHITE-EYED VIREO.

The White-eyed Vireo ( Vireo noveboracensis), " noted for
its sprightly manners and emphatic voice," is but seldom
found here. Mr. Ringueberg, of Lockport, has found it
breeding near that city. The nest, now before me, is almost
precisely like that of the Red-eye; built externally with
fibers of bark, interlaced with webby material, lined with
something brown, which appears to me to be the finest shreds
of the bark of the wild grape-vine. The nest has one pecul-
iar mark, however. It is well ornamented with bits of
newspaper, in addition to the dried leaves, bits of wasps'
nests, and "paper-like capsules of the spiders' nests," so
common to the nests of the Vireo; and thus the bird main-
tains its right to the name of Politician, given it by Wilson.
This nest was in a bush in a small thicket. The single egg
it contained was very similar to the egg of the Red-eye, but
smaller, and the fine specks on the pure white ground, black
or nearly so.

The bird is 6 inches long; olive-green above, the wings

THE WHITE-EYED VIREO.

255

and tail being dusky, with feathers edged with greenish;
throat light-ash; sides of the head, breast, and flanks bright
yellow; thus having more yellow than any other Vireo except
the Yellow- throat; wing-bars yellowish- white; vent white; iris
white. On the whole, this is rather a southern bird, and
barely reaches Western New York and Southern New
England. Partial to thickets, especially about swamps, it is
local in its distribution, and may be associated with the
smilax or green-briar. The vocal habits of this bird are
wholly different from those of the rest of the Vireos. Mr.
Burroughs says: "The song of this bird is not particularly
sweet and soft; on the contrary, it is a little hard and shrill,
like that of the Indigo-bird or Oriole; but for brightness,
volubility, execution, and power of imitation, he is unsur-
passed by any of our northern birds. His ordinary note is
forcible and emphatic, but, as stated, not especially musical;
chick-a-rer-chicky he seems to say, hiding himself in the low,
dense undergrowth, and eluding your most vigilant search,
as if playing some part in a game. But in July or August,
if you are on good terms with the sylvan deities, you may
listen to a far more rare and artistic performance. Your
first impression will be that that cluster of azaleas, or that
clump of swamp-huckleberry, conceals three or four differ-
ent songsters, each vying with the others to lead the chorus.
Such a medley of notes, snatched from half the songsters of
the field and forest, and uttered with the utmost clearness
and rapidity, I am sure you cannot hear short of the
haunts of the genuine Mockingbird. If not fully and accu-
rately repeated, there are at least suggested the notes of the
Robin, Wren, Catbird, High-hole, Goldfinch and Song-
sparrow. The pip y pip of the last is produced so accurately
that I verily believe it would deceive the bird herself; and
the whole uttered in such rapid succession that it seems as

256

THE WHITE-EYED VIREO.

if the movement that gives the concluding notes of one
strain must form the first note of the next. The effect is
very rich, and, to my ear, entirely unique. The performer
is very careful not to reveal himself in the meantime; yet
there is a conscious. air about the strain that impresses me
with the idea that my presence is understood and my
attention courted. A tone of pride and glee, and, occasion-
ally, of bantering jocoseness, is discernible. I believe it is
only rarely, and when he is sure of his audience, that he dis-
plays his parts in this manner."

" Next after the Warblers, the Greenlets (Vireos) are the
most delightful of our forest birds, though their charms
address the ear, and not the eye. Clad in simple tints that
harmonize with the verdure, these gentle songsters warble
their lays unseen, while the foliage itself seems stirred to
music. In the quaint and curious ditty of the White-eye —
in the earnest voluble strains of the Red-eye — in the tender
secret that the Warbling Vireo confides in whispers to
the passing breeze — he is insensible who does not
hear the echo of thoughts he never clothes in words."
(Coues).

The strictness with which this group of birds is defined
as a family, alike in size, structure, color, and habits, is cer-
tainly matter for reflection. For instance, how comes each
Vireo to build that neat, cup-shaped, pensile nest, so peculiar
to the family, and so unlike that of any other bird? Why is
a Vireo's egg so unique? or, why should it be fashioned
almost as from the same mould, and colored as if by the
same brush? Comes all ihis by chance? Is it simply a
self-evolved fact? Is it not rather a bit of that great
and exact system of nature, which implies the working
out of a perfect plan, after the design of an Infinite Intelli-
gence?

M^.

THE BROWN THRUSH.

257

THE BROWN THRUSH.

As I Stroll along the edge of the woods during the fore-
noon, I am greeted by a clear, voluble song, quite varied,
and very musical, having an overflowing spontaneity, al-
together peculiar. The singer is the Brown Thrush {Harp-
orhynchus rufus). Bearing a decided resemblance in song to
its near relative, the Catbird, it has nothing whatever of the
marvelous mimicry of its other near relative, the Mocking-
bird, all of them being related to the Thrushes proper.
The spirited and very rapid warble of this so-called Thrush
is exceedingly animating, and is susceptible of a great
variety of interpretations. To Thoreau, while planting his
beans, it seemed to say: "Drop it, drop it — cover it up,
cover it up — pull it up, pull it up, pull it up;" Audubon
compared it to "the careful lullaby of some blessed mother
chantiftg lier babe to repose;" while Wilson was led to say,
"we listen to its notes with a kind of devotional ecstasy,
as a morning b-mn to the great and most adorable Creator
of all." It has a novel and most pleasing sweetness to me,
as this bird is but a rare resident in this part of the coun-
try. A nest before me, found near Lockport, corresponds
well with the description given by Wilson and other au-
thors— quite flat, made outside of sticks and coarse stalks of
herbs, then dry leaves, and inside, of rootlets, contains four
or five bluish-tinted eggs, 1.05 X .78, well specked all over
with reddish-brown and pale lilac. It is placed in a bush,
sometimes in a tree or hedge, occasionally on the ground,
never far from it, in a thicket or bushy pasture along or near
the woods, such being the chosen places of its residence.
In some parts of the west, where it keeps to the narrow
strips of wood which skirt the streams of the prairies, and
which are frequently quite deeply overflowed in summer,
17 •

fS

%\

'I I

258

THE BROWN THRUSH.

the nests are placed quite a distance from the ground, and
always above the highest mark of the flood.

When the nest of this species is approached, especially if
the young are hatched, the parents become greatly excited,
uttering a strong, metallic chip, which is alike noticeable
and characteristic.

Some 11,25 long and 13.30 in extent, the entire upper
parts reddish-brown, the lower parts, except the throat,
creamy-white, spotted and streaked with brown or black,
thus showing a relation to the Thrushes — it is especially
noticeable by means of its long tail, which it drops and
partly spreads as, with head and somewhat long bill thrown
forward, it perches and sings in full view.

Audubon's fine picture of a scene he witnessed — a group of
Brown Thrushes driving the black snake from a nest as he
twines around its support, jostling out the eggs and squeezing
the life out of the mother-bird — represents the neighborly
spirit and noble courage of this species. It is easily domesti-
cated and capable of remarkable friendship for man. One
kept by Dr. Bachman used to follow him about the yard and
garden. "The instant it saw me take a spade or a hoe," he
says," it would follow at my heels, and as I turned up the earth
would pick up every insect or worm thus exposed to view. I
kept it for three years, and its affection for me cost it its life.
It usually slept on the back of my chair, in my study, and one
night the door being accidentally left open, it was killed by
a cat. I once knew a few of these birds to remain the
whole of a mild winter in the State of New York in a wild
state."

Mr. Bartram, the distinguished naturalist of Philadel-
phia, and the friend of Wilson, furnished the latter with
the following note, concerning the sagacity of a Brown
Thrush which he had domesticated. " Being very fond of

THE SCARLET TAN ACER.

259

wasps, after catching them, and knocking them about to
break their wings, he would lay them down, then examine
if they had a sting, and, with his bill, squeeze the abdomen
to clear it of the reservoir of poison before he would swal-
low his prey. When in his cage, being very fond of dry
crusts of bread, if, upon trial, the corners of the crumbs
were too hard and sharp for his throat, he would throw
them up, carry and put them in his water-dish to soften,
and then take them out and swallow them."

The Brown Thrush is a bird of the Eastern United
States, wintering south, extending northward in summer
into the British Provinces, being very common about Great
Manitoulin Island, and breeding throughout its range.

THE SCARLET TANAGER.

I continue my early morning ramble along the edge of a
beautiful forest. The whole atmosphere seems to vibrate
to the song of birds. Some of them I hear for the first
time in the season. The song in yonder elm. for instance,
bearing quite a resemblance to that of the Robin, only
softer and less copious and fluent, is fresh and new this
morning; it is the song of the Scarlet Tanager {Pyranga
rubra), and compares well with any song in the woods, short
of that of the Thrushes. And yet neither Wilson nor
Audubon mentions anything more of song for this bird
than the chip, chur-r-r-r, which is its common note. There,
I get a full view of him now, amidst the dark green of that
hemlock. Always slow and dignified in his motions, what
a brilliant beauty he is! Nearly the size of a Baltimore
or a Bobolink, 6.75 long and 11.73 in extent, he is
a pure, bright scarlet, with jet-black wings and tail.
Moving with a steady flight, he has lit on the side
of a moss-covered log, by a small pool, smooth as a

'-lilt

\ ^.

260

THE SCARLET TAN ACER.

mirror. The scene is double, for the bird in the water is as
brilliant as that among the moss; and the water mirrors
not only the bird and the moss-covered log, but the sky.
I sympathize with this little creature's peaceful pleasures as
he dips his bill and drinks, then straightens himself up^
fills his throat and warbles, and drinks and warbles again.
Did Eden itself afford anything prettier than this of its
kind? Even the Creator must experience delight in such
quiet joys of His creatures.

For the first week after his arrival the Tanager seems
anxiously waiting for his rather plain colored mate — of
dull green above, yellowish beneath, and dusky wings and
tail. I once found her, however, delicately tinged with red,
a genuine beauty. During this time of waiting, he will
keep up his chip, chur-r-r, sometimes in a most animated
manner. Only occasionally will he indulge in his fine war-
ble. Meanwhile he keeps almost entirely to the woods.
Rarely he may be seen on the fence, or he may stray to the
orchard, or, if you are plowing near the woods, a half-dozen
of these scarlet beauties may visit your furrow, and glean
insects, according to their common habit of diet.

When the female arrives, shy and retiring, according to
the manner of female birds at such times, she at once
receives the most winning attentions. Now the song is
more frequent, the utterance of the common note may be
quite excited, and there is a display of graceful motions
and brilliant colors. See him stand before her with droop-
ing wings and spreading tail! How finely he hovers in her
presence, looking like burning scarlet amidst the black
cloud of his vibrating wings. Now she is joined to her
consort, and for the rest of the season the two are inseparable.

Soon they retire, for the most part, pretty well into the
forest, generally choosing as the site for their nest the

THE SCARLET TAN ACER.

261

horizontal bough of some pretty good sized tree, anywhere
from ten to thirty feet from the ground; oftener near the
latter height, though I have pulled down the limb and
looked into the nest. A frail fabric, indeed, is this nest.
Begun with small twigs, stalks of weeds, strips of bark,
with a very little wool or down, perhaps, and lined with fine
rootlets or very fine dried spray of some evergreen (in this
locality generally the hemlock), the whole being somewhat
shallow, and very raggedly woven; one may almost count
the eggs from beneath. These, three or four, laid here late
in May, are .90 X .65 of an inch, delicate light-green, specked
or heavily spotted with reddish-brown. This nest is often
imposed upon by the Cow Blackbird. I once found one
containing four of these eggs, and but two of the Tanager's;
the former being in various stages of incubation, while the
latter were nearly fresh.

Wilson relates a beautiful incident concerning the parental
affection of the Tanager. He says: " Passing through an
orchard one morning I caught one of these young birds that
had but lately left the nest. I carried it with me about half
a mile to show it to my friend, Mr. William Bartram; and,
having procured a cage, hung it up in one of the large pine
trees in the botanic garden, within a few feet of the nest of
an Orchard Oriole, which also contained young, hopeful
that the charity or tenderness of the Orioles would induce
them to supply the cravings of the stranger. But charity
with them, as with too many of the human race, began and
ended at home. The poor orphan was altogether neglected,
notwithstanding its plaintive cries; and, as it refused to be
fed by me, I was about to return it back to the place where
I found it, when, towards the afternoon, a Scarlet Tanager,
no doubt its own parent, was seen fluttering round the cage,
endeavoring to get in. Finding this impracticable, he flew

1

i

m

1:'

262

THE SCARLET TAN ACER.

off, and soon returned with food in his bill, and continued
to feed it till after sunset, taking up his lodgings on the
higher branches of the same tree. In the morning, almost
as soon as day broke, he was again seen most actively,
engaged in the same affectionate manner; and, notwith-
standing the insolence of the Orioles, continued his benev-
olent offices the whole day, roosting at night as before. On
the third or fourth day he appeared extremely solicitous
for the liberation of his charge, using every expression of
distressful anxiety, and every call and invitation that nature
had put in his power for him to come out. This was too
much for the feelings of my venerable friend; he procured
a ladder, and, mounting to the spot where the bird was
suspended, opened the cage, took out the prisoner, and
restored him to liberty and to his parent, who, with notes of
great exultation, accompanied his flight to the woods. The
happiness of my good friend was scarcely less complete,
and showed itself in his benevolent countenance; and I
could not refrain saying to myself: If such sweet sensations
can be derived from a single circumstance of this kind, how
exquisite — how unspeakably rapturous — must the delight
of those individuals have been, who have rescued their
fellow-beings from death, chains, and imprisonment, and
restored them to the arms of friends and relations! Surely
in such God-like actions virtue is its own most abundant
reward."

In time of cherries, when the family is absent, and every-
thing is quiet, the Tanager may come even into the door-
yard to vary his insect diet with this fruit, so highly in favor
with the birds.

Late in summer, or early in autumn, the families move
south, the old male having changed his coat of scarlet for
one of green, sometimes c uite a little spotted with yellow,

THE SCARLET TAN ACER.

263

the young male a beautiful dark green, with black wings
and tail, the young female resembling her mother. Winter-
ing in the tropics, they range northward in spring, through
the Eastern United States, somewhat into the British
Provinces, though becoming rare already in Northern New
England. They breed throughout their range.

The observer of birds will soon notice that in about every
case of a brilliant male, the fetnale is exceedingly plain, as
are also the young. Here is one of those suggestive facts,
which lead the reflecting mind to ask the reason why.
This does not look like mere chance; moreover, it serves a
purpose. Excepting a brief period in the breeding season,
the life of the female is of immensely greater importance
to the perpetuation of the species than that of the male ;
and the young, all unsuspecting of danger, need special pro-
tection. Their plain colors render them alike unattractive
to the eye of man, and inconspicuous to the bird or beast of
prey. Even the male sometimes has his gay livery only in
the breeding season, thus being protected in his southern
migration and early winter residence. Can any ingenious
conjecture of "Natural Selection " explain this significant
fact in coloration ? Is not this an evidence of mind in the
creation ? Or will the objector attribute a faculty of con-
scious design to matter itself ? Might he not then as well
believe in a personal Creative Intelligence ? How else shall
we explain this mysterious something revealed in matter,
which seems to know^ just what is fit under all circum-
stances ?

Similar to the above is the Summer Redbird {Pyranga
(estiva). The length is 7.20, the stretch 11.87; the male is
vermilion, brightest on the head, darker on the back, bright
beneath; wings and tail brownish. The female is olivaceous-
green above, yellowish below, wings darker or brownish.

i ■;"l

1 ^:|^

264

ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK.

Young, similar to the female. The bill is thicker in this spe-
cies than in the Tanager. This is a bird of the Southern
States, extending into Southern Illinois in the west. Its nest
and eggs are similar to those of the Tanager, and its song
is loud and melodious.

ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK.

That song coming from the edge of the woods, and
strongly resembling the finest performance of the Robin —
only the warble is much more copious, continuously pro-

ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK.

longed, and finely modulated with a peculiar richness,
purity, and sweet pathos in the tones — is the music of the
Rose-breasted Grosbeak {Goniaphea ludoviciand). Jet black
with snow-white markings, the tint of rose on his breast
and under his wings, he is the most strikingly beautiful of
all our summer visitants ; and in the charm of song, as a
poet and artist of the woodlands, he may rank even with

ROSE-BREA S TED GROSBEAK.

260

the Thrushes. About 8 inches long ; the head, neck and
upper parts are black ; bill, rump, under parts and mark-
ings on wings and tail, white ; breast, rose-carmine ; lining
under the wings, delicate rose. The female has the upper
parts light brown, streaked with darker ; a line over the eye,
a slight one below it, and one over the middle of the crown;
tips of wing coverts, and under parts, white ; breast and
sides streaked and spotted with brown ; bright yellow under
the wings, and sometimes a tinge of the same on the upper
part of the breast. I have also seen a rose-tint mixed with
the yellow under her wings, and a most delicate tinge of the
purest rose on the white rump of the male. The large bill
of this bird, so strongly characterizing it and the group to
which it belongs, is in such harmony with the general shape
of the head as in nowise to mar its beauty. Indeed, the
fleshy-tinged whiteness of this prominent organ ratHer adds
to the elegance of the species.

The stranger to our sylvan retreats will scarcely meet
this charming bird; for its most agreeable summer
resort is in swampy woods, where the shadows are
deepened by tangled vines and a rank undergrowth,
where flowers are large and deeply tinted from rich vege-
table molds, and where the fragrant atmosphere is cool and
moist. Often it is found in the thickets forming a sort of
border-line between field and forest, and often in the lofty
arcades of the densest and darkest woodlands. In such
places, and rather local in his distribution, the male makes
his appearance in Western New York from the first to the
tenth of May; and stretching himself on tiptoe, delivers, m
a hurried and spirited manner, his rare and delightful
melody, giving one the impression of an exalted and unut-
terable joy in a language which means much, but leaves
much behind. Sometimes several appear together, vying

•II w

■il

266

ROSE.BREA S TED GROSBEA K.

\

with each other in song, and gamboling in the most sportive
manner. A few days later, when the leaves unfolding in
their soft down have fully expanded, the coy female appears.
Her plain light colors are strongly in contrast with the
ebony, chalk-white and deep rose of her consort; and as
she is almost voiceless, a glimpse of her amidst the thick
foliage is rather rare.

The nest of this species, built late in May, is a frail and
loosely-woven affair, placed in the top of a bush or on the
lower horizontal limb of a tree. It is composed outside of
small sticks, fine twigs, or coarse strawy material, orna-
mented with a few skeleton-leaves, and is lined with very
fine twigs of some evergreen (here, of the hemlock), or
with i!ne rootlets, sometimes being finished with horse-hair,
and the whole structure so loosely put together that one
can see through it from beneath. The eggs, four or five,
1.00x.'75. are light green, specked and spotted with brown
and lilac, the markings often thickened or wreathed around
the large, sometimes around the small, end. In every way
the nest and eggs bear a strong resemblance to those of
the Scarlet Tanager, the nests of both these brilliant species
being a sort of rude log-cabin affair, compared with the
elegant nest-homes of many of our feathered tribes.

I have more frequently found the male than the female
on the nest. When disturbed they both keep very near,
moving about the branches with much excitement, as they
emit a sharp, creaking kimp, kimp, quite unlike the note of
any other bird of my acquaintance. Though abundant
here in their migrations, and breeding very commonly, it
often requires a great deal of careful watching to get a
glimpse of even the male. So shy and retiring is he at nearly
all times as to be much more frequently heard than seen.
He has been in favor as a cage-bird, and is said by some

ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK.

267

to sing freely in the night. Though he belongs to the
Sparrows and Finches, and is therefore a seed and grain-
eating bird in structure, he devours multitudes of insects.
In early autumn, as the young males go south, resembling
the female in color and marking, only much darker and
richer, and delicately tinged with rose on the throat and
breast, on the crown, and under the v/ings, they are truly
beautiful.

Wintering in the tropics, migrating through Eastern
North America, rather rare in New England, but not un-
common in Nova Scotia, the Rose-breast breeds from the
Middle States to the latitudes of Labrador. It will thus
be seen to belong to the Canadian as well as to the Alle-
ghanian Fauna.

The Blue Grosbeak {Goniaphea coeruled)^ some 7.25 long, the
male blue, the female brown, is a southern species, reaching
the District of Columbia, or even Pennsylvania in the east,
and breeding commonly about Manhattan, Kansas, in the
west. Excepting its greatt^r size, it bears a great resem-
blance to ti '». indigo Bird in color, song, and nidification.
Tha nest is in a tree not many feet from the ground. It is
rathi'T )ulky, composed externally of paper, weeds, strings,
bits of cotton or wool and cast-oft snake-skins, and is lined
with rootlets, line grasses or horse-hairs. The three or four
oval eggs, .95 x .62, are pale-blue.

The Evening Grosbeak {Hesperiphona vc pertina) is a
straggler from the northwest. Some 7.50-8.60 long, ** dusky
olivaceous; brighter behind; forehead, line over eye and
under tail-coverts, yellow; crown, wings, tail, and tibiae
black, the secondary quills, mostly white; bill greenish-
yellow, of immense size." (Coues.) It is noted for its
melodious evening song.

i H

M\ i

CHAPTER XIII.

THE SWAMP, THE FIELD, AND THE LAKE.

IN all the domain of nature the"e is nothing which closely
resembles the nidification of birds. Certain reptiles lay
eggs, but, properly speaking, make no nest; nor are their eggs,
which differ very materially from those of birds, incubated
by the warmth of their bodies. Every animal comes from
an egg, but in the case of mammalia, the young are brought
forth alive, and nourished by the milk of the female parent.
In the case of a bird, whether moving in the air or on the
water, lightness is a prime necessity. Hence, in bringing
forth their numerous progeny, they do not perform the
office of gestation; but the nest, and the external warmth of
the body, so well secured by the plumage, serve the purpose
of the uterine organs in the mammalia. Wonderful indeed is
that internal impulse of instinct, by which the bird is in-
duced to make a nest, and by which it is guided in the loca-
tion and manner of constructing the same. How came that
mother-bird to know she needed a nest ? Who instructed
her to adapt it to its peculiar purpose ? What strange power
keeps her on the nest till the young are brought forth ?

For the most part, the different species of birds have cer-
tain well-defined plans for building their nests, as well as
certain places for locating them. The nest is placed on the
limbs of a tree or bush, in a natural or prepared cavity, in
an excavation of the earth, in some cemented structure, or.

NIDI PICA TION.

269

more frequently than anywhere else, on the ground. Again
these nests are variously formed and joined together. They
are flat and loosely built of coarse materials, in the case
of most birds of prey and Herons, and these birds are called
platform-builders; or, they are more or less cup-shaped,
rimmed up, as in the case of the majority of nests built
about trees and bushes, and on the ground; or, they are
more or less basket-shaped, as, for example, the nests of the
Red-winged Blackbird and the Vireos; or, they are sewed
together, as those of the Orioles, or that of the famous
Tailor-bird; or, they have the structure of a loose felt; or,
they are dome-shaped. Hence, some very intelligent writers
have attempted to classify birds according to their styles of
nidificati'^n, calling them carpenters, masons, miners, plat-
form-builders, basket-makers, felt-makers, weavers, cement-
ers, tailors, etc. But this method of classification fails to
conform to any other system, and bears no relation what-
ever to the most important data for determining orders.
Birds so similar in structure and habit, as to represent the
same order, may vary essentially in their nidification. Most
kinds of Hawks, for instance, build platform-nests in trees,
while other kinds construct quite different nests on the
ground, and others still lay their eggs in cavities of trees,
almost without any nest whatever. The different kinds of
Swallows also adopt widely different modes of nesting, some
occupying cavities in trees or stumps, while others are
miners, tunneling a cavity into the ground, and others still
are cementers. Besides, the above method is imperfect in
itself, failing to make provision for some very important
groups, as those which commonly occupy cavities already
prepared, or those which lay their eggs on the ground with-
out any nest, or those which build their nests, raft-like, on
the water. Nor does the same species always construct or

I !{U

■ il

. Hi

■,'i I

f

^1

270

NIDIFICA TION.

place its nest in the same way. The Song Sparrow is gen-
erally a ground-builder, but in the latter part of the season
it frequently places its nest in a hedge or in a low bush.
The Crow Blackbirds, in these parts, invariably build in a
tree, but in the south, Audubon found them appropriating
the cavities of treeS, while Wils'>n not infrequently found
them a sort of parasite on the nest of the Fish Hawk.

For the most part, birds' eggs are objects of great beauty.
Their form is unique and fine, their surface highly finished,
and their colors and markings often elegant. How strongly
differentiated too, generally, are the eggs of the birds of
each family! The blue-green eggs of the Thrushes; the
translucent white eggs of the Woodpeckers; the delicate,
white gems, specked with red, deposited by Titmice, Nut-
hatches and Creepers; the roundish, pure-white eggs of the
Owls; the light bluish-green eggs of the Herons; and the
smooth-shelled, creamy or green-tinted eggs of the Ducks,
are all data for classification to the naturalist.

Richard Owen, the great comparative anatomist of Eng-
land, after giving the complicated and wonderful history of
an egg in its various stages till it reaches perfection; and
after showing the nice contrivances in the yolk and albu-
men, by which the cicatricle or germ is always held upper-
most, no matter how many times the egg is turned over, in
order to keep it in contact with the sitting dam, and so
secure incubation and protect it from jars or injuries in
harsh movements; and after showing how " the domed form
of the hard shell enables it to bear the superincumbent
weight of the brooding mother," well says: "How these
modifications of the oviparous egg in anticipatory relation to
the needs and conditions of incubation can be brought
about by * selective * or other operations of an unintelligent
nature is not conceivable by me."

BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER.

271

These different birds' eggs, placed in varied and artistic
styles of nests, make bird-nesting peculiarly fascinating,
especially when it gratifies a thirst for knowledge. Then
the careful manner in which many nests are hidden away
among grass and foliage, or placed in remote regions, almost
beyond the reach of civilization, makes them objects of an
exciting curiosity, and contributes greatly to their value.

One of my most interesting places for the study of birds
in their breeding haunts is Tonawanda Swamp, bordering
Orleans County on the south, extending into Genesee County
southward, and far to the eastward and westward. Very
different indeed is the character of its various localities.
Here, in the midst of an almost undisturbed wilderness are
glassy ponds and coves, where various water-birds revel in
their migrations, and in the vicinity of which some rear their
young. Here are miry marshes, tracts of fallen trees par-
tially submerged, forests and low lands of dense shrubbery
standing in the water a great part of the year; dense groves
of cedar, extensive moss-bogs, cranberry marshes, and wild
meadows dry in summer and in early autumn. It is a very
paradise of wild flowers, shrubs, climbing and running vines,
and plants both delicate and curious.

BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER.

On a beautiful morning, the 7th of May, I enter one of the
cedar groves of the above region. In these deep shadowy
recesses I hear in various directions the song of the Black-
throated Green Warbler {Dendroeca virens). The notes are
most peculiar, and once identified can never be forgotten.
Many writers have described this song, for it seems to sug-
gest to almost every one some fancied phrase. One has
given it as " ffear me Saint Ther-e-sa/' vrhile one of my
private correspondents represents the song by the ditty,

wVm

272

BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER.

" A little bit of bread and no cheese ; " and one distinguished

writer has indicated it simply by straight lines, thus,

/y/ . In all these attempts I can detect a fair de-
scription of the song, though none of them would have been
suggested to my ear. I never hear the song, however, with-
out thinking of the following resemblance : — " Wee-wee-su-
see," each syllable uttered slowly and well drawn out; that
before the last in a lower tone than the two former, and the
last syllable noticeably on the upward slide; the whole being
a sort of insect tone, altogether peculiar, and by no means
unpleasing. It seems somehow to harmonize finely with
pines, larches and hemlocks.

The ordinary four syllables of this ditty are sometimes
increased in number in the first part, sounding like wee-wee-
7t>ee-wee-su-seey and it is then uttered more hurriedly, making
you feel that a breeze may soon spring up among the pines;
and generally the different strains are intermixed with sharp
chipping notes, making the bird appear more spirited as it
nears you sufficiently to bring these metallic notes within
hearing.

Many a time have I strained my eyes after this little song-
ster, looking up into the thick cedars till my neck seemed
almost dislocated, and getting only an occasional glimpse
of him, so shy is he as he moves leisurely about in these
shadowy abodes. A sight of him, however, well rewards the
efifort, for he is a rare beauty. About 5.00 long, moulded
after the Dendroeca^ the olivaceous-green above often contains
fine triangular spots of black; the dusky wing and tail
feathers have a narrow, outward edge of white^ while the
cheeks of lemon-yellov with a wavy line of blackish through
the eye, the white bars across the wing, and the jet-black
throat, breast and sides bounding the greenish white under
parts, differentiate him strongly. The colors and markings

BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER.

273

of the female are similar, but generally more obscure, al-
though I have seen her almost as fine as the male.

This Warbler is always to be associated with evergreen
groves and forests. In New England it is found among
the pines, here among the cedars and hemlocks. As its
nest is placed well up in the almost impenetrable thickets
of these branches, it is exceedingly difficult to find. In
this (Tonawanda) swamp, where the bird resides in abund-
ance throughout the summer, I have searched for its nest
days at a time, lying on the ground and watching the birds
in all their movements, and then climbing into the trees
and continuing to observe them while they kept up their
flitting motions and their song, almost constantly through-
out the day, and even into the dusk of the evening; but
never did I succeed in finding the nest in this locality. On
the 17th of last June (1381), at the foot of the Lecloche
Mountains, just north of Great Manitoulin Island, on the
Georgian Bay, I finally found the nest. About half a mile
from the bay, where the rushing waters of Lacloche Creek
left a lake in the mountains for this grand outlet, I had dis-
covered the Warblers to be very numerous — the Black-
throated Blue, the Yellow-rump or Myrtle Bird, the Yellow-
backed Blue, the Black - and - yellow or Spotted, the
Chestnut-sided, and I think I also heard the Black-poll
Warbler. But so tormentingly numerous were the black
flies, mosquitoes, and gnats, or " no-see-ums," as the Indi-
ans call them, that to remain there for observation was
unendurable. Again and again did I apply the olive oil
and tar, so highly recommended as a preventive of this
nuisance, but it relieved me only a little longer than while
I was rubbing it on. Noticing that the Indians in my
vicinity made their half-open wigwams apparently free
from these vermin by a smudge in front, or to the wind-
18

J

274

BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER.

ward, I concluded to profit by their example, and setting a
match to a few dry leaves and shreds of birch-bark, upon
which I piled green hemlock boughs, I soon had a relief,
which was both complete and agreeable; the hemlock giv-
ing off a most delightful fragrance, as well as an abundance
of smoke, in combustion. For a radius of several rods
around me my minute tormentors were obliged to flee; and
on a bed of moss surrounded by the delicate and odorous
little twin-flower (that beauty of the northern parts of both
the Old World and the New, so greatly admired by, as well
as named after, the great Linnaeus), I continued my obser-
vations in peace. For a while I watch a pair of little Yel-
low-backed Blue Warblers, tugging at a bunch of so-called
long-green moss — alias usnea — hanging from the dead limb
of a tall hemlock; but I am soon diverted by the near
approach of a Black-throated Green Warbler, hopping
about very nervously, her mouth full of small, green larva.
Understanding the sign full well, I am all attention, and the
bird seems equally attentive to me. For some time she
dallies and delays, but the knowledge of hungry little
mouths overcomes the parent's hesitation, and in a more or
less zigzag line, now behind the thick branches and now in
plain sight, she soon reaches the nest; which, behold ! is on
the limb of a young hemlock, just above my head. ** So near
and yet so far!" full well applies to bird-nesting. Not a
few birds deserve but little sympathy in the loss of their
nests — they are such witches at hiding them away! No
time to lose. I hug the tree and scramble to the nest, some
twenty feet from the ground, a few feet from the trunk, and
where the limb sends out several small boughs. The founda-
tion of the structure is of fine shreds of bark of the white
birch, fine dry twigs of the hemlock, bits of fine grass,
weeds, and dried rootlets, intermixed with usnea, and lined

BLACK-AND-WHITE CREEPING WARBLER.

275

with rootlets, fine grass, some feathers, and horse-hair. It
was rather loose, open, and bulky, and contained four
young, partly fledged. Failing tc find the eggs for myself,
I resort for description to a set from Reading, Massachu-
setts, in Professor Ward's collection at Rochester, N. Y.
They are four in number, about .70 x .49, creamy-white,
having a well-defined and beautiful wreath of spots and
small blotches of red, brown and lilac, intermixed with a
few specks of black.

Wintering in Cuba, Mexico and Central America, Den-
droeca virens ranges through Eastern North America, breed-
ing from New York and Southern New England northward
to Newfoundland. It enters its breeding habitat by the
first week of May, and leaves in October. It has been found
in Greenland and in Europe as a straggler.

THE BLACK-AND-WHITE CREEPING WARBLER.

In this thick grove of cedars I am almost constantly within
sight or sound of the Black-and-white Creeping Warbler
{JMniotilta varid). About five inches long, spotted and
streaked all over, except a white space underneath, with
jet-black and chalk- white, this bird is very conspicuous as
it moves in a hopping, jerking manner and in a spiral
direction, very much in the style of the Brown Creeper,
along the trunks and larger limbs of trees. Like the latter,
too, it has the habit of descending to the lower part of the
trunk of a neighboring tree, when getting pretty well up;
but its sharply defined markings, especially the broad white
line over the head and back of the neck, cause it to be seen
much more readily than its little brown neighbor, which is
so similar in color and markings to the bark which it climbs
with such ease and gracefulness. But while his movements
are those of a Creeper, the structure of Mniotilta is that of a

WM

W

. --a

-ii'!

276

BLACK-AND-WHITE CREEPING WARBLER.

Warbler, except that his front toes are a little more joined
together at the base, and his hind toe a little longer and his bill
somewhat curved toward the tip. Very remarkable indeed is
this joint relationship of certain birds with two or more
different groups, so that it is only by a careful noting of
their stronger affinities that we can find their rank in classi-
fication. They serve as a sort of softening or blending of
the otherwise harsher boundaries of orders.

Not only does our little bird readily attract the eye; his
fine, soft and yet distinct song, ki-tsee, ki-tsee, ki-tsee, ki-tseey
as slender to the ear as " hair-wire " to the eye, and rather
monotonous indeed, but so peculiar, so tender, so musical,
as even to soften and sweeten surrounding nature — is
equally attractive and pleasing to the ear. Warbler or
Creeper, he is one of the most welcome and beloved com-
panions of the dark woods and deep, swampy ravines which
he is wont to inhabit. Always keeping more or less to the
lower story of his shadowy abodes, his nest is generally on
the ground, near the root of a decaying stump or tree,
and so placed that "an overhanging rock, a log, the branch-
ing roots of a tree, or herbage of the preceding year affords
protection." It is a rather loose and scanty structure of
dried leaves and grasses, strips of bark, or pine needles,^
containing perhaps some vegetable down and horse-hair as
lining.

The eggs, averaging about four, .70X-50 or a little
more, and somewhat pointed, are creamy white, finely
specked, more thickly around the large end, with light brown
and a little pale lilac. The situation of this Warbler's nest
seems to vary considerably, however, in some cases. In
Louisiana Audubon found it "usually placed in some small
hole in a tree." Nuttall found one "niched in the shelving
of a rock." Df. Brewer reports one found in the drain of a

BLACK-AND-WHITE CREEPING WARBLER,

277

house, while H. D. Minot found one "in the cavity of a tree
rent by lightning, and about five feet from the ground,"
and another " on the top of a low birch stump, which stood
in a grove of white oaks."

A nest, received from Nova Scotia, found with callow
young on the 19th of June, was placed on the top of an old
stump, about two feet from the ground, so set in the moss
and dried leaves as to be pretty much concealed, the top of
the stump somehow supporting several young maples. The
nest is quite deep and substantial, composed of leaves and
coarse bark-fibers throughout. It bears a decided resem-
blance to the nest of the Golden-winged Warbler.

The chipping^ or ordinary alarm and conversational notes,
of the Black-and-white Creeper is somewhat varied, and
the female is not so clearly marked, having the black and
white of the throat of the male replaced by a dull white or
grayish. Migratory throughout Eastern North America,
even to the fur countries, a few only remaining in the extreme
Southern States in winter, this bird breeds throughout its
range, in this habit resembling the Brown Creeper rather
than the Warblers.

. As I observe this Creeping Warbler, so industriously
gleaning the smaller insects with their eggs and larvae from
the bark of our forest trees, I am reminded of the economic
utility of our birds in the destruction of insects. The
Woodcock and Wilson's Snipe bore into the soft ground in
search of worms; the Sparrows, the Blackbirds, the
Thrushes, and many others, glean the caterpillars, grubs,
beetles and bugs upon its surface; the Barn and Eave Swal-
lows, the Purple Martin, the Bluebird and the Common
Wren, greatly reduce the spiders and other noxious insects
about our residences; King Birds, Shrikes, Orioles, Robins,
(Goldfinches, the Yellow Warbler and the Warbling Vireo

W^

h

m

' .l'

I I

fia

>ii'

'' n

Wii

IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

^ ^

4^

1.0

I.I

^ lift

i 12.5

iii

14.0

2.0

Photographic

Sciences

Corporation

23 WIST MAIN STMIT

WnSTIR.N.Y. Msao

(7l6)t72-4S03

^\

iV

^

•^

A

\

4^

?

4^

i\

278 BLACK-AND-WHITE CREEPING WARBLER.

protect the gardens and orchards against their numberless
pests; the Warblers, Vireos, Creepers and Nuthatches guard
our noble forests from the topmost foliage to the lower
bark-crevices; while even the Hawks and Owls contribute
not a little to the same great work of keeping in check the
swarming hosts of insects. The feathered tribes are there-
fore our most useful allies against that part of animated
nature which more than any other endangers our welfare,
namely, those insects which threaten our very subsistence.
It may be doubted whether the indiscriminate slaughter of
any of our birds is wise.

Changing my position somewhat in this great swamp, I
come into a wet slashing, having a dense second growth of
evergreens and various kinds of hard wood. O, the native
vines and wild flowers 'vhich everywhere abound! How
completely that Virginia creeper has enveloped the trunk
and larger limbs of yonder tall elm, its diqitate or hand-
shaped leaves of five pointed and serrate leaflets of dark and
glossy green, covering the bark like a thick luxuriant mantle,
and making the tree appear at once most graceful and
superb. That virgin's bower entwining its petioles so ele-
gantly around a clump of bushes, either in its bloom so like
a fall of light snow-flakes, or in the heavy plumes of its
fruitage, may vie with any member of its family, even the
gay hybrids of the Old World. The remains of that large
tree — a very monarch of the forest, fallen generations ago
perhaps — is enrobed in a thick plumose covering of hyp-
num mosses, variegated with star-flowers and mitreworts, in
a manner which defies description. And what shall we say
of the lady slippers, azaliaf, and honeysuckles, just about
to unfold their charms? Art can do much in the way of
placing and adjusting nature's beauties, but what can equal
the grace of wild vines, plants and flowers in their native

THE CANADA WARBLER.

279

arrangements? The wild grape-vine will festoon the forest
into domes, arches, and colonades, till it would seem the
very haunt of faries and sylvan deities. Liverworts, lichens
and ferns will drape the scars, rents and chasms of the
earth's surface with an inimitable beauty. I have seen an
old decayed stump in the forest, so dressed up from base
to top in fine mosses, and the whole broad top such a mass
of enchanter's nightshade with its delicate spray of leaves
and ethereal white blossoms, as to make it an object to be
coveted for the most royal domain. Had I enough of
Mother Earth that I could call my own, I would have a
flower garden according to nature; one which might show
no trace of human interference. If Adam and Eve had the
judgment and good taste generally attributed to them, in
some such manner, I think, must they have kept the Garden
of Eden.

THE CANADA WARBLER.

From a point in the thick bushes, somewhere near by,
there comes a song so peculiar both in enunciation and in
tone, that my genial companion in these sylvan studies
challenges my imitation of it. I finally resolve it, however,
into the following syllables: — thi-reach-a-dee, reach-a-dee^
reach-a-dee-chi — uttered in a hurried and spirited manner,
with a striking mixture of sibilant notes, and so much of
ventriloquism that it seems almost impossible to locate the
singer, though he be but a few yards distant. The bird,
moreover, is so shy and such an adept at concealment in
the thick foliage that I spend many minutes in the most
attentive observation before I can get even a glimpse of
him. Finally, while on hands and knees I am peering out
from under a thick bed of cinnamon ferns, the songster, all
unconscious of my presence, stands out in full view. About
5.50 long, the bluish-ash on the entire upper parts blends

280

THE CANADA WARBLER.

with the shadows in the thicket, and the bright lemon-yel-
low of the entire under parts seems almost the effect of the
sunlight through the openings among the leaves; but there
is a broad collar of jet-black spots across the breast, over
the forehead and down the cheeks and sides of the neck,
where the bluish-ash of the upper parts joins the yellow of
the throat, the former color shading into clear black as it
meets the line — these markings, along with the yellow eye-
lids, help me to define him as the Canada Warbler {Myio-
diodes canadensis). I find the bird abundant here in almost
any swampy region throughout the breeding season; and
there is, I think, no appreciable difference between the sexes.
Having identified my specimen, and risen from my place of
concealment, the bird becomes greatly excited, hopping
about among the leaves, bowing and " courtesying " prettily
indeed, but not obsequiously, and uttering a sharp chipping
note. I am reminded by the white or flesh-colored legs
and feet that this is what is commonly called a Ground
Warbler, and that its nest, therefore, is on the ground. I
make diligent search, as I have often done since, but all in
vain. A Ground Warbler's nest is one of the very hardest to
find. Others, however, have been fortunate enough to find the
nest, and from them I make out the following description:
Mr. Burroughs found one in the bank of a stream; Mr.
Boshart, of Lowville, N. Y., found one sunk into the moss
on the side of an old log, while others generally report the
nest as found on the ground ; Audubon alone describing it
as built otherwise — " in the fork of a small branch of laurel,,
not above four feet from the ground." It is coarsely and
rather loosely built of leaves, dried grasses, etc., lined with
horse-hair. The eggs, .68X.60, are white, marked with
brown and lilac, somewhat clouded at the large end, and
slightly specked all over.

\

THE WINTER WREN,

281

. WinteHng beyond the United States, the Canada Warbler
extends through Eastern North America to Labrador, breed-
ing from New York northward.

I do not think this bird is as numerous far to the north or
northeast as it is in suitable places in this locality. Mr.
Chamberlain reports it as only an occasional summer resi-
dent in New Brunswick, and I did not find it in Nova
Scotia, nor does Mr. Downs, 9f Halifax, report it in his pri-
vate list of the Warblers sent to me.

Its bill bears a strong resemblance to that of a Flycatcher,
and it has therefore been called a Flycatching Warbler.

THE WINTER WREN.

Working my way back among the cedars to a spot where
the timber has been somewhat thinned by the axe of the
woodman, and where brush is piled up here and there, I am
startled by a most remarkable bird-song, which I have sev-
eral times heard in these parts before, but have never been
able to identify. Copious, rapid, prolonged and penetrating,
having a great variety of the sweetest tones, and uttered in
a rising and falling or finely undulating melody, from every
region of these " dim isles " this song calls forth the sweet-
est woodland echo. It seems as if the very atmosphere be-
came resonant I stand entranced and amazed, my very
soul vibrating to this gushing melody, which seems at once
expressive of the wildest joy and the tenderest sadness. Is
it the voice of some woodland elf, breaking forth into an
ecstasy of delight, but ending its lyric in melting notes of
sorrow ? I strain my eyes this way and that way to get a
glimpse of the songster in the gloom of these damp, shadowy
regions, but cannot determine even the precise direction of
the sounds, so much of ventriloquism is there in this won-
derful performance. Having turned to every point of the

!

hi

282

THE WINTER WREN.

compass, I finally discover the singer. He is perched on a
small dry limb of a cedar a few feet from the ground. The
volume and tone of the song lead me to expect a bird at
least as large as a Thrush, but lo, he is one of the most di-
minutive of the feathered tribes — the Winter Wren ! I can-
not be mistaken, for quite near and in full view, his short
tail thrown forward and his head partially raised, I can see
his breast swell and tremble while he several times repeats
his song. About 4.00 long, and thus about a half inch
shorter than the Common or House Wren, and of the same
reddish-brown waved with darker, the Winter Wren {Anor-
thura troglodytes var. hyemalis) is to be distinguished by his
much shorter tail, and his white or whitish markings on the
sides of the head and on the primaries. But one does well
to make out this much while the bird is " in the bush ;" — so
diminutive, so nearly the color of dried bark and leaves,
and dodging in and out of rock-crevices, brush heaps and
bushes with the ease and rapidity of a mouse, it will be
necessary, in most cases, to obtain the bird " in the hand "
in order to identify it.

Though this species may be heard occasionally in the
cool cedar groves of Tonawanda Swamp throughout the
breeding season, I have not been one of the very few fortu-
nate enough to find its nest. Audubon found two nests.
One was in the pine woods of Pennsylvania, near Mauch
Chunk, on the lower part of the trunk of a tree, "a pro-
tuberance covered with moss and lichens, resembling those
excrescences which are often seen on our forest trees, with
this difference, that the aperture was perfectly rounded,
clean, and quite smooth. * * * Externally, it measured
seven inches in length, four and a half in breadth; the
thickness of its walls, composed of moss and lichens, was
nearly two inches; and thus it presented internally the

THE WINTER WREN.

283

appearance of a narrow bag, the wall, however, being re-
duced to a few lines where it was in contact with the bark
of the tree. The lower half of the cavity was compactly-
lined with the fur of the American Hare, and in the bottom
or bed of the nest there lay over this about half a dozen of
the large, downy abdominal feathers of our Common Grouse,
{Tetrao umbellus). The eggs were of a delicate blush color,
somewhat resembling the paler leaves of a partially decayed
rose, and marked with dots of reddish-brown, more numer-
ous towards the larger end." The second nest he found
" was attached to the lower part of a rock," on the bank
of the Mohawk River. It was similar to the other, only
smaller, and contained six eggs, the same number as found
in the former.

The nest, with eggs of this species upon which our later
ornithologists have been pretty much dependent for their
descriptions, was found by W. F. Hall in Eastern Maine;
the " nest built in an unoccupied log-hut, among the fir-
leaves and mosses in a crevice between the logs. It was
large and bulky, composed externally cf mosses, and lined
with feathers and the fur of hedge-hogs. The shape w^as
that of a pouch, the entrance being neatly framed with
sticks, and the walls very strong, thick, and firmly com-
pacted. Its hemlock framework had been made of green
materials, and their agreeable odor pervaded the whole
structure."

Mr. H. D. Minot says: "Five eggs, not quite fresh,
which I took from a nest in the White Mountains on the
23d of July (probably those of a second set), were pure
crystal-white, thinly and minutely specked with bright
reddish-brown, and averaging about .VOX. 50 of an inch.
The nest, thickly lined with feathers of the Ruffed Grouse,
was in a low, moss-covered stump, about a foot high, in a

ll

n

•if

284

THE SHORT-BILLED MARSH WREN.

dark, swampy forest, filled with tarigled piles of fallen trees
and branches. The entrance to the nest on one side was
very narroTv, its diameter being less than an inch, and was
covered with an overhanging bit of moss, which the bird
was obliged to push up on going in."

In 1878 Mr. Jarres Bradbury, of Maine, found three nests,
one "sunk into the thick moss which enveloped the trunk
of a fallen tree," and two placed under the roots of fallen
trees. All the above nests seemed to resemble each other in
being more or less globular, with an entrance at the side,
the external structure being of moss, or of moss and twigs,
and thickly lined with fur and feathers; each nest being in-
geniously concealed or ensconced away. The eggs, five or
six, some .65X-50, are crystal-white, specked and spotted
with reddish-brown, the markings being generally distribu-
ted or gathered about the large end.

This species, closely allied to the Common Wren of Eu-
rope, occupies all North America, wintering from the Mid-
dle States, or even New England, southward; and breeding
from about the same point northward, especially in Maine
and even in Labrador.

Considering the smallness of its wings, and its ordinarily
short flights, the inimense distances of its migrations have
always been a great mystery to ornithologists. Alaska has
a larger variety of this species, named Anorthura alascensis.

THE SHORT-BILLED MARSH WREN.

As I traverse an open marsh in another part of this same
swamp, a part which is wet in the late fall and the early
spring, but dry in summer, I find the Short-billed Marsh
Wrens {Cistothorus stellaris) in considerable numbers. If
dependent on the eye merely it would be exceedingly diffi-
cult to find these diminutive creatures, as they are nearly all

THE SHORT.BILLED MARSH WREN.

285

the time down out of sight in the clumps of bushes, the tall
grasses or the still taller sedges; but one is constantly aided
in the search for them by their noisy notes and odd songs.
Chip-chip-chi-chi-chi-chi, or tsip-tsip-tse-tse-tse-tse — the first
two or three notes being uttered more slowly, the rest
very rapidly, and all in a sharp, metallic and spirited tone
— may represent the song, which is not very musical,
indeed, but rather pleasing, and decidedly enlivening to
these otherwise quiet marshes. Like any other Wren, this
species is exceedingly sprightly in all its motions, and is a
very adept at clinging to and sliding up and down the
culms of grasses and sedges — tipping, tilting and tossing
its tail in every conceivable manner. In voice and in action
it is certainly an intensely animated bit of nature. Scarcely
4.50 long, and very slender, it is streaked with light and
dark brown over the head, nearly black, mixed with some
reddish brown and streaked with white on the back, wings
and tail dusky, barred with light brown, under parts gray-
ish-white, shading into light brown on the sides.

The nest, about the size and shape of a common cocoa-
nut, composed of dried and thoroughly bleached grasses
and sedges, is closely compacted, with a clear round open-
ing on the side near the top, and is more or less lined with
vegetable down. This structure rests on the ground at the
roots of the sedges, or is ti ;d to their culms a very few inches
from the ground. In this and corresponding localities it is
made early in June. The eggs, some 7 or 8, about .54 X .48,
so rather roundish — (Dr. Coues reports them "rather elon-
gate")— are of a fine porcelain-white, having the highly
finished surface of the Woodpecker's eggs. These white
eggs are an anomaly among Wrens.

The Short-billed Marsh Wrens are said by Nuttall —
who was the first to point them out as different from the

i

■■#

I ii

= ; -tfti

286 MARYLAND YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER.

Common Marsh Wren — to "spend much of their time in
quest of insects, chiefly crustaceous, which, with moths,
constitute their principal food."

This species differs from the Common Marsh Wren in its
notes; in its shorter bill; in its darker colored breast; in its
inhabiting dryer places — its nest never, I think, being placed
over water; in the position of its nest, always on or near the
ground — being composed of bleached material and very com-
pactly made (wrongly figured by Audubon) — and, particu-
larly, in its pure white eggs.

Wintering in the Southern States, the Short-billed Marsh
Wren breeds throughout the Eastern United States to New
England and Manitoba; but it is not nearly as generally
distributed as its cousin of the longer bill. It reaches these
middle districts early in May, and leaves early in September.

MARYLAND VELLOW-THROATED WARBLER.

Reaching a bog, where, in trying to cross, I sink at
every step into an almost bottomless bed of soft moss, I
hope to find something new. In respect to plants, I see at
once that I shall not be disappointed. Here is the curious
pitcher-plant in abundance. Its leaves, having the bowl,
handle and spout of a pitcher, are full of water; and its
flower, which will appear in a few weeks, will be almost as
curious as its leaves. Here too, I find the marvelous little
sundew, Drosera rotundifolia^ about which the evolutionist,
Darwin, has written so much. The little round leaves are
thickly beset with transparent bristles, each of which bears
on its extremity a viscid globule as clear as a dew-drop.
These glandular hairs are said to be sensitive, and to entrap
insects, but I cannot make the experiment succeed.

Around the edge of this bog, among the varied shrubbery
belonging almost entirely to the Heath and Rose families,

MARYLAND YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER. 287

I hear the song of the Maryland Yellow-throat {Geothlypis
trichas)^ a warbler quite common to the shrubbery of our
swamps and low lands. The song of this bird is very dis-
tinctive and easy to recognize. Weech-a-tee^ weech-a-tecy
tveech-a-teey weech-a-tee, in 'loud whistling tones, slowly and
distinctly uttered, and strongly accented on the first syllable
of each repetition, represent it to my imagination. Some-
times, however, a syllable of each group of notes is left out,
making the melody sound like weech-eCy weech-ee, weech-ecy
weech-ee. The song is very constant, but the singer is rather
shy, keeping out of sight in the thick foliage the greater
part of the time. Nearly 5.00 long, and having a very short,
round wing for a warbler, the male is olive-green above,
becoming grayish on the back of the head and neck, throat
and under parts yellow, becoming lighter on the belly; over
the forehead and eyes and down the cheeks is a broad band
of jet-black, bordered behind with ash which shades into
the grayish-green beyond ; legs, flesh-color. The female
lacks the black and ash on the head, and has the crown
brownish. In sprightliness of song and distinctive color of
plumage, this Warbler ranks high, being one of those bright,
melodious birds of the swamp which, like certain very brill-
iant and fragrant flowers of the same locality, are a de-
lightful offsetting to stagnant pools, quagmires, pestiferous
vapors, and tormenting insects. Like the rest of the War-
blers, it is a great destroyer of insects, without at any time
injuring the products of industry.

The nest of this species is on the ground near some stream,
or in a low, wet place at the roots of bushes; is generally
well sunken into the ground, made of dried leaves and
grasses, often lined with hair, and is sometimes arched over
after the manner of the Golden-crowned Accentor. Mr. W.
Brewster found a nest of this species on June 3d, 1876, in

288

THE BOBOLINK,

the top of a ground juniper, some two feet from the gp* .aad.
The 4 or 5 eggs, some . 70 x -65, are white, specked and
spotted, sometimes wreathed with light brown and lilac.
Clear white eggs rarely occur.

Wintering sparingly in our southern border, but mostly
beyond, the Maryland Yellow-throat breeds throughout the
Union, abundantly in the Middle States, and commonly in
New England and Nova Scotia. Audubon saw none in
Newfoundland nor in Labrador.

THE BOBOLINK.

Leaving the swamp and coming out into the broad mead-
ows in the vicinity, I am greeted by the newly-arrived
Bobolink {Dolichonyx oryzivorus). It is difficult to speak of

THE BOBOLINK.

the Bobolink without going into ecstasies. To say the
least, he is the finest bird of our fields and meadows. See
him mount that stake by the road-side! Every feather of
his jet-black front is partially raised, the elegant creamy-
white patch on the back of the head and neck is elevated into
a crest; his wings and scapulars, so finely marked with white,

THE BOBOLINK.

289

are partially extended; and as he pours forth his mar/elous
song, he waltzes gracefully to his own music, turning slowly
around, so that the beholder may have a fair view of all
sides. Now he launches into the air, and — half hovering —
half flying — his song becomes even more resonant and pene-
trating; the loud, rich, liquid notes of his prolonged and
varied warble causing the air to vibrate over many acres of
the open field. The first tinkling tones are like those of a
fine musical box rapidly struck, then com- ihe longer drawn
notes as of a rich viol or violin, and finally the sweet liquid,
limpid, gurgling sounds as of an ex i lisite bell-( med piano
lightly and skillfully couched. These several different
ffri! IS, variously modulated, are uttere'i vtith a rapid, gush-
ing volubility, which to an untrained ear might sound like
the performance of a whole chorus of songsters. As the
strain ceases, he drops down most gracefully with elevated
wings into the clover, or, grasping the elastic culms of the
taller grasses, swings proudly on his tiny perch. Each in-
dividual adopts his own territory and adheres to it, compell-
ing his intruding neighbor to retire to his own side of the
road or fence, and then returning to his own domain with
the air of independence and authority. Here he keeps up
his proud antics and charming melody some week or ten
days before the female arrives. Only 7.50 long, and very
nearly the colors and marking of a Sparrow — the lighter
parts being simply a little more yellowish — you would
never suspect her relation to such a gay consort. He recog-
nizes her at once, however, and begins his ardent demon-
strations. He sings and waltzes to her, hovers in front of
her, fairly rending his throat in the ardor of his musical per-
formance; and when she in her coyness, real or feigned, flees
from him, he pursues her closely, and they dash in and out
of bushes, trees, and fences with the most perilous speed.
19

■:n'

Mi

It i :

290

THE BOBOLINK.

More than once he slackens the chase for a few minutes,
alighting and throwing in a few of his finest musical flour-
ishes, and again renews it as ardently as ever, till at length
he completely wins the object of his passion. Now they are
seen together for a short time, and then the modest female
retires among the clover and the taller grasses of the lux-
uriant meadow; and, scooping out a rather deep cavity in
the ground, arranges a frail, loose nest of dried grasses, and
lays her 6 eggs — ^averaging about .OOX-S'?, white tinged
with brown, spotted, blotched, and clouded with several
shades of brown, and also a neutral shade of brownish-lilac.
She adheres most closely to her nest. In walking across,
the field you may almost step on her before she will leave
her treasures. Then flying only a few feet, she is instantly
out of sight again; and unless you are a ready observer, or
have some knowledge of birds and nests, you will be puzzled
to know what you have found. As the Bobolink raises but
one brood, and in the thick grass, some time before the hay
is cut, its nest is but seldom seen by the farmer.

During the whole period of incubation the male is one
of the happiest of birds. Without any perceptible sense of
care, or of any misgiving whatever, he keeps up his gay per-
formances of waltzing, flight, and song, with but little
intermission, his beautiful figure adding greatly to the charms
of the summer landscape, and his far-reaching melody
harmonizing grandly with the joyousness of the season,
and ever cheering the husbandman in his long hours of toil.

If the Bay-winged Sparrow is "the poet of the plain,
unadorned pastures," the Bobolink is the poet of the luxu-
riant blooming meadows, announcing the beauty and the
promise of the fruit-blossoms, and hymning the bright hues
and the fragrance of the. clover. It is the utterance of all
the youth and joy of spring— of an unbounded hilarity.

THE BOBOLINK.

291

In due time the young appear, a thrifty family, all clad
in the plain but beautiful habit of the female, having a great
deal of yellow, almost of bright yellow, on the under
parts. When they leave the nest the parents show the great-
est solicitude for them, flitting about in the most excited
manner, and chipping loudly when their domain is intruded
upon.

The nest of the Bobolink being so well hid away, and in
parts little infested by enemies, it would seem that the
species must sustain but a small loss during the breed-
ing season.

These birds have their casualties, however. Walking
once over a meadow along a little stream, I saw a young
Bobolink fluttering over the edge of the water; and going
up to it, saw something like a good sized stone just under
it, which I imagined had in some way fastened down the
bird so that it could not get away. Taking hold of the
supposed stone and lifting it out of . the water to free the
bird, my triend accompanying me called out, "« turtle!"
Sure enough! a large turtle had been holding the bird by
the foot, but relinquished it on my interference. I do not
know which was the quickest, I to let go the turtle, or the
bird to fly away to the woods beyond.

Perhaps the bird, thinking this reptile a stone, had lit on
it to drink, and had thus been entraped by the treacherous
object.

About the 20th of August these birds are gathered in
flocks preparatory to migration. By this time the old males
have laid aside the gay livery of the breeding season, and
appear as plain and sparrow-like as the rest of the family.
Imagine the chagrin and disappointment of European bird
fanciers, in the early history of our country, who, having
captured Bobolink in all the glory of the breeeding season.

;K

i !

292

THE BOBOLINK,

beheld him turn brown and spotted as a Sparrow and be-
come voiceless ere they reached the end of their long*
voyage homeward! Nor does this bird ever resume his
bright colors while caged. Exceedingly perplexing, too,
was this change of plumage to the first students of Ameri-
can ornithology, who saw the males migrite in immense
numbers to the north in spring, but saw none return to the
south in autumn.

As soon as the Bobolinks begin to flock for their very
leisurely fall migration, their whole manner is entirely
changed. Who would imagine those immense flocks of
plain birds, flying high, and in the swift undulating manner
of the Goldfinch, over the marshes about Niagara River in
August, to be the same species which he saw enlivening the
meadows the spring before. That plain and subdued note
which it repeats quite leisurely — quait, quaity quait — could give
no clue to the voice of the same bird a few weeks earlier.
But fire into the flock as they alight among the weeds and
grasses after the manner of Snowbirds in winter, and like
them, feed on seeds instead of insects, and you will find
them to be veritable Bobolinks in excellent condition, and
not at all of mean appearance, clad in their finely-marked
suits of greenish-yellow and brown. These autumnal mi-
grations continue thi ough the day and the night, and pretty
much throughout the month of August along Niagara River
and along the shores of our Great Lakes in its vicinity. In
the day-time even, one often hears the familiar migratory
note above given, without being able to see the birds. jOn
looking carefully, however, one can see them flying very
high, seeming scarcely more than dark specks against the
sky.

As these birds move southward, they receive different
names according to their habits '^f diet. In Eastern

THE YELLOW. WINGED SPAJtROW.

203

Pennsylvania, where they feed on the seeds of the reeds
along the rivers, they are calle(^ Reed-birds, and in the
south, where they feed on the rice, they are called Rice-
birds.

Wintering beyond our boundaries, this bird enters the
Eastern United States in large numbers, and reaching the
Middle States about the first of May, breeds from thence
northward to the Saskatchawan, and west to the Rocky
Mountains. To the eastward, Mr. Smith reports it as breed-
ing abundantly in Maine ; Mr. Chamberlain gives it as a
common summer resident u. New Brunswick, particularly
in the valley of the St. John River, and I found it plentiful
last June in the Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia, but did not
see it elsewhere in the Province. Mr. Maynard gives its
summer habitat between 38" and 48**. Arriving in Western
New York during the first week in May, it reaches Maine
about the middle of that month, and New Brunswick about
the last.

On account of its short, thick bill, this bird was once called
a Bunting, but its general structure places it among the
Marsh Blackbirds or American Starlings; and as its white
markings are similar to those of a Skunk, it has also been
called the Skunk Blackbird.

THE YELLOW- WINGED SPARROW.

Perched on the fence by the roadside, in a neighborhood
called Pine Hill, is the Yellow-winged Sparrow {Coturniculus
passerinus). It is not at all common here, and seems confined
to certain dry or sandy fields. Some 6.00 long, with wings
much rounded and tail-feathers narrow and pointed, the
plumage above is dark brown, almost black, edged with
buff; head of the former color, with clear median line of the
latter; this bird is distinguishable from all other Sparrows

Wi

!-Ml

294

THE YELLOW-WINGED SPARROW.

of its size in this locality, by its clear buff breast and the
bright yellow on the edge or shoulder of the wings. It has
also a small line of the last mentioned color from the base
of the bill over the eye. On the whole, it is a very light
colored Sparrow.

The fence is a rather high perch for this bird. It is gen-
erally seen on the ground or swinging on a spear of grass.
From some such lowly position it utters its humble song,
which is a faint but prolonged squeak, so much resembling
the shrilling of certain grasshoppers that an ordinary ear
would scarcely detect the difference. On listening closely,
however, and having identified the song, one will discover
that it is generally preluded and ended with a faint war-
ble. Unpretending as this song is, the singer is neverthe-
less ambitious; for on hearing another of its species perform-
ing near by, it will fly toward it, and, diving into the grass,
soon put it to silence.

The nest, which is on the ground, is built of dried grasses
and lined with hair, and resembles those of the Ground-
building Sparrows in general. The five eggs, some .76x.60
— large for the size of the bird — are pure white, specked
and spotted with reddish-brown, mostly about the large
end. They are laid early in June, the bird arriving in May.
It probably leaves in September for the south. As a
resident of Eastern North America, it is a southerly species,
going scarcely beyond the United States; indeed, becoming
rare already in the Northern States, while it is abundant to
the south. Its food is that of its kind in general — insects
and seeds.

Henslow's Sparrow {Coturniculus henslowt) is a closely
allied species. " Resembling the last; smaller; more yellow-
ish above, and with sharp maxillary, pectoral and lateral
black streaks below; tail longer, reaching beyond the feet;

THE AMERICAN SWAN.

295

bill Stout." (Coues). Habitat: Eastern United States;
local, not common.

On a bright morning, on the 8th of May, I am on the
shore of Lake Ontario, at the mouth of Johnson's Creek.
The warm spring sun causes a soft white mist to rise from
the whole surface of the lake, giving this grand sheet of
water a most magnificent appearance — like that of bur-
nished silver. From some distance out I can hear the
clangor of the voices of immense numbers of Loons, or
Great Northern Divers. The air is very salubrious, and
being in good health, I am conscious of an unutterable joy
in the contemplation of nature. Every breath is a soul-
stimulus, and physical existence is blissful. But in such
moments it is difficult to distinguish between that conscious-
ness which is of the soul, and that which is of the body, so
intimately do these two sources of the individual sense mix
and blend together; and even the material forms around us
have a spiritual ideal with which the mind may hold com-
munion.

THE AMERICAN SWAN.

In the midst of my reverie my attention is arrested by
the remains of a Swan {Cygnus americanus)^ which have floated
upon the shore. Tufts of the fine plumage are still adher-
ing, while many parts of the skeleton are entirely denuded
by the effects of time and water. I pluck a handful of the
snowy feathers from the disfigured form of this wonderful
bird, which, by some means unknown, has perished in the
course of its long migration. As I examine them I am re-
minded how all warm-blooded animals require some cover-
ing for the retention of animal heat. The ordinary mam-
mal has a coat of hair, suited to climate, season, and the
peculiar conditions of its habitat. The human race may

M

ilk!

m

S96

THE AMERICAN SWAN.

choose its own clothing according to location and circum-
stances. Birds are clad with feathers, an integument
altogether peculiar to them as a class. Concerning these
feathers, constituting what we call plumage, Paley, in his
great work on Natural Theology, has well said: "The
covering of birds cannot escape the most vulgar observa-
tion. Its lightness, its smoothness, its warmth — the dis-
position of the feathers, all inclined backward, the
down about their stem, the overlapping of their tips,
their different configuration in different parts, not to
mention the variety of their colors, constitute a vest-
ment for the body, so beautiful, and so appropriate to
the life which the animal is to lead, that, I think, we
should have had no conception of anything equally perfect,
if we had never seen it, or can now imagine anything more
so." Feathers are varied in adaptation to the different
parts of the bird. There are the ordinary feathers for cov-
ering called "clothing feathers," then others particularly
modified for special uses — those over the opening of the
ear are very light and open, and are called "auriculars;"
those covering the junction of the wing with the body are
called "scapulars;" those lying in several rows at the base
of the quills on the outside of the wing, "coverts;" the
large quill-feathers of the wing are called " remiges" or
"rowing feathers;" of these again, the larger ones, arising
from the hand bones, are called "primaries;" those on the
lower or distal end of the ulna, or arm-bone, "secondaries;"
those from the upper or proximal part of the same bone,
" tertiaries," while the large steering-feathers of the tail are
called "rectrices." Indeed, on every part of the body
the feathers are peculiarly modified according to their
location, and yet every feather is constructed essentially
on the same plan. There L, first, the quill, entering

THE AMERICAN SWAN.

297

the skin, and supporting the main part. It is of a
tough, horny material, and cylindrical in form, thus
combining strength and lightness; for in no form is a gpiven
amount of matter so strong to support a weight or a strain
as in that of a tube or cylinder; and, of course, that is
also the form most favorable to levity. Next comes the
shaft supporting the vanes. This is somewhat four sided, to
accommodate the vanes, and gradually diminishes toward
the extremity. It is usually bent, thus rendering the feather
much stronger and more convenient for its ordinary uses;
and it is also made more firm by a light pith. The flat
barbs, constituting the vane, join each other at their broad
sides, thus striking the air edgewise, and so opposing the
utmost resistance, just as a plank will sustain a greater
weight when set on edge than when lying flat. These barbs
are also broadest where they join the shaft, and taper to a
point at the outer edge of the vane. The broad sides of
these barbs are supplied with barbuleSy little hooks, so
arranged as to hook or latch into each other, and so form
the barbs of the vane into a continuous and firm sheet. At
the base of the vane is generally more or less down, accord-
ing to the nature of the bird, certain swimming birds,
such as Ducks and Geese, being noted for their down.
Some of the feathers of such species are down throughout,
and are called down-feathers; while all birds have more or
less feathers simply in the form of hairs. These last are
particularly troublesome in dressing the common fowl, and
are most conveniently cleaned by singeing. Again, the feath-
ers of certain birds have a peculiar style of structure. Those
of the Grebe are very open and loose, and of a glossy finish,
giving them somewhat the appearance of an elegant kind
of fur. " In the Owls the plumage is loose and soft; fila-
ments from the barbules extend upon the outer surface of

298

THE AMER!CAN SWAN.

the vane, and one edge of the primaries is serrated; so that,
while they are debarred from so swift a flight as the Hawk,
they are enabled, by the same mechanism, to wing their
way without noise, and steal unheard upon their prey."
(Owen.) In the long pinions of the Hawk the vanes are
joined together with a remarkable firmness. Who can ex-
plain the peculiarity of that structure, which causes the in-
imitable lustre on certain parts of several kinds of birds ?
Thus, as the above named author says, " every feather is a
mechanical wonder." No less remarkable is its history from
its first appearance in the matrix till it reaches maturity.
So perplexing is each stage of its development, that to read
an account of it by the most lucid anatomist requires as
close attention as the solution of an intricate problem in
mathematics. And can anything exceed the varied beauty
and brilliancy of the plumage of certain members of the
leathered tribes? What is there in all the bright hues of
nature which can equal the metallic tints on certain parts
of the Humming Birds of the New World, or of the Sun
Birds of both the Old World and the New?

The partly denuded skeleton of this Swan also reminds
me of the peculiar and varied osteology of the birds. A
bird's skeleton is a true indication of the leading peculiari-
ties of its structure and functions in this class of vertebrates.
As the bird's position, whether on the ground, on the water,
or in the air, is nearly horizontal, the trunk of the body is
made firm by a consolidation of a great portion of the back-
bone and ribs into a continued bony plane, and by the
anchylosis, or joining together, of nearly all the dorsal ver-
tebrae; and then it is well supported by the thigh bones
being in a horizontal position, and thus balancing it; and by
the long toes radiating in various directions. As the bird's
neck must serve the purpose of an arm, and the bill that of

THE AMERICAN SWAN.

299

a hand, the former is very long, and flexible in various direc-
tions, reaching its greatest length in the CygnuSy or Swaa
genus, and the latter is variously and most skillfully mod-
eled according to the habit of the bird, but always having
cutting edges of a horny substance. Flight, as the principal
characteristic of the class, is well anticipated by the great
extent and peculiar form of the breast-bone or sternum, to
which so many of the muscles of flight are attached, which
has its surface augmented by a broad keel, and of which the
ossification is more or less complete, according to the pow-
ers of flight possessed by the bird. Notwithstanding the
great pressure of the wings of the flying bird upon the
shoulders, these last are kept a proper distance apart by a
system of bones formed into a sort of double arch, well
braced forward and backward. The ribs again are remark-
ably strengthened by a line of flat, bony processes, extend-
ing from one to the other, like purlines joined into the raft-
ers of a building. All the bones are especially laminated
and firm, and at the same time contain, for the most part,,
air cavities, to secure their greater levity.

Nor is the muscular system any less remarkable in its
adaptation to the peculiar functions of the bird ; some of the
muscles, extending from the trunk of the body to the tips
of the toes, being so arranged that the bird clings to its
perch without any voluntary effort during its unconscious
hours of sleep, and may thus support itself even on one
foot. " In birds of flight the mechanical disposition of the
muscular system is admirably adapted to the aerial locomo-
tion of this class; the principal masses being collected below
the center of gravity, beneath the sternum, beneath the pelvis,
and upon the thighs, they act like the ballast of a vessel, and
assist in maintaining the steadiness of the body during
flight; while at the same time the extremities require only

Hi

300

THE AMERICAN SWAN.

long, thin tendons for the communication of the mus<
cular influence to them, and are thereby rendered light and
slender." (Owen.) Is there anything in all this arrange-
ment of bone and muscle which indicates intelligent design ?
Is there any thought back of it all ? Or is it simply the
result of blind forces residing in matter ?

Over the wide world the Swan is the most graceful and
majestic bird of the waters. Strongly resembling the Goose,
it is differentiated by its greater elegance, which comes in
part from its long, slender and graceful neck, and in part
from its large and elaborate wings, as well as from its more
dignified proportions and bearing in general. Its bill is
noticeably larger than that of the Goose, in proportion to its
head, and the base of it extends to the eye. The fabled
song of the Swan as death approaches, though decidedly
beautiful, has no foundation in fact. While it has some
very boisterous notes, and a peculiar folding of the wind-
pipe and connection of it with the breast-bone and merry
thought, for the purpose of securing these stentorious
effects, its ordinary reticence, so strongly contrasting with
the " noisy gabbling of Geese and Duck," adds greatly to
its wonted dignity. Indeed, the structure of its vocal organs
is in no wise favorable to any musical capacity.

To see this pure, snow-white creature in all the ease,
elegance and dignity of his wild and retired haunts is the
privilege of but few; but he may, be seen domesticated, and
thus seeming perfectly at home on the glassy ponds of our
public or even private parks. His great wings, so gracefully
ruffled and partly elevated, make him look almost ethereal
as he floats along with the slow and easy strokes of his
large, black feet, and they also serve as a sort of sail to catch
the passing breeze. Frequently one foot is held up out of
the water and spread apart, as if it, too, were used to catch

THE AMERICAN SWAN,

301

the wind. What can equal the gracefulness of that long
slender, curving neck, as the head moves slowly in every
conceivable direction ! Every movement of a Swan is par-
ticularly slow and stately. It is a living miniature of a ship.
But that peculiar motion with which, having dipped his
head in the water, he throws a shower of large drops, like
so many pearls, over his ruffled and snow-white plumage^
affords the supreme moment when his beauty culminates.
Such scenes give one a conception of the sweet content God
has designed for all His creatures in the mere conscious-
ness of existence. Those poets sing best of human life
who, passing by its feverish excitements and undue ambi-
tions, find a chief good in the quiet, virtuous and sweet
sense of simple being. That was a true philosopher who
prized the comfort of sunshine above the highest gifts of
kings.

We have two species of Swan on this continent — the
Whistling or American Swan, and the Trumpeter. The
former {Cygnus americanus)^ some 53 inches long and about 84
in extent of wings, is occasionally seen in flocks passing
over our Great Lakes, or along the Niagara River, in their
times of migration. On St. Clair Flats they are sometimes
seen in great numbers. They fly high and in lines and an-
gles, after the manner of Wild Geese, except that they are
generally silent, and have a shorter and more graceful stroke
of the wings. Very inspiring to the love of the beautiful
are their large snow-white forms, with outstretched neck and
black bill, as they glide along the clear ether of a brigh t
morning in early spring or late autumn, their lines, curves,
and angles being formed with mathematical precision.
Many of them spend the winter on the Chesapeake and Del-
aware rivers, where they are captured in large numbers for the
market. It is also said to be abundant along the Pacific

1

m

302

THE LOON.

Coast in winter. In New England it is rare, and it is not
abundant in the region of the Mississippi. The arctic regions
are its breeding ground. It breeds commonly in the marshes
along the Yukon River, especially in the great marshes at
its mouth. The eggs, from 2-6, " nearly ellipsoidal," some
4.00 X 2.00, with a rather rough shell, are white or dirty-
white, and are laid in May, " usually in a tussock quite sur-
rounded with water."

The Trumpeter Swan {Cygnus buccinator) differs from the
former in its greater size, being some 68 inches in length,
by its longer and wholly black bill, and more basilar nostrils,
by its 24 tail feathers (C americanus has a yellow -spot on the
bill and only 20 tail feathers), and by its harsher voice.
Reaching the gulf coast in winter, the Trumpeter seems to
range along the great Mississippi Valley, breeding from
Iowa and Dakota to the arctics, its breeding habits being
similar to those of its American congener. It is but a
straggler on the Atlantic Coast, and is not numerous south-
ward on the Pacific.

The young of Swans are at first gray, and passing through
various shades of reddish do not become pure white until
about 5 or 6 years old; and it takes about as many years for
them to reach their full size, the young scarcely exceeding
one-third of that of the mature bird at the end of the first
year.

Australia has a Black Swan, and South America one with
a black head and neck.

THE LOON.

About the middle of the day, when the mist on the lake
has somewhat cleared away, I discern some half-dozen
dark spots, several miles out; and turning the glass upon
them, I discover them to be Loons, or Great Northern

THE LOON,

803

Divers {Coiymbus torquatus). How finely they swim, stretch-
ing their large, black feet out behind them, even above the
water, sometimes, the wavelets stirring at their sides and in
their wake, being a miniature of those formed by a sailing
craft. Now they are moving in line, one after the other;
and again the line is broken by the sudden diving of one
or more; or for a time they all disappear in the same man-
ner. Then rising again, one after another, they shake their
heads and look about them in every direction, as if keep-
ing up the utmost vigilance; or one flaps his wings, and
thus ' ising out of the water, and patting it with his feet as
if running on its surface for some distance, drops into it
again, cutting the glassy surface into a foam with his snowy
breast. If one would ^tudy birds without disturbing them,
and know how they behave when they are perfectly at home,
one must view them thus in the distance, with the aid of a
good glass. The first impulse on a sight like this is to board
one's boat and row toward the flock for a shot; but that
would be about useless in the case of the Loon, for he dives
at the flash of the gun ere shot or bullet can reach him.
To shoot a Loon is possible, but it is one of the rarest feats
in marksmanship. The name — Great Northern Diver — is
most appropriate to him.

The summer haunts of this bird are in the north,
where, on lakes and streams, his large, flat body, his
long, slender-pointed black bill, his large head and long,
thick neck of jet-black, with hues of violet and green
and patches streaked with white, his jet-black upper
parts elegantly spotted with white, and his snow-white
breast — are among the most familiar objects. Of his great
expertness in diving and swimming, for which his peculiar
structure — especially the posterior position of his great
webbed feet and his sharply compressed legs — so well

304 .

THE LOON.

adapts him, he seems well aware; for he is in no hurry to
fly as one approaches him on the water. Excepting the
Grebe, no bird of our waters will allow one to come so near
to him. Plunging out of sight in an instant, if one presses
him too closely, and literally flying under the water, he will
presently come up and shake the water out of his eyes
many rods distant, swimming so deeply that his back is
nearly under water; and, before one can get within gun-
shot, he plunges out of sight again. If he undertakes to
rise out of the water, it seems to be with some difficulty.
Striking the air vigorously with his powerful wings, and
patting the water with his feet, he appears half-running
and half-flying, for several rods, before mounting fully into
the air, and if the wind be blowing he rises against it, thus
"eking out the resisting power of his small wings;" but
once elevated, he moves with immense momentum and
velocity, with outstretched neck, and feet extended back-
ward, after the manner of a huge Duck. To make up for
the small area of his wing-surface, he beats the air with a
rapidity that cannot be counted; and like other swimming
birds with very small wings for their size, and like all diving
birds whose wings are always reduced to a minimum, he
can make no sudden turns, nor perform any aerial evolu-
tions, nor alight suddenly and gracefully, but pitches into
the water with a splash and foam. Nor does he generally
need any of these facilities on wing. He may choose broad
rivers, immense lakes, or even the ocean foi his highway,
and so have no obstructions in his course. Moreover, like
other mortals, he cannot expect to have every advantage.
If in structure and function he is the very ideal of dex-
terity in the water, he cannot expect to vie with the Swift in
the regions of the air.

The name Loon, or Loom, is said to be of Lapland ori-

THE LOON,

306

gin, and to have come from a word signifying lame, because
the bird is unable to walk regularly. One caught in a seine,
and brought to me in excellent condition, without any
injury whatever, was wholly unable to rise from the ground,
and could barely shuffle along a few feet, aiding itself with
the shoulders of its wings. Its position in standing is
nearly upright, after the manner of the Grebes; otherwise
it cannot maintain the center of gravity on account of the
posterior location of its legs. If perchance the Loon
alights on land, away from the water, it cannot rise again.
Every now and then during their migrations, one is found in
this situation, and may then be picked up and carried off
without any difficulty whatever.

As one might expect under these circumstances, the Loon's
nest, which is a rude structure of rushes, is hard by the
water, on an island, or on the shore of the main land, gen-
erally on the edge of a little island in a lake. The eggs, 2 or
3, some 3.25 x 2.15, long and pointed, are brown or greenish-
brown, sparsely spotted all over with dark brown.

The Loon breeds on St. Clair Flats in considerable num-
bers, the nest being built up from the bottom, of rushes and
sedges, extending some eight or ten inches above the sur-
face, and containing a dry depression to receive the eggs.
V<'ry possibly these nests are all deserted muskrat-houses.
I could not fully determine.

The notes of this bird, being most frequent before a storm,
are remarkable. Beginning on the fifth note of the scale,
the voice slides through the eighth to the third of the scale
above, in loud, clear, sonorous tones, which, on a dismal
evening before a thunder storm, the lightning already playing
along the inky sky, are anything but musical. He has also
another rather soft and pleasing utterance, sounding like
who-who-who-who, the syllable;, being so rapidly pronounced
20

",1

%

m

%

' ■ 1

il'i

M

806

THE LOON,

as to sound almost like a shake of the voice — a sort of weird
laughter.

Though ger orally dispersed over the United States in
winter, the Great Northern Diver breeds, for the most part,
beyond our limits, except in mountainous regions, rearing
their precocious young, even up to 70°.

The length of this species is 2^-3 feet. Its food is mostly
small fishes.

The Red-throated Diver {Colymbus septentrionalis)^ with
habits and habitat similar to the former, is much smaller,
26 inches long and 43 in extent of wing; and it differs no-
ticeably in color. It is " blackish; below, white, dark
along the sides and on the vent and crissum; most of the
head and fore-neck, bluish-gray, the throat with a large
chestnut patch, hind neck sharply streaked with white on a
blackish ground; bill black. The young have not these
marks on the head and neck, but a profusion of small, sharp,
circular or oval white spots on the back."

This species is said to be abundant on the Bay of Fundy.
Another species called the Black-throated Diver is found to
the northwest of our continent.

These Loons are also the Loons of the Old World, the
birds having a circumpolar distribution. They are closely
allied to the Grebes, differing from them, as to structure,
principally in their completely webbed feet.

The peculiarities of the skel'^ton of a Loon, including the
greatly prolonged breast-bone, the long, narrow pelvic bone
with its elevated ridge, to receive the great muscles of the
leg used in swimming, and the greatly prolonged process at
the knee-joint, to strengthen the leg as the bird kicks up to-
ward the surface of the water in the act of diving, deserve
the special attention of the ornithologist and anatomist.

CHAPTER XIV.

THE TENTH AND ELEVENTH OF MAY.

1AM in the forest on a beautiful morning, the 10th of
May; and never in the round year are the charms of
our woodland scenery greater than at this very hour. The
leaves are already well unfolded, for the spring is early; and
the many wild flowers, peculiar to the time of year in this
locality, are in full bloom. Liverworts, spring-beauties and
marsh-marigolds are past their prime, indeed; but the
cresses, the toothworts, the fumitories, the addertongues,
the violets, and above all the trillium, are now in the very
height of their glory; while the mitreworts and the many
varieties of Solomon's-seal are just beginning to display
their delicate beauties. The whole woods is one immense
flower-garden. Oh, the fragrance of this delightful morn-
ing air! Involuntarily one takes long, deep breaths, as if
the very act of respiration were a luxury.

t , THE WOOD THRUSH.

But most delightful of all, as the sun leaps above the
horizon, is the mingled chorus of the birds. The Wood
Thrush {Tardus mustelinus) arrived some time during the
night, and is giving us his first song. To me it is an even '
of the season. Nothing in all our bird melody equals 't!
Such is its sweetness and copious variety that I shall not
attempt to render it in syllables. It must suffice to say that

1

lift

■m

4.t

•;ll'

308

THE WOOD THRUSH.

the tones are flute-like, if indeed they can be compared to
any instrument; a variety of brief tinkles, trills, triplets and
warbles, on main chords, intermediates and chromatics, fol-
lowing each other in close but rather slow succession, in
every possible key, cadence and inflection, with a peculiar
shake on a low key every now and then thrown in; the whole
suggesting the idea of a solemn but happy and tender train of
meditation; the bird sings as if in a delightful reverie.
From the time of his arrival till late in June, or even in
July, his peculiar melody may be heard at almost any time
of day, but especially early in the morning and late in the
evening. Never shall I forget how, once at the dawn of
day, as I lay in my hammock high up under the thick shade
of two great forest trees, the notes of the Wood Thrush
were the first to break the stillness of the receding night.
Faintly, but oh! how sweetly, they broke upon the air in the
tree-top just above me. Louder and louder were the liquid
strains, until the silent isles of the thick forest echoed to
their delightful cadences, and all the songsters in the vicinity
woke up and gave forth their united response. Nothing
is more characteristic of our beautiful forests, at the close of
day, than the melody of this great woodland artist — this
Beethoven among birds.

Not peculiar to the streams and wet places merely, as
implied by both Wilson and Audubon, but exceedingly
common as a summer resident throughout the woods, the
Wood Thrush builds his nest in this locality late in May or
early in June, in the crotch of a sappling, or on the horizon-
tal limb of a large tree, anywhere from 7 to 16 feet from the
ground. The structure, strongly resembling that of the
Robin, consists outwardly of dried leaves, coarse weed-
stilks, grasses, rootlets, etc., plastered together with mud,
and lined with rootlets for the most part, the lining often

WILSON'S THRUSH.

809

being quite scanty. The eggs, 3 or 4, some 1.00 x -^S, in
form and color are like those of the Robin.

When the nest of this species is disturbed or even
approached, it has an animated twitter, almost as character-
istic as its song, also a soft chuck. I do not find this bird
particularly shy, as compared with other birds of the woods.

Like other Thrushes, it is often on the ground, not infre-
quently utters its song from a log or stump, and seldom
alights above the lower story of the woods. Berries and
insects constitute its fare. Its flight is regular, and not very
rapid. »

About 8 inches long, the upper parts are bright brown,
reddish on the head, dusky on the rump and tail, eye-lids
white, ear-patches dark brown and white striped, under-
parts white, breast creamy, the dark-brown arrow-shaped
spots being quite large and running in chains. The males
and females are alike, after the manner of the Thrushes.

Migrating to New £ngland early in May, very rare in
southwestern Maine, it extends further north into Canada
West. I found it common about Manitoulin Island, and
heard its song in the Lacloche Mountains. Early in autumn
it leaves us for its winter home in Central America. Audu-
bon reported a few on the gulf coast in winter, but Mr.
Maynard did not find it in Florida.

Wilson's thrush.

From a thicket of undergrowth near by there comes a
loud quel ulous note, which may be spelled as chree-u. I rec-
ognize it at once as the alarm note of Wilson's Thrush
{Turdus fuscescens)f a very common summer resident of this
locality, arriving early in May and leaving early in September.
There, he has alighted on a large stump within two rods of
me, and in full view. Some 7.00 long, or more, he is rather

.1

810

WILSON'S THRUSH,

slender, reddish-brown above, pure white underneath, the
throat and upper breast dark cream, streaked with small,
obscure, arrow-shaped brown spots. His general lightness
of color, especially his obscure spots on the breast, always
differentiates him from all other Thrushes. About the last of
May or early in June, when nidification begins, he becomes
a most delightful songster. Then, if you would hear him
to the best advantage, go to some low ground or swamp-
localities in which these birds are most numerous — between
sunset and dark, when sky and clouds put on their most gor-
geous hues, and all nature is sinking into silence. The mere
notes of the song are very simple, and, to my ear, sound some-
thing like the syllables, whree-Uy whree-Uy whree-u, whree-Uy
uttered in a somewhat slow and strictly formal manner, and
often so softly that you imagine the bird, which is close by,
to be quite a distance off; but the /t'/i^x may have a marvelous
vibration, sweet, pathetic, and grand beyond comparison, as
" the sounding isles of the dim woods " return the softened
echoes. The tones, taken singly, I think are the sweetest I
ever heard, and can be compared to nothing else which ever
falls upon the ear. Each tone is one of many keys, all in
sweet attune, a chord of many different musical threads,
vibrating sweetly, and causing the atmosphere to respond
as if it were itself entranced.

As is the case with other birds, several in the same
vicinity, will answer each other, one delivering his strain in
a little higher tone than another, and again falling a little
below him, the effect of which is very fine to a musical ear.

Tranquility is the very essence and expression of this de-
lightful song. No sound in the whole domain of nature
could more perfectly compose the mind. Pitch your tent
v/bere this bird is, and let him put you to sleep at night and
wake you up in the morning.

WILSON'S THRUSH.

311

This species is often called the " Veery," probably from
some fancied resemblance of the word to the notes of his
song. That resemblance to my ear, however, is the slight-
est possible. The name is simply a degrading epithet.

In accordance with its terrestrial habits in general, Tur-
dus fuscescens builds its nest on or near the ground, often on
a little bunch of dried brush and leaves, or on the side of a
knoll, generally where a small opening in the tall trees lets
in the genial rays of the sun. It is rather a rude structure,
sometimes frail, sometimes bulky, the foundation being of
dried and skeleton leaves mixed with straw, weed-stalks,
sticks, or coarse shreds of bark from the wild grape-vine;
the lining being of skeleton leaves and very fine rootlets,
perhaps a few pine-needles or dried grasses. The structure
is quite unique, and from its location can scarcely be mis-
taken. The eggs, generally 4, some .80 x .60, are light
bluish-green, and decidedly pretty.

Though generally a shy and sly bird, it will sometimes
become quite confidential. Strolling through the woods
some time ago I happened on a nest of callow young. The
mother sat closely. Almost within arm's reach of the
nest, I watched her for several minutes, she looking at me
also with an indescribable expression in her large brown
eyes. As she left the nest, finally, I noticed that, being six
inches or so from the ground, and rather poorly supported,
it was very much tilted on one side, thus endangering the
safety of the young. I righted it up, shoved a handful of
dried leaves under it to make it firm, and passed on. A few
hours later I returned, happening to pass the very same
spot, when lo! the bird had become so tame, and looked at
me seemingly with such an expression of gratitude and
confidence, that the nearest proximity to the nest did not
appear to disturb her

1:fi

■
\

1

J

''' '\\

312

THE GOLDEN-CROWNED ACCENTOR.

Wintering in Florida and the gulf states, Wilson's
Thrush breeds from Southern New England and the
Middle States to Hudson's Bay, and westward to the Rocky
Mountains. It is abundant in Western New York in sum-
mer. I did not find it common in Nova Scotia.

THE GOLDEN-CROWNED ACCENTOR.

Ke-chee^ ke-cheiy ke-chee, ke-chee, ke-chee, comes the familiar
ditty of the Golden-crowned Accentor {Seiurus aurocapillus)
for the first time in the year. The notes begin so softly
that you might imagine the bird to be some distance away,
but as they continue louder and louder, the last one, which
is quite loud and shrill, discovers the ventriloquist to be
near by. Perched on a lower limb, near the trunk of the
tree, he sits motionless as a statue, except when he throws
his head up to utter his notes. Then he shakes himself
from bill to tail, and by the time he reaches the last note,
seems to be exercising every muscle.

Occasionally between his chants he steps back and forth
on the limb and jerks his tail after the manner of his
near relative, the Water Thrush. The general effect of his
performance is greatly enhanced by the echo so peculiar to
the forest when in full foliage; and throughout the sum-
mer it is one of the characteristic sounds of our charming
woodlands, always to be associated with their coolness and
fragrance.

Excepting the sharp metallic chip, which he gives as he
walks in his pretty lark-like manner on the ground in time
of nidification, the above describes what was formerly
supposed to be the full extent of his musical capacity; but
Mr. Burroughs discovered, some years since, that he has a
fine warble. He says: "Mounting by easy flights to the
top of the tallest tree, he launches into the air with a sort

THE GOLDEN-CROIVNED ACCENTOR.

313

of suspended, hovering flight, like certain of the Finches,
and bursts into a perfect ecstasy of song— -clear, ringing,
copious, rivaling the Goldfinches in vivacity, and the Lin-
nets in melody. This strain is one of the rarest bits of
bird melody to be heard, and is oftenest indulged in late in
the afternoon or after sundown." Since Mr. B.'s discovery
others have identified this extra song. I hear it to fine
advantage in the night when the bird begins with its ordi-
nary and well-known chant, and ends in a prolonged and
beautiful warble, the effect of which, on the stillness of
night in the forest, is peculiarly pleasing.

Some 6.00-6.60 long, greenish-olive above, with a yellow
crown margined with black, white underneath, the breast
and sides streaked with large arrow-shaped spots of black.
Golden-crown has the marking of the Thrushes, among
which he was formerly classed; but in structure he is a
Warbler; in size he is about half-way between these two
great families; in manner, especially when on the ground,
he resembles the Wagtails. He is a bird of the ground,
often busy among the rustling leaves scratching for food,
and he is a dainty walker, seldom leaving the ground, ex-
cept for some musical performance.

In accordance with this general habit, his nest, found in
almost any part of the woods or swamp, is on the ground —
a peculiar structure, roofed over, and having an entrance on
the side, bearing such a striking resemblance in miniature
to the old-fashioned out-door oven, that the builder has
been christened the "Oven-bird." Frequently the nest is
truly "a thing of beauty." Composed of dried leaves and
grasses, sometimes intermixed with shreds of bark and fine
twigs, or ornamented with mosses, thickly arched with
skeleton-leaves, or feathery tops of the finer grasses — it looks
almost ethereal. Not infrequently, however, the nest is

1 ii

V'-

i

m

314

YELLOW-BACKED BLUE WARBLER.

plainer, containing a moderate amount of material, and that
of the coarser sort, slightly arched with the plain culms of
dried glasses, or with pine needles. The eggs, 4 or 6, about
.'78 X .60, and therefore unusually roundish, are white as
porcelain, finely specked and spotted with red, brown and
lilac, mostly around the larger end, often in a wreath, and
are real objects of beauty in the nest so smoothly lined with
skeleton-leaves and horse-hairs. They resemble those of
the Warblers, too, and not the strongly-marked, bluish-
green eggs of the Thrushes.

Wintering in the extreme Southern States, Mexico, Cen-
tral America, and the West India Islands, its breeding hab-
itat extends even to the arctic regions, whence it returns
in the early autumn.

YELLOW-BACKED BLUE WARBLER.

Next thing to shooting bumble-bees is the bringing down
our smaller Warblers from the tallest tree-tops. So I feel,
as from the highest branches of a great elm, I pick out
a Yellow-backed Blue Warbler {Parula americana)^ the
smallest of the family. Only 4.50 long, the upper parts are
a delicate blue, slightly tinged with ash, with a bronze-
yellow patch on the back; throat and breast yellow, with a
collar of black and bronze, often more or less mixed, across
the upper breast; under parts, wing-cdverts, and spots in
outer tail-feathers, white. Though it is by no means brill-
iant, I admire it for its plain and modest beauty. There is
something retired and elevated, too, in its manner. Its
path is, for the most part, in the very tops of the beeches
and maples on uplands and hills. Seldom, indeed, is its
nest less than 20 feet from the ground. Often it is much
higher. Hopping or flitting from point to point, hanging
by the feet, or peering quaintly among the leaves, all its

THE KINGBIRD.

81ff

movements are most sprightly and graceful. Its nest is
built wholly of what appears to be a light-green hanging
moss, but it is in reality a lichen (usnga), common to many
trees of the north. The form is sometimes globular, with
an entrance on the side, sometimes open at the top, and
appearing like a common bunch of the material, in its native
position on the tree. It is unlike the nest of any other bird,
and exceedingly difficult to find. The eggs, often not more
than 3, and laid early in June, are some .65 x '60, white,
specke. and spotted with reddish-brown and lilac, particu-
larly around the large end. Parula*s song is by no means
as interesting as its nest. Though chiming in well with the
many voices of spring, considered apart, it is scarcely more
than a prolonged and pleasing squeak.

Breeding in the Southern and Middle States, Parula
americana becomes more common in New England, and
extends to Nova Scotia, and west to the Missouri. Southern
Florida is its northernmost abode in winter.

THE KINGBIRD.

As I return home across the fields I observe a pair of
Kingbirds {Tyrannus carolinensis) perched on a fence and
uttering a series of notes, tsip-tsip-tsip-tseep-tseep^ tsi-tsi-tsee,tsi'
tsi-tsee^ tsi-tsi, tsee-tsee^ the whole being so modulated as to sound
more like a song than anything I ever heard from this bird
before. Eight inches long, blackish-gray above, wings and
tail nearly black, under parts and edge of the tail white, a
flame-colored spot under the tips of the feathers on the
crown, the male a little darker than the female — this bird
is almost as well known as the Robin or Bluebird. Most
noticeable of all are his pugnacious habits. Occupying
some low perch in the garden or orchard, or alighted on the
fence by the meadow, pasture or roadside, his big head

I

M

■15

\

■

316

THE KINGBIRD,

looking bigger than it really is, because of its erected feath>
ers, his whole mood sullen and querulous, his sharp screeping
note coughed out and accompanied by a jerk of the tail, he
does not possess one single trait of amiability; but, like some
ill-natured braggart, seems always on the watch for a chance
to fight. Whether the passer-by be a Buzzard a Crow, or
the tiniest Sparrow, at once he intercepts his track and in-
sults him in the most wanton manner. Slow and tremulous
as his flight seems to be, he keeps tolerably close chase with
almost anything. Whether those saucy thrusts, as he lets
himself down on the back of that soaring Red-tailed Hawk,
are painful or not, they are certainly very annoying, as the
vexed evolutions of the dignified bird clearly show. Again
and again the little sauce-box dashes himself against him,
while the Buzzard tips and veers, threatening his insignifi-
cant tormentor with beak and claw, and making off with as
little show of disconcertion as possible. He scarcely rids
himself of the nuisance, however, even at a great height in
the air. All the smaller birds in the neighborhood bear
with his attacks as a matter of course, and get out of his way
with all speed. Arriving the first week in May, the orchard
is his favorite resort. Here his note, sometimes uttered
singly, often twice in succession, is one of the most familiar
and constant sounds. Perched on some branch or part of
the fence, after the manner of the Flycatchers in general,
he waits for his insect prey, which he L>naps up on the wing
with a sharp click of the bill as he cuts short circles in the
air, sometimes hovering beautifully to reconnoiter, or take
his pick from a flock of gnats. Occasionally he may snap
up a bee from the hive, but for this small trespass his exten-
sive destruction of noxious insects abundantly compensates.
The Kingbird's nest is on some horizontal limb of a tree
in the orchard or open field, not very far from the ground.

THE WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW,

317

It is composed early in June of dried weeds, small sticks
and roots, bits of moss, leaves, down, and especially wool,
lined with fine rootlets and some horse-hair. The eggs, 4 or
6, averaging some 1.00 X .76, are creamy- white, spotted and
blotched with brown and lilac in such a manner as to make
them always distinguishable.

Late in August these birds may be seen in families, and
by September they leave for the south, wintering in the
most Southern States, and southward even to Peru, whence
they return throughout North America, breeding in their
entire range as far as 57".

The Gray Kingbird {Tyrannus dominicemis) of Florida and
the extreme Southern States is 9.00-9.60 long, with the tail
slightly forked; brownish-slate or ash above, darker on the
head, and auriculars dusky; white below, shading into ash
on the breast and sides; under coverts and edgings of the
dusky wings and tail, yellowish. Its habits are similar to
those of the former, but it is more noisy. It is merely acci-
dental in the north.

The elegant Swallow-tailed Flycatcher {Milvulus forficatus)
of the southwest barely reaches the lower Mississippi.

THE WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW.

In the latter part of the afternoon of this same tenth of
May, as I ride by a large orchard belonging to one of my
parishioners, I am delighted with a whole chorus of White-
crowned Sparrows (Z((7«<7/r?V^/a leucophrys)^ making melody
in the blooming branches. The song is quite peculiar,
whee-who-who-zee-zee-zee, the first three notes in a clear whis-
tle, and the last three in a sort of jew's-harp tone, the whole
being decidedly pleasing, and not at all like that of the
White-throat. Appearing already in the latter part of
April, they are very common along the fences, hedges and

ii

i

318

THE WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW,

orchards in migration at this time of year; but they do not
always sing. Sometimes a few will linger on the same spot,
singing more or less for a number of days, but one does not
often meet such a full chorus of them.

THE WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW.

This is one of the largest and certainly the most beautiful
of all our Sparrows. Seven inches long; crown clear white,
with jet-black on each side and white line over the eye;
upper parts a beautiful ash and brown;' wing-bars white;
neck and under parts light ash, becoming white on the vent
and lii^lit-brown on t"ie flanks; bill and feet dark cinnamon.
The male and female are alike. The White-crown has a
habit of standing pretty well erect, with the feathers of the
entire crown raised, thus looking exceedingly jaunty; while
all his colors, of chaste, rich tints, finely harmonized, set him
out to the best advantage.

Wintering in the Southern States, the White-crowned
Sparrows go far north to breed, Newfoundland and Labra-

THE WHITE-THROATED SPARROW.

319

dor being the principal resorts to the eastward, while in the
mountainous regions westward they breed as far south as
Colorado. Fred. Boshart, however, the young ornithologist
of Lowville, N. Y., found a nest July Yth, 1877, in Denmark,
Lewis County, N. Y. In a very rough place of logs and
windfalls, it was placed about five inches above ground,
thus differing from its ordinary location. It contained one

Audubon describes a nest found in Labrador, and in all
respects representative, as follows: " The nest was placed in
the moss, near the foot of a low fir, and was formed exter-
nally of beautiful dry green moss, matted in bunches like
the coarse hair of some quadruped, internally of very fine
dry grass, arranged, with great neatness to the thickness of
nearly half an inch, with a full lining of delicate fibrous
roots of a rich transparent yellow. * * * The eggs, five in
number, average yk of an inch in length, are proportion-
ately broad, of a light sea-green color, mottled toward the
larger end with brownish spots and blotches, a few spots of
a lighter tint being dispersed over the whole." He found
the nests numerous in that locality, as also did Dr. Coues.
The former gives June as their breeding time. He also
says: "The food of this species, while in Labrador, consists
of small coleopterous insects, grass-seeds, and a variety of
berries, as well as some minute shell- 'sh, for which they
frequently search the margins of pon *c >r the sea-shore."
By the first of October the White-crow^n begins to pass this
point on its way south, and is quite common for several
weeks.

THE WHITE-THROATED SPARROW.

As I continue my ride, passing a thicket near a large
block of woods, I meet a company of some half-dozen
White-throated Sparrows {Zmotrichia albicollis) leisurely

III

. . 1

i

320

THE WHITE-THROATED SPARROW,

i

r

gathering food among the brush and bushes. They may be
found here as a common migrant from the last week in
April till after the middle of May, following thickets, brier
patches, and swampy places; and again in September and

THB WKITB-THROATBD SPARROW

October, or even later. Somewhat shy, slow, and dignified
in their movements, uttering a soft and somewhat prolonged
tseep^ they are not very noticeable except to the ornitholo-
gist. In the autumn I have heard them utter a sharp pimpy
sounding a little like the spirited alarm of the Robin. Sel-
dom indeed do they favor lis with their song as birds of
passage. I have heard it, however, from some solitary male
perched on a stub in a thicket on a beautiful May morning.
In their breeding haunts, which are from Northern New
England far to the northward, their very pleasing melody
is quite common.

In Great Manitoulin Island and vicinity, where I found
these birds abundant in the breeding season, it is one of the
earliest, the commonest, and certainly the most impressive
of bird-songs to be heard. Thoreau in the North Woods

THE WHITE-THROATED SPARROW,

821

of Maine, and Burroughs in the great forests north of
Quebec, found this Sparrow in great numbers; and it is
found equally ccmmon in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
The notation of its song could be easily written on the
musical staff. Beginning generally on the fifth note of the
scale, after the first syllable, it ascends to the eighth or
last note, and ends in four syllables more. After the first
syllable of the song the bird will sometimes utter the
second on the second or third note of the scale above, and
then dropping back will render the remaining three sylla-
bles on the usual pitch for the ending. I have heard it
begin on the last note of the scale, and after sounding two
syllables, drop to the sixth interval for the remaining three
syllables, thus giving a beautiful minor effect. If several
are singing after the first-named or ordinary manner, they
may each perform on a different key, one responding to the
other from different dead trees or tall stubs in the neighbor-
hood. The charm of the song is principally in the pathos
of the tones, which resemble those of the song proper of the
Chickadee, being an inimitably tender and vibrating or
tremulous whistle. There are few bird-songs which are so
affecting to an aesthetic nature as is this simple pastoral.
The tenderest and most sympathetic ideas, with a tinge of
melancholy, find their expression in these strongly charac-
terized notes, which, as Thoreau says, "are as distinct to
the ear as the passage of a spark of fire shot into the dark-
est of the forest would be to the eye." All such representa-
tions of this song, as ^'' pea-body ^ pe-a-body^ pe-a-body" or, "a//
day whittling, ivhittling, whitling" or, " ah! te-te-te-te-te-te-te-te-
te'* are mere caricatures, furnishing at best but a rude
suggestion of its plaintive, tender melodiousness.

To introduce this bird more fully, his length is 6.00;
crown black, witl< line cf white through the center; lines
21

— ■-aiiawi

■ 1 "'mm

"-''.' \

4

III!

1 K ■

1 ' J

i :

J

822

THE BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER.

over the eyes; bright yexlow from the base of the bill to the
eye, then white to the neck; upper parts, reddish-brown
and blackish-brown, intermixed with streaks of whitish;
wing-bars, white; cheeks, dark-ash; throat, white; under
parts, whitish-ash; female and immature male, with the
bright he^d-markings quite obscure. The male, in perfect
plumage, is decidedly beautiful; by some he is regarded as
the most beautiful of all the Sparrows.

The nest, on '!'e ground, in busliy fields, is of dried
grass, weeds and . „ lined with rootlets or fine grasses.

The eggs, 4 or 5, sou a ' ■ y.62, are grayish-white, spotted
and splashed with brown and paler markings. The White-
throat winters throughout the Southern States.

THE BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER.

The most prominent physical feature just south of Lake
Ontario is the Ridge, a graceful elevation of sandy soil sup-
posed to have been once either the shore of the lake, or an
immense sand-bar. The highway, which follows its great-
est elevation, and is broad enough to admit several teams
abreast, was once the grand thoroughfare from Buffalo to
Albany. Now the northern branch of the New York Cen-
tral Railroad and the Erie Canal just south of it have broken
up the great line of stage coaches, and greatly decreased
the immense processions of farm wagons loaded with prod-
uce, and the crowds of light-hearted travelers on pleasure
and visiting excursions. Thus the great Broadway of the
region round about has been almost cleared of its enter-
prise. The distilleries and hotels are deserted, and the
towns either have ceased to grow or are in a state of decline.
But the beautiful highway, almost equall)' good at any time
of year, is still the same. Spring comes here days — almost
weeks — in advance, and the mildness of autumn lingers with

THE BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER.

828

retarded pace. Hence people prefer to live here, and in our
county (Orleans) the Ridge is almost a continuous village.

In the woods and thickets on the low ground just north
of the Ridge, where once the waters of the lake rolled, is our
best locality for the summer birds, especially the Warblers.
The 11th of May, ISTQ, was one of the loveliest spring days we
have ever seen. The leaves were out, the sky was clear, the
sun warm, and the very air ieemed palpitating with life.

My friend F and I were skirting the woods north of the

Ridge. O, what a day it was for Warblers! They were pass-
ing to the north in one continuous troop. Most abundant
of all on that day were the Blackburnians {Dendroeca black-
burnici)^ the most brilliant of the family. We can find
some of them every spring in this locality, but they are not
always numerous.

The male is black above, with a white streak on each
shoulder, also several similar streaks along the lower part
of the back and rump, the large wing-spots, and base and
greater part of the outer tail-feathers, white ; spot along
the crown, streak from the base of the bill above the eye to
the back of the head, thence bending forward in a broad
band along the sides of the neck, and the lower eye-lid
orange yellow, throat and upper part of breast fiery orange,
fading into white; underneath the small spot on the side
of the neck and the streaks along the sides, black. The
markings of the female are similar to those of the male,
except that all the colors are lighter, the orange on the
throat fading into a delicate yellow.

In its very graceful movements this little bird keeps en-
tirely to the trees, and not generally very high up, fiitting
from point to point in search of its hidden insect food, and
emitting a loud, pleasing warble. It is mostly a bird of the
upland, and quite fond of evergreens — a lovely sylvan orna-

324

THE BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER.

ment, strikingly in harmony with this gala-day of spring.
As is the case with most of our brilliant birds, the male re-
quires several years to acquire his richest tints, hence Wil-
son and Audubon described the male of the second year as
a separate species, called the Hemlock Warbler, and Bona-
parte even distinguished it as of a different genus.

Wintering in Mexico and Central America, this Warbler
migrates through Eastern North America generally, being
seen by Audubon in the Magdalen Islands, Newfoundland
and Labrador. Beginning to breed sparingly in the Middle
States and Southern New England, its principal breeding
range would Sce. u to be to the northward. It is not uncom-
mon in the "breeding season in Maine. President MacCul-
loch, of Halifa-.:, M. G., favored Audubon with the nest of
this species, but regarded the bird as rare in that province.
This must be true, as my correspondent, Mr. Andrew
Downes of Halifax, an experienced ornithologist, does not
report it.

Audubon describes the above nest as follows: "It was
composed externally of different textures, and lined with
silky fibers and then delicate strips of fine bark, over which
lay a thick bed of feathers and horse-hair. The eggs were
small, very conical towards the smaller end, pure white,
with a few spots of light-red towards the larger end. It was
found in a small fork of a tree five or six feet from the
ground, near a brook." Mr. H. D. Minot says: "A nest of
this species, containing young, which I found in Northern
New Hampshire, was placed about twenty feet from the
ground in a pine. Another, which I was so fortunate as to
find in a thick hemlock-wood near Boston, was also about
twenty feet from the ground. It contained three young
and an unhatched egg, which measures .65 X .60, and resem-
bles the egg of the Chestnut-sided Warbler, being white,

THE C(ERULEAN WARBLER.

325

.with lilac, and principally reddish-brown markings grouped
at the larger end."

THE CCERULEAN WARBLER.

I discharge both loads from my double-barrel, and bring
down a pair of Warblers, male and female, from the top of
a tall maple. They are fine specimens of the Coerulean
Warbler {Dendrceca ccerulea). Have they jUst dropped down
from the skies, and brought the pure azure with them?
Except the dusky wings and tail, dark wing-coverts and
centers of many of the feathers and white under parts, the
epithet, coerulean, or sky-blue^ is certainly applicable to the
male, particularly to his head, back and collar just above the
breast. Excepting her light -r markings, less dusky wings
and tail, missing collar and greenish tint over the head and
back, the female is the same as the male. This species has
the streaks along the sides, and the white marks in the
outer tail-feathers, in common with the rest of the Den-
droeca.

The Coerulean Warbler, apparently belonging to the Mis-
sissippi Valley, and scarcely a casual visitor on the Atlantic
Coast, like certain other species of its locality, finds its
way around the Alleghany Mountains for a short distance,
and is very common throughout the summer in Western
New York. Indeed, it is not uncommon as a summer resi-
dent in the central part of the State. I have had every
opportunity of observing its habits; and, as no writer has
given it a full record, I bear it a special accountability.

It is a bird of the woods, everywhere associated vvith the
beautiful tall forests of the more northern counties of
Western New York, sometimes found in the open woods of
pasture-lands, and quite partial to hard-wood trees. In its
flitting motion in search of insect prey, and in the jerking

5 1

i'i

826

THE BAY.BREASTED WARBLER.

curves of its m6re prolonged flight, as also in structure, it
is a genuine Wood Warbler, and keeps for the most part to
what Thoreau calls " the upper story" of its sylvan domain.
Its song, which is frequent, and can be heard for some dis-
tance, may be imitated by the syllables, rkeet^ rheet, rheety
rheet, Hdiy idi-e-e-e-ek, beginning with several soft warbling
notes, and ending in a rather prolonged but quite musical
squeak. The latter and more rapid part of the strain,
which is given in the upward slide, approaches an insect
quality of tone, which is more or less common to all Blue
Warblers.

This song is so common here as to be a universal character-
istic of our tall forests. The bird is shy when startled from its
nest, and has the sharp, chipping alarm note of the family.
The nest is saddled on a horizontal limb of considerable
size, some distance from the tree, and some forty or fifty
feet from the ground. Small and very neatly and com-
pactly built, somewhat after the style of the Redstart, it
consists outwardly of fine dried grasses, bits of wasp's-nest,
gfray lichen, and more especially of old and weathered
wood-fibers, making it look quite gray and waspy. The
lining is of fine dried grasses, or of fine shreds of the wild
grape-vine, thus giving the inside a rich brown appearance
in contrast with the gray exterior. The eggs, 4 or 5, some
.60x.4'7, are grayish or greenish-white, pretty well spotted
or specked, or even blotched, especially about the large
end, with brown and deep lilac. They do not possess that
delicate appearance common to the eggs of most of the
Warblers.

THE BAY-BREASTED WARBLER.

In a small ash tree, a little out from the woods and alone
in the field, I spy a Warbler somewhat larger than most of
the family, and rather slow in its movements. Shooting it»

THE BA Y-BREASTED WARBLER.

327

I recognize it as the Bay-breasted Warbler {Dendroeca cas-
^anea). As I hold it in my hand, I cannot but admire the
plain richness of its costume. The back is greenish-gray
streaked with black; wings and tail dusky, the former barred,
the latter spotted on the inner web of the cuter-feathers
with white; forehead and sides of the head black; head,
throat, breast and sides a rich chestnut; under parts reddish-
white, with a patch of clear light buff on each side of the
neck, making a fine contrast with his dark colors. The fe-
male is similarly marked, but a good deal lighter.

Though not rare, as in New England and Nova Scotia,
this species can hardly be called common in the migrations
of this locality, except in certain seasons. The spring of 1880
brought it in large numbers during the second week in May.
Mr. Allen says "in the Connecticut Valley it is generally
more or less common, and sometimes very abundant." Dr.
Coues found it rather common around Washington, D. C,
in the migrations, and while none of the earlier ornitholo-
gists knew much about it, nor anything of its nidification,
Mr. Maynard has found it resident and breeding, early in
June, in considerable numbers at Umbagog Lake. The nest,
which is rather bulky, and usually placed in a hemlock tree
some fifteen or twenty feet from the ground, is of " fine, dead
larch-twigs, mixed, in one instance, with long tree-moss,"
and is "smoothly lined with black fibrous rootlets, some
moss and rabbit's hair," giving it a striking resemblance to
the nest of the " Purple Finch." The eggs are said to be
" bluish-green, more or less thickly speckled with brown all
over, the markings becoming confluent, or nearly so, at or
around the larger end, where the brown is mixed with lilac
or umber markings." As to the migrations of this species,
the same author says : " Avoiding the Eastern and Middle
States, the majority pass along the borders of the Great

i ;

':!v

ill!

328

THE BLACK-AND-YELLOW WARBLER.

Lakes, through Ohio, Southern Illinois, down the Missis-
sippi Valley, across into Texas, and so on into Mexico and
Central America, where they winter. Returning in spring,
they pursue a more southern route, keeping along the coast
as far as the New England States, where they ascend the
Connecticut Valley, generally avoiding Eastern Massachu-
setts." Its song, said to begin like that of the Black-poll
lid end like that of the Redstart, bears to my ear no re-
semblance whatever to either, but is a very soft warble,
somewhat resembling the syllables tse-chee, tse-chee^ tse-chee,
tse-checy tse-cheCy but far too liquid to admit of exact spelling.

THE BLACK-AND-YELLOW WARBLER.

The wild grape, that common and exquisitely graceful
ornament of our woods, has completely enshrouded a clump
of bushes yonder; and as the leaves are just putting forth,
of a reddish tinted texture, and hoary with down, they
seem particularly attractive to the passing crowd of War-
blers. There comes from its bowery depths a whist-
ling warble, very liquid and sweet, and so soft that it can be
heard only a few feet distant, whee-chOy whee-choy whee-choy
whee-choy whee-cho. After peering cautiously for several
minutes, I recognize the quick, flitting movement of the
Black-and-yellow Warbler {Dendrceca maculosa).

In its northern breeding places its song is a loud, clear
whistle, which may be imitated by the syllables chee-tOy chee-
tOy chee-tee-ehy uttered rapidly and ending in the falling
inflection. It is interesting to note how faint and imper-
fect an attempt at the final and full song on their breeding-
grounds is the occasional soft, lisping warble of the
Warblers as they pass us in the migrations. Any one thus
studying these soft utterances has the merest prelude to the
final burst of joy when the bird reaches its summer home.

THE BLACK.AND-YELLOW WARBLER,

829

I cannot always see maculosa as early as this, but may find
it quite common about the 18th or 20th of this genial month
of May. Emitting a soft note, e-a^ e-a, probably a faint echo
of its alarm note in breeding times — cree-e-e-e-e-epy long
drawn and like that of the Vireos — it keeps to the lower
story of the woods, and is not at all shy, thus giving me a
good opportunity to note its manners as it is gleaning dili-
gently. As it peers gracefully among the tender foliage
who can fail to admire its gentleness and beauty? Among
the smallest (4.26 long and 8.10 in extent) and the most deli-
cately formed of its genus, its color is really brilliant.
Crown ashy-blue, margined on the sides with white; fore-
head, cheeks, back, wings and tail, black or blackish; throat,
rump and under parts, bright lemon-yellow, the latter
heavily blotched and streaked with jet-black; lower eye-
lids, wing-coverts and large central patch on the inner web
of most of the tail-feathers, pure white; thus giving a striking
effect as the tail spreads in its various flitting motions —
this little beauty would do justice to the tropics. The
female is less brilliant, and not so distinctly marked. But,
excepting its sojourn in winter, which extends entirely south
of the United States, this is especially a northern bird,
breeding from Northern New England to Hudson's Bay.

Mr. C. J. Maynard describes a nest, taken at Umbagog
the second week in June, 1870, as follows: "It was placed
on the forked branch of a low spruce, about three feet from
the ground, on a rising piece of land, leadiru^ '•om a wood-
path. The nest, which contained four eggs, was con-
structed of dry grass, spruce twigs, roots, etc., and was
lined with fine black roots, the whole being a coarse struct-
ure for so dainty looking a Warbler. The eggs were more
spherical than any Warbler's I have ever seen. The ground
color is a creamy-white, blotched sparingly over with large

830

THE BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER.

spots of lilac and umber." Another, which was taken June
8th, 1871, was "composed outwardly of a few scattered dead
twigs of larch, interwoven with stalks of weeds and dry
grass. It is lined with black horse-hair; this dark lining
forms a strange contrast with the faded appearance of the
outer part. The whole structure is very light and airy in
appearance, strongly reminding one of the nest of the D.
pcnnsylvanica." This is in harmony with a note from Mr.
Andrew Downes, of Halifax, N. S., who says: "I once
found the nest of this bird on a hard-wood bough, breast
high. It was composed of very light material. I could
see through it." From a nest in H. A. Ward's cabinet, at
Rochester, N. Y., and which was taken in Maine in June, I
have the following note: "Placed in a fir bush two feet
from the ground, shallow, and so frail that one can see
through it, made of dried grasses and rootlets, and lined
with fine rootlets and a little horse-hair. The 4 eggs are
creamy- white, spotted and specked with red, brown and lilac,
forming a delicate wreath. Size, .62 x. 50."

Like other Warblers, maculosa has a strictly insect diet,
and contributes greatly to the preservation of our forests.

THE BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER.

As I recline on a bed of dry leaves, and listen to this
chorus of traveling songsters, I notice one song, the tones
of which strongly resemble the hum or shrilling of an in-
sect. I recall the fact that insects almost invariably render
their music by some external organ, the wings, or the wings
and legs together, for instance, and so are instrumental
musicians; therefore, this striking resemblance of a vocal
performer is all the more remarkable. Again and again I
hear it, zwee-zwee-zwee, per-wee-zvee-wee* in languid notes,

* I once heard this peculiar song preluded by a half-dozen beautiful, staccato, whistling
notes.

THE BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER.

331

slowly drawn out and not very loud. I become excited, and
am conscious of each heart-throb as I listen. Now I have
a full view of the musician — the Black-throated Blue War-
bler {Dendroeca coerulescens). Rather more than an average
in size as a Dendroeca (6.10 long and 7.75 in extent), he is of
a rich slaty-blue above, often having graceful little black
spots on the back; the inner webs of the tail and wings,
black or dusky; throat, cheeks, and sides of the breast, jet-
black; under parts, spots on the inner webs of the outer
tail feathers, and nearly triangular spot at the base of the
primaries, pure white. He is a genuine beauty; but his
mate, of a bluish-olive above and yellowish-white beneath,
the white wing-spot rather obscure, is one of the very plain-
est of the Warblers. Generally found in the upland forests,
this is one of the commonest of the genus in Western New
York during the migrations. Keeping rather to the lower
parts of the trees, though often found in the tree-tops, ex-
ceedingly spry in all its movements, it is not only a thorough
gleaner among spray and foliage, but also a fair flycatcher.
Seldom seen here after the month of May, I conclude that
I am not within the range of its breeding habitat. The
most interesting and thorough account of its nidification
is given in the Nuttall Ornithological Bulletin for April,
1876, by Rev. C. M. Jones, who reports a nest with four eggs,
from the northeast corner of Connecticut, taken June 8th,
1874, and another, with the same number of eggs nearly
hatched, on the 13th of the same month. Both nests were
placed but a few inches from the ground, in small bushes of
liMvel in the woods, near a swamp. In regard to the first:
"About five inches from the ground the bush separated into
three branches, and in this triple fork the nest was situ-
ated." The second was "in two laurels. One of these lay
horizontally in the fork of the other, and on the horizontal

I ■>

832

THE CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER.

\

one the nest was set, held in place by being attached on one
side to the upright branches of the other." The nests,
quite similarly built, are "firm and compact, composed
outwardly of what appears to be the dry bark of the grape
vine, with a few twigs and roots. This is covered in many
places with a reddish-woolly substance, apparently the
outer covering of some species of cocoon. The inside is
composed of small black roots and hair." The eggs were
" ashy- white," or "with a slight tinge of green, spotted and
botched with brov/n and lilac around the larger end, and
somewhat speckled with the same over the entire surface,
averaging in size from .61 by .47 to .&6 by .60." As in the
case of many of the rest of the Warblers, the female was
quite tame, and allowed the discoverer to approach quite
near the nest before she left it.

Spending the winter south of the United States, or in
Florida, it has been found as far north, in summer, as
Labrador. Its chief habitat, however, must be a little to
the westward, as the New England writers do not speak of
it as plentiful; Mr. Downes reports it rare about Halifax,
N. S., while Audubon saw none in Newfoundland, and "in
Labrador only a dead one, dry and shrivelled, deposited
like a mummy in the fissure of a rock."

THE CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER.

In a small maple in the edge of an open part of the woods
I spy one of my special favorites, the Chestnut-sided War-
bler {Dendrceca penmylvanicd). Arriving during the second
week in May, keeping to the borders of open woods,
especially where thickets are adjoined, and not generally
aspiring very high, he is one of our common residents.
Some 6.50 inches long, with yellow crown, sometimes deli-
cately penciled with black; a ring of black slightly mixed

THE CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER.

833

with white, extending from over the eyes around the back
of the head; feathers of the back black, deeply edged with
greenish-yellow, or with white across the shoulders;
wings and tail blackish, slightly edged with green-
ish-yellow or white, the latter having the white mark-
ings on the inner web of the outer feathers; wing-coverts
edged with yellowish- white; cheeks and whole under parts,
satiny- white; throat bordered on the sides with black,
the neck and breast bordered with bright chestnut.
The female is quite similar, with the markings less distinct
and the coloring less pure. Of a texture reminding one of
fine muslin above, and of silk or satin beneath, there is
something particularly delicate and chaste about the appear-
ance of this bird; and his song, a warble in a somewhat
whistling tone, the notes resembling the syllables, wee-chee,
wee-cheey wee-chee, wee-chee, accent on the first syllable of each
repetition, increasing to the last, is one of the most spirited
of all the songs of the Warblers, and decidedly musical.
Emitted as the bird is actively peering, flitting and glean-
ing among the branches, it gives the impression of peculiar
sprightliness and joy. Even when in a momentary repose>
the raising of the feathers about the head, the drooping
wings and slightly elevated tail, show a happy self-con-
sciousness.

The nest, built in the latter part of May or early in June,
in a shrub or small tree, here commonly in the tops of the
raspberry oj blackberry bushes, never far from the ground,
is rather frail, loose and very slightly fastened, composed
outwardly of fibrous material intermixed with a webby text-
ure, sometimes with the covering of beech-buds, and is lined
with very fine dried grass, or shreds of bark of the wild grape-
vine, and more or less horse-hair. The eggs, commonly four,
are specked or b otched with light-red and umber, mostly

■■uM

m

111

I! '

^ ^

\

334

CAPE MA V WARBLER.

around the g^eat end, on a ground of pure white, or slightly
tinged with greenish or grayish, and in shape are rather
longish and pointed.

When disturbed or ;ilarmed, the Chestnut-side has the
tsip or chip common to the Warblers. It is said to breed
abundantly in Massachusetts and through 'ut New England.
Dr. Coues thinks it extends " little, if any, beyrr^d," but
Mr. Downes reports it as common around Halifax N. S.

Mr. Wagner, who sends me a beautiful nest with eggs,
says it breeds commonly in New Canada, Lunenburg Co.;
and I found it in the Province, as I did also quite commonly
in Great Manitoulin Island.

CAPE MAY WARBLER.

The day continues delightf ul,and as the Warblers are almost
constantly in sight, we keep up a brisk firing. Among others,
I bring down a beautiful male of the Cape May Warbler
{Dendrceca tigrind) , somewhat larger than most Warblers, some
4.25 long and 8.10 in extent, the crown is black; back wings
and tail of the same edged with greenish-yellow, the latter
with the white on the inner web of outer feathers; lesser wing-
coverts white, the greater, partly edged with grayish- white;
cheeks light-brown, sometimes chestnut; sides of the neck,
rump and under parts, bright lemon-yellow, the latter
streaked with black. One may always know this beautiful
bird by its brown cheeks. The female is duller in marking
and color. Though not abundant, this species is not infre-
quently found here during the migration. I saw quite
a fiock of them in a larch in a front-yard in the village as
I was returning from church one bright Sunday, early in
May. O, the inconvenience of seeing birds on Sunday ! but
who can keep his eyes shut when they are once opened !

Nowhere found to be numerous as yet, this bird is decid-

CAPE MAY WARBLER.

335

\:dly a stranger to ornithologists. I can learn nothing of
its song or its note, and almost nothing that is explicit about
its nest. Mr. Minot says " a nest found in the neighborhood
of Boston closely resembled that of the Yellow-bird in
every respect." He also reports the five eggs, laid the first
week in June, as similar to those of the last mentioned
species. Dr. Brewer's account of the eggs is simply that
they are like those of other Warblers. Eastern North
America generally is given as its habitat, and it is said to
breed in the West Indies. Mr. Smith, in his annotated list
of the birds of Maine, reports this species as " not very com-
mon. Mr. Boardman reports that it breeds in Eastern Maine,
and it breeds in the western part of the State also, but in
very limited numbers." Mr. Maynard, however, found
these birds abundant in summer in the evergreen forests of
Northern Maine. They kept to the tall tree- tops, and the
songs of the males were particularly "lively and varied."
He found the same species common at Key West in No-
vember, and some remained there all winter.

This species has a peculiar tongue, deeply cloven at the
tip, and ciliate along the sides near the tip. The Tennessee,
or Wandering Warbler, has the tongue quite similar, but not
so deeply cleft.

CHAPTER XV.

PEWEES AND THE HOODED WARBLER.

IT is a sunny evening on the 16th of May, one of those bright
and tender evenings of the opening spring, when the
birth of soft foliage and early flowers reminds one of in-
fai7cy ; when neither the chill of the April atmosphere nor
the damp dews of the dog-days chase the rays of the set-
ting sun; but balmy airs, free, as yet, from annoying insects,
and redolent of forest mould and fragrant flowers, bring
healing with every breath.

Vegetation always affords a great variety of the tints and
shades of green, so that a strongly contrasted fabric might
be woven without introducing any other color; but these
shades are never so varied as in early spring; besides, many
other colors are then intermixed. The beeches have a tinge
of yellow, the willows and poplars are hoary, the maples and
beech saplings are reddish, the ashes have a dash of deep
purple or brown, the green of the wheat fields diffars from
that of the meadows — in short, next to the brilliant effects
of autumn are the softer tints of early spring.

THE WOOD PEWEE.

As I enter one of our luxuriant tracts of woodland, I hear
the plaintive note of the Wood Pewee {Contopus virens)y
a beautiful representative of the Flycatcher. Strongly re-
sembling the rough, guttural and somewhat hurried sylla-

THE WOOD PEWEE.

337

bles of the Common Pewee {Sayornis fuscus), this note is still
very noticeably different in its slow, tender and somewhat
melancholy whistle, pe-wee, the tone of which is in fine har-

THB WOOD PEWEB.

mony with the deep shadows of the thick forest where he
so constantly takes up his abode. Generally the last syl-
lable is given in a gentle upward slide, but not infrequently
in a fine falling inflection, and the two syllables combined
are always very pleasing. Wood Pewees have the sweet and
child-like tones of the family; and, like the sentences of
little children, they are delivered in the most significant
slides and inflections.

About the size of Traill's Flycatcher and the small Green
Crested — some six inches in length — and of the same gen-
eral olive-green above and yellowish-white beneath (only
the olive is quite a good deal darker than that of the latter),
it is always to be differentiated by its nest, which is a very
gem in bird-building. Saddled on a forked limb, often in
the orchard, often in the forest, it is quite shallow, composed
outwardly of dried grasses or stalks of small weeds, closely
22

■I

HI

i

338

THE WOOD PEWEE.

fastened together with spider's web or silk of cocoons, and
most elegantly covered with lichens, the whole appearing
from below like a fine gray gnarl— the natural growth of the
limb. It is lined with fine rootlets, sometimes mixed with
vegetable down, or with fine grasses, including the fringy
tops still green in color. This nest bears a great resem-
blance to that of the Humming-bird.

In its inclination to be sociable with man — for it loves to
be in the orchard in his immediate neighborhood — in gentle,
retiring ways, in sweetness of voice, and in architectural
skill, the Wood Pewee is at once the elite and the favorite of
its family.

The eggs, commonly three, late in June or in July, some
.70 X -55, are creaniy white, with a wreath of rather heavy
dark spots intermixed with many which are pale, as if partly
effaced.

Wintering in the tropics, this bird summers in the Eastern
United States generally, and in the British Provinces, breed-
ing throughout. On the whole, it is rather a late migrant,
reaching us about the middle of May, and leaving in Sep-
tember.

Most wonderful is that grouping of characters in natural
objects by which they can be classified. How came there
to be family resemblances where we do not find that com-
munity of descent ever existed ? Why are we constantly
detecting plans in the almost endlessly varied structures
of natural history ? How is it that a science or the under-
standing of nature by means of related forms and functions
is possible ? How can we fail to see here the evidences of
an intelligent Creator, whose thoughts are thus wrought
out into systems and designs ? These things prove that the
world neither made itself nor came by chance..

In its broadest relationship, the family of birds called

THE OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER.

339

Flycatchers are formed throughout the tropical world, but
the Flycatchers of America are a peculiar and well differ-
entiated branch, some of which extend into north temperate
latitudes. They are so distinctively marked as to be readily
distinguishable from all other birds. Especially is this true of
that division of the family peculiar to North America, the
Tyrannida. The great body of the nearly four hundred
species constituting the entire American group belongs to
Central and South America, and are exceedingly varied in
the details of form and color, some of them being very brill-
iant. Ours are merely the outlying and plainer varieties.

Our North American Flycatchers, the Tyrannidce^ may be
distinguished by their rather large head, the crown feathers
of which are more or less erectile; by the bill, which, broad
at the base, rapidly narrowing to a sharp point, and
depressed or flattened across the top and underneath,
appears triangular when viewed from above, the upper
tnandible being hooked and notched near the tip, while the
mouth is provided with stiff bristling hairs on either side; by
the wing, the ten primaries of which are of full length and
narrowed, or emarginate near the end; by the feet and legs,
noticeably small and weak for the size of the bird; and by the
voice, which, for the most part, is harsh. Solitary in their
habits, they are generally brave, and, on account of their
strictly insectivorous habits, are very useful.

THE OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER.

Belonging to this same genus, Contopus^ is the Olive-sided
Flycatcher {Contnpus borealis). About 7.50 long, hav-
ing the form of the Wood Pewee and the color of
the Common Pewee, or Phoebe, it is always to be
distinguished from the latter by its light-colored under
mandible, its dark olivaceous sides, and its " tuft of white,

' 1 '

Ll

1 fl

I fl

■i

340

SMALL GREEN-CRESTED FLYCATCHER.

fluffy feathers on the flank." It is readily distinguishable
from all the smaller Flycatchers by its greater size. Both
in structure and position, its nest resembles that of the King-
bird, but its eggs, some .86 X .66, are merely an enlarged
pattern of those of the Wood Pewee. As its name indicates,
this bird is of northern habitat, breeding from New England
to high latitudes. Its notes and habits of diet are those of
the Flycatchers in general. The former are given by Nut-
tall as **ehphebee" or ^^h'phebee" in a whistling tone some-
what guttural at the commencement. To my ear, as I
listened to it recently in Nuva Scotia, it sounded like,//;^/,
pe-wehy the first syllable short and aspirated, the two follow-
ing drawn out in loud, clear, whistling tones.

SMALL GREEN-CRESTED FLYCATCHER.

In a shadowy part of the woods, where young hemlocks
are thickly interspersed, I hear sharp, quick notes, pee-ivheey
quee-ree-ee, which I at once recognize as those of the Small
Green-crestec! Fly-catcher {Empidonax acadicus), a very com-
mon summer resident of our upland woods. I look sharply
into the shadows for some time before I get sight of it. It
is perched on a dead limb, near the base of a small hemlock;
and always accompanies its note with a quick jerk of the
tail. Like the rest of the Flycatchers, it sits still on its
perch and waits for its prey; and when that prey appears,
be it beetle, fly, or moth, it darts quickly after it, cutting a
smooth curve, which is sure to intercept it, and seizing it
with a sharp click of the mandibles. With its quick, well-
directed movement, the broad gape of its deeply cleft
mouth and tangle of bristles on each side of it, there is but
a slim chance of escape for its victim.

Some six inches in length, the crown feathers somewhat
long and erected; the whole upper parts fine olive-green;

SMALL GREEN-CRESTED FLYCATCHER.

341

the under parts yellowish-white, with an ashy tinge on the
sides and across the breast; tail and wings dusky; the bars
across the latter, as also the margins of the secondaries and
tertiaries, the eye-lids and feathers about the flank, light
greenish-yellow; feet and upper mandible, deep brown or
dusky; under mandible, pale — this bird is of pleasing ap-
pearance— a sprightly and cheerful ornament of the forest.
There is nothing about it which wins our sympathy, how-
ever, as do the sweet plaintive notes and the elegant nest
of the Wood Pewee.

Its nest, rather loose and rustic, is quite unique. Placed
rather low, perhaps from five to nine feet from the ground,
generally on the limb of a small evergreen, sometimes in a
small hard-wood tree, it is loosely hung by the sides to a
more or less fork-shaped part of the limb. Some three
inches or more in external diameter, and some two inches
or more through, it is loosely, even raggedly, woven of the
fine spray of the hemlock, interspersed with grasses and
some fibrous bark, or principally of fine grasses interspersed
with the hemlock spray and bits of bark-fiber, more or less
fastened together throughout with a fine webby or downy
material, which also binds it to the forked limb; and it is
ornamented with the bud-scales of the beech, and some-
times with its dried stamenate blossoms. The inside, some
two inches across and rather more than one inch in depth,
is lined with fine hemlock spray, or fine grasses, or both; if
principally of the latter, it has a light feathery appear-
ance. It is always so loosely made that one can see through
it.

The eggs, about .75 X .50, are cream color; and spE^rsely
specked or spotted with brown about the larger end or half.
The female sits very closely; sometimes she can be caught
in the hand, if one creeps stealthily under the nest; some-

■I

m

■ f

5 ' i

1 1

342

THE HOODED WARBLER.

times she will defend her nest most persistently, flying at
the intruder with sharp notes and a snapping of the bill.

Rare in Southern New England, and scarcely extending
beyond the Mississippi, the principal breeding range of
a-cadicus (geographically a false name) is the middle dis-
trict of the United States.

THE HOODED WARBLER.

From different points in the thick woods comes
the common and familiar song of the Hooded War-
bler {Myiodioctes mitraius) — cheree-cheree-cheree-chi-di-ee^ the
first three notes with a loud bell-like ring, and the
rest in very much accelerated time, and with the
falling inflection. Arriving early in May, this is one of
our common summer residents throughout the dense
upland forests, occupying the lower story of the woodland
home, while the Coerulean Warbler occupies the upper.
Here let me say that, in addition to its alarm note, a sharp
whistling or metallic chip, which is very clearly character-
ized, the Hooded Warbler las two distinct songs, as differ-
ent as if coming from different species. Never shall I for-
get how I was once puzzled by this. I was strolling in a
thick forest near the corner of a slashing at evening twi-
light, in June, when I was surprised by a strange whistling
melody — whee-ree-whee-ree-eeh, with a marked emphasis on
the second syllable, and a still more marked one on the
last Part of the time this utterance was somewhat varied,
a few notes being sometimes added, and again a few drop-
ped. My curiosity was greatly excited, for I had supposed
myself familiar with the sylvan voices in the neigh-
borhood, but it soon became too dark to identify the bird.
For nearly a week I went to that spot every day, always
hearing the song, but never being able to get a clear sight

THE HOODED WARBLER.

848

of the singer. It seemed exceedingly shy. In vain did I
crawl on hands and knees among the undergrowth to get
near to it, for just as I would seem about to gain a good
view of it, the song would cease at the point under obser-
vation, and come from one more distant. Just as I was
about to gl/e the matter up, one evening, down came the
singer, stage by stage, through the thick foliage, and, alight-
ing within a few feet of me and in clear sight, gave the
full effect of his whistling song. I have since heard the
same song a number of times and in different places from
the Hooded Warbler. So I conclude that in the case of
this species there are, occasionally at least, two distinct and
altogether different songs.

Five inches or a little more in length, all the upper parts are
of a fine olivaceous-green, all the under parts bright yellow;
the two outer feathers on each side of the tail are white nearly
to the base; a jet-black hood, covering the crown and back
of the head, extending along the sides of the neck around
the cheeks and completely covering the foreneck and
throat— distinguishes the male. The sunlight on his breast,
the hues of the forest on his back, and the emblems of
mourning about his head as he peers out modestly from
among the foliage, he is one of the most strikingly beautiful
of all our large and etegant family of Warblers. The female
is similar, out much less brilliant, and has the mere outline
of the black hood.

The Hooded Warbler belongs to the Flycatching War-
blers, the bills of which resemble those of the Flycatchers,
but in regard to all other points, especially the feet, they
are true Warblers. The flesh-colored feet and legs of this
bird denote that it is a Ground Warbler; that is, it belongs
to those Warblers which make their home on or near the
ground. Here it keeps itself, for the most part, well con-

844

WILSON'S BLACK-CAP.

cealed among the foliage of the thick undergrowth, having a
rather slow and dignified movement for a bird of its kind.

It builds its nest from a foot to 18 inches from the ground,
generally in the upright or somewhat leaning fork of a
little bush. I once found it in a beech limb, lying on the
ground, but still retaining the dry leaves. It is somewhat
bulky, but quite neat, the lower part being of dry or skele-
ton leaves, the upper part, especially the high and well-
defined rim, of long fibrous bark, as that of the grape-vine,
ash, bass-wood or elm, laid almost as nicely as coiled cords,
the whole structure being bound together by a webby
material, and lined with fine grasses, bark-fibers and horse-
hair. In location, material and structure, it is quite unique,
and, like most other birds' nests, is a much more certain
means of identification than the eggs themselves. These,
2-4, varying from .63X.52 to .76X.60, are clear white, deli-
cately specked and spotted, sometimes even blotched, with
reddish brown and lilac. In form and coloration the eggs
are very variable. They may be found fresh from the last
week in May till the middle of June. A second set may
Gometimes be found in July. The male aids in incubation.

Confined to the eastern part of the United States,
and barely entering the southern part of New England,
Western and Central New York, where it is quite common,
must be about the northern limit of this species.

WILSON S BLACK-CAP.

Wilson's Black-cap {Myiodioctes pusillus), rega^ ' js
closely related to the above species, appears here o ion-
ally as a migrant. Mr. Bruce, of Brockport, New i )rk,
once saw a large flock actively gleaning insects in a row of
willow trees, about the middle of May. I have known one,
also, to be taken in Western New York; but I have never

THE LEAST PEWEE.

845

seen it myself. Mr. Smith gives it as a migrant through
Maine, but not common; and Mr. Chamberlain reports it as
an uncommon summer resident in New Brunswick. Audu-
bon found it breeding commonly in Labrador, the nest
being "placed on the extremity of a small horizontal
branch, amongst the thick foliage of dwarf firs, not more
than from 3-5 feet from the ground, and in the center of the
thickets of these trees, so common in Labrador. The mate-
rials of which it is composed are bits of dry moss and
delicate pine twigs, agglutinated together and to the
branches or leaves around it, beneath which it is sus-
pended; the lining is of extremely fine and transparent
fibers. The greatest diameter does not exceed 3^ inches,
and the depth is not more than 1)^. The eggs are 4, dull
white, sprinkled with reddish and brown dots toward the
larger end, where the markings form a circle, leaving the
extremity plain." Mr. Allen found the Black-cap '* a com-
mon inhabitant of the sub-alpine and alpine districts in the
Colorado Mountains, breeding from about 8,000 feet up to
about the timber line." Dr. Coues found it a common
summer resident in the mountainous districts of Arizona
from May to September. Neither of them, however, found
the nest. Small; length, 4.60; stretch, 7.00; bill much
feathered, after the manner of the Flycatchers; the color,
yellowish-green above, becoming brownish on wing and
tail; forehead, sides of the head and under parts, bright
yellow; the black patch on tht^ crown being less extended in
the female, and wanting in the young. The food is taken
on the wing with a click of the bill, also after the manner of
the Flycatchers.

THE LEAST PEWEE.

As I approach the edge of the woods on a rather low spot
of ground, I hear the unmistakable notes of the Least

IF

346

THE YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER.

Pewee {Empidonax minimus) — sewick, sewick, written by some
^*chebec" — quickly and sharply uttered. It has been here
for two weeks or more. About the color of the common
Phoebe {Sayornis fuscus), only a little grayer about the
head, and scarcely more than five inches long; it is much
smaller than the rest of our Flycatchers; and, not to speak
of its peculiar notes, has? a nest wholly unlike that of any
of them, and eggs which never can be mistaken for those
of any other bird in our locality; and yet, numerous as it is
throughout the Eastern United Stages, neither Audubon
nor Wilson distinguished it. It is very common here, par-
ticularly in thickets, the borders of the low-land forests,
and the more open swamps. The nest, generally placed
out of reach, sometimes fifteen feet or upward from the
ground, commonly in the top fork of a small tree or sap-
ling, sometimes on a horizontal limb, is neat and very closely
compacted, composed outwardly of wood or bark-fibers,
sometimes well intermixed and ornamented with vegetable
down, and lined with fine fibers of bark, fine grasses and
vegetable down in general, sometimes with fine feathers.
The entire nest bears a strong resemblance to that of the
Redstart. The eggs, three or four, from .60 or .65X.50, are
pure white. "Breeds abundantly from Southern New
England northward." (Coues.) Eggs a. e found here late in
May or early in June.

THE YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER.

I have also taken the Yellow-bellied Pewee {Empidonax
flaviventris), here in Orleans County late in May. As it
ranges throughout North America and breeds from the
Middle States northward, it probably breeds here. About
6.50 long, and olive-green above, it is readily distin-
guishable by its bright yellow under parts. The ring

TRAILL S FLYCATCHER.

847

around the eye, the lower mandible, and the bars across the
wing-coverts are also yellow. Its note is said to be a " low
pe-a" and its so-called song is said to sound like the sylla-
bles killicky repeated at rather long intervals. As to the
nest and eggs of this species, authors have been quite con-
fused; some reporting them pure white and others spotted;
but a nest examined by Messrs. Deane and Pardie, on the
18th of June, 1878, was quite conclusive. It was placed in
the upturned roots of a tree; and "a large dwelling it was
for so small and trim a bird. Built in and on to the black
mud clinging to the roots, but two feet from the ground,
the bulk of the nest was composed of dry moss, while the
outside was faced with beautiful fresh-green mosses, thickest
around the rim or parapet. The home of the Bridge Pe-
wee {Sayornis fuscus) was at once suggested. But no mud
entered into the actual composition of the nest, though at
first we thought so, so much was clinging to it when re-
moved. The lining was mainly of fine black rootlets, with
a few pine-needles and grass-stems. * ♦ * fhe eggs,
four in number, were perfectly fresh, rounded -ova) in shape,
and of a beautiful rosy- white tint, well spotted with a light
reddish shade of brown." An elegant nest, sent me from
Nova Scotia by Mr. Wagner, is made of fine dried grasses,
arranged 'via bunch of moss. The four white eggs, some
.71 X.50, are beautifully specked, spotted, and even blotched
about the large end with light red. The nest was taken
from the ground with fresh eggs the 15th of June.

TRAILL S FLYCATCHER.

Another Flycatcher about our low lands and swamps, and
especially along streams in such places, is Traill's Flycatcher
{Empidonax traillii). About six inches long, or sometimes a
little less, it is to be distinguished from the small Green-

^f

348

COOPER'S HA WJC.

crested Flycatcher by the darker olive of the upper parts, and
from the Yellow-bellied Flycatcher by its entire lack of the
bright yellow beneath, as well as by the absence of the
clear greenish tinge so distinctive in the upper parts of the
latter. Its voice, habit of location, and also the structure
of its nest, differentiate it very clearly. Its ordinary note
is a. pip or chip^ and what is sometimes called its song has
been written che-bee-u. Indeed, a careful study of the more
prominent notes of the smaller Flycatchers will distinguish
them all.

The nest, which, according to the local habit of the bird,
is in some swampy region, is placed in the upright fork of
a bush or sapling, is quite compact, and externally bears
indeed no small resemblance to that of the Yellow Warbler,
except that it is a little larger. The outside is of gray fi-
brous material, intermixed with the bleached blades of dried
grasses; the inside is of fine dried grasses, closely laid, and
the whole structure is more or less mixed with vegetable
down. As is the case with most Flycatchers, the interior
of the nest is large for the size of the bird. The eggs,
commonly three, some .68 x .50, are creamy white, the larger
half being more or less spotted and specked with reddish-
brown.

Wintering in the tropics, Traill's Flycatcher finds its

breeding habitat in the Eastern United States and the

British Provinces, reaching the latter during the latter half

of May.

cooper's hawk.

In the top of a tall beech tree, I discover a hawk's nest,
and while I am querying whether it be new or old, the
female of Cooper's Hawk {Accipiter cooperi) alights on a
limb near the nest, and presently drops into it. At the same
time I see a friend passing along the winter road near

COOPER'S HA WK.

349

by, carrying a fine rifle. He is a good marksman, so I
beckon him to my assistance. As I strike on the trunk of
the tree the bird* leaves the nest, and my friend takes her
on the wing. Down she comes, so gradually that she almost
appears as if alighting, and skimming along near the ground
for some distance, finally drops, squealing loudly enough
to alarm the whole feathered tribe in the neighborhood.
As I approach her, she defends herself with the heroism of
a true Hawk. The bullet has passed through her thigh,
shattering the bone thoroughly, and the two outer pinions
of one wing are cut away. But why should this simple
shattering of the thigh bring down so strong a bird so
readily ? The explanation is to be found in the peculiar
anatomy of the bird. In 1 761, Peter Camper, a distinguished
Dutch anatomist, discovered that the cavities in the bones
of birds, which Gabbe had already observed to contain no
marrow, were in direct communication with the lungs, and
so participated in respiration. In 1774, John Hunter, the
great English comparative anatomist, verified the same in his
marvelous researches into the anatomy of birds. Extending
their investigations in the most able manner throughout the
entire class of birds, they discovered that " the air-cells and
lungs can be inflated from the bones, and Hunter injected
the medullary cavities of the bones from the trachea. If
the femur" — the thigh bone — ^* into which the air is admitted be
broken^ the bird is unable to raise itself in flight. If the trachea
be tied and an opening be made into the humerus" — the up-
per wing-bone — " the bird will respire by that opening for
a short period, and may be killed by inhaling noxious gases
through it. If an air-bone of a living bird, similarly per-
forated, be held in water, bubbles will rise from it, and a
motion of the contained air will be exhibited, synchronous
with the motions of inspiration and expiration.

Vi! .f

350

COOPER'S HA WK.

" The proportion in which the skeleton is permeated by
air varies in different birds. In the A/ca t'mpenm's, the Pen-
guins {Aptenodytes) and the Apteryx^ air is not admitted into
any of the bones. The condition of the osseous system,
therefore, which all birds present at the early periods of ex-
istence, is here retained through life.

" In the large Struthious Birds, which are remarkable for
the rapidity of their course, the thigh-bones and bones of
the pelvis, the vertebral column, ribs, sternum and scapular
arch, the cranium and lower jaw, have all air admitted into
their cavities or cancellous structure. In the Ostrich the
humeri and other bones of the wings, the tibice and distal
bones of the legs, retain their marrow. Most birds of flight
have air admitted into the humerus ; the Woodcock and
Snipe are exceptions. The Pigeon tribe, with the exception
of the Crown Pigeon, have no air in the femur, which re-
tains its marrow. In the Owls also the femur is filled with
marrow; but in the Diurnal Birds of prey, as in almost
all other birds of flight, thQ femur is filled with air. In the
Pelican and Gannet the air enters all the bones with the
exception of the phalanges of the toes. In the Hornbill
even these are permeated by air."*

My specimen of Cooper's Hawk is one of the largest,
some 20 inches long. She is sometimes scarcely more than 18
inches long, while the male is never more than 18, and may not
exceed 16 inches in length. This species, which in structure
and color is almost precisely like that of the Sharp-shinned
Hawk, being, however, unmistakably larger, makes with it,
and it only in this country, a strongly marked genus, the
Accipiter — the distinc've generic points being: 1st, that the
feathers extend but slightly down the tarsus; 2d, that the
toes are long and very slender, much webbed at the base,

♦ Comparative Anatomy and Physiology of Vertebrates, by Richard Owen, Vol. 1, pp.
S13, 314.

COOPERS HAWK,

361

and thickly padded; 3d, that the fourth primary is longest,
the " second shorter than the sixth," and the first noticeably
short; 4th, the soft and finely blended character of the
colors above, in inaturity — being a fine ashy-brown, black-
ish on the head. The under parts of both birds are white,
with fine cross-streaks of light-reddish. They bear about
the same relation to each other as that of the Hairy to the
Downy Woodpecker. Cooper's Hawk is especially a bird
of the United States, most common in the Northern States,
and extending but slightly into the British Provinces. The
Sharp-shinned Hawk is sometimes found here in winter,
but Cooper's Hawk goes farther south. Early in May is
the time for the nidification of the latter in this locality.
The nest, in the crotch of a tall tree, or where several limbs
join the trunk, always very high, is built of sticks and lined
with dry grass, or strips of bark, sometimes containing
feathers, the depression being but slight. The eggs, 3 or 4,
sometimes 6, about 1.90 x 1.50, are white, greenish or
grayish f'nged, often clear, sometimes slightly blotched
with dark drab or brown. Mr. Samuels mentions a pair
robbed of their eggs four times in the same season. " They
built different nests in the same grove, and laid in the four
litters, four, five, and three eggs, respectively. The eggs
of the last litter were very small, but little larger than
those of the Sharp-shinned Hawk."

The ordinary flight of this bird is rapid and straight-
forward, the regular strokes of the wings being frequently
relieved by sailing. In the mating season, when it is very
noisy, having a note which sounds like chee-e-e-ah^ I have
seen it, high in air, above the tops of the tallest trees, shoot-
ing toward one of its kind whose voice it heard in the dis-
tance, with half-closed and perfectly motionless wings, and
with a rocket-like speed and a gracefulness which no

"i^

\

352

THE SHARPS fflNNED HAWK.

langfuage could describe. In pursuit of its prey, which may
consist of small quadrupeds, the smaller ducks and waders,
grouse, and the larger kinds of the common land-birds, it
moves with great spirit and adroitness, and seldom misses
its quarry. So well known is it in the poultry yard that it
is called the " Chicken Hawk." When reared from the nest
it becomes so thoroughly domesticated as to need no con-
finement.

THE SHARP-SHINNED HAWK.

The Sharp-shinned Hawk {Accipiter fuscus), in every way
so similar to Cooper's Hawk, is some 12 inches long; brown
or slate-colored above, with a few white spots on the back
of the head and on the scapulars; tail also brown* or
ashy, but considerably lighter, with fine dark bands across
it, sometimes tipped with whitish; the white under parts
closely and narrowly barred with reddish; throat, narrowly
streaked lengthwise with brown. Its nest is similarly placed
to that of the former species, only not so high up in the
tree, but is occasionally placed on a rock. The eggs, some
4, are about 1.40 x 1-20, roundish, clear white, or perhaps
slightly tinged with blue or green, heavily and distinctly
marked — patched — with brown.

This Hawk reaches Western New York the latter part of
April, and its eggs are laid early in May. It is readily dis-
tinguished by its short, broad wings, and rather nervous
and irregular flight; but it moves rapidly, and sometimes
with great impetuosity, so that it has been known to pass
through several glass partitions of a green-house. Seizing
its prey on the wing, in the manner of a true Hawk, it dashes
after it with the utmost directness, moving high or low, to
the right or left, as if by some continuous attraction. With
an unerring stroke, it wounds fatally in the very act of
capture, and then bears its prey to a tree, to be devoured at

THE SHARP.SHINNED HAWK.

353

leisure. In addition to the small birds thus taken on the
wing, it may pounce on one larger and heavier than itself,
or it may swoop down upon the small quadrupeds, or, after
the manner of the smaller Hawks in general, make its repast
even on insects. As with birds of prey in general, the surest
way of escaping its clutches is by soaring; the thickets, into
which the smaller birds generally dive when pursued,
affording but little obstruction to its penetrating flight. Its
note, which is but seldom heard, is sharp and shrill.
Ranging over all North Ameriea, it may be found in New
York and Massachusetts during mild winters.

23

CHAPTER XVI.

BIRDS AROUND THE HOUSE.

ON a beautiful sunny morning, the 16th of May, I am
watching the birds and listening to them from my study
window. From the apple trees and the currant bushes in
the garden comes the voluble and sprightly song of the
Common Wren {Troglodytes aedon). Of all the songs of
birds within the range of our acquaintance, there is no mel-
ody more gushing, more sparkling, more full of the very
soul of vital energy, thain the warbling, twittering perform-
ance of this most active and industrious little creature. If
the syllables have not that measured cadence, nor the tones
that heart-searching vibration, which mo1|[^ne to melan-
choly or to joy, to prayer or to praise, it touches the nerves
with a startling impulse, like the gust of the summer wind
shaking the leaves, the patter of rain on the roof, or the
streaming of sunshine through a rift of the clouds. How
much quicker my thoughts move after that trill from the
garden wall, and how suggestive is each note of its repeti-
tion ! Now he mounts a hitching-post, in full view, in the
adjoining church-yard, and the sight of him is almost as
animating as his voice. The tail, which drooped during
his song, is immediately thrown up and forward as it ceases;
he twists and turns upon his nimble feet as if on a swivel
or pivot, that can let him up and down and around in every
direction ; his sharp bill signals every point of the com-

THE COMMON WREN.

355

pass, and his tiny, sparkling eye seems to take in every
object.

Now he drops from the post, and flying low, with a steady
flutter of his short, round wings, he dives into a thicket of
rose bushes. Here he slides up and down the stems like an
automaton, peers under the leaves with every conceivable
twist of the neck, and runs on the ground, darting in and
out of rubbish with the quickness and . penetration of a
mouse.

The great variety and abundance of his insect food,
whether gleaned amidst the thick foliage, drawn from
chinks and crevices, or captured on the wing, is taken so
adroitly that only the close observer can comprehend the
important services of this restless and diminutive species
in subduing these pests of the house and garden. Alas,
that man, that lord of creation, should eat his currants, his
cabbage and his lettuce, all unconscious of how much the
birds have saved for him !

Presently I hear the Wren again, and in altogether another
part of the garden. This time he is not a singer but a
scold. How angry is his chirp^ as he berates that white cat,
which, standing fair in front of his retreat in the blackberry
bushes, ogles him with her green fire-balls, and moves the
end of her tail in signal of the murder-prepense in her heart.
But this wee Wren is one of the bravest of birds, and is
always so well on the alert that Grimalkin soon gives up in
despair, and concludes to suffer alike the mortification of
the scolding and the disappointment of the stomach.

Having been quite curious as to the nesting of this Wren,
which has come so regularly to these premises for years, I
go out into the yard and watch his movements. There, he
has taken a spider from that web in the apple-tree and has dis-
appeared under the horse-sheds back of the church. Conclud-

r

356

THE COMMON WREN,

ing that his nest is somewhere in that structure, I hide away
and watch. In a few moments he flits down and drops into a
rather loose mortise-joint, where a brace enters a post. The
entrance is very small, but there is quite a space inside.
Having examined any considerable number of nests, one
can conceive the contents and arrangement of such a cavity
without access to it. However large the space, it will be
well filled up with rough, crooked twigs, leaving a bristling
and. irregular passage barely large enough to admit the tiny
occupant, which passage leads to the nest, ensconced away
in the remotest corner. The nest proper is composed of
dried grasses well laid, and is well lined with hair and
feathers. The variety of cavities appropriated for a nest
by this pertinacious little bird is beyond account — the bird-
box, the holes about the house-cornice, a hole in a p)ost or
in an old apple-tree, the mud dwelling of the Eave Swallow,
the inside of a log-pump, the pocket or sleeve of an old
coat hanging in an out-building, an old hat with rent crown
stuck up against the wall, the brain-cavity of a horse's skull
mounted on a stake — in short, any cavity into which suffi-
cient material of the proper kind can be stowed and arranged
for a breeding tenement. A nest once found in the clothes-
line box of Professor Ware, of Cambridge, Massachusetts,
and which has attained classic fame, filled a space " consid-
erably more than afoot square," and consisted of "theexuvia
of a snake several feet in length, large twigs, pieces of India-
rubSer suspenders, oak leaves, feathers, pieces of shavings,
hair, hay, etc., etc."

With what boldness and pugnacity this Wren will drive
the gentle Bluebird, or the large Black Martin from his box;
how he will dislodge the Eave Swallow from his jug-nosed
tenement; thus taking possession of the rightful home of
another, on which be has no claim whatever; and how he

THE EAVE SWALLOW.

357

will contend fpr his premises with those of his own kind,
is familiar to all who know him.

The eggs of this species, some half-dozen or upward,
about .60X.48, are a delicate flesh color, very finely specked
and sprayed all over with reddish-brown, thickening into a
wreath or large spot at the large end.

About five inches long, this Wren is deep brown, crossed
with bars of black above, the head and neck being plain;
the throat and breast are buff, or a 'light clay color; belly
and vent white, spotted with brown and black; the tail,
which is much longer than that of the Winter Wren — about
two inches — is brown, crossed with lines of black; the feet
are flesh color.

Wintering in the Southern States, this species ranges
throughout the Eastern States, west to Nebraska and Da-
kota, and north somewhat into the British Provinces,
becoming rare already in Northern New England.

THE EAVE SWALLOW.

As I look up into the cloudless sky I am impressed w^ith
its great depth and transparency. If I believed in the old
Ptolemaic theory of separate crystalline spheres, or hollow
globes, in which the various planets, including the sun and the
fixed stars as a system, were severally set, each sphere revolv-
ing with its own velocity, I should think that some mystic
power in the air had been very thoroughly at work, and had
newly cleansed and polished these transparent spheres
throughout. Against this clear deep, multitudes of Eave
or Cliff Swallows {Petrochelidon lunifrons) are describing
their elegant flight. This species, and the family it repre-
sents, are in the strictest sense "birds of the air," since
they spend nearly all their time in that region. Their small
weak feet, long pointed wings and great nervous

t

'■ S,;l

I! '

858

THE EAVE SWALLOW.

energy are all in constitutional harmony with this fact.
There is a language of motion as well as of sound; hence,
like a strain in music, the flight of each bird conveys its
peculiar idea. There is majesty in the soaring of the
Eagle, alarm in the whir-r-r-r of the Partridge, haste in the
whistling strokes of the Duck, joy in the exulting curves of
the Goldfinch, and a happy contentment in the easy gyra-
tions of the Swallow. My mind goes into repose, and
drinks in the sweet spirit of contentment, defying galling
burdens and corrosive cares, as my eye follows the spirit-
like sweep of those sabre-shaped wings, each curve describ-
ing a happy thought on the sunny sky.

And what a study might there be of marvelous adjust-
ment and conformity to mechanical laws, by which this
little creature makes its way through the trackless air with
such nice accuracy, that it can "pick up a flying gnat **
whilst moving "at the rate of more than a hundred miles
an hour." Or who can conceive how many tickling and
prickling annoyances of insect-life are prevented for us,
during the long summer days, by the semi-domestic services
of these Swallows, each one of which probably destroys at
least a thousand insects every day.

For some time it has been a question with ornithologists
whether the Eave Swallow gradually extended its habitat
from Mexico through North America, as it was formerly
believed. The very best authorities now conclude that it
has always been "amenable to the ordinary laws of ruigra-
tion and spread over nearly all of North America, the South
Atlantic States, perhaps, excepted; " and that " the numerous
recorded dates of its appearance and breeding in particular
localities merely mark the times when the birds forsook
their natural breeding places and built under eaves, which
enabled them to pass the summer where formerly they were

THE EAVE SWALLOW.

850

unable to breed for want of suitable accommodations."
(Coues.) In the great canons of the west, along the vertical
walls beneath shelving rocks, sometimes where great rivers
rush between frowning battlements, the strange, bottle-
shaped nests of this species, according to its primitive style,
are hung by thousands in the most fantastic arrangements.
Among all our birds none has discovered so great an incli-
nation to accommodate itself to man, and to avail itself
of the advantages of civilization, as the various species of
the Swallow. The Purple Martin abandons the holes in
trees and takes up his abode in almost any convenience
about human habitations; the Fork- tailed Swallow has
abandoned the trees of the forest and the caves, for the
rafters and peaks of the barn, and so has received the
name. Barn-swallow; the White-bellied Swallow is inclined
to leave his hollow stump for a hole in the wall; the so-called
Chimney Swallow, or Swift, has left the hollow trees
formerly appropriated, and will rather endure the daily
smoke of the chimney than leave the neighborhood of man;
even the Sand Martin has shown some inclination to take
to cavities under the bridge, and so join the thoroughfare
of man, rather than remain in the banks of lonely streams;
and how the Eave Swallows will swell their colonies from
year to year under those eaves which afford a convenience,
every one has had opportunity to note. This tenement of
mud is a very artistic thing of its kind. The swell of the
main part, the narrowing jug-nosed entrance, so exactly
rounded, and the well cemented pellets of mud, giving the
external surface such a neat, pebbly appearance, are all
entirely beyond human imitation, as I fully satisfied myself
by many experiments in the days of my childhood. How
cozy it looks up there under the broad eaves. Soft bits of
hay and an abundance of down are there, to accommo-

1 I k

\ v\

\ ■ \

W
Nil

l-i

fill

iiii

360

THE EAVE SWALLOW.

date the frail eggs and the tender young. What sweet
peace reigns in that little household! What a world of
domestic comfort discovers itself in that soft musical chat-
ter, so much like animated conversation! What are those
little hearts saying to each other, up there away from all the
rest of the world? Surely no burdened spirit is carried into
the air from that household. But woe to the intruder who
may be found within the sacred precincts when the parent
returns; and this sometimes occurs in fresh-made nests by
pilferers who are too lazy to travel for material for their
own domiciles. After a fev/ notes of astonishment and
warning, uttered in harsh syllables, the offender is uncere-
moniously thrust out, and, held by the scruff of the neck,
dangles awkwardly in the air for several seconds, being
finally allowed to escape with a volume of execrations.*

What happy playful creatures are the members of this
extremely peaceful colony. Many a sport do they enjoy,
unnoticed by the busy and inobservant owner of the premi-
ses. See them play with that feather floating like a thistle-
down in the air! One seizes it in one of his exact curves,
and carries it up many feet, simply to drop it for his com-
rade, who again snatches it as it nears the ground, and ele-
vates it for the pleasure of the next neighbor who catches it in
like manner. Thus the feather is a plaything for the whole
company in turn, just as boys would use a ball or a shuttle-
cock; and their merriment of chat and laughter is equal to
that of the happiest and most animated human voices.

Those rosy eggs v*rith specks of brown, scarcely to be
distinguished from the litters hung to the rafters inside, are
incubated by both sexes; and when the young are out of
the shell, the parents skim the air most assiduously to

♦ The European House Martin has bee'i known to close up the entrance, and so imprison
the Common Sparrow of the Old World, which might be entering its nest in search of
accommodation for itself; our Martin keeping guard while the mate did the mason work.

THE BLACK MARTIN.

861

secure the abundance of insect-food necessary to their
voracity. For just as nervous people eat much without grow-
ing fat, the nourishment of their food being consumed by
their nervous energy, so these active birds are almost un-
limited eaters.

Two broods may b« raised in a season, and in the latter
part of August, the ridge of the barn, or the telegraph
wire, attests to the numerous progenies which migrate
southward for the winter, to return again to the middle
districts, from their distant sojourn, late in April or early
in May.

About five inches long, the tail not being forked, this
species has the upper parts a glossy steel-blue, there being
a white triangular or crescent-shaped spot on the forehead
(hence the specific mxco, lunifrons)\ threat and sides of the
head, chestnut; rump, reddish; breast, sides, and collar
about the neck, rust-color, becoming white or whitish on the
belly. As with the rest of the Swallows, the sexes are
nearly alike, and the young are similar. The white or
whitish mark on the forehead is always distinctive.

Wtatering in Central America, this species breeds nearly
thicughout North America.

I'

THE hLACK MARTIN.

On this same beautiful morning the Black Martins
{Progne purpurea) are abroad. The fine curves in flight
and the easy but rapid sailing, as weii as the form, mark
this bird as a Swallow, huge though he be for one of his
kind. His notes, however, are peculiar to himself. Chee-u,
chee-u^ chee-u^ chee-u^ uttered in rapid succession, may
represent his common vocal performance. Often he adds a
peculiar guttural croak or chuckle, especially when alighted
about the breeding tenement, the above-described being

it

II

3G2

THE BLACK MARTIN.

especially his language while on the wing Some seven
inches long, wing six inches, tail slightly forked, this species
appears large for one of his kind.

The mature male is "lustrous blue-black" all over. The
female and young have a rather dull modification of the
color above, being more or less white below, streaked and
spotted with gray.

Undoubtedly this species originally bred in holes in trees,
and it is occasionally known to do so still. Now, however,
it appropriates a hole in the house-cornice, a bird-box, or
an apartment of the doveliouse. The "solitary Indian"
of the olden times trimmed the boughs from a sapling
near his wigwam or rude cabin, "leaving the prongs a foot
or two in length, on each of which he hung a gourd, or
calabash, properly hollowed out," for the bird's convenience.
Later still, on the banks of the Mississippi, the negroes
stuck up "long canes, with the same species of apartment
fixed to their tops, in which the Martins regularly bred."
If rude and savage breasts discover such cordiality toward
this bird, what wonder if civilization and refinement attract
it by miniature houses, especially since the species follows
man to the populous village and the crowded town, and is
not disturbed even by the thoroughfares of business.

The breeding tenement adopted by the Martin is fitted
up with a nest of bits of straw, hay, and dry leaves, lined
with feathers. The eggs, some .95x-'<'0, rather small for
the size of the bird, are pure white. Thus the nest and
eggs of the Martin bear a close resemblance to those of the
White-bellied Swallow,

Its bill is "very stout" for a Swallow, and is "curved at
the end," Its bill of fare is by no means confined to the
tiny insects so abundantly captured by the smaller Swal-
lows, but includes "wasps, bees, large beetles," etc.

THE HUMMINGBIRD.

863

All careful observers bear testimony to the remarkable
pugnacity of the Martin, which attacks successfully the
Hawks and Owls generally, and even the Eagle, and so
pesters them as to drive them from the neighborhood, thus
secun ng more or less protection for the Domestic Fowl. It
will join common cause with the Kingbird, or it will attack
the Kingbird in turn and compel him to flee.

Wintering in the tropics, the Black Martin ranges
throughout the United States and far north into Canada,
breeding nearly throughout its range. It reaches New
York late in April, and leaves late in August or early in
September. Late in August they sometimes assemble in
large flocks, after the manner of the Swallows generally,
preparatory to their southward flight.

i ■ "ii

i -i

THE HUMMINGBIRD.

As I am gazing on that Tartarian honeysuckle — a thing
of splendid beauty, with its abundant sprays of blossoms of
snowy white and bright purple set off by an exuberance of
dark-green leaves — a Ruby-throated Hummingbird {Tro-
chilus colubris) shoots around the house and hums in front
of the clusters of blossoms. There are many birds, the
flight of which is so rapid that the strokes of their wings
cannot be counted, but here is a species with such nerve
of wing that its wing-strokes cannot be seen. "A hazy
semicircle of indistinctness on each side of the bird is all
that is perceptible." Poised in the air, his body nearly
at the perpendicular, he seems to hang in front of the flow-
ers, which he probes so hurriedly, one after the other, with
his long slender bill. That long, tubular, fork-shaped tongue
may be sucking up the nectar from those rather small cylin-
drical blossoms, or it may be capturing tiny insects housed
away there. Much more like a large sphinx moth, hover-

:■!

M

I

864

THE HUMMINGBIRD.

ing and humming over the flowers in the dusky twilight,
than like a bird, appears this delicate fairy-like beauty.
How the bright green of the body gleams and glistens in

THE HUMMINGBIRD.

the sunlight; while the ruby-colored throat, changing with
the angle of light as the bird moves, is like a bit of black
velvet above the white under parts, or it glows and shimmers
like a flame. Each imperceptible stroke of those tiny wings
conforms to the mechanical laws of flight, in all their
subtle complications, with an ease and gracefulness that seems
spiritual. Who can fail to note that fine adjustment of the
organs of flight to aerial elasticity and gravitation, by which
that astonishing bit of nervous energy can rise and fall
almost on the perpendicular, dart from side to side, as if by
magic, or, assuming the horizontal position, pass out of
sight like a shooting star ? Is it not impossible to con-
ceive of all this being done by that rational calculation

THE HUMMINGBIRD.

365

which enables the rower to row, or the sailor to sail his
boat?

The Hummingbird has alighted on a twig of the cherry-
tree iiear by. I can barely see his feet, like bits of fine-
drawn wire, supporting the wee bit of a body. He looks
nervously about him, pointing his long bill in every direc-
tion, and sidles gracefully along his slender perch. Presently
another male appears, with an equally ruby throat, and dash-
ing at each other, they describe a swift zigzag, whirling about
most perilously, squeaking like mice, and finally disappearing
with a rapidity which the eye can follow but for a moment.

About 3.25 long, this species is golden-green above, with
a fine gloss, and white beneath, the wings and tail being a
purplish-brown. The male has the metallic-lustrous ruby
on the throat, which is wanting in the female and the young.
The female has the sides of the tail white.

The nest of this species, about *he size of half a hen's
egg, and saddled on a small limb, is made of a soft, vegetable,
cottony substance, sometimes white, sometimes reddish or
grayish, externally intermixed, perhaps, with the scales
of beech-buds — a sort of staple article in the nest of many
kinds of birds — seemingly to give it consistency, the whole
structure being most elegantly covered outside with brightly
colored lichens ; thus appearing so much like a natural
growth or excrescence of the wood itself as generally to
elude observation. It may be placed pretty well up in the
tree in the depth of the forest, or lower down in the orchard,
or on a currant-bush or rose-bush in the garden, or on a
coarse weed-stalk in the vicinity. The two tiny oval-oblong
eggs, pure white and translucent, lying on their bed of silken
down, edged and surrounded with the gayest lichens, never
fail to move the heart of the beholder as one of the rarest
bits of natural beauty.

f .a

m

M

1:ll

366

THE HUMMINGBIRD.

But the most wonderful characteristic of our Humming-
bird, perhaps, considering his tropical relationships, is the
great northern range of his summer habitat. Excepting
several western species, which migrate along the Rocky
Mountains and westward to a pretty high latitude, the four
hundred species and upwards which make up the family
of Hummingbirds, are found almost entirely in tropical
America. They are creatures associated with the high tem-
peratures and the luxuriant flora of the American section
of the torrid zone. But our tiny wanderer goes all the way
through Eastern North America to the semi-frigid regions
of Labrador and Hudson's Bay. He is the great traveler
of his family. And with what a magic and spirit-like stroke
of the wing does he compass sea and land. He passes by
the lumbering strokes of the Heron, the Wild Goose or the
Eagle, almost like a streak of lightning, and sets at utter
defiance all the humming, buzzing wings of the insect
world.

Our Ruby-throat is one of the plain and more diminutive
members of his family. In this relationship of hundreds,
while the unity binding them together is great, the strongly
marked variation characterizing the different groups is still
more remarkable. The Sabre-wings, the Coquettes, the
Rackets, the Puff-legs, the Sylphs, the Thorn-tails, the Star-
fronts, etc., have each their distinguishing peculiarities.
Whether we contemplate the snowy down of the Puff-leg,
the elegant crest of the Coquette, the pure white ruff of the
Ruff-neck tipped with scintillating spangles, the suspended
and fantastic patches on the tips of the long tails of the
Rackets, the glistening surface of the long scissors-shaped
tails of the Sylphx the glowing points of the Star-fronts, or
the burning lustre of the Fiery Topaz, we see that the high-
est possible effect of both form and color is here attained.

THE HUMMINGBIRD.

367

Nor do these marvelous manifestations of beauty serve any
necessary purpose whatever in the mode of their existence.
The theory of "Struggle for Life" certainly affords no
explanation of either their origin or their continuance.
Here evidently are beauty and ornament for their own
sake, and that of the most astounding and transcendent
kind. And why should these " Glittering Fragments of the
Rainbow " be found only in " the tropical forests " and
" amid the rich drapery of the orchids " of the New World,
if mere physical causes are to account for their origin ? As
we gaze upon these tiny objects of the most delicate and
flaming beauty, our aesthetic nature moving us to tears, let
us acknowledge that the hand which made them is Divine.

The European Sparrow {Passer domesticus), now so com-
mon about our houses both in the city and in the country vil-
lages, is so well known as to need no description in a work
like this. Suffice it to say, it is not a favorite, and the
utility of its immigration is doubtful.

■:

ji ;

i ;

t
i

i

t

;

CHAPTER XVII.

THE FIRST DAYS OF JUNE.

WHAT greater charm has the forest than its extensive va-
riety of ferns! What a highly-wrought thing of beauty
is the pattern of each frond ! In that immense vegetation
period in geological history called the coal-age, when no
flower breathed its fragrance on the landscape, the immense
numbers of magnificent ferns, which have left their imprint
in the rocks, assure us, nevertheless, that the world was very
beautiful. Of those continents of flowerless plants my
imagination is striving to form some conception as I wade
through the many varieties of ferns which adorn a low open
wood north of the Ridge — a place where I frequently go,
these first days of June, in search of birds' nests.

THE GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER.

In the center of this grand fernery, the forest is a sort of
open grove, letting in the sun with but little obstruction,
and thus forming a very paradise for the study of oology.
Most birds of the forest shun the gloom and dampness of
its more shadowy parts, when locating their nests, and seek
out the more or less open spaces, sheltered from the wind
and warmed by the sun. Hence I lay me down here, in a
fragrant bed of ferns, to listen and observe. On this bright,
sunny morning, everything is astir. I am in the midst of a
grand concert, which few performances of the human voice.

THE GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER.

369

even, can equal. Thrushes, Warblers, Vireos and Sparrows,
all harmonizing finely; while the rumbling strokes of the
wings of yon male Partridge and the shrill notes of the
Crested Flycatcher come in like a drum and tambourine.
I am giving particular attention to a fine, soft tone, sound-
ing like tsway, dsay, dsay, dsay„ slowly drawn out, and remind-
ing one of the leisurely and pleasing hum of an insect. It
is the song of the Golden-winged Warbler {Helminthophaga
chrysopterd). Five inches long, the male is a fine slaty-blue
above; crown and broad wing-bars, sulphur yellow; cheeks
and throat, black; a white line over the eye, and one from
the gape backward; under parts grayish-white; outer tail-
feathers, marked with white; the female, with all the colors
and markings more obscure. Arriving during the second
week in May, this species resides with us until September;
but it is not numerous, and the nest is by no means easy to
find. As I watch the male, pretty well up in a second-
growth maple, my attention is arrested by a sharp, chipping
note in the thicket just below. Straining my eyes for some
minutes, I detect a female Golden-wing, much excited,
being in all probability the mate of the one singing. Un-
derstanding the excitement and the sharp chipping note as
certain evidences of a nest near by, I at once begin search.
This is a Ground Warbler, and therefore the nest is, of
course, on the ground. After breaking down the ferns and
sadly spoiling the beauty of the spot in my thorough but
useless search, I retire behind a tree to watch the move-
ments of the still excited female. Very soon she drops
down from the thicket into an undisturbed spot at the root
of a little bush. On creeping up softly, I spy her tail over
the edge of the nest, and clapping my hand over her, secure
both without difficulty. The nest is uncommonly deep, not
very neatly built, outwardly of dried leaves, then of long
24

■' •' "

fr

I

I If

870

THE GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER.

pieces of rather coarse bark, then of fine strips of the same
and stems of dried grasses, and lined with fine hair-like
reddish fibers, which must be the inner bark of the wild
grape-vine. The eggs, five in number, small, about .48 x
.60, scarcely the size of the Goldfinches, are creamish-
white, delicately and sparsely specked with brown and lilac
at the large end.

Wintering in Central America, the Golden-wing's sum-
mer range is to New England and Canada West, and west
to the Missouri. Its nest has been taken as far south as
Georgia.

Similar to the last, but richer and darker in color, and
having the black patch on the throat much larger, is Law-
rence's Warbler {Helminthophaga la'wrencei)^ of which two
have been found in New Jersey.

Very similar in size and form, as also in general colora-
tion, to the Golden-wing, is the White-throated Golden-wing
{Helminthophaga leucobronchialis)^ discovered by Wm. Brew-
ster in May of 1870, in Newtonville, Mass. His description
is as follows: "Crown, bright yellow, slightly tinged with
olive on the occiput. Greater and middle wing-coverts
yellow, not as bright as the crown. Superciliary line, cheeks,
throat and entire under parts, silky-white, with a slight
tinge of pale yellow on the breast. Dorsal surface — exclu-
sive of the nape which is clear ashy — washed with yellow,
as are also the outer margins of the secondaries. • A narrow
line of clear black passes from the base of the upper
mandible, through and to a short distance behind the eye,
interrupted, however, by the lower eye-lid, which is dis-
tinctly white." ^

At first it was thought by many to be simply a variety of
the Golden-winged Warbler, but up to May, 1879, some
nine specimens of the White-throated Golden- wing had been

THE MOURNING WARBLER.

871

identiiied, mostly in New England, thus fully differentiating
it as a species. Its notes and habits in general are very
similar to those of its near relatives.

THE MOURNING WARBLER.

Seating myself at another point in the vicinity, under the
shade of a silky dogwood in full bloom, I study the song
of the Mourning Warbler {Geothlypis Philadelphia). This
song, which varies considerably with different individuals,
may generally be denoted by the syWablts, free, free, free,
fruh, fruh — the first three being loud and clear, and the
last two, in a lower tone, and so much softer and shorter
that a moderate distance, or a slight breeze in the opposite
direction, may prevent one from hearing them. Having
every opportunity for the study of this song — for the
Mourning Warbler is a common summer resident in thiclcets
and open places of the woods here — I find little or no re-
semblance between it and the melody of the Water-thrush.

While I sit watching, the male leaves his place of song
in the clump of spice-bushes, and, dropping into the top of
some tall cinnamon ferns, meets the female. Well aware
how great a desideratum is the nest of this bird, and that it
builds on the ground, I begin search on hands and knees
with much enthusiasm. I work hard for several hours, till
the entire surface for many square rods around has been
carefully examined, but find no nest.

Mr. Burroughs reports a nest found " in a bunch of ferns,
and about six inches from the ground. It was quite a mas-
sive nest, composed entirely of the stalks and leaves of dry
grass, with an inner lining of fine, dark-brown roots. The
eggs, three in number, were of light flesh color, uniformly
specked with fine brown specks. The cavity of the nest
was so deep that the back of the sitting bird sank below

%

i':1j

^ II

|H

il!

'>

IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

1.0

1.1

l^|2£ MIS
u^ lii 12.2

IJ&

1

1.25 |||.4

1^

■<

6" —

►

Photographic

Sciences

Corporation

23 WIST MAIN STRUT

WnSTIR.N.Y. 14580

(716) •72-4503

■^T

)

\ ^ ■

Ml

372

THE REDSTART.

I I

the edge." This instance is quite representative of the usual
manner of the nesting of this species. Sometimes, how-
ever, the nest would seem to be less bulky. It is always
well concealed among rubbish, fallen trees, and ferns. The
eggs are some .68 X -51, and have been found in this State
as late as the I7th of July.

Five inches long, the male of this species has the upper
parts of a fine olive-green; head, a fine slate-color; throat
and breast, black, crossed by delicate concentric lines of
slate, caused by a fine fringe of that color on the tips of the
feathers, making the dark spot look something like black
crape, whence the common name ; the under parts, bright
yellow; the female is similar, with the dark patch on the
breast almost obliterated.*

Wintering in the farthest part of Central America, and
even in South America, this bird goes north, in the migra-
tions, to the British Provinces, becoming rare, however, in
Nova Scotia. It breeds in New Yoriv, New England and
northward, arriving in Western New York about the middle
of May.

THE REDSTART.

A few rods off, in a thicker part of the woods, I hear a
bird-song, which at this time of year greets me through-
out every forest. It is the song of the Redstart {Setophaga
ruticilla) ; and, except that it resembles that of the Yellow
Warbler, I can compare it to no sound so well as to that of
a circular tin-whistle with a hole through the center, which,
when held between the lips and teeth and the breath is al-
ternately drawn in and blown out, makes a noise with which
every one is familiar. Simple as is this comparison, to my
ear the song is decidedly pleasing. There is not a little

♦ The female of one pair of these birds, talcen along with the nest by Mr. Bruce, has
the white eye-lids, supposed to differentiate Macgillivray's Warbler of the Rocky Mount-
ains and the Pacific Coast as rt species, thus suggesting the propriety of regarding the:
latter as a mere variety of the former.

THE REDSTART.

373

variety in the whistling tones, and the theme is always well
modulated. Like all bird-songs, it contains immeasurably
more than anything to which it can be likened.

A view of this bird is even more gratifying than his song.
Something more than 5 inches long, the male is black, sides
of the breast, flanks, patches in the wing, and more than
the basal half of the tail feathers, except a few in the cen-
ter, reddish-orange, or flame-color; under parts from the
breast down, white. The female is olivaceous-slate, the
markings being bright yellow where the male has the flame-
color. Though resembling the Warblers in almost every
particular, the bill of the Redstart, in its flat, triangular
shape, with notch and hook at the end of the upper mandible
and its surrounding bristles, is like that of the Flycatchers.
Its habit, too, in taking food, suggests a similar relation.

Among the bright foliage of this luxuriant month, he is
an object of uncommon beauty. How his glossy black sets
off his fiery orange markings as he flits from point to
point, spreading his tail with a jerking motion, and assum-
ing a great variety of attitudes in rapid succession as he
hunts his prey.

The sharp chipping notes, mixed in with the varied com-
binations of his song, remind me that on the 23d of May,
about a week ago, I saw a female building her nest. As a
rule among all species of birds, the construction of the nest
is the work of the female. The male is the musician, the
female the architect. How diligent was this little Redstart
in the enterprise. Every few minutes she returned, her
mouth full of materials, which she arranged in the most ex-
pert manner. The outside completed, she would pitch into
the nest to adjust the lining, and turning round and round,
pressing her breast against one side and manipulating the
other with her feet, a wonderful symmetry and perfection

% 5

•V ■

1

374

THE INDIGO BIRD.

was secured in a short time. What human skill and patience
could ever construct an object like this ? Placed in a crotch
near the top of a young tree or sapling, sometimes between
nearly upright limbs and the trunk, anywhere from 6 to 20
feet high, it is compactly woven of fine fibrous materials,
fitted together and often ornamented with vegetable down
or cottony substances, not infrequently intermixed with the
scales of leaf-buds, and lined with the finest of bark and
grass-fibers.

I have before me a nest, externally much taller than
usual, since it contains two Cow-bird's eggs, successively
deposited, and built out of sight at different depths, some-
thing like the Yellov/ Warbler's Jicst described by Wilson.
It also has several feathers, of some small bird's tail, stuck
obliquely about half-way into the rim. The eggs, commonly
4, averaging about .66 x .50, are white, more or less specked
or spotted all over, but chiefly around the large end, with
reddish-brown and lilac.

Wintering in the tropics, the Redstart arrives here on the
first days of May. It is common in Eastern North America,
generally breeding northward. I found it very common in
the latitudes of Manitoulin Island and Nova Scotia. '

THE INDIGO BIRD.

As I reach a more open part of the woods, seeming almost
like a thicket, I get down on hands and knees in a black-
berry tangle, to explore its mysteries; and at once espy a
bird's nest, built in the declined stems, and sheltered by the
thickly-matted tops. At the first glimpse of it, the sitting
bird drops down out of sight and skulks off; and as there is
so often no certainty in identifying a nest without the bird,
I lie down in this miniature arbor, and await her return.
Very soon I have a number of calls. A fine male of the

THE INDIGO BIRD.

376

Mourning Warbler hops in very gracefully, scans me
thoroughly, and leaves, without salutation, remarks upon
the weather, or any expression of opinion whatever. Next
comes a Yellow-backed Blue Warbler, equally curious and
nervous in his movements, and perfectly reticent. Then a
Song Sparrow, which, ever since my approach has been keep-
ing up a constant racket, to the great alarm of the whole
neighborhood, comes within a few feet of me, scolding and
jerking his tail in a very unamiable manner. Like certain
individuals of another species, he prolongs his call and his
loquacity far beyond my pleasure. At length all is quiet,
and the owner of the nest appears. It is the female Indigo
Bird. A little smaller than a Canary, but almost precisely of
the same form and structure, she is of a plain brown, lighter
underneath, and dusky on the wings and tail. A fine voiced
male, too, is singing near by, which is probably her mate,
all unconscious of the peril of his family. His song is quite
unique, and therefore easily recognized when once well
noted. A sort of hurried warble, quite fluent, and yet
seeming to stick in the throat a little, this melody is one of
the most common in thickets, along the edges of forests,
and about the borders of swamps. Its tones are musical,
being loud at first, but growing faint at the last, as if the
singer were exhausting his lungs; and it is as likely to be
heard in the heat of noon as in the cool of the early morn-
ing.

The mature male, some 6.75 long, is blue, shading into
dark indigo about the head, and tinged with greenish on
the back; wings and tail black, edged with blue. This bird
is generally finer in the bush, however, than in the hand.
As the male requires several years to come to maturity,
many are spotted, by the mixing in of dull brown or gray
feathers, and so, on examination, appear quite shabby.

:.'ii

.» 'C

m

H'i

■ i '

: A

■ i t 1

576

THE GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHER.

Thus assured as to its identity, I examine the nest. Sev-
eral firm, dried leaves are hung hammock-like to the
branches of a forked stem of the blackberry bush, then a
sort of bedding of skeleton-leaves being added, the rather
thick wall of the nest is of fine rootlets and dried grasses,
closely laid, and the lining is of fine bark-fibers and horse-
hair. Another nest in the vicinity is placed in a low bush,
and is similarly made, except that it is heavily ornamented
with the bud-scales and dried staminate blossoms of the
beech, and made hoary with webby material of various
kinds; the lining, too, is of fine dried grasses and a large
quantity of black horse-hair. The eggs, three or four, some
.75X.55 of an inch, are white, generally more or less trans-
lucent, and slightly tinged with blue — said to be sometimes
sp>ecked — truly beautiful, especially when laid on a thick
lining of black horse-hair. These birds are very uneasy and
emit a loud and peculiar chink when the nest is approached.
The species ranks with the Sparrows, and is called, in
science, Cyanospiza cyanea. "Habitat, eastern Province of
the United States — north to Canada and Maine, west to
Kansas and Indian ' Territory, south through Texas to
Mexico and Central America, where it winters. Breeds
throughout most of its United States habitat, from Texas to
Canada." (Coues.)

THE GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHER.

From a group of tall trees, there comes a bird-voice,
which I find most imperfectly described in the books, namely,
that of the Great Crested Flycatcher {Myiarchus crinitus).
Its most common note, tiveep — though in a loud, spirited,
whistling tone, given with a peculiar emphasis, and ab-
ruptly closed — is by no means a harsh squeak, as Wilson and
Audubon say, but, as a mere note, is decidedly rich and

THE GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHER.

877

agreeable, calling forth a fine woodland echo, and impress-
ing one with the animation, courage and bravery of the
bird. Scarcely less agreeable is his rapidly uttered twipy
huipy twiPf iwipy twip^ or even his guttural rattling call, equally
characteristic. Perched in the rather open top of a tall elm,
he appears to the best advantage in the full light of the
morning sun. Some 9 inches long, with the strongest out-
line of that peculiar form which always marks the Fly-
catcher ; standing in a spirited, upright attitude, with crest
erected, his upper parts are a fine greenish-olive, throat and
upper breast, ash; under parts sulphur-yellow; wings dusky,
edged with greenish- white; tail dusky; outer edge of the
primaries and under side of the tail, bright reddish-chest-
nut. His frequent jerk of the tail, as he sits, otherwise mo-
tionless, for some time on the branch, cutting an occasional
semicircle in quest of his passing prey, as well as his struct-
ure and generally pugnacious disposition — all declare his
character as a Flycatcher. This bird is so common in our
forests that his notes seem almost identified with the sum-
mer landscape.

Observing that the greater part of the top of a tall elm
in his vicinity is dead, I suspect a nest in some hollow of a
broken branch, and putting on my climbers, ascend to the
region of dead limbs. I have looked about me pretty thor-
oughly without success, and am about to descend, when I
notice, some distance out from me, a broken limb about six
inches in diameter, and stretching myself along its length,
ten or twelve inches within its hollow end, I look into the
nest, which contains 6 eggs. Jamming my hand down the
passage with much difficulty, I secure the eggs one by one,
packing them in leaves in the crown of my hat, and pocket
the lining of the nest So much, so good. Now I begin to
descend, quite elated over my success. I get about half-

":

: .1

878

THE GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHER.

vray down the perilous height, when lo, some un-
friendly bough knocks off my hat, and with a very un-
pleasant sensation somewhere about my left side, I note the
unlucky curves it makes adown the trunk. All my high
satisfaction over my achievement is sinking to the soles of
my boots, when, as good luck will have it, the hat closes up
against the trunk, supported by an almost upright limb,
thus making the entire contents secure. As suddenly my
contentment comes back, and in a few moments, seated on
terra firma^ I examine my treasures. First the lining of the
nest. * Dried leaves, fibers of bark, wool, hair, feathers, the
end of a squirrel's tail, and true to the never-failing custom
of this bird, cast-off snake's skin. I found a nest in a hollow
limb in an old orchard a few days since, with similar nest
linings — the material, however, consisting largely of stubble,
dried grasses, and pigs' bristles — the different linings placed
in the nest from year to year, lying one on the other like so
many sauce-plates in a pile, thus showing the number of
successive years the place had been occupied. Every lining
had the cast-off snake's skin. The eggs, generally 6, some
1.00 X .^S, are strongly differentiated in color. The ground-
color being dark cream or buff, scratched and brushed in
every direction, but more particularly lengthwise, as if with
a pen or fine brush, with a rich brown and lilac. Sometimes
the markings are thicker on the large end, but generally
they extend equally all over, not infrequently running into
blotches.

Wintering on the Florida Keys and in the West Indies,
this bird arrives in Western New York the first week in
May. Common, more especially to the woods, occasionally
residing in the orchard, it extends sparingly into New
England, rarely beyond the Connecticut Valley, west
to Eastern Kansas, northwestward to Cypress Hills in

THE FIELD SPARROW.

879

British America, and breeds throughout the Eastern United
States.

The local distribution of birds is very interesting. Each
kind of locality has its own peculiar species. Around our
residences, and in the orchard, we find a certain group — the
Chipping Sparrow, the Purple Finch, the Kingbird, the
Phoebe, the Eave and Barn Swallows. In the op>en field we
have another group — the Meadow Lark, the Horned Lark,
the Bay-winged Sparrow, the Bobolink ; in the thickets, yet
another group — the Field, or, more properly, the Bush Spar-
row, the Indigo Bird, the Catbird, the Yellow Warbler ;
the forest birds — the Thrushes, the greater part of the
Warblers and Flycatchers, and certain of the Fringillida —
are quite strictly confined to their peculiar abodes; the
swamps afford a large variety, nowhere else to be found,
while, as every one knows, the water-birds are more or less
attached, by regular laws of distribution, to ponds, streams,
rivers, lakes, or to the ocean. In no way is the instinct of
birds more certainly made known than in the selection of
their local as well as their general habitat.

THE FIELD SPARROW.

As I approach a thicket — a slashing ^ as it is called here —
being a rough piece of ground where the forest has been
recently cut away and where the bushes have grown up, I
hear the peculiar song of the Field or Bush Sparrow (.5^/-
zella pusilld). The notes may be pronouced free-o^ free-Oy
free-Oy free-Oy freey freCy freCy freCy frUy fru; the first four
loud, well prolonged, and on a higher key, while the re-
maining notes run rapidly to a lower pitch, growing softer
and weaker to the end, the last being barely perceptible at
a short distance. The song is quite constantly repeated at

i* ?

880

THE BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO.

short intervals, and has a rather melancholy, but soothing
and pleasing, effect, which sensitive natures readily recog-
nize, and do not easily forget. It is the homely i>ensive
poetry of the thicket — that line of land where the culti-
vated beauty and fertility of the fields end and the solitude
and gloom of the forest begin. The bird is quite shy and
retiring, and therefore but little known. A little smaller
than the Chipping Sparrow, or some 5.00 inches long, and
therefore the smallest of all our Sparrows, it has the usual
colors and marking of that group over the back, lacking
the bright chestnut on the crown, so peculiar to the Chip-
ping and Tree Sparrows, and the striped crown and spotted
or streaked breast, either or both of which are common to
the rest of the Sparrows. It may therefore be readily
identified.

The nest, usually placed low in a little bush, sometimes
on the ground, is a frail, loose structure which one can look
through, mostly of dried grasses and Vootlets, lined with
the finest of the grasses, fine shreds of bark from the grape-
vine, or horse-hair. The eggs, four or five, some .VOX. 50,
are white, sometimes with a slight tinge of greenish or
grayish, specked and spotted with a delicate, almost flesh-
colored red — really pretty.

Wintering from the Carolinas southward, and breeding
from the same point northward, these birds reach Western
New York about the middle of April, and deposit their
eggs late in May or early in June. Becoming rare already
in Northern New England, it extends somewhat into the
British Provinces.

THE BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO.

As I pass along, through the thickets, I hear the well-
defined notes of the Black-billed Cuckoo — chou, chou, chou^

THE BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO.

881

chou^ and cuckoo^ koo, koo, kooy koo^ koo, and cuek-chou-ou^ by no
means musical, but quite pleasing as an odd variety. In a
moment he glides by me. What a straightforward, reg^ular,
noiseless and graceful flight!

It is difficult to get a satisfactory view of this bird amidst
our thick summer foliage. He is so noiseless as he, " still
hiding, further onward wooes you;" and if he stand stock-
still, with head a little on one side, his color is so nearly like
that of the bark of the undergrowth, or is such a com-
promise between that and the foliage, as to render him ex-
ceedingly obscure. No doubt he is very happy in his way,
but he does indeed seem " as solitary and joyless as the most
veritable anchorite."

I creep up to the bush in which he lit, and find a nest, if
indeed so slight and rude a structure be worthy of the
name — a few twigs laid criss-cross, bits of dried fern, and a
few downy catkins of the willow on top — hoiv does the bird
get off and on, and keep the eggs and young on this bit of
trash? The eggs, some 1.12X.83, are elliptical, and of a
beautiful clear or somewhat clouded light green. Arriving
after the middle of May, this bird seems to begin incubation
almost at once. The callow young are indeed queer-look-
ing objects; their skin, which is black as soot, is sparsely set
with white thread-like down. The eggs appear to be laid
sometimes at very considerable intervals, so that the same
nest may contain the young eggs partly incubated, and
others fresh.

Nearly a foot in length, of which length the oblongly
rounded tail constitutes nearly one-half, the upper parts
are an elegant, glossy bronze-brown ; tail feathers, except the
two central, tipped with white, which joins the main color
in a black margin; bill and feet black, eye-lids vermilion,
under parts white. Male and female are alike. The young

889

THE YELLOW.BILLED CUCKOO.

have the feathers above, tipped with white, and the white
underneath grayish. Feeding partly on small fruits, this
species is chiefly insectivorous.

This Cuckoo {Coccyzus erythrophthalmus)^ abundant in this
locality, is a great traveler. Breeding from the Southern
States northward even to Labrador, though he may winter
in Florida, he sometimes goes even to the valley of the
Amazon. As a vagrant, he has been found in Europe.

THE VELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO.

The Yellow-billed Cuckoo {Coccyzus americanus) is about
the size and form of the Black-billed ; and, with the exception
of its yellow under mandible, cinnamon edging on the wings
and wholly black and white outer tail feathers, is precisely
like it in color, habit and vocal performance. It is not very
numerous here. Mr. Ringueberg occasionally finds the nest
in the vicinity of Lockport, and almost every observer
shoots one now and then. The nest is, if possible, even
slighter than that of the former species, being, in one case
at least, merely a "cotton rag, which was firmly caught in
the thorns of a barberry bush." (Minot.) The eggs are a
little longer, larger and lighter green; the notes are generally
regarded as harsher. The intervals between the depositing
of its several eggs are remarkable. Audubon once saw a
nest, containing different grades, from young ones ready to
fly to eggs perfectly fresh; and ascertained that eleven young
cuckoos had been successfully raised from a single nest in
the vicinity. It would seem that the Cuckoo is especially
noisy during meteorological changes, hence it is called,
quite commonly, the " Rain Crow."

The Yellow-bill is a more southern and western bird than
the Black-bill, breeding throughout the United States, but
becoming rare, or absent entirely, as we approach our north-

THE NIGHT HAWK.

383

ern limits. It is also rare on the Pacific Coast. Though
said to winter in Florida, it goes even to Buenos Ayres in its
migrations, and has accidentally strayed to Europe.

Both our Cuckoos are somewhat nocturnal in their habits.
I have heard the loud notes of the Black-bill in the orchard,
a few rods from my study window, at a very late hour of
the night. The American Cuckoo is not usually parasitic,
after the manner of its Europe^'i ongener. .

The Mangrove Cuckoo {Coccy >(s semiculus), found in
Florida and the West Indies, is a little smaller than the
above species, and similar ' its markiiig and coloration
to the Yellow-billed Cuckoo, except chat its lower mandible
is pale orange-bt own, and its outer tail feathers are not
tipped with white.

THE NIGHT HAWK.

As I emerge from the thicket into the open pasture, a so-
called Night Hawk {Chordeiles virginianus) Hies up, almost
from under my feet, and moving in an irregular, zig/ag
manner, alights lengthwise on the fence. In this near prox-
imity, both in flight and in repose, he is a weird looking
object. His odd way of perching lengthwise is supposed
to be an accommodation to his feet and legs, which would
seem too small and weak to support him crosswise. As
he starts from the ground and darts this way and that, as if
somewhat confused, the large, clear white markings of his
wings and tail are very conspicuous, and sharply defined
by the dark mottling of his general color. By no means
abundant in this locality, the Night Hawk may be found
from early in May till early in autumn, about the low
grounds north of the Pvidge. In Northern New England
and in the British Provinces it is very abundant, and be-
comes a most conspicuous object in the summer landscape.
Mr. Samuels reports it so numerous at a place in Maine,

§1

;i ''^t

384

THE NIGHT HA WK.

called Wilson's Mills, that "in the space of every, four or five
rods, a female was sitting on her eggs." Indeed, one of the
most vivid impressions received in many parts of that north-
ern latitude, on a summer's evening, is that of the loud
peeping and booming of vast numbers of these birds. This
evening flight is really fine. The regular beat of the long
pointed wings, now faster, now slower, the bird mounting a
little higher, and uttering its characteristic/^^ with each
accelerated beating of the wings, is somewhat like that of
our smaller Hawks, the Sharp-shinned, for instance ; while
the graceful tipping of the body from side to side, as it
moves in a continued series of curves, affords a still further
resemblance. Notwithstanding this analogy to Hawks in
flight, however, the Night Hawk in structural affinity is no
Hawk at all, but a sort of crepuscular Swift, flying earlier
indeed in cloudy weather, and sometimes even in the bright-
est sunshine, but generally retiring during all the fore and
middle part of sunny days.

Its flight is generally rapid and high, sometimes seeming
to be almost among the clouds, where its frequent motions in
the capture of insects show how elevated a part, at least, of
the entomological world is. The most characteristic act in
the flight of the male is his loud and indescribable boom-
ing, as he drops head foremost from his more or less ele-
vated position, and, with stiffened wings, the tips pointing
downward, cuts a long, abrupt curve. This sound, which
Wilson compared to " that produced by blowing strongly
into the bunghole of an empty hogshead," he thought was
caused " by the sudden expansion of his capacious mouth
while passing through the air." Audubon thought it was
somehow produced by the wings. The latter would seem
to be the more probable conjecture, as one can always see
a change in the wings as the noise is going on. The exact

THE NIGHT HA WK.

385

manner of producing the sound, however, we shall never
know till some ethereal personage can take his point of ob-
servation high in air, and, without alarming the bird, note
exactly its method. The booming is mostly confined to
the breeding season, though it is sometimes heard in
autumn.

These birds do not confine themselves to insect-food ob-
tained in the upper air, but also search the ground. Wilson
shot them on the 14th of August, with their stomachs al-
most exclusively filled with crickets. From one of them
he took " nearly a common snuff-box full of these insects,
all seemingly fresh swallowed." I have also good evidence
that in the more northern localities, they regale themselves
on ripe currants.

Nine inches long, the Night Hawk is black or dusky
above, variously mottled with brown and brownish-white,
with narrow black and whitish rings below, the male having
white markings in the wings and forked tail, and a rather
large triangular or crescent-shaped white spot on the breast,
the female having smaller white markings in the wings only,
and a reddish mark on the breast.

The two eggs of the Night Hawk, placed on the ground
in some open pasture or thicket — a burnt spot seems pref-
erable, as harmonizing best with the color, alike of the eggs
and of the bird without a nest — sometimes on the flat roof
of a house in a city, are about 1.25 x -88, elliptical, the
ground of grayish or creamy-white, being thickly specked
and spotted all over with a greenish-brown and several shades
of lilac. The eggs are generally laid early in June, but I
have seen the young, not yet fully fledged, as late as July
21st, thus indicating, perhaps a second brood.

The summer range of this bird is from Central North
America to Hudson's Bay, while its winter migrations may
25

hi

! I

889

THE WHIPPOORWILL.

extend to the West India Islands and Brazil,
winter within the Union.

It does not

THE WHIPPOORWILL.

The gorgeous hues of sunset have faded into the deep
dusk of twilight. I have been listening to a grand concert
at this close of day, in and around a large tract of wood-
land on these low grounds north of the Ridge. As the
songs of Thrushes, Warblers and Finches die out, the still-
ness is broken by a loud call, commonly described as
** Whip-poor-will" but which to my ear sounds more like the
syllables, chick-koo-rhee. The call is rapidly and earnestly
repeated a number of times, the first syllable, but more
especially the last, being emphasized. The vocal perform-
ance is kept up at intervals during the night, and starts up
afresh about day-break.

Strictly local in its distribution, and partial to swamps
and low lands, the Whippoorwill {Antrostomus vociferus)
must be numerous here, for I can detect its weird call in
some half-dozen directions about the thicket, and in the
edge of the woods which it skirts. I creep stealthily
in this direction and that, as nearly as I can locate the
sound, hoping to get a glimpse of this strange bird of the
night, before daylight is entirely gone. I seem to hear him
exactly in that red osier bush covered with its snowy blos-
soms, and strain my eyes to define his form, but in vain.
I move up a little closer, but presently the sound ceases at
that point, and starts up somewhere else. Thus I am tan-
talized, like one following the will-o' -the-whisp. I spend days
in succession about this spot, but cannot get the first glimpse
of the bird, nor any sound of it, except at night.

Nine inches and a half long, the Whippoorwill bears so
strong a resemblance to the Nl^ht Hawk, that they were

THE WHIPPOORWILL.

387

once supposed to be the same. The difference is mainly as
follows: The Whippoorwill is some half an inch longer,
has a rounded tail, whereas that of the Night Hawk is
forked, has a much longer and more pointed wing than the
latter, and has a plentiful supply of long bristles protrud-
ing from the inside of the mouth. " It lays on the ground,
in the woods, constructing no proper nest, and depositing
only two eggs. These are elliptical, nearly or quite equal
at both ends, about 1.25x0.85, and are curiously scratched
and mottled all ovc with brown surface markings and paler
purplish-gray shell colors upon a whitish ground. The egg
is quite variable in amount of intensity of coloration, some
specimens being heavily marbled, while others appear as
if faded or bleached, from indistinctness of the tracery."
(Coues.)

This sly bird of the night inhabits Eastern North Amer-
ica generally up to SC, wintering from the Gulf Coast south-
ward, and breeding in most of its summer range.

Chuck-will's-widow {Antrostomus carolinensis) is a closely
allied member, along with the Night Hawk and Whippoor-
will, of the Capritnulgidce family, and is found in the South-
ern States generally. It is similar to its relatives just de-
scribed in color and general appearance, but is nearly twice
as large.

Our Night Hawk, Whippoorwill and Chuck-will's-widow,
belong to the Caprimulgida family, w^hich, in its broadest
sense, includes quite a variety of structural peculiarities
and is represented throughout the world, particularly in
South America; but, in the more restricted sense of the
sub-family, Caprimiilginm^ is well represented by our two
genera, Antrostomus and Chordciles. It is this latter group,
therefore, which we shall especially notice. As we have
observed, they are, for the most part, creatures of the

1 1
1 1

; ■;

I

I

I: I
H

't

"•I '■ '..•

'

388

THE CHIMNEY SWIFT.

twilight and of the night, and as such, to some extent, re-
semble the Owls; as in the size and shape of the head — the
very diminutive and weak bill excepted — in the soft, loose
texture, and sombre colors of the plumage, and in nocturnal
habits; while zoologically, particularly in the shape of the
wing and mouth, they are more closely allied to the Swifts.
Thus combining crepuscular and nocturnal habits with
great swiftness of flight, and a bat-like quickness in their
evolutions, as also a most capacious mouth, extending to the
sides of the head and in most cases thickly supplied with
long, stifif bristles, these Night Swallows or Swifts are
especially adapted, as they " quarter the air " in every
direction, to the destruction of nocturnal insects. From
an erroneous notion in respect to the habits of the European
representative of this class of birds, the English call it
" Goatsucker," in accordance with its old Latinized Greek
name, Caprimulgus. The French, however, call it by a name,
which means wind-swallower, and also by another, which
means flying toad.

Thus from some fact or resemblance, fancied or real, the
various objects in natural history are made to bear names,
which, both in common and scientific nomenclature, sig-
nalize them, either truly or falsely, for many generations at
least, and perhaps through all time.

THE CHIMNEY SWIFT.

Returning home near night, by way of the Ridge, just as
a severe rain-storm is setting in, I come to the pass of
Oak Orchard Creek. Here is a large stone building
which was once a distillery. Around the top of the enor-
mous brick chimney, which towers up from this building, is
an immense cloud of many hundreds, perhaps thousands,
of Chimney Swifts {Chcetura pelagica). They are whirling

THE CHIMNEY SWIFT.

389

and gyrating in swift evolutions, the whole body moving
in the same direction like a feathered whirlpool, their
wing^ beating with astonishing rapidity, and the volume of
their sharp twitter being almost deafening. As the black
cloud keeps whirling, becoming more dense as it nears the
chimney-top, every few minutes a section of the great host
drops into it. I watch them till by far the greater number
have thus disappeared. This is a common scene about the old
distillery, and may occur from the time of the arrival of
these birds, about the last of April or the first of May, till
the time of their departure in September. Thinking that
this chimney must be a breeding place, I kept watch of it
from an opening below, which gave a full view of the whole
interior, but not a nest could I at any time detect. Evi-
dently it was only a grand place of rendezvous, such as
these birds occasionally discover in various parts of our coun-
try. Both Wilson and Audubon cite instances of immense
numbers, even millions, resorting to some large hollow tree
as a lodging place, and issuing from it at the break of
day, in clouds, making a noise like thunder.

This Swift was formerly called a Swallow, on account of
certain general resemblances. In its more important details
of affinity, however, it is now regarded by ornithologists
as coming between the Whippoorwills, and the Hum-
mingbirds. This arrangement in classification may show
the general reader how wide and deep are the gaps between
some of the families of our birds.

As the chimney of the old distillery continues to be the
rendezvous of the Swifts throughout the season, although
in diminished numbers during the time of nidification, I con-
clude that it is a place of general resort for the males, and also,
perhaps, for such females as are not engaged in reproduction.
This view, I find, accords with that of ornithologists in general.

^ U

890

THE CHIMNEY SWIFT,

In the uncultivated condition of the country, this bird
placed its nest in a hollow tree, but, being one of those
birds which have taken advantage of the conveniences of
civilization, it now resorts to the chimney, where, though
perhaps somewhat discommoded by soot and occasionally
by smoke, it is the freest possibly from all its enemies.
Look in, through the stove-pipe hole of that large, old-fash-
•ioned chimney, and behold that cute little basket of a nest!
About the size of one-half of an ordinary sauce-dish, it
seems tipped up against its sooty wall, and holds long,
translucent white eggs (.80X.48), of which the fresh yolks
appear most elegant through the shell, and close up to it.
How pretty they look on those freshly-broken twigs, severed
from the tree by the bird in flight, and glued together with
saliva! Scarcely could they have a finer setting than is
afforded by that exquisite bit of rustic architecture, remind-
ing us, in the midst of our artificial civilization, of the free
elegance of primeval life.

Never shall I forget how I was startled from a sound
sleep, one black night of a fearful thunder-storm, by a nest
of full-grown Swifts which had fallen to the bottom of a
bracket-chimney, and were squalling and beating their
wings against the wall-paper, stretched like a drum-head
across a stove-pipe hole. It sounded like a flock of winged
imps in the central space of the room.

"The glue-like substance," constituting so important a
part in the nest-structure, is a viscid matter secreted by
glands in each side of the head of the bird and mixed with
its saliva. This is a common product of the Swifts, and is
especially noted in the case of the edible nest of the Sea
Swallow of the Malay archipelago. " It gathers from the coral
rocks of the sea a glutinous weed or vmx\x\% fuscus^ which it
swallows and afterward disgorges, and then applies this

THE CHIMNEY SWIFT.

391

vomit with its plastic bill to the sides of deep caverns, both
inland and on the seacoast, to form its nest. When com-
plete the nest is a hollow hemisphere, of the dimensions of
an ordinary coffee-cup. When fresh made it is of waxy
whiteness, and is then esteemed most valuable." This in-
sipid thing of Chinese soups is gathered, at a fearful peril
of life, from the caves of the coast of I<ndia, and sold as a
government monopoly, sometimes at the enormous price of
$35 per pound, or even twice its weight in silver.

But to return from this digression; wherever I go, one of
the most distinctive associations of the early days of spring
is the Chimney Swift. Flying so high, that he appears like
one of the smallest of birds, the short, quick beat of his wings
and his sharp tsip^ tsip^ tsip^ tsip, so rapidly uttered, readily
distinguish him. On handling him, you observe that his
tail, which appeared so short when in flight, has the quill of
each feather extended beyond the- web, in the form of a
sharp spine. This aids him in alighting on the wall. The
Swifts are supposed to fly at the rate of a thousand miles
in twenty-four hours. They seem to spend nearly the
entire day on the wing, and when caring for their young,
often spend a great part of the night in bringing them
food.

Some 5.35 long, the Chimney Swift is brownish-black,
lighter on the throat. Wintering south of the United States,
and residing in summer throughout Eastern North America
from the Southern States northward, it reaches Western
New York the first week in May, and leaves early in October.

LAKE VIEW.

Oak Orchard Creek is the principal water-course of
Orleans County, N. Y. Rising in Tonawanda Swamp,
which is partly in Genesee County, it makes a curve of

i il

ft

i

392

THE LONG-BILLED MARSH WHEN.

nearly a half circle in the southwestern part of Orleans
County, and enters Lake Ontario a little east of the center
of the shore line which bounds the county on the north.
The stream is beautiful, especially at its mouth, which is
called Lake View. A drive along its gracefully curving
banks, from the Ridge to the lake, is a never-failing source
of pleasure. Some forty or fifty feet high, these banks may
be abrupt walls of dark-red shaly sand-stone, not infre-
quently streaked with bright green, sometimes entirely
bare, but more frequently ornamented with a great variety
of beautiful vines and shrubbery; or they may be a fine
system of river-terraces, showing the different breadths of
the stream at certain periods of the later ages of geological
history.

THE LONG-BILLED MARSH WREN.

In the sedges and cat-tails, which border the placid cur-
rent as it approaches the lake, are the breeding haunts of
quite a group of birds which frequent the water and its
vicinity in this locality. As one glides along these waters
in a light skiff, on a fine June morning, admiring the trees,
shrubs,vines and wild flowers which adorn the graceful curves
of the bluff on either side, from out the sedges and cat-tails
there comes the sharp metallic twitter of the Long-billed
Marsh Wren {Tdmatodytes palustris). You strain your eyes
to get a glimpse of the utterer of these weird notes, but he
is completely concealed in the tall, thick growths, and
dodges about so mysteriously that you can scarcely keep
the direction of the sounds. There! Now he is in plain
sight, clinging sidewise to that huge cat-tail overtopped by
its candle-shaped blossom. What a wee bit of a bird he is,
seeming scarcely larger than the end of one's thumb,
though, from the tip of the bill to the extremity of the tail,
he measures some five inches or more; but the head is so

THE LONG-BILLED MARSH WREN.

803

thrown up, and the tail so thrust forward, that he assumes
almost the shape of an irregular ring or triangle, and so
quite deceives one as to the length of his slender body.
Brown above, shading almost into black on the crown and
middle of the back; tail, barred; under parts, line over the
eye, and streaks on the back, white; sides, brownish — he
bears a strong resemblance to the rest of the Wrens, but is
readily distinguishable by his white breast. His flight is
short, and every motion is exceedingly quick and nervous.

In the tall bleached sedges of the previous year, this Wren
is very easily seen in May or early in June. Then he is
especially lively, hanging sidewise to the smooth perpen-
dicular culms, or grasping two opposite ones, one in each
wiry foot, his legs stretched apart in a horizontal line; or
tossing himself up several feet into the air, with head and
tail up, he will drop down, with a light and graceful flut-
ter, making his very best attempt at a song as he thus de-
scribes an abrupt curve. That song begins with a rather
harsh screeping note, followed by a rattling twitter, and
ends in a note very much like that with which it began.

Pulling the boat somewhat into the sedges, we wade among
them half way to the knees in water. Here is the nest!
About the size of a common cocoanut, it is woven and in-
terlaced by the dried and discolored leaves of the sedges
and marsh-grass, intermixed with vegetable down, and
sometimes with an abundance of green moss, so as to make
the walls quite thick and Arm, and is lined with finer mate-
rials— perhaps the down from a vacated Duck's nest in the
neighborhood, or the feathers of a Coot devoured by the
Marsh Hawk; it has a hole in the side, so beset with down
as almost to close it up — the artistic structure being hung
to the green or dried sedges or marsh-grass only a few
inches, or sometimes three or four feet from the water. These

\ lis

Ill

804

THE BITTERN.

\

nests are often found in large numbers in the same locality,
the greater part of them being unoccupied. "This has
occasioned the surmise that more nests are built than are
actually used; the idea being that the nervous, energetic
little creatures keep on building, while the females are incu-
bating, to amuse themselves, or because they have nothing
particular to do and cannot keep still." (Coues.) It has
been well suggested, however, that the durability of the
old nests may largely account for the many unoccupied
tenements. The eggs, some five or six, about .60 x. 45, are
a reddish or chocolate-brown, with still darker brown spots
and specks clouded and wreathed around the large end.
The eggs are laid late in May or early in June, and again
late in July.

The food of these birds consists of such insects as inhabit
their aquatic haunts, and "diminutive moUusks." "Win-
tering along our southern borders and southward," their
breeding habitat is from the Southern States to Massachu-
setts. They are not reported from Northern New England,
nor did I see any in the many marshes of the Manitoulin
Islands. Reaching Western New York in May, they leave
late in September or in October.

THE BITTERN.

Standing still in the border of the sedges, and surveying
a large space of lily-pods, I spy a Bittern {Botaurus minor).
Standing stock-still in a clump of cat-tails, with body, head
and neck in a nearly perpendicular position, he is almost
as straight as a stake, and perfectly motionless. In this atti-
tude he continues for many minutes, no doubt enjoying one
of those contemplative turns of mind, or profound reveries,
for which his shady and silent ways have given him such a
reputation. His present attitude is scarcely more common

THE BITTERN.

395

to him, however, than a certain other in which he is often
figured in portraits — that of standing on one foot, the other
being drawn up under him, and his neck so bent or folded that
his head rests upon his breast, his eyes being nearly closed
and his whole air that of drowsy thoughtfulness. Tired of
my own position, and finding that of the Bittern rather
tedious, I clap my hands, when, with a sudden spring and a
hoarse haurk^ he rises to a slow lumbering flight, his wings
beating heavily and his long legs dangling awkwardly be-
hind. Flapping along just above the cat-tails, he drops
down out of sight a few rods off. When he rises high, his
flight is quick and graceful, and bears quite a resemblance
to that of a Hawk. His form is that of the Heron tribe,
but his color is peculiar to himself and his near European
relative. About 27 inches long and about 45 in extent of
w^ings, the male a little larger than the female, the top of
the head is brown, the long, loose feathers falling from the
back of the head, over the upper part of the neck, being
yellowish-brown; throat, white with a light brown streak
through the center; fore-neck, loose feathers on the breast,
and under parts,broadly streaked with reddish and yellowish-
brown; sides of the neck black; back, rich brown mixed
with black, and streaked with yellowish and grayish; wings,
rich dark brown, with coverts of light yellowish-brown; the
whole upper parts being delicately penciled with darker
shades; eyes, yellow. The general impression of the bird,
upon the eye, is that of a ytllowish-brown. The colors are
deeper in autumn than in spring, being enriched with red-
dish-brown shades. The young lack ihe deep black on the
sides of the neck. At any time the Bittern is very beautiful.
Shy and solitary, dwelling in reedy marshes and their vicinity,
he feeds on the smaller mollusks and crustaceans, frogs,
lizards, little fishes and snakes, and such insects as frequent

'

806

THE BITTERN.

I

his watery abodes. Like the Herons in general, he prefers
the twilight and the night for his excursions, but may be
seen abroad at any time of day.

Though by no means as noisy as his European congener,
in the breeding season, especially morning and evening, the
male has a peculiar and startling vocal performance, which
once heard can never be mistaken. It may be at least sug-
gested by its names, Dunk-a-doo or Stake-driver y the former
word imitating the note, the latter naming an act which resem-
bles it in sound. Nuttall, the great interpreter of bird notes,
has rendered it by the syllables, pump-au-gah. I can recall
it by the syllables, ponk-ah-gong, or kunk-ah-ivhulnk. On St.
Clair Flats, where this bird breeds in great numbers, these
weird notes, sounding in every direction, are characteristic
of the evenings in spring and early summer. The stake-
driving begins about three or four o'clock in the afternoon,
continues on into the night, and the notes occur again dur-
ing the early hours of the morning.

As to the nidification of the Bittern, our early ornitholo-
gists, even Nuttall and Audubon, knew little or nothing, and
the latest authorities are by no means unanimous or satis-
factory; some affirming that it breeds in communities, others
that it nests singly, a pair to a bog; some that its nest is in
a bush or a tree, or in a tussock of grass; others that the
nest is always on the ground; while others still assert that-
it lays its eggs on the ground without any nest whatever. I
took a nest the 7th of June, 1881, on Lacloche Island in the
northern part of Georgian Bay. A few rods from the water,
on a rather rocky rise of ground, and in the edge of a grove
of small white birches, it was placed on the ground among
weeds and ferns, and made of small sticks, coarse weed-stalks
and dried leaves; raised about two inches from the ground
and 12-14 inches across, it was perfectly flat and contained

THE LEAST BITTEK.V.

3or

three brownish-drab eggs, measuring 1.00-2.00 X 1.38-1.40,
pointed ovate; incubation being well begun. I found no
other nests or birds of the kind in the vicinity. In my
recent studies on St. Clair Flats, where the nests were very
common, I found some nests built of the dried leaves of the
cat-tails, placed on the water and anchored among the
sedges, after the manner of the Coots, while others consisted
merely of the tops of the marsh-grass matted and flattened
over the water, so slight and flat that one wondered how
they could retain the eggs and sustain the weight of the
bird. The nests were not found in community. The eggs,
generally four, sometimes five, some 1.95 x 1.39, are a brown-
ish or greenish-drab, generally quite dark, and always dis-
tinguishable from any other egg. The nest is well hidden
in the tall grass or sedges, and the bird, sitting with her bill
pointing almost straight up, is loth to rise, sometimes almost
allowing one to touch her. The long down, in patches on the
young, is brownish-yellow, obscurely streaked with brown,
and as it is quite long and plumose, standing straight up
on the head and back, the little creatures are odd
enough.

The Bittern ranges over all North America to 68'' or 60",
breeding from the Middle States northward, and wintering
in the Southern States and beyond. Dr. Coues found it at
Washington in January. It breeds abundantly in some parts
of Maine. Reaching New York and Massachusetts in April,
it leaves in October. It is a good deal smaller than the
European Bittern, but bears quite a general resemblance to
it in color.

THE LEAST BITTERN.

I continue my rambles among the sedges. What is that
yonder, climbing up the cat-tails after the manner of a
Rail? Having captured a moth, it settles back into the

\

;hjl

' ff

ri

%
• 1

^i

- fl

i

ill

nr

398

THE LEAST BITTERN.

shallow water again, and walks along sedately, throwing its
head forward at each step " as if about to thrust its sharp
bill into some substance." It is a Least Bittern {Ardetta
exilis). About a foot long or more, wings only 4-5 inches,
the male, which is slightly crested, has the crown and back
glossy greenish-black; hind neck, greater wing-coverts, and
outer webs of secondaries, bright chestnut; lesser wing-
coverts and sides of the neck, brownish-yellow; fore-neck
and under parts, light-yellow or yellowish- white; eyes, bill,
and feet, yellow. The female has the crown and back brown
and the fore neck and breast streaked with brown and
brownish-yellow. Otherwise, she is like the male. Like the
Common Bittern, they have long feathers on the breast, but
do not have the long, narrow feathers on the back, after the
manner of the Herons. This is the diminutive or pigmy of
its race, having indeed the form of a Heron, but to some
extent the habits of a Rail. So narrowly can it compress
its body, that it has been made to walk between two books
set on edge, only an inch apart. On startling it I see that
its flight is similar to that of the Common Bittern, and like
the Herons in general, when it rises high for a long pull, it
folds its neck upon its breast and stretches its long legs out
straight behind. Like the rest of the Herons, too, its note
is a sort of qua^ and its food such reptiles, insects and fishes
as are found in its habitat and come within its capacity.
It breeds rather commonly in the marsh^^s of this locality,
generally nesting on some pile of matted sedges, but some-
times tying its nest in a bush or clump of cat-tails or sedges,
some 18 inches or more from the ground. The nest is flat-
tish and rather roughly laid of sedges, dried grasses and
debris, containing from three to five eggs, elliptical, about
1.22 X 1-93, white, delicately tinged with green. The eggs
may be found late in May or early in June, and there is very

THE VIRGINIA RAIL,

399

good evidence that in some cases, at least, a second brood
occurs about midsummer.

Resident in the extreme Southern States, this bird breeds
from thence northward.

THE VIRGINIA RAIL.

Reaching a new territory of the sedges, I hear a sharp,
rough note, kreck-kreck-kreck-kreck-krecky which I recognize
as that of the Virginia Rail {Rallus virginianus). Squatting
down in the thick growth, and remaining perfectly still,
they soon come within a few feet of me. There are two, a
niale and a female. Turning the head in various positions,
they eye me very closely, but do not seem at all afraid. I
have a good opportunity to study not only their elegant
form and colors, but also their attitudes. They are 10
inches long, and 14 from tip to tip of the wings; the rather
long bill is red shaded with black; cheeks and line over
the eye, ash; throat white; crown black; v%rhole upper parts
black streaked with brown; a chestnut spot on the wings;
whole under parts rich orange brown; flanks and vent black,
delicately marked with white. The female is a little smaller
than the male, and not qu'te so brightly colored. As is the
case with the Rails generally, the young are black when in
the down. This species is readily distinguished from the
Common Rail, not only by its color, but also by its long
and slender bill. Arriving here late in April, and extending
northward into the British Provinces, this bird remains with
us in considerable numbers until October, breeding quite
commonly about our marshes. The nest, placed on a mat-
ted tussock of sedges, is, neatly laid, and well edged up,
containing some 8 or V) eggs, 1.25 X. 95, creamy white or
dark cream, specked and spotted all over, but more especially
at the larger end, with n:d iish-brown and lilac.

m

1. .

li

400

THE KING RAIL.

\

THE KING RAIL.

The Virginia Rail is indeed simply the " miniature " of
the beautiful King Rail {Rallus elegans), which is some six-
teen or more inches in length, and is a rather southern
species, reaching only the Middle States to the eastward,
but extending even to Washington Territory on the Pacific.

I have taken it in a marsh on the southern border of Lake
Ontario. It is found on the south side of Lake Erie and
along Niagara River, and is very abunuant on St. Clair
Flats. It is a most elegant bird, whose size, rich colors and
stately movements may well designate him as king of his
kind. The coloring may be identified by that of the Vij-
ginia Rail, described above. The voice, too, is similar,
ordinarily sounding like gecky geck^ geek, geek, being especially
audible at night, about the ponds and sluggish streams
around which the bird takes up its abode. When alarmed
or its nest is disturbed, it emits a loud cry, like eairk, eairk,
eairk. The nest of this species is elegant. Placed over the
water in a large tuft of marsh-grass, the bottom in the
water, the top some eight inches above it, and eight or ten
inches in external diameter, the whole is neatly laid of dried
grass well edged up, and gracefully sheltered and concealed
by the drooping tops of the tall marsh-grasses to which it
is fastened.

The eggs, ten or elever, some 1.62x1.20, are roundish
ovate, of a rich roseate cream, sparingly and very distinctly
spotted and specked with reddish-brown and lilac. The
nest iS easily identified, as the bird sits closely. The eggs
seem a little larger, brighter, and more ovate than those of
its marine congener, the Clapper Rail. This species is very
shy. Though one may hear its sharp notes almost con-
stantly from its reedy coverts, it may require much patient
watching to get a good view of it.

THE KING RAIL.

401

The King Rail, again, is very similar to the Clapper Rail
{Rallus crepitans, or longirostris), simply a little larger and

THE CLAPPER RAIL.

brighter, and more beautiful in color. The notorious noise
of the latter, so common to marshes of the Atlantic States
to New York, is very much like that of the gfuinea-fowl,
while its nidification is similar to that of the virginianus and
elegans. The Clapper Rail is not only noticeably smaller
than the King Rail, but the upper parts have a more ashy
and colder coloring, while the lower parts are duller and
more yellowish.

How perfect is the law of adaptation in nature, and how
wonderful are family traits. The natural world is not a
medley, but a system, in which families and orders are
grouped in beautiful consistency of place, structure and
habit. Among the sedges and cat-tails of our marshes is
this strongly marked family of birds, the Rails; with wings
apparently coo short and weak for extended flight, ai.d yet
performing wonders in the time of migration; not only with
a body proportioned and balanced for running, but capable
of compression to the narrowness of a wedge, in order
26

I

I i

\:\

402

THE COMMON GALLINULE.

I

to pass readily through the thick growths of the marshes,
as also to aid them, perhaps, in their peculiar habit of walk-
ing on the bottom under the water in search of food; with
large feet and long toes, in order to support their steps on
soft mire and floating vegetation, and with legs long and
muscular they run like very witches in their reedy maizes,
and were it not for their sharp cackling voices, their pres-
ence would scarcely be detected, though the marshes swarm
with their gregarious multitudes.

The three Rails here mentioned, virginianus, crepitans and
eleganSy constitute the genus ^a//«jy feeding on animal food,
which they take out of the water, they have longer bills than
the genus Porzana, which feeds more particularly on float-
ing vegetation.

THE COMMON GALLINULE.

Rowing further up stream to another tract of sedges, I
am attracted by a spirited cackle something like that of the
guinea-fowl, cray, cray, cray^ cray; and cow, cotv, cow, cow, cow,
the first syllable of each strain drawn out, and the rest
quite rapid, while occasionally there is something like a
musical shake on a reed instrument, decidedly pleas-
ing. Concealing myself as much as possible, I strain
my eyes in the direction of the sound, and presently
see the Common Gallinule {Gallenula galleatd) leading
about her newly-hatched brood. The water is about a
foot deep, and they are all swimming around in the more
open places among the sedges. Some 12-15 inches long,
and so nearly the shape of the Rails as to be placed in the
same family with them; head, neck and under parts, grayish-
black; upper parts, black tinged with olive; bill and frontal
piece extending up from the bill, bright red — this bird
looks like a small dark-colored hen. The newly hatched

THE COMMON GALLINULE.

408

young might easily be mistaken for black chickens, both
from their appearance and from their notes. A more care-
ful examination of the Gallinule reveals a little white on the
under tail-coverts and on the edges of the wings and flanks,
while the greenish feet and legs are ornamented by a red
ring, just below the feathers of the thigh; and the toes are
margined by a membrane, more or less lobed, somewhat
after the manner of the Grebes and Phalaropes. As to food
and general habit, this bird is very similar to the Rails,
while its color, frontal plate, and lobed toes clearly differ-
entiate it.

A little later in the day, as I approach a long reach of
lily-pods surrounded by sedges, I discover a pair of
Gallinules on a log partially out of water. They are sta-
tioned one on each end of the log, with nine little black
chicks strung along between them; and these latter the
parents are busily feeding with something which they take
from the water. A beautiful sight is this happy family in
their own quiet haunts! Without any malicious purpose,
but simply to get nearer, I get into my boat and row rap-
idly toward them. As I press closely upon them the parents
fly for safety, and the little ones, just hatched, leave the log,
run for some distance on the lily-pods, then take to swim-
ming, and, finally, as my boat glides among them, they all
disappear as suddenly as young Partridges in the woods.
Backing out, I quit the spot as soon as possible, and retak-
ing my point of observation, watch the anxious parents
return with coaxing notes and gather together the scat-
tered family, which, readily responding to the call, come
peeping from their hiding-places in different directions.

These birds, which swim, dive or run upon the lily-pods
with equal ease, are to be associated with still waters,
and with that queen of our ponds and lakes, the sweet-

I

•! f

'|i 'I!

■ 1 i

: I i

I

404

THE COMMON GALLINULE,

scented water-nymph. No infant of a royal household
ever sported under a more beautiful canopy than is found
by these Gallinule-chicks, beneath the snowy wreath of
odorous petals and central crown of gold, standing like an
elegant sun-shade in that quiet nook which mirrors the
bluff and the surrounding landscape.

The nest of the Common Gallinule is usually built on
shallow water, among the sedges and marsh-grass to which it
is fastened. About 10 or 12 inches in diameter, and continued
6 or 8 inches above the surface of the water, often with an
inclination on one side, like a platform, for walking up from
the water, this elegant raft, made of the leaves of cat-
tails, sedges and marsh-grass, is neatly hollowed like a
saucer on the top, and contains 9-14 eggs, 1.75x1.20-
1.85 X 1.26, more or less tinged with light-brown and specked
and spotted, especially around the large end, with a shade
of reddish-brown, often resembling iron-rust.

Arriving here, from the region of the Gulf Coast, in April,
they remain until October, breeding abundantly in suitable
places. They are very abundant on St. Clair Flats, and on
Fighting Island, south of Detroit, and are common resi-
dents in Western New York ; but I do not think they
extend regularly far north of the south shores of the lower
Great Lakes. In Maine and the Maritime Provinces, they
are simply accidental.

In the South Atlantic and Gulf States, but sometimes
straggling even to New Brunswick, is the beautiful Purple
Gallinule {Porphyria martinicd)^ described by Dr. Coues as
follows : " Head, neck and under parts beautiful purplish-
blue, blackening on the belly, the crissum white ; above,
olivaceous-green, the cervix and wing coverts tinted with
blue ; frontal shield, blue ; bill, red, tipped with yellow ;
legs, yellowish. Young, with the head, neck and lower

THE COOT.

405

back brownish, the under parts mostly white, mixed with
ochrey. Length, 10-12 inches." The habits of this elegant
bird are, without doubt, similar to those of its plainer rela-
tive iust described.

THE COOT.

Somewhat larger, but very similar to the Gallinules in
structure and habit, and strikingly like the Common Galli-
nule in color, is the Coot {Fulica americana). In color it
differs from the Common Gallinule, however, in being
blacker about the head and neck, and lacking the olivaceous
tint on the back. Its bill, too, is white or light flesh-color,
with a tendency to a dark or dusky ring near the tip;
and the tibia lacks the red ring. Quite common in the
migrations, it arrives here in April, and returns south in
October.* Its breeding habitat is from Northern New
England, the Great Lakes and corresponding latitudes,
northward. It breeds in such abundance as to be the char-
acteristic bird on St. Clair Flats, where they are as common
as hens in a farm-yard. The nest is in reedy pools or shal-
low water about rivers, lakes and ponds, composed of dried
grasses and sedges, after the manner of the Rails and Gal-
linules, sometimes tied to the tall clumps of sedges, and yet
resting on a mass of floating debris; sometimes resting on
the dry ground near their watery abodes. On St. Clair
Flats it is a floating nest, anchored to the cat-tails and
sedges, resembling that of the Common Gallinule, but gen-
erally placed further out in the flooded marshes, toward the
channels and the lake. Some 12 inches in external diameter
and rising about 8 inches above the water, it is almost
invariably built of the dried and bleached leaves of the cat-
tail; the saucer-shaped interior being often lined with fine

H;i''!i

' 1 i

mm

m

* It is said to appear in the Mississippi in thousands during the migrations, and to breed
in immense numbers in Northern Minnesota and Dakota.

406

THE COOT.

marsh-grass. Like that of the Gallinule, the nest often has
a gradual inclination on one side, forming a convenience
for the bird to enter from the water. So free is the motion
of this nest, that it may rise and fa.li with the changes of
water-level, or rock in the storm with perfect safety. The
eggs, some 9-14,1.87X1.27-2.00X1.30, are slightly tinged
with brown, being very minutely specked and spotted all
over with black or dark brown, and so nearly the color of
the bleached material on which they are laid, as scarcely to
be discernible at any considerable distance. The bird does
not sit very closely, but running on the debris or water for
a few feet, takes wing with a peculiar splatter, never rising
high or flying far. When swimming, the Coot will often
allow an approach within shot-range, then starting on a
run on the water, it will rise into the air gradually with a
spatting, splattering noise, which soon becomes very familiar
and distinguishable to the ear. Often shaking the large
lobed feet when clear of the water, it flies with the bill
pointing down and the feet bending upward, its broad
wings differing much from those of the Ducks; and its near
splash into the water being about as peculiar to itself as is
its noise on rising. Very properly do the western hunters
call this bird the " Splatterer." When the black clouds of
a near thunder-storm are overhead, his white bill, in front
of its black head, becomes very conspicuous, fairly
gleaming for whiteness. It is decidedly a noisy bird, its
coo-coo-coo-coo-coo being heard both day and night, the first
note being prolonged on a much higher key, while the rest
are somewhat accelerated. It will often squack similar to
a Duck, and has other notes too unique and difficult of
description to be given here. The Coot is quite playful on
the water, and when the male stretches his neck forward,
partly elevates his wings like the Swan, and spreads his

THE COOT,

407

tail, showing the white underneath, he is quite a beauty, no
doubt, in the eyes of the female.

In walking, and often in swimming, its head is moved
backward and forward like that of the Common Hen, so
that it frequently appears, while swimming, as if walking in
the water. The young are black, with a tinge of rust-red
about the head and neck.

As the food of this bird is similar to that of the Rails
and the more edible Ducks, it is in fair demand for the
table. Dall reports .it from Alaska, and Reinhardt from
Greenland, while its winter habitat is in the Southern States,
and may extend to the West Indies and Central America.
South America has a closely-allied species.

'i ":i)

it

\\\
>i if.

t

F

■Is

■ \\:

i

CHAPTER XVIII.

GEORGIAN BAY.

GEORGIAN Bay lies northeast of Lake Huron, and has ex-
tensive communication with it between Great Manitou-
lin Island and Cape Hurd, as also about the mouth of St.
Mary's River to the north. This bay is nearly as large as
Lake Ontario, and contains islands almost innumerable,
Great Manitoulin, some eighty miles long, leading in size,
and the rest presenting every variety of extent down to
mere rocky shoals. Having pitched my tent at Little Cur-
rent, a village and steamboat landing on a northeastern point
of Great Manitoulin, I make excursions in a small boat to
various points of interest in the vicinity, to identify the
plants and to note the fossils in the lower Silurian rocks
of these islands, but more particularly to study the nidifi-
cation of the birds in the locality. Fossils are abundant,
and there is such a variety of wild flowers, that many of the
islands appear like immense flower gardens, very many of
the plants being different from those of Western New
York.

THE GOOSANDER.

Here I find nearly all the Sparrows, breeding, especially
the White-throat; the Thrushes are very well represented;
our beautiful family of Warblers is varied and numerous;
both the Ruffed Grouse and the Spruce Partridge breed
here; the Eagle's nest is not uncommon; and some of the

THE GOOSANDER.

400

Gulls and Terns breed in immense numbers. I am disap-
pointed, however, in respect to the Ducks. Excepting the
Dusky Duck, very few kinds spend the summer on the bay.
Our three kinds of Merganser breed here, however, the
Goosander {Mergus merganser)^ quite commonly. During
this month of June there is scarcely a day in which the con-
spicuous female does not fly out from some nook or point
as tiit boat passes; and occasionally a group of males are
seen, which, as in the case of the Ducks proper, leave the
female after incubation commences, and spend their time
in small flocks in the most leisurely manner. In a very few
cases male and female are surprised together. Probably
these are instances in which incubation has not yet begun,
or, some accident having befallen the sitting female, she
has managed to recall her mate preparatory to a new litter
of eggs.

The male of this species, about 24 inches long, has the
slightly crested head and the upper half of the neck glossy
green; back, tertiaries and primaries, black; the rest of the
wing white, with a black bar nearly across the coverts, and
the secondaries edged with black; lower back, beautifully
penciled gray; tail ashy; lower neck and under parts white,
the latter delicately and richly tinged with salmon; bill, iris
and feet, bright red. The female is a little smaller, has the
more crested head and upper half of the neck, a light chest-
nut red; upper parts generally ashy gray, with less white in
the wing; under parts resembling the male, but with a
lighter salmon. As she flies, the red head and the white in
the wings are especially noticeable.

In nidification, the Goosander seems to have a partiality
for small islands, of which Georgian Bay and the St Law-
rence River, both favorite breeding places of this species,
are so full. The nest, sometimes on the ground among the

I
I

m

M

it'

■li

^11

410

THE GOOSANDER,

rushes or sedges, and near the water, is rather bulky, made
of dried weeds and grasses, finished with fibrous roots, and
lined with the bird's own soft down.

In the Georgian Bay region, as also throughout Canada,
and I think also in New England, the Goosander generally
breeds in holes in trees, after the manner of the Wood Duck
and the Hooded Merganser. In Norway and Sweden, the
fact that this species breeds in the above manner is well es-
tablished. Having been misled by Audubon's statement,
implying that its nest is invariably on the ground, I lost
much time in my earlier searches for it.

The eggs, generally 7 or 8, some 3.00 x 2.00, are oval,
smooth, and of a rich cream color. As in the eggs of all
the Mergansers, and also those of the Ducks, the smooth
finish and clear creamy tint are strongly characteristic. As
soon as the young are hatched they are led to the water, as
is the case with all the swimming birds. They are an ele-
gant little flock, having the exact colors of the female —
chestnut head and ashen gray upper parts — while yet in
their softest down. How gracefully they swim at once, and
dive like little witches. When they are a few weeks old it
will puzzle any boatman to capture them. Nothing can
surpass the assiduity of the mother bird in caring for them.
How gently she leads and feeds thein, teaching them as soon
as possible to secure their own 1 jod.

Migrating in small flocks, as the winter approaches, the
Goosanders, Sheldrakes or Saw-bills, for they are known by
all these names, spread througiiuui the Union,many, however,
going just far enough south to secure open places in the
streams for feeding. Here they will come from time to time
during the coldest weather, and take their repast, sometimes
showing but little of that fear of man so characteristic of
the swimming birds in general. The bright red of their feet

THE GOOSANDER.

411

and bills is suggestive of suffering cold, amidst the snow
and ice, but their feet and legs contain no carneous or fleshy
substance, only white, bloodless tendons, nearly void of feel-
ing; so this color, reminding one of chilblained hands, is only
a delusion. The best cow-hide boots and woolen stockings
could scarcely make our feet more comfortable than are those
of a Goosander on the coldest winter day, while his closely
imbricated feathers, with a heavy coat of down at base and
well oiled at the surface, far surpassing any suit of rubber,
keep out every drop of water. At this time of year male
and female are generally seen together, though it is not al-
ways easy to distinguish the latter, as* it takes the male some
two years to reach the final colors of his sex. In the early
spring, flocks consisting entirely of the old or mature males
may be seen about our lakes and streams. They are then
probably on their way from the south, and, as is common
with many other birds in the migrations, are preceding the
females. The bright salmon of their under parts gives
them almost a rosy appearance as they rise from the water
amidst snow-banks and floating ice. About this time,
however, many may be seen in single pairs, the sexes
having, for the most part, chosen partners for the season.
Though the Goosander can walk and run well on land,
his home is on the water. Here, as an expert diver, he pro-
cures his food, of small fishes, little mollusks and crustaceans,
and frogs, of which he devours great quantities. For capt-
uring fishes, which he raises out of the water and swal-
lows head foremost, the sharply and backwardly serrated
edges of his bill are particularly adapted. This bird is
fond of plunging beneath rushing currents for its food, and
should it encounter a raft of floating rubbish or an ice-
cake, it will readily pass underneath it. It swims so deeply
as to afford the gunner but a small mark, and dives so

if

■I.

£ i

412

THE HOODED MERGANSER.

quickly at the snap or flash of his gun, that he stands but a
small chance of killing it.

On being surprised, the Goosander may rise directly out
of the water, but more commonly pats the surface with his
feet for some yards, and then rises to windward. A whole
flock, thus rising from some foaming current, affords a
spirited scene. Once on the wing, the flight is straight,
strong and rapid.

Though Richardson reported the Goosander as abundant
in the fur countries, Audubon did not find it in Labrador or
Newfoundland, where its congener, the Red-breast, breeds
in abundance. Though it is common alike to the salt and
fresh waters of North America, Europe and Asia, never look
for it in turbid water. Its voice, which is simply a hoarse
croak, is rarely to be heard except from the female as she
rises from her nest on being surprised, or seeks to extricate
her young from some sudden danger.

THE HOODED MERGANSER.

During this month of June, I occasionally see the ele-
gant Hooded Merganser {Mergus cucullatus) on the more
open parts ot this northern extremity of the bay. Here
it is so exceedingl • shy that I am obliged to study it in
the distance, with the aid of a glass. What an elegant
creature the male is ! About 18 inches or upward in
length, he has a large semicircular crest of long, loose
feathers, so compressed, laterally, that it assumes a thin
edge, thus giving the head a large circular appearance
from the side, and making the slender bill, so peculiar to the
Mergansers and differentiating them at first sight from
the Ducks, to appear particularly diminutive. The head,
neck, back, two crescents in front of the wings, and two
bars in the speculum are jet-black; crest, excepting the

THE NASHVILLE WARBLER.

413

black edge, speculum, stripes in the tertiaries, and under
parts, white; sides, dark chestnut, finely penciled with
black; iris, yellow. The female, somewhat smaller, has
the head and neck brown; upper parts blackish-brown,
many of the feathers being edged with lighter; the small spec-
ulum and under parts, white. The young are brown; and as
they swim, their motion is so rapid that "their pink
feet are like swiftly-revolving wheels placed a little in the
rear," " and the water is beaten into spray behind them."

In habit, as well as in the structure of its serrated bill,
this bird is a genuine Merganser. It is an expert diver, and
feeds principally on fish. It is partial to fresh waters, and
therefore is rather rare on the Atlantic Coast, while it is
abundant on the fresh waters in the interior of Florida in
winter, common on our lakes and streams in migration, and
very abundant on the great water-courses of the northwest.
In winter it has about the range of the preceding, and it
breeds more or less from the Southern States northward into
the fur countries.

Its nest is in holes in trees, after the manner of the Wood
Duck, aid is siinilarly composed. The 6-10 eggs, about
2.12 X 1V2, are smooth, rather spherical, and of a creamy
white color. This species breeds . ^undantly in some of
the Western States in the vicinity ot le Mississippi. The
flight of this bird is so swift that it is very difficult to
shoot it on the wing, and it has occasionally been found
in Europe.

THE NASHVILLE WARBLER.

About four miles and a half east of Little Current is
Strawberry Island, comprising about three thousand acres.
Having heard that certa'.i Ducks breed there in the marshes,
I make an excursion thitaer on the 7th of June. Sarambling
along the edge of a marsh,, where the thickly strewn wind-

414

THE NASHVILLE WARBLEF.

falls of cedar make my way exceedingly difScult, as I scvtm-
ble and nearly fall, stt iking the muzzle oi my gun on the
fallen timber, a Nashville Warbler {Heltninthophaga rufica-
pilld) flutters over a pile of rubbish with that peculiar
tremor of the wings which every oologist well understands.
Knowing that this is a ground-builder, I make diligent
search for the nest throughout many square feet around me,
but all in vain. Meanwhile the bird lingers in the thick
bushes in the immediate vicinity, uttering the soft, whistling
tsipy quite peculiar to itself. Fearing lest I may crush with
my foot the hidden treasure for which I am searching, I re-
tire a few rods and hide in the bushes, hoping to detect the
nest by means of the bird's return. Presently she ceases
her soft alarm-note, and, flitting coyly along, drops down
out of sight very near the place where I first saw her.
Slowly and softly I approach the site, but again she is on
the wing before I can detect her starting point, and again
I fail to find the nest. Once more I go back, and, hiding in the
bushes amidst a tormenting cloud of mosquitoes, await a
much more tardy return of the bird. But I see now, very
nearly, where she settles into the nest, and dropping gun
and all, and approaching with the utmost stealthiness,
I take into my eye the little tract of ground which must
contain the mystery, and clapping my hands by way of
alarm, I discover this time exactly where the bird flies out.
Parting the dried grasses which trail thickly along by the
roots of a little bush, I find the nest — a fraii, shallow, little
affair, of fine dried grasses, lined with bright-red stems or
pedicels of moss-capsules, and a black vegetable production,
looking as if plucked from a man's beard — perhaps old
moss-pedicels blackened from the weather; evidently no an-
imal product, from the manner in which it burns when held
in a flane. This slight structure ii> iucked away \r\ a chick

THE NASHVILLE WARBLER.

415

bunch of hypnum mosses, so that I take up the moss as a
part of the nest. The 6 eggs, well on in incubation, about
.62 X .60, are clear white, sparsely specked and spotted all
over with light-red and reddish-brown, the markings thick-
ening into blotches at the large end.

This instance of nidification agrees remarkably, especially
in the size and appearance of the eggs, with two instances
of that of the same species reported by Mr. Allen, from
Massachusetts, with others, more recently, by Mr. Peckham,
of Rhode Island — the characteristics being that the nest,
which occurs early in the season, late in May or early in
June, is on the ground, and well concealed, having the eggs,
some .62X.50, milk-white, and moderately marked with
reddish tints.

The song of this species is common about Manitoulin
and Strawberry Islands, and does not resemble that of the
Chestnut-side^ which may be heard in contrast with it at
almost any time. The song of the Nashville Warbler is a
composition, the first half of which is as nearly as possible
like the thin but penetrating notes of the Black-and-white
Creeping Warbler, while the last half is like the twitter of
the Chipping Sparrow. As such a composition, its discov-
ery has been exceedingly interesting to me; and may be
imitated by the syllables, ke-tsee-ke-tsee-ke-tsee-chip-ee-chip-ee-
chip-ee-chip.

About 4.50 long, olivaceous above, yellow beneath, head
slate, somewhat obscurely crowned with dark chestnut, its
slender and very sharp bill, without notch or bristle, declares
it to be one of the Heiminthophaga genus. The sexes have a
very close resemblance, the female being simply a little
lighter and more obscure in color and marking.

Seeming to winter in Mexico, this species passes through
Western New York as a common migrant the first week in

! M

p

! ■■■'• m

■ if

1

ll

m

416

THE ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER.

May, and breeds from New England northward to high
latitudes, going casually even to Greenland. It is also
reported from the Pacific Coast.

THE ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER.

Belonging to this same genus, and very similar in size
and coloration. 'S the Orange-crovned Warbler (Heltnin-
ihophaga celatd). V:."-' while it is difficult to distinguish the
immature birds, in ■: . 'i^lete plumage, the difference is quite
appreciable. In the case of the Orange-crown, the oliva-
ceous of the upper parts, and especially the yellow of the
under parts, is not so bright as in the Nashville Warbler; be-
sides, it lacks the ashy on the head, so conspicuous in the lat-
ter, and instead of dark chestnut, the crown is a rather pale
orange. Sometimes this latter mark is entirely wanting. On
the whole. Orange-crown appears a little the larger of the
two. Common in Florida during the winter, it migrates but
rarely into the Northeastern States, but becomes common
to the west and northwest, and even abundant along the
Pacific Coast.

"A nest of the Orange-crowned Warbler, taken June 12,
1860, by Mr. Kennicott, rt Fort Resolution, Great Slave
Lake, was built on the ground inside of a bank among
open bushes, and was much hidden by dry leaves. It con-
tained five ejgs. This nest is built outwardly of fibrous
strips of bark, interiorly of fine grasses, without any other
lining. The eggs are very finely dotted all over — thickly
about the large end, more sparsely elsewhere — with pale
brown. They measure about .67 X-SO." (Coues.)

The Tennessee Warbler {Helminthophaga peregrina) is a
delicate beauty, bearing some resemblance to the last two.
It is quite rare in these eastern regions, but common to the
westward, even abundant, in the migrations, along the Red

THE BlUE'WINGED YELLOW WARBLER.

417

River of the north. Some 4.50 long, it is olivaceous above,
becoming a delicate ash on the head and neck, the lores being
shaded with dusky, and the ring around the eye, and the
line over it, being whitish; the under parts are white, some-
times slightly tinged with yellow. In the female and young,
the ash of the head and neck i i more or less olivaceous. It
breeds far to the north, its nest having been found at Michi-
picoton on Lake Superior. In all stages of plumage it may
probably be distinguished from the two former by its wing,
which is some 2.75, and therefore from .25 -.50 longer.

I

THE BLUE-WINGED YELLOW WARBLER.

On the 18th of May, in Northeastern Ohio, I took a
bird of this genus, the Blue-winged Yellow Warbler
{Helminthophaga pinus). That seems to be about the north-
ernmost limit of this rather southern species. I detected
it from its feeble and drowsy song, sounding like the sylla-
bles, swee-e-e-e-e-zree-e-e-e-ly'wi a decidedly insect tone, and
the latter part in the falling inflection. It is quite suggestive
of the song of the Yellow-winged Sparrow. About 5
inches long; yellowish-olive or light-green above; forehead
and entire lower parts bright yellow; bill and strip through
the eyes, black; wings and tail a light slaty-blue, the former
with two bars of white, the latter with white blotches in the
outer feathers. All the colors are particularly delicate and
beautiful. Female and young similar. Though but an
humble musician, this bin' is very beautiful to the eye. In
keeping with the rest of its genus, its nest is on the ground.
" The eggs, of the usual shape, and measuring about .63 X
.48, are white, sparsely sprinkled, chiefly at the great end,
with blackish dots, and few others of lighter dirty-brownish."
(Coues.)

Mr. S. N. Roads, of West Chester, Pa., found two nests of
27

■ 1

%
1

Il

418

SUNSET ON THE WATER,

this species in 1878. One found the 12th of June contained
young about two days old. The nest was " in the midst of
a clump of tall swamp-grass, on the outskirts of a forest
where there was a good deal of weedy undergrowth not
over two feet high. The nest rested slightly on the ground,
and was quite bulky for the size of the bird; the cavity
was nearly three inches deep by two inches in width. The
structure was composed externally of beech and oak leaves
of the preceding year, which seemed to have been care-
lessly strewn and stuck in as if to form a barricade around
the brim. The lining consisted of fine strips of grape-vine
and inner hvxl of the oak, together with some straws."
Several other nests were found in the same locality.

Wintering in Mexico and Central America, this species
has never been reported from New England, except by Mr.
Samuels.

The peculiarities of this strongly marked genus, Helmin-
thophaga^ are its very sharply-pointed bill, almost like the
point of a needle, and without notch or bristles; the exposed
nostril, and the rather long-pointed wing.

Having spent a very profitable afternoon, my company
and I leave Strawberry Island for Little Current, about sun-
set, our eyes full of the reminiscences of beautiful flowers
and our ears full of the songs of birds. The evening is
perfectly calm, the scene one of the finest I have ever wit-
nessed. In front of us to the west the departing sun is
closing behind him his gorgeous and many-colored portal
of clouds. In the immense sheet of water of glassy
smoothness, every tint of purple, crimson and gold, with
the grand arch above, and the tiniest fleece of cloud, are
mirrored to the minutest perfection. Away to the right
rise the mountains of Lacloche, their grand heights of snowy

RETURN HOME.

419

quartz reflecting the many colors of the evening; and in
the foreground, the bark pines of Lacloche Island and the
elegant landscape of the Island of Beauty, are attracting
the sombre shadows of night. To the left are the green
mountains and sloping hills of Great Manitoulin; and so
perfect is the mirror of the waters that the landscape, as
well as the sky, is double. We are speechless with the
impressive and sacred beauty of the scene. Only the muf-
fled plash of our oars and the ripple of the boat are heard,
and we recall that the meaning of Manitoulin is Island of
the Great Spirit; and that many other names of places in the
locality are associated with the Indian name of the Deity.
Does not the innate consciousness of a God, as revealed in
the beauties and the forces of nature, dwell even in the breast
of the savage? We are reminded, too, of certain passages
in Revelation: "And there were seven lamps of fire burn-
ing before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God ;
and before the throne, as it were a glassy sea like unto
crystal. ♦ * ♦ * And I saw as it were a glassy sea
mingled with fire; and them that come victorious from the
beast, and from his image, and from the number of his
name, standing by the glassy sea, having harps of God.
And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and
the song of the lamb, saying, great and marvelous are thy
works, O Lord God, the Almighty; righteous and true are
thy ways, thou King of the ages."

At dark we reach our tent on the lawn of G. B. Avery,
Esq., to whose personal kindness, as well as that of his wife
and family, we are greatly indebted.

Our next move is to Lacloche, a fur-trading post of the
Hudson's Bay Company, nestling at the foot of the mount-
ains on the north shore. After careful instructions as to the
route, we thread our way through the labyrinth of islands,

wi

;t

\ i

;fl

420

A THUNDER-STORM.

by way of Flag Channel, some dozen miles, and are in full
sight of the neat white group of buildings, when all sud-
denly a tempest sweeps across the bay. In the heavens
above the storm-forces are marshalled in terrible array; the
troubled waves reflect the inky blackness of the sky; the
blinding lightnings quiver along the sombre crests of the
low clouds; the sonorous peals of thunder echo from the
clouds and the mountains; the rain falls in torrents, lash-
ing the angry billows into a white foam. Our heavily-
loaded boat rocks dangerously in great troughs of this
surging sea, and the waters dash over us from bow to
stern. Pointing our boat to leeward, we drive swiftly
toward a small island some half mile away. We reach it in
safety, but the rain has run through every thread of our
clothing and filled our boots.

After an hour or more the rain subsides, but the wind
continues, and we are obliged to set up our tent for the
night. In due time our canvas house, thickly overshadowed
by the trees, is ready for lodging, and we are preparing a
comfortable evening meal over that convenient tenting
appurtenance — a kerosene stove. The ground is thoroughly
saturated, but by the aid of plenty of spruce boughs our
bedding is kept dry, and we sleep a dreamless sleep, amid
the hoarse tones of waves and breakers. On awaking in
the morning, I detect the sun-light through the trees, and
turning towards my nearest comrade, spy a toad sitting
placidly on his rosy cheek. As I send the reptile sprawling
on the ground, the eyes of my friend open wider than
usual at the sight of its upturned under parts; and those
facial muscles, which, under certain emotions, raise the
corners of the mouth, shorten the cheeks and fashion a cir-
cle of cheerful wrinkles about the eyes> work with peculiar
effect.

THE OLIVE-BACKED THRUSH.

421

THE OLIVE-BACKED THRUSH.

In every direction over the island we hear the songs of
Warblers. Here is the song of the ever-present Yellow-
warbler {p. (Bstiva), the hurried melody of the Canada
Warbler, the drowsy notes of the Black-throated Green,
and the slender ditty of the Black-and-white Creeping
Warbler. Amidst them all I hear the song of a Thrush.
To an inexperienced ear it might pass for a poor perform-
ance of the Wood Thrush, but it is decidedly inferior in
capacity, and the tones are not nearly so loud, liquid and
penetrating. I hurry out and look around, but cannot detect
the singer, which becomes silent on the least disturbance in
his vicinity. During breakfast we hear him again, and are
as much puzzled as before. Searching the trees and bushes
around the tent, I find a nest in a small balsam-fir, placed
on a limb near the trunk and about eight feet from the
ground. It is the nest of the Olive-backed Thrush {Turdus
swainsoni). While yet in the tree I hear its alarm note,
qtiit, quity quit ; the syllables being uttered several times,
with a pause of a few seconds after each articulation. The
alarm note, like the song, bears a striking resemblance to
that of the Wood Thrush, except that in the case of the lat-
ter, the sharp syllable is uttered a greater number of times
and in rapid and spirited succession: — quit-quit-quit-quit-quit.
In size, however, about 7-7.60 long, the Olive-back is nearer
Wilson's Thrush and the Hermit; but it is always to be dis-
tinguished from the former by its darker upper parts, which
are of a deep olive-brown, becoming reddish on the rump
and tail, and by its larger breast-markings, and from the
latter by its creamy breast and cheeks, as well as by its
more dusky mantle. The creamy breast shades into the
white of the under parts, and the black spots become more
obscure op the lower parts of the breast.

■iU

&•'

i\

422

THE OLIVE-BACKED THRUSH.

In the trees and tall bushes along Lacloche Creek, which
has a rapid and noisy run of about half a mile from a lake
in the mountains to the bay, I hear the song and notes of
swainsoni quite commonly; but, except in the migrations,
wh'^n it spends much time on the ground, it keeps for the
m st part pretty well up in the trees and bushes, and is so
shy that only occasionally can one get a glimpse of it. In
this locality the similarity of its song to that of the Wood
Thrush can be well studied, for they both sing very com-
monly in closely adjoining haunts, and were it not for the
greater brilliancy and marvelous expression of sentiment in
the performance of the latter, the Olive-back would rank as
no mean artist

For two successive years Mr. Frank H. Lattin, of Gaines,
Orleans Co., N. Y., has found the nest and eggs of the
Olive-backed Thrush within a short distance of his residence,
thus proving a remarkably southern extension of its breed-
ing habitat. One found on the 2d of June, 1880, contain-
ing 4 fresh eggs, was about 4 feet from the ground, in a
small elm sapling standing near the woods in a bushy field.
Another taken June 1st, 1881, near the same spot, and hav-
ing 3 fresh eggs, with one of the Cow Blackbird's, was in a
slim maple sapling, and about 10 feet from the ground.
One of these nests, now before me, is composed of dried
weeds and grasses, and lined with rootlets. It is frail and
loose, resembling that of the Rose-breasted Grosbeak or
Scarlet Tanager. Had it not been so well identified, I
should doubt its genuineness; for the nest of the Olive-back
is generally more bulky and substantial, and very well lined,
though it contains no mud. The eggs, some .90 or .92 X .62,
are green, finely specked and spotted with several shades of
brown.

Concerning that variety of the above species called Alice's

THE HERRING GULL.

493

Thrush {Turdus swainsoni aliciei)^ Coues says: — "Similar,
but without any buffy tint about the head, nof yellowish ring
around the eye ; averaging a trifle larger, with longer, slen-
derer bill. Much the same distribution, but breeds further
north. Nest and eggs similar." It is sometimes called the
Gray-cheeked Thrush.

THE HERRING GULL.

The most characteristic bird of Georgian Bay is the Her-
ring Gull {Larus argentatui). In Collingwood harbor it
sails among the masts of schooners and the smoke-stacks
of steamers almost as fearlessly as if no one were present,
seeming to understand that that city has a special law for
its safety. Any bit of offal is eagerly gobbled up, and the
large quantities of refuse-matter cast overboard by the fish-
ermen are readily devoured by these elegant scavengers. If
a steamboat starts out, numbers follow in her wake, to take
advantage of anything edible which is thrown into the water;
and until the distant port is reached, scarcely a minute are
they out of sight One may amuse himself by the hour
throwing bits of cracker or meat overboard for them. Quite
a distance off they will detect a mere crumb on the surface,
and, screaming with delight, pick it up on the wing. Should
the cook throw overboard a dish of remnants, a considerable
number will alight on the water and ta' _ ■ heir repast at
their leisure. Should one discover a particularly large or
desirable morsel, he will seize it and rise to leave, pursued
by several of his eager squalling comrades. All along upon
the rocks and shoals they stand like snowy sentinels; here
and there they float lightly on the water; or they fly
low over the surface in search of prey, or soar majesti-
cally against the clear ether or the sombre cloud; the entire
snow-white figure of their under parts reminding one fore-

434

THE HERRING GULL.

ibly of the purity of the elements around. The length of
this species being 2 feet or upwards, and its spread of wings
some 4)4 feet, it compares well in size with the larger birds
of prey, and its strong steady stroke of the wings, as well
as its spiral soaring, is very suggestive of the grand flight
of the larger Duzzards. Pure white in maturity, with yel-
low bill and red gonys, a light bluish-gray curtain over the
back and wings, ends of the primaries jet-black tipped or
spotted with white, feet a delicate flesh color, this bird is
an object of great beauty in whatever attitude one meets it.
On clear sunny days of April I have seen it flying leisurely
northward, overland, so high up that it appeared at first
sight like a bit of stray down floating in the atmosphere,
and only as the eye adjusted itself to the distance could its
outline be defined.

The Herring Gull breeds in community in a number of
places about Georgian Bay, sometimes a dozen or fifty
appropriating small rocky islands or shoals, sometimes very
large communities taking possession of larger islands,
or even groups of them. One of the most extPiisive breed-
ing places is the island called the Half-moon, lying between
Cape Hurd and the east end of Great Manitoulin. Here
the fishermen sometimes obtain hundreds of dozens of the
eggs at a time. The nest, generally placed in the most
exposed situation on the bare rocks, sometimes under shel-
ter of the bushes, is a promiscuous pile of trash and dirt —
consisting largely of moss and lichens gathered from the
rocks, of small sticks and dried grasses, of almost anything
to be picked up in the vicinity — pretty well heaped up, and
with a considerable depression in the center. The eggs,
the full complement of which is three, are about 2.75-2.83 x
1.80-2.00. The color is greenish or brownish drab, with
dark brown and light grayish-brown spots, blotches and

THE HERRING GULL.

42.)

scratches, extending more or less over the entire surface,
but frequently thicker at the large end. The thick and ele-
gant down of the newly-hatched young is nearly the color
of the egg. As these birds occupy the same site for breed-
ing, from year to year, it becomes generally known in the
vicinity, or if the spot be remote it is visited by fishermen
and adventurers from a distance; and the nests are robbed
most unmercifully, often until late in summer, the Gulls
continuing to lay in a very prolific manner. The disastrous
consequences of this cruel practice, thus kept up from year
to year, must be very great, rapidly reducing the number
of these birds, so useful as scavengers and so highly orna-
mental to the landscape. It is probably in consequence of
this continued disturbance that whole colonies about the
sea-shore have resorted to the trees for nidification.

Visiting Seal Island, Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia,
last June (1883), I was most intensely interested in study-
ing the nesting of these Gulls on trees. A great part of the
island, as also of other islands in the vicinity, is covered
with a peculiar growth of black spruce (Abies nigra) ; rather
low, as if stunted by the cold foggy atmosphere, the branches
are very thick and numerous for the height of the tree, as if
made dense by the shortening of the trunk; and the broad
top is as flat as a Chinese umbrella. Climbing to the tops of
these trees, one seems to have reached an immense level plane
of dark green, across which a squirrel might run with all
ease. Indeed, it almost appears to the eye as if a man might
traverse it — at least with snow-shoes. My first survey of
this scene was just after a bright June sunset. All over
this expanse of dark verdure, hundreds of Gulls were
alighted, singly, in pairs, and in groups, their chaste white
figures most elegantly tinted with the rosy hues of the lin-
gering sunlight, while many others were describing their

■ it

426

THE HERRING GULL.

grand and noisy circles overhead. In the open spaces, where
fire had destroyed the trees, a good many nests were on the
ground, built as described above; but many more were
on the almost level tops of the trees, and were constructed
precisely like those on the ground. In foggy weather this
immense colony of birds, much magnified by the mists as
they describe their maize of circles in the sky, are a
weirdly grand sight, which cannot be surpassed even by
that of the hundreds that sail through the mists arising from
Niagara Falls in winter. On searching the above locality
for nests, one is well convinced of the increased security
resulting from this change in the manner of nesting; and
one is not a little surprised at the sagacity of the bird,
which has availed itself of so evident an advantage.

Their breeding habitat on the Atlantic is from Northern
Maine and Nova Scotia northward.

At their breeding places these Gulls are quite noisy.
They have a lojd, clear note, sounding like chee-ah, every
now and then repeated, and a shorter nasal hnnky kunk.
These notes are uttered in a very spirited manner, as they
describe their circles high overhead when their nests are
being disturbed. They are also accompanied by a harsh
rattling sound — kuk-kuk-kuk-kuk-kuk-kuk.

''How many kinds of Gulls breed on these shoals?" I in-
quired of an old gentleman, as the tug was nearing one of
the well-known breeding places. " Two," was the answer,
" White uns an' gray uns." So might any one think who is
not acquainted with the history of these birds; but the fact
is that the wliite ones and gray ones are all of the same
kind, the young birds, in their gray plumage, requiring sev-
eral years to reach the mature coloration.

The old gentleman in question must have mistaken, how-
ever, the appearance of the birds later in the season for

THE RING-BILLED GULL.

427

that of the breeding time; for the immature specimens,
though seen in leisurely flocks all summer, farther south on
the Great Lakes, never appear on the breeding grounds in
spring. The colonies resorting thither are all in the full
purity of their final summer plumage, and thus their beauty,
as a part of the landscape, is greatly enhanced. Like the
Gull family in general, this bird has two moults, one in the
spring and one in the fall, and during winter the mature
bird has the head and neck streaked with gray.

From its name, one might suppose that this bird subsists,
mainly at least, on herring, but it captures with equal read-
iness any fish of proper size, dashing at the surface, or drop-
ping into the water, a few moments, to secure it, but rarely,
if ever, plunging after it. It also feeds on various
kinds of moUusks, holding the shell in its claw, after
the manner of a Hawk, and breaking it with its bill in order
to secure the contents. Dr. Coues " once found remains of
a Marsh Hare in the stomach of one of these Gulls." I
have seen it pick up the newiy-skinned body of a Common
Tern, thrown on the water, and gulp it down at a mouthful,
scarcely retarding its flight. In fact, it will feed on almost
anything, and in certain localities is an excellent scavenger.

•^

THE RING-BILLED GULL.

Observing the Herring Gulls, on Georgian Bay, one will
notice certaii individuals very much smaller than the rest,
while their form and color, as well as their general habit, are
precisely the same. On shooting one of these, however, it
will be discovered that the bill is greenish-yellow at the
base, followed by a broad band of black encircling it at the
gonys, while its tip is bright chrome; the angle of the
mouth and part oi the cutting-edges of the bill being red,
and fhe legs and feet of a dusky green. On measuring

.as,

' ■!

428

THE RING-BILLED GULL.

it, it is found to be only 18-20 inches long and some 48
inches in extent; thus being much smaller than the Herring
Gull, while the colors of its bill and feet fully differentiate
it. From the dark ring around its bill, ** is called the
Ring-billed Gull {Larus delawarensis). It has nearly the
same diet and habitat as its near relative, which it ^ losely
resembles.

About 44 miles northeast of Collingwood, and somewhat
north of the route from that city to Parry Sound, are the
Western Islands. They are in two thick groups, the largest
islands containing several acres each, the smallest being
mere rocky shoals. One of the largest has a few trees,
most of the rest contain a few shrubs, and more or less
small vegetable growth and grasses on some of the ledges
of rock. They are many miles from any human habitation,
resting quietly in the grand solitude of this waste of
waters. On one of the larger islands of these groups, the
Ring-bills breed in immense numbers. As one nears the
shores they literally swarm with many hundreds, if not
thousands, of these elegant birds. The rocks and the
waters along the shore are literally white with them. Ap-
proaching still nearer, they take alarm, and rise like an
immense living cloud. The very air, rustling with the noise
of their snowy wings, seems alive with them; and still they
rise from the more distant parts of the island, until their
numbers are overwhelming. Rising high overhead, the
great mass spread out somewhat, and describing their
graceful circles, intersecting each other at points innumer-
able, form most complicated and animated fi^ares of huge
dimensions against the sunlit ether or the thick veil of
dark clouds. Now they become very noisy, their voices
being quite similar to that of the Herring Gull. Presently
the great excited mass separates into sections; several

THE RING-BILLED GULL.

42»

large groups drop into the water near by, and whiten its
surface for some distance; others continue their flight far-
ther away, while not a few still linger near to watch the fate
of their treasures, and keep up an uneasy chattering di-
rectly overhead. The nests on the island are found to be
almost numberless, some of them being so close together,
that the sitting birds must almost touch each other. In
the style of the nest, the shape, color and number of the
eggs, and the color of the newly-hatched young, there is
the greatest resemblance to the nidification of the Herring
Gull; only, in accordance with the diminished size of the
birds, both nests and eggs are much smaller; the latter
being 2.07-2.50 x 1.63-1.70. On the whole, the marking of
these eggs tends more to blotches than is the case with the
eggs of the near but larger relative. Also the bills and feet
of the young are noticeably darker. Passing by many
nests containing newly-hatched young, and others with
eggs, through the shells of which the peeping chicks have
already thrust their bills, one may gather a sufficient sup-
ply of eggs for study, scarcely affecting the number on the
whole.

The full-grown young, on through its years of gradual
change into the maturity of coloration, bears a close resem-
blance to the Herring Gull of corresponding age; in fact,
in shades and markings is about identical. The resem-
blance of these two species also holds good in respect to
the mature birds in their annual changes of plumage.

The Gulls proper are a well-marked subdivision of the
Gull family in general, that family including Jaegers, or
Skua Gulls, Gulls proper, Terns and Skimmers. Some of
the differentitating characters of the Gulls proper are:
the rather long, deep and much compressed bill, well
hooked toward the point, with peculiar enlargement at the

\\

430

THE RING-BILLED GULL.

gonys, and sharp cutting edges; tail generally even; body
thick, and wings broad, as compared with the Terns, for
instance, while they are usually of larger size; feet and legs
stout for birds of their class; and the bouyancy with which
they float on the water, on account of their small bodies as
compared with the bulk of their plumage. In form, gener-
ally, the whole sub-family aie so similarly moulded, that
any eye of moderate discrimination can recognize them.
In size and color they are subject to great variation.

CHAPTER XIX.

TENTING ON THE NIAGARA.

THE Niagara ranks with the most interesting rivers of the
world. Its great gorge, cut from Queenstown Heights
to Niagara City by the constant recession of the falls, is
not only grand in itseli, but affords the most important
data for reckoning geological time, and also a most ad-
mirable illustration of the rock strata of the upper silurian
age; while the falls are not second to any of nature's won-
ders. Indeed, from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario, the river
is throughout an object of varied beauty. As this work is
written especially from Western New York as a point of
view, I have thought it necessary to spend time on this
grand water-course; and that time has been passed mostly
in tenting. For this kind of recreation no locality could
be finer than Buckhorn Island, which is separate from
Grand Island by Burnt-ship Creek. Here I once pitched
my tent, in the middle of Augusit, under the shade of a
large maple in the edge of an open grove with a green
sward almost equal to a lawn, which, undermined along
the margin of the river, dropped over the low bank to the
water's edge like a fine terrace. Thus located on the very
brink of the river, the east end of the tent opened toward
Tonawanda, the west toward Niagara City and the Falls,
which were some four miles distant and in full view.
Directly north was the village La Salle, and the fine country

I'll

■i !!

432

TENTING ON THE NIAGARA.

along the river. The waters of this river being the outlet
of one great lake into another, and therefore wholly unlike
those rivers which drain alluvial soils, are remarkably pure.
Hence, the sheet of water east of Buckhorn, about a mile
in width, and breaking into the rapids to the south and
west, is an ever changing scene of great beauty. In certain
hours of the day, when the sky is bright, the color is a deli-
cate green, compared with which the clearest sky looks
dark and inky. In no other waters, of river, lake or ocean,
have I ever seen so bright and beautiful a tint of green.
When tossed by the wind this sheet of green is ornamented
with large snow-white crests of foam. Again it assumes a
deep purple or a cold gray, or almost a deep black, when
frowned upon by a darkly clouded sky. The roar of the
falls is nearly as distinct as it is in the immediate vicinity,
and the mist, which rises constantly, is ever changing, both
in quantity and appearance. Sometimes it is barely per-
ceptible, or even disappears entirely; again it is a thick
column, and forms a dense cloud. Generally it is about the
color of steam; sometimes it is like a column of black
smoke against the gaudy tints of sunset. I occasionally
see it, toward the close of day, of a delicate rose-tint and
once after a heavy storm, as the sun, nearing the horizon,
threw a flood of light from behind the black cloud formed
above the cataract, the mist, as it rose, was a bright flame-
color; and, rolling among the trees on the Canadian side,
seemed like a raging fire. The city was wrapped in a
golden cloud, and the whole landscape to the east was
bathed in a rosy mist.

Next to the sweet and simple pleasures of childhood are
those of tenting out. O, the delicious quiet and freedom,
as I recline on the grass with my good and companionable
friend, to partake of the simple but palatable meal which

THE SPOTTED SANDPIPER.

433

our own hands have prepared; or bend over the side of
the boat and wash our few dishes of bright tin; or sit in
the tent door at the close of day reading or watching the
birds on this grand water-course. It reminds one, too, of
the ancient, patriarchal days when Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob dwelt in tents; and thus carries us back from our highly
artificial and complicated age of living, and gives us a
glimpse of the quiet peace and simplicity of the olden
times — of the sweet infancy of human history. What an
object of beauty is a new wall-tent — almost as white as
snow — upon the clear roof of which, through the ever mov-
ing trees, play, by day, the shadows of the sunlight, and by
night, the shadows of the moonlight. My carpet, too, of
rich green-sward intermixed with a variety of small plants,
is a real study in botany. Here I rest sweetly on the very
bosorri and near the heart of nature.

THE SPOTTED SANDPIPER.

The most constant bird-note along the river and the shore
is the rapidly uttered/^-r/, ^vect^ tveet, weet, weet, or wreet, wreet^
wreet, wreety of the Spotted Sandpiper {Tringoides macular ius),
a most common and characteristic bird throughout North
America; unlike most of its tribe, which go far north
for nidification, it breeds from Texas to Labrador, and as
abundantly along the waters of the interior, as in the vicin-
ity of the sea. Its well pronounced notes express the very
soul of sweet content and cheerfulness. Who could be the
victim of care or melancholy, nesting in the quiet haunts
enlivened by such sprightly tones ! Scarcely less melodious
are they than the tender utterances of the piping Plover.
Indeed, but few of the sylvan songsters can render their
strains more suggestively pleasing. On the ground or in
the air, it is exceedingly graceful. As the bird alights and
28

I*

W'<\

434

THE SPOTTED SANDPIPER.

begins to run, the passage from one kind of locomotion to
the other is so easy, one can scarcely see where flight ends
and running begins.

It has, moreover, two distinctive habits of motion, which
may keep time with its notes, and really become a part of
the landscape of its haunts about lakes, ponds and streams.
The firsty pertaining to its flight, is the tremulous vibration
of its long-pointed wings, curving downward after certain
regular strokes. The second is the perpendicular sweep of
the tail and hinder part of the body, so rapid and constant
while the bird is alighted as to give it the common name,
Tip-up. Both these motions are exceedingly graceful, and
add greatly to the character and charm of this gentle, con-
fiding bird, the most common of all our Waders. The peculiar
note, and the motion while on the ground, are both assumed
by the young about as soon as they leave the shell.

Arriving in this district, and in the Middle States gener-
ally, about the middle or twentieth of April, it is exceed-
ingly sprightly and musical on all our water-courses, retir-
ing to the fields, late in May or early in June, for nidification.
The nest is on the ground, in any cultivated field or past-
ure, or about barren shores, generally near, but sometimes
rather remote from water, and ordinarily consists of a
loose arrangement of dried grasses or straw, but it seems to
increase in bulk and elaborateness of structure as the bird
extends northward. In Labrador, Audubon found these
nests " made of dry moss, raised to the height of from six
to nine inches, and well finished within with slender grasses
and feathers of the Eider Duck," In this locality they
are found, also, well sheltered beneath shelving rocks. As
its breeding habitat is so extensive, its time of nidification
varies with the locality. In Texas, Audubon saw the young
" well grown " by the fifth of May, while in Newfoundland

THE SPOTTED SANDPIPER.

435

they were "just fully fledged" by the eleventh of August.
The parent leaves the nest with much reluctance, and man-
ifests the greatest distress as she hobbles and flutters along,
or even prostrates herself on the ground, at a short distance,
uttering the most plaintive notes. The 4 eggs, 1.35 X. 92,
are a grayish cream, specked, spotted and heavily blotched
with dark brown and also a lighter tint. Like the eggs of
the Waders in general, they are quite pointed, and large for
the size of the bird. When in the down, the young are
gray, having a black stripe over the back, and one behind
each eye.

This bird spends the winter in the Southern States, but
extends also through Mexico and Central America to South
America. It is 7.00-8.00 long ; bill about 1.00, and grooved
nearly to the tip ; head and neck slender; color above, a
bronze-olive, much like that of a Cuckoo, with fine central
lines or wavy cross-bars of black; eye-lid, line back from the
eye and under parts, pure white in the mature birds, and
finely spotted with black, the young lacking the black spots.

The Solitary Sandpiper {Totanus solitarius),^ox£it%,^\on%
and 17.00 in extent, is "dark lustrous olive-brown, streaked
on the head and neck, elsewhere finely speckled with whitish;
below, white, jugulum and sides of neck with brownish
suffusion, and dusky streaks; rump and upper tail-coverts
like the back; tail, axillars and lining of wings, beautifully
barred with black and white; quills entirely blackish; bill
and feet blackish ; young, duller above, less speckled, jugu-
lum merely suffused with grayish-brown." This "shy, quiet
inhabitant of wet woods, moist meadows, and secluded
pools, rather than of the marshes," is not gregarious, and
is often found singly. Its nidification is but imperfectly
known. An egg from Vermont, well identified, was de-
scribed by the late Dr. Brewer. Mr. Jas. W. Banks, of St.

436

THE BANK SWALLOW.

John, N. B., found a nest containing 3 eggs on the shore of
a lake in the suburbs of that city, July 3d, 1880. It was
" about 200 yards from the edge of the lake, on a dry spot
in the midst of a rather swampy patch of meadow." Mr.
Maynard gives the following description of a set of eggs well
identified,from Utah. Dimensions from .95 X 1.35-1.00 X 1.40;
varying from creamy to pale buff in color, spotted and
blotched with umber-brown of varying shades, with the
usual pale shell markings.

THE BANK SWALLOW.

Just above the tent where the bank curves gracefully and
is quite a little above its ordinary height, a community of
Bank Swallows have selected their summer residence. A
grand sheet of water is this for them to skim, in their grace-
ful aerial evolutions. In every way a most delightful
summer resort do they find this. Five inches long, dull
or grayish-brown above, wit^ pectoral band of the same,
and white underneath, like ihe Swallows generally, the
Bank Swallow {Cotyle riparid) reaches us late in April or
early in May. In communities about river-banks, or quite
as readily in sand pits remote from the water, excavating
eighteen inches, or two feet, into soft, sandy earth, they place
in an enlargement, at the end of the burrow, a nest consist-
ing of dried grasses, loosely arranged, and containing four
or five white eggs, some .68 X .50. A first set is laid late in
May or early in June, and a second may follow later.

Breeding in North America generally, and spending the
winter from our southern coast southward into the West
India Islands, Cotyle riparia is found also in Europe.

The Bank Swallow is easily mistaken for the Rough-
winged Swallow {Stelgidopteryx serripennis)\ very similar in
its general appearance and habit; but the latter can be dis-

THE KINGFISHER.

437

tinguished, when flying towards one, by the absence of the
pectoral band of the former; and when in the hand, it is
found to be a little larger, not so clear white underneath,
and lacking " the curious little tuft of feathers at the bottom
of the tarsus," so characteristic of the former; while the
recurved outer web of the primaries, in the male, equally
differentiates it, as well as secures its common name. It,
too, generally breeds in banks, though " it has been found
breeding about the piers and abutments of bridges, etc."
(Coues.) It is "distributed, during the breeding season,
throughout the United States exclusive of New England."
(Maynard.)

The Bank Swallow, unlike the Swallows generally, seems
unaffected, in its habits of nidification, by the introduction
of civilization; but both it and the Rough- wing seem less
noisy and less musical than their congeners.

THE KINGFISHER.

Never did I see anywhere so many Kingfishers as on the
Niagara River. At my tenting ground, on Buckhorn
Island, they were almost constantly in view, and never before
did they seem to me to be so fine an ornament to the land-
scape. Their flight, as they passed up and down those
lovely waters, moving in long curves, caused by a more
rapid beating of the wings every few yards, and thus throw-
ing themselves up at intervals, was really graceful. Their
forms, too, seemed especially graceful; their long wings, so
finely marked, as they opened in flight, with a long bill and
crest overtopping the pure white neck, all added to the
pleasing figure. The Kingfisher can hover as elegantly as
any Falcon, while he eyes his prey in the clear depths; and
his adroitness in plunging head first into the water, utterly
burying himself in search of his sprightly game, and again

^'1'

43a

THE KINGFISHER.

emerging and putting off with an air of real pleasure, is very
animating to the beholder, to say the least. One almost
feels like clapping his hands at the success of the feat. I
watch him with interest even as he alights upon a stake or a
limb over the water, intent upon his prey beneath, occasion-
ally jerking his tail, or repeating his peculiar rattle, often
compared to the whistle of a night-watch, but sounding
really musical in this pleasing solitude.

Reaching this locality as early as the 18th of March — for
they barely go far enough south in winter to find the streams
clear of ice — they are already prospecting for a nest by the
first week in April. The nest is near the inner extremity of
a hole in the bank of a stream or pond, some 4 or 5 feet
from the entrance; often near the surface, but if the bank
be high, it may be a number of feet below. The nest con-
sists of a few sticks or a little straw, with some feathers;
and contains some half-dozen pure white eggs, about 1.32 X
1.05. Incubation, which is performed by both parents, lasts
about two weeks, and the young receive the best of atten-
tion. When they are disturbed, it is said " the mother
sometimes drops on the water as if severely wounded, and
flutters and flounders as if unable to rise from the stream,
in order to induce the intruder to wade or swim after her,
whilst her mate, perched on the nearest bough, or even on
the edge of the bank, jerks his tail, erects his crest, rattles
his notes with angry vehemence, and then springin'^ *Y,
passes and repasses before the enemy with a continu . y
of despair."

About a foot long, the Kingfisher {Ceryle alcyon), is slaty-
blue above, including the long crest and band across the
breast, the shafts of the feathers black, spot in front of the
eye, collar around the neck, and under parts generally, pure
satiny white, quills and tail-feathers mostly black, spotted

HIE MARSH HA WK.

439

with white, wing-feathers and wing-coverts often tipped
and specked with white, the long bill black, toes much
joined together; the female, with a chestnut band across
the lower breast, just below the one of slaty blue, has also
chestnut along the sides.

The fish-diet of this bird makes it very disagreeable to
the taxidermist. It is a most characteristic bird of North
America, reaching to Central America and the West India
Islands. About the valleys of the Rio Grande, Colorado
and southward, there is a beautiful green species but 8 inches
long, called Cabanis' Kingfisher. These make up the King-
fishers of our continent.

THE MARSH HAWK.

While the northern or front side of Buckhorn Island is till-
able upland, affording a profitable fruit farm and an elegant
grove, the southern part, along Burnt-ship Creek, is an exten-
sive marsh, with an abundance of tall grass and sedges,
elegantly ornamented with wild flowers, and an occasional
group of alders. Here I take a stroll, gun in hand. A
quieter spot it would be difficult to find, but oh ! how trying,
to a sweet temper even, to traverse these hummocks! They
are scarcely larger than a man's hat, and afford such a luxu-
riant growth of tall marsh-grass, that one can scarcely
force the foot through it, while all the interspaces are a bot-
tomless soft mire. I make my perilous way, catching hold
of the grass to support my uncertain steps, and unable to
observe anything, when lo! I am startled by putting up a
fine female of the Marsh Hawk or Harrier {Circus cyaneiis
van hudsonius). She rises but a few feet ahead of me, and
on reaching the spot I find the feathers of the Common
Rail, the late quarry of the startled bird. These Hawks
are so plenty as to be almost constantly in sight about this

i

1 1

* '

440

THE MARSH HA WK.

marsh, being about as common here as on the salt marshes of
New Jersey. With long wings and tail, they always fly rather
low, often near the ground, and never very swiftly. Accus-
tomed to pass and repass while searching thoroughly a given
locality, they generally sail, with a few occasional strokes
of the wings to gain a new impulse. Either the clear bluish-
gray male, or the mottled and stn^aked reddish-brown female,
each having the conspicuous white spot on the rump, may
be readily recogniied. When the mature male passes
over you, excepting a few dark markings near the throat or
breast and the black points of his wings, he appears almost
pure white. This species has indeed "a queer owlish physi-
ognomy, produced by the shape of the head, and especially
by the ruff of modified feathers, which in its higher develop-
ment is characteristic of the Strigida" or Owls

The female is very noticeably larger than the male, being
some 20-21 inches in length, while the former is but 16-18
inches, and somehow appears more frequently, in migratory
periods at least, in the low flight which this bird makes in
search of its lowly prey of insects, mice, snakes, and frogs.
Of the latter, Circus is said to be especially fond, so that one
writer affirms that "these goggle-eyed and perspiring creat-
ures suffer more from the Harriers than from all the school
boys that ever stoned them of a Saturday afternoon." It
will readily be seen that this bill of fare necessarily attracts
them to marshes and bogs. In these "watery preserves"
they may not infrequently feast upon a Rail or a small
Wader. In every case, like the Buzzards in general, they
drop upon their prey and devour it on the spot, thus
differing greatly from the Falcons, which dash upon their
victims in the swiftest flight, and from many of the Rap-
tores, which convey their prey to fancied places for con-
sumption.

THE CAROLINA RAIL.

441

The nest, placed on the ground in some marshy spot, and
more or less neatly arranged of dried grasses, sometimes
resting on a slight bed of sticks, is about a foot in diameter
and three or four inches in depth, and is sometimes partly
sheltered by shrubbery. It contains some four or five
greenish-tinted eggs, some 1.85x1.45, sometimes obscurely
marked with brownish or lavender. This species generally
breeds in May or early in June. Arriving here in April, it
leaves for the south rather early in the fall.

Of this species, variety hudsonius, is found throughout
North America, variety cyaneus in Europe and Asia, while
cinereus belongs to South Amei ica.

THE CAROLINA RAIL.

But for the feathers of this Carolina Rail (Porzana Caro-
lina), left after the meal of the Marsh Hawk, the stranger
to ornithology might not suspect its presence in this marsh;
for they may abound, in one of these sedgy, reedy localities,
and yet be so closely concealed as to elude all ordinary
observation. They are abundant, however, in the marshes
and about bodies of water, throughout the middle districts
of our Union, and far to the north, from April till late in
October, disappearing, it would seem, on the approach of
cold weather. If iiie observer will carefully hide himself in
these marshy resorts, near the close of day, he may
hear their queep-eep-ip-ip-ip-ip-ip-ip^ or quaite, quaite, peep, peep,
kuk-kuk-kuk — the first two or three syllables in long-
drawn, coaxing tones, and the remaining syllables shorter
and more hurried — representing the vocal performance of
this species. Here, too, especially if he be near the
border of some sluggish pool, he ma> have frequent
glimpses of Porzana, as it runs with tail erect upon
the Hlypods in search or its food of smell aquatic

'i

i

442

THE CAROLINA RAIL.

; ill
III

animal, as well as vegetable life, but particularly the seeds
of weeds.

How gracefully it walks along that floating log, moving
its head forward and backward in dainty dove-like jerks to
keep its center of gravity, and also jerking its tail forward
with a quick spreading motion. Leaving the log and trav-
ersing the floating debris, it slumps in and wa'^os or swims
for a short distance without the least inconvenience.

While traversing a marsh, in the beautiful days of Octo-
ber, one may every now and then see it start up from almost
under foot, and flying with apparent feebleness just above
the tops of the grass, with legs dangling carelessly down-
ward, drop suddenly out of sight again, to be put up a
second or third time perhaps, but finally depending
upon the strength and facility of its legs, rather than upon
its more feeble wings, for safety. Its body, too, becoming
almost as flat as one's hand at pleasure, can wedge its way
through sedge!) and rushes, almost with the ease of a mouse.
It is equally expert as a diver, clinging with its feet for
some time to the reeds under water, or, when compelled to
breathe, hiding dexterously under floating herbage, merely
protruding its head or bill above the surface. Being in
good requisition for the table, it has been extensively hunted,
especially about the marshes of Delaware and Chesapeake
Bays, where it is very numerous. Wilson gives a full
account of the manner of capturing these birds in his day —
a general slaughter, decidedly repulsive to good sense and
humane feelings.

The nest, built here late in May, in its favorite localities,
is placed on a matted tussock of dried sedges or grasses.
It is quite basket-like, tied just above the water, neatly laid
of fine materials, well edged up, and having the tops of the
grasses elegantly woven together as a canopy over the nest.

THE CAROLINA RAIL.

443

It contains T-ia eggs, some 1.20X.90, of a rich, clear brown-
ish drab, with scattered and distinct specks, and large spots
of dark umber and light gray. The young, looking like
diminutive black chickens, with a bit of red under the chin,
run about as soon as hatched.

Some 8-9 inches long, with the short, round wings, short
pointed tail of soft feathers, and long slender toes, common
to all the Rails, but with the shorter, stouter bill, common
to the genius Porzana^ it is olive-brown above, spotted with
black and streaked with white; space around the base of
the bill, and stripe down the throat and breast, black; sides
of the head, neck and breast, ash, shading into the olive-
brown above; flanks crossed with white and black or brown-
ish-gray; belly, white; under-tail coverts rufescent. The
young have the markings, especially those about the head,
somewhat obscure.

These Rails may move with prolonged and steady flight,
sometimes in flocks, spending the winter in the Southern
States and beyond. They have alighted on vessels far out
at sea.

In this genus Porzana, distinguishable from the genus
Rallus principally by the shortness of the bill, are the Yel-
low Rail (Porzana noveboracensis) and the Black Rail {Porzana
j'amaiccnsis). They are both very small, about 5.00-6.00 long,
the latter being an extremely southern species, in fact, be-
longing more particularly to Central and South America,
and the former a rather rare one of Eastern North America,
sometimes going as far north as Hudson's Bay. It is occa-
sionally found in Western New York. The general color is
blackish, marked or varied with ochery-brown, the nar-
row white edges of the feathers appearing like semicircles,
while there are also narrow transverse bars of white, the
breast being ochery-brown and becoming light on the belly.

444

THE WOODCOCK.

I'

I ■

Audubon reported this little Rail as abundant in the ex-
treme Southern States, but it is now regarded as rather rare
throughout its range. The above author gives its nest as
made in a tussock of grass, and its eggs as white. Dr.
Coues describes a set of the eggs in the Smithsonian Insti-
tution as " rich, warm, buffy-brown, marked at the great
end with a cluster of reddish-chocolate dots and spots.
Size 1.15X.85 to 1.05X.80."

The rare eggs of the little Black Rail, which have been
found as far north as New Jersey, "are 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. * * * Dimensions 1.05X.80."

The head and under parts of this bird are grayish-black,
the upper parts black, speckled with white, the lower neck
and upper back being dark chestnut; feet, yellowish-green.

The general habits of these two species would seem to be
like those of the rest of the family.

THE WOODCOCK.

As I traverse this marsh about Burnt-ship Creek, on these
hot, dry days of late August, I every now and then start up
a Woodcock. Rising a little above the tops of the grasses,
it appears but for a few seconds and then drops out of sight,
so that it requires a remarkably quick and good aim to
shoot it while describing its short and sudden curve, slow
as its flight appears. Probably no bird is so well known to
the sportsmen of Eastern North America as the Woodcock
{Philohcla minor). Its P'-ah is in great requisition for the
table, and, as it shelters itself closely, lies well to the dog,
and affords a tempting shot on the wing, its capture is a
most agreeable excitement. Its habit, too, of changing
place according to the weather makes the finding of it a

Idl

446

THE WOODCOCK,

I

Study; while its sudden appearance in large numbers, or its
entire disappearance all at once, gives its capture the air of
chance. Reaching Western New York about the first of
April, this bird resorts to the swamps, low woods, thickets,
or the hill-sides.

In this region the nidification of the Woodcock occurs in
the latter part of April. The nest is on the ground, in some
low woods or thicket, sheltered by a bush, or bunch of grass,
or ferns, is formed, quite indifferently, of dried leaves or
grasses, and contains four or five eggs, some 1.51 x 119, and
much more oval than the eggs of allied birds. They are a
light creamish-brown, pretty well spotted, especially around
the large end, but not heavily blotched with reddish-brown
and lilac. I have now in my possession an egg of this
species which is almost round.

The young, nearly the color of brown chickens, run about
as soon as hatched. When in Nova Scotia last June (1883),
riding with a friend through a rather open woods, about the
15th, a female Woodcock rose from almost under the car-
riage wheels. Looking down I spied five half-grown young
ones squatting motionless within a few feet of the wheel-
track. Stopping the vehicle, I jumped out and went almost
near enough to touch them, when they rose and left in
haste, about as well able to fly as the parent. How did
they learn to "play 'possum " in this manner*?

How the Woodcock feeds in the dusky twilight, or at
night; how neatly he bores the soft ground in quest of
earth-worms, or turns the leaves in search of his food; what
immense quantities he consumes; how he changes place,
"from the swamp to the woods, to the hill-side, or to the
grain-fields, according to the weather or the season; how he
leaves us for the south when frosts set in — all this has been
frequently and well noted alike by the ornithologist and

THE WOODCOCK.

447

the sportsman; while the manner in which his haunts have
been studied and scoured with dog and gun, merely to
gratify the palate, or the love of shooting, is too well known
to need either note or comment, except by way of earnest
deprecation.

The shape of the Woodcock is unlike that of any other
bird. Some eleven or twelve inches long — the male being
quite a good deal less — with a bill nearly three inches long,
and deep and strong at the base, his legs and tail uncommonly
short, his whole body, including head and neck, thick and
bulky, and his large black eyes so near the back of his
head, complete the oddness of his personal appearance. On
the whole, he makes one think of a short, thick man in a
swallow-tail coat; and his eyes are so placed that he can see
above and behind about as well as before. Did the Creator
locate his eyes in anticipation of the merciless manner in,
which he is hunted down? The Woodcock is far from being
unpleasing, however, in his general appearance. The light
chestnut feathers of the under parts, delicately fringed with
lighter; the white patch on the throat, shading. nto the adjoin-
ing tints; the bright drab on the head, the sides of the neck,
and mixed in with the fine pencilings of wings and tail; the
velvety black from the eye to the mouth, and below the
former, on the back of the head, and adown the back,
scapulars, and tail, all so finely tipped and penciled with
drab and light red as to appear fairly illuminated — all these
render the bird an object of no common beauty.

Differing from the European Woodcock in size — being yi
less, also in marking and in structure, particularly in the
narrowness of the first three primaries, our Woodcock is a
common bird of the Eastern United States, and extends
quite commonly, as a summer resident, into New Brunswick
and Nova Scotia. Audubon did not find it in Newfoundland

l-K

■A\

\\

^"

448

THE PIGEON HA WK.

and Labrador, but was told that it bred in the former prov-
ince. Though found in the middle districts, even to South-
ern New England, in winter, this species generally finds its
home at that time in the sunnier climes of the Southern
States, and even there it is said to almost disappear, in any
locality, on the occurrence of a sharp frost. It also
breeds quite commonly in most, if not in all, parts of the
south.

THE PIGEON HAWK.

On the 28th of August, as my friend and I are seating
ourselves in the boat for a trip to Chippewa, Ontario, I have
no sooner removed the caps from my gun, for the sake of
safety, than a pair of beautiful Pigeon Hawks {Falco colum-
barius) make their appearance. First the one and then the
other hovers over us, just near enough for a good shot, but
before I can get ready they are gone. How provoking !
Moral — be always ready for a shot. Columbarius is, for the
most part, simply a rather common migrant in this locality,
though I am inclined to think a few breed here, as they are
supposed to do in Eastern Massachusetts. With notched
and toothed mandible, long pointed wings, having the outer
pinions narrowed on the inner vanes, tarsus more or less
feathered above, after the manner of the genus Falco, this
bird is 11-12 inches long; extent, 24.00; wing, 8.25; tail,
6.50; bill, .75; the male, the smaller, after the manner of the
birds of prey, is dark bluish-slate above, every feather hav-
ing a shaft-line of black; primaries black, tipped with
whitish; tail, light bluish-ash, nearly white on the inner
webs, tipped with whitish, with a deep subterminal band, and
several other narrower bands of black; forehead and throat
white; under parts and wing-linings, pale buff, streaked with
brown. Female similar, but tinted with brown above, and
having larger and darker markings below.

THE PIGEON HA WK.

449

Following them in their migrations, columbarius subsists
mostly on the smaller birds, capturing them on the wing.
His northward movements are in April, and his southward in
September and October. Ensconced away in the bushes,
you may witness his deadly chase, as with astonishing speed,
darting to the right and left, he pursues some Thrush, Spar-
row, or Blackbird, or even a bird near his own size; striking
his claws into its vitals, on overtaking it, and devouring it
near the place of capture. He does not hover like the Spar-
row Hawk. Always taking his prey alive, he prefers an
open pasture or grove for his swift pursuit. Here he may
sit on his perch quietly awaiting his victim, and if he change
place, flying up a little when about to alight, he will turn
about and face his late site or route, and presently dropping
down, skim the ground almost as low as a Buzzard; not
in the same sailing manner, however, but with frequent
and nervous strokes of the wings. When, occasionally, he
does sail, it is in an uneasy, tipping style, which distin-
guishes him almost as readily as does the mottled appear-
ance under his wings. When he is satiated with his prey,
his destructiveness ceases; and those birds which are usually
his victims may disport themselves around him in perfect
safety.

The Pigeon Hawk's general breeding place is to the north-
ward. The nest, which may be on a rock, but more com-
monly in the hollow of a tree or in its branches, is made of
sticks and grasses; sometimes strips of bark are added, the
lining being of moss or feathers. The eggs, 4 or 5, some 1.65
X 1.30, are sometimes quite roundish, and again even elon-
gate-oval. " Coloration ranges from a nearly uniform deep,
rich brown (chestnut or burnt sienna), to whitish or white
only, marked with a few indistinct dots of dull grayish or
drab." (Stearns.)
29

!

^■[\

it

450

THE GREAT BLUE HERON.

THE GREAT BLUE HERON.

In the late dusk of evening, we are sure to see a pair of
Great Blue Herons {Ardea herodias) pass up the river,
but a few rods out, and alight in the shallow margin of the
river just above our tent, thus affording a good view of a
very shy bird. They present an odd figure, as with enor-
mous spread of wings, legs dangling far out behind, and
neck extended, they fly just above the surface, hanking
somewhat after the manner of Wild Geese. Sometimes
they may be seen on this same spot in the clear light of
early morning, wading about and seizing and swallowing
their prey, apparently without the least circumspection;
sometimes standing at ease on one leg, the other being
drawn up, and the long neck folded closely on the breast,
while the eye gazes intently into the water. Quick as
thought the attitude is changed. The body is thrown forward
and the neck extended, while the head darts into the water;
the ill-fated fish which he brings up, impaled on his long,
pointed mandibles, disappears down his capacious gullet
with a few jerks of the head. How graceful is every atti-
tude and motion of this gigantic bird. And yet, when slain,
how ungainly he appears. Some 4 feet and several inches from
the tip of the bill to the end of the tail, and a foot longer
from the tip of the bill to the ends of the toes, the general
color is a delicate bluish-ash, the neck slightly tinged with
browi. and having a spotted or streaked throat-line adown
the front; the long, slender, almost thread-like, scapulars
and lower feathers of the neck, white; plumes of the head,
of which two, in the mature state, are long and filiform,
black; crown and throat, white; thighs and wing-shoulders,
brown; under parts, black, streaked with white; eyes and
bill, yellow. Male and female are alike, except that
the latter is smaller. The young are similar, lacking

452

THE GREAT BLUE HERON.

the long ornamental feathers, and having the neck
spotted.

As this bird rises out of the water, it seems immense, and
requires many strong beats of its wings before obtaining
an easy flight. Once well on the wing, it moves majestically,
with a firm and regular stroke of the great wings, the neck
folded into a big lump, and the long legs extended behind
like an immense tail. Occupying, in summer, " entire tem-
perate North America," it ornaments the landscape of Nova
Scotia and New Brunswick about as commonly as that of
the Middle States, and occasionally puts in an appearance
even as far north as Hudson's Bay; thus differing from the
Herons in general, which incline to the tropics and warm,
temperate regions.

The food of herodias is fish, for the most part, but may
consist of frogs, mice and insects. Commonly breeding in
communities, sometimes singly, however, the nests are gen-
erally placed in the tops of tall trees, often in swamps
almost or quite inaccessible, and often in immense numbers.
Sometimes the communities of nests are placed in pine
forests some miles from any swamp or body of water, or
they may be near, or even on the ground. Along the Col-
orado River, where there is a lack of the large trees neces-
sary to support the immense bulk of the nest, these Her-
ons breed on the ledges of the gigantic walls of the can
ons. In the Southern States Audubon often saw them oa
cactuses.

The nest, some two feet in diameter, is of the platform
style, the lower part of sticks, the surface of a rather thick
bed of grasses, weeds and mosses. The eggs, two or three,
are about 2.50x1. 50, elliptical, clear pale-greenish. These
Herons often fly immense distances to their feeding grounds,
and having selected certain places, seem to adhere to them

THE WHITE-HEADED EAGLE.

458

throughout the season. In the Southern States, where
these birds spend the winter, they often congregate in great
numbers. Here they also breed abundantly early in the

season/

THE WHITE-HEADED EAGLE.

As in the days of Wilson, the White-headed Eagle
{Haliaetus leucocephalus) is still a common and character-
istic bird of Niagara River throughout the year. Now, as
then, he may be seen soaring majestically in the great cloud
of spray ever rising from the cataract, or reconnoitering
the rapids, rushing along the sublime gorge, in search of
the ill-fated animals or birds which have perished in these
waters; or sailing serenely above the broad and beautiful
expanse of the river, from Queenstown Heights, to Lake
Ontario. Not infrequently he appears in the vicinity of my
tent, alighting in the adjoining grove, or flying low over
the troubled waters.

In appearance at least, this is, perhaps, the most magnifi-
cent bird of our continent. Closely allied to the Buzzards,
both in structure and in grandeur of flight, his rich, dark-
brown figure, adorned with snow-white head and tail, is
simply incomparable, while his great size and gigantic
spread of wings give him a peculiar majesty, whether he
beat the air in regular strokes, or sail in sublime repose.
Look at him, and reflect on human imbecility, as he soars
into the heavens, till he becomes a mere speck against the
ether! Imagine the extent of landscape of which he has
in very deed a "bird's-eye view." According to Audubon
he can sail entirely out of sight without a single stroke of
the wings.

* Similar to the former species, but several inches longer, and proportionateljr larger
every way, is the Florida Heron (Herodins wurdcinanni). ^ Its habits, too, are quite sim-
ilar. Its habitat would seem to be the Florida Keys; possibly it strays, occasionally, to
the mainland. " Known from the preceding species by th*; naked tibix; white-top to
head; black forehead, and white under parts. (Maynard.)

)

I

1' 1^

I

■ f

^ i

' 1

,! \\

1

'• 1 1

^ 1

1 A

ii 'll
ill

454

r//£ WHITE-HEADED EAGLE.

fi

I i

Next to the Osprey, in his preference for a piscivorous
diet, he is ever to be associated with great bodies of water —
broad rivers, immense lakes, and the roar and foam of the

o
<

Hi

Q
Id

Id

Id
X
H

ocean. Unlike that noble bird, however, he does not gen-
erally plunge into the wave for his prey, but is content with
the carcasses which float upon its surface. In the absence of
fish, he is satisfied with any animal food, and that, even in

;:iM

THE WHITE-HEADED EAGLE.

455

the condition of carrion. Many graceful evolutions have I
seen him perform over the putrid carcass of a horse, floating
dov/n the river. He has another noted habit, which not
only betrays a low taste, but a flagrant dishonesty — that of
pilfering the hard-earned prey of the Fish Hawk. Mark
this king of birds, so high rpiifted above all others of his
kind, that he seems enthroned among the clouds. One
would think him wrapt in the sublimest meditations, and
all unmindful of the hosts of feathered tribes which occupy
the ground and the different strata of the lower air; but,
lo! no sooner does the Osprey emerge from the waters with
his struggling prey, than that piercing eye detects him from
afar, and swoops upon him with terrific speed; and, not-
withstanding the swiftness and the splendid evolutions
achieved by Fandion^ he is soon so sorely pressed as to be
compelled to drop his prey and make off, saving nothing
but his disgust and indignation, which are not infrequently
expressed by strong and significant cries. Meanwhile the
fish has scarcely escaped the talons of the Fish Hawk when
it is grajj^IeJ by those of the Eagle and borne away for
destruction.

U, i- decidedly against my inclinations to disclose these
unseemly facts concerning the Eagle, especially as he has be-
come the symbol of our great nation; but as a narrator
of facts in natural history, I cannot be excused. The truth
is, that in niceness of habit, our sublime bird is by no
means the equal of many of his kindred Raptores; and,
while in general appearance he may fitly represent the glory
of a nation, on account of the manners above named, he is
by no means altogether suggestive of noble principles. Nor
is he always brave. Hence Dr. Franklin was not wholly in
favor of his adoption for our national seal. Sometimes,
however, glaring faults are quite thrown into the shade by

liiiliji

T.ii

t.«i>M

_JS^

456

THE WHITE-HEADED EAGLE.

|i

great virtues and gigantic proportions of character. In
later years, the history of a certain individual of our Hali-
adus has fully vindicated the adoption of the Eagle to sym-
bolize the national glory of the United States, as well as the
adoption of its kind, for a similar purpose, by various na-
tions from the most ancient times, including Rome and
France. The famous Wisconsin Eagle, called " Old Abe,"
has a history which fills a volume, and justly renders him
immortal. Taken, by the son of an Indian Chief, from a
nest in the northern part of the State, where an extensive
net-work of lakes and streams find their outlet, in the Chip-
pewa River, and reared by the same, he was sold, when two
months old, to a resident of Eau Claire, in August, 1861, for
a bushel of corn. This gentleman afterv/ard sold him to
the Eighth Wisconsin Infantry. He was formally sworn
into the service, provided with a perch and bearer, and
passed three years in the hottest of the late war ; and pass-
ing through 36 battles and skirmishes, was brought back by
i mere remnant of his company, to his native State, un-
harmed. The intelligence he evinced in this grand career
was surprising. Avenging every insult, or even unwarrant-
able liberty, in the most signal, and sometimes ludicrous,
manner, he recognized friends with the utmost appreciation;
seeming to understand and sympathize with every move-
ment of his regiment. He would drop from his perch, when
the men lay down under a heavy firing from the enemy,
and mount it again when they rose. He would whistle in
expression of approval, and flap his wings at each round of
cheers or peal of music ; and, snapping asunder the cord
which bound him to his perch, would soar above the smoke
and din of battle, cheering his regiment with loud and most
significant screams; and afterward alighting on its standard,
would seem to participate in the joy of victory. After his

THE WHITE-HEADED EAGLE.

457

return from the battle-field, he was on exhibition in various
places where funds were being raised for suffering soldiers and
their families, and by September 25th, 1865, had been the
means of securing a fund of $25,000. The sum of $20,000
has been offered for him, and at the Centennial Exhibition
of 1876, at Philadelphia, he was an object of universal ad-
miration. Here he would stand on his perch in such per-
fect repose as to puzzle a stranger to determine whether
he were a living bird or a specimen of taxidermy. In
this attitude, he reminded one of one way in which the
Eagle generally spends much of his time, namely, perched
on some conspicuous limb of a tall tree by a large stream
or body of water, and remaining as motionless as if wrapt
in profonnd meditation. We regret to say that Old Abe
has recently passed away.

The White-headed Eagle is about 3 feet long; body dark-
brown, tinged with golden, many of the feathers being
elegantly tipped with golden-yellow, strongly contrasting
with, and delicately shading into, the darker parts; head and
tail, snow-white; eyes and feet, bright yellow. The epithet
"Bald" has no foundation except in appearance, as the
head is well covered with long, pointed feathers. The
young have little or no white, and reach the mature plum-
age about the third year, or in some instances, it is thought,
not till some ten years. According to Coues, ** the imma-
ture birds average larger than the adults; the famous * Bird
of Washington ' being a case in point."

In structure and in general appearance the Eagle must be
regarded as the most perfect ideal of the birds of prey. In
repose or in motion, gracefulness, combined with strength, is
expressed to perfection. Whether associated with the gliding
stream, the placid lake, the tempest-tossed ocean, or the rug-
ged mountain, he is ever a grand ornament to the landscape.

Til

m

m

v.ii'3

' I!

468

THE WHITE-HEADED EAGLE.

[
1^

The nest from which "Abe" was taken, found on a pine
tree near some rapids in a curve of the Flambeau River,
and big as a washtub, made of sticks, turf and weeds, and re-
moved to the Indian village to rear the young bird in, which
served as a plaything for the pappooses, may be regarded
as representative of the Eagle's nest in general. The two
eggs, about 3.00 X 2.50, are a dull white, and are laid very
early in spring, probably not later than the latter part of
March or the first days of April. In Michigan, I have seen
the young nearly as large as their parents, and about ready
to leave the nest by the last days of May. A curious
instance of nidification on the part of this species was
recently described to me by Mr. Herbert Macklem, of
Chippewa, Ontario.

On the bank of Niagara River, and owned by this gen-
tleman, was a farm which had not been occupied for several
years, and which was some miles distant from the nearest
residence. A missing board from the end of the barn giv-
ing access to a large quantity of straw in the mow, the
Eagles had arranged a nest there, which contained young
when discovered by the owner of the property.

The solicitude of the Eagle for its young cannot be
surpassed even by that of the human species. One or the
other of the parent birds seems to be constantly reconnoiter-
ing the neighborhood of the nest; and, on the least approach
of danger, they fly about with a most nervous and excited
beat of the wings, yelping like young puppies. Every now
and then they will alight in a tree by the nest, very soon
to drop down in an angry swoop toward the intruder.

As an instance of the attachment of the parent bird to
the young, Wilson gives the following: "A person near
Norfolk informed me that, in clearing a piece of wood on
his place, they met with a large, dead pine tree on which was

FORT ERIE.

459

a Bald Eagle's nest and young. The tree being on fire
more than half way up, and the flames rapidly ascending,
the parent Eagle darted around and among the flames until
her plumage was so much injured that it was with difficulty
she could make her escape, and even then she several times
attempted to return to relieve her offspring."

The White-headed, or Bald Eagles, common to all North
America, and mating, in all probability, for life, are resident
throughout the year wherever the streams and bodies of
water are sufficiently open to afford sustenance. Eagles in
general have a remarkable longevity, reaching a hundred
years or upwards, even in confinement. This one, as well
as certain others of the world, is said to attack young
children occasionally. Wilson cites "a woman who, hap-
pening to be weeding in the garden, had set her child down
near, to amuse itself while she was at work, when a sudden
and extraordinary rushing sound, and a scream from her
child, alarmed her, and starting up, she beheld the infant
thrown down and dragged some few feet, and a large Bald
Eagle bearing off a fragment of its frock, which being the
only part seizes', and giving way, providentially saved the
life of the infant."

FORT ERIK.

Changing the location of my tent to the government
grounds of Canada, near the remains of old Fort Erie, opposite
the city of Buffalo, I spend many days watching the Shore
Birds in their migrations. It is a beautiful spot, fanned
constantly, during these last days of dry summer heat, by
the most refreshing lake breezes. Here, too, where once
was all the roar of artillery in war, and in later times all
the rumble of a grand railroad terminus now removed, it is
most delightfully quiet. To the westward I look out
upon the broad expanse of Lake Erie; in the southern hori-

,)(| ,:i:j

■■■: <M

m

;i.V;W

^^«>tt

460

FORT ERIE.

1: t

hi

L£

zon rise the distant mountains towards Pennsylvania; and
directly east is the city with all its mingled scenery. In
the morning a dense fog along the river and lake, like a
thick curtain, may shut off the view of the city entirely,
the din and noise of the great stirring community seeming
only the nearer for this obscurity. Later in the day the air
and sky are clear, beautiful and balmy; in the twilight, the
harvest moon hangs like a great fire-ball over the center of
the city; and in the evening, the lights of streets and dwell-
ings mark out a complete outline of the town. Day and
night I listen to the voices of the birds, most of which are
described elsewhere in this work. I have many fine views
of the earlier migrations of the land-birds, but am specially
interested in the movements of the little Waders, the differ-
ent kinds of which are about as well represented here as they
are on the sea-coast.

In the last days of August a flock of some nine of the Red-
breasted Snipe {Macrorhamphus griseus) appears, sometimes
called Gray Snipe, Brown-back, cr* switcher. It is some 12.00
long and 19.00 in extent, the legs long, and the bill pre-
cisely like that of the Common Snipe; in summer the gen-
eral color is dark-brown, the feathers edged with reddish;
underneath dark-red, edged and mixed with dusky; tail and
coverts banded with black and white. In winter, gray above
and on the breast; the belly, eye-brow and lower eye-lid,
white. It is always distinguishable by its white shaft in the
outer primary. The nest is after the manner of the Snipe,
the eggs also being similar in color, and about 1.65 X 1.12.

About the same time, and for some six weeks later, an
occasional flock of the Pectoral Sandpiper {Tringa viaculatd)
appears. Some 9.00 long and 1H.50 in extent, the upper
parts are dark brown, the feathers generally edged or tipped
with yellowish or reddish; the brown tail, being darker in

NIAGARA RIVER AND THE DUCKS.

461

the center, is tipped with white or whitish; the neck, breast
and sides, yellowish-gray, with dark streaks; legs greenish.
The breast marking is differentiating. It is sometimes
called the Jack Snipe.

Of very frequent appearance during these days is the
Sanderling or Ruddy Plover {Calidris arenarid). Some 7.50
long, it has the rather short, straight, grooved bill, and the
plain-colored tail of the Sandpipers. The upper parts are
light ashy, streaked with black, and edged with reddish in
summer, but not in winter; the under parts, from the neck,
are pure white, making each member of the flock a gleam-
ing white point in the landscape, as it tips up in flight. This
Beach-bird, as it is often called, is rather silent, appearing
singly or ia flocks. Its flight is beautiful, and it walks,
wades and runs most gracefully on the shore. These Sand-
pipers, like their relatives, breed far to the north.

On a gray October day, a flock of some half-dozen little
Brown Titlarks {Antkus ludovicianus) alights in the shallow
water on the rocks and wash themselves. Some 6.50 long,
ashy-brown above, tinged with olive, the centers of
the feathers darker and the edges lighter; the outer tail-
feathers white; the e^ilids, curved line on the cheeks, and
under parts, brownish or creamy-white ; the breast and
sides streaked with dusky-ash. This dainty, dove-like
walker, having a peculiar jerking, tossing motion of the tail,
breeds in Labrador and northward, and down to Colorado
in the Rocky Mountains. The 4-6 very dark-colored eggs
are laid " in a mossy nest on the ground." This bird passes
us early in May in its northward migration, and in October
southward.

NIAGARA RIVER AND THE DUCKS.

Niagara River is a good place to study the Ducks in the
times of migration, or even in the winter. As it does not

ii;i;t

•ill

i!i

1. 1 ;

^i;ii . \

'!'ll1
'l«i

;. *'

462

NIAGARA RIVER AND THE DUCKS.

freeze over, some species remain from fall till spring. In
March, or early in April, about Grand Island, Buckhorn
and Navy Islands, the Golden-eye, or Whistler, is one of the
characteristics of the locality. It may be seen in fair-sized
flocks, or in immense ones of many hundreds, diving about
feeding places, after its usual manner of obtaining its
favorite cray-fish, the claws and other remains of which are
always to be found in its gizzard; to which diet it may add
small mollusks, frogs, tadpoles and fishes. When thus
engaged, and not in fear of molestation, they are indeed
a merry company, the very picture of soul and energy,
and thrifty contentment, each one staying under the
water a half minute at a time and remaining above only
about seven seconds. What a charm there is in watching
a Duck dive ! Every pulse of the observer is quickened as
the sprightly creature plunges under. Very frequently the
whole flock is under the water at once. Generally several
sentinels remain on guard. Every now and then, on
coming up, the male will throw up his head and utter a
low, guttural chuckle. This is probably his courting note,
and is the only vocal performance one hears from these
birds during their stay. They like to dive in swift currents
for their food, and then gradually work upward in the
stream. They are particularly at home in streams and
rivers, and visit the smaller as well as the larger currents.
The Golden-eye decoys well, especially any stray one which
may be flying about; but it is exceedingly shy and keen-
eyed. When the shot misses it on the water, or it is sud-
denly alarmed, it dives readily, darting out of the water in
a few seconds with surprising velocity. It is one of the
swiftest of all the Ducks in flight. Audubon estimated its
speed at ninety miles an hour. One is always advised of
its flight by the sharp whistling sound of its pointed wings.

NIAGARA RIVER AND THE DUCKS.

468

which are almost of metallic firmness. Choo-choo-choo-choo-
choo-choo^ given as rapidly as possible, may recall the start-
ling sound, which soon becomes very familiar, and may be
heard distinctly some half a mile or more. The beat of the
wings is so rapid that, as the bird flies from you, the white
secondaries form a hazy semicircle on each side of the dark
posterior of the body, the black primaries adding still
larger semicircles beyond. When flying past, the oval spot
of white at the base of the bill of the male, contrasting
with the dark, glossy green of the head, and the white
neck, the body being black above and behind, readily differen-
tiate the species. The female, having a dark-brown head
without the spot at the base of the bill, and having a light-
gray neck and darker gray or dusky pectoral band, is
known by her relation to the male, and is much smaller
than her more striking consort. The body is short, the
bill short and stubbed, almost as nearly like a lamb's
nose as a Duck's bill, and the head is rather thick. The
golden-yellow iris is a striking mark of the bird, and the
orange feet with dusky webs soon become familiar to the
eye. The food of this species is such as not to render it a
favorite on the table, though it is generally eaten. Dimin-
ishing in numbers already in the middle of April, a few
linger in New York as late as the 20th of May; and except
in the case of stray birds, the breeding place is far to the
north. Mr. Fortiscue reports it as breeding in trees along
Nelson River, and it is said to breed in a similar manner
in Newfoundland and in Northern New England. The 6-10
eggs, spherical and ashy-green, are some 2.38x1. 78. The
annual range of the common Golden-eye {Bucephala clan-
guld) is throughout North America and Europe.

Barrow's Golden-eye {B. islandicd) is now well dilferen-
tiated as a closely-allied species. For this conclusion much

HIti

im

il

464

THE LONG-TAILED DUCK.

credit is due Dr. Gilpin, of Halifax, N. S., whose patient
investigation was so satisfactory in its results. The data of
determination are: 1st, difference in size; the common
Golden-eye (the male) being some 19 or 20 inches in length,
while Barrow's Golden-eye is several inches longer; 2d,
marked difference in the shape of the bill and head; that of
islandica being noticeably high at the base, short and
pointed; 3d, in marking; the white spot at the base of the
bill in clangula being oval, while it is triangular or crescent-
shaped in islandica, with a difference also in the wing mark-
ings; 4th, and, particularly, in the shape of the trachea; the
peculiar and irregular enlargement so marked in clangula,
being much moderated in islandica. (See "the Golden-eyes
or Garrot's in Nova Scotia," by Dr. J. Bernard Gilpin.)

Islandica was first found in the Rocky Mountains, but has
since occurred frequently on the Atlantic Coast in winter,
even as far south as New York.

THE LONG-TAILED DUCK.

Most common, from fall till spring, on the Niagara River,
is the sight and sound of the Long-tailed Duck {Harelda gla-
cialis) alias. Old Wife, South-southerly Coween, or Ha-ha-we,
as the Indians at Hudson's Bay call it. Though almost use-
less for the table, on account of its molluscous and fishy
diet, its bCiiuty and individual peculiarities always render
it an object of interest to the sportsman. Its body, so short
and thick that it is almost round, bill unusually short and
small, neck thick, and central feathers of the tail long, the
form is well characterized; the black bill banded with
orange near the tip; the iris of bright carmine; the head
a''d neck well down upon the back, white; cheeks and fore-
head of light drab running into a large black patch on the
sides of the neck, which patch shades again into brown;

THE LONG-TAILED DUCK.

465

breast and upper parts, except the dark chestnut secon-
daries and bluish-white scapulars and tertiaries, elegantly
elongated, black; pointed tail feathers, except the four elon-
gated central ones, and under parts, white; sides, light drab;
feet and legs, dark slate — all these striking contrasts in
color render the male, in winter plumage, conspicuous and
beautiful. In summer the head and neck become dark,
and the scapulars and tertials black, edged with chestnut.
Late in April or early in May, some may be found scarcely
changed from the winter habit, and others may be almost
conformed to the summer dress.

The female, with shortened tail feathers, being but 16.00
long, is grayish-brown, many of the feathers being edged
with whitish; spot around the eye, sides of the neck and
breast, grayish-white, the latter becoming clear white on
the belly. In winter the head and neck of the female may
be nearly white. This species spends the winter as far north
as ice and snow will permit, and is our only Duck which, like
certain other birds and certain animals of the north, whitens
with the winter and becomes dark again in summer; hence
the propriety of its name glacialis^ or hiemalis^ meaning
Winter or Ice Duck; and the name commends itself to us
especially, as we see it swimming and diving, as if perfectly
at home, in the midst of floating ice and driving snow-
storms. '

Its feet placed far behind, an accommodation in diving, it
keeps to the deep channels of the river, drifting down the
rapid current as it dives deep down incessantly for its food,
and then flies up the river to test the ground over again.
The third day of last April (1882) was one never to be for-
gotten. Perfectly calm, and with a cloudless sunshine, the
air was so warm as to cause a white vapor over the whole
surface of the river, rendering the scenery just above Niag-
30

^1-

m

^^T

,1 ilH

if

T ;

^.

.... ffj^^

• 4^

IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

1.0

LI

2.0

US

us

14.0

I

Pi^U4 '

^

6"

^

Photographic

Sciences

Corporation

23 WEST MAIN STREET

WEBSTER, N.Y. 14SS0

(71«) t73-4S03

(^

%

^\ ,

466

THE LONG-TAILED DUCK.

ara Falls particularly soft and beautiful. Above the monot-
onous roar of the cataract, and loud and clear in every di-
rection, could be heard the peculiar notes of the Old Wives;
and as they were very numerous, the rather musical clamor
was quite impressive. Now a flock would appear at one
point, whitening the river and making the air resonant for
many rods around them; and then, as they disappeared be-
neath the smooth, silvery current, ariother flock, emerging
in the vicinity, would attract equal attention. At any time
many flocks might be within range of the eye. Nothing in
the way of sound could be more strongly characterized than
the vocal performance of this bird. To my ear it does not
recall the common name " South-southerly," given it on
the Atlantic Coast, but is well expressed by an epithet given
it by the Germans about Niagara River, who call it the
" Ow-owly." Ow-ow-ly^ ow-ow-ly^ ow-ow-ly^ frequently re-
peated in successsion, the first two notes considerably
mouthed, and the last syllable in a high, shrill, clarion tone,
may suggest the queer notes to any one whose ear is fa-
miliar with them. Not infrequently the last syllable is left
out of the ditty, the bird seeming somewhat in a hurry, or
the note becomes a mere nasal ah^ ahy ahy rapidly uttered.
The great enlargement in the wind-pipe of the male has
been supposed to account for these loud tones; but the
female, which is regarded as much the noisier, is without
that peculiarity. Always accounted a sea Duck, and not re-
ported by Coues from the northwest, it would appear rather
strange that it should be so common on the Great Lakes,
unless we regard this region as the winter habitat of those
spending the summer about Hudson's Bay. It will not al-
ways decoy for the sportsman, but with a little caution he
may row or drift upon it near enough for a shot, and as it
flies but a short distance when alarmed, and then drops

THE RED-HEADED DUCK.

467

into the water again, he may continue to steal upon the
flock till he has satisfied his dispositioa for slaughter. Mr.
James Fortiscue, my very interesting correspondent at
York Factory, Hudson's Bay, says that in that locality these
birds breed " on islands in lakes."

The nest is similar to that of the Scoters; the egg^, about
2.12X1.66, being " pale, yellowish-green."

Wintering with us as far south as New Jersey, this species
ranges throughout the northern hemisphere.

THE RED-HEADED DUCK.

On the 30th of March (1882), while Niagara River was
lashed into a tempest by a raw west wind, I saw from the
north side of Buckhorn Island a flock of hundreds of Red-
heads {Fuligula ferina) riding down the middle of the cur-
rent in the most perfect repose. Nearly every one had the
head resting on the back, the bill under the scapulars.
Only occasionally was there one which seemed to act as sen-
tinel. Several Widgeons also, whose white crowns rendered
them quite conspicuous, were in the flock. There was
something very impressive in this long line, many abreast,
of living creatures, rocked and tossed on the foaming
breakers, and yet reposing as sweetly as if on some quiet
inland lake. Long did I scan them, and much did I admire
them, as the field-glass brought them just before me.

A more complete study of these interesting Ducks was
reserved for me, however, on St. Clair Flats. Here they
are very abundant in the migrations, and not a few remain
to breed. In the bright, hot days of June, small flocks may
be seen diving leisurely for food, along the deeper and more
rapid channels, thus procuring their fare of small moUusks
and fishes, the larvae of aquatic insects, and the roots and
leaves of certain aquatic plants. Not infrequently the

468

THE RED-HEADED DUCK.

males are quite noisy, loudly uttering their deep-toned
me-oWy which is the precise imitation of the voice of a large
cat. The female, especially, if rising from her nest or out
of the water, has a loud, clear squak^ on a higher tone than
that of the Mallard or Dusky Duck, and so peculiar as to
be readily identified by the ear, even if the bird is not in
sight. The gray aspect of the wings in flight is also very
characteristic of this species. The nest is generally built
in the thick sedges over the water, and consists of the
leaves of the cat-tail and of various kinds of marsh-grass,
a slight lining of down being added as incubation pro-
ceeds. The eggs, generally about 9 or 10, but sometimes
as many as 15, some 2.45 X 1.75, are nearly oval or'
oblong-oval,, having a very smooth, firm shell, and being
of a rich light-brown tinge, sometimes slightly clouded;
scarcely if ever tinged with blue or green. When moist-
ened a little and rubbed with a dry cloth, they are sus-
ceptible of a high polish. The young, in the down, has
the crown of the head and the upper parts, generally, of
a clear, olivaceous green, the cheeks and under parts, bright
yellow. The eggs are fresh, or nearly so, the first week
in June.

A stately and beautiful bird indeed is the male, as, with
head well up, he rides upon the water. A little over 20
inches in length, the bill, which is about as long as the head
and rather broad, is blue, shading into dusky or black at
the tip; the male has the head and more than half of the
neck brownish-red, with a violaceous gloss above and behind;
the lower part of the neck, the breast, upper and lower
parts of the back, black; beneath, white sprinkled with
gray or dusky; sides, scapulars and space between, white
and black in fine wavy lines of equal width, giving a gray
effect in the distance; wing-coverts gray, specked with

THE CANVAS-BACK DUCK.

469

whitish; speculum, grayish-blue; iris, orange. Female sim-
ilar, with the head and neck grayish-brown, and the breast
more or less mixed with gray or whitish.

Resembling the Canvas-back, it is quite distinguishable
by its shorter, broader bill,depression at the base of the bill,
absence of black on the head and back of the neck, and
broader lines of black in the penciling of the back. Abun-
dant on the sea-coast of the middle districts, but becoming
less common northward and southward, it breeds in the .in-
terior northward, moving southward in October, and return-
ing north late in March or early in April.

THE CANVAS-BACK DUCK.

Perhaps the most celebrated of all American water-fowl,
to the sportsman and to the epicure, is the Canvas-back Duck
{Fuligula vallisnerid). Lacking the brilliancy of the Wood
Duck, and the striking contrasts in color of certain others
of our fresh water Ducks, nor possessing the diving accom-
plishments and the wealth in down of the Eider, its great
desideratum and interest consists wholly in its flesh, sup-
posed by many to possess a peculiar juiciness and delicious
flavor, especially after having fed for a time on its favorite
vallisneria^ a fresh water plant, very abundant in the waters of
the Chesapeake and its tributaries, and also in the Susque-
hanna. Some think, however, that " the fine flavor which
the flesh of these Ducks is said to possess is probably due
partly to the imagination of those who pay high prices for
the privilege of eating it," its flesh being even " dry and
fishy " when it has been deprived for a time of its favorite
food, and obliged to resort to the more common bill of fare
for most other Ducks — small mollusks and fishes, with an
occasional tadpole or leech.

About 2 feet long and 3 in extent, the high crown

w

m

rl
lip

470

THE CANVA S-BA CK D UCK.

slopes gradually with a slight curve upward to the tip of
the rather long and narrow bill, thus strongly characteriz-
ing the head as compared with that of other Ducks. The
bill is greenish-black; at the base of the bill, on the crown,
and down over the back of the rich brownish-red head and
neck, is a dusky effect, deepening into fine black in the zone
about the breast and upper back; upper parts and sides,
white, or grayish- white, with delicate zigzag cross-pencil-
ings of black; secondaries darker, but similar; underneath,
white; posterior, dark; feet, bluish; iris, carmine. The
female is similar, with colors less bright, and markings less
distinct.

Diving deep with utmost readiness, swimming rapidly,
straightforward and swift in flight, and exceedingly wary,
this species is not easily captured. Rare in New England,
and not abundant in the extreme south, its chief winter
resort is that famous rendezvous of water-fowl from fall
till spring — the Chesapeake Bay with its many rivers. How
the Canvas-back is shot here in immense numbers — as well
as hosts of other Ducks — from points during flight, by
"tolling in " with the aid of dogs running up and down the
shore, and thus enticing the birds in from curiosity, from
batteries and by paddling stealthily upon them during the
night, many writers, among sportsmen and ornithologists,
have fully described. Very exciting, indeed, it must be to
lie concealed on shore, and see the " rafts " of Ducks slowly
enticed in, while the little bright-colored dog, aided, it may
be, by a red or white handkerchief tied to his tail, runs up
and down the bank; or to watch the floating decoys from
the box-like battery, sunken to the water's edge far out from
shore, and then to fire into the immense flocks, hovering or
alighting, as they fly up and down this concourse of waters!
The latter mode, however, would seem to be too much like

THE RUDDY DUCK.

471

slaughter, to be approved by that gallant sportsmanship,
which always seeks to give the bird " a chance for its life."

The great thoroughfare of the Canvas-back in migration,
like that of many of our river Ducks, is along the interior
of our jontinent; and its breeding habitat is in the great
northwest, especially about the cool waters in the higher
latitudes of the Rocky Mountains and vicinity.

Early in spring or late in the fall, or perhaps even in mid-
winter, it is sometimes taken on Niagara River, and for a
short time in the spring and fall migrations it is common
on St. Clair Flats. This is particularly an American species,
resembling, however, our Red-head and the European
Pochard.

THE RUDDY DUCK.

Common, and sometimes abundant, on Niagara River
during the migrations, is the Ruddy Duck {Erismatura
rubida). An anomaly of its kind is this little creature.
Some 15 long and 21.50 in extent, it has a peculiarly short
and almost round appearance; the long and gradual curve
of the crown, joined to a bill rather short, broad and much
depressed, is a marked feature; the rather long and broad
tail, with scarcely any coverts above or below, is decidedly
out of order for a Duck; the broad tip of the wing, so ap-
parent in flight, would seem more in place for a Coot or a
Gallinule; the striking seasonal change of plumage in the
male would do for a Gull or a Grebe; the large t.^%^ with
granulated shell, might be mistaken for that of a Goose;
while its diving propensities would do credit to a Dabchick.

Look at that elegant male, as he floats on the smooth sur-
face of some fresh-water channel in the breeding season!
Almost as motionless as a wooden decoy, he holds his large
and full spread tail straight up, often catching the wind
just in the right direction, and thus using that appendage

472

THE RUDDY DUCK.

for a sail. Jet-black over the crown and down the back of
the neck, cheeks clear white, the remaining upper parts a
bright, glossy dark-red, he is a well-defined object even in
the distance. The female— which the male resembles pre-
cisely, from fall till spring — is a dark brownish-gray, the
throat and broad stripe through the eye lighter, both sexes
being white, or white mottled with g^ay, underneath. The
young are a little lighter than the female. Except in its
sojourn in the south in winter, where it may be seen in im-
mense flocks, especially in Florida, it is generally in small
flocks after the manner of the Buffle-head. When rising
from the water, it runs on the surface for some distance,
and generally against the wind. If it cannot command a
fair open space for flight, it will dive, using its tail either as
a rudder or as a paddle in a vertical motion, and will hide
itself away among the grass and sedges. When on the wing
it flies low along the surface of the water, with a rapid beat of
its broad wings, making a short, plump figure quite uncom-
mon for a Duck; and it generally flies quite a distance
before alighting.

Though not averse to the molluscous and piscatorial diet
of the sea Duck, and often found on bays and marshes of
the sea shore, its principal range is in the interior; and it
prefers, as a diet, the leaves and roots of certain aquatic
vegetation, for which it dives after the manner of the Fuli-
gulina.

Not a few of this species remain on St. Clair Flats through-
out the breeding season. The nest, built some time in June,
is placed in the sedges or marsh-grass over the water; and
may contain as many as ten eggs, remarkably large for the
size of the bird (2.60x1.76), oval or slightly ovate, the
finely granulated shell being alAiost pure white, tinged with
the slightest shade of grayish-blue. The nest may be quite

THE RUDDY DUCK.

473

well built of fine colored grasses, circularly laid, or simply
a mere matting together of the tops of the green marsh-
grass, with a slight addition of some dry flexible material. I
found one nest on a hollow side of a floating log. It con-
sisted of a few dried grasses and rushes laid in a loose cir-
cle. Indeed, the bird inclines to build a very slight nest.

As well try to catch a weasel asleep as to see this bird
leave the nest. Mr. W. H. Collins, however, a well-known
taxidermist, of Detroit, Mich., to whom the credit is due
of first discovering the nidification of this species in our
neighborhood, after carefully identifying the absent bird
by the feathers in a well incubated nest, afterwards saw
her leave it. She scrambled off like a mud-turtle from a log,
and diving from the edge of the nest, which, as usual was
over the water, swam in clear sight under the bow of his
boat. From personal investigation I have satisfied myself
of the accuracy of his painstaking observation. The Ruddy
Duck is nearly noiseless, occasionally uttering a weak
squak. Its habitat is North America at large.

The Gadwall or Gray Duck {Chaulelasmus streperus)y a
species of almost world-wide distribution, is about the
rarest river Duck on the Niagara. Indeed it is particu-
larly a species of the western interior, being abundant
in Missouri, and in the regio> .s of the Mississippi generally.
As with most others of our river or non-diving Ducks,
Audubon satisfied himself as to its breeding in Texas, and
there is pretty conclusive evidence that its summer habitat
does not extend to the extreme north. Probably the re-
gions of the upper Mississippi and Missouri are its principal
breeding grounds. Its nest is made on the ground, in marshy
places, and is composed of sticks, weeds and grasses; the 6-10
smooth, elliptical, cream-colored eggs measuring about
2.00X1.60.

474

THE SHOVELLER.

Some 20.00 long and 30.00 in extent, most of the plumage
is finely barred with black and white, giving a general
gray effect; middle wing coverts, chestnut ; greater ones,
black; speculum, white. The species may always be differ-
entiated by the wing.

THE SHOVELLER.

A highly specialized form, in nature, is a Duck's bill; and
so completely do form and function correspond therein, that
it may be impossible to conceive of adaptation more per-
fect. The head, or the entire body, being immersed in the
act of feeding, and that often to a great depth, or in turbid
water, the food, which itself is often found in the mud,
must be selected in great part, at least, without the aid of
sight; the sensibilities of touch and taste, therefore, are
particularly requisite. To render these faculties of percep-
tion as acute as possible, the soft, fleshy tongue, the came-
ous interior of the mouth in general, and the SDft, sensitive
exterior of the bill are well supplied with a complicated
system of nerves, thus enabling the bird to detect its food
b^* the sense of feeling, and probably even by the sense of
taste. The broad bill, with its finely lamellate edges, serves
as a sort of sieve or strainer, to retain the proper articles of
diet, while the foreign or extraneous matter is allowed to
escape ; the Duck thus feeding somewhat after the manner
of the Baleen or Right Whale. Though constructed on the
same general plan, the bills of the various species of Ducks
include a great variety of patterns. Some, as those of the
Old Wives and the Pintails, are quite small, whereas,
in many of the river Ducks, the bills are large and broad.
The most exaggerated, both in size and form, is that of the
rather small river Duck called the Shoveller {Spatula clypeata).
Though but little larger than a Teal, its bill is quite a little

THE SHOVELLER.

475

longer than that of the Mallard or the Eider, and nearly twice
as broad at the tip as it is at the base, thus giving the spe-
cies a very peculiar and almost awkward appearance. The
tongue, and a prominent ridge along the deeply concave roof
of the mouth, are well provided with large and rather pecul-
iarly formed papillae, in order to augment the sensitiveness
of touch and taste. The large lamellae along the edges
of the immense bill g^ve the bird a peculiar grinning
aspect.

The comparatively long measurement for the weight,
nearly or quite 20 inches, is due partly to the slender body,
but more especially to the long bill and tail. The bill is dark;
the head and upper part of the neck, blackish, with green
and purplish reflections; the color by no means pure, how-
ever; the lower neck, upper breast, anterior scapulars, longi-
tudinal stripes in the long posterior scapulars, patch on each
side of the rump, and band towards the tail, white ; stripe
down the back of the neck, and the back, gray-brown, the
feathers edged with lighter; rump and upper tail coverts,
greenish-black ; outer edge of the long tertials, and the
smaller wing-coverts, ultra-marine-blue; speculum, violet-
green; the rest of the wings, dusky; tail feathers, white,
witl) brown line along the shaft; under parts, dark chestnut,
lighter atid somewhat spotted and barred on the sides; iris,
yellow; feet, orange ; — the mature male, thus described, is a
conspicuous and pleasing object on the water. Female^
brown above, each feather edged with lighter; the throat,
sides of the head, and under parts generally, light-brown.

The nest of this. species is on the ground near the water,
and is built of the coarse materials commonly used by
Ducks. The eggs, some 8 or 10 in number, and about 2.07
X 1.47, are a dark-cream or light-brown, not infrequently
tinged with ashy-gray.

476

THE BONAPARTE GULL.

This fresh water, or river Duck, occurring sparingly in the
east, is abundant in the west, breeding from Texas to
Alaska.

THE BONAPARTE GULL.

Here let me mention a very conspicuous and beautiful
bird, which appears on the river along with the Ducks in
spring and also in the fall — the Bonaparte Gull {Chroicoceph'
alus Philadelphia). Some 12-14 inches long, with a bill as
slender as that of a Tern, the mantle is an elegant pearly or
silvery-gray; head dusky-slate, appearing black in the dis-
tance; the eye-lids marked with white; bill, black; neck, under
parts, tail and front of the wing, white; the wing having
the outer web of the first primary, also the edge of the
second or even the third, and the ends of the primaries gen-
erally, except the extreme white tips, black; feet, orange.
In winter there is no hood, but a gray spot on the side of
the head. The young are mottled with brownish or grayish
above, having a dark bar on the wing, and a black band on
the tail.

Appearing about the middle of April, this species some-
times becomes very abundant for a month or more, flying
leisurely up and down the river in larger or smaller flocks,
and subsisting on small fish which they take by dropping
lightly on the surface. The flight is easy and graceful, each
stroke of the long, pointed wings throwin£;' ^he body up a
little, while the bird peers this way and that way in quest of
its small prey. If it fly towards one, the white front of
its wings, added to its white breast and neck, gives it the
appearance of a white bird with a black head. It often has
a noticeable way of turning partly around or cutting back-
ward, as it drops down in securing some object suddenly de-
tected on or near the surface, thus making it appear decid-
edly lithe and agile on the wing. Occasionally it may alight

THE BONAPARTE GULL.

477

on objects along the shore, and often rides down the cur-
rent on floating bits of board, sometimes ten or a dozen
standing closely side by side in a row. Then they utter an
occasional soft conversational note, as if quietly enjoyipg
each other's company, and affording a most beautiful and
instructive picture of happy contentedness. Not infre-
quently they swim, or rather float, literally on the water,
their light forms scarcely pressing below the surface. The
harmony and effect of their chaste colors, in such pleasing
contrast, when compared with the bright green tints of our
beautiful river, are strikingly elegant* ..nd never i;- the Ni-
agara so charming as when ornamented aith clouds of
these gentle, graceful, little creatures. The immature birds,
some of which spend the summer on St. Clair Flats, linger
here some time after those in mature plumage have gone
northward. Some light has lately been thrown on the nid-
ification of this species, a matter on which the books have
heretofore been almost silent; notwithstanding the common-
ness of the bird on the sea-coast and in the interior during
the migrations. The annual report of the Canadian gov-
ernment for the Department of the Interior, issued 1880,
gives Gull Lake, north of Cypress Hill and Bullrush Lake,
as localities where this Gull breeds commonly; and Mr.
Fortiscue reports it as breeding on Hudson's Bay.

It was the 18th of October last (1883), that the fall flight
of Ducks fairly set in on the Niagara. The ripe brilliancy of
our autumn scenery had just reached its climax. The
groves on Grand Island were like bright bouquets of many
colors. The top of the large ^oft maple, under which I had
placed my tent on Buckhorn Island, seemed like a crimson
flame; and it was surrounded by every shade of scarlet,
orange, amber, and gold, and even the rich green of sum-

It

I

478

THE SURF DUCK.

men The river was in its most placid mood, its waters of
half a continent moving on with a quiet force, that did not
stir the smallest ripple on its surface. The sky was veiled
it) a soft hazy curtain of g^ay, and the air was motionless.
The river, like a great mirror, doubling the gorgeous land-
scape, reflected immense flocks of Ducks, flying high, now
in long lines and varying angles, and now in graceful curves.
Only occasionally did a flock drop down within shot-range;
then, as they rushed by our boat in the sedges, their many
wings sounding like a storm-sough in the trees, they almost
invariably proved to be Red-heads.

THE SURF DUCK.

But the Ducks were not all in the air. Here and there
on the glassy surface small flocks would appear as if by
apparition. Among these were many of the Ruddy Ducks,
whose passage would seem to be about as much by water
as through the air. This coming up out of the depths at
any point adds a great mystery to the coy life of certain
species. Every sense is on the alert, for you do not know at
what mpment some strange thing may "turn up." So it
was on this morning of the 18th. There appeared sud-
denly, almost under the bow of my boat, three dark-colored
Ducks, of a form wholly new; the most striking feature
being the large head, and long bill thick at the base. They
were young birds, and so tame, that it seemed as if I might
row my boat up to them and take them in my hand. They
proved to be the Surf Duck {(Edemia perspicillatd)^ which are
not uncommon on these waters in the autumn; occasionally,
indeed, being found here even in spring. It also occurs
quite commonly as a transient autumn migrant on the
beautiful lakes of Central New York. It is, however, par-
ticularly an ocean Duck, feeding on small moUusks and

THE SCOTER.

479

fishes, for which it " dives almost constantly, both in the
sandy bays and amidst the tumbling surf," sometimes '' fish-
ing at the depth of several fathoms," and " floating buoy-
antly among the surf of the raging billows, where it seems
as unconcerned as if it were on the most tranquil waters."
In winter its dark figure is common along the whole Atlan-
tic Coast, it being often abundant about Long Island and
southward. Taking up its northern migration early in
spring, it breeds from Labrador northward, and also on
Hudson's Bay; in the latter locality, according to Mr. Jas.
Fortiscue, " on islands out to sea, hatching on bare rocks
close to water."

Some 20 inches long and over 30 in extent, the male
black, brownish below; the upper part of the upper mandi-
ble, including the gnarl, bright orange; iris, brown; feet,
brownish. The female, several inches shorter than the male,
with scarcely anything of the gnarl at the base of the bill,
which is all black, is light sooty-brown above, and brownish-
gray, with dusky specks, below. The nest is placed in a
tussock of grass, in some marsh a few miles from the sea,
and is made of dried weeds and grasses, the eggs being
some 2.30X1.60, and creamy-white.

THE SCOTER.

On the same day other flocks of strange, dark-colored
Ducks appeared. I saw them in the water more frequently
than in the air, and they were very expert divers. Some-
times the smaller flocks seemed almost to alternate with
the immense flocks of Red-heads, at other times they were
mixed in with them, so that a shot into a flock would bring
down both kinds. The strange kind proved to be the young
of the American Scoter {(Edemia americana); no mature
birds at any time being detected among them, I think,

480

THE VELVET DUCK.

I

though they do occasionally occur here in the spring.
Some 20 inches long, and about 32 in extent, thus only of
a medium size, the male is black throughout; eyes, brown;
feet, greenish; top of the bill, orange, the mark being
broadest by the gnarl at the base of the bill. Female and
young, brown, the sides of the head and the under parts
lighter, obscurely spotted with dusky.

This is another of the winter Ducks, sometimes appear-
ing in great numbers along the whole Atlantic, perfectly at
home in the stormy surf of the winter winds, feeding mostly
on small bivalves, for which it dives incessantly and with
the greatest address. It flies low over the water, but moves
with great momentum; and is so attached to the sea, that its
appearance on fresh waters would seem to be but casual,
during its transits of migration, or while the most tempest-
uous storms are raging along the coast. The note of the
Scoter in spring is like whe-oo-hoo^ long drawn out.

Nesting similarly to the Eider Duck, it breeds from
Labrador northward; the eggs, 2.00x1.60, being yellowish-
white.

THE VELVET DUCK.

During all last fall's shooting of Ducks on the Niagara, a
fine pair of mature Velvet Ducks {CEdemia fused) remained in
perfect safety, though fired at more or less continuously.
They never dived to escape the shot, but had the happy
faculty of rising out of the water just before one came within
ordinary range for a shot. They seemed so perfectly self-
assured and at home, that up to that point of approach, one
might study them with all impunity. How buoyantly they
swam, and how large and lusty they looked as they flew low
over the water. The male, nearly 2 feet long and nearly 8 in
extent, of brownish velvety black with white secondaries, caus-
ing a clear white bar across the wing when closed, and a long

THE EIDER DUCK.

481

white spot under the eye, was indeed one of the larger and
more robust Ducks on the river. In the mature male, the
red or bright orange bill has the base and the sides black;
the iris is yellow, and the feet are dark red. The female
and the young of the year, are dark brown or dusky, with
two spots of whitish on the cheek, white bar on the wing,
grayish under parts mottled with dusky, and black bill. In
the latter part of September, I have seen these Ducks in
large flocks on Lake Ontario. Their large black form, with
snow-white patch at the base of the wing, cannot be mis-
taken in flight. The Velvet Duck {CEdemia fused) breeds
from Labrador northward.

The three species last described constitute a group of
Black Sea-Ducks, known on the Atlantic Coast in wintci as
Coots. A curiously formed or fancy bill, swollen at the
base, broad and variously modified at the tip, and bright
parti-colored, is a marked characteristic; the plumage is
soft and velvety; the legs are placed far back in accom-
modation to their expert diving habits; and though emi-
nently Ducks of the ocean, diving for mollusks or fishes,
and seeking bays and estuaries only in the severest storms,
breeding from Labrador northward, they, locate on fresh
waters a short distance from the sea. Like that of most
ocean Ducks, their flesh is not very palatable; and like our
more northern birds in general, they are common to both
the Old World and the New.

THE EIDER DUCK.

Our large rivers, bearing more or less north and south,
are all great highways of migration. So inviting an
avenue to the south is the great St. Lawrence, that in
the autumn, even the Eiders may be tempted to take that
route into the interior. The young of both the Common
31

482

THE EIDER DUCK.

and the King Eider are occasionally found here on the
Niagara, and a mature male of the latter was once taken
here in April.

Let no one think that the brilliant birds are confined
to the south. On our northern oceans rides the King of
Ducks, and also his still more stately cousin, the Common
Eider. The lower parts, and the crown from the base
of the bill, black; the upper parts, including a line into
the crown, white; back of the head and neck, ice-green;
the breast a most elegant rosy-cream, — the male of
the Common Eider {Somateria mollissima) is a very ideal
of chaste beauty. The darkness of the deep beneath him,
the snow of the mountain above him, the ice beneath his
crown, and the rosy tint of the aurora borealis on his
breast, he is the symbol of our most intensely startling
and beautiful ideas of the north.

Extending their winter habitat along our northwestern
coast to New York, the Eiders reach Labrador, in their
northward migrations, by the first days of May, two weeks
or more before the ice is out of that region. For the next
three or four weeks their low flight, in long drawn-out lines,
is a feature of that rough and forbidding landscape. The
sexes are already united in regularly chosen pairs, the dark
colored females contrasting strongly, as they alternate with
their snowy consorts in the lines of flight. To the residents
of Labrador, shut in by the long, bleak winter, their appear-
ance now is about as pleasant as is that of the Robins to
us in the raw days of March. After disporting themselves
for several weeks in the happy reminiscences of their former
summer haunts, they begin nidification about the last of
May or the first of June. Breeding in communities, some-
times in immense numbers, in this respect differing notice-
ably from most Ducks, they appropriate the rocky islands

THE EIDER DUCK.

483

and islets along the coast for several — sometimes five or six —
miles out, and along the mainland and inward for a mile.
Thus their nidification becomes a striking characteristic of this
great ornithological breeding-ground. The nests are placed
about clumps of grass, in fissures of the rocks, under the
low spreading branches of the stunted firs, and along shelv-
ings of the shore not far from the water's edge. Often
they are so numerous as almost to crowd upon each other,
six or eight being found under a single bush, or arranged
in lines aiong the glassy clefts of rock. Well sunken into
the ground, they are made of dried twigs, sea-weeds, and
mosses, so well placed and interwoven as to give the cavity
a neat and pretty appearance. As is the case with Ducks
generally, there is no down in the nest when the eggs are
first laid; but when they are deposited, 6-7, or perhaps as
high as 10, oval, smooth-shelled and pale clouded or mot-
tled olive-green, some 3.00X2.10, the female, now aban-
doned by her mate, begins to pluck the celebrated down
from her breast, and continues to do so as incubation pro-
ceeds, until the roots of the feathers of her under parts are
about entirely bare of this commodity. The nest, now con-
taining about a hat-full of loose down, which approximates
an ounce in weight, is elegantly lined, and may afford an
entire covering to the eggs in the absence of the bird; and
thus their warmth may be preserved for some time, while
the lone and forsaken female seeks recreation and food.
Now the dark reddish-brown birds, elegantly marked with
black and with two narrow white cross-bars on the wings,
may be seen standing on the rocks leisurely preening their
feathers, or floating on the waters in the vicinity. At the
same time the bright colored males may be seen in large
flocks, disporting themselves in entire freedom from care,
among the outer islands and sand-bars. The immature

484

THE EIDER DUCK.

males, variously spotted and piebald — it taking four years
for them to reach mature colors — are meanwhile finding
seclusion with the sterile females. I recently found quite a
number of these Ducks breeding about Mud and Seal
Islands, Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia, and am told that
a few still breed about Grand Menan.

Early in July the first young appear, and by the 20th
they are about all hatched. Heavily clad in a dark mouse-
colored down, they are the objects of the closest vigilance
and care on the part of the mother. If the nest be far
from water, they are at once conducted thither through
every difficulty; if it be about rocks over the water, the
mother will transfer them in her bill, after the manner
of the Wood Duck. For the next three weeks or more,
the Eider is the most faithful of mothers, leading her
brood, in close flocks, about shallow waters, where they are
taught to dive for their food. If they become fatigued,
she swims deeply among them, and takes them all on her
back till they are rested. If a Jaeger or the large Black-
backed Gull appear in search of a tender meal, croaking
fiercely and beating the water with her wings, she will raise
a lively spray, the young meanwhile disappearing under
water; or she springs out of the water, and attacks the enemy
"tooth and nail " so fiercely, that he is glad to make good
his retreat. Now see her mount that rock, and coax her
scattered brood together around her, as they emerge from
the water here and there along the shore !

The males, free from domestic cares, moult several weeks
before the females, and also leave their summer habitat
some two weeks in advance of the females and young, but
are happy to mingle with them again after all have reached
our coast to spend the winter. Here, toward spring, the
males have a queer note, sounding like moo-moo-o-o-o-oj and

THE EIDER DUCK.

485

resembling the moaning of the seals in the harbors. The prin-
cipal food of the Eider is shell-fish, small gasteropods and
mussels, for which it will dive 8 or 10 fathoms, or even
more, and the shells of which it can break easily. Though
its flesh is not the most savory, it can sometimes be eaten
with relish. Audubon cites a case of its successful domes*
tication. Its colors, its great size — some 25 inches in length
and 40.50 in extent, and its broad-based tapering bill,
feathered well down along the ridge — fully differentiate it

In Norway and Greenland, for the Eider is also a denizen
of the Old World, this species is half domesticated. The
natives, pursuing a humane and most commendable policy,
do not allow it to be molested. Hence it breeds in great
numbers, even about their premises, under up-turned
boats, slabs, and about out-houses, the female allowing her-
self to be lifted from the nest while the eggs are handled.
After the young have left the nest, the down is gathered as
an article of commerce; and thus it is secured in the
greatest quantity. Islands appropriated as breeding-places
thus become good, sometimes notable, sources of income to
the owners.

The King Duck {Somateria specidbilis), a near relative of
the former, but of considerably smaller size, is more arctic
in its habitat. Very common about the Magdalen Islands
in winter, and so tame that it can be killed with a stick,
it seldom migrates as far south as New England. Probably
its tameness in winter is due to its breeding so far north as
to be disturbed but little by man.

Some 22.60 long and 41.00 in extent, the male is brownish-
black, having the chin, neck, upper part of the back, stripe
lengthwise on the wing, and a spot on each side of the base
of the tail, white; an elegant gray-drab hdod over the
crown; cheeks delicate ice-green; border around the bare

%t

486

THE HARLEQUIN DUCK.

red patches on the sides of the swelling at the base of the
bill, and fork-shaped spot on the throat, black; breast, dark-
cream. The female is reddish-brown, marked with black,
with a little white on the wings. The species can always
be determined by the downward curve of the long scapulars.
The Labrador Duck {Somateria labradoria)^ an arctic spe-
cies, formerly found from New Jersey northward in winter,
is now so rare as to be regarded almost extinct. Some 20
inches long and 30 in extent, it has a long patch along the
crown and down the back of the head, collar around the
lower neck continuing and enlarging over the back; the
primaries and the under parts, black; the other parts are
white; thus making a very strongly marked species.

THE HARLEQUIN DUCK.

The most fantastic of all our Ducks is the Harlequin
{Histrionicus torquatus)^ or Lord and Lady, as the two sexes
are called on ihc coasts of New England. About 17 inches
long and 27-28 in extent, bill short and small, tail rather
long and pointed, the male has the head and neck of dusky-
ash; upper breast and shoulders, bluish-ash; under parts,
dusky-brown; triangular-crescent spot at the base of the
bill, in front of the eye and extending up on the crown; a
narrow line on the back of the crown, a spot back of the
ear, a long one on the neck, a narrow ring around the lower
neck, large epaulets; markings on the scapulars, tertiaries,
wing-coverts and sides at the base of the tail, white; the
white generally margined with black; a streak on each side
of the crown, and the long feathers on the sides, chestnut-
red or brown; rump, tail, and under-tail coverts, black.
The female is dusky-brown, with whitish markings in
front of the eye, and a clear white spot back of the ear.
The young males are several years in coming to maturity.

THE HARLEQUIN DUCK,

487

In Audubon's time this species was common, in winter,
from Boston northward, and bred as far south as Grand
Menan; at present it is doubtful if it breeds farther south
than Labrador and Newfoundland, and is not very plentiful
there; while in respect to their winter habitat, Mr. E. Smith,
of Portland, Maine, says they are " not very common, but
of regular occurrence along the coast in winter, frequenting
the outermost islands and ledges;" also that they are "very
active, expert divers, and generally wary, and as their haunts
are not easily accessible, but few of the birds are shot."

About Mud and Seal Islands, Yarmouth Co., Nova Scotia,
this species is still found in considerable numbers through-
out the winter, there being sometimes as many as a hundred
in a flock. They keep about the rocks and ledges, feeding
on the small crustaceans called sand fleas, and on small gas-
teropods. Shooting the " Rock Ducks," as they call them
here, is the rarest sport of the season. An attractive sight,
indeed, is a flock of the^ strikingly marked birds, on a sol-
itary outlying rock, on a bleak winter's day. The males
are said to be particularly proud in their manner, stretching
up their necks and bowing to each other when a number of
them alight together, and emitting a peculiar soft whistling
note, not unlike that of the Common Partridge or Ruffed
Grouse. They generally arrive in November and leave in
April. For these interesting facts, I am indebted to Mr. John
Crowell, of Seal Island, who is not only a gentleman of
great generosity, but one of the most accurate observers of
nature that it has ever been my pleasure to meet.

It is now pretty evident, that this species breeds in holes
in trees, like the Wood Thrush. It is so reported from the
interior of Newfoundland.

CHAPTER XX.

BIRD-LIFE IN NOVA SCOTIA.

«

NOVA Scotia is especially favored with the Warblers.
The beautiful and musical Yellow Warbler {£>. asHva)
is as common here as in New England, and with its usual
familiarity, may build its nest in the rose-bush by the
front door. From almost every clump of evergreens comes
the peculiar ditty of the Black-throated Green Warbler
{D. virens). The sprightly whistle of the Black-and- Yellow
Warbler {D. maculosa) is quite common to the evergreen and
mixed forests; the musical twitter^of the Yellow-rump {D.
coronata) is often heard in the pine groves; the soft shrilling
insect-tones of the Yellow-backed Blue Warbler {Parula
americana) is nearly as common as in New England; the
conspicuous little figure of the Black-and-white Creeping
Warbler {Mniotilta varia) is frequent on the trunks of the
lowland forest-trees; the Black-throated Blue Warbler (Z>.
ccerulescens) is not rare; the Maryland Yellow- throat {Geothly-
pis trichas) delights in the swamps and numerous wild
meadows; the Redstart {Setophaga ruticilld) flashes among
the foliage; the Chestnut-side is to be found occasionally;
Audubon reports the nest of the Blackburnian from this
locality; and Mr. Andrew Downes regards the Yellow Red-
poll as a common resident. All of the above no doubt breed
in the numbers there indicated, while the echoing chant of
the Golden-crown {Seiurus aurocapillus) is frequently heard;

THE BLACK.POLL WARBLER,

489

and its near relative, the Water Thrush {JS. ntn^eboracensis\
ip at home in the bogs and swamps.

THE BLACK-POLL WARBLER.

I do not remember hearing the Black-poll (Z>. striata) on
the main-land of the peninsula, but on the Mud and Seal
Islands, about fifteen miles out at sea, nearly in range with
the county-line between Yarmouth and Shelburn counties,
they are positively abundant throughout the breeding season
— so abundant that, while wandering among the evergreens,
one is at no time out of the reach of their song, and often
several can be heard at once. That song, though one of
the most slender and wiry in all our forests, is as distin-
guishable as the hum of the Cicada or the shrilling of the
Katydid. Tree-tree-tree-tree-tree-tree-tree-tree^ rapidly uttered,
the monotonous notes of equal length, beginning very
softly, gradually increasing to the middle of the strain,
and then as gradually diminishing, thus forming a fine
musical swell — may convey a fair idea of the song. There
is a peculiar soft and tinkling sweetness in this melody, sug-
gestive of the quiet mysteries of the forest, and sedative as
an anodyne to the nerves. The chaste little figure striped
in half mourning and capped in jet-black, every now and
then reaches the tip-top of some evergreen, stretches him-
self up in song in full sight, and then darts into the thicket.
As one nears the nest, the female may be seen beating her
wings along the branches in the utmost distress, or one
may still hear her sharp chipping note of alarm as she dis-
appears in the almost impenetrable growth of small black ,
spruce. The nest is very uniquely placed. Generally within
reach from the ground, often quite low and on a limb
against the trunk of a small tree, it is a bulky structure,
about five inches in external and two in internal diameter.

400

THE BLACK.POLL WARBLER.

about one inch in depth internally and three in depth
externally, and is composed of the small spray of the ever-
greens, dried weeds, moss and wool, the lining being of
fine dried grasses and a few feathers. The materials are all
rather roughly laid; and the wool may be peculiar to the
locality under consideration, as the hundreds of sheep kept
here throughout the year leave tags of their fleece on
almost every bush. The four eggs, about .76X.63, are
grayish-white, slightly specked all over, and spotted in a
wreath around the large end, with several shades of brown,
and still more with subdued lilac or neutral tint; the whole
being intensified with here and there a distinct blackish
spot or scrawl in the wreath of spots or thickest part of the
marking. The eggs of the various species of Warblers
differing greatly in size for birds so similar in measurement,
those of this species are among the larger specimens.

In color and in habit the Black-poll is strongly differen-
tiated. Male, 5.50 long and 8.50 in extent, has first primary as
long as the second, thus making the wing quite pointed, and
the tail emarginate. The upper parts are light bluish-ash
streaked with black; crown, jet-black; wings and tail, dusky,
the former edged with greenish, the latter edged with white,
and having patches of white on the inner web of the three
outer feathers toward the end; tertiaries edged, and wing-
coverts tipped, with white; cheeks and under, parts, white,
with spotted lines of black from the bill down the sides.
Female similar, with colors and marking not so bright, gen-
erally more or less tinged with greenish-yellow.

The mature male, moving among the dark foliage, much
after the manner of a Flycatcher, also capturing insects
with a sharp snap of the bill, is as conspicuous in his
strongly contrasted colors as the Black-and-White Creeper
or the Black-capped Chickadee. Appearing in the very

THE HERMIT THRUSH.

491

tail of the migration of its family, it is scarcely to be looked
for in Western New York till the middle or latter part of
May, and Audubon found the eggs of the species in Labra-
dor as late as the middle of July. But if the Black-poll
seems to be a laggard, let it be remembered that it is a great
traveler. Wintering in Central America and the West In-
dies, and traveling, perhaps, largely at sea, it does not slacken
its migrations till it reaches the oceanic islands off north-
easts ->. Maine and Nova Scotia; and breeding commonly in
Labru lor, it extends even to Alaska and the Arctic Ocean.
Nebraska seems to be about its western limit.

THE HERMIT THRUSH.

One of the most charming items to a naturalist, visiting
Northern New England or the Maritime Provinces in
spring, is the song of the Hermit Thrush {Turdus pallasi).
I reached Paradise, in the Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia,
during the night, and, early the next morning climbed the
South Mountain to listen to the birds. It was the beau-
tiful morning of the second of June, 1883. As I passed
through a swampy tract of alders, on nearing the foot of
the mountain, I was greeted with the divine song of the
Hermit. It had been familiar to me in the days of child-
hood, and I had often recalled the unutterably sacred feel-
ings it used to awaken; but never during the many years of
my ornithological studies had I heard it, though I was quite
familiar with the bird in its migrations. Stimulated by
anticipation, and with a vague conception formed from the
descriptions of authors, and the analogous songs of other
Thrushes, I was prepared for the happiest impression. It
was a moment never to be forgotten. The song begins
with a note not unlike the vowel (9, passing through several
intervals of the musical scale in a smooth, upward slide, and

■v-ii

if.? I

492

THE HERMIT THRUSH.

in a tone of indescribable melodiousness, and continues
in a shake which gradually softens into silence, thus giving
a most pleasing diminuendo. Put into syllables, it is well
represented by Mr. Burrough's phrase, " O-o-o-o, holy-holy-
holy-hdly : " and I sometimes thought I heard it say, O-o-o-o,
seraph-seraph-seraph-seraph. Again I could discover no sug-
gestion of articulate language, but only that soul-language
of pure melody, which speaks directly to the heart without
the ruder incumbrance of speech. With short pauses, this
diminuendo is repeated any number of times, but always
on a different key and with a different modulation. Now it
Is on the main chords, now on the intermediates, and now
on the most delicately chosen and inspiring chromatics.
When pitched high, the shake is through a shorter interval,
and in a weaker tone The lower-toned modulations are
always the sweetest. Sometimes the tones are so soft as
to sound far away, though the bird is quite near; and again
the notes are very penetrating, and may be heard for quite
a distance, especially when aided by the enchanting echoes of
tall, dense forests. The tone of the melody is neither of flute,
nor hautboy nor vox-humana, but something of inimitable
sweetness, and never heard away from the fragrant arcades
of the forest. "Spiritual serenity," or a refined, poetic,
religious devotion, is indeed the sentiment of the song. He
whose troubled spirit cannot be soothed or comforted, or
whose religious feelings cannot be awakened by tliis song, in
twilight, must lack the full sense of hearing, or that inner
sense of the soul which catches nature's most significant
voices. It is a voice which should always direct us heaven-
ward.

Notwithstanding its retiring habits and its celestial song,
this bird is decidedly lowly and humble in its nidification.
The nest is not placed in a bush or small tree, as is the case

THE CANADA J A Y.

493

with the Wood Thrush and the Olive-back and its allies, nor
on a pile of brush or dried leaves near the ground, after the
manner of the Wilson; but it is sunken into the ground,
among the forest plants or ferns, the rim being about level
with the surface. It is somewhat bulky, and quite substan-
tially built of dried weeds and grasses, slightly intermixed
with moss. The lining is of similar but finer material,
sometimes brightened with the glossy red or black capsule-
stems of mosses. The eggs, of clear bluish-green, are
about .85-90 X .62-65.

The alarm-note, or breeding-call of this species, is a soft,
quee-e-e-e-ehy somewhat resembling the call of the Vireos.

All in all, this is about the most boreal of the Thrushes.
Wintering in the Southern — and occasionally, it would seem,
even in the Middle — States, it breeds from Northern New
England far to the north. The variety nanus seems pecul-
iar to the southern Rocky Mountains, as is aiiduboni to the
regions beyond. The Hermit breeds in the high altitudes
of the above mountains, even as far south as Colorado.

Early in April, the russet form of this Thrush is seen,
frequently, on the ground, among the faded leaves of our
forests in Western New York, on its way to the north; and
again in October, or perhaps as late as November, when the
first snow falls, it appears again, quite commonly, on its way
south. Like the rest of the Thrushes, it feeds on the
ground, running briskly, and often dropping down from
the branches, between the strains of its song, to pick up
some favorite morsel, spied in the distance by those large,
dark eyes, so common to the family.

THE CANADA JAY.

On the 9th of June (1883), ia a wild meadow in Lunen-
burg County, N. S., I was much amused watching a female

1

1

H

Ji

fWt 1

11 ,

FlIlM::

'I, ':!

■'Ill

494

THE CANADA JA Y.

Canada Jay {Perisoreus canadensis) feed her full-grown
young. So grept is the difference in color of the old and
young of this bird, that Swainson, in the " Fauna Boreali-
Americana," figured the young as another species. About
1 1 inches long and 15 in extent, the mature bird is dusky-
ash, the feathers over the back and wing-coverts, tinged
toward the tip with reddish; forehead, throat, ear-coverts,
front and sides of the neck, and tips of the wing and tail
feathers, white; under parts, light reddish, tinged with ash;
bill and feet, black. Male and female are alike.

The young are deep dusky-ash, with the head blackish;
streak from the base of the bill across the ear-coverts, tips
of the greater wing-coverts and of the wing and tail
feathers, and the vent, white; bill, bluish-white, tipped with
black. Thus the young are so much darker than the parent
as to appear like another species.

The brood referred to were full-grown, and yet were be-
ing fed as assiduously as if they had been callow, nestlings.
Their noisiness, when the mother-bird arrived with food,
first attracted my attention, the noise being a sort of hiss-
ing squeal, loud enough to startle anything in the neighbor-
hood. The parent also had a squealing note, and another
sounding like choo-choo-choo-choo^ the note, perhaps, which
Audubon compared to light strokes on an anvil.

The Canada Jay, or Meat Hawk, or Whiskey Jack, or
Carrion-bird, may be most readily allured by its stomach.
Ordinarily shy and distant, like other Jays, it will come so
near as to pppear almost domesticated, wherever there is
some suitable food to attract it. Butchering-day among
the farmers is sure to bring him. Perching on the nearest
available object, and closely eying the whole proceeding,
he will frequently drop down almost within reach to pick
up a fresh morsel. The fisherman on some inland lake or

THE CANADA J A Y.

495

Stream, may discover him in the other end of his boat, pil-
laging his bait; the camper-out will be most sure to receive
a call from him as soon as his quarters are taken up, and
every stray crumb or bit of offal will reveal the motive of
his visit; he seeks out the lumberman in the deep forest,
and, in the emergencies of winter, will even take food
from his hand. Audubon describes a rather cruel amuse-
ment of the lumbermen with this bird. " This is done," he
says, " by cuiting a pole eight or ten feet in length, balancing
it on the sill of their hut, the end outside the entrance being
baited with a piece of flesh of any kind. Immediately on
seeing the tempting morsel, the Jays alight on it, and while
they are busily engaged in devouring it, a wood-cutter gives
a smart blow to the end of the pole within the hut, which
seldom fails to drive the birds high into the air, and not
infrequently kills them."

Exceedingly plain in color, and repulsive, rather than
pleasing, in its vocal performances, the Canada Jay is decid-
edly graceful, however, in its movements. Ho'w emphatic,
and peculiar to itself, is that nod of the head as it alights,
and there is a peculiar jerk of the wings and tail. When
alighting in one of the lower branches of a tree, it will
sometimes ascend, hopping jauntily from one limb to
another, round and round the trunk, thus reaching the top
as if by a winding stairs. Its flight, too, is showy, resem-
bling that of its gay relative, the Blue Jay.

True to its membership in the Crow family, it is said to
be a devourer of the eggs and young of other birds, not
sparing even the eggs of the Crow itself. Some competent
writers say that its sagacity extends even to hiding and
hoarding food for the winter.

Like some other hardy birds, it begins the breeding pro-
cess very early, even in February or March, thus bringing

'VM.

490

THE RAVEN.

out its young before most other birds begin to build. In-
deed, these young Jays are already flying by the time most
of our migratory birds arrive. The nest, placed in the
thick part of a tree, is built of twigs, hay and moss, and is
lined with fine fibrous roots, like that of the Blue Jay.
The eggs, about 1.20 X •'70, are gray or grayish- white, marked
all over, but more especially at the butt, with several shades
of a neutral tint, and with spots of dark olive-brown. This
species breeds from northern New England to 39°, and
down in the Rocky Mountains probably to Colorado. It
sometimes strays to the Middle States in winter.

THE RAVEN.

A very common bird-voice, in Nova Scotia, is the hoarse
croak of the Raven {Corvus corax). This bird is much
oftener heard than seen, however, for it is too shy and wary
to make its appearance except in the distance. Then it is
readily distinguishable from the Crow by its much greater
size. Occasionally, especially if you are riding in some
conveyance, it will perch near by and in full sight, when its
size, its loose flowing plumage, and its thick, gull-like bill,
mark it unmistakably. In flight it may differ very materially
from the Crow, soaring high and majestically, after the
manner of the large Buzzards or the Eagle, though its ordi-
nary beating flight is quite crow-like.

For the most part the Raven is a bird of the north, and
is partly migratory. Retired woodland lakes and streams,
solitary cataracts, rushing rapids in deep ravines, forest-clad
cliffs of great rivers, wooded islands out in the ocean, and
lonely beetling crags about the sea, are the haunts of this
majestic and mysterious bird. Perhaps from a natural
aversion to man, but more probably from being constantly
persecuted by him, it disappears entirely from the more

THE RAVEN.

497

cultivated parts of the country. For instance, about Niag-
ara Falls, and along the south shores of Lakes Erie and
Ontario, where Wilson reported it as abundant in his time,
it seems now to have entirely disappeared.

Though its dignified proportions, its color of magnificent
black, and its distant, wary and stately ways, as well as the
inscrutable mystery with which superstition has always
invested it, give it a very high, aesthetic regard, many of its
habits are by no means pleasing. In respect to diet, it is to
a great extent a carrion-eater, feeding especially on dead
fish which float up on the shores. Not only does it destroy
birds and their eggs and weakly young lambs, but also the
tender young of animals generally.

This magnificent bird may have much said in his favor,
however. One who was most familiar with the habits of
birds says that "the Raven destroys numberless insects,
grubs and worms; that he kills mice, moles and rats, when-
ever he can find them; that he will seize the weasel, the young
opossum, and the skunk; that, with the perseverance of a
cat, he will watch the burrows of foxes, and pounce on the
cubs." Even his carrion-eating propensities have their
utility; so that it is highly probable that the Raven, not-
withstanding all that may be said against him, is much more
useful than injurious. Indeed, he is possessed of so much
character, and has filled so large a place in history, that the
world would seem incomplete without him. He is the first
bird mentioned in the Bible. When the flood began to decline,
Noah "sent forth a Raven, which went forth to and fro until
the waters were dried up from off the earth." "That is," says
Tristram, the celebrated English writer on the natural his-
tory of the Bible, " the Raven kept going and returning to
the ark, jesting on it, but not entering into it again, and
finding its food in the floating carcasses. No other bird
32

i

. 'W

m

\\ i.

498

THE RAVEN.

I t|

was so well adapted to obtain its subsistence amidst the
scene of desolation; and the fact that it did not return into
the ark would afford Noah a sign that the first stage of the
subsidence of the waters was accomplished."

The poets of all time have made the Raven, with its
hoarse, guttural tones, and its supposed untimely flight, the
sign and symbol of the darkest coming evils. Has the
night given us a mysterious and awful idea of darkness ?
The Raven has furnished our most beautiful and poetic
conception of blackness. The peculiar majesty of his form
and color is a dark point in nature's picture, most essential
to its completeness; the absence of his weird tones would
greatly detract from the harmony and significance of bird-
music; and what a noticeable break in our literature would
come with his departure!

Audubon assigns the nest of the Raven to some inaccessi-
ble cliff, and such no doubt is its most natural location; but "
in the absence of suitable rocky cliffs, it is placed in a tree.
On the Mud and Seal Islands it is built in the flat-topped,
low spruces, so common to the locality. Generally placed
under a canopy of thick, broad branches, it is made of
large, crooked, weather-worn sticks, closely and artistically
laid, being rimmed up with finer material and well lined
with wool; the same nest being repaired from year to year.
Thus, in course of time, it becomes quite bulky, like that of
the large Buzzards or the Eagle. The eggs, 4-6, and some
1.75x1-40, are bluish-green, spotted all over, but more at
the butt, with brown and pale purple, the ground color being
much lighter or darker in different specimens, and the extent
of marking being subject to great variation. The nesting
i >cgins as early as March, in Nova Scotia, and the whole
family are abroad in June.

The Raven is of almost world-wide distribution; and that

I

THE CANADA GROUSE.

490

of America, though slightly larger, probably is not specifi-
cally different from that of Europe.

THE CANADA GROUSE.

Nova Scotia is fairly within the habitat of the Spruce
Partridge or Canada Grouse {Tetrao canadensis); and it may
be found there, commonly, in all suitable places— evergreen
woods and swamps, and uncleared tracts of more or less
barren land. As with the Grouse generally, this species is
not migratory, its habitat being from the extreme north of
New England to Labrador northward, and to the Rocky
Mountains and Alaska westward. About 16.00 long, the
general color of the male is black, the under parts being
more or less barred and spotted with clear white, the
upper parts waved with gray or reddish-brown, and the
quills yariegated with light brown; the black tail is ter-
minally banded with bright reddish-brown; naked space
over the eye, bright vermilion; legs feathered to between
the toes. Female a little smaller, the black being less clear,
and much variegated with brown and white, the tail band
less bright.

This is a bird of gentle, retired ways. Never does it
make itself common about fields and pastures, piping from
fence-stakes, like the Quail; nor will it expose itself in the
open and by the roadside, even as much as the Ruffed
Grouse. It is the aristocrat of its family, stepping daintily
on its moss-carpeted and deeply-shaded apartments, feed-
ing in summer on such berries as may be found in the
forest, and in winter being content with even the leaves of
the evergreens. Its flesh, being dark and unsavory, is not
much in favor.

Its simple nest is generally well concealed on the ground,
and contains some dozen quite pointed eggs, 1.65-1. 70 x

1

500

THE GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET.

1.15-1.25, brownish-cream, spotted and more or less blotched
with dark-brown.

The 'note of this species is a soft chuck, and it has not
the jaunty jerk of the tail when walking, so noticeable in
the Ruffed Grouse. In every way its manner is less self-
conscious and gay. It is equally attached to its young,
however, and will seek their safety with similar arts of simu-
lated distress. Ordinarily it is so tame and unwary, that it
may be taken by a noose fastened on the end of a stick.

Mr. Everett Smith, of Portland, Me., says: " The Canada
Grouse performs its 'drumming' upon the trunk of a stand-
ing tree of rather small size, preferably one that is inclined
from the perpendicular, and in the following manner: Com-
mencing near the base of the tree selected, the bird flutters
upward with somewhat slow progress, but with rapidly beat-
ing wings, which produce the drumming sound. Having thus
ascended fifteen or twenty feet, it glides quietly on the wing
to the ground, and then repeats the maneuver. Favorite
places are resorted to habitually, and these ' drumming trees '
are well known to observant woodsmen. I have seen one
that was so well worn upon the bark as to lead to the belief
that it had been used for this purpose for many years. This
tree was a spruce six inches in diameter, with an inclina-
tion of about fifteen degrees from the perpendicular, and
was known to have been used as a 'drumming tree' for
several seasons. The upper surface and sides of the trunk
were so worn by the feet and wings of the bird, or birds,
using it for drumming, that for a distance of a dozen or
fifteen feet the bark had become quite smooth and red, as if
rubbed."

THE GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET.

Having heard the song of the Golden-crowned Kinglet
{Reguius satrapd) to the very last days of June, and having

THE GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET,

501

seen the female at different periods of the month, and finally
vrith food in her bill, in Nova Scotia, I infer that it breeds
commonly in that province. This accords with the fact, now
well authenticated, that it breeds from Northern New Eng-
land northward. Its song, sounding like te-eet^ te-eet^ te-ekt^
U-elt^ te-eety te-eet, in a soft whistling tone, is somewhat
monotonous, indeed, but a pleasing melody in the soft sough
of the evergreens. Nor is this song of the breeding time to
be confounded with its soft lisping conversational notes
heard throughout the year. Smallest of all our birds
except the Hummingbird, only 4-4.60 long, so hardy that
it can spend the winter in our Middle States, and even in
Southern New England this is one of our first and most
abundant migrants. From early in March till the middle
or last days of April, its spirited flitting motions— whether
most like those of the Warbler, Flycatcher, or Titmouse, it
would be difficult to say — may be observed in the woods, the
thicket, or the orchard. A charming sylvan ornament is this
tiny, elegant, and gracefully moving songster. Dark green-
ish-olive above, grayish-white below, outer webs of the
dusky wing and tail feathers, light green, wings marked
with white and black, crown, bright flame-color, margined
with yellow and again with black, the male is truly a king
in all but size, and therefore may fitly be called a King-/?/.
The female is like the male, lacking the flame-colored
center in the crown, her crown being simply yellow, mar-
gined with black.

The nest of this species was found by Mr. H. D. Minot,
of Boston, July 16th, 1875, it having been tracked out by
observing the female in the act of conveying food to her
young, of which it contained six. It " hung four feet above
the ground, from a spreading hemlock bough, to the twigs
of which it was firmly fastened; it was globular, with an

502

THE RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET,

entrance in the upper part, and was composed of hanging
moss, ornamented with bits of dead leaves, and lined chiefly
with feathers." An egg, found in Labrador, is said to be
small and pretty, with clay-colored spots on a white ground.
Notwithstanding the immense numbers of this little insec-
tivorous species, the study of its nidification still invites the
ornithologist.

THE RUBV-CROWNED KINGLET.

Who has not seen the Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus
ccUenduld) in the thick migrations of spring and autumn?
Who that visits the grove, the thicket or the orchard in
April or October can fail to hear its soft whispering tsi-tsl-
tsh^ as if the wee sprites, almost invisible but for their ner-
vous flitting motion, were confidentially lisping their secrets
in the thick branches overhead? Occasionally in the very
last days of its spring migration, one may hear its song.
Such was my privilege the first day of May (1883) — a calm
sunny day, when every inch of atmosphere was calling to
swelling buds and springing grass, when every breath was
rest and inspiration. The place was a beautiful park-like,
open grove near Niagara River. The song came from out
of a thick clump of wild thorns, and was so loud and
spirited that I was led to expect a bird at least as large as
a Thrush. Chee-oo^ chee-oo, chee-oo, chee-oo, choo, choo, chooy
tseety tseety tseet, tseet, te-tseet, te-tseety te-tseet; again, tseet, tseety
tseety tseety choOy choOy choOy choo, chee-oOy chee-oOy tsity tsity tsity
isity may represent this wonderful melody, the first notes
being strongly palatal and somewhat aspirated, the latter
slender and sibilant, and more rapidly uttered; the first
part being also so full and animated as to make one think
of the Water Thrush, or the Winter Wren; while the last
part sounded like a succeedant song from a slender-voiced
Warbler. Could all this come from the throat of this tiny,

THE RUBY.CROWNED KINGLET.

503

four-inch Sylvia? I was obliged to believe my own eyes,
for I saw the bird many times in the act of singing. The
melody was such as to mark the day on which I heard it.

In size and color the species is in every way like the
former, except the clear ruby crown, often concealed by
the surrounding loose feathers, and sometimes — probably
in the case of birds less than two years old — not found
at all.* In habit it is regarded as more southern than its
near relative, for it winters even in Mexico and Central
America, and is supposed to breed as far south as Northern
New Jersey and Western New York. Indeed, it is claimed
that the young have been found in the nest in the latter
district; and there is good evidence that it breeds among
the most elevated forests throughout the Rocky Mountains,
as also northward through the Maritime Provinces and
Labrador.

The nest and eggs of this species, however, are a great
rarity. The only clear account of them is furnished by W.
E. D. Scott, who found them at Twin Lakes, Col., June
21st, 1878, the nest being in a low branch of a pine tree.
"On the 26th," he writes, "I took this nest, containing five
fresh eggs. It was built at the very extremity of the limb,
and was partially pensile, though the bottom rested on some
of the leaves just below. Like most nests of this region, it
was composed in part of sage brush, but as only the smallest
twigs were used, the entire structure is exceedingly soft and
delicate. It is very bulky in proportion to the bird, and
very deep. Inside it is lined with fine grasses and a few
feathers. The dimensions, as follows, will give an idea of
the size external and internal: Outside — four inches deep,
three inches in diameter at top, and but little smaller at
bottom; inside — three inches deep, two inches in diameter

' * It may be that the female will yet be proven to be without the ruby crown.

504

THE PILEATED WOODPECKER.

at top, and narrowing a very little. The eggs, which are
large in proportion to the bird, are a delicate cream-color
before being blown, and white after."

Cuvier's Kinglet, Audubon gave on the authority of one
specimen from near the Schuylkill; and as it has never
been duplicated, it is supposed to have been some peculiar
specimen of the Golden-crown. A peculiar structural mark
of the Kinglets is the booted tarsus.

THE PILEATED WOODPECKER.

In the dense evergreen forests of Nova Scotia, visited only
by the lumberman or the hunter, may be found that giant
of his race, the Pileated Woodpecker, or Logcock, or Black
Woodcock {Hylotomuspiieatus). Some 18 or 19 inches long,
and 28 in extent, supporting himself against the tree with
a tail 6 inches long, the huge form is brownish-black; chin,
stripe under the eyes, down the sides of the neck, and ex-
panding under the wings, also a large patch at the base of
the primaries, white. In the male, the head and pointed
crest, and moustaches from the lower mandible, bright
scarlet; bill and feet, bluish-gray; iris, yellow. The female
has simply the crest scarlet. In flight, the white in the pri-
maries is especially conspicuous.

The loud hammering of this large and vigorous bird on the
sonorous dried trees, compared with vcliich the tapping of
the smaller species is but a weak noise, very soon becomes
familiar to the ear of the woodman; and may designate
the bird at a long distance. The old adage, " A workman
is known by his chips," certainly affirms much for the in-
dustry of this bird. In his search for insects, for which he
attacks the dead and dying trees, he will denude great
spaces of the trunk and larger branches in a short time,
heaping up the chips and strips of bark on the ground in

THE PILEATED WOODPECKER,

605

an astonishing manner. Very useful, indeed, must this bird
be in preserving our primeval forests from the ravages of
insects. Whether one notes his strong, undulating flight,
his elastic bounding and springing along the trunks of the
trees, the effective chiseling of his powerful bill, or his sono-
rous cackling, one is particularly impressed with the spirit
and immense energy of the bird.

The natural habitat of the Pileated Woodpecker is the
wooded regions of all North America, but in the slightly
wooded prairie regions, it is but rare or casual; and in the
more cultivated parts, it disappears, like the North American
Indian, before the onward move of civilization. In Western
New York, where it was once abundant, it is now of but
rare occurrence. Its eggs were taken, however, about a
year ago (1882), in a wooded tract near the large park of
the city of Buffalo. About 1.25X1.00, they are small for
the size of the bird. The species is very shy and wary,
keeping for the most part to the tall tree-tops, and making
off on the slightest disturbance or alarm.

Just here, association of ideas brings forward a species
closely allied to the above, the Ivory-billed Woodpecker
{Campephilus principalis). Inhabiting the South Atlantic and
Gulf States, its huge form, bright colors, loud notes, and
the immense piles of bark-chips that mark the sites of his
work, in search of insects in de;:d and decaying trees, are
the constant accompaniments of the great pine forests of
that region. Some 21 inches long, it is even larger than
the above species; and its white ivory-colored bill, white
secondaries, scapulars, forehead, lines down the back, and
spots in the primaries, as well as the deeper and more
glossy black of the body generally — differentiate it clearly
in color. Its clear white eggs are very large, " as large as
a pullet's, and equally thick at both ends."

^1

f^^

506

ri/£ YELLOW-BELLIED WOODPECKER,

THE YELLOW-BELLIED WOODPECKER.

Very common in Nova Scotia, as also in Northern New
England and Northern New York, is the Yellow-bellied
Woodpecker (Sphyrapicus varius). Some 8.50 long and 15.25
in extent, the general color is black, with small white
markings nearly throughout; the crown and throat are red,
the latter white in the female; the white belly, with fine
arrow heads of black along the sides, is tinged with lemon-
yellow, and the white stripes on the sides of the head
are often tinged with yellow. This species has some
peculiarities, both in structure and habit. The tongue is
shorter and less extensile than in the rest of its kind; it also
lacks acuteness and hardness, and is bushy at the end.
The species is, moreover, migratory, thus differing from
most Woodpeckers. It has a noted habit of puncturing the
bark of living trees, in patches, while the sap is flowing,
thus tending to injure the tree. These wounds it continues
to visit afterwards, perhaps to drink the sap, but more
especially to capture the insects which gather about it. It
passes through Western New York, from the middle of
April into May. There is nothing peculiar in the nesting of
this species, the eggs being about .90 X .75.

Another species not altogether uncommon in Nova Scotia
is the Banded I'hree-toei Woodpecker {Picoides americanus).
Some 9.25 in length and 15.25 in extent, the upper parts of
this species is deep, glossy black; maxillary line, line from
base of bill down sides of neck, mark back of eye, spots in
wings, interrupted band down the back, and outer tail feath-
ers, white; under parts the same, with bars of black on
sides; yellow patch on the top of the head; base of the
lower mandible and the feet, bluish. Female similar, lack-
ing the yellow spot on the head, which is slightly spotted
with white. Exceptionally to the rest of the Woodpeckers,

THE GOSHAWK.

607

this and the following species have but three toes; yet the
one hind toe seems to be as good as two, for these birds
move along the bark of the trees about as readily as the
rest of the family. Dr. C. Hart Merriam records a nest with
eggs, from the eastern border of Lewis Co., N. Y. It was in a
spruce tree, about 8 feet from the ground, the cavity being
some 10 inches deep. " The eggs are cream- whire, and of a
texture like those of other Woodpeckers. They are strongly
ovate in outline (the largest diameter being near the large
end), and measure respectively 23.8X17.2 m. m., 23.6X17.8
m. m., 23.8 X 17.9 m. m., and 23 X 17.8 m. m." This species
resides from Northern New York and Northern New Eng-
land to the arctics. It does net appear to be numerous, how-
ever, at any point.

Of about the same habitat, only inclined, perhaps, to wan-
der further south in winter, is the Black-backed Woodpecker
{Picoides arcticus). In size it is about the same, and also in
color, except that it lacks the white band on the back. This
species is rather more numerous than the former; and, like
it, has a very rough rattling note. They keep strictly to the
deep forests, bit do net appear to be very shy.

THE GOSdAWK.

The Goshawk {j'tstur atricapillus), or B.u" Hawk, as it is
called there, breeds not uncommonly in Nova Scotia.
Female, some 23.00 in length, and 45.00 in extent; male,
some 21.00 in length, and 41.00 in extent. In color the
sexes are quite similar; bluish-ash above, the feathers cen-
trally lined and edged with sooty-brown; wings very dark,
outer webs of secondaries, and somewhat in the primaries,
bluish-ash; inner webs of the primaries, and in parts of the
secondaries, broadly barred ath whitish; tail barred with
spots of dark-brown and edged with white; uniform bluish-

■

fi08

THE GOSHAWK,

white beneath, every feather streaked in the center and
barred irregularly with slaty; top of the head and line back
of the eye, black; <iye-brow, and concealed patch on the
back of the head, wMte; iris, reddish orange.

In full plumage, with its fine uniform upper parts, and its
delicately penciled under parts, this is about the most
beautiful of all our Hawks. Swift in flight, arboreal in its
habits, very expert in winding its rapid course among the
trees, and able to turn about almost instantly, it captures
squirrels, rabbits and grouse with the utmost ease.
Indeed, the capture of the last is so characteristic, that in
some parts of New England this species is known as the
Partridge Hawk. It may skirt the fields in search of the
smaller birds; may follow the weter-courses in pursuit of
the Ducks, making even the Mallard its prey; or it may
come, rarely, even into the farm-yard, at the peril of the
common poultry.

Audubon relates an interesting instance which he wit-
nessed on one of our great rivers, of the chase of a flock of
Crow Blackbirds, by this species: " The Hawk approached
them with the swiftness of an arrow, when the Blackbirds
rushed together so closely that the flock looked like a dusky
ball passing through the air. On reaching the mass, he,
with the greatest ease, seized first one, then another, and
another, giving each a squeeze with his talons, and stiffering
it to drop upon the v/ater. In this manner he had procured
four or five before the poor birds reached the woods, into
which they instantly plunged, when he gave up the chase,
swept over the water in graceful curves, and picked up the
fruits of his industry, carrying each bird singly to the shore.
Reader, is this instinct or reason ? "

Its nest, placed in tall trees, built of sticks and weeds
and lined with grasses and bark-fibers, contains some {,-4

THE GOSHAWK.

500

eggs, "rather spherical in shape, of a bluish-white color,
either immaculate or finely mottled with pale reddish-
brown; the size 2.30X1.82-2.32X1.92." (Maynard.) An
egg in my possession taken in Lunenburg County, Nova
Scotia, is 2.25X1.75, about the size and shape of a common
hen's egg, bluish-white, slightly smirched all over with pale
dirty-brown.

Audubon reports a nest from the gorge of Niagara
River and the great pine forests of Pennsylvania; but at
present its breeding habitat does not appear to extend far
south of Northern New England. In winter it roams, more
or less commonly, throughout the Middle States, and may
stray even into the south.

Whether the Great Gray Owl (Strix cinerea), more boreal
even than the Snowy Owl, breeds as far south as Nova Scotia,
has not yet been determined ; but as it is an occasional migrant
into New England, having been taken once at least as far
south as Connecticut, and is supposed to breed possibly in
Northern Maine, its nidification in Nova Scotia may at least
be conjectured. This gigantic bird seems to be a stranger
to observers of every locality. Even my excellent Hudson's
Bay correspondent simply records him as a resident, with-
out note or comment. Without any further information,
therefore, of vocal capacity and habits, or diet, or nidifica-
tion, we may presume that in all respects he is exceedingly
owlish, and in every way worthy to be the giant of his
race.

Having no specimens at hand, I copy a description from
Mr. Maynard, who is always very accurate in such matters:
"Form, robust, size, very large; sternum, stout; the mar-
ginal indentations are quite deep; tongue, thick and fleshy,
horny at the tip, which is rounded and slightly bifid.

610

THE GOSHAWK,

Color — adult — above, including rump and upper tail
coverts, sooty-brown, mottled and transversely banded with
ashy-white; wings and tail, dusky-brown, transversely
banded with ashy-white; under parts, including under
wing and tail coverts, ashy-white, longitudinally streaked
with sooty-brown, the streakings being more numerous on
the breast, with tr ,'sverse bands of the same color on the
abdomen and und ; coverts. The face is grayish,

barred with dusky, and eyes are nearly surrounded by
a ring of the same dark color."

Similar to the above, in form and general appearance, is
the Barred Owl (Strix nebulosd). About 18.00 long and
40.00 in Extent, the upper parts are brown, barred with
white and tinged with reddish; the lower parts, which are
lighter, have the markings crosswise on the breast, and
lengthwise or barred below. This hooting speciet,, inclining
to disappear with the breaking up of the large tracts of
forest, seems rare in Western New York. It is quite com-
mon in New England, and to the eastward generally, from
Newfoundland to Florida. The nests are in a hollow or
crotch of a tree, the white egg being about 2.00X1.70.

It may be proper to mention Richardson's Owl {Nyctale
tengmalmi) in this connection. As an occasional migrant
into New England, like the former, having been taken once
even in Connecticut, being reported by Mr. M. Chamber-
lain as taken in New Brunswick in August, and its nest
having been found by Mr. Perham in the Magdalen Islands,
we may fairly suppose that it breeds in Nova Scotia. Mr.
J. Matthew Jones, of Halifax, some time since, reported
it as found in the province. This is one of our smaller and
most hyperborean Owls. "Above, olivaceous chocolate-
brown, spotted with white; beneath, white, spotted and
streaked, and streaked with a brown similar to the back, but

BICKNELLS THRUSH.

511

a little darker; disk, white; a white spot between bill and
eye; wings and tail with white spots on both webs, the latter
with from 8-10 pairs; bill, light yellow; iris, yellow; tarsus
feathered; * * * length, 10.00; extent, 21.00-23.00;
wing, 7.26; tail, 4.50." (Stearns.)

The nest, found in the Magdalen Islands June 13th, by
Mr. Perham, "was placed in a hole of a dead birch tree
not far from the ground, and contained four young and one
addled egg." Eggs, four to five, rather spherical, pure
white, very smooth; dimensions, 1.06X1.28-1.10X1.32. In
every way this species would seem to be quite similar to
the Acadian Owl, except that it is notably larger.

BICKNELL S THRUSH.

Off the southwest end of Nova Scotia, opposite Yarmouth
and Shelburne counties, are a large number of islands^-one
for every day in the year, they say. On leaving the harbor
of the city of Yarmouth, off to the westward and well out
to sea, are Green Island and Gannet Rock. Then come
the Tusket Islands, many in number, and of varied size,
form and appearance, some being partly cultivated, some
wholly wooded, and the outermost almost as smooth as a
lawn; these last are called the Bold Tuskets. Farthest out
at sea, and very nearly on an extended line between the
two counties mentioned, are the Mud Islands and Seal
Island. These are almost entirely covered with a low
growth of evergreens — black spruce and balsam fir. Except
the Robin, the Song Sparrow, the Snow-bird, and a few
Redstarts and Winter Wrens, almost the only small land-
birds breeding here are the Black-poll Warbler and Bick-
neli's Thrush — the last two being very abundant.

This Thrush (the Black-poll I have described) was wholly
new to me. My attention was first arrested by its call, or

I r|

If

612

BICKNELLS THRUSH.

alarm note, which sounded like cree-e-e-e-eep, or quee-a^ or
cree-e-e-eey on a rather high, fine key. It had some resem-
blance to the call of Wilson's Thrush, but was unmistakably
different; and as Mr. Brewster has noted (in Vol. viii, p. 12,
Nuttall Bulletin), is very particularly different from the
sharp liquid "/^, ox peenk" of the typical Olive-back. The
song tsiderea^ tsiderea, tsiderea, sometimes tsidcrea^ rea, tsidrea^
or some other modulation of the same theme, is similar in
tone to that of Wilson's Thrush, but more slender and
wiry, and thereiOie not nearly so grand and musical. In
the solitude of the evergreen islands, however, it is by no
means an inferit.)r soiig, the sibilant strokes of the voice
being finely relieved by the more prolonged liquid vibra-
tions. A careful examination satisfied me that the bird
was Bicknell's Thrush {Turdus alicice bicknelli), lately iden-
tified in the Catskills and in the White Mountains, and
named in honor of its discoverer. It was so abundant, and
not particularly shy, for a Thrush, that I had the most
ample opportunity for the study of its habits; and several
specimens were secured and retained. Next to its lesser
size, in structural peculiarity, is its slender, depressed, and
finely carved bill, compared with which that of the typical
Olive-back seems thick and clumsy. While singing, which
occurred throughout the day, but more especially in the
evening twilight and early morning, the bird delighted to
perch in the top of the evergreens, often on the very tip,
where its bright brown figure with elevated head was quite
conspicuous. On the ground, and in taking its food, its
habits were precisely like those of other Thrushes.

To find the nest of this species was my great desideratum;
and, though the birds were very numerous, it was by no
means an easy task. Many an hour did I thread my way
through almost impenetrable evergreen thickets, every step

__l^ —

THE BLACK GUILLEMOT.

513

muffled on a dense carpet of moss, before I could secure my
object. At last my search was rewarded by nests in con-
siderable numbers, and all as nearly alike in location, struct-
ure and materials as it is possible for nests to be. A few
feet from the ground and against the trunk of an evergreen
tree, it was composed, externally, of various kinds of mosses,
including a few fine sticks, weed-stems, and rootlets, and
was lined with fine grasses well bleached; so that, outside,
the nest was as green as a bunch of fresh mosses, and the
inside was light-brown. The eggs, some .87X.63, are light
bluish-green, specked with brown. About the Mud and Seal
Islands, dense fogs prevail almost continually throughout
the summer. This excessive moisture, so productive of
mosses, causes the moss in the walls of the Thrushes' nests
to grow; hence, the nests of previous years, well protected
from the weather by the dense evergreens, become elegant
moss-baskets, finely ornamented within and without with
the living cryptogams. I saw a number of such, which
looked as if they had grown in situ on the trees.

Some 7.00 or a little less in length, Bicknell's Thrush, as
above found, is uniform deep olive-brown above; the sides
of the white under parts being ashy-gray, and the sides of
the neck and the upper part of the breast but slightly tinged
with buff; while the neck and breast-spots are not so large
as in the typical swainsoni. To my eye the bird does not
appear so large as the rest of the Thrushes.

THE BLACK GUILLEMOT.

My first delight on reaching Seal Island was to study out
the breeding of the Black Guillemot {Uria grylle)^ or Sea
Pigeon, or Sea Widgeon, as it is called on the Atlantic.
Along the coast, where the rounded boulders are heaped up
as if by giant hands in huge windrows above high water
33 '

■if
■'1

1 .In

'11

I;, ■ ■■^8

1

11

1

614

THE BLACK GUILLEMOT.

%%■•■''

mark, the eggs were hid away; and the sitting bird was, for
the most part, entirely out of sight. Had it not been for
my genial friend, John Crowell, and his fine Newfoundland
dogs, I should have seen but little of the nesting of these
elegant birds. As we scrambled along the immense ridge
of water-worn rocks, now high above the sea, the dogs
would every now and then halt and sniff eagerly among
the boulders. This sign Mr. C. understood full well, and
at once he would begin to roll away the rocks. Presently
the trim, shy bird could be seen covering her two eggs on
the sand or pebbles, and seemingly too much abashed to
make much effort to get away. About the size of a small
hen, 12-15 inches long, including the neck and bill, beauti-
fully black, glossed with green and purple, with a large white
spot in the wing-coverts, and webbed feet bright red — this
is a most beautiful and gentle bird of the sea. Its form is
something like that of the smaller Grebes or Divers. In
winter it loses the bright red on the feet, and becomes
nearly white, merely retaining gray and dusky shades about
the upper parts. When perched on the rocks, it stands
almost upon end like a bottle; in spring it has a soft
plaintiff note, like kee-a, kee-a. The flight is low over the
water, straightforward and rapid. Like the rest of its
tribe, it feeds on small species of marine life. The eggs,
oval in form, 2.00-2.38x1-24-1.56, are delicate light-green
or greenish-white, specked, spotted, and blotched all over,
but especially at the large end, where there is sometimes a
wreath or continuous blotch, with dark-brown or black, and
pale lilac. This species breeds from Grand Menan and
Nova Scotia northward, and extends along the New Eng-
land coast in winter.

The Common or Foolish Guillemot, or Merre {Lomvia
troile), similar in form to the latter, except that the bill curves

THE PUFFIN.

515

more, is thicker, and has the nostrils more covered, is 16 to
19 inches long, brownish-black above, the head and throat
being browner; under parts, from throat in summer, from
bill in winter, and in case of young, white. This species
breeds in myriads on the rocky islands of Labrador and
northward, and used to breed as far south as Nova Scotia.
It sits almost up on end like a bottle, on a single egg which
is laid on the bare rock. The egg, 3.00-3.60 X 1.96-2.12, and
quite pyriform in shape, varies from white to dark green,
and though sometimes plain, is generally blotched and
streaked in every way with dark colors. This species is
not nearly so common as the next on the New England
coast in winter, and is also on the Pacific Coast.

The Thick-billed or Brunnich's Guillemot (Z. arrd) is
similar in form, color, habit and distribution to the former,
but is always to be distinguished by its thick bill. It is very
much more common than the former species on the New
England coast in winter.

THE PUFFIN.

One of the oddest birds of the sea is the Puffin {Frater-
cula arctica), or Noddy; Sea Parrot, as it is called by the
Nova Scotians. About 13.50 in length, short-legged, web-
footed, and with a curiously formed bill, flatly compressed,
it is blackish above and white underneath, the black above
extending around the short neck like a collar, and the white
on the cheeks continuing in a narrow line around the back
of the head, and becoming dusky at the base of the lower
mandible. The tip of the bill is red, streaked with yel-
low and dusky, and the base is blue, margined with red.
The callous at the corner of the mouth is yellow; the eye-
lids are pink, with blue appendages; the feet red. It bred
formerly in abundance on some of the Mud Islands, one of

,ms,

5

h

i

516

THE PUFFIN.

which — Noddy Island — is named for it, and a few breed
there still, as also on the Machias Ledge near Grand Menan;
but mostly they have been driven northward, where they
breed in great numbers. The nest is a hole in the bank,
like ♦hat of the Kingfisher, only not so deep, and contains one
e.%\_ , about 2.50X1.76, somewhat pointed, white or whitish,
obscurely spotted. In some places the bird lays in deep
holes and crevices of steep, rocky ledges. It belongs to the
same family with the Auks, and is found also in the Old
World. Its food is small crustaceans principally.

The Tufted Puffin {F. cirrata), an extremely northern
species, and belonging to the Pacific rather than to the
Atlantic, and similar to the last in general form, is blackish,
with a white face, and a long flowing bunch of loose yellow
feathers on each side of the head. The bill and feet are
red, and it is several inches longer than the former. The
young do not have the yellow crest.

The Razor-billed Auk ( Utamania tarda) also breeds spar-
ingly on the outlying rocky islands of Nova Scotia, as on
the Devil's Limb and Gannet Rock. About 18 inches long,
with pointed-tail and flatly-compressed bill, this bird is
brownish-black above and white beneath, the black bill hav-
ing a white curved line, and the back part of the wing being
edged with white. The feet are black, and the inside of the
mouth is bright yellow. The eggs, which are abundant in some
parts of Labrador, and are deposited singly *' on the bare
rock of sea-girt cliffs," are some 3.00X2.00, oval, white, or
whitish, variously and heavily marked with dark-brown.
This bird is common on the New England Coast in winter.
Its food is small crustaceans and algae.

The Great Auk {Alca impennis), once abundant on our
northern coasts, and also on the northern coast of Europe,
is now supposed to be extinct. Its presence was attested

THE COMMON CORMORANT.

hVt

by the earlier observers, and its bones are abundant in the
shell mounds on the New England coast.

The Sea Dove, or Dovekie {AHe nigricans)^ a very north-
ern species, is common to the coasts of Nova Scotia in
winter, as it is also to those of New England. This little
Ice-bird, as it is called by the fishermen, but 8.60 long, with
head and bill formed almost precisely like that of a Quail,
and with a short pointed tail, is blue-black above, white be-
neath, the mature bird having the throat and neck black in
summer, with stripes in the scapular, tips to the secondaries,
and spot over the eye, white. Several closely allied species
on the Pacific Coast are variously ornamented about the head
in maturity, as the Crested, the Whiskered, and the Knob-
billed Auks.

THE COMMON CORMORANT.

On the west side of Seal Island, and about a mile out, is
a high ledge of rocks called the Devil's Limb. Here a few
of the Common Cormorants, or Shags, as the fishermen
call them {Phalacrocorax carbo)^ still attempt to breed. The
rocks are thoroughly white-washed with their excrements,
and the nests, placed in depressions and on shelvings of
the highest peaks of rocks, are quite bulky, and constructed
entirely of rock- weed, with which the ledge is heavily draped
up to high- water mark. In a pretty deep depress'.. >n the
center of the pile of rock-weeds are some 4 eggs, about
2.62x1.75, oblong-elliptical, light bluish-green, more or less
besmeared over with a white, limy deposit. No matter
how long they are cooked, the white of these eggs will not
become opaque. The rocky islands off the coast of Labra-
dor and Newfoundland, are a favorite breeding resort of
this species, as also of the Double-crested. Here in the soli-
tudes of tempestuous waters, this Raven of the Sea* fishes

♦ Cormorant, or the French Cormoran, is supposed to be derived from the Latin Corvus
tnari'nus, or Sea Raven.

, I

■ 11

518

THE COMMON CORMORANT.

and flourishes
in immense
numbers, with
less molesta-
tion by man,
than do those
numerous
kinds of water-
fowl whose
flesh or eggs
are a desidera-
tum. The huge
rocks, white-
washed and
plastered with
excrements;
the dark piles
o f sea - weed,
with their com-
plements of
eggs ; the
noisy growing
broods of
young of vari-
ous sizes (these
young always
to be associated
with decaying
food and other
filth); the im-
mense dark
figures of
their parents,
swarming in

THE COMMON COKMORANT.

THE COMMON CORMORANT.

filff

clouds and filling the air with their hoarse caws and croaks —
these all constitute a scene which must be witnessed in order
to be appreciated.

Strongly characterized is this bird both in form and
color. The long, narrow body is greatly extended by
the long duck-like bill and neck, and by the long, broad,
fan-shaped tail, the entire length being about 3 feet. The
rather slender and terete bill much hooked at the point, the
naked space about the green eye, the white-bordered yellow
gula pouch, the crest, the pointed feathers along the wings,
and back, the totipalmated feet, the backward position of
the legs making it stand upright like the Grebes, and the
use it makes of its tail in bracing itself like a tripod, or in
supporting itself in woodpecker-style as it climbs over
rocks and bushes — all these give it an individuality in form
which appeals strikingly to the eye. No less striking is the
peculiar and rich attire of this species. Such lustrous
black, such iridescence of violet-purple and green, with
dark borders to the pointed feathers of copper and bronze-
gray of the wings and back, would seem to indicate the
tropics rather than the cold fogs of the north. This mag-
nificent dark array is still further set off in summer by a
white patch on the flank, and numerous long, filamentous
white plumes on the head and neck. There are some
peculiarities in the skeleton of this bird, as " the long, bony
style in the nape," and the palate bones being not only
united, " but sending down a keel along their line of union ;"
also "the interorbital septum is very defective." Though
awkward on land, the Cormorant is perfectly at home in
the air and on the water. Its flight is firm and grand;
and diving from the surface of the water for its prey,
it uses its wings as well as its feet in the submerged pur-
suit, being capable of remaining under the water for some
time. It is a most voracious eater, its diet consisting of fish

520

THE COMMON CORMORANT.

of all kinds. In winter this species strays southward along
the coast as far as Maryland. The Double-crested Cormo-
rant (Phalacrocorax dilophus) has about the same range as
the former, and is. even more numerous. About 30-33
inches in length, it :s a little shorter and smaller every
way than the former. In color it is ver)' similar, except
that it has noticeably black shafts in the dark-edged
feathers of the wings and back, and it generally lacks the
white fiank-patch common to the former species in sum-
mer. In form it is well differentiated, not only by the
double crest of curly black feathers, and of stray filamentous
white ones over the eyes and along the sides of the neck,
in the mature dress of summer, but by its gular patch,
straight edged behind, while in the former it is heart-
shaped, and by its 12 tail-feathers instead of the 14 of the
former. The young of both species is plain dark brown,
paler or grayish below.

The Florida Cormorant (van floridans) is simply a smaller
and more southern variety of the Double-crested species.
The bill, however, is as large if not larger, and it Would seem
that the white plumes are not developed. " Resident on the
FloridanandGulf Coast, breeding by thousands on the man-
grove bushes; in summer ranging up the Mississippi Valley
to Ohio, and along the coast to North Carolina." (Coues.)

The Cormorants sometimes stray quite a distance from
the sea on the freshwater courses during the migrations.
They have been taken on Niagara River.*

* The manlier in which a certain species of the Cormorant (P. Sintnsis) fishes for his
m.'ister is well known. Buifon says: " Thejr are regularly educated to fishing, as men
rear Spaniels or Hawks, and one n^an can easily manage a hundred. The fisherman car-
ries them out into u lake, perched on the gunnel of iiiis boat ; where they continue
tranquil, and wait for his orders with patience. When arrived at the proper place, on the
first signal, each flies a different way to fulfill the task assigned to it. It is pleasant on thiii
occasion tobehold with what sagacity they portion outtht lakeorcanal where they are upon
duty. The/ hunt about, they plunge, they rise a hundred times to the surface, until they
have at last foi^nd their prey. I'hey then seize it by the middle, and carry it to their
master. When the fish is too targe, they Assist each other; one seizes it by the head, and
another by the tail, and in this manner they carry it to the boat toge her. There the
boatman stietches out one of his loL.g oars, on which thi^y perch, and, .-ifter being de-
livered of their burden, again fly of! to pursue their sport. When they are wearied, he suf-
fers them to test ewhile ; bul they are never fed until their work is over."

THE GANNET.

521

THE GANNET.

About seven miles out at sea from Yarmouth, Nova Scotia,
on Gannet Rock, surrounded by the surging sea and acces-
sible only after a long calm, the Common Gannet or Solan *
Goose {Sula bassana) still breeds in considerable numbers.
About 31 inches long, the long bill is stout at the base, taper-
ing to a point, and slightly decurved at the tip, being cleft to
beyond the eyes, and having the edges serrate or lacerate;
the wings are long and pointed; the long, stiff tail is wedge-
shaped and 12-14 feathered; and the feet are nearer to the
center of the body than is common to the order. The gen-
eral form resembles that of a Goose. The color of the
adult is white with black primaries, and an amber-yellow
wash over the head; lores and bill bluish or dusky, small,
naked gular sack, and feet, blackish, the latter having the
front of the tarsus and the toes greenish. The young,
which are white in the down, become gray, with a triangular
white spot in the tip of each feather, and in England and
Scotland are taken in great numbers as food.

Spread out in flight; the snowy Gannet is a grand figure.
Its movement is firm and steady, alternately flapping
and sailing.

Scarcely can the Gull, the Buzzard, or the Eagle cut finer
circles in the air, and nothing is more characteristic of this
bird than its manner of diving for food. It does not drop
down upon the surface of the water, after the manner of the
Gulls and Terns, nor does it dive from the surface like the
Cormorants and so many other birds, but pitches straight
down, headforemost, with almost closed wings, from a con-
siderable or even a great height in the air, shooting out of
sight with great force amidst the spray. Taking advantage
Q^ this direct and swift movement, the old countrymen

» j'^t'*" '* * corruption of Solent, the name of the narrow sea between the Isle of Wight
and the majn land of England, where this species is common.

\A *!

522

THE GANNET.

place a platform under the surface of the water, fastening
herrings or other fishes over it, so that the Gannets break
their necks in striking it, or fasten themselves by their bills
in the wood. They are ready detectives and close attend-
ants upon shoals of fish, and so are of great service in
directing the fishermen. No matter how high a iUt in
the air the Gannet descends from, so complete is the adjust-
ment of his eye, in the rapid passage of the distance to
the water, that it seldom if ever fails to rise with its prey.
It is also a bird of select diet, disdaining, unless sorely
pressed by hunger, anything beneath a herring or mackerel.

Though this short-legged species shuffles along awk-
wardly on the ground, it swims buoyantly, aided by its
highly aerated body even to the air-cells between the body
and the skin, and by its totipalmate feet, the four long toes
being completely webbed.

Every careful observer must have noted a certain peculiar
evolution of the Gatmet in flight. When large numbers are
pursuing a shoal of fish, circling like kites over the spot,
they will keep forming into a broad perpendicular proces-
sion downward into the waves, and shooting out of the
water some distance off, will sweep up again into the mov-
ing mass, to take their places in due time in the continu-
ously moving column. The intersecting circles, against the
sky, of the immense moving multitudes overhead, might
suggest a monstrous snow-storm; and no whirl of wind or
water could be grander or more precise than this circulat-
ing mass of spirited living beings. The same grand
evolution may be seen about the bastion-like rocks
in the wild ocean, where they breed in almost count-
less numbers. Filling the air by thousands and tens of
thousands, and moving out, up, and back, they will pour
down over the huge cliffs to the surging, roaring sea,

THE GANNET.

523

like an immense living torrent, the stentorlous volume of
their hoarse croaks and screams becoming almost terrific,
mingling weirdly with the sound of the waters. No
bird is more gregarious than the Gannet, hence this im-
mense concentration of numbers at their principal breeding
grounds. The bulky nests, of sea- weeds and rubbish gath-
ered from the sea, are placed along the shelvings and tops
of the rocks at regular distances and sometimes in peculiar
order. Audubon likened them to rows of corn, and the
fishermen say they are built like a town. Mr. Maynard
thinks these regular distances are determined by the
quarrelsome disposition of the Gannets, keeping the im-
mense numbers simply beyond fighting distance. In this
degree of proximity, they sometimes covcx* large spaces of
ground, so that one writer speaks of seeing a quarter of an
acre of Gannets on their nests.

The ordinarily single egg, about 3.15X2.00, oval, plain
greenish-blue, and encrusted with a lime deposit, appears
to be incubated by both sexes, they being, however, indis-
tinguishable in color. They are not easily driven from the
nest, and on being disturbed will disgorge their undigested
food. The young are said to take with their pointed-like
bills the partially digested food from the open throats of the
parents.

Diving fiercely at other birds which may come in their
way, the Gannets, also, fight furiously among themselves,
will clasp each other by the bill, and roll down the heights
into the sea, all unconscious of everything around them,

Gannet Rock, near Yarmouth, and another Gannet Rock,
near Grand Menan, are the most southern breeding resorts
known; while Bird Rock, near the Magdalen Islands, and
the Island of Bonaventure, near Gaspe, are the principal
breeding grounds in the north. In winter the birds are

m

:iyi

*. v:

024

THE PIPING PLOVER.

common along the coasts of New England, and may stray
even to the Gulf. The species is common also to Europe,
breeding in great numbers about the Hebrides.

THE PIPING PLOVER.

In suitable places on Mud and Seal Islands, as also at some
other points along the shores of the province, the Piping
Plover {/Egialites melodus) is a summer resident in small num-
bers. It seems entirely to avoid rocks and mud, and never
leaves the sea for even the most inviting shores of our great
rivers. Clean sand-beaches of the ocean are its chosen resort.
Here it attracts attention both by its appearance and by its
voice. Of all our little shore birds, this is, perhaps, the
most graceful and rapid runner; its tiny feet spinning along
the sand, and its light-colored body shooting on in a straight
line, so that its form becomes lost to the eye, and only a
gliding white spot is visible — as the observers along the
shore say — ''like a snow-ball rolling on the sand." The
Waders, as a class, are distinguished by their whistling
notes; hence the hunter, imitating the voice peculiar to each,
" whistles them down," as it is said. The Piping Plover,
however, cannot be called a " whistler," nor even a "piper,"
in an ordinary sense. Its tone has a particularly striking
and musical quality. Queep, queep^ queep-o^ or peep^ V<^,
peep-lOy each syllable being uttered with a separate, diFtinct,
and somewhat long-drawn enunciation, may imitate its
peculiar melody — the tone of which is round, full, and
sweet, reminding one of a high key on an Italian hand-
organ, or the hautboy in a church organ. It is always
pleasing to the lover of nature's melodies, and in the still
air of the evening, it is very impressive. As the Piping
Plover is abundant about the dunes along our more south-
ern Atlantic Coast, and may be found even to the Qulf of

ifiil

'i

THE PIPING PLOVER.

535

the St. Lawrence, its melody may be regarded as character-
istic of those shores; and strangely in contrast with the
harsh, guttural, rattling voices of the sea fowl in general, it is
the most melodious of all bird-notes along our ocean.

About 7.60 long and 15.60 in extent, this species ranks
among our smaller Waders. In form, it is distinctly
a Plover. Bill, orange at base and black at tip ; upper
parts pale brownish-ash, often almost ashy-white ; under
parts neck and forehead, white; streak across the forehead
above the white, and ring around the neck — broader on the
sides, and almost obliterated above and below — black;
wings light-brown, inner edges of the secondaries and outer
edges of the primaries, white, tipped with brown; coverts
tipped with white; the nearly even tail is white at base,
outside feather white, the next white with a spot of black-
ish, the rest brown; ring around the full, black eye, yellow;
legs, orange; claws, black; under side of wingfs, pure white.
The general appearance of the bird when in motion is
almost white, and so lighter than the sand-beaches on which
it runs; but it is scarcely discernible thereon when it
is standing still. Its flight is rapid and often prolonged,
being performed both by continual flapping and by gliding.

The nest of this bird is a mere hollow in the sand on the
open beach. Sometimes it may be sheltered by the scanty
vegetation found on the sand. The 4 eggs, about 1.16 x -97,
are pointed, light-brown or dark cream, distinctly but finely
specked and spotted with dark-brown or black, there being
an under marking of pale-ash. On ordinary summer days,
the eggs do not need anything more than the warmth of
the sun on the sand to secure incubation; but in chilly or
wet weather, and at night, the female adheres closely to the
nest. The male is never far from the nest, and should you
approach it, night or day, he will at once report himself as its

l?t

m^y

' ■■

526

THE WILLET.

brave defender. Like the young of other Waders, the little
Pipers are precocious, running as soon as they are free from
the shell. They are covered with a gray down, mottled with
brown, and their soft notes at once resemble those of the
parents. As is the case with all the little precotes, they are
ever on the alert for any alarm note given by the wary
parent, and will squat so closely on the sand, which they
resemble in color, that it is almost impossible to detect them.
The food of the Piping Plover consists of small crusta-
ceans, and marine insects in general; and being commonly
in good condition, its flesh is very savory. It is found in
winter from South Carolina to Florida Keys, and is abund-
ant at this time in the West India Islands, where a few
probably remain to breed.

THE WILLET.

That large and elegant wader, the Willet, Humility or
White- wing ( Tetanus semipalmatui)^ breeds in the marshes of
the Chebogue and Tusket Rivers, in Yarmouth County,
Nova Scotia. Mr. Benjamin Doan, of the City of Yar-
mouth, had the young in the down from the former locality;
and I was credibly informed that they are quite common
in the latter.

This bird, which I find occasionally on Niagara River in
the migrations, is some 14.50 in length, wing 7.50, tail 2.75,
bill 2.25. The bill and feet are light blue, the former dusky
at the tip. In its summer pluma<re, the head and neck are
brownish-gray streaked with d'asky; the upper part of the
back, and the scapulars, also brownish-gray, the feathers
being centered or barred with dark-brown; the lower part
of the back, olivaceous-gray; wing-coverts gray, the centers
lined with dusky; the basal half of the dusky primaries is
clear white, the white secondaries adjoining making a large

yA

THE WILLET,

627

white patch in the extended wing; the throat, a band over the
eye, the breast and sides and tail-coverts, are white, the sides
and tail-coverts having bars or undulating lines of dusky;
the tail, having the central feathers a little longer, is gray,
becoming white on the sides, and spotted with brown or
dusky. In the winter the upper parts are more or less
marked with yellowish-white, and the under parts are finely
barred with brown; the axillaries also are brown. A
characteristic feature of this species is its semipalmated
toes, enabling it to swim quite well when it has occasion to
take to the water. Indeed, it seems much more fond of the
water than most shore-birds, frequently wading up to its
belly, or taking a plunge-bath as it stands in the water.
Writers of the best authority attest to its alighting on the
branches of trees. Large and robust, it appears to the very
best advantage in its flight, which is firm and rapid. Ordi-
narily it is a very noisy bird, its pill-will-willity will-willitypill-
will-willit^ being frequent and loud, both on the ground and
on the wing. In the breeding time, however, it becomes
rather silent, unless disturbed; then the neighbors join in
angry vociferations, as they circle over the head of the in-
truder. The bird has also a soft and rather mournful note
while standing on the ground.

The Willet does not belong to those birds which make
their nests on the open beach by simply scooping out a
little hollow in the sand. It seeks the shelter of the marshes,
building quite a bulky nest in some tussock of grass; the
nest being raised, sometimes, as much as five or &1a inches,
and composed of dried rushes and grasses. As it is pretty
well rimmed up, the four pyriform eggs, lying with their
points together, seem almost to stand on the points, pre-
senting their larger °nds to the body of the bird. The
eggs, about 2.00X1.50, are brownish or greenish drab, gen-

%i

m

%

I

i

Hi!

iiiiiiiiisil J

i

i', ■)•

528

THE PURPLE SANDPIPER.

erally pretty dark, but sometimes lighter, pretty largely and
distinctly spotted with dark brown and neutral, the mark-
ings sometimes forming a blotched and scrolled wreath
around the large end. The young are gray, with dark
markings.

The Willet is a rather southerly species, breeding,
indeed, from the West Indies to Labrador, but being
much more abundant to the south. Nor is it confined to
the sea-shore, as was formerly supposed. Dr. Coues says:
** I have found it wherever I have been in the United States.
There were a few on the Upper Rio Grande when I crossed
that river in June, 1864, and during the same month I saw
many more westward, in New Mexico, especially along the
Zuni River, where I am sure they were breeding. Some
resided in a marshy tract near Fort Whipple, in Arizona.
Others occurred to me in June and July in Eastern Dakota."
They are also officially reported from the Northwest Terri-
tory, as "frequen?: on the borders of salt lakes and ponds."
The Willet has never been found, however, in very high
latitudes.

In respect to the food of the Willet, it may be said, once
for all, that all the Waders feed on small moUusks and crus-
taceans, aquatic insects, and sand-worms.

THE PURPLE SANDPIPER.

A common winter resident about the rocky shores of
Nova Scotia, and particularly those of outlying islands, is
the Purple Sdndpiper {Tringa maritimd). It is especially
common, in flocks of considerable size, sometimes as many
as a hundred, on Mud and Seal Islands, where they arrive in
December, and remain till May. These Rock Snipe, as
they are sometimes called, will crowd together, a whole
flock on a single rock, thus affording an excellent mark for

THE TERNS.

529

the sportsman. When flying, and also when gleaning their
food, they have a fine whistling twitter, which appeals
readily to the ear of the trained hunter.

About 0.50 long and nearly 16.00 in extent, this species has
the head, neck and breast dusky-gray, the feathers of the
latter tipped with white; wings and tail, dusky; the second-
aries, tertiaries, and coverts of the former, edged with
white; belly, vent, and wing-linings, white; back, dark,
glossy-purple, edged with gray; eyes, dark. In this com-
plete plumage, the bird is simply elegant. In winter, " the
lower parts are pale gray, while the upper have the purple
tints much fainter, the white edging substituted by dull
gray." (Audubon.)

The Purple Sandpiper, chiefly a bird of the coast, but
sometimes touching the Great Lakes in its winter tours,
and reaching the coast of the Middle States, breeds to the
far north. The egg " is of the usual pyriform shape, and
measures about 1.40 by 1.00. The ground is clay-color,
shaded with olivaceous; the markings are large, numerous
and distinct, of rich umber-brown of different depths and
intensity, occurring all over the shell, but being most nu-
merous as well as largest on the major half. With these
spots are associated shell-markings of pale purplish-gray
and light neutral tint." (Coues.)

'i:&

I

THE TERNS.

Outside of Mahone Bay, on the south shore of Nova
Scotia, are several islands of interest in respect to orni-
thology. Flat Island, near Tancook, is a gjrand resort for
several species of Terns. It comprises about a hundred
acres, is clear of trees, and, as its name implies, is compara-
tively level. Ledges of slate crop out here and there, how-
ever, forming low ridges, with marshy patches intervening.
34

530

THE TERNS.

As one approaches the rocky shores, large numbers of Terns
are seen scouring the surface of the water for food. Of all
the birds of our northern seas, these are the most elegant
and graceful. Mackerel Gulls, the fishermen call them, but,
though nearly related to them, they are no Gulls at all.
Bearing a resemblance in almost every point to these larger
and more bulky birds, they are of a much more slender
and delicate mould. Small and light-bodied, fork-tailed,
with slender pointed bill, long pointed wings, and small
webbed feet, they are the very ideal of a swimming bird of
flight. In no respect are they divers, but birds of the air,
which delight to sport on the surface of the waters. Their
color, too, is at once the most, chaste and elegant. The soft
silvery-gray of the upper parts harmonizes finely with the
sea and sky. The lighter tints, or white of the under
parts, is pure as the snowy crests of foam ; while the crowns
of glossy-black, and the bills and feet of coral-red, are
points of bright and pleasing contrast. What a powerful
leverage in the air have those long pointed wings, raising
the light body several inches at every stroke, and serving it
as a well-trimmed sail before the wind. How lightly this
bird drops upon the water for its food of tiny fishes,
being too light and airy to dive out of sight, and often
carrying its prey like a toy for some time, as if it fished for
sport rather than from hunger. Occasionally a group of
Terns will play together with a little fish, one seizing it in
the air as another drops it, and so passing it from bill to bill,
apparently for the sheer sport of catching it. As the Tern
flies low over the water, its downward-pointing bill moving
this way and that, it seems to be fishing in earnest; and
again it gyrates high in air, light, agile and airy as a Swal-
low, and so suggests the propriety of one of its names —
the Sea Swallow.

THE TERNS.

531

It is on their breeding grounds, however, that the Terns
may be studied to the best advantage. As one lands on Flat
Island, the air in '^very direction seems alive with them.
They rise beyond gun-shot, the great mass intersecting their
snowy circles against the sky, and the aggregate of their
hoarse ter-r-r-r-r-r, ter-r-r-r-r-r^ becoming almost deafen-
ing. As one approaches the nesting places, which are here
and there all over the island, some will drop down and
hover noisily only a few yards above one's head. Then it
is that the pure under parts, the gracefully spread tail, the
bright eyes, and the bills and feet of bright carmine, appear
to the best advantage. In all their varying attitudes, this
moving cloud of lithe and elegant creatures is a most pleas-
ing and animating study.

In this dense moving mass, the species far the most nu-
merous is the Arctic Tern {Sterna macrura). Length, 14.00-
17.00; extent, 28.00-30.00; tail, 6.00-8.00; bill, 1.20-1.40;
tarsus, .50-.67. This kind is a little more bulky than the
Wilson. It is also generally distinguishable by its darker
under parts and its bill of clear carmine, but is invariably
so by its short tarsus — only a half inch or a little more. In
winter, and during the second summer, the fore part of the
crown is white, as it is also in the young of the year in its
mottled plumage of gray and brown, which was once called
the Portland Tern. The young have the bill and feet black
and the under parts white, even into the second summer.
Habitat: Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, generally,
south to the Middle States, and on the Pacific Coast to Cali-
fornia. Breeds from Massachusetts northward.

Next in number, but few in comparison with the former,
as is also the case in all the breeding places of the Terns
visited on the coasts of the Province, is Wilson's, or the
Common Tern {Sterna hirundo). Length, some 14.00; extent,

032

THE TERNS.

about 30.00; tarsus .66-. 8 7, and so, noticeably larger than
that of the Arctic, except in the points noted, the two species
are very similar, even to the voice. In habitat, however,
the Wilson belongs to the whole Atlantic Coast, breeding
more or less throughout its range. In New England it
breeds the most commonly of all its family. The black cap
is retained during the winter, but is more or less imperfect
in the young, which are also beautifully mottled with gray
and light-brown, with more or less dusky on the wing coverts
and tail. As in the young of the former, the under parts
are white, but the base of the bill and the feet are yellowish.
I found this species breeding in large numbers on one of
the Western Islands in Georgian Bay, and a few laying
their eggs on the muskrat houses on St. Clair Flats. I think
they breed in the higher regions of the Great Lakes, gen-
erally.

Among the flocks of Terns on Flat Island, I was not a
little surprised to find a few of the Roseate Terns {Sterna
paradisea). From what I had learned in the books, I should
have scarcely expected to find this species as far north as
Portland, Maine. Even on the wing it was readily distin-
guishable from the rest of its kind. Some 12.00-16.00 in
length, and so a little less than Wilson's Tern, its tail is at
least an inch longer, and its entire form is more slender and
graceful, so much so as to be noticeable even in the distance.
Other Terns appear almost clumsy in comparison wit'

The bill is black, except, perhaps, a slight patch of c .ge
at the base below; the silvery curtain above is lightei .i id
more exquisitely delicate, even, than in the rest of the Terns;
the black cap extends well down the nape; the feet are dark
orange, and the under parts are white, tinted throughout,
even including the tail-coverts, with a delicate rose, the
texture and color of the plumage being such as scarcely to

THE TERNS,

633

be rivaled by the most exquisite rose-tinted satin. The
newly shot specimen is simply charming, but the brightness
of the plumage is not retained after death. Indeed, all the
Terns seem to lose their highest beauty when cold, their
extreme delicacy of color being consistent only with the
warm glow of life. A bird is a highly specialized and
beautiful object, especially the more chastely colored birds
of the sea ; but what on the whole Atlantic can equal the
graceful form — bill and crown of ebony, back of burnished
silver, hoary dark-tipped wings, and breast of blushing rose
— of this Roseate Tern ? The more gorgeous birds of the
tropics compare with it, only as the dahlia and the peony
with the rose and the water-nymph. In motion it is no less
charming, its flight being peculiarly airy and dashing, the
slender pointed wings and long forked tail being the most
graceful possible.

The note of this Tern always advised me of its presence.
I could not make out the " hew-it^ repeated at frequent in-
tervals," but only essentially the same ter-r-r-r-ry ter-r-r-r-r,
as given by the other Terns, only on a lower key and in a
rougher, hoarser tone, or occasionally in a much higher
tone, as if aspiring to a fine falsetto. Muskegat Island, near
Nantucket, seems to be the principal breeding place of this
s|)ecies.

I did not see Forster's Tern {JSterna forsteri) in Nova
Scotia. New England ornithologists testify to its rarity
on their coast Its place of breeding is believed to be in
the upper regions of the Great Lakes. Only a few nest,
like Wilson's Terns, on the muskrat-houses of St. Clair Flats.
Mr. Maynard informs me that they have bred in large
numbers on Cobb's Island, off the coast of Virginia. About
the size and form of Wilson's Tern, this species seems to be
the counterpart of that, the under parts being pure white

I

r

d34

THE TERNS.

It

instead of drab, and the tail silvery instead of white, the
outer vane of the long outer feathers, white, and the inner
darker than the rest of the tail. In the winter plumage it
is distinguishable by the disappearing of the black crown,
except a black stripe on each side of the head. Its note is
similar to that of the Common Tern, but noticeably on a
lower key.

The nesting of the four species of Terns above given is
quite similar, and under certain circumstances quite
variable. Commonly, the nest i;; & depression in the
ground, with a slight arrangement of dried grasses. If the
nest is in the grass, it may be quite well built up; if on the
shore, it may be only a slight hollow in the sand; or fine
pebbles or bits of slate may be circularly arranged, after
the manner of the Killdeer; or the egg or eggs may be laid
directly on the green sward. The complete number of eggfs
is most commonly two, often one, sometimes three. About
i.74x 1.13 and regularly ovate, they are some shade of light-
green or light-brown, variously specked, spotted and
blotched with dark-brown and neutral, the markings pre-
dominating at the large end.

In some breeding places near the southwest end of the
province, I could identify none but the Arctic Terns; and
so could feel very well assured that I was examining
nothing but Arctic Terns' nests; but where several of the
above species of Terns breed in community, I do not see
how the eggs and nests can be specifically determined, —
their similarity is so great, and the birds invariably leave
the nests before one comes near them. From eggs well
identified, I should think that possibly the ground-color of
the eggs of the Arctic tends rather to green, and that of
the Wilson to brown. More than that I could not affirm, as
to any appreciable difference in the eggs of these two species.

THE LAUGHING GULL.

535

The Caspian Tern {^Sterna caspia), a much larger species
even than the Royal Tern of the South Atlantic, must be
found on the coast of Nova Scotia in the migrations, frr it
breeds far to the north, and "must be considered a regular
visitor every season, and one by no means uncommon,"
on the New England Coast.

THE LAUGHING GULL.

Amidst the clouds of Terns on Flat Island could be seen
some eight or ten Black-headed or Laughing Gulls {Zarus
atricilla). They generally arose from and kept near a slaty
ridge which ran lengthwise through the island, and from
their greater size, more robust form, and complete black or
dark plumbous head, were very conspicuous among their
smaller and more delicately formed neighbors. Its digni-
fied, buzzard-like sailing, too, amidst the constantly moving
wings around it, marked it as a Gull. From the hoarse
clatter of the Terns, one could distinguish its long-drawn,
clear note, on a high key, sounding not unlike the more
excited call-note of the Domestic Goose; and every new
and then it would give its prolonged, weird laughter, which
has given rise to its common name. To one who has heard
it, it might be imitated by the syllables, hah-ha-ha-ha-ha'
hah-hah-hah^ all of which are uttered on a high, clear tone,
the last three or four syllables, and especially the last one^
being drawn out with peculiar and prolonged effect; the
whole sounding like the odd and excited laughter of an
Indian Squaw, and giving marked propriety to the name of
the bird. I was much surprised to find this so-called
southern species so far north. Mr. Everett Smith, of Port-
land, Maine, had given me no encouragement; as to finding
it about the coast of that State; and Mr. J. N. Clark, of
Saybrook, Conn., thought it but an uncertain resident in

536

THE LAUGHING GULL.

his district How eager was I to find the nest of the
Laughing Gull in Nova Scotia. The gentleman who ac-
companied me, though no ornithologist, caught my enthu-
siasm, and having a keen eye, and being a natural hunter,
he soon descried a nest with two fresh eggs. It was quite
a nest, composed of weed-stems, small sticks and dried
grasses. The eggs, some 2.20 X 1.60, were rather dark oliva-
ceous-brown, almost the color of a Loon's ^gg, variously
spotted and blotched with dark brown and neutral The
eggs of this species are commonly much lighter, resembling
in color aiid form those of the Gulls and Terns generally.
The nest under consideration was placed on one side of the
slaty ridge referred to, at its base, just where a marshy flat
with low shrubbery began. Indeed, it was under the edge of
the first row of alder bushes.

The Laughing Gull is about 18.00 long; wing, 12.00; tar-
sus, 2.00; middle toe and claw, 1.60; bill, 1.75; tip decurved
and pointed; gonys prominent and sharp; mantle clear, dark
silvery-gray; head, slaty-black; eye-lids, white; first primary,
nearly all black; the black decreasing on the following
primaries to the sixth; the few white tips small or wanting;
bill and feet, dusky carmine. In winter, head white, with
grayish spots about head and neck; the feet and bill, dusky.
The young are brown above and grayish or whitish below.

This is particularly a bird of the sea^coast, breeding but
sparingly along New England, but becoming more common
southward, and breeding in great numbers along the South
Atlantic States, and even to the Bahamas. When associated
in great flocks, and circling high in air, their pure white
under parts, with the head and wing-tips like black specks
against the sky, give a peculiarly novel and beautiful effect;
while their social nature, high grade of intelligence, and
striking vocal imitation of human laughter, bring them near

LEACirs PETREL.

637

to our sympathies — almost into communion with human

ideas.

leach's petrel.

About five miles beyond Flat Island, and farthest out at
sea of all the islands in this locality, is Green Island, as it
is called in the vicinity, or Grass Island, as set down on the

LEACH S PETREL.

maps and charts. Comprising about twenty acres, it is sur-
rounded by bluffs of rock, these being, no doubt, the out-
croppings of its solid foundation. The surface is a beauti-
ful bright green — an oasis in this ocean desert. The soil is
a soft, brown, vegetable mould, appearing like bog-turf,
and showing that the position of the island was once very
different — a swamp, perhaps, in the midst of the sea. A
number of islands along the coast of the province have this
appearance, and there are several at different points bearing
the name — Green Island. Having secured a fine little sailing

m

.-|

:|

^^

538

LEACH'S PETREL.

yacht at Mahone Bay, I had some difficulty in finding men
willing to make the trip to this island so far out at sea, and
where it is j>ossible to land only in calm weather. The
day chosen was delightful, the sea smooth, and the
wind so favorable that we sailed out and back without
tacking. •

The great desideratum in visiting this spot was the study
of the breeding of the Petrels, or Mother Carey's Chickens.
I was not a little surprised when one of the company told
me I could smell the birds before we reached the island if
the wind were in the right direction. I protested that he
was simply practicing a joke on my credulity, but he seemed
veritably in earnest. Very truly, on approaching the island
on the leeward side, and while yet several rods distant, the
peculiar musky odor of the Petrels was in every breath of the
wind. The long swells carried our small boat, towed out
for landing, well upon the huge rocks, where we were
most cordially received by the keeper of- the light-house
which the government has stationed here. The same Terns
which we found at Flat Island were breeding here, also, on
the ledges of the rocks, but in moderate numbers; and a
few of the Puffins, or Sea Parrots as they are called here,
had found a breeding place in the deep crevices of the rocks.
The Petrels, however, were the marvel of the place. Nearly
every square yard of turf was completely honey-combed
with their nesting burrows; and everywhere the air was
laden with their peculiar odor. Here and there the ground
was strewn with the wings and tails of the birds which
had been dug out and eaten by the dog belonging to the
light-house; the dog bei''^ kept without feeding, and obliged
to support himself entirely by this enterprise. The bur-
rows of the year were readily distinguished by their fresh
appearance and by the excavated dirt newly thrown out.

LEACH'S PETREL.

539

Down on hands and knees we went to work, digging for
the sitting birds. The reddish mould, staining hands and
clothing c£ the operator, was quite mellow; and following
the sinuous course of the burrows, generally several feet
in length, the birds, each with its single egg, were soon
brought to* light. Occasionally the burrow contained two
birds and no egg, the pair probably cohabiting previous to
incubation. On being unearthed, the birds seemed per-
fectly astounded and stupid — dazed, perhaps, from having
the light of day thus suddenly let in upon them. Some-
times they would sidle off the egg; often they would per-
mit themselves to be taken without any effort to escape. If
thrown into the air they would come down again almost or
quite to the ground, striking against any object which might
happen to be in their way. Only after a few seconds could
they command their wonted agility and sviftness of wing.
Frequently, if taken in the hand, or flying against a bush
or a stump, they would vomit the clear yellow oil from
which their peculiar odor arises, and which is common to
the whole family of Petrels. This was Leach'^ Petrel
{Cymochorea leucorrhod)^ which breeds commonly along the
coast of Nova Scotia, and also on the northeastern coast of
Maine. About Mud and Seal Islands, N. S., their nests
could be found all through the woods — in the ground, in
rotten logs and stumps, and under the roots of trees.
About 8.50 in length, 18.50 in extent, with wing 6.25, tail
3.26, bill .72, and tarsus 1.02, the color is sooty-brown,
darkest on the wings and tail, the wing-coverts ashy, and the
tail-coverts white. About 1.30 x. 95, oval, both ends alike,
the egg is white, with a wreath of delicate light-red spots
around one end, the spots sometimes clustering about the
point, or the egg may be pure white. As it is laid on the
damp earth, or at most on a few rootlets still retaining the

f

'A

J:

540

LEAC/rS PETREL.

red mould — seldom on a few dried grasses — it is generally
quite soiled.

On approaching the breeding g^rounds in day-time, not a
Petrel is to be seen. Those which are not in their burrows
are far out at sea. As night comes on those in their bur-
rows sally forth, and those out at sea come in; and where
they breed in large numbers, the whole night long till the
dawn of day, the air seems alive with them. They hurry-
skurry near the grouAd, and cut through the air higher up,
passing and repassing each other, and uttering their pecul-
iar twitter, until their clatter and noise become a positive
nuisance. The night is, indeed, their time of rendezvous.

Out at sea their flight is truly beautiful, very much re-
sembling that of the Swallow. But for its conspicuous white
spot on the rump, the unpracticed eye might easily mistake
the species for a Black Martin. Tossing and dashing hither
and thither, it seems to toy and sport with every breeze. No
gale can overpower its vigorous flight. Playing on the
very crest of the wave, ever and anon it will drop into the
leeward of the heavy billows, to enjoy the temporary calm
of those gorges and ravines of the sea. Noticeable to every
eye is its patting the surface of the most troubled waters
with its tiny webbed feet, thus, Peter-like, walking on the
waves, and so acquiring its common name — Petrel.

In day-time it is nowhere to be found along the shore,
but miles out at sea it is the constant companion of the
fisherman; sporting under the bow or the stern of his boat,
gorging itself with bits of liver thrown overboard, or tak-
ing, perchance, the coveted morsel even from his hands.
Great numbers accompany the fleets of fishing vessels on
the banks. Ships at sea are followed for great distances
by these little creatures in search of the bits thrown over-
board by the cook .

THE SHEARWATER.

541

Wilson's Petrel {Oceanites oceanus) has very much the
same range and about the same habits as the above, but is
not known to breed so far south. Mr. Maynard had pretty
good evidence of its breeding in the Magdalen Islands,
though he did not find its nest. Some 7.25 long, and 13.30
in extent, it is about 1.20 inch shorter than Leach's Petrel,
though its tail is fully 1.75 longer. Except the white base
of the tail feathers, and the yellow centers of the webs of
the feet of Wilson's Petrel, the color of the two species is
about the same. Its legs, however, nearly one-half longer,
and the long tail scarcely forked, as well as the slender ap-
pearance of the bird generally, sufficiently differentiate the
Wilson to a discriminating eye. The egg is said to be
some .82x1.12, chalky white, and occasionally spotted or
wreathed with purplish.

The Stormy Petrel (Procellaria pelagica), so well known
in the north of Europe, to say the least, is very rare on our
coast. Messrs. Verrill and Boardman accredit it to Maine,
and Audubon affirmed it to occur on the banks of New-
foundland and off the coast. Mr. Maynard, however, has
never seen it, and the late work on " New England Bird
Life," by W. A. Stearns, edited by Dr. Coues, affords no
personal attestation. The color of this species is very simi-
lar to that of the two former, except the white axillaries or
wing-linings, by which it may always be distinguished. It
is also noticeably smaller, being only 5.75 in length, and
13.50 in extent; and the tail is rounded.

THE SHEARWATER.

On reaching the coasts of Nova Scotia, many inquiries
were made of me by the seamen concerning a bird they
called the Hagdon or Haglet. After keeping watch for it
several weeks, I finally met it some miles out, in a thick fog

542

THE SHEARWATER.

and on a rough sea. A large and odd looking bird, it
was some 20.00 long and 45.00 in extent; the wings being
very long, narrow and pointed, the tail very short, and the
general color a brownish-gray, like that of an immature
Gull. It was no doubt the Great or Wandering Shear-
water {Puffinus major) y in form and habits strictly like the
Petrels, — a sort of giant among his diminutive brethren.
This was no doubt an immature specimen, as the mature
bird is white underneath, and, breeding far north, would
not be likely to be found in this latitude in early summer.
It is common, however, on the banks of Newfoundland and
on the fishing grounds near Sable Island, accompanying
the fishing vessels in search of the offal. In winter it is
more or less common off the New England coast. Its
breeding habits are said to be similar to those of the
Petrels, depositing a single white egg in a burrow in the
ground, or in some recess among the rocks.

The Fulmar Petrel {Fulmarus glacialii), is occasionally
found off the coast of New England, and as it breeds very
far to the north, it must also be an occasional visitor at least
off the coast of Nova Scotia. Nearly 20.00 in length, and
32.00 in extent, it is a large species of its kind. Robust,
back and wings bluish-ash, primaries brownish, head and
under parts white, it bears a strong resemblance in color to
the Common Gull. The young have also a gray plumage,
similar to that of young Gulls. The Fulmar Petrels breed
in holes of rocky cliffs, and feed their young, at first, with
an oil which they vomit on the slightest provocation. The
one elliptical, white egg is some 2.78X2.02.

Mr. Stearns describes the Sooty Shearwater {Puffinus
fuliginosus) as " dark sooty-brown, blackening on the quills
and tail; paler and grayish below, usually with some whitish
on the lining of the wings. • ♦ ♦ Length, 18.00;

THE BLACK.BACKED GULL.

543

extent, 40.00." He reports it as common off the coast of
New England, where it is known as the " Black Hagdon."
As its breeding place is far to the north, it must be at least
a winter visitor off Nova Scotia

THE BLACK-BACKED GULL.

Among the outer islands off Mahone Bay, I occasionally
saw the Great Black-backed Gull, or Saddle-back {Larus
marinus)f flapping its immense wings most majestically just
above the water. I am credibly informed by old settlers
that this species used to breed quite commonly on the
islands off the coast of Nova Scotia years ago, and I pre-
sume a few breed still on the outer and less frequented
ones, as it does on one island, at least,, in the Bay of Fundy.
Over 30.00 long, and some 65.00 in extent, the black-
ish slate-colored curtain contrasting strongly with the pure
white of the other parts of the body, this is a most strongly
characterized and magnificent bird, and is so wary that
it is difficult to come even within rifle-range of it. As is
the case with the Gulls generally, the head and neck are
streaked with dusky in winter. The ashy-gray young are
lighter than the young of the Herring Gull. The nest is
on the ground or on ledges of rock, pretty well piled up,
after the manner of Gulls. The bluish or brownish-drab
eggs, spotted and blotched with brown and neutral, are
some 2.97x2.26.

The large and elegant Glaucous Gull {Zarus g/aucus),
about the same size as the former, and occasionally found
in New England in winter, is no doubt on the coast of the
province at that time. Its chaste figure of pure white, even
including the primaries, barely relieved by the light pearly-
blue mantle, is readily distinguished. The young are
streaked and spotted with ashy-brown.

r'-' ;i : I t i

f:'XW

1l

544

THE BLACK-BACKED GULL.

Of similar habitat with this last is the White-winged
Gull (Larus leucopterus). Some 24.00 long and 62.00 in ex-
tent, and precisely like the former in color, it would seem
to be simply a noticeably smaller pattern of the same; and
bears even a closer relation to it than does the Ring-bill to
the Herring Gull. The White-wing is so nearly the size
and color of the last as to be distinguishable from it in
flight only by the white primaries. The young are said to
be " pale yellowish-brown throughout, faintly mottled with
darker, and with primaries dusky at the tips."

Of course the noisy little Kittiwake {Larus tridactylus)
must be here, for it breeds as far south as Bird Rock, in the
Gulf of St. Lawrence, and frequents the harbors along the
coast of New England in winter. Some 16.50 long and
36.50 in extent, with tail slightly forked, and hind toe very
short, it has the back and entire wing dark ashy-blue, becom-
ing lighter toward the black tips of the primaries. Remainder
white; bill yellow, and feet black. Head and neck tinged
with ashy-blue in winter. The young are marked with
black on the back of the neck, with a line through the
wing, outer two-thirds of some four or five primaries, and
tip of the tail. The nest is on the rocks. Eggs, 2.22 X 1.65,
ydlowish-buff, with round marks of brown or lilac.

CHAPTER XXI.

NEW JERSEY COAST AND THE OSPREY.

SEVERAL summer vacations spent around Sandy Hook
and Barnegat Bay, on the New Jersey coast, left a vivid
impression on my mind of that grand bird, the Osprey, or
Fish Hawk {Pandion haliaetus). About 24.00 long and
68.00 in extent, in structure and b«aring this species is
much more an Eagle than a Hawk. Rich dark-brown above
and white beneath, the tail is barred with dusky, the sides
of the head are white, with a dark band through the eye,
thus marking the bird quite noticeably even in the distance.
There is a band of light brown spots across the breast.
The most differentiating feature, however, of the Osprey is
the short, close feathers of the legs, thus leaving these
large, blue, round-scaled members entirely without the long
flowing tufts so characteristic of the legs of Hawks and
Eagles generally. The long, acuminate, erectile feathers of
the crown and the back of the neck are especially graceful.
The younger specimens have the dark feathers above tipped
or edged with whitish. Of world-wide distribution in its
several varieties, our American representative may be found
more or less throughout the continent, but especially coast-
wise. Wintering in the south, its vernal and autumnal mi-
grations along the middle districts of the Atlantic seem
singularly coincident with the equinoxes. About the 21st
of March, when some of the largest and most important
35

546

THE OSPREY,

shoals of fish arrive on these coasts, this well known Hawk
appears as a welcome herald to the fisherman; and about
the 23d of September it departs for the south.

Along the New Jersey coast the bird is very abundant, its
flight over land and sea, but especially over the latter, being
a marked and beautiful feature of the landscape. From
the waters alone it derives its sustenance. Though its early
northward migration, while ice and snow may still abound,
render its fishing precarious, it is never known to seek
any prey on land. Sailing with almost motionless wings in
grand easy circles, the great length and peculiar curvature
of the wings readily designating the bird to the eye, its
constant search for food would seem the mere play and
poetry of motion. Occasionally its circles in flight are so
small that it almost seems, indeed, to be turning "in the
air as on a pivot." Frequently the flight is low over the
water, but it may range to a very considerable height, the
eye being keen enough to descry its prey at the bird's great-
est elevation. In the act of capture it may drop lightly
on the water, and almost pick up its struggling object in a
gull-like manner; or it may shoot down from a consider-
able height, and fairly plunging in swift pursuit, lift out
a fish of six pounds or upwards.

When several feet above the water, it seems to hesitate
with a quivering motion, as if shaking off the wa.er,
spaniel-like, or perhaps to grapple its prey more firmly; t'len,
moving off with a vigorous stroke and bearing its prey length-
wise and head foremost, it seeks the land, more commonly
some tree, on which to devour it. Not infrequently it may
hover with a firm flapping of the wings in quest of its object,
sailing on if disappointed; and again almost plunging in
eager pursuit, it may still fail of capture, but is never over-
excited or disconcerted, seeming to know that there are

THE OSPREY.

647

plenty of fish in the water, and those as good as ever were
caught. Is not the wide waste of waters at its command ?
Is it not the most skillful of fishermen ? Why worry then
over a mishap or failure ! Even if the Eagle, on the alert,
swoop down upon it, and compel it to drop its well-earned
prey, it will submit with comparative coolness. This rob-
bery by the Eagle, however, probably does not occur nearly
so often as one might infer from the books.

There is no doubt that the Osprey sometimes miscalculates
the size and strength of the fish he would seize, and strik-
ing into it his sharp and much curved claws, is neither able
to raise the fish nor yet to extricate himself, and so is
drawn under to perish with his prey in his grasp, the rem-
nants of both being thrown up on the shore together; or
the surviving fish may be afterwards caught bearing the
skeleton or remains of the Hawk on its back.

The nest of the Fish Hawk is a common appurtenance of
the landscape, along the coast under consideration. No eye
can miss it, for it is an immense afifair, built of sticks,
coarse weeds and rubbish in general, lined with sea-grass,
the whole being sufficient in quantity to fill a good-sized
dump-cart. It is placed in a tree anywhere from 10-60 feet
from the ground. If the tree be not dead when chosen, it
does not long survive the huge wet pile, generally containing
no small quantity of material from the salt water; and as
the bulk is increased by repairs, not only in spring before
incubation, but also in the fall before the birds depart, the
foundations give way in time, and the unsightly mass is
precipitated to the ground. I was informed of one of these
nests being built on the top of an old chimney, after the
manner of the European Stork. The eggs, generally 3,
sometimes 2 or 4,. are about 2.39X1.76, creamy white,
sharply spotted and blotched with light-brown and umber,

in

048

THE FISH CROW,

the large end being often covered, or occasionally the
ground-color of the whole egg obscured, by the markings.
They are laid, in the Middle States, about the first of May,
and the joung, covered at first with a white down, are
hatched early in June. They keep to the nest till full-^
gfrown, and are even fed by the parents in the air alter
jSight would seem complete.

THE FISH CROW.

The nest being a common resort of the Fish Hawk
throughout the season, my attention was one day especially
called to an empty one on which a Hawk was unusually
boisterous over a large fish. These birds are generally
noisy when on land, but this time there was a particular
significance to the loud squealing racket. A Fish Crow
{(Jonms ossifragus)y readily known by his hoarse, guttural
cawing, was perched near by in the tree. Being also,
as his common name implies, of piscatorial appetite, he had
come to dispute the right of the Hawk to the fish. How
saucy on the part of this little specimen in glossy-black to
put in a claim to the bill of fare so well earned by his stately
neighbor ! How undignified in the Osprey to utter one
querulous syllable in recognition of the sauce-box !

Some 16.00 long and 24.00 in extent, the Fish Crow is
noticeably smaller than his larger brother, so well known
here m the north. Also his coat has a brighter gloss, and
his feet are proportionally smaller. A bird of our more
southern sea-board, and found there in great abundance, it
is more or less common about "the upper New Jersey
coast, Long Island, lower Hudson Valley, and the coast
line of Connecticut, and an occasional visitor to Massa-
chusetts." Reported on good authority as migratory,
pressing into our southern coasts in great numbers on the

THE SEA SIDE SPARROliv:

54d

approach of winter, it is now well made cut by Mr. Wm.
Dutcher and others to bo a winter resiaent, even in its
most northern habitat Probably while the greater number
migrate, some remain. This species may be found on rivers
and other bodies of water more or less in the vicinity of
the sea. It feeds quite commonly on dead fish, but also
on any garbage found about the water, and is specially
fond of certain lizards, which swim with their heads above
the water, and which it captures alive, and it is also a vora-
cious devourer of the eggs of other birds, especially those of
the water-fowl breeding along or near the sea-coast.

Its nidification is very similar to that of the Common
Crow. Size of eggs some 1.45X1.10.

THE SEA-SIDE SPARROW.

From the sedges and the tall marsh-grass near the sea, I
frequently heard the peculiar song of the Sea-side Sparrow
{Ammodromus maritimus). The melody has but few notes,
the first several being liquid but abrupt, and the last two
or three s>>mewhat prolonged. Generally the singer is
hidden irom dght, or can barely be seen as he swings in
the moving cops of grasses and sedges; but occasionally he
will toss himself up into the air, after the manner of the
Long-billed Marsh Wren, his song then becoming a
resonant twitter. The singer is always much excited,
ruffling his feathers, spreading his tail, and shaking
himself enthusiastically. About 5.50 long, the oill is some-
what lengthened and slender, the tail feathers short, narrow
and pointed, the wings short and rounded, and the feet
very large. The color is olive-gray above, streaked with
dusky; beneath, ashy-white, clearer on the throat and
darker on the sides and' flanks; sides of the head and rather
obscure streaks below, dusky; line from the bill over the

550

THE SHARP.TAILED SPARROW.

crown, ashy; spot over the eye and shoulder of the wing,
yellow. On the mud, among the tall growths of the salt and
brackish marshes, they seek their food of tiny mollusks and
aquatic insects; and the somewhat " gourd-shaped " nest,
with a small opening on the top or side, is either on the
ground or fastened to the coarse grasses near the ground.
It is composed of coarse grass and lined with finer, some-
times with f ne rootlets, and contains 4-6 dull white eggps,
finely spctted and spei ked with several shades of brown.
Wintering in great numbers in the salt marshes of the
Southern States, it breeds ^rom the Gulf to Connecticut,
coming north in April and going south before the ground
freezes.

THE SHARP-TAILED SPARROW.

In similar situations and with similar habits to those
given above, we find another species of this same genus,
the Sharp-tailed Sparrow {Ammodromus caudacutus) . " Rather
smaller than the last, bill still slenderer, and tail feathers
still narrower and more acute," the olive-gray upper parts
are more sharply streaked with blackish and whitish; instead
of the yellow spot above the eye, the eye-brows and cheeks
are buffy or orange, and the lower parts are white, with
breast and sides more sharply streaked with dusky. The
nest is on the; ground, pretty much concealed with dry
grasses, of which it is also composed, and they breed some-
what in community. The four or five pale-blue eggs .77 X
.58, finely specked with reddish, are laid rather late in the
season. This little Sparrow is exceedingly active, inhabits
marshes farther from the shore than does the former, and
extends its summer residence farther north, being common
about the coasts of Massachusetts and even to New Hamp-
shire. It has a very poor voice, its song being regarded as
the weakest of all the Sparrows.

ill

THE PRAIRIE WArSLER.

551

THE CAROLINA WREN.

In tangled thickets, made almost impenetrable by the
rank festoons of the common smilax, I occasionally found
the Carolina Wren {Thryothorus ludovicianus). This rather
southern species, though wintering commonly in Virginia,
scarcely reaches, regularly, a higher latitude than 42°. Some
5.75 long, it is noticeably larger than the rest of our Wrens,
which it resembles strongly in color, however, the most
differentiating mark, in this respect, being the yellowish-
white eye-brow extending down the sides of the neck.*^
The bill is considerably curved. In the extent and manner
of its activity this species is every whit a Wren. All ob-
servers have been impressed with its song, which is loud,
voluble, melodious, and delivered at about all times of the
year. Th'^ nest, generally in some cavity, often in build-
ings, is a hollow ball, with an entrance in the side, composed
outwardly of sticks, leaves, and coarse fibers generally, and
lined with fine fibrous or grassy materials. The 6 eggs, .77
X .68, are creamy-white, variously marked with reddish-
brown and lilac, in a wreath or cluster at the large end.

THE PRAIRIE WARBLER.

In the pine groves of second growth I occasionjilly found
the Prairie Wabler {Dendraca discolor). This pretty little
species, only 4.60 long, is olive above, the back being marked
with reddish-chestnut spots; sides of the head, yellow, with
lores and a streak beneath the eye, black; throat and under
parts rich yellow, with small pointed spots of black down
the sides of the neck and under the wings. The female
lacks the black line under the eye, and has the chestnut
spots on the back, and the black spots on the sides, less dis-
tinct. Breeding anywhere from New England to Key West,
it occupies the bushy pastures in the former limit of its

* Florida affords a larger and darker form of this species, var. miaiitensis.

552

THE BLACK TERN.

habitat, but the "hummocks," and even the submerged
tracts of mangroves in Florida. The song is a unique trill
on an ascending scale. The nest, set in an upright fork of
a bush, or tied to several disconnected shoots, is compactly
formed of coarse bark-shreds and weeds externally, bedded
and lined with vegetable down and fine grasses. The 3-5
eggs, .62 X 52, rather large for the bird, are white, pretty
heavily marked with light brown and lilac.

THE BLACK TERN.

Sitting under a screen, late in August, in some secluded
nook in Barnegat Bay, every now and then one may be sur-
prised by the dashing flight of a flock of Black Terns
{Hydrochelidon nigra). In spring, notwithstanding the gray
back, wings and tail, and white crissum, the more conspicu-
ous sooty black of the head, neck and under parts, fully
justify the common name; but during the late summer and
autumn plumage, that name seems quite inappropriate, for
then, except the dusky back of the head, and the ring around
the eye, the black parts of the spring dress are white.
Though reaching the sea-coast in the migration of late
summer, this Tern, unlike the rest of its family, is not a
bird of the sea-side, but of the flooded marshes about our
lakes of the interior. I found it breeding in great numbers
in June on St. Clair Flats. Its sooty form, finely set off by
its silvery wings and tail — -the wings rather broad and the
tail but slightly forked for a Tern — was constantly in sight,
as it fished along the channels; and its rather musical piping
note was in hearing almost night and day. Here and there,
among the vegetable growths in the flooded marshes, they
nested more or less in community, where, if an intruder
approached, their little breasts would be filled with rage,
their loud notes then remindingoneof the screaming of the
Robins under like circumstances of excitement. The nest

THE BLACK SKIMMER.

553

is a rude and slight arrangement of weather-beaten and
partly decayed rushes, placed on a bit of floating slab, or
on one of those compact, floating beds of debris, which be-
come anchored in large quantity in the bends of the chan-
nels, or among the sedges. On this water-soaked affair, the
eggs, 1-3, are placed, some 1.32 X. 95, varying from brown
to dark-green in color, spotted and blotched with several
shades of dark-brown and neutral. Always dark, they
vary greatly in form, ground-color and marking. This
Tern, some 9.50 long, winters south of the United States.

THE BLACK SKIMMER.

On Barnegat Bay, especially about the inlet, I used to see
occasionally some half-dozen Black Skimmers {Rhynchops
nigra)y flying closely as they skimmed the surface in search
of their food of small fry. Length, 17.50; stretch, 42.00;
upper parts black; forehead, tips of secondaries, outer webs
of tail feathers, white, this species might pass for a large
black Tern, were it not for its peculiar bill. The lower man-
dible, some 4.50 long, is as flat as a knife blade, the upper
edge fitting into a groove in the upper mandible, which is
about an inch shorter. With this strongly specialized mem-
ber, it plows the surface of the water at flood-tides, when
its food is moit abundant near the surface. Few instances,
even in bird-life, can furnish a more obvious evidence of
design. Here is a species which, from the length of its
wings and neck, the shape of its bill and its mode of flight,
is evidently designed to take its food in a peculiar manner
— by skimming or plowing the surface for the small fry
which approach it in flood-tides. In Florida, when it is
found throughout the year, Mr. Maynard reports it as
feeding mostly at night or in cloudy weather. Breeding in
communities on the sandy beaches, as far north as New
Jersey, the eggs, 2 or 3, are placed in a hollow in the sand.

554

THE MARBLED GODWIT.

About 1.75X1.37, they are white, marked with dark brown
and lilac, the blotches being clear-edged and strong, thus
readily differentiating the eggs.

THE MARBLED GODWIT.

Occasionally during August, the gunners about the bay
would take the Marbled God wit {Limosa fceda). Length
18.50, stretch 31.00, bill 4.05, it is dark brown, variously
marked with reddish-yellow; the wings and tail reddish-
yellow marked with brown; beneath, a fine light-red, light-
est on the throat, and streaked and banded generally, ex-
cept on the abdomen, with brown. This fine species is
readily recognized by its color, its large size and slightly
upturned bill. Though common in winter from the Caro-
linas southward, especially in Florida, it is rare on the
Atlantic Coast to the north in summer. It is abundant,
however, west of the Mississippi, breeding in great num-
bers about the ponds and shallow pools of Minnesota,
Dakota and the Northwest Territory. The nest is a
slight arrangement of dried grass, in a depression in the
ground. The eggs, 2-4, 2.22X1.47, long-oval, are creamy
or buff, rather sparsely marked and blotched with light-
brown and neutral. This species is occasionally found on
the Niagara in the migrations.

The Hudsonian Godwit {Limosa hudsonicd)^ breeding in
the arctics and wintering beyond our limits, is not uncom-
mon on the Atlantic Coast in the migrations. Nearly 16.00
long, and 26.50 in extent, the bill is but 2.25. Of a general
resemblance to the former in color, the white in the wings,
seen in flight, and taat of the rump and in the base of the
tail, strongly characterize it, giving it the name of " Spot-
rump " or " Ring-tail," among sportsmen. The nest is sim-
ilar to that of the former, but the eggs, 2.18 X 1.38, are dark
greenish-brown, lightly marked with dark brown.

CHAPTER XXII.

AUTUMNAL DAYS.

THIS twenty-first day of September (1881) is an ideal
day of that delightful month of our clime. Cloudless
and clear, warm but not hot, the air purified by recent
showers, every breath is an aesthetic inspiration. Ensconced
away among the bushes on the south shore of Johnson's
Creek, just opposite the point formed by its oblique en-
trance into Lake Ontario, I am watching the various
water-birds as they alight, all unsuspectingly, on that point.
The near sites are within gun-shot, and the furthest ones are
easily reconnoitered with a glass. Supposing that you are,
my reader, in spirit, at my side, I will try to interpret to
you what we see. Thiit little Semipalmated Sandpiper
{Ereututes pusillus)^ moving hurriedly like a gray speck about
the shore, is rather late in the season for him. He may re-
turn to us from his breeding grounds, in the high latitudes
of the north, as early as the latter part of July, and gener-
ally is quite common on all our shores and water-courses in
August. It is quite out of order, too, for this bird to be thus
alone, as it is almost always in flocks, and not infrequently
in company with its near relative, the Least Sandpiper
{Tringa tninutilld). I have seen it in large flocks in the
month of August, on Niagara River, alighting on the large
rafts of logs on their way to the mills of Tonawanda. It
is a graceful, active little Wader, reminding one somewhat

556

SEMIPALMA TED SANDPIPER.

of the Spotted Sandpiper, only it has nothing of the teeter-
ing motion of that species; and its notes, hveet-eet^ iweet-eet,
are more of a soft, subdued whistle, giving the bird a much
quieter and less demonstrative api>earance.

Some 6.00 long and 12.00 in extent, this species may vary
much in size; the black bill is an inch or more in length
and slightly bent; the crown and upper parts are dusky,
the feathers being edged with reddish and tipped with
white, or simply edged with grayish; rump and tail-coverts,
black; wings dusky, marked with white ; line over the eye,
tips of the lesser wing-coverts, throat and under parts, white;
legs and feet, dusky. Its diminutive size distinguishes it
readily from all our birds of its kind, except the Least
Sandpiper, which it greatly resembles, but from which it is
strongly differentiated by its half -webbed toes. This species
breeds from Labrador to the far north, having a slight
nest on the ground, after the manner of other Waders;
the 4 eggs, about 1.22 X. 84, being pale grayish or
greenish-drab, or olivaceous, boldly blotched or marked
with several shades of brown, mostly about the large end.
Passing through the Middle States late in April or early
in May, it returns from late July even till early October,
feeding leisurely on insects, worms and diminutive mollusks.
It is common to North, Central and most of South America.
It would seem that it winters for the most part beyond
our boundaries.

As I view this little bird on the point, I naturally associ-
ate it with its quaint little relative, the Least Sandpiper. The
flight of this species, as of that of the above, is straight-
forward and rapid; and it also passes these middle districts
late in April or early in May, raising its young from the
rocky coasts of Labrador northward. Here, iis nest is
found on "the moss-clad crests of the highest rocks.

THE TURNSTONE.

667

within short distances of the sea." This nest is a mere de-
pression in the moss, slightly lined with' dried grasses. The
4 eggs, resembling those of the Spotted Sandpiper, are
about .92 X. 76, light yellowish-drab, blotched and spotted
with dark-umber. Like the rest of the Waders, these birds
are greatly excited when disturbed in nidification, flying
with a whirring noise, which resembles the wing-strokes of a
startled Grouse.

As it returns along the Atlantic Coast, any time from
the last of July till October, it is sometimes seen in im-
mense numbers, gyrating about brackish marshes, and
appearing in the distance like swarms of bees in search of
a place of settlement. Using their bills after the manner of
Snipe, they search the soft mud and the debris for their fare
of aquatic insects, worms and tiny moUusks. At such
times their convtrsaXXonaX peep^ peep, pip-ip-ip-ip-ip-ipy ox pidee,
pideey deCy dee^ is cheerily uttered, and suggests how great
is the quiet joy of these little creatures in their natural
haunts.

Considerably less than 6 inches long, the color and gen-
eral appearance of this pigmy of its race is very much like
that of the Semipalmated Sandpiper, the general effect
being darker; and its toes, which are not semipalmated, but
divided to the base, are slender and wiry, and so render it
readily distinguishable. Man)?^ spend the winter in the
extreme Southern States.

THE TURNSTONE.

As I continue to gaze across the mouth of the creek I spy
a pair of most dainty little walkers, treading their way
along the pebbly shore, with an ease and elegance, and a
pigeon-like motion of the head, most pleasing through the
glass which brings them almost to the end of my nose. The

658

THE TURNSTONE,

species before me is the Turnstone {Strepsilas interpres),
found in every continent of the world, and decidedly the
most brightly colored bird of our shores. The gunners on
the coast call it the " Calico Plover." About 9.00 long, its
shape bears quite a resemblance to that of the Plover, ex-
cept that its bill, which is shorter than the head, is stout, its
tapering point turning up a little, that its leg^ are quite
short, and that it has a well developed hind toe. The up-
per parts are variously marked with black, rich brown,
rufous, and a little white; the head and neck are white,
thickly and pretty distinctly spotted with black; the fore
part of the neck and the sides of the breast are jet-black;
the throat, under parts, under sides of the wingfs, lower
back, longer tail-coverts, base of the tail and the quills,
clear white; feet and legs, bright orange. This is the mark-
ing of the mature bird in summer, but it varies greatly with
the seasons and the age of the bird, the colors and markings
becoming quite obscure in extreme cases. The species can
always be determined, however, by the peculiarities of form
above noted. Of the two specimens now before me, one
is quite strongly colored, while the other is very indistinct.
Still looking through the glass, the birds seem just before
me — almost near enough to be touched — and as they have
not the slightest suspicion of my presence, they are acting
themselves out fully. Some one has watched this bird be-
fore me, as is evident from its name. Turnstone, indeed,
it is, turning over, with its bill, pebbles, shells, small sticks,
weeds, and bits of rubbish of all kinds, to find its food
of insects, worms, small mollusks and crustaceans. Its
stout bill makes a good lever, its short legs give it a strong
purchase, and its long toes give it a firm and easy step on
the most uneven surface. As it takes wing I notice that its
flight and general appearance in the air is almost precisely

THE BLACK.BELUED PLOVER.

569

like that of the Killdeer. It has also a loud, whistling
note.

This bird is found in small numbers along our inland
waters. Its home, however, would seem to be more partic-
ularly along the sea-coast. Breeding in high, northern lat-
itudes, its nidiiication is so similar to that of our shore-birds
jn general as scarcely to need particular description. There
are four pointed eggs, 1.50X1.26, "pale yellowish green,
with a few black lines and irregular patches of brownish-red."
It is generally seen along the sea in small flocks of some
half dozen, but sometimes it joins the Sandpipers.

THE BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER.

Flying along the lake shore, a flock of nine Black-bellied
Plovers {Squatarola helvetica) alight on the farthest part of
the point. They have a gamy, grouse-like look, standing
thus at ease on the sand, preening their feathers; and one
feels the propriety of their place in classification — next to
Partridges and Quails. Nearly cosmopolitan in tneir distri-
bution, they strongly resemble the Golden Plover, but are
readily distinguished, even in the distance, by their large
head — giving them the name Bull-head — and by their stout
bodies; when taken in the hand, they are found also to have
a rudimentary hind toe, thus differing from all the rest of
the Plovers.

Nearly a foot long, and more than two feet in extent,
this bird presents a rather imposing appearance for one of
its kind. When in full summer plumage, the upper parts
are variegated with black, yellowish-brown and white; the
wings are deep dusky, with white markings; the tail white,
crossed with blackish; cheeks, throat, fore-neck, breast and
lining of the wings, jet-black; about the head and neck, ele-
gantly bordered with chalk-white. They are then a strikingly

>

IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

1.0

1.1

■4£I2.8

US ^

"f 110

■ 22
12.0

I^Ul

^

6" —

^

^>^

^

Hiotographic

Sciences

Corporation

23 WIST MAIN STRIET

WHSTIR.N.Y. MSSO

(716)t72-4S03

4^

^

560

THE GOLDEN PLOVER,

beautiful figure. Such an one did I meet in June (1881),
among the Herring Gulls on the rocky shoals of Georgian Bay.
This species varies greatly with age and wfth the seasons.
Its winter habit, of mottled brown and gray above, and
white or whitish beneath, is greatly inferior to that of the
summer. In all stages of growth it may be distinguished
from the young of the Golden Plover by its much larger
bill, and by the more extended webbing between the outer
and middle toes, as also by its hind toe. A conspicuous
feature of this bird is its large, bright black eye, with a
white ring around it in summer, giving it the name Ox-
eye among gunners. It has a loud, shrill, whistling note.
Its food is insects, worms and berries. Audubon and Wil-
son both give accounts, as from their own observations, of
this Plover's breeding* in the high inland regions of the
Middle States, but at present its nidification seems to be
known only in very high northern latitrdes. The 4 eggs,
2.00X1.40, are brownish or yellowish-drab, rather heavily
marked with brownish-black about the larger half, the rest
of the surface specked with the same.

THE GOLDEN PLOVEK.

Occasionally during the day I see moderate flocks of the
Golden Plover {Charadrius fulvus var. virginicus) coming
from their gleanings in the lately reaped grain-fields, or
flying along the shore of the lake. Just as a most magnifi-
cent autumn sunset is tinging the whole atmosphere with
its varied hues, a flock of fifty or more coming off the land
meet as many more coming in from the lake, and the con-
joined flocks, blending co^npletely, perform a great variety
of most graceful evolutions. They cut circles above the
point, make broad sweeps about the edge of the lake, now
flying high, now low, now tipping their backs toward me,

THE GOLDEN PLOVER.

561

and now throwing up their under parts, the cloud-like fig^ure
of the mass changing form every few moments. With what
a dashing swiftness they perform their flight, and how per-
fectly each one keeps his place throughout all the changes,
all performing precisely the same movement at the same
instant, as if one spirit animated and guided them all!
Which one is the leader of these swift forces ? How do
they all manage to keep so on the alert for every signal ?
Ah ! we only see the birds at a distance, after all, md know
but little of what makes up their inner life ! As they near
me in one of their gyrations, I give them the contents of
both barrels of my shot-gun, bringing down enough for
my purposes. The flock disappears, but for a long time
their peculiar whistling notes linger in my ears.

Nearly 11 inches long, and nearly 22 in extent, the present
color of this bird is a sort of compromise between its beau-
tiful summer habit and its plainer winter dress. The color
of spring is brownish-black on the upper parts generally,
each feather being elegantly spotted about the edge with
bright yellow — "old gold," if you please, and hence its
common name ; the wing-coverts are marked with white,
and the dusky tail is barred with the same; primaries of a
fine brown; upper, part of the forehead, space in front of
and line over the eye, dull white; sides of the neck and of
the body the same, spotted with brown and yellowish- white;
breast and line in front of the neck, brownish-black, the
latter margined on both sides with clear white. In the
winter habit, the upper parts are similar, but less bright and
distinct, while the under parts become light-gray, streaked
with darker.

A noted bird throughout the northern hemisphere is the
Golden Plover, the species or varieties of the Old World
being very closely allied to our own. Spending the winter,
36

I

062

THE KJLLDEER.

for the most part, beyond our limits, these birds pass the
middle districts on their way northward during the latter
half of April or early in May, at which time they have not
yet reached the perfect beauty of their summer attire.
They breed on the barren grounds of the far north and on
the islands of the Arctic Seas. Dr. Dall found them com-
mon along the Yukon. The 4 eggs, about 1.90 x l-SV, are
pale brownish-clay color, sometimes approximating to drab,
or even approaching white. They are boldly marked and
blotched with dark brown, especially around the large end.
The nest is a mere depression in the ground, slightly lined
with dried grasses or leaves — feathers being sometimes added.

These Plovers are among our most characteristic birds of
passage, in the month of September, being as common in
the west as in the more easterly regions. When passing
from one point to another they fly high, with rapid and
steady beat of their long pointed wings. Entering the
fields, they fly very low, scouring the region thoroughly, it
may be, before they afight. Whether flying high or low,
unless the flock be very large, they generally move in lines
of many abreast, forming as many curves and angles as so
many Wild Geese.

They may eat caterpillars or berries, but their chief relish
is for grasshoppers, which they capture most adroitly.
When in flight they may be easily " whistled down," and are
frequently shot in great numbers. They are often very fat,
and their flesh is delicious.

THE KILLDEER.

Our Plover the most familiar to every one, is the Killdeer
{/Egialitis vocif era) ^vthXch I see almost constantly on the point
of land under observation. In the sunny days of March, al-
ready he greets us with his half-cheerful, half-plaintive note,

THE KILLDEER.

663

SO well expressed by his common name, as scarcely to need
further description. Then, even at midnight, while the
snow is yet on the ground, you may hear his stirring call
as he passes by for regions still farther north. And did
you ever hear him without recalling the blooming meadow
and the brook ? I admire his taste in locating his summer
home, in the clover, by some rippling streamlet. Altogether
unique, too, is the style of the nest. That circular arrange-
ment of smooth pebbles, peculiar bits of wood, or fragments
of shells, is wholly primitive, reminding one of cromlechs and
cairns. Inside this little circle, at once so simple and so
artistic, the four eggs are placed, the small points of the
conical forms touching each other at the center. About
1.46 X 1.06, they are of a dark, rich cream-color, well spot-
ted and blotched with blackish-brown — beautifully in har-
mony with the ground on which they lie. Nest and eggs
seem like a natural appurtenance of the field. Occasionally,
however, the Killdeer seeks to be in fashion, and builds a
nest of dried grasses, or, becoming careless, simply adopts
a depression in the ground. Of all the maternal demon-
strations so peculiar to Plovers and Sandpipers, none are
more emphatic than those of the Killdeer. Fairly rolling
and tumbling on the ground, the mother-bird will spread
her tail and beat the ground with her expanded wings, cry-
ing oh^ dear, deaVy dear^ dear^ till the hardest heart must
relent under her beseeching tones. In this attitude she
gives one the full impression of her beautiful colors. Fore-
head, below the black band between the eyes, eye-brows,
and entire under parts, white; upper parts yellowish or red-
dish-brown; ring round the breast, and a broader one
round the neck, jet-black; wings dusky, marked with white;
the dusky tail, shading into black toward the reddish and
white tips, and flanked with light red, white and dusky, is

564

BAR TRAM'S SANDPIPER.

especially illuminated by the bright yellowish-red rump
and tail-coverts; and not least, as a mark of beauty, are the
bright red eye-lids. The young in the down are a faithful
pattern of the colors of the mature bird.

While your sympathies are being won by the sorrowful
demonstrations of the female, the male is equally active,
flying in circles about your head, running around you — he
is a very adept at running — and joining most earnestly in
the cries of the family.

The young are true representatives of the precoces^ run-
ning well as soon as free from the shell. A nest containing
eggs in the forenoon, in the afternoon may have nothing
but shells. The young are reared in the same kind of low-
lands and river-bottoms, as are chosen for nidification. In-
deed, such localities are the home of the species. The first
eggs are laid in May, and there may be another set in July.

The Killdeer is well in favor with the farmer, not only
because of his familiar notes and spirited antics, but because
of his destruction of caterpillars and insects, and par-
ticularly of grasshoppers. Wintering abundantly in the
Southern and Southwestern States, it may extend even to
South America, breeding from Texas far into British North
America and to the Pacific.

Plovers are Pt weil-marked group of birds, differing from
the more numerous Snipes, Sandpipers, Tattlers, etc., in
the rather large head, the shorter bill and neck, and the
marked pigeon-like form of the bill, but more especially,
perhaps, in having only three toes, the exceptional hind
toe of the Black-billed Plover being only rudimentary.

BARTRAM S SANDPIPER.

By that powerful law of the mind — the association of ideaSy
a bird always connected in my mind with the Killdeer, is

B Alt TRAM'S SANDPIPER.

565

Bartram's Sandpiper {Actiturus bartramius)j not from close
structural affinity, indeed, for the last mentioned is a true
Sandpiper, or still more properly a Tattler, but from the
fact- that I have so often found it breeding in some adjoin-
ing locality. On the whole, Bartram's Sandpiper is a much
more upland bird than the Killdeer. Its nest may be
found even in dry, sandy fields, hence it is often called the
Field or Grass Plover. Notwithstanding its grallatorial
structure, it seems almost utterly to have forsaken the
water, and to have become naturalized to the meadow
and the pasture, along with Bobolinks and Sparrows.
I generally find it on the rather high level grounds just
north of the Ridge, which determines the famous Ridge
Road of Western New York, but sometimes even on the
Ridge itself.

About 12-13 inches long and 22 or more inches in extent,
with the rather long bill and legs peculiar to the Tattlers
(the bill being less sensitive in that group than in the Sand-
pipers), Bartram's Sandpiper has the crown dark-brown,
with a median line of light reddish-brown; upper parts
generally a rich dark-brown, with black markings or bars
running obliquely across the vanings, the edges or tips of
the feathers being brownish or reddish-white; the lower
back clear brown, deep and glossy; neck, breast, and vent,
cream-color; under parts, yellowish- white; the neck streaked
with brown; pointed cross-markings on the breast, and the
straighter cross-bars on the sides and axillaries, deep brown
or black; outer primaries with much dull white on the in-
ner vanes; wing-coverts quite light, crossed with brown;
and the long tertiaries deeply edged with light brown, into
which the black markings point conspicuously; legfs, yellow-
ish. The most elegant part of this bird is the tail, which
shades from dark-brown in the center, through various tints

^■iip

666

BARTXAUrS SANDPIPER.

of rufous, to white on the sides, the whole being distinctively
marked with black.

Reaching Western New York late in April, and nest>
ing in the latter half of May, its 4 eggs, some 1.82 x 1.25, are
a warm light-brown, or drab, specked all over with brown,
some of the marlcs about the large end being larger, others,
all over the surface, being lighter. There is a noticeably
warm effect in the entire coloring. The nest is a mere
depression in th*; ground, generally lined slightly with
dried grasses, and occurs here about the middle of May
or later. Unless seriously disturbed, the birds are not
particularly shy. I have known the female to be caught
with the hand on the nest, and to continue sitting after
some of the eggs had been broken. Indeed, when so
alarmed as to refrain from sitting on the nest, she will lin-
ger a whole night near the cold, wet eggs. The young in
the down are white beneath, "finely mottled with black,
white, and with brown above," and leaving the nest at once,
grow rapidly, testing their wing^ already when only a
month old.

Quip-ip-ip-ipy guip-iP'iP'iPf spiritly and rapidly uttered,
may represent the ordinary alarm note of this species; but
when it alights on the ground, on the fence, or even in a
tree, stretching or rather holding its wing^ straight up for
a few moments, it utters a prolonged and peculiar note,
sounding like chr-r-r-r-r-ee'e-e'e-e-e-oo-o-o-o-o-oOy the syllable
ee being strongly on the upward slide, and the syllable oo
in a marked falling inflection. This prolonged, mournful,
mellow whistle, " more like the whistling of the wind than
a bird's voice," may be heard even in the night, and is one
of the most weird and never-to-be-forgotten sounds in na-
ture. This bird is a swift and graceful runner, and a very
adept at hiding in the grass. Its flight is regular, rapid,

THE CROSSBILLS.

667

and beautiful. Its diet is insectivorous, grasshoppers and
crickets being its principal bill of fare here, while in some
localities it regales itself on wild strawberries, and in others
on the cantharides, the last making its flesh a violent
emetic.

Breeding in the Middle States generally, and reaching
Maine or Nova Scotia in the east, the Saskatchawan, or even
Alaska, in the northwest, and the Rocky Mountains west-
ward, it gathers in families and flocks late in summer, mov-
ing leisurely in its southward migration, which may extend
even to Brazil. It hasbeen found as a straggler in Europe
and Australia. As it nears the south and the southwest in
early autumn, it is often in immense flocks. It is said to be
especially abundant in Dakota in the breeding season. Its
flesh is generally excellent.

THE CROSSBILLS.

Most curious of all the song-birds of the north are the
Crossbills. Their most marked peculiarity in structure is
indicated by their common name. The bill, which is quite
long and deep at the base, is much compressed, especially
towards the tips of the mandibles; and these are so abruptly
bent — ^the upper one downward and the lower one upward
— that their sharp points ct oss each other at an angle of at
least forty-live degrees. The head is large, the stout jaws,
so apparent through the feathers, giving it quite a chuckle-
headed appearance; the wings arc tolerably long and
pointed; the short tail is deeply emarginate; the feet are
rather large, and the legs are short and robust. Thus this
little bird, some six and a half to seven inches long — the
mature male a mottled red and the female a mottled green
— bears a crude analogy to a Hawk or an Owl, or even to a
Parrot.

TUB WHITE-WINCBO CROSSBILL.

THE CROSSBILLS.

669

On this continent we hav« the Common and the White-
winged Crossbills — two distinct species — the latter of which
is a little the smaller, having the red of the male noticeably
brighter, with bars of clear white on the wings, some of the
secondaries of which are also tipped with white, and the
wings and tail blacker. The two species of Crossbills in
Europe are quite similar to ours.

In habit the Crossbills are about as peculiar as they are
in structure. Breeding in the extreme north of New
England and northward, they range, very irregularly, south-
ward as far as Philadelphia. In Western New York, we
may meet them, as winter stragglers, perhaps, once in four
or five years. Sometimes they occur in considerable flocks
in the bright days of autumn. The habits of the European
varieties seem to be equally irregular, so that the celebrated
naturalist, Dr. Brehm, used to call the Crossbills the gyp-
sies among birds, attributing their movements to scarcity or
abundance of their peculiar food.

It is well demonstrated that in this country these birds
breed in winter, or early in spring. Concerning the nest of
the Common Crossbills, Audubon says : " Many persons
in the State of Maine assured me that they had found it on
pine trees in the middle of winter and while the earth was
deeply covered with snow. The people employed in cut-
ting pine timber at that season, when it is easier to remove
the logs to the rivers in which they are subsequently floated
when the ice melts, have very frequently told me that, on
felling a tree, they have caught the young Crossbills, which
have been jerked out of their nests." Mr. M. Chamber-
lain, of St. John, New Brunswick, a gentleman held in
esteem as a careful and enthusiastic observer, says in a
communication to the Ornithologist and Oologist of May,
1881 : "I think it was in the third week in January, 1875,

070

THE CROSSBILLS.

I was out moose-hunting and started a big buck, and, in
the chase I found him making a circle, and cut through a
bunch of trees to gain upon him. On my way through
the thick wood, I stopped to adjust a strap on my snow-
shoes, and found myself face to face with a White-winged
Crossbill on her nest — the high bank of snow under me
bringing my head about level with the nest. As I ap-
proached closer to examine it, she flew to a branch near by,
where I was enabled carefully to examine and identify her.
The nest was placed in a fork of one of the main limbs of
the tree, and was composed externally of the long, gray moss
( Usned) which grew in large patches on most of the trees in
this vicinity, and so much resembled these patches of moss
as to be difficult of detection. In the inside was a lining
of softer moss; and between the lining and the exterior
were small twig^ interlaced. In the nest were three eggs,
of a bluish-white ground-color,. having dashes of red upon
the larger end." Other proofs of these birds breeding in
winter are not wanting. In the latter part of April, 1875,
after a severe winter, Mr. E. P. Bicknell found a nest of the
Common Crossbill at Riverdale, N. Y., of which he says:
" The nest was placed in a tapering cedar of rather scanty
foliage, about eighteen feet from the ground, and was with-
out any single main support, being built in a mass of small
tangled twigs, from which it was with -^^fficulty detached.
The situation could scarcely have been more conspic-
uous, being close to the intersection of several roads (all of
them more or less bordered with ornamental evergreens),
in plain sight of as many residences, and constantly exposed
to the view of passers-by. The materials of its composition
were of rather a miscellaneous character, becoming finer
and more select from without inwards. An exterior of
bristling spruce twigs, loosely arranged, surrounded a mass

THE CROSSBILLS.

•n

of matted shreds of cedar bark, which formed the principal
body of the structure, a few strips of the same appearing
around the upper border, the whole succeeded on the inside
by a sort of felting of finer material, which received the
scanty lining of black horse-hair, fine rootlets, grass stems,
pieces of string, and two or three feathers. This shallow
felting of the inner nest can apparently be removed intact
from the body of the struct!ire, whicii , besides the above-
mentioned materials, contained small pieces of moss, leaves,
grass, string, cottony substances, a; d the greer Toliage of
cedar. The nest mean. red internally two and one-half
inches in diameter by over one and a quanorin depth; being
in diameter externally about four inches, and rather shal-
low in appearance.

" The fresh eggs are, in ground color, of a decided greenish
tint, almost immaculate on the smaller end, but on the op-
posite side, with irregular spots and dottings of lavender-
brown of slightly varying shade, interspersed with a few
heavy surface-spots of dark purple-brown. There is no ap-
proach in the arrangement of these to a circle, but between
the apex of the larger end and the greatest diameter of the
egg is a fine hair-like surface line; in two examples it forms
a complete though irregular circle, and incloses the princi-
pal spots. In the other egg, which is the largest, this line
is not quite complete, and the primary blotches are wanting,
but the secondary markings are correspondingly larger and
more numerous. In another ^%% there are two perfect
figures of 3 formed on the sides by the secondary marks,
one of them large and singularly symmetrical. The eggs
measure respectively .74x.fio, .76X.68, .78X.59."

The curious bill of this bird is in special adaptation to
its food and the manner of securing it. Those sharply-
pointed curves of the mandibles serve as the most con-

512

THE CROSSBILLS.

venient hooks for getting the seeds of the pine, the spruce
jand the hemlock out of the cones. "On first glancing at
the bill of this extraordinary bird," says Wilson, the
great ornithologist, " one is apt to pronounce it deformed
and monstrous; but, on attentively observing the use to
which it is applied by the owner, and the dexterity with
which he detaches the seeds of the pine-tree from the cone
and from the husks that inclose them, we are obliged to
confess, on this, as on many other occasions where we have
judged too hastily of the operations of nature, that no
other conformation could have been so excellently adapted
to the purpose; and that its deviation from the common
form, instead of being a defect or monstrosity, as the cele-
brated French naturalist insinuates, is a striking proof of
the wisdom and kind superintending care of the great
Creator." The hooks of the bill are also used as instru-
ments for climbing, after the manner of the Parrots, as is
shown in the accompanying engraving.

CHAPTER XXIII.

REMINISCENCES.

IN my first ornithological studies in Northern Ohio, the
most charming bird of all which attracted my attention
was the Cardinal Grosbeak {Cardinalis virgintanus.) Through-
out the winter, almost every patch of woods near a corn-
field of the year before contained a pair — male and female —
but never more than a pair in the same vicinity. Indeed,
the species seemed much more common in winter than in
summer, and so was a sort of large, gay snow-bird. On
approaching its haunt, I was advised of its presence by its
loud, sharp, chipping note, quite distinguishable from any
other sound in the woods. About eight inches long, and
most elegantly formed, the most noticeable features of the
Cardinal are the rather long and somewhat rounded tail,
and the beautiful crest. The bright vermilion of the male —
the upper parts darker, and the feathers of the back fringed
with bluish-ash — renders him a most conspicuous object in
the leafless trees and the snowy landscape. From a nearer
point of view, the jet-black of his chin, front and lores, and
the roseate tint of his thick bill, set him off to fine advan-
tage. Every movement is elevated and stately. In form,
color and motion, he is the very ideal of elegance and
beauty. In form and gracefulness, the female is his exact
counterpart. Of a fine yellowish drab on the breast and
sides, and dusky-olive over the back; her crest, wings and

574

THE CARDINAL GROSBEAK.

tail, tinged with vermilion; her chin, front and lores, deep
, dusky — if less brilliant, she is scarcely less beautiful than
hef gay consort

The loud, sprightly, and somewhat varied whistling,
which constitutes the song of the Cardinal, has always
commanded admiration. In those southern climes where
the species finds its most congenial home, and where
it is an abundant resident throughout the year, it is in
song from March till September. Nor does it render a
mere matin or vesper hymn, but may fife its loudest, clear-
est melody at almost any hour of the day. In the breed-
ing season its song is almost as full of enthusiasm and ges-
ticulation as that of the Purple Finch. His shy ways, in
the northern limits of his habitat, as he hops slyly about
the thicket in winter, or retires to the deep forest in the
breeding season, are strangely in contrast with his familiar
ways in the south. There he may dust himself in the high-
way till you almost trampled upon him, may build his
nest as near human dwellings as does the Thrasher or the
Mockingbird, or visit the farm-yard in company with Spar-
rows, Jays and Turtle-doves, to share the food of the com-
mon poultry in winter. Everywhere his bright figure and
sprightly ways render him welcome. Being readily caught
in a figure-four or trap cage, and thriving on almost any
kind of food, he is in great favor as a cage-bird of beauty
and of song. In the early history of our country he be-
came almost a commercial item, being carried to the Old
World in great numbers, where the admirers of his sprightly
melody called him the Virginia Nightingale.

The nest of the Cardinal is in a bush or tree, somewhat
after the manner of the Catbird, in the north, or the Mock-
ingbird, in the south; and is made of dry leaves, small
twigs, strips of bark from the grape-vine, and coarse grasses,

THE TUFTED TITMOUSE.

515

the lining being of fine grasses carefully laid. The 4-6
eggs, 1.00X.80, are white, sometimes tinged with green or
gray, more or less spotted with light brown and lilac, and
sometimes heavily marked all over.

This species, so abundant in the south and southwest, is
found, more or less commonly, as far as the south side of
Lake Erie. In Western New York and to the eastward,
north of Virginia, it is but an occasional straggler. It has
been found, however, even as far north as Nova Scotia.

THE TUFTED TITMOUSE.

Among my first happy surprises in ornithology was the
Tufted Titmouse (Lophophanes bicolor)^ it also being i com-
mon winter resident, or rather resident throughout the year
in Northern Ohio. About 6.00 long, with a rather long and
finely formed tail, it has that most elegant of bird orna-
ments— a crest. It makes up therefore in graceful form and
sprightly carriage what it lacks in brilliancy of color — the
upper parts being leaden blue, and the under parts grayish-
white, with forehead black, and sides tinged with yellowish-
brown. The most striking characteristic of this species is
its vocal performances. Now it lisps, twitters and chatters,
as if in intelligent conversation with its companions; again
it squeaks like a mouse, or whines like a puppy, or frequently,
and still more strikingly, it whistles like one calling a dog.
More than once did I follow this latter performance for long
distances through the woods, wondering much what sort
of bird or beast its author might be. On the whole, there
is much compass and variety, and not a little of a certain
grade of music, in these numerous notes and rather loud
melodies, and they are all suggestive of a sly quaintness or
a vigorous energy.

Scarcely less interesting than its voice is its manner of

576

TOWNEE BUNTING.

moving and feeding. Its concave wings and tail, after the
manner of the Titmice, are suitable to its short, flitting, jerky
manner of flight. Its manner of perching is proud and
sprightly, with crest erect. According to universal testi-
mony, as also in conformity with the habits of Titmice and
Nuthatches in general, the nest of the Tufted Titmouse is
in some hole in a tree — either a natural cavity suitable for
the purpose, or the vacated nest of the Downy Woodpecker,
or sometimes the bird will dig out a cavity for itself in a
perfectly sound tree. In any case the cavity is well lined
with various soft and warm materials, closely felted together.
Thus the nest is at once a very comfortable and a very safe
one. The eggs, some 6 or 8, about .72X.67, are clear
white, specked and spotted with red at the large end. In
the case of the eggs, as in that of the nests, there is a marked
similarity in the whole group of Titmice and Nuthatches.

Common in the Southern, and even numerous in the Mid-
dle States, this species seems to find its northern limit in
the Connecticut Valley in the east, about the south shore
of Lake Erie and in Nebraska westward, and it would seem
that it does not extend farther than Kansas in the west. In
this western limitation, it is unlike the Blue-gray Gnat-
catcher, to which it is so similar in the northern boundaries
of its habitat. The Tufted Titmouse is resident through-
out its range, thus showing how readily the same species
may adapt itself to different latitudes; and as it is a very
hardy bird, spending the coldest winters in its northern
limits without any apparent inconvenience, there would
seem to be no cause in itself why it might not thrive still
further north.

TOWHEE BUNTING.

An abundant species, associated with my early studies,
both in Western Pennsylvania and Northern Ohio, is the

TOWHEE BUNTING.

677

Chewink or Towhee Bunting {Pipilo erythrophthalmus).
About 8.60 long, and 11.00 in extent, the male is black
above, the color extending in rounded outline over the
breast; the sides are chestnut; the belly white; the vent
pale reddish; there is a white spot at the base of the prima-
ries, and an oblique white mark about in their middle;
there is also some white on the tertiaries; the long tail has
the three outer feathers finely marked with white. In ma-
turity the iris is bright red. The female is brown where
the male is black. Thickets, bushy pastures and barren
tracts on the higher grounds are the favorite resorts of this
species. It comes early, reaching the Middle States in
April. The bottom poles of an old rail fence, among the
briers by the woods, is very likely to be its thoroughfare; and
at all times it keeps for the most part on or near the ground.
Sit down quietly in the thicket, and you will hear its sharp
rustle, as it scratches among the dry leaves; this hen-like
scratching, probably in search of food, being one of its
marked characteristics of habit. As it flits from bush to
bush, never flying far nor high, you can hear the whir-r-r-ry
of its short, rounded, concave wings, and as it opens its
long, fan-like tail, with a jerking motion, the white mark-
ings contrast strongly with the jet-black figure. It hops, and
sidles, and dodges about, in and out through the brush-pile,
the brambles and the thicket, with a nervous, sparrow-like
movement, its tail being often thrown up, after the manner
of the Chat or Wren. Frequently it calls out, chewink^ or
towhee^ with a sharp and somewhat prolonged aspirate on
the second syllable, thus rendering either of those words,
which have become its common names, very distinctly; but
. in order to get the exact effect, the words must be pro-
nounced just so, — with just such an emphasis and intona-
tion. Before hearing the note, neither of the above names
37

518

TOWHEE BUNTING.

would be so pronounced as to give any idea of the sound
which they may so precisely imitate when properly enun-
ciated. Every now and then the male will mount a con-
spicuous bush, tree, or stub, preferably a dry tree-top, and
sing for some time his monotonous ditty, — who-he-tit-it-it-it-
it-it-ity which, though by no means strikingly musical, is
still a pleasing sound amid the voices of the early spring.
• Classed with the Sparrows in the Fringillidce family,
and hence a thick-billed sead-eating bird, it is also fond
of insects and their larvae, and works diligently for
them.

The nest, formed in May, is quite secretively placed on
the ground, — at the root of a bush, under a log, under
the edge of a brush-pile, or in a thick bunch of grass;
the site being so well excavated as to sink the rim nearly
or quite level with the surface. The structure is bulky, of
dried leaves and shreds of bark, being lined with fine
grasses. The 4-6 eggs, about .92X.12, and quite roundish^
are greenish or grayish-white, finely specked and spotted
all over with reddish-brown and lilac. This species sum-
mers from the Carolinas to Northern New England and
corresponding latitudes, and winters from the Carolinas to
about the middle of Florida.

Residing permanently throughout the winter habitat of
the above species, is the White-eyed Towhee (/*. leucopis),
differing from the former " in being smaller and in having
less white on the tail. This never extends over more than
three pairs of the tail feathers and does not occupy the
entire width of the outer web, but has a narrow line of
black next to the shaft. The white of the wings is also less
extended. The chestnut is much paler, but the most notice-
able difference in the living specimen is the white eye. The
females may be distinguished at once by the slaty tint of

THE FOX-COLORED SPARROW,

679

the portions which are black in the males." The notes of
these birds are said to be quite different from those of the .
former species, sounding like/i^-r^^, the emphasis being de-
cidedly on the last syllable, the note giving the popular
name Joree to the species.

THE FOX-COLORED SPARROW.

During the month of April, in my first year of ornitho-
logical study in the locality now under review, I made my
first acquaintance with the Fox-colored Sparrow {Passerella
iliaca). I did not then, nor at any time since in my several
localities of observation, find it in any considerable num-
bers. Occasionally during March or early April, a small flock,
or more commonly a single individual, may appear in a
stealthy migration. Like the Chewink, it follows the bram-
ble-grown fences along the edges of woods and thickets,
dodges in and out in the most coy and wary manner,
scratches among the leaves, and on zome slight disturbance,
hops up on an eminence and surveys the surroundings with
a quiet caution. During such times it has a soft tsip^ tsipy
as a sort of conversational note; this, in case of alarm, may
become a sharp chuck^ chuck.

Having passed the latitude of 47*>, it spends its summer
in a sparrow-like manner, and returns during October and
November to spend the winter anywhere between New Jer-
sey and Florida, becoming rare in the latter State, and not
reported beyond. Audubon's account of its breeding habits
in Labrador, and Maynard's history of the same in the
Magdalen Islands, are in complete harmony. The nest is
placed on the ground, under the drooping limbs of the
thick evergreens. It is large and bulky, composed of dry
grass and moss, and is lined with fine grass and feathers.
Eggs, oval in form, 4-5, pale-green, specked, spotted, and

:! 1

580

THE FOX-COLORED SPARROW.

blotched with reddish-brown and lilac. Sometimes the
markings are quite heavy. Size, .85X.62-.86X.66.

It will thus appear that this largest of our Sparrows is
a most hardy species; scarcely more than the herald of
winter, as it returns from its boreal summer resorts, passing
the inclement months barely beyond the zone of continued
ice and snow, and seeking its northern climes again with
the first glow of early spring. It is one of the few song-
birds, for which we may look, along with the passage of
the Wild Geese and Ducks. It is pre-eminently a song-bird.
Audubon bears the most unqualified testimony to the power
and charm of its melodies on the bleak coasts of Labrador;
and Maynard is no less enthusiastic over "the magnificent
song of the male filling the clear, still air with melody" as
he listenefl to it in the Magdalen Islands. He says: "These
fine strains consist at first of three clear, rather rapid notes^
given with increasing emphasis, then a short pause ensues^
and the reaiainder of the lay is poured forth more delib-
erately, terminating with a well rounded note, giving a
finish to a song which, for sweetness and clearness of tone,
is seldom surpassed even by our best performers." The
loitering migrants, in the more genial days of April, give a
fine prelude to the summer song. How these birds will
cheer the Indian summer, in common with many other birds^
with the subdued echoes of their earlier songs, has been
noted by all; even in January, in the south, the little flocks^
disporting in secluded sunny nooks, lisp their subdued
melodies.

Some 7.10 long, and 11.25 irj extent, the crown is slaty,
streaked with rufous; upper parts generally, including
wings and tail, rufous, brightest on the rump; ear-coverts,
and more or less variable marks on the throat, rufous; tri-
angular spots on the upper part of the breast, light red, the

THE BLUE-GRAY GNAT-CATCHER.

681

darker triangular spots lower down, and the streaks on the
sides being almost dark brown; wing-coverts, slightly
■whitened; upper mandible brown; lower yellow.

THE BLUE-GRAY GNAT-CATCHER.

Occasionally, in Northern Ohio, the nervous flitting
of the Blue-gray Gnat-catcher {Polioptila coeruled) would
attract me. This is about the northern boundary of its
habitat, but it extends westward to the Pacific, and is strictly
migratory. Only 4.50 long, and much of this lineal dimen-
sion consisting of the tail, it is but 6.00 in extent. The
color is bluish-gray above and bluish-white below; head
bluest, with black front and eye-brows in the male; wing^s
brownish-black, with secondaries near the body edged with
white; the tail, which is longer than the body and a little
rounded, black; the exterior feathers white nearly to the
base, and the next two tipped with white; the very slender
bill, overhanging and notched at the tip, broad and bristled at
base, and so resembling that of the Flycatcher; legs long,
slender and black. Warbler, Titmouse and Flycatcher in
movement, it is in the main a Warbler in structure; its
diminutive body, however, and long rounded tail giving
it a rather Tom-tit appearance; its plain drab-like colors
also remind one of the Titmice. Its common note, isee^ tsee^
/see, is much like that of the Kinglet, but its soft, sweet
warble is peculiar to itself. It is one of the subdued and
tender vocalists of our woodlands.

The most striking feature of this little favorite is its ele-
gantly artistic nest. Placed on a limb, or in the top of a
tree, anywhere from ten to fifty feet from the ground, it is
closely felted together of the softest materials of the forest— ^
bud-scales, dried blossoms, and the delicate cottony sub-
stance which envelops the unfolding fronds of ferns, with

888

THE YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT

flexible skeletons of leaves, as an external framework of the
wall of felt, and a few slender, wiry circles of horse-hair,
perhaps, to make the soft interior symmetrical. Often,
perhaps generally, the nest is so placed that when it is re-
moved from its limb or crotch, the lower part of the inverted
conical form is truncate, or nearly bottomless, excepting the
soft lining. The rim of the nest is generally contracted or
" purse-like," rendering the eggs secure in heavy winds.
But the most marked feature of this structure is its orna-
mentation. The whole exterior is closely covered with
small, brightly colored lichens — commonly of a greenish-
gray. Thus the nest of this species is more beautiful than
that of the Wood Pewee, and fully equal to that of the
Hummingbird. Like these, it is in such close conformity
to the lichen-covered liimh on which it is placed as to seem
a mere natural excrescence. Very fine grasses and vege-
table downs constitute the body of the nest. The 4-6 eggs,
some .68X.44, are roundish, and bluish-white, thickly
and prettily specked with dark-brown and lilac all over.

THE YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT.

In the locality now under consideration, I first made the
acquaintance of that eccentric bird, the Yellow-breasted
Chat {Icieria virens). Some 7.00 long and 9.00 in extent,
and somewhat resembling the Tanagers in form, it has the
whole upper parts of a rich, deep olive-green; tips of the
wings and inner vanes of the wing and tail-feathers, dusky;
throat and breast, brilliant yellow, this color also washing
the sides and lining the wings; belly and vent, white; front,
slaty or dusky; lores, black; eye-brow, and nearly all the
eye-lid, and spot at the gape, white. The sexes are scarcely
distinguishable.

This beautiful and interesting species resorts to the past-

THE YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT,

683

ures overgrown with brambles and bushes, and to the
thickets. Here, with every facility for concealment, it de-
lights to tantalize the most patient observer with its weird,
ventriloquial, and almost endlessly varied, vocal perform-
ances. There are soft, subdued notes, half whisper, half
whistle; then abrupt, explosive sounds, reminding one of
the rattling loquacity of the Catbird or the Thrasher; these
again are succeeded by deep, guttural chucks^ as of certain
Thrushes or Blackbirds; or there may be the most sprightly
twittering, or a cawing and mewing — and all these so hur-
ried and closely connected, and in such a variety of tones and
modulations, as almost to bewilder and astound the listener.
Meanwhile the bird keeps for the most part wholly out of
sight, and in its concealment changes places so rapidly as
to keepf the listener on the most excited alert. He knows
not where to expect the next burst of merriment, and when
it breaks upon him he is equally at a loss where to locate
it. During moonlight nights, and especially before the
arrival of the female^, this strange vocal exercise may be
heard at almost any time between the twilights.

If you should approach its haunts in the nesting period,
the bird may mount almost perpendicularly into the air;
and with dangling feet and legs, and an abundance of excited
noise, perform the most ludicrous gesticulations. Occa-
sionally it will seem to abandon its coyness, and mounting
to the top of some bare stump, in open sight, will give its
recitative as fearlessly as a Chewink.

The nest, but a few feet from the ground, and ensconced
away in the brambles and thickets, iis rather bulkily built of
dried leaves and strips of fibrous bark, and lined with fine
rootlets and grasses. The 3-4 eggs, 1.00 X .80, are round-
ish, of a delicate flesh-color, spotted and specked with light
brown or red, mostly at the large end. I once found the

584

THE BLACK-THROATED BUNTING,

Cowbird's egg, with a large hole in the side of it, lying on
the ground beneath this nest. Probably the spirited Chat, in
indignation over this imposition of an interloping parasite,
had stuck its bill into the egg and ousted it.

The Yellow-breasted Chat, subsisting on insects and ber-
ries, reaches the middle districts in May, extending to
New Jersey and the lower Hudson, Northern Ohio and cor-
responding localities westward, and returning to the south
in August. On the High Plains, west, it is replaced by the
Long-tailed Chat.

THE BLACK-THROATED BUNTING.

To the student of nature, the identification of even the most
established facts is ever a fresh surprise. No matter how
fully Wilson, Audubon, and the more recent ornithologists
may have reported our birds, my acquaintance with each
species has been almost as delightful a novelty as if I had
been the first to discover and describe it. Of all the Spar-
rows which find their habitat in Northern Ohio, the last one
to respond to my search was the Black-throated Bunting
{Euspiza americana). I had long been on the alert for it, when
one evening at sunset, as I was riding by a rich clover field
on low clayey ground, I heard a new song in a tree by the
road. Chic-chic-chelac-chick'Chick-chick^ and chick-ticktshe-chick-
chick-chicky in loud, explosive tones, recalls that song still
vividly to my ears. "A Black-throated Bunting. I'll bet,"
said I to my companion, who carried the gfun; "out, and
let's have it." While he climbed out of the buggy and
made ready to shoot, I noted the gesticulations of the bird
as it sang most enthusiastically on a topmost spray and in
the blaze of the evening light. With head uplifted till he
stood quite perpendicular, and with drooping wings and
tail, he fairly shook himself in the ardor of his utterance.

THE BLACK-THROATED BUNTING.

58S

The report of the gun interrupted the song; and in a few
moments the fallen bird, warm, and quivering with the
last throes of life, was in my hand. " How cruel !" many
would exclaim. "Yes," from one point of view; but most
emphatically, " no," from another. True, every life which
God has ordered is precious, and " not a Sparrow falleth to
the ground without Him;" but is not the bird or beast of
prey, by the law of its nature, under necessity of subsisting
on innocent lives ? And has not my thirst for knowledge
gre; i z: claim than the craw of a Hawk ? Besides, as Dr.
Brehm has well said, to die in the midst of one's song is a
death which even a poet might crave.

But to my bird. He is a beauty. With a peculiarly
thick, but not unsightly, bill, he is rather long and slender
for a Sparrow. About 6.60 long; forehead, greenish-olive;
nape and neck, bluish-ash; eye-brows and moustache, yel-
low, continuing for some distance in white lines; chin,
whi.:e; throat, black; breast, yellow; upper parts after the
manner of the Sparrows, with a bright patch of chestnut-
red on the shoulder; under parts, dull-white. This is the
coloring of the male. The female lacks the black throat,
the bright red patch on the shoulder, and has a mere tinge
of the yellow parts; she has, moreover, a noticeably narrow,
dark streak of about half an inch at the lower corners of
the mandible, and narrow broken streaks of brown on the
breast.

If I am not mistaken, the female has a song — one differ-
ent from that of the male, though I cannot now describe it.
One afternoon, as a friend and I were ransacking a field oc-
cupied by these birds, in search of their nests, we noticed
a female, singing in a bush. My comrade was a good marks-
man, and took deliberate aim, and, as we thought, the bird
dropped. After searching the spot thoroughly, however,

I \\

i

:i I'!

i

586

THE BLACK-THROATED BUNTING.

we found no bird. Presently we heard the same song in a
bush near by, and having a good view of the bird, fired as
before, again seeing it fall, as we thought, but once more
failing to find it. The same illusion was repeated, at another
point, the third time, and only after the fourth shot did we
take the bird. This was something I never could explain.

Evidently Audubon was mistaken as to the nest and eggs
of this species. The nest is a loose and bulky structure,
some 3 inches deep and 5 in diameter externally; internal
diameter 2.50 and depth 2.00; composed of grasses, weed-
stalks, and such other coarse vegetable material as the
locality may afford, and lined with fine grasses, finished
generally with horse-hair. It is sometimes placed in a tus-
sock of grass, but generally a few feet from the ground in
a bush or hedge, or it may even be five feet from the ground
in a small tree. The 4-5 eggs, some .75 X. 60-85 X. 62, and
so about the size of the Bluebird's eggs, are generally so
nearly like them in color as to be indistinguishable.
Generally, however, they are a shade darker, and occa-
sionally are specked with dark brown or blackish.

This species seems inclined to a local habitat, choosing
level fields of rich meadow, with heavy or clayey soil. It is
said to be rare in sanv'y regions. On the whole, it is rather
southern in its range. Wintering outside of our boundaries,
and entering the Middle States early in May, or certainly
by the middle, it reaches the Connecticut Valley, Northern
Ohio — I have never seen it in the northern counties of
Western New York — and corresponding latitudes as far
west as Nebraska and Colorado. It breeds throughout its
range, and is much more abundant in the south and south-
west than at the north, which latter part it leaves certainly
by August. The food of this species is that of its family
in general — seeds and insects.

THE GOLDEN EAGLE.

687

THE GOLDEN EAGLE.

Among the earliest reminiscences of my ornithological
studies, are the screams and screeches of a very fine speci-
men of the Golden Eagle {Aguila chrysaetus), kept in a
large cage out of doors by a young scientific amateur in
my neighborhood. It had been taken from the nest when
quite young, I think, and reared in confinement. It was a
grand pet, and, in its solitary gambols and sports about
the cage, was a very interesting study.

I'he average length of the female of this species is given
as 57.45, and the stretch as 85.00. Average length of male,
32.50; stretch, 83.00. General color, dark-brown, tinged
with purplish; wings, tail and under parts, darker; head,
neck, shoulders, tibia and tarsus, lighter, and tipped and
edged with yellowish or golden-brown, thus giving some
propriety at least to the common name. The base of the
tail is white. The young are similar, but lighter in all re-
spects, and, with about two-thirds of the tail at base, white.
In the intermediate stages the tail may be white and brown
mottled. The young, with the white tail deeply banded
with dark brown, is the Ring-tailed Eagle of the earliest
ornithologists. This species may always be distinguished
bj' its tarsus feathered to the toes.

Grand as our Common or White-headed Eagle is con-
ceded to be, he is but a commonplace and vulgar bird
compared with the present species. Indeed, the Golden
Eagle is the noblest bird of our continent. Disdaining car-
rion, except in extreme hunger, and all ordinary pilfering
and predatory habits, he subsists, it would seem, on the
noblest game, such as hares, grouse, young fawns and
wild turkeys. Nor does he londescend to chase his prey,
and capture it only after a hot pursuit, after the manner of
Hawks and Falcons, but,det'jct-ng it afar with his keen eye,

I

!l

1 1

\'

ml H

588

THE GOLDEN EAGLE,

swoops down upon it from some obscure height, and takes
it by surprise. Then bearing it away to an elevated point,
in a tree or on a ledge of a high rock, he plucks it clean,
and eats at leisure. The loftiest mountains are his home,
and on the shelvings of their most rugged precipices he
locates his eyrie. Occasionally he may make a detour into
the settled parts of the country, soaring high, and in slow,
wide and most majestic circles; or, if he pass from one
mountain height to some other in the distance, it is by the
highest possible pathway in the sky. If he be in certain
stages of plumage, with good eyes, and the light favorable,
one may distinguish him, as a great rarity, by the dark band
on his white tail. But generally, if one would study him, one
must go to the uninhabited and almost uninhabitable parts
of the earth, far above the ordinary planes of animated
nature, and there contemplate him in the sublimest solitude.
As he climbs to the very clouds, and penetrates " behind
the vdl of the storm,'.' even the mountains are low down
in respect to him, and he seems to know and care but little
about the world. He who shoots a Golden Eagle secures
a rare trophy, and may be assured that he will not repeat
his success very often in a life-time. Though seldom seen,
they are not considered as rare on the continent; and it may
be doubted, indeed, whether there are any fewer of them
" to-day in Eastern North America than there were when the
Pilgrims landed at Plymouth.' In fact, such is their ele-
vation above the ordinary range of human life, so nearly
inaccessible are their breeding places, and such is their
wariness and sagacity, that it is difficult to conceive of a
time when their numbers may be seriously impaired, or
their habits or habitat essentially modified. The nest of
this species is on the most inaccessible points of huge
mountain walls; it is bulky, and rudely built of sticks,

THE GOLDEN EAGLE.

580

and lined with weeds, or any of the softer' materials avail-
able The eggs, 1-3, about 2.90X2.25, elliptical or spherical,
are dull or creamy-white, generally spotted and blotched
with brown, sometimes unspotted.

Concerning the manner in which the Golden Eagle
teaches its young to fly, Sir Humphrey Davy says: — " I
once saw a vtxy interesting sight above the crags of Ben
Nevis. Two parent Eagles were teaching thfiir offspring,
two young birds, the maneuvers of flight. They began
by rising from the top of the mountain in the eye of
the sun. It was about midday, and bright for the climate.
They at first made small circles, and the young birds imi-
tated them. They paused on their wings, waiting till they
had made their flight, and then took a second and larger
gyration, always rising towards the sun, and enlarging their
circle of flight, so as to make a gradually ascending spiral.
The young ones still and slowly followed, apparently flying
better as they mounted; and they continued this sublime
exercise, always rising till they became mere points in the
air, and the young ones were lost, and afterwards their
parents, to our aching sight." This is written concerning
the European Golden Eagle, which is very similar to ours.

Dr. Rush, in his lectures on " The Effects of Fear on Man,"
says : — " During the revolutionary war, a company of sol-
diers were stationed near the highlands of the Hudson
River. A Golden Eagle had placed her nest in the cleft of
the rocks half way between the summit and the river. A
soldier was let down by his companions, suspended by a
rope fastened around his body. When he reached the nest,
he suddenly found himself attacked by the Eagle. In seli-
defense he drew the only weapon about him, his knife, "nd
made repeated passes at the bird, when accidentally he cut
the rope almost off. It began unraveling; those above

Li

590

THE TURKEY BUZZARD.

hastily drew him up, and relieved him from his perilous sit-
uation at the moment when he expected to be precipitated
to the bottom. The doctor stated that so powerful was the
effect of the fear the soldier had experienced whilst in
danger, that ere three days had elapsed his hair had become
quite gray." (Audubon.)

THE TURKEY BUZZARD.

Fresh as of yesterday, among the early remmiscences of
bird-life in Northern Ohio is the magnificent flight of the
Turkey Buzzard {Cathartes aura). How smoothly and
noiselessly have I seen its great figure glide over the fields
and through the open woods, avoiding every obstacle, as it
curved from side to side and rose and fell with the utmost
ease and gracefulness. Most impressive of all, however,
were its grand circles, with almost motionless wings, as it
climbed to the most exalted regions of flight. Sometimes
I could see as many as a dozen, on some clear sunny morn-
ing in June, intersecting their wide and slowly described
circles, at so great a height, that but for one's knowledge of
the size of the birds, they might have been mistaken for some
small species of the feathered tribes. I know of few things
more tranquilizing and suggestive of sublime thoughts than
such a sight as this. But from this grand point of elevation
there is but a step to the most degraded and filthy associa-
tions. I am reminded, after all, that these are nothing but
"dirty Buzzards ;" and by that most potent law of the mind,
the association of ideas, my nostrils are regaled with the
vilest odors, and my eyes recall the most unsightly forms of
carrion. I transfer these birds of lofty flight to the ground,
and think of them as cramming their craws with putrid
flesh, and moping around like drowsy gluttons till digestion
has labored through the nauseous mass; or, on some dis-

THE TURKEY BUZZARD.

591

turbance to the bird, till the surplus is vomited up, thus en-
abling it to fly. There is good evidence, however, that it
does not resort to carrion, when its capacious stomach can
be appeased with a suflicient quantity of better flavored
flesh. Moreover, its filthy feeding, under the ravenous
necessities of hunger, renders it invaluable, in the warmer
zones of its habitat, as a scavenger.

Notwithstanding the interesting experiments of Audubon,
there is good evidence of the olfactory capacity of this as
of all the rest of the Vultures. The nerves of smell are
well developed. It is probable, however, that in seeking
their supplies of food at a distance, they are guided by the
eye much more than by the sense of smell. There is much
force in the words of Job: "There is a path which no fowl
knoweth, and which the Vulture's eye hath not seen." " The
Vulture," says Tristram, "can detect the path of a wounded
deer from a height where it can itself be descried by no
human eye. The process is probably this: The Griffon-
vulture,* which first detects the quarry, descends from his
elevation at once; another, sweeping the horizon at a still
greater distance, observes his neighbor's movements, and
follows his course; a third, still farther removed, follows
the flight of the second; he is traced by another, and thus
a Jjerpetual succession is kept up, so long as a morsel of
flesh remains over which to consort. Thus, on great battle-
fields, and during sieges, as at that of Sebastopol, immense
numbers of Vultures were congregated in a few hours,
where the bird was comparatively scarce before. During
the Crimean war, the whole race from the Caucasus and
Asia Minor seemed to have collected to enjoy so unwonted
an abundance. The Arabs of North Africa declare that
at that time very few 'Nissi' (Vultures) were seen in their

'*'This an abundant species in Palestine.

I

y !

W

592

THE TURKEY BUZZARD.

accustomed haunts, and believe that they were all gathered,
even from the Atlas, to feed on Russian horses." {Natural
History of the Bible.) This eminent naturalist further
adds concerning the Vultures: "Their enormous capacity
for food, combined with the power of long abstinence, is a
wonderful provision of creative wisdom for carrion feeders,
whose supply is so uncertain, while the necessity for the
immediate removal of offensive matter is so urgent." Our
Turkey Buzzard extends its northern habitat to the south
of Lake Erie and corresponding latitudes. It is a rather
frequent straggler in Southern New England, and Pro-
fessor Charles Linden has recently seen it near Buffalo, N. Y.
The Southern Middle and the Southern States are the chosen
habitat of this species. There it resides in great num-
bers.

As to the nidification of this species, Mr. Maynard says :
" Nests, placed on the tops of stumps, on logs, on ruined
buildings, in hollow trees, or on the ground; but little or no
material is used. Eggs, one or two in number, varying from
elliptical to oval in form, dirty white or creamy in color,
spotted and blotched irregularly, but sometimes more thickly
on the large end, with reddish-brown and umber. Dimen-
sions, from 1.80X2.65 to 1.90X2.75."

Female, 27.25 long, and 75.00 in extent; male, 26.75
long, and 67.00 in extent; the sexes are similar, being
dark-brown throughout, with a bluish gloss or irides-
cence, the feathers of the wings being edged with lighter;
the head is unfeathered, after the manner of the Vul-
tures, the red skin being corrugated and beset with a few
bristly feathers ; feet, flesh-colored ; bill, white. In size
and form, and somewhat in color, this carrion-eater bears
no small resemblance to our Turkey. The nestlings make
their first appearance in a dirty white down.

THE HERONS.

593

The Black Buzzard of the south {Cathartes atratus\

some 26 inches long and 58 in extent, is brownish-black,

lighter on the wings. It has a slight nest on the ground,

the eggs, 1 or 2, being creamy-white, heavily marked with

brown.

kirtland's warbler.

I never met Kirtland's Warbler, but some of the most
valuable of my first ornithological instructions were given
privately and informally by Dr. Kirtland, so that it is very
proper to note here his interesting discovery of this bird
{Dendrceca kirtlandi)^ shot near Cleveland, Ohio, in 1851.
Since that time, five more of the same species have been
taken in Ohio; two at Ann Arbor, Mich.; and one on the
Bahama Islands, near which, at sea, the first specimen of the
kind had been found, some ten years before Dr. Kirtland
identified and described it.

This large Warbler, some 5.50 in length, and quite robust
in form, is bluish-ash above, " narrowly streaked on crown,
and more broadly on back, with black; forehead, lores and
space beneath eye, black; eye-lids, two narrow bands across
wings, and patch on inner webs of two outer tail-feathers,
white; under parts, clear yellow, becoming nearly white on
under tail-coverts, with spots in band across breast, and
streaks on sides, black. * * * Female similar, but much
paler beneath, slightly over-washed above with reddish,
and the dark markings are much more restricted." The
color and markings of this spticies are every way similar
to those of the Canada Warbler, but the form is not
that of a Flycatching Warbler, but of a Dendrceca.

i»j

I

fl.s

THE HERONS.

Strongly characterized among birds are the Herons and
their relatives. They are at once the giants and the fisher-
38

594

THE HERONS.

men among the Waders. Even the Godwits, Willets and
Curlews are but pigmies as compared with their larger rep-
resentatives; and no species of Plover, Snipe or Sandpiper
has a bill at all adap':ed to seizing fish. The long, slender-
pointed bill of the Heron is a most effective spear; his stilt-
like legs are long enough to bear him out to sufficient depths
to reach his prey; and the length of his many jointed, sinu-
ous neck is equal to that of his legs. His eye is keen, his
wings are immense, and his body, as compared with the
size of his members, is astonishingly small. The toes, the
outer one of which is considerably palmated, are long
enough to support so light a body on the mire and the soft
ooze. The structure of the foot is strictly that of the
perching bird, and so accustomed are these birds to stand-
ing on one foot, with the other drawn up into the feathers,
that the one foot is often much larger than the other. The
beak, cleft as far as the eyes, opens a gullet sufficiently
large to admit a fair-sized fish. The patch of naked skin,
including the eyes, extends to the base of the bill. The
plumage is of a loose, crape-like structure; and there are
long, pointed and pendent feathers about the lower neck
and breast, also, in most cases, on the back. Moreover, this
class of birds has two curious items of structure as yet
wholly unexplained — the pectinated or comb-shaped inside
edge of the middle claw, and the thickened, yellow, hair-
like appendages, or powder-down, on the breast. Some
have affirmed that the latter is phosphorescent, and so affords
a luminous attraction for fishes at night.

These birds frequent shallow streams, flats, swamps and
marshes, generally building platform nests, of sticks and
other coarse materials, for the most part in trees, and gen-
erally breeding in communities; the flat nests being neces-
sary to accommodate the long legs of the parent bird while

i

THE HERONS.

595

sitting, as also those of the young, which remain in the nest
until they are well grown. The three to five eggs, small
for the size of the bird, are oval, and of a clear, light blu-
ish or greenish tinge. The callow young are reared in the
nest with the most lavish feeding. Greedy, gluttonous and
sluggish, but exceedingly shy and wary, most species of this
group are by no means easy of approach. They are, for
the most part, birds of the warmer, or at least of the milder,
climates.

Having treated of the Great Blue Heron, and of the Bit-
terns elsewhere, I may mention the Night Heron {Nyctiardea
grisea var. ncBvia) as a noticeable bird in some parts of my
locality. Visiting St. Clair Flats in May and June, as my
boat glided along the various channels intersecting the par-
tially submerged tracts of tall sedges, which appeared like
immense fields of ripened grain, I would every now and
then put up this fine Heron, as if startled from its feeding
grounds. It would generally start before I came within
gun-shot, and rising high, would fly far away. On fine
sunny mornings there were sometimes dozens together,
high in air over the beautiful forests of Dickinson's Island,
cutting large and stately circles, wheeling round and round,
with scarcely a flap of the wings, after the manner of
Buzzards. I could get no clue to their nesting place, but
they must have been breeding near by. On the ground,
this species has none of the stately movements, or stock-
still standing in awaiting its prey, so peculiar to the Herons
proper. In the language of Audubon, "it walks in a stoop-
ing posture, the neck much retracted, until it sees its prey,
when, with a sudden movement, it stretches it out and
secures its food." It is a hunter after tadpoles, frogs, fishes,
small crustaceans and various water-insects. Like others
of its kind, it delights to traverse pools and marshes in the

^<ii

ir

i

506

THE HERONS.

morning and evening twilight, but it is also very frequently
abroad in full daylight. Its common, hoarse note — ^^gua"
has given it the name "Qua-bird," to the northward.

Observers in the Southern States attest to the abundant
breeding of this species in large communities, their flat nests,
built of sticks, being placed in trees and bushes, anywhere
from near the ground to the tops of tall trees. In New
England, on the Hudson as far north as Saratoga, and in
corresponding latitudes, it breeds, in large communities, in
the same style as in the south; and it is now well known that
it tarries late, and may even winter in the middle districts.

The eggs of this species, about four on an average, some
2.12X1.50, are oval or oblong-ovate, and of a clear, light
bluish-green color. The flattish nest, built of sticks, etc.,
after the usual manner of Herons, is generally very filthy
after the young are out.

Some 24.75 long and 44.60 in extent, the neck and legs
are not so long as those of the Herons proper; the bill is
thick at the base, compressed, tapering and very pointed,
and has the upper outline noticeably curved — this form of
the bill being peculiar to the Night Herons. The color of
the soft, blended plumage is especially chaste and elegant.
The tufty crown and the smoothly-laid back are dark
glossy-green; forehead and anterior of the neck, white;
breast and abdomen, and the lower elongated feathers,
creamy-white; posterior of the neck, a beautiful gray drab,
tinged with lilac; wings and tail, gray drab; bill, black;
legs, and space around the eyes, yellow; the large eyes,
bright red; the several long, slender and elegant plumes
springing from the crown in the breeding season, pure
white. The young are striped and mottled with various
shades of brown and white, and require several years to-
reach the colors of maturity.

THE GREAT WHITE EGRET.

697

Closely related to the above is the Yellow-crowned Night
Heron {Nyctiardea violaced). Some 22 inches long and
about 41 in extent, it is a little smaller than the Common
Night Heron, and, excepting the plumage, its structure
is very similar. The back and head are furnished with long
and elegant lanceolate plumes. The general color is a pale,
ashy-blue, the feathers of the back and wings being dusky,
edged with pale or light-ash; upper part of the neck and
the heaf* blue-black; the white crown, including the long
upper plumes of the crest, is tinged with yellow in the
breeding season; there is a white patch on the cheek; eyes,
yellow; bill, black; feet and legs, black and yellow. The
young are greenish-brown above, with light spots and
streaks, and grayish-white, streaked with brown, below.

This southern species, regularly reaching the Carolinas,
and wintering in Southern Florida, like others of its kind,
breeds in community, often placing its nest in very tall trees.

Grandest of all the Herons, and prince among Waders,
is the Great White Heron {Ardea occidental is) of Florida Keys.
Some 47.50 long and 72.50 in extent, it is noticeably larger
than even the Great Blue Heron. Of the purest white
throughout, the feathers of the crown, neck and breast are
long and loosely lanceolate; bill, iris and legs, yellow; feet,
dusky-green; exceedingly shy and wary, and remote from
the habitations of man; slow and stately in all its move-
ments, it impresses one with an idea of purity, elegance and
dignity. The nest is similar to that of the Great Blue
Heron, the light bluish-green eggs being some 2.42x1.82.

THE GREAT WHITE EGRET.

Among the most conspicuous and beautiful of the birds
of this class are the Egrets, of which we have several rep-
resentatives in our more southern latitudes. Except in the

698

THE GREAT WHITE EGRET.

Structure of certain ornamental plumes, to which the name
Egret, from the French "aigrette," refers, they have no
differentiation in form, but in all respects are Herons. The
Great White Egret {Ardea egretfa), sometimes called White
Heron, is one of our finest birds of this kind. Some 38.26
long and 65.00 in extent, it is a large and stately bird, of
purest white, and during the breeding season has a most
elegant train of long filamentous plumes, flowing from the
back over the wings and tail. The iris, bill and lores are
bright yellow; and the legs are black.

One of the most characteristic traits of this bird, as also
of its class, is the gathering at some remote roosting place
at night. The student of their habits may easily imagine
a like scene to that so finely exhibited in the younger
Brehm's picture of the "Settling of the Storks at Night."
The inimitably bright and gorgeous hues of the sunset
have not only glorified the clouds from horizon to zenith^
but have tinged every cubic inch of atmosphere, and re-
flected themselves in every object of the landscape. In
some secluded thicket or swampy woodland, silently re-
flected in the glassy streams and ponds around, flocks of
these large snowy birds, with slow and steady beat of wings
and in graceful floating trains, appear. The more distant
flocks have their necks drawn up upon their breasts, and
their long legs extended out behind; those nearer are be-
ginning to hold their broad wings rljrldly extended, as they
prepare to lower themselves; those nearer still, with out-
spread wings, and long neck and legs more or less stretched
out, are settling toward the woods anH waters, while others
still are already adjusting themselves on the lower and
higher perches. Every movement is most elegant and
graceful, and indicates the most complete sense of seclusion,
safety and sweet contentment; while the brilliant lights.

THE GREAT WHITE EGRET.

609

which fill the air, are throwing soft but lambent tints of
rose, amber and gold on the snowy forms. They emit no
sound, except the occasional subdued croak of rather un-
musical voices, but the sight is most beautiful and suggestive.

The nightly repose over, the morning finds them astir.
" Their rough notes are uttered more loudly than in the
evening, and after a very short lapse of time they spread
their snowy pinions, and move in different directions, to
search for fiddlers, fish, insects of all sorts, small quadru-
peds or birds, snails and reptiles, all of which form the food
of this species." Each flock having reached its mud-flat
or sand-bar, the day is spent between food and repose.
If it be the approach of the breeding season, their " tour-
nament or dress-ball " occurs. The males, with swollen
throats and gurgling notes, strut about the females, raising
their snowy plumes in the most elegant and graceful man-
ner. Jealous conflicts may occur, the scene of wooing last-
ing from the middle of the forenoon till the middle of the
afternoon, or from after the morning meal till that of the
evening. Except in the breeding season, these birds are very
shy and unapproachable; then, breeding in community, as is
the manner of their order, about the islands and the coast,
indeed, but more commonly about the lakes a few miles in
the interior, the broad, flat nest, placed on a bush or tree
over the water, is loosely made of sticks, and repaired from
year to year contains 2-4 elliptical to oval-formed, pale
bluish-green eggs, some 2,28x1-50. Wintering from the
Carolinas southward, but never wandering far from the sea-
coast, this species migrates regularly as far north as New
Jersey, and has been found as a straggler eyen in New
Brunswick.

How can we conceive of anything more chaste and ele-
gant than the Little White Egret, or Snowy Heron {Ardea

600

THE REDDISH EGRET,

candidissima)y which has a rather more southerly habitat than
the former, and is some 23.'76 long and 38.00 in extent. The
loose filamentous plumes of the head, back and breast are
gracefully recurved; its entire plumage of dazzling white-
ness is set off by the orange-yellow of the iris, lores and legs,
and its bill tipped with black. In form, it seems almost
ethereal; in color, pure as the glittering snow; in carriage
and flight, graceful as the floating down or the fleecy cloud.
Breeding in quite large communities, placing its rather
small and slightly hollowed nest, which is loosely built of
sticks, on trees and bushes which stand in and near the
water, this species lays 2-4 eggs, 1.82X1.22, elliptical or
oval, and of a pale greenish-blue.

Next in the commonly received order of classification is
the Louisiana Heron or Egret {Ardea ludoviciana). Some
25.60 long and 35.39 in extent, the form is particularly slen-
der and graceful, and the plumes on the back and breast
are long and filamentous; it is ashy-blue above, the neck
tinged with deep chestnut; the plumes on the back of the
head, and the line down the neck, are reddish and white;
the throat is creamy, and the under parts are white. The
nidification is after the manner of its tribe, the eggs being
about 1.78X1.35

TF£ REDDISH EGRET.

A most interesting bird of this class is the Reddish Egret
{Ardea rufa)^ the young of which, according to the prepon-
derance of authority, is white, and requires several years to
reach its mature color, while some individuals remain white
always. Some 80 inches in length, and 40 or more in
extent, the mature bird is grayish-blue, lighter beneath;
the head and neck being reddish-brown, tinged with lilac or
violet; iris, white; base of bill and naked space, light purple;

■

THE GREEN HERON.

601

the tip of bill, black; legs blue, with black scales. In the
immature birds, the bill is similar to the above, and the legs
are greenish. The quite young lack the plumes, which in
the mature bird are most elegant. Even in the more ad-
vanced stages of the white plumage, the ornamental plumes
are so fine that some pronounce the white bird the most
elegant of all the Herons. The young was first called
Peal's Egret, and is still so called by some who believe it
to be a distinct species. The nests, built in community,
after the manner of the Herons, are made of sticks, and
placed on trees or bushes, and contain 2-4 bluish-green eggs,
elliptical, 1.45X1.95. Wintering in Florida, this species
ranges in summer from the Carolinas to Key West.

Very common on the interior lakes and rivers of Florida,
and in many parts of the Southern States, is the Little Blue
Heron {Ardea carulea). Rather small, some 22 inches long
and 38 in extent, of a dark slaty-blue, with head and neck
tinged with violet, it is especially quick and agile in move-
ment, swift in flight, and very shy except on its breeding
grounds.

The 2-4 eggs are elliptical, or oval, and dark bluish-
green. The young are white, with tips of primaries and
crown tinged with blue. Pressing through every stage of
blue mottling, it takes several years to rach the complete
blue livery; and from white to blue, thro, gh all intermedi-
ate stages, they may be seen breeding together, a white one
sometimes being mated with a mature one, as is also the
case witli the Reddish Egret.

THE GilEEN HERON.

In the first fascinating charms of my ornithological
studies I stumbled on the Green Heron {Ardea vireacens).
Throughout the Union, along inland streams and about
ponds and marshes, it is the most common and familiar of

602

THE GREEN HERON.

\\

its kind. Outraged by a most vulgar and distasteful narni,
it is nevertheless an elegant bird. About 1.60 long and
24.00 in extent, the crested crown and upper pp.its, a glossy
dark green, sometimes iridescent with bronze; the lanceo-
late feathers of ths back, glaucous; wing feathers, edged
with reddish or white; neck, chestnut-red; throat and stripe
down the front of the neck, white, spotted and streaked with
dusky; beneath, ashy-gray, streaked with white and tinged
with reddish; iris and feet, yellow; naked space in front of
the eye and bill, brown and yellow. The young are similar,
lacking the plumes, the upper parts being more tinged with
reddish, and the neck streaked.

Wandering through an orchard near a stream, early in
June, I was startled by a spatting, rushing sound, in the top
of an apple-tree near by. FaiUng to see the cause of the
noise, I climbed into the tree, and discovered what was
then to me a very strange-looking nest. Flat, and loosely
built of small, clean twigs, it contained five pale-green eggs,
some 1.15X1,55, and about fresh. Sitting down under a
tree near by, I soon saw the bird return to the nest; and
shooting it, found it to be the Green Heron. Never shall I
forget how odd it looked, flying about the trees with out-
stretched neck, its long legs dangling out behind. Often
since I have seen it gracefully stepping about shallow pools,
and among the grass along the banks of streams and
ponds, searching for small fishes, snails, tadpoles and
leeches. Again I have s^en it light on the tops of bushes
in the swamps with all the ease and firmness of a regular
perching bird; and have heard its low-toned quak^ quak.

The summer habitat of this bird extends but little be-
yond the United States; and in the south, where it winters,
it often breeds in community. Many spend the winter
south of the Union, and return in large flocks in early
spring, migrating, for the most part, by night.

CHAPTER XXIV.

GLEANINGS.

HAVING studied our birds in the order of the seasons,
and grouped them about certain localities, there remain
some which do not come readily into any of the previous
chapters. They are but few, and most of them are mere
outlying species of the field which I have chosen; and as I
wish to make this book a complete manual, within the reach
of every one, its necessary limits will restrict the account of
those which follow to great brevity.

Taking them in the order of their classification, we come
first to the famous Mockingbird {Mimus pollygloitus) of the
Southern States. Some 9.60 long, gray above, white below,
with breast and sides tinged with gray; wings and tail, dark-
brown, the former with bars and base of primaries, also the
tips and edgings of the wing feathers generally, white; the
latter with an outer feather on each side, and a mark on the
"»wo following, white. The male has more \*rhite in the
primaries than the female. The marvelous capacity of this
species for imitation is truly a wonder in bird-life. Giving
the notes and songs of the Sparrow, the Goldfinch, the Blue
Jay and the Robin, in the same breath, it imitates almost
any sound within hearing, even voicing fairly the notes of
a piano. Indeed, it will so render the songs of other birds
as positively \.^ excel them in musical power and sweetness,
so that the performance of the birds themselves will sound

604

GLEANINGS.

tame and spiritless in comparison. Moreover, the Mocking-
bird's own song, thrown in here and there in the medley of
other songs, or sometimes given singly, would itself be
enough to distinguish the singer. Its nest is in a bush or
tree, and contains some 6 eggs, pale greenish-blue, spotted
and blotched with different shades of brown and lilac. Size,
.97X.73. It is resident in the Southern States in great
abundance, as f . north as Virginia, and occasionally strag-
gles into New Ei^'^'ijv,,

Bewick's Wren \J .^lodytes bewicki)^ some 5.50 long, is
also a southern species, reaching as far north as Pennsyl-
vania. Having the general color and appearance of the
Common Wren, it is distinguishable by the ashy under parts
and the white markings in the tail, its manner of nesting
being similar to that of the former.

The Prothonotary Warbler {Protonotaria citrad) is a
southern species, most common in the regions about the
lower Mississippi, as Southern Illinois, and strays to New
England. About 5.50 long, the color is bright, golden-yel-
low, paler underneath, olivaceous on the back; rump, wings
and tail, bluish-ash. The nest is in holes in trees, and in
analogous situations; the 4-6 eggs, .68X.57, are white,
spotted with reddish and lilac.

The Worm-eating Warbler (Helmitherus vermivorus) is
found in the southern and middle parts of Eastern North
America, straying occasionally to New England. Though
not rare in Central New York, it does not appear to be
abundant anywhere. About 5.50 long, the general color
buffy, with back olive^ and belly whitish, it may be recog-
nized by four black stripes on the head — two from the bill
along the sides of the crown to the nape, one on each side
of the head through the eye. Nest, on the ground. Eggs,
some .73X.56, white, marked with reddish-brown.

-i

GLEANINGS.

605

Swainson's Warbler {ffelmitherus swainsoni) belongs to
the South Atlantic States, and is very rare. Some 6.00 long,
bill, long, stout and pointed, tail, short and slightly rounded,
it is brown above and buffy below, with a whitish eye-brow.
It has no distinct markings on the head.

Bachman's Warbler {Helminth 'phaga bachmani), 4.50 long,
yellowish-green above, ashy on crown; forehead and under
parts, bright yellow; mark across the crown, throat and
upper breast, black; two outer tail feathers marked with
white. The one obtained near Charleston, South Carolina,
and reported by Audubon, was the only one known, until
the case of n^dification, discovered by the late Dr. Wilson,
of Georgia, some time between 1853 and 1865, and recently
reported by H. B. Baily. (See the Nuttall Bulletin, Jan.,
1883.)

The Yellow-throated Warbler {Dendrceca dominicd), some
6.25 long and 8.25 in extent, is slaty-blue above; the
crown and sides of the head, black, the latter marked with
white; the throat and upper part of the breast, bright yel-
low. The bill is long and slightly curved, and the species
has much the habits of the Creepers. It is a southern
species, wintering in Florida and beyond, and migrating
into Virginia.

The Yellow Red-poll Warbler {Dendroeca pabnaruni),
about 6.56 long and 7.77 in extent, is yellowish-olive
above, brownish on the wings and tail; the latter marked
with white; crown, chestnut; the breast and sides marked
with dark red. The female is a little less strongly colored
and marked. Wintering in the Southern States and in the
West Indies, it reaches New England already in April,
breeding from Northern New England and Nova Scotia to
Hudson's Bay. The nest is on the ground; the eggs, .67 X
.64, being dull white, marked with pale brown.

606

GLEANINGS.

The Pine Warbler {Dendraca pinus), some 6.60X8.85, is
olive-green above and yellow below; the wings and tail
dusky, the former barred, and the latter marked with white.
This is another early migrant, having about the same habi-
tat as the former. The nest is well up in a tree, the bluish-
white eggs, marked with brown, measuring about .70X.49.

The Connecticut Warbler {Oporornis agilis) is yellowish-
green above and yellow beneath; crown, sides of the head,
throat and upper breast, ashy. It is a rare species, breed-
ing from Maine northward, and wintering beyond our
limits.

The Kentucky Warbler {Oporornis formosus) is 5.86 long
and 8.84 in exte it; ^ eliowish-green above, and bright yel-
low beneath; crown and markings on the sides of the head
and neck, black. This is a rather southern species, most
common about the Mississippi, and breeding regularly as
far north as Southern Illinois and Indiana. The nest is near
the ground, the white eggs, marked with light-brown, meas-
uring .71X.62.

Bachman's Finch {Peuccca cestivalis) — some 6.Y6 long, re-
sembling the Yellow-winged Sparrow above, but with the
plain brownish-gray shades beneath, darker on the breast
and sides, and with light-grayish spots on the outer feathers
of the tail — is a species of the Southern States.

The beautiful Lark Finch (Chondestes grammaca) — about
6.76 long, something like the Fox Sparrow above and slightly
shaded with grayish-brown beneath, the head finely marked
with chestnut, black and white — is a western species, now
found as far east as Michigan.

The Painted Finch, or Nonpareil {Cyanospiza art's), of the
South Atlantic or Gulf States, is only 6.60 long; has the
head and neck rich blue ; rump, eye-lids and under parts>
bright red; back and wing-coverts, yellowish-green; wings

GLEANINGS.

607

and tail, purplish. The female is gr .-en above, and yellow-
ish beneath. This brilliant anomaly among Sparrows is very
shy, and is a sweet singer.

The Carolina Parroquet {Conurus carolinensis)^ 13 inches
long, with green body, yellow head and red face, once abund-
ant in the Southern States, is now becoming local and rare.

The Barn Owl {Strix flammea var. americand)^ recently
taken on Navy Island, in Niagara River, is about 17 inches
long, the face particularly round and expressive; the legs
long, slender and hairy ; general color, tawny, mottled or
marbled with dark brown, ash and white. It is a southerly
species.

That elegant little Hawk f wl {Surnia ulula var. hud'
som'a)y 16 inches long, brown above, specked with white,
finely cross-barred with brown and whitish below, and
wings and tail with numerous white bars — is a northern
species, occasionally found in Western New York in winter.
With small head and rather diurnal in its habits, it bears
quite a relation to the Hawks. (See portrait on frontispiece.)

The Everglade Kite {Rosthramus sociabilis), of Florida,
bears quite a resemblance to the Marsh Hawk. Its gen-
eral color, however, is much darker — the male blackish —
and a little smaller; its long, hooked bill is " extremely slen-
der /' the tail is emarginate; and the bare part of the tarsus
is shorter than the middle toe. By these points it may be
readily differentiated. The nest, of sticks, weeds, etc., and
lined with grasses, is placed in bushes, and contains 2 en^gs,
1.50 X 1.65, bluish-white, heavily marked with varying shades
of brown.

The Mississippi Kite {Jctinia mississippiensis), found in the
South Atlantic and Gulf States, is some 13.70 long and
85.00 in extent; color, dark bluish-ash, lighter on the head,
neck and under parts, and becoming greenish-black on the

008

GLEANINGS.

wings and tail; quills of the primaries and adjoining parts
of the webs, rich chestnut; the sexes alike. The nest is in
trees; the 2 or 3 eggs, some 1.61 x 1-31, are roundish, green-
ish-white and " thickly spotted and blotched with deep
chocolate-brown and black." (Maynard.)

The White-tailed or Black-shouldered Kite {Elanus leucu-
rus), of the " South Atlantic and Gulf States, California
and southward, chiefly coastwise," is white, with a gull-like
curtain of ashy-gray over the back and wings, excepting the
wing-coverts, which are black. Length, 16.50; extent, 39.60.
The nest, in low trees, contains 4-6 eggs, roundish, white,
heavily marked with several shades of brown. Not com-
mon in its easterly range.

The elegant Swallow-tailed Kite {Nauclerus furcatus) is
an abundant summer resident in the Southern, and rarely
reaches the Middle States. Some 22.00 long and 46.00 in
extent, its graceful forked tail is more than a foot in length.
The head, neck and under parts are white, with shafts of
the feathers of the head, neck and breast, black; the upper
parts, including the tail, black, glossed with green. Whether
skimming the surface, gliding over the bushes and tree-tops,
or circling high in air, the flight of this species is strikingly
beautiful. Stooping to capture a snake, he will carry it
high in air, and devour it at his leisure while on the wing.
The nest, in high tree-tops, and neatly made of sticks, weeds
and tillandsia, is lined with grasses, and contains 4-6 eggs,
1.85X1.49, oval, greertish-white, heavily marked with brown
of several shades.

The Jerfalcon {Falco sacer), 21-23 inches long, white, with
dark markings like the Snowy Owl, or dusky, cross-barred
with whitish, is an extremely arctic species of circumpolar
distribution, rarely reaching New England in winter.

The famous Wild Turkey {Meieagris gallopavo), very well

GLEANINGS.

609

represented by the largest, darkest and most brilliant speci-
mens of our domesticated Turkey, was formerly of general
distribution in Eastern North America, but is rapidly disap-
pearing from the more cleared and cultivated parts. Our
more common and lighter domesticated specimens are the
descendants of the Mexican variety.

The Willow Ptarmigan {La^opus albus), some 16 inches
long, white, with a black tail, in winter, and dark in summer,
is a bird of British America, occasionally reaching the
northernmost parts of the United States. The Rock Ptar-
migan (Z. rupestris)y similarly colored in winter and in
summer, except the black line through the eye, is a little
smaller, and much more boreal in habitat.

Wilson's Plover i^^gialitis wihonia) — some 7.50 long, ashy-
brown above; bind on the crown and belt around the breast,
black (grayish-brown in the female and young); under
parts, and forehead, and eye-brows, white — is a southern
species, reaching New Jersey in the north.

The Oyster Catcher {Hcematopus palliatus) has about the
same habitat as the former. About 17.50 long, with a long
wedge-shaped bill; the head and neck are blackish; the back
grayish-brown; under parts from the breast, rump, most of
the secondaries, tips of large wing-coverts and base of tail,
white ; bill and eye-lids, red or orange ; legfs, flesh-color.
The nest is a hollow in the sand, with a little grass; the 2-4
eggs, 2.20X1.52, oval in form, are creamy or white, heavily
marked with brown.

The Avocet {Recurvirostra americana), 16.62 long, long-
legged body, white, with dark red head and neck, and back
and wings mostly black, is known by its long, slender,
pointed, decidedly upturned bill, its hind toe and small
webbed feet. This curiously formed species is numerous
west of the Mississippi in summer, breeding abundantly in
89

610

GLEANINGS.

the northwest; but it is rare to the eastward. The 3 or 4
eggs, in a slight depression in the ground, some 2.00X1.32,
and pointed, are olivaceous-drab, thickly but not very
coarsely marked with dark brown.

The Stilt {Himantopus nigricollis), some 14.60 long, glossy
black, forehead, sides of the head and neck, rump and
und«r parts, white, is more or less common to the United
St. tes in summer, but is not often found north of the Caro-
linas on the eastern coast. The nidification is similar to
that of the former; and the 3 or 4 eggs, some 1.66 X 1.20, are
very nearly the same in coloration.

The Phalaropes, three in number, and of small size, are
a sort of membranous or lobe-footed Sandpiper. Wilson's
Phalarope {Phalaropus wilsoni)^ some 9 inches long, light-
gray above, wings brown, the dark stripe through the eye
becoming purplish-chestnut on the sides of the neck, upper

TUB HEAD OF WILSON's AND THE FOOT OF THE NORTHERN PHALAROPE..

tail-coverts and under parts, white, is distributed in summer
from Kansas to the Saskatchawan, but is simply a rare mi-
grant in the east. It has been taken in Western New York
in the fall. It has the membrane on the toe straight-edged.
The northern Phalarope {P. hyperboreas) is about 7.50 long;

GLEANINGS.

611

grayish-brown above, mixed with chestnut on the back ; ring
around the neck and stripes down the sides of it, chestnut;
tips of the wing-coverts and under parts, white, the sides
tinged with grayish or reddish; feet, lobed. It breeds in
Northern North America, migrating into the United States
in winter. The Red Phalarope (/*. fulicarius), 7.76 long,
has the under parts purplish-chestnut of varying shades,
white in young; the upper parts variegated with black and
light red. Its feet are lobed, and the bill stout and flat.
It winters in the south, spending the summer in the arctics.

The Stilt Sandpiper {Micropalama himantopus) is 8.60 long;
legs long, and the bill sometimes bent upward ; blackish,
marked with tawny and white, above; ear-patches, chestnut;
line from the bill to the eye, dusky; eye-brows, reddish;
upper tail-coverts, white, barred with dusky; under parts,
reddish, marked with black and whitish. It winters in the
West Indies, and passes through the United States, gener-
ally, to its breeding grounds in the far north.

Baird's Sandpiper {Tringa bairdi)^ about the color of the
Least Sandpiper, but an inch or two longer, is rare in
Eastern North America.

The White-rumped, or Bonaparte's Sandpiper [^Tringa
bonapartei\ about the size of the former, and about the color
of the Pectoral Sandpiper, except the black bill and feet
and the white rump, belongs to Eastern North America, and
is common on the Atlantic in the migrations.

The Red-backed Sandpiper (TV/z/^^ia^/w^ van americand)^
8.50 long, with bil.' slightly bent down near the tip, is known
by its red back, mottled with white and black, and its black
patch on the belly, in summer; in winter, and in the young,
the upper parts are ashy-gray, the under parts white. It is
a common migrant on the coast and in the interior of East-
ern North America.

•12

GLEANINGS,

The Red-breasted Sandpiper, Gray-back or Robin Snipe
{Tringa conutus\ some 10.60 long, has the usual markings
of the Sandpipers at)ove, but is known by its brownish-red
breast, fading into white on the flanks. It is an abundant
migrant on the Atlantic Coast.

The Buff-breasted Sandpiper {Tryngites rufescens)^ about
7.60 long, with a very short bill, is known by the delicate
pale reddish of the sides of the head, neck and under parts,
and by the fine cross-penciling of dusky or white on the
under side of the wing. It is generally distributed, but
not common in Eastern North America.

The Long-billed Curlew or Sickle-bill {Numenius longiros-
tris)y the total length of which is about 2 feet, and colored
somewhat like the Marbled Godwit, may always be known
by its long, downward-curved bill, 6 or 8 inches in length.
It is common to Eastern North America, and breeds in the
northwest.

The Hudsonian Curlew (-A^. hudsonicus)^ some 17 inches
Jong, color similar but paler than the former, ranks next in
size in this genus. It is chiefly a migrant in the United
States.

The Esquimaux Curlew {N. borealis\ several inches smaller
than the former, similar in color, has the peculiar bill, short
(less than 3 inches) for the genus. As indicated by its
name, it is but a migrant.

The Ibises, somewhat resembling the Herons in form, are
birds of the south. The Wood Ibis {Tantalus loculator) is
about 4 feet long, the bill curved downward; the naked
head is wrinkled and bluish, legs blue, bill pale-greenish^
plumage white, except the tail and fore part of the wing,
which are black. The elegant Glossy Ibis {Ibis falfinellus) is
two feet long, " plumage rich, dark chestnut, changing to
glossy, dark green, with purplish reflections on the head^

GLEANINGS.

613

wings and elsewhere." The White Ibis {Ibis alba), about
the size of the last, is pure white, the primaries tipped with
glossy black. The Scarlet Ibis {Ibis rubra) ^ rich scarlet, the
outer primaries tipped with black, is merely accidental in the
Southern States.

Closely related to the above group, and of the same size
and habitat, is the Roseate Spoonbill {Platalea ajajd). "In
full plumage, rosy- red, whitening on neck; lesser wing-
coverts, tail-coverts and lower throat, crimson; tail, brown-
ish-yellow; leg, pale carmine; bare head, yellowish-green,
with a dark stripe; bill mostly grayish-blue." (Coues.)

The White or Whooping Crane {Grus americanus)^ about
CO inches long, resembling the Herons in form, with part of
the head nearly bare and bill very stout, plumage white,
except the fore part of the wings, which is black — is common
in the extreme south in winter, and breeds in the northwest.
The Brown or Sandhill Crane {Grus canadensis) y a little
smaller than the former, but of similar form and habitat, is
gray, with fore part of the wings black.

The Courlan or Crying-bird {Aramus scolopalceus), some
26 inches long, brown, marked with white, and resembling
the Rails, is found in Florida.

The Flamingo {Phoenicopterus ruber), four feet long, with
very long neck and legs, and a somewhat hook-shaped bill,
scarlet, with fore part of the wings black, is scarcely more
than a straggler into Florida.

The White-fronted Goose {Anser albifrons), about 27
inches long; back dark gray, the feathers edged with lighter
or with brownish; under parts light-gray, blotched with
black; bill pale lake; forehead, pure white — is for the most
part a western species, but sparingly found to the eastward.

The Snow Goose {A. hyperboreas\ some 30 inches long, a
dull white, generally, washed with reddish about the head.

614

GLEANINGS,

the young lead-color above, is extremely boreal, breeding
about the straits of Hudson's Bay, and is more common in
the west than in the east in its southern migrations.

The Blue Goose {A. caruiescens), nearly the size of the
former, and about the same form, plumage ashy-blue,
varied with brown, head, tail-coverts and under parts,
white — should be regarded as a distinct species, and not
merely the young of the former. This has been placed be-
yond a doubt by the late researches of Mr, Wm. Dutcher;
and Mr. Fortiscue, of Hudson's Bay, says that the two
species occupy distinct breeding habitats in the north.

The Brant Goose {Bratita bernida) is some 2 feet long,
head and neck black to the breast, a patch of white streaks
on the middle of the neck, upper tail-coverts, white, brown-
ish-gray above, and lighter underneath, becoming white
toward the under tail-coverts. It is an arctic species, visit-
ing the Atlantic to the Southern States in winter. There is
a darker variety called the Black Brant, rare on the Atlantic,
but abundant on the Pacific.

The Booby Gannet {Sula fiber\ a little smaller than the
Common Gannet, brown, white from the neck down, bill
and feet yellov/, belongs to the South Atlantic and Gulf
States.

The Wliite Pelican (Pekcanus trachyrhynchus\ about 6 feet
long and 8 or 9 feet in expanse, is white; back of the head
and breast, yellow ; fore part of the wings, black; bill, sack
and feet, yellow. Wintering in the Southern States, and
breeding in the northwest, it is but accidental on the North
and Middle Atlantic. The Brown Pelican (P./uscus) is
strictly maritime, found on the South Atlantic and Gulf
Coasts, and in California. The most marked feature of
these peculiar birds is the large sack under the chin, easily
holding several quarts, and used as a sort of dip-net for

GLEANINGS.

616

catching prey. The nest of the Pelicans is generally ar-
ranged on the ground near the water, and they lay large,
white eggs.

The Darter or Snake-bird (Plotus anhinga), about 3 feet
long, is " glossy greenish-black ; a broad, gray wing-band
formed by mr>st of the coverts; lower neck behind and
scapulars speckled with grayish- white; tertiaries striped
with silvery-ash; tail; pale- tipped; filamentous feathers of
neck, purplish-ash; the female, with parts of the head, neck
and back, brown, the throat and breast, fawn-color, sharply
margined with rich brown." (Coues.) It is an odd-shaped
bird, and belongs to the Southern States.

Frigate or Man-of-War Bird {Tachypetes aquilus)^ some
42 inches long and 8 feet in extent, is a curious shaped bird,
with long, slender, hooked bill, and pouch under the chin;
immense spread of wings and long forked tail; very short
legs and small webbed feet. The male is brownish-black,
with more or less iridescence, and lighter underneath; the
female, white on the neck and breast. This grand bird, of
marvelous powers of flight, gregarious, especially in the
breeding season, when it nests in bushes by the water, lay-
ing 2 or 3 greenish-white eggo, is found in the South Atlan-
tic and Gulf States, and in the tropics.

The Yellow-billed Tropic Bird (Phceton flavtro^tris)^ about
the size of a small Gull, satiny-white, rose-tinted in matur-
ity; basal h- If of many of the shafts and fine markings in
many of the feathers, black; bill, orange or yellow; the
small webbed feet, black. A young male of this species,
rare even on the Gulf Coast, was brought to me alive in
Orleans Co., in September, 1876. It was picked up in a
state of exhaustion in a clover field, after a heavy storm
from the southwest.

The Skua Gulls or Jaegers, genus StercorariuSy are large,

616

GLEANINGS.

rapacious Gulls of the northern seas; hunters^ as the name
Jaeger implies, with hawk-like bills ; long, pointed wing^s;
dark bodies, lighter underneath; the two central feathers
finally projecting 4-8 inches beyond the otherwise square
tail. They breed after the manner of the Gulls, in high
northern regions, wandering south in waiter to the New
England or Middle States. Those are the Kua ' ikud)^
the Pomarine Jaeger {S. pomatorhinus)^ Richardson' &. Jaeger
{S. parasitictis)y or the Long-tailed Jaeger {S. buffom). They
vary in length, from 2 feet downward to several inches less.
With great powers of flight, they chase other sea-birds till
they either drop or disgorge their prey, and thus procure a
rather disreputable livelihood.

The Ivory Gull {Lartts eburneus\ about 18 inches long and
pure white in maturity, is an extremely arctic species, rarely
reaching the United States in winter.

The Fork-tailed Gull (Xema sabinei)^ some 13.50 long, has
the common coloring of the Gulls, except that the head is
slate-colored, and there is a black color around the neck,
and a black edge from the shoulder to the tip of the wing.
It is a very northerly species, rarely reaching New York in
winter.

The Gull-billed Tern {Sterna anglica\ about 13.60 long,
the mantle extending over the rump and tail, may be known
by its short, thick, black bill. It is found from New Jersey
southward on the Atlantic.

The Caspian Tern {Sterna caspia), the common color of
the Terns, the tail less forked, known by its great size —
some 20 inches in length — is an arctic species, but has re-
cently been found breeding off the coast of Virginia. It
winters from Massachusetts southward.

The Royal Tern {Sterna rigt'a), some 19 inches long, the
rich, silvery mantle extending over the tail, is an abundant

GLEANINGS.

617

southern species, sometimes reaching New Jersey. The 3
or 3 eggs, 2.72x1.72, are white or buffy, spotted and
blotched with dark brown and a lighter shade.

The Sandwich Tern {Sterna cantiaca), some 15.50 long,
known by its pale, silvery mantle, and its black bill tipped
with yellow, is also a southern species.

The Least Tern (Sterna superciliaris), only 8 or 9 inches
long, with white forehead, and light pearly mantle extend-
ing over the tail, reaches Massachusetts, breeding generally
southward on the Atlantic.

The Sooty Tern {Sterna fuliginosa), some 16 inches
long, is brownish-black; under parts, outer web of out-
side tail-feathers and forehead, white. It is abundant in
Florida.

The Noddy Tern {Anous stolidus\ about 16 inches long,
dark colored, darker on the wings and tail, lighter on the
head and neck, and always noticeable by means of its white
crown, is also an abundant southern species.

Our Wild Pigeon {Ectopistes migratorius\ some 16 inches
long, is dull blue above, with olivaceous on the back; dull
red below, whitening toward the under tail-coverts; neck
with a fine golden and ruby iridescence; black spots in the
wing-coverts; tail bluish-black in the middle and white or
ashy outside; the female more olivaceous above, and dull
grayish beneath. Once astonishingly abundant, fairly
darkening the air in its migrations, it is now much thinned
out in Eastern North America.

The Pinnated Grouse, or Prairie Hen {Cupidonia cupidd)^ is
19 inches long and 27 in extent; upper parts transversely
marked with black and reddish-brown; under parts with
broad, distinct bars of dark brown and white; two little
wings on the sides of the neck, under which are two round,
inflated sacks. Female lighter, and without the neck-wings

618

GLEANINGS.

and inflated sacks. It is a bird of our western prairies^
especially about the upper Mississippi. A few are still found
on Martha's Vineyard and in Northwestern Ohio.

The Semipalmated, or Ring Plover (/Egialitis wilsonim\
some 7 inches long, is ashy-brown above, with dark oliv-
aceous shade; white beneath; broad bar on the forehead
and another on the breast, black, — the latter grayish brown
in the young; eye-lids bright orange; the short, yellow bill
tipped with black; the yellowish feet noticeably semipal-
mate. It is an abundant migrant on Niagara River, as also
on the New England Coast.

The last three species were overlooked in their proper
connection.

ERRATA.

The Curlew Sandpiper ( Tringa subarquata), some 8.60 long and 15.60
in extent, dark brown above, becoming grayish on the rump and wings»
the feathers generally edged with yellowish-red; the white tail-coverts
above crossed with brown bars; secondaries, with, white tips; underparts,
yellowish-red, — is a European species, not infrequently found on the
Atlantic coast, but not known to breed on this continent. (This species
was overlooked in the work.)

Page 08, line 18, the comma should be inserted after tLe word above
instead of after the word feathers.

Page 105, line 2 from bottom, and all other similar instances, the single
figures mean inches, as indicated generally in the work by the decimal
points, or by the word inches.

Page 120, line 9, for clearing read cleaving.

Page 120, line 4 from bottom, for light read twilight.

Page 136, line 8, for crown read brown.

Page 148, line 12, the word the should be inserted before the word clij^.

Page 8t0, line 18, for isles read aisles.

Page 438, line 6 from bottom, for nesting read resting.

Page 574, line 18, for trampled read trah.ple.

"I consider it a Magazine which tvery trae ornithologist, be he 'full-
blooded,' or only an amateur, should have at hand; and I will endeavor
to extend its circulation among those of my acquaintances interested in
the science."

CHAS B. WILSON, Colby University, WaterviUe, Maine.

THE ORNITHOLOGIST AND OOLOCIIST.

VOL. IX, NO. z, JAN., X884.
Commenced a New Series, Enlarged to Twelve Pages of

ORIGINAL MATTER.

NOTICES FROM THE PRESS.

The Ornithologist and Oolooist is the title of a magazine published
by Frank B. Webster, at Pawtucket, R. I., whieh will be of interest to
those interested in ornithology. — Brooklyn Eagle.

The cover is very characteristic as well as artistic, the typographical
execution good, and the matter of decided value to all students of natural
history, especially bird lovers. — Worcester Daily Spy.

All interested in birds and birds' eggs, will enjoy this magazine.— T'^^
Journal, Jacksonville, 111.

A specimen number was issued about December 20, 1883, and contains
the usual number of good articles and notes. There is, doubtless, room
and need for a distinctively amateur journal like this, and we cordially
wish it success. — The Auk, January, 1884.

ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION, Gommencing with Jan. No., $1 PER ANNUM.

SPECIMEN COPIES, TEN CENTS.

FRANK B. WEBSTER. Publisher, PawtuM R. I.

M

Subscriptions at the rate of Five Shillings per annum, will be received by
Alfred Cliff, 35 Osborne Road, Forest Gate, London, England.

INDEX.

PAGB.

Accentor, Golden-crowned SIS

" New York 228

Auk, Great 616

•• Razor-billed 516

Avocet 609

Bittern 804

" Least 8»7

Blackbird, Cow 160

" Crow 112

" Red-winged 108

Black Martin 861

Black Skimmer 558

Bluebill 186

Bluebird 101

Bobolink 888

Brown Creeper . ; 87

Buntinsr, Snow 28

" Black-throated 584

" Towhee 676

Buxzard, Turkey 690

" Black 698

Catbird 886

Cedar Bird 115

Chat, Yellow-breasted 682

Chewink 576

Chickadee 17

Chimney Swift 888

Chuck-wiUVwidow 887

Coot 405

Cormorant, Common * 517

" Double-crested 520

•• Florida .....680

Courlan 618

Crane, Whooping 618

«' Sandhill 618

Creeper, Brown 87

Crossbill. Common 560

White-winged 569

Crow 60

. " Fish 548

Cuckoo, Black-billed 384

Yellow-billed 882

Curlew, Esquimaux (il2

PAGB.

Curlew, Hudsonian 612

Long-billed 612

Dabchick 178

Darter 616

Diver, Black-throated 806

" Red-throated 800

Dove, Mourning 166

" White-headed 169

" Zenaida 169

" Ground 169

" Key West. ....169

Dovekie 617

Duck, Barrow's Golden-eye 468

" Buffle-beaded 188

" Canvas-back 469

» Dusky 187

" Eider 481

" Gadwallor Gray 478

" Golden-eye 462

" Harlequin 486

" King 486

" Labrador 486

" Long-tailed 484

" Old-Wife 464

" Pintail 180

" Red-headed 467

" Ring-necked 198

" Ru<Wy 471

" Scaup 186

" Shoveller 474

'* Summer 144

" Surf 478

" Velvet 480

" Wood ...144

Eagle, White-headed 463

'^ Golden 687

Egret, Great White 697

^' Little White.... 699

" Louisiana 600

" Reddish 600

Finch, Grass 156

" Lark 606

422

INDEX.

PAGB.

Finch, Purple 186

" Bachman't 606

" Painted 606

Fbuninso 618

Flycatcher, Great-created 876

" Leaat 846

" Olive-sMed 889

" Small Green-crested 840

•• Train's 847

Yellow-bellied 846

Frigate 616

Gallinule, Common 408

" Purple 404

Gannet 521

" Booby 614

Gnat-catcher, Blue-snty 681

Godwit, Great Marbled 564

" Hudsonian 664

Goldfinch 44

Goosander. 406

Goose, Blue 614

" Brant. 614

" Canada 119

" Snow 618

• " White-fronted 618

Goshawk 607

Grakle, Rusty )81

" Purple 118

" Bronzed 116

" Boat-Uiled 116

'Grebe, Cr«»ted 179

" Homed. 177

•« Red-necked 179

'Grosbeak, Blue .867

" Evening 867

" Cardinal 678

" Rose-breasted 864

*• Pine 80

'Grouse, Canada 490

" Pinnated 617

" Huffed 48

-Guillemot, Black 513

" Common 514

" Thick-billed 515

Gull, Black-backed 548

** Bonaparte 476

•* Fork-tailed 616

«' Glaucous 543

" Herring ...;4S8

" Ivory 616

" Kittiwake 544

" Laughing. 536

" Ring-billed 427

" Skua 615

" White-winged 644

■Gyrfalcon 608

Haglet or Hagdon 641

Hawk, Broad-winged 99

" Cooper's 848

" Duck 147

» Harlan's 97

" Marsh 489

" Night, 883

" Pigeon.. 448

" Rcd-shouldered '^

" Red-tailed 91

fAOB.

Hawk, Rough-legsed.: 196

" Sharp-shinned 868

" Sparrow. 804

" Swainson's 08

Heron, Florida 468

" GreatBlue 480

" GieatWhite 697

" Green 601

" LittleBlue 601

•• Night 685

" Yellow-crowned Night 607

Hummingbird 808

Ibis, Glossy 618

" Scarlet 618

" White 613

" Wood 618

Indigo Bird . . 874

Jaeger, Arctic .610

" Parasitic. 616

" Pomarine 616

Jay, Blue 78

*' Canada 498

" Florida 77

Jerfalcon 608

Killdeer 568

Kingbird 815

^' Gray 317

Kingfisher 487

Kinglet, Golden-crowned 600

" Ruby-crowned 608

Kite, Black-shouldered .008

'• Everglade ;..007

" Mississippi 607

" Swallow-tailed 606

Lark, Meadow 84

" Homed 10

Linnet, Pine. 41

Logcock 504

Longspur, Lapland £0

Loon 308

Mallard 184

Man-of-War Bird 615

Martin, Black or Purple 361

Merganser, Hooded 412

" Red-breasted 190

Mockingbird 601

Night Hawk 883

Noddy ..515

Nonpareil 606

Nuthatch, Br6wn-headed 13

" Red-bellied 78

" White-breasted 70

Oriole, Baltimore .-.840

*• Orchard 845

Osprey 545

Oyster Catcher ... .609

Oven-bird 818

Owl, Acadian 39

" Barn 607

" Barred 610

" Great Gray 609

INDEX.

628

PAOI.

Owl, Great Homed 89

" Hawk 607

" Long-ear«d 86

" RichardMn's ...610

" Screech 86

" Short<eared 88

" Snowy 66

Parroquet , .607

Partridge 48

Pelican, Brown 614

" White 614

Petrel, Fulmar. 648

" Leach's 689

" Stormy 641

" Wilson's 641

Pewee, Least 845

*' Wood 886

Phalarope, Northern 610

" Red 611

» WiUon's 610

Phoebe 140

Pigeon 616

Plover, BUck-bellied 659

" Golden 560

" Field or Grass 664

" Piping. 6^

" Ring-neck 618

•• Ruddy 461

" Wilson's , 609

Ptarmigan, Rock 609

" Willow. 609

Puffin 615

" Tufted 516

Quail .

53

Rail, Black 448

" Clapper 401

. " Carolina 441

" King 400

" Virginia 899

* " Yellow 448

Raven 496

Redbird, Summer 263

Redpoll, Lesser. 16

Mealy 17

Restart 878

Robin 108

Saddleback 543

Sanderling 461

t Sandpiper, Baird's. 611

'' Bartram's 664

" Bonaparte's 611

" Buff-breasted 618

» Curlew 688

" Least. 5K

*♦ Pectoral 460

.» Purple 588

" Red-backed 611

" Red-breasted 618

" Semipalmated 555

" Solitary 485

" Spotted 488

" Stilt 611

Scoter 479

Shag 517

FAOB.

Shearwater 641

Sooty 648

Shore Lark 10

Shrike, Loggerhead 170

" Northern 87

" White-rumped 109

SicklebiU 618

Skimmer, Black 668

Snakebird 615

Snipe, Red-breasted 460

'^ Wilson's ;818

Snowbird 81

Sparrow, Bay-winged .166

" Chipping 158

» FieW..:. 879

" Fox-colored .679

*• Henslow's 894

" Ipswich 199

*' Lincoln's 186

" Savanna 198

" Sea-side 549

" Sharp-tailed 660

" Song .188

" Swamp 199

" Tree.T 48

" Whitelcrowned! '.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.S17

" White-throated 819

" Yellow-winged 898

Spoonbill, Roseate 618

Stilt 610

Swallow, Bank 486

" Bam ..194

" Eave. aw

" Rough-winged 486

" White-bellied 157

Swan, American 895

" Trumpeter... 808

Swift, Chimney. 883

Tanager, Scarlet ..889

Teal, Blue-winged a08

" Green-winged 811

Tem, Arctic 581

" Black 668

" Caspian 536,616

" Common 681

" Forster's 638

" Gull-billed 616

" Least 617

" Noddy 617

" Royal. 616

" Roseate 682

" Sandwich 617

" Sooty 617

" Thistlebird 44

Thrasher 257

Thrush, Bicknell's 611

Brown 857

" Golden-crowned . 318

" Gray-cheeked 488

" Hermit 491

Large-billed Water. 230

" Olive-backed 4M.

" Water 228

Wilson's 809

" Wood 807

Titlark, Brown 461

Titmouse, Black-capped 17

e84

INDEX.

PAQB.

TitmouM, CoroUoa ao

" HudMn'tBay 90

" Tufted 675

Tropic Bird 615

Turkey 608

Tumttone. 567

Veery 800

Vireo, Philadelpltia 848

" Red-eyed 860

" Solitary SS8

" Warbling 846

" White-eyed 864

'« Yellow-throated 840

Vulture, Turkey 590

" Black 508

Warbler, Audubon's. . . .' 808

" Bachman's 606

" Bay-Breaated 886

" Black-and- White Creeping... 876

'• Black-and- Yellow..... '..:... 828

" Blackbumian 888

" BUck-poU 480

" Black-throated Blue. 880

" Black-throated Green 871

" Blue winged Yellow 417

" Blue Yellow-backed 814

" Canada 870

" CapeMay 884

" Chettnut-sided 888

" Coerulean 886

" Connecticut 606

" Golden-winged 868

" Hooded 848

" Kentcky 606

" Kirtland's 598

" Maryland Yellow-throated. . . .886

" Mourning 871

" Nashville 4

MOI.

Warbler, Orange-crowned. 410

" Pine 606

" Prairie 061

" Prothonotary 604

" Swdnson's 606

" Tennessee 416

" White-throated 870

" Wilson's BUck-cap. 844

" Worm-eating. 604

" Yellow. 888

" Yellow Red-poll 606

" Yellow-rumped 201

" Yellow-throated 606

Wax-wing 40

Whippoorwill 887

Whistler 468

WidrfSon 180

Willet 526

Woodcock 444

Woodpecker,' Black-baciced Three-toed.007

" Downy 88

" Golden-Winged 77

Hairy. 88

'• Ivory-billed 605

" Plicated. 604

'• Red-bellied 104

'< Red-headed 80

" White.backedThree-toed.506

" Yellow-bellied 506

Wren, Bewick's 604

*• Carolina 551

" Common ...854

" Long-billed Marsh 308

" Short-billed Marsh 884

'• Winter 881

Yellowbird 44

Yellow-shanks, Large 816

•• Small 819